Hello everyone! In this tutorial, I’ll show you 10 simple tips, tricks & hidden features in Adobe Premiere Pro. I hope these tips will help to edit your videos faster.

1.Customize Workspace in Premiere Pro

Each Adobe video and audio application includes several predefined workspaces that optimize the layout of panels for specific tasks. When you choose one of these workspaces, or any custom workspaces you’ve saved, the current workspace is redrawn accordingly.

In Premiere Pro, Workspace buttons in the Workspaces panel provide you one-click access to default or custom workspaces.

Switch to the different layouts by clicking the names at the top of the workspace
Click the Chevron icon (>>) to open the Overflow menu. The Overflow menu includes workspace layouts that are not displayed in the Workspace panel.
Drag the vertical divider next to the Chevron icon to control whether a workspace is displayed or hidden in the overflow menu.

Note:

Older custom workspaces do not have the Workspaces panel open at the top of the workspace. You can open the Workspaces panel, dock it at the top and save the change into the workspace.

You can also open a Workspace from the Window menu:

Open the project you want to work on, choose Window > Workspace, and select the desired workspace.

Modify the order of workspaces or delete workspaces

You can change the order in which workspaces are displayed, move a workspace to the Overflow menu, or hide a workspace so that it is not displayed in the Workspaces panel. You can also delete a workspace from the panel.

Click the Workspace menu icon, which appears next to the currently active workspace.

A. Workspace menu icon

In the Workspace menu that is displayed, click Edit Workspaces.

Note:

You can also access the Edit Workspaces dialog through Window > Workspaces > Edit Workspaces.

The Edit Workspaces dialog is displayed. Here you can reorder workspaces, move them into the Overflow menu or hide them. You can also delete a workspace.

To revert any change that you made, click Cancel.

Save or reset workspaces

Save a custom workspace

As you customize a workspace, the application tracks your changes, storing the most recent layout. To store a specific layout more permanently, save a custom workspace. Saved custom workspaces appear in the Workspace menu, where you can return to and reset them.

Arrange the groups and panels as desired, and then do one of the following:
- Click the Workspace menu icon and select Save as New Workspace.
- Or, choose Window > Workspace > Save as New Workspace.

2. Create Sequence Presets in Premiere Pro

Select File > New > Sequence. This displays the New Sequence window.

Select any of the Available Presets – for this example, I chose XDCAM HD > 1080p30. Why? Because we will change all these settings in the next step.

Click the Settings text button at the top of the window.

VIDEO

Change Editing Mode to Custom.
Change Timebase to match the frame rate you need to deliver.

NOTE: It is best to shoot the frame rate you need to deliver. In the event you can’t, it is better to change the frame rate during editing, rather than later during compression.

Set the Frame size to the size you need. In my example, I’m using 1920 x 1080.
Set Pixel Aspect Ratio to Square Pixels. Virtually all current cameras shoot square pixels. The exceptions are: standard-definition video, HDV and some versions of Panasonic P2.
Set Fields to Progressive, unless you know for sure that you need interlaced.
Set the Display format to match the Timebase.

AUDIO

Leave the Audio settings alone, the defaults are fine.

VIDEO PREVIEWS

Choose QuickTime. This setting determines the format you output in the event clips don’t match the sequence setting.
Set the codec to Apple ProRes 422. This codec is now supported on both Mac and Windows and works for all video shot by cameras.

NOTE: If you are shooting RAW or Log files, you’ll probably find a preset that already exists. If not, use Apple ProRes 4444.

When the settings are complete, click the Save Preset button.

Give the new preset a name and description, then click OK.

This new preset shows up in the category for which you created it – Custom, in our example.

EXPORT

When you export your project, and choose the Match Sequence settings, Premiere will output a ProRes 422 sequence with uncompressed audio based on these settings.

3. Ripple Delete in Premiere Pro

Firstly, make your desired cuts in your Timeline. Now right-click on the area you wish to delete and select “Ripple Delete”. This will now automatically fill the gap left in the Timeline whilst using ripple delete.

Remember for this to work on all unlocked layers, make sure you cut across these – any layers that are “locked” won’t be affected.

Also, you can use a simple keyboard shortcut to ripple delete – scroll below to find out how to achieve this!

4. Insert Clips into Sequence in Premiere Pro

You can quickly assemble a rough cut or add clips to an existing sequence. The clips added can include the default video and audio transitions.

Set In and Out points to define each clip’s starting and ending points.

Arrange clips in the Project panel. You can add the clips to the sequence in either the order you select them, or in the order that they are arranged in a bin in icon view. You can also add sequences or clips in nested bins.

Note:

You can arrange clips in a bin in storyboard fashion by setting the Project panel to icon view. (See Change Project panel views.)

Select the clips in the Project panel. Either Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) them in the order you want or by dragging a selection marquee around them.

In the Project panel, click the Automate To Sequence button .

Set the following options in the Automate To Sequence dialog box, and then click OK:

Ordering

Specifies the method used to determine the order of the clips when they are added to the sequence. If you choose Sort Order, clips are added in the order they’re listed in the Project panel: from top to bottom in List view; or from left to right, top to bottom in Icon view. If you choose Selection Order, clips are added according to the order in which you selected them in the Project panel.

Placement

Specifies how clips are placed in the sequence. If you choose Sequentially, clips are placed one after another. If you choose At Unnumbered Markers, clips are placed at unnumbered sequence markers. Choosing At Unnumbered Markers makes the Transitions options unavailable.

Method

Specifies the type of edit to perform. Choose Insert Edit to add clips to the sequence starting at the sequence’s current time using insert edits, which shift existing clips forward in time to accommodate the new material. Choose Overwrite Edit to use overwrite edits, which allow the new material to replace clips already in the sequence.
5. Get Time Indicator Playhead Center in Premiere Pro

Did you know you can change how your timeline scrolls in Adobe Premiere Pro when you are in playback? There are three choices. Page Scroll is the default. Then there is Smooth Scroll and No Scroll. I have no idea why you might use No Scroll if you do clue me in ok?

If you having trouble visualizing what I am talking about here’s what the default behavior, Page Scroll, looks like. When the CTI gets to the far right your timeline advances and yout CTI enters from the far left.

Now watch this. Here’s how you change your Timeline Playback Scrolling behavior. We will change it to Smooth Scroll. In your Adobe Premiere Pro Preferences (I’m on a Mac) find “Timeline” towards the bottom. Then a panel will open up.

And here’s what Smooth Scroll looks like. Your CTI stays smack dab in the center of your timeline.

6. Auto-Sync Your Videos to the Music Beats in Premiere Pro

1. Import and Organize Your Media

The first step of any video editing project is organizing your media. Create a media library and arrange everything systematically to make it easier to manage.

After adding the audio to the media library, drag it to the timeline. You can place it in a way you want it to appear in the video. In addition to that, you can even set the In/Out range of the selected audio clip. This way, you won’t have to edit out the excess content.

2. Add Markers

Once you’ve done adding media to your timeline, you can start listening to the audio track. As you listen to the music, you can start adding Markers to your video to mark where the beats appear.

The fastest way to add markers to Premiere Pro is to use the shortcut key “M” on your keyboard. Start listening to the audio, and as soon as you identify a beat, press the M key on your keyboard to add a marker to your timeline. Likewise, listen to the entire track and keep adding beats to your timeline.

RELATED:How To Use Markers In Adobe Premiere Pro

The first time you listen to the soundtrack, you might think adding markers may take a long time, but it’s extremely easy. However, it’s important to note that while adding markers, you must select the entire segment of the audio clip, not just the individual clip.

3. Add Video to the Timeline

Once you’ve added markers to the audio, you can now drag the footage onto the timeline.

Select all the clips in your bin and then click on the Clip tab in the top menu bar. From there, select the Automate to Sequence button. When prompted to configure settings, choose the options—Selection Order and Placement at Unnumbered Markers.

Premier Pro will automatically add the footage to the timeline and cut the videos according to the markers you placed in the previous step. Once done, you can review the project to make sure that everything is the way it should be.

However, it’s important to note that Premiere Pro does all these using algorithms, so it might not add the exact video points you want in the timeline. If you want a more precise result, you can use the manual method instead.
7. Customize the Shortcuts in Premiere Pro
In addition to using the default set of keyboard shortcuts, you can assign your own custom shortcuts to nearly any menu command, button, or tool. You can save different sets of shortcuts and restore the default settings.
Choose Edit > Keyboard Customization.

In the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box, choose an option from the pop‑up menu:

Application displays commands found in the menu bar, organized by category.

Windows displays commands associated with window buttons and pop‑up menus.

In the Command column, view the command for which you want to create a shortcut. If necessary, click the triangle next to the name of a category to reveal the commands it includes.

Click in the item’s shortcut field to select it.

Do any of the following:

To add a shortcut, type it.note: If the shortcut was used by another command, an alert appears at the bottom of the dialog box.

To erase a shortcut, click Clear.

To reverse either of the actions above, click Undo.

Repeat the procedure to enter as many shortcuts as you want. When you’re finished, click Save As, type a name for your Key Set, and click Save.

Note:

Some commands are reserved by the operating system and cannot be reassigned to Premiere Elements. Likewise, you cannot assign numbers or the plus (+) and minus (–) keys on the numeric keypad because they are necessary for entering relative timecode values. You can assign these keys on the keyboard, however.
Remove shortcuts
In the Keyboard Customization dialog box, do one of the following:

To remove a single shortcut, select it and click Clear.

To remove a custom set of shortcuts, select the key set you want to remove from the Set pop‑up menu and click Delete. When asked, confirm your choice by clicking Delete.
Switch to a different set of shortcuts
Choose Edit > Keyboard Customization, and choose the set of shortcuts you want to use from the Set pop‑up menu.

8. Set Auto Scale to Frame Size in Premiere Pro
Premiere provides a preference setting that automatically scales images. Let me explain the three options and suggest which one you should select based on your specific needs.

Preferences > Media > Default Media Scaling has three options:

None

Set to Frame Size

Scale to Frame Size

If the frame size of your clip matches the frame size of the sequence, these don’t apply. These only come into effect when the frame size of the clip does not match the frame size of the sequence.

Here’s what these three options do.

None. This displays the image in the timeline at 100% scale. If the image is smaller than the sequence, there will be black bars around 2 or more edges. If the image is larger, it will be centered in the frame, but portions around the edge will be cropped.

This is the best choice if you are doing multicam work with clips at different frame sizes or plan to create a lot of “Ken Burns” effects on stills.

Set to Frame Size. This automatically scales an image to fit entirely within the frame size of the sequence, and, at the same time, sets Effect Controls > Motion > Scale to reflect the amount the image was scaled.

If the aspect ratio does not match, the image will have black bars on two sides. If the image is smaller than the sequence, the image may appear blurry. This is my recommended choice when dealing with different frame sizes for most edits and want the ability to scale the images later.

Scale to Frame Size. This automatically scales the image to fit entirely within the frame size of the sequence, and, at the same time, sets Effect Controls > Motion > Scale to 100%.

This is the best option when you are dealing with different frame sizes, but don’t intend to scale anything later. I don’t recommend using this option because you don’t know how much the image was scaled.

Remember, any image scaled larger than 100% will appear soft and blurry. This is why it’s important to know how much an image was scaled so you can maintain image quality.
9. Export Image for Thumbnail in Premiere Pro
Position the playhead at the desired frame in a clip or sequence.
Click the Export Frame button .

The Export Frame dialog box opens with the name field in text edit mode. The entire name is selected for editing. By default, the frame name contains the name of the source clip or sequence, and an auto-incremented number. For example, Premiere Pro names frames exported from a clip named Clip.mov, “Clip.mov.Still001,” “Clip.mov.Still002,” “Clip.mov.Still003,” and so on. Even if you rename the frame, Premiere Pro uses the next number the next time you export a frame from that same clip.

By default, Premiere Pro selects the format last used for a frame export.
Do one of the following:

Type a new name for the frame. Select a format from the Format: menu. Browse to a destination for the frame. Click OK.

Press Enter to accept the default frame name, format, and location.

Premiere Pro exports a frame. By default, Premiere Pro sets the color bit depth of the exported frame to the color bit depth of the source clip or sequence.

10. Render Transparent Video in Premiere Pro
When you are ready to export your video project, open the “Export Settings” menu via the top file menu like below:

Open the “Export Settings” window by going to: File -> Export -> Media

Configure the Export Settings for Transparent Video Backgrounds

Once the Export Settings window is open, there are actually only a few settings you have to set in order to export video with a transparent background.

Set a video format that support transparency

On the right hand side of the window, locate the export format. Set this to “QuickTime”. No matter what you normally export your videos as, you pretty much have to use QuickTime to export for transparent backgrounds.

Almost every video codec does NOT support transparent videos. Kind of like how GIF and PNG images are the only image formats that support transparency. JPEG does not.

QuickTime is pretty much the only codec that supports transparent backgrounds.

Don’t worry though, even though you might not prefer to export using QuickTime and get a MOV format video file, you can still import a MOV video file into nearly any video editing software. Especially the big ones like Adobe Premiere Pro and iMovie.

Enable the alpha channel render option

Now that you have your video export format set, look a little further down that same column. You will see some tabbed areas labeled “Effects”, “Video”, “Audio”, etc. Select the “Video” tab.

This video tab will give you some unique settings for exporting your Premiere Pro projects. Most notably, the video codec and alpha channel options.

Under the “Video Codec” settings, browse though the options and select the “None” options. I have found that setting this option to none seems to give the best results for transparent backgrounds. Especially for video overlay animations, like a YouTube subscribe button video animation.

The downside of setting this video codec option to none is that the file size will be a little bigger. But for short videos like overlays the files will already be pretty darn small anyway.

Now to select the alpha channel

Locate the “Basic Video Settings” options and scroll down to the bottom of it. You should see a “depth” option. This is where you enable the alpha channel in the export settings. And that alpha channel will allow you export transparent video backgrounds.

Enable the alpha channel by clicking on the button with the ” + alpha” option on it, under the “Depth” setting. Then be sure to also check the box for “Render at Maximum Depth”. Getting that max depth will make the transparent video render a lot smoother and gives WAY better results, especially for higher quality videos and higher quality monitors.

Export your video and Enjoy!