Video Editing with Adobe Premiere
Online instructional guide for Adobe Premiere video editing software.
Contents
- Introduction
- Video Editing Terminology
- Starting a Project
- The Premiere Workspace
- Capturing Digital Video and Importing Media
- The Rough Cut
- Editing Tools
- Working with Audio
- Creating Transitions
- Special Effects
- Adding Titles and Images
- Exporting your Project
- Further Assistance
Introduction
Adobe Premiere is a powerful video editing software package, designed for both professionals as well as amateurs. It is the primary editing tool for our Pinnacle DC2000 system and can be used to capture audio and video from a variety of sources, including Mini DV.
This tutorial is targeted to assist a broad variety of users with different editing needs. However, in some cases this guide will give specific information on hardware currently in use in the Digital Media Center.
Video Editing Terminology
The following list of video editing terms will help you become familiar with some of the basic concepts in video editing to help you get started with your video project.
Bins- Subfolders within your project. Bins are useful for organizing media clips.
Clip- a "media snippet", a media file containing audio, video, graphics or other media for manipulation in Premiere
DV- digital video
Firewire- officially called the IEEE 1394 standard, is a way of linking electronic devices (such as computers or video cameras) so that they can transfer masses of digital information at very high speeds.
Frames- the series of still images that make up video. Video consists of a series of still frames put together to generate a motion in a film. A single frame is a still image.
In/Out points- corresponds to the beginning and end of media as it will be used in a sequence; specifies which exact frames are needed. These can be set in the Monitor.
Keyframe- a point where a parameter for an effect changes. You can add and edit keyframes for special effects using the Clip menu.
NTSC- A video standard for the US, Japan, Mexico, and many other countries. NTSC isn't compatible with PAL, a different analog format that's popular in Europe.
Project- A Premiere file that stores references to all of your media clips and information about how you arranged and edited the clips. Everything used in your project will be accessible and organized in the Project Window.
Rubber Band- this is a nickname for the graphical tool that allows you to change the volume of an audio clip as time progresses. By manipulating rubber bands you can make clips gradually go from loud to silent or vice versa.
Subclip-a portion of a clip defined by In and Out points
Target track-the media track you want to edit. Select your target track by selecting it in the Timeline.
Timecode- the categorizing of time in video which allows you locate specific frames and navigate easily within video media. Adobe Premiere uses standard timecode, in the format of {Hours: Minutes: Seconds; Frames}. In NTSC (standard) format, 30 frames=1 second.
Timeline- this is the window where you can visually lay out and manipulate the order and duration of your media clips.
Transition- an effect used to create seamless transitions between clips.
Starting a Project
The first step to editing video in Premiere is to create a project file. A Project file is a Premiere file that stores references to all of your media clips and information about how you arranged and edited the clips. Everything used in your project will be accessible and organized in the Project Window.
To create a new Project:
- Choose File > New > Project.
- A dialog box will appear asking you for your project settings:
- General: Settings regarding the fundamental characteristics of the video program.
- Video: Controls frame size, picture quality, and compression settings.
- Audio: Controls audio characteristics
- Keyframe and Rendering: Controls frame-related characteristics.
- Capture Settings: Controls how Premiere transfers video and audio from a camera. See Capturing Digital Video for more info.
- Click OK to begin working on your project.
It's a good idea to create a new directory just for your project so that the component files don't get lost or deleted. Remember that high-quality video makes gigabytes of information, so you should save on a large, SCSI hard drive. (SCSI is an interface for transferring data really fast.)
To save your project:
- Select File > Save As.
- Create a new directory, type in a name, and click Save.
- Remember to continue to save while you are working on the project so you don't lose your work.
The Premiere Workspace
The Monitor
- The Monitor window works like a combination TV and VCR to let you view your project as it is being edited. There are two view you will use in the Monitor: the Source view, which displays your source clip on the left, and the Program view, which displays your edited sequence on the right.
- The controls on the lower left side let you view your project during the editing process.
- You can type directly into the timeframe display to jump directly to any frame in a clip or the entire project. Select the digits you want to change and type new digits. Hit Enter and the monitor will jump to that particular frame.
The Project window organizes and accesses all of the source material contained in your project. Bins are sub-folders within your project that are used for organizing media clips. In a large project it is convenient to create a different bin for each type of media or for different categories of camera shots.
To create a new Bin:
- Select Project > Create, then from the sub-menu, choose Bin.
- Enter a name for your bin and click OK.
- You can now drag clips into your bin, or capture them directly to it.
- Don't be afraid to move clips between different bins. This will not affect their place on the Timeline.
You can work with any of the clips contained in the Project window simply by dragging them into the Timeline or Monitor.
| The Timeline is where you complile and edit your clips to form your movie. The Timeline also provides an overview of your video layout, showing you where certain clips end and others begin, where transitions are located, etc. You can change the time display options for the timeline window on the bottom left corner. |  |
The Timeline contains a toolbar 
with different editing tools. It also displays all of the media tracks. You can expand the media tracks by clicking on the arrow next to the track 
or hide media tracks by clicking on the eye icon.
The preview bar 
on the top of the Timeline allows you to preview any piece of video to see the results of edits you've performed. To preview a piece of your project:
- Resize the purple bar above the time ruler to cover the piece you'd like to preview.
- To preview the current display in the Timeline, double click on the preview bar.
- Press Enter.
- Premiere will generate a preview and play it in the Program view of the Monitor.
The Palletes
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The other palletes in Adobe Premiere have the following functions:
- Transitions Pallete: Contains a menu of the different transitions you can apply to your sequence.
- Commands Pallete: Contains a list of frequently used commands in Adobe Premiere for quick access. You can add your favorite commands also.
- Navigator: Contains a miniature representation of the Timeline so you can navigate in the Timeline more efficiently. This is very useful for large projects with complicated layouts.
- Info Pallete: Displays info for a selected piece of media, such as its in and out points, duration, etc.
Capturing Digital Video and Importing Media
Capturing video is the procedure you will use to get media clips from your camera into the computer to edit.
To set up Premiere to capture video:
- Select Project > Settings > Capture. Make sure that the Capture Format is set to one of the two Pinnacle modes.
- Click the Settings button to fine tune the video capture options.
- Video Input > Input: DV input
- Video Format > Video Standard: NTSC
To connect a DV camcorder to the computer:
- Connect the 4 pin end of the Firewire cable to the DV camera. (On the ETC's Canon camcorder this is marked DV IN/OUT.)
- Connect the 6 pin end of the Firewire cable to the computer's Firewire port. (On the ETC's editing PC this is the lower card, not the one on the Pinnacle card. The camera should now display "DV IN" on the LCD screen.)
Capturing and saving video:
- Make sure that the camera is turned on, loaded with the right tape and set to VCR mode.
- Open the capture window by clicking: File > Capture > Movie Capture.
- Preview your video on the VCR or camera and decide on exactly what segment you want to capture. Rewind a few seconds before the beginning of where you want your video to start so you won't miss the beginning.
- Click on Record in the Movie Capture window and press Play on the DV camera/player.
- When enough video has been captured, hit the Escape key on the keyboard. A new window will open with your newly captured clip.
- Click on File > Save, then give the file a name and click Save. (You should save in the same directory as your project, or in one of your project's bins.)
Importing Media Files into your Project
Premiere suports a wide variety of media formats, including many types of audio and video, as well as still images and animations. To import media files:
- Select File > Import > File.
- Select a file, and click Open.
- The file will be added to your Project window.
- You can organize the imported media by dragging it into a specific bin in the Project Window.
- Importing a folder will create a new bin with the same name.
- Importing a project will give you the option of inserting an entire project at different points within your open project.
The Rough Cut
To get started on your project, you'll create a rough cut. A rough cut is a series of clips arranged in the general sequence that you want. It will provide a basic layout for your sequence and give you a sense of where you want to apply edits, add transitions, and create effects. Use the following steps to create a rough cut. Don't worry about precise editing until later.
To insert clip to the Timeline:
- Choose a clip from the Project Window.
- Use the mouse to drag it to one of the tracks on the Timeline. Drag your main clips to Video 1 and Audio 1. The track(s) you are about to fill will turn dark gray.
- Release the mouse button to drop the clip in your track.
Inserting a clip at an edit point:
- On the Timeline, move the playhead
to the exact spot where you would like your clip to be inserted. - Open a clip in the Source view of the Monitor window.
- Choose Edit > Insert at Edit Line.
Editing Tools
Once you have your rough cut, you're ready to begin editing your sequence.
In/Out Points
You can set in and out points for your clips in the Monitor or the Timeline by clicking on the buttons: 
.Use the Navigator window to see the exact timecode of in/out points and the duration of clip.
Trimming
Trimming a clip involves setting a new In Point and/or Out Point. You can trim clips in the Monitor or use the editing tools in the Timeline.
To trim a clip:
- View the clip you wish to edit in the Monitor and locate your new In or Out point position.
- With the clip in the Source (left) view, drag the shuttle slider
until you find the exact frame you wish to begin/end the clip with. - Click the Mark In
or Mark Out 
button. - To apply the trim to your clip in the Timeline, click the Apply button.
Ripple editing
Ripple editing is used to shorten or lengthen individual clips in a sequence by changing the In/Out points. It is called ripple editing because it changes the entire duration of the sequence, or "ripples" through the sequence. To perform a ripple edit:
- Make sure Timeline View preferences are set so you can easily see the edit you are performing.
- Select the ripple edit tool
. - Move the pointer across the line where two clips join. The pointer will change into a ripple edit icon.
- Drag the ripple edit tool in either direction to edit the clip.
Splitting
Splitting involves making a clip into two or more pieces. It is helpful if you wish to move parts of clips to other positions in your sequence, add effects to a piece of a clip, or superimpose additional clips.
To split a clip:
- In the Timeline, place your playhead at the point you wish to split your clip.
- Select the razor tool
. - Position the pointer
at the current edit line, and click. - Your clip is now cut.
Superimposing
To superimpose (overlay) a clip on top of another clip or sequence:
- Select the clip in the Project Window and drag it to the Video 2 track
on top of the base (Video 1) track. - You can then set its In/Out Points and apply special effects.
Premiere offers several other editing options in addition to the ones described above. See Further Assistance for more information.
Working with Audio
You can add audio clips to your project simply by dragging them from the Project Window to the appropriate audio track in the Timeline. You can view the waveform and both channels of your audio by expanding the audio track 
.
Synchronizing Audio to your Video:
- In most cases it will be necessary to have the audio and video tracks of a clip perfectly sychronized. To make sure the sound and picture stay in sync it's necessary to link them.
- To link the clips, use the selection tool
and click on the first clip you want to link. Then hold down the SHIFT key and click on the second. The clips will blink red for a second. - Somtimes moving linked clips around on the Timeline can lead to them falling out of sync. To correct this use the selection tool to drag the audio track while holding the CTRL key.
- To unlink clips, select a linked clip, then choose Edit > Break Link.
To lock audio tracks (such as background music), click in the box next to the speaker icon 
to lock the audio track.
Creating Transitions
Transition Effects are used to seamlessly link clips together. They are one of the key components of professional video editing. You can use transitions to create artistic effects, like a ripple dissolve to indicate, "It was all a dream...", or a fade in/fade out to signify the passage of time.
To insert a transition:
- Find the two clips in the Timeline where you would like a transition.
- Open up the Video 1 track by clicking on the arrow. You should see three tracks, Video 1A, Transition, and Video 1B.
- Drag the second clip to the Video 1B track, overlapping with 1A for the duration of time you desire.
- Select the Transitions pallete.
- Click on the arrow in the upper right corner
and select Animate. This allows you to see mini-animations of your choices. - Select a transition and drag it to the timeline to the Transition track between your two clips.
- Preview your transition.
Special Effects
To change the playback speed of a clip:
- Select the clip you wish to play slower or faster in the Timeline.
- Choose Clip > Speed.
- Type a new rate in the dialog box.
- Click OK.
To change the opacity of a clip:
- You can make a clip or superimposed clip partially transparent or fade in and out by changing its opacity over time.
- Select the clip you wish to alter in the timeline.
- Move the pointer onto the opacity bar
and click within your clip to set a handle 
. The handle divides your clip into sections that you can adjust by dragging. - Click and hold the handle and drag it downward. You can see the percentage opacity
if you hold down the shift key as you drag. - Preview your effects by positioning the preview bar over your clip and pressing enter.
To use video filters:
- Select the video clip in the Timeline.
- Choose Clip > Filters from the menu bar.
- Select a filter from the available list and click Add.
- Choose your settings in the dialog box and click OK.
- If you wish to apply a filter to only a portion of a clip, you will need to use keyframes.
- To remove a filter from a clip, go to Clip > Filters, select the filter, and click Remove.
To use keyframes:
Keyframes are used when you wish to change settings applied to a clip over time. They are like markers to indicate where the settings for an effect will change. You can edit keyframes in the Clip > Filters dialog box.
- To set the first keyframe, position the pointer over the keyframes bar
in the Filters dialog box until you see a small triangle appear 
. - Double click on the triangle to open the Settings dialog box for the keyframe. A preview of the settings is included.
- Change your settings as desired and click OK.
- You can move the position of the keyframes by dragging them on the keyframes bar.
- Click OK when you are finished editing your clip and preview.
Adding Titles and Images
To add a title to your Project:
- Choose File > New > Title.
- Create your title in the Title Window that appears.
- You can change font and style settings using the Title menu on the menu bar.
- Choose File > Save As and save your title in the appropriate location.
- To import your title into your sequence, simply drag the title from the Title Window to a track in the Timeline. You will usually use the superimpose track (Video 2 or higher) for text and titles.
- If you wish you can play with filters and other settings for your title using the Clip > Filters menu. See Further Assistance for more information.
To animate text or images:
- Select the clip you wish to animate.
- Choose Clip > Video > Motion.
- A preview of the motion path for the clip is displayed in the upper left corner of the dialog box.
- Use the arrow pointer on the Time bar to insert motion points, which are analogous to keyframes for motion effects.
- Change the settings for each motion point below the Time bar.
- Click OK to apply your motion effects.
- Preview your clip.
Exporting your Project
When you are finished with your project you will need to export it to a file. Premiere can take quite a while to render all of your transitions and effects, so don't freak out if it takes twenty minutes. From there, you can burn it to a CD, record it to a video tape, or compress it.
To export your finished movie as a file:
- Choose File > Export and then click Movie.
- You can export your movie in one of many different file formats, each with a different balance of compression vs. quality. To change the file type:
- Click on the Settings button, then choose an option under File Type.
- Choose OK.
- Give your movie a name and click Save.
- If you just want to export a single frame from captured video, position the playhead so that the frame you want is shown in the monitor. Choose File > Export > Frame to save your image; change the image type, if you need to, by clicking the Settings button.
