Adobe Premiere Pro Tutorial: Complete Beginners Guide to Editing

Introduction

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on editing videos using Adobe Premiere Pro! If you're new to editing in this software, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get started. Having edited in Premiere for over 15 years, I wish I had this resource when I started— it would have saved me time and effort. In this guide, you'll learn about practical tips for editing, how to create a streamlined workflow, tips for editing faster, and some cool effects that elevate any beginner's work to a professional level. Plus, we'll cover audio leveling, adding music, using text templates, editing vertical videos for social media, color grading, and much more. Let’s dive into this masterclass for beginners!

Getting Started with Premiere Pro

Before opening or starting a project in Premiere Pro, it's wise to set yourself up for success. Follow these steps:

Create a Project Folder: Start by creating a dedicated folder for your project on your desktop. The folder name should consist of the year, month, day, and a descriptive title. For instance, “2022-07-15 YouTube Setup.”
Organize Footage: Inside your project folder, create additional subfolders—one for A-Roll (the primary footage of you speaking) and one for B-Roll (supplementary footage).
Store Footage: Drag your video files into their respective folders. If you're editing high-resolution video, consider investing in external SSDs (solid-state drives) for better performance.

Starting a New Project

Open Adobe Premiere Pro and create a new project:

Title your project appropriately and choose to save it in the folder you just created.

Overview of the Premiere Pro Workspace

Upon creating your project, you'll see various panels and interfaces in Premiere Pro.

Edit Tab: This is where most of your editing will take place.
Import/Export Tabs: These make it easy to manage your imports and exports.
Project Panel: Here, you can manage your clips and assets.
Timeline: This is where you will build your sequence.

To match up the workspace with what’s shown in this guide, go to Window > Workspaces > Editing.

Importing Footage

To import your footage, click on the import button and navigate to your project folder. Avoid creating a new sequence automatically—choose to import without that option to maintain control over your assets.

Organization Within Premiere

Keep your files organized to streamline the editing process. You can create bins within the project panel to categorize your videos—a practice highly recommended for larger projects.

Basic Editing Techniques

Now that your assets are organized, let's get into editing:

Add Clips to the Timeline: You can click and drag clips directly onto the timeline or right-click a clip to create a new sequence from it.
Trimming Clips: Use the Razor Tool (C) to splice your clips and the Selection Tool (V) to adjust your selections. Utilize keyboard shortcuts like ripple delete to speed up the trimming process.

Enhancing Video Quality

Color Grading and Audio Leveling

Once you’ve trimmed your footage:

Color Grade: Navigate to the Lumetri Color panel and make adjustments to the temperature, highlights, blacks, and sharpness of your clips.
Audio Improvements: Enhance your audio using effects like the Graphic Equalizer, Parametric Equalizer, and Hard Limiter to ensure it sounds professional.

Adding B-Roll and Music

To keep your video engaging, add captivating B-Roll that visualizes what you're discussing. You can also add music to set the tone.

Using Epidemic Sound for Music

For royalty-free music, consider using Epidemic Sound. They offer a vast library of tracks perfect for any video project. Use the provided code "think50" for 50% off their annual plan.

Text and Motion Graphics

For better engagement, add text to your videos:

Basic Text: Use the Essential Graphics panel to create straightforward text overlays.
Motion Titles: Download pre-made templates for motion titles to add an extra flash to your project.

Exporting Your Finished Video

When your editing is complete, it's time to export:

Set In/Out Points: Make sure you specify where the project starts and ends.
Choose Export Settings: Select the appropriate settings for quality, such as “High Quality 4K” or “High Quality 1080p.”
Batch Rendering: Utilize tools within Premiere, like the QT Gamma Compensation LUT, for Mac users to ensure correct color grading.

Editing Vertical Videos

For social media platforms, you may have to create vertical videos. To do this:

Start a new sequence with a vertical resolution.
Import your vertical clips and apply your well-practiced editing techniques.

Conclusion

Thank you for following along this tutorial on Adobe Premiere Pro. Now, you should have a solid foundation to start creating your own video projects. If you found this guide helpful, don’t forget to save it for future reference!

Keyword

Adobe Premiere Pro
Beginner Editing Guide
Video Editing Techniques
Color Grading
Audio Leveling
B-Roll
Epidemic Sound
Motion Graphics
Exporting Videos
Vertical Videos

FAQ

1. What is Adobe Premiere Pro? Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional video editing software used for editing videos and films.

2. How do I create a new project in Premiere Pro? Create a folder on your computer, organize your footage, and then open Premiere Pro to create a new project where you can import your files.

3. What are A-Roll and B-Roll? A-Roll refers to the main footage, usually of someone speaking, while B-Roll consists of supplementary footage that adds context to the story.

4. How can I improve my audio in Premiere Pro? Apply audio effects like the Graphic Equalizer and Hard Limiter to make your audio sound professional. Use presets to save time in future projects.

5. How do I add text to my videos? Use the Essential Graphics panel to create and customize text overlays for your project. You can also use motion templates for dynamic titles.

6. What if I want to export my video as a vertical format? You can create a new sequence with vertical settings (e.g., 1080x1920) in Premiere Pro. Then, import your footage and edit as usual.