Saving time is essential for any editor. Here are 5 tips when working in Premiere Pro’s Project Panel

 

1) Create a Bin (folder) structure and organize your footage before you start editing.

The more complicated your project is, the more important this step is.  Create folders to sort your footage (interviews, b-roll/cutaways, voice-over, music, etc.).

I like to let the computer do the tedious work, so I save time by using Production Crate’s free “Hierarchy Extension“. Download the extension, install it (the Extension works in Premiere Pro and After Effects), and then find it under Window > Extensions > Crates Folder Hierarchy extension (see below). It has options for creating a simple or complex bin/folder structure in Premiere Pro as well as creating a folder structure for the project files on your hard drive!

 

When you select the Extension you will see this window pop up. You can create a folder structure instantly right inside of Premiere or a folder structure on your computer.

 

2) Use Subclips to make long clips more manageable.

Command/Control + U – Make Subclip

If you are working with clips that are long, break the long clips into shorter clips so you don’t have to search through the long clip every time you load the clip into the Source Panel.

Set an In and Out, (Hotkeys are I and O) then Command/Control + H to “Make Subclip”.

Leave “Restrict Trims” unchecked if you want to to be able to use transitions.

 

 

Here you can see the original full clip and the new subclip that we generated right below it.

 

3) Create Custom Sequence Presets

File > New > New Sequence

Pick the preset you want to start with, then click on the Tracks tab.

Specify the number of video/audio tracks you want, and name your audio tracks.

Click “save Preset” and you have a custom preset. This is a huge time saver if you have a specific sequence setting you use often. We have presets for our various social media aspect ratios as well as our standard video

 

You can easily name and save your track presets for further customization, or simply customize the sequence presets.

 

 

Once you have created your preset(s) they will be visible and available on your Sequence Presets drop-down menu.

 

4) Customizing List View

This is another big time saver. Having Thumbnails and Preview Area on will allow you to see what you are working with easier.

To add Thumbnails and Preview Area, Check “Preview Area” and Thumbnails” from the Project pull-down menu.

5) Create a Search Bin

Creating bins based on metadata is a big time saver.

This lets you create a Search Bin based on criteria you enter. In my example, I typed in png, which put all my png files into a bin which I could then name.

 

Here you can see I created a folder called PNG – Backgrounds and all of my PNG files were instantly added to that folder (or bin in Premiere).

 

Check out this fantastic article for connecting Premiere with After Effects.