Instructions for anyone who wants to master one of the best video editors for Windows and macOS.
Install Adobe Premiere Pro and familiarize yourself with the interface
Download a trial version of Premiere Pro from Adobe’s official website and follow the installer instructions.
The first time you run the program, it will prompt you to create a new project. This is a kind of draft in which you will work on your future video. Enter the name of the project in the “Name” field and specify a folder to store it in the “Location” field. After that, click OK.
You will see the main video editor screen. The tabs at the top of the window are used to switch between the main sections of the interface. Click Edit. Here you’ll find the basic toolbars: “Source”, “Project”, “Timeline” and “Program”. These are the ones you’ll be working with most of the time.
Add Source Media Files
Drag and drop the sources you want to assemble the final video from into the Project panel. These can be clips, audio files, or still images. Their thumbnails will immediately appear in Premiere Pro.
If you want, you can always view any added file directly in the interface of the program. Just double-click it and Premiere Pro will play it in the Source panel.
Drag your files into the edit pane
Drag the source file from the Project pane into the Timeline pane. If you have several clips, select the one you plan to make the basis of the final video.
If the program informs you that the selected file does not match the current settings, click Change Title Settings. This will optimize the panel settings to work with your clip.
Then drag and drop all the other source files you need for editing, including audio and pictures, onto the Timeline panel.
Figure out how the panel works. The sources are displayed here as timelines. And each of them occupies a specific track or, you might say, a layer. The ones labeled A are for audio. Those marked with V are for clips and static images.
If you place two video clips under each other, only the top one will appear in the final clip. Keep this in mind when editing.
Edit the source code
Use the tools in the Timeline panel to edit the added files and assemble the final video.
“Trim” lets you remove fragments from clips and audio files.
Use the “Hand” tool to scroll the timeline along with the files placed on it.
“Selection” performs several functions at once. Among other things, this tool lets you:
Drag and drop segments of audio and video between different tracks and in relation to the timeline. You can assemble video sequences like a mosaic.
Adjust the timeline of each segment on the timeline. To do this, just pull the edge of the segment to the side.
Control the volume. First, you need to double-click next to the microphone icon on the right side of the audio track. When it expands, just pull up or down on the line that runs along the track.
Remove unnecessary fragments. You need to select a segment and press the Delete key.
To understand, try each of the listed tools and watch the “Program” panel. This displays the current result of the montage.
Add transitions and titles
If you want, you can decorate the glues between the fragments of the clip with various effects – video transitions. To do it, find the Effects tab in the Project panel and click Video Transitions in the appearing list. Try different ones and choose the appropriate ones. To apply an effect, simply drag it from the “Project” panel to the border between the two video segments.
If you need to add author names, quotes, or any other text to the video, click the “Graphics” option at the top of the window. Select the appropriate title template in the panel on the right and drag it onto the timeline. Type the desired text in the Program panel.
Save the result
When you are finished editing, save the final video. To do this, click File → Export → Media Content. In the window that appears, make the appropriate settings.
If you don’t know what settings to choose, choose the H.264 format. It will work in most cases. Then select one of the Adobe templates. For example, the list includes ready-made settings for YouTube and other popular services.
In the “Output File Name” field, set the name of the video and specify the folder in which you want to save it. Then click “Export” at the bottom of the window and wait for the program to save the result to your computer.
