This tutorial will show you how to create a video using still images, a narration recording and Adobe Premiere. The steps include:
1 – Setting Up Your Premiere Project
2 – Importing Project Files
3 – Adding Your Audio to the Sequence
4 – Splitting Your Audio
5 – Animating the Images
6 – Adding Transitions
7 – Exporting the Video
1. Setting Up Your Premiere Project
If this is the first time you are using Premiere, follow the first three parts of the instructions in the Adobe Premiere CC Project Set-Up tutorial. (When you set-up your project folder, make sure it is the name of the project you are working on. Elevator Pitch, Bio, etc.)
When you get to Part 4 Import Your Assets return to this tutorial.
As you work, be sure to save your project often. (Use the “File” menu, “Save” button, or press the “Command+S” keys on your keyboard.)
2. Importing Project Files
Press “Command+I” on your keyboard, or click the “File” menu “Import” button, then navigate to your project folder.
In this example, an elevator pitch video, the assets are an edited .wav file of the narration, and a folder containing still images that have been prepared for video editing. When your assets are selected, click on the “Import” button.
When you import still images that have multiple layers you may see a dialog box similar to this one.
In most cases you will choose the “Import As: Merge All Layers” option.
Once you have made your selection, click the “OK” button to continue importing.
Look at the project panel in the lower-left hand section of your workspace. You should see your sequence, the folder with your images, and the audio recording.
If you float your cursor over the audio recording a window with the words “Contains Linked Audio” may appear.
This reminds you that the assets you add to a Premiere project do not become part of the project file. Premiere just links to the file.
It is important you do not move any assets on your computer once you have linked them to a Premiere project.
3. Adding Your Audio to the Sequence
To view the audio file in the Source portion of your workspace, double-click on it’s icon in the Project section.
The audio file should now appear in the Source space.
Here you have controls for playback and editing of an asset.
To move an audio asset from the Source window to the Timeline,
click and hold on the “Drag Audio Only” button,
then drag to the “Audio 1” track on the Timeline.
When the audio appears in the Timeline “Audio 1” track, release the mouse button.
Now that the narration recording is in the Audio 1 track of the Timeline, look to the left at the toolbar.
You may choose the “Selection Tool” by clicking on its arrow icon, or by pressing the letter “v” on your keyboard.
The “Selection Tool” lets you select items on the timeline, move them, and adjust them.
Use the “Selection Tool” to move your narration recording so that it starts on the far-left hand side of the “Audio 1” track on the Timeline. This is where the Timeline starts, at zero seconds.
As you move along the Timeline to the right, the time increases.
For a better view of your audio file, click the triangle to the left of “Audio 1” until it is pointing down.
You should now see a waveform representing the sound in your narration file. To increase the size of the waveform, click and hold on the line between the bottom of the “Audio 1” track and the top of the “Audio 2” track. Drag the line downward to increase the waveform display, then release.
Use the keyboard + and – keys to adjust your view in the Timeline until you can see your entire narration recording.
4. Splitting Your Audio
From the Tool Bar, click on the “Razor Tool” icon or press the “C” key on your keyboard.
The Razor Tool allows you to split items on the Timeline. Press the spacebar on your keyboard, or click on the Timeline play button icon to start playing our narration. Refer to your script to determine where your first picture will end and your second picture will start. Stop the playback at that point, and click on your narration audio waveform using the Razor Tool.
You will use this split in the waveform to indicate where one image will end and another will start. Repeat this process to make splits in your narration audio at each point where one picture will end and the next will begin.
In this example there are seven splits indicating a total of eight pictures will be used.
Return to the Project section of your workspace, then double-click your images folder.
You should now see the contents of the folder. You may scroll up and down to reveal any hidden images.
Double-click on the image you will use to start your video. The image opens in the Source window.
Click and hold on the “Drag Video Only” button,
then drag the image to the “Video 1” track on the Timeline. Place the image to the far-left hand side of the “Video 1” track, then release the mouse button.
Click on the image’s right-hand edge and drag it until it lines up with the first split you made in your narration audio in the “Audio 1” track.
NOTE: Your images should appear cropped in the Program window when you first place them on the timeline. Do not be concerned. In the next section of this tutorial you will adjust their appearance.
Return to the Project section of your workspace and click on the next image that will appear in our video. Drag it directly onto the “Video 1” track in the Timeline.
Move this second image’s left edge up against your first image’s right side. Use the Select Tool to adjust the second image’s right side to line up with the second split in your narration audio in the “Audio 1” track.
Refer to your script as you repeat this process to add the rest of your images to the “Video 1” track on the Timeline.
When you are done placing and adjusting all of the images, click the play arrow or press the space bar on your keyboard to play your video in the Program window. Follow along with your script to make sure each image changes at the right time.
5. Animating the Images
To re-size and animate your still images, you need to change some settings.
In the Program section of your workspace, look to the left below the playback window, just to the right of the time display, and click on the “Select Zoom Level” down-arrow.
In the menu that appears, click on “25%.”
The playback window should shrink.
Look for a wrench icon at the bottom left of the Program window and click on it.
In the menu that appears click on the “Safe Margins” button.
TV “Safe Margins” are now displayed.
In this view the dark gray area is not part of the final video. The rectangles within the image frame will not be seen when the video is distributed. They are guidelines to make sure the content you want to share with your audience is seen: The smaller rectangle indicates the “title safe” area for any text. The larger rectangle indicates the “action safe” area for any part of the image that is critical for the audience to see. The outermost part of the image (beyond the action safe rectangle) may be seen by some audiences, but not necessarily all audiences.
In the Timeline, drag the playback position slider to the far left. Double-click on the first image in the Timeline.
The image will appear in the Source window. Look at the tabs in the top of the Source window and click on the “Effect Controls” tab.
Click the triangle to the left of “Motion” to reveal the “Position” and “Scale” settings.
Click once on each “stopwatch” icon to the left of the “Position” and “Scale” settings. This will set keyframes that are indicated by small solid diamonds.
A keyframe is a set of parameters at a certain point in time. In this case, it is the position and size of the first image in your timeline.
In the Program window, double-click on the image. A frame representing the image’s borders will appear. Use the Selection tool to resize and position the image as desired. Click and drag on the “handles” along the border.
In this example, the image is zoomed-out until it is almost completely visible in the Program video frame.
Return to the Timeline and drag the playback position slider to the end of the first image. Check the Program window to make sure you do not see the next image.
In the Source Effect Controls window, click on the small, hollow keyframe diamonds next to the Position and Size settings.
New keyframes will be added, but they may not be visible. To view the keyframe diamonds, drag and adjust the slider at the bottom of the window.
Drag the playback position slider back-and-forth in the Timeline and watch the Program window to see how your image changes from one keyframe to the other.
To see it playback in real-time, move the slide to the beginning of the Timeline and press the space bar.
Repeat the keyframe steps above to add motion to each of the images on your Timeline sequence. When you are done, play back your entire video. If you are unhappy with any of the motion, make adjustments to your keyframes.
6. Adding Transitions
To add transitions between your images, use the “Window” menu to display the “Effects” panel in the Project section of your workspace.
Click on the triangle next to the “Video Transitions” folder to expand it, then click on the triangle to expand the “Dissolve” folder.
Click and drag the “Cross Dissolve” transition onto the beginning of your first image. In the Timeline, use the spacebar to play back the effect. Your image should fade in from black.
Next, scroll down to the “Page Peel” folder and click the triangle next to it to expand it. Click on the “Page Turn” effect and drag it so it centers on the line between your first and second image in the Timeline. Play back your first images to see the transition.
If you do not like the way the “Page Peel” looks, click on it in the Timeline and delete it. Experiment with transitions until you find one that you would like to use between each of your images. Do not use a transition if it changes the size of an image.
Once you have decided upon the one transition you like best, paste it between each of your images.
At the end of the last image, paste the “Cross Dissolve” transition you used at the start.
Play back your entire sequence. If there is anything you do not like, make necessary changes. When you are satisfied, review your video with the teacher. If necessary make changes. Once your video has been approved, you are ready to export it.
7. Exporting the Video
Make sure you have clicked in your Timeline.
Click [Command+M] on your keyboard, or choose from the “File” menu the “Export” option, then click the “Media” button.
The “Export Settings” window will open.
Click next to “Format” and choose “H.264”
Click next to “Preset” and choose “HD 1080p 29.97”
Click Next to “Output Name.”
In the “Save As” field make sure the name is the right format for your project. Make sure you are saving the file in your project folder. When you are done with the settings, click on the “Save” button.
Make sure there are check marks next to Export Video and Export Audio.
Then click on the “Export” button.
The exporting may take a few minutes.
When it is done, save your project and quit Premiere.
Navigate to your project folder and double-click the video file to play it back in the QuickTime player. If you find any errors, re-open your project in Premiere and correct them. When your video is complete, place a copy of it in your class Google Drive Drop Box.