How to Add Transitions in Premiere Pro [Beginner’s Guide]

Add Transitions in Premiere Pro

Welcome back to the third tutorial, which is how to add transitions in Premiere Pro.

We’ve already looked at how to import footage, as well as how to edit. Next, we’ll be looking at how to add some of those nifty Premiere Pro effects you see in the bottom left-hand corner.

More specifically, how to add transitions in Premiere Pro. Having laid out and cut up your footage on the timeline, you now need to think about how it all flows together.

What Are Transitions?

Video transitions are a post-production technique used in editing. They’re one of the most important Premiere Pro effects.

They’re a valuable toolkit for video editors, helping to move the story along, convey a mood or tone to viewers, and set the stage for the next scene. In other words, quite simply, they are not just used to connect one shot to another.

For example, if you were to use a fade to black between two clips that take place in the same time and space. That wouldn’t flow well because fading to black is a transition that often signifies completion – the end of a sequence.

So, how do you add transitions in Premiere Pro?

Adding Transitions in Premiere Pro

Firstly, at the bottom left of your editing workspace, where the project panel is, you’ll see the option to click two arrows pointing to the right.

This will then provide a drop-down menu that gives you the option to select the Effects tab.

Here, you’ll see a few folders with lots of options for both video and audio.

Firstly, we’ll take a look at video. Select the drop-down option for the Video Transitions folder and take a look at all the options.

Obviously, some of these options are a little gimmicky. Also, it can come across as a bit amateur if you’re using lots of different transitions for every cut. So try to use them sparingly!

Apply

Next, once you’ve picked which transition you would like to apply, you can click and drag across, dropping it into the middle of two clips.

The area where it will overlay is highlighted. In this example, we’ve used Film Dissolve to move from the outside of an ancient church in Istanbul to the inside.

Play the sequence back to analyze the transition. If the transition is too fast for you, you can hover your cursor over one edge of it and drag it outwards, making it longer.

Or you can drag it inwards if it’s too long.

Customize

Similarly, looking at the top left of your workspace, you can also make changes by selecting the Effect Controls tab.

Here, you can change the duration, choose where to place the transition, and also have it play in reverse.

However, clicking and dragging all of the time can slow you down a little, so it may be worth making a transition default.

To make a transition default, right-click on it and select make default transition.

Then, when you select a cut (it will be highlighted in red when selected), press Ctrl + D if on Windows or CMD + D if using a Mac. This applies the transition quickly and easily.

Audio Transitions

Sometimes, if you don’t add transitions to your audio, it can seem a bit jarring and abrupt.

For example, if I were to cut from the outside noise of the city to the indoor ambiance of the church, it would be too much of a sharp cut.

Luckily, you can use the audio transition Constant Power to smooth this all out and make it feel much more natural.

Same as with video transitions, just find it in the audio transitions folder and drag it in between the audio tracks. Congratulations! You can now add transitions in Premiere Pro.

Next, we’ll be covering color grading and exporting.

Picture of Josh Edwards
Josh Edwards
Josh is a filmmaker, video editor, and certified drone pilot. He has a real passion for travel and documentaries. Currently based in Lombok, Indonesia, he's spent the past three years documenting travels around the world. When he’s not busy shooting and editing for YouTube, you’ll find him writing and sharing this knowledge and insight across the web.

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