This first tutorial will help you start at the very beginning of the editing process, which is how to import footage into Premiere Pro and organize it.
When you first begin using Premiere Pro, it can be a little bit daunting. There’s a lot to unpack and get to grips with. But don’t worry. Rather than turn and run for the hills, keep reading. We’re here to help with this new series focused all around Premiere Pro.
Remember the saying, ‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail?’ This saying could not be more apt when starting a new project in Premiere Pro.
In other words, before you begin chopping and changing, stitching all of your footage together on the timeline, you want to build solid foundations by organizing it. This workflow is the same on both MAC and PC
Organizing Your Footage
Firstly, before you import footage into Premiere Pro, it’s best to organize files in one simple folder location.
This is important because it means that everything needed for the project, from the footage to the music, is in one folder.
The reason for this is that if the media is spread across different locations, it’s very hard to relink it in Premiere Pro if something gets moved or you try to open the project on a different computer.
With this structure in place, you’re ready to import footage into your project.
How To Import Footage
Firstly, in Premiere Pro, ensure that you have selected the editing tab at the top.
You will see the project panel in the bottom left of your workspace. This is where you will be importing your footage. Indeed, it displays the text ‘import media to start’. Once this is set, you’re ready to go.
There are 3 simple ways you can import footage into Premiere Pro (on MAC and PC).
1. Double Click
Double-click the space. It will open up a new window where you can select which files you want to import.
2. File > Import
Click File, import. Again, a new window will open up.
3. Drag & Drop Footage
You can just drag your footage from its folder location into the project panel. However, it’s important to note that this way can be a little laggy, depending on how much you’re importing in one go.
Also, before you go diving into importing footage haphazardly, you also need to know about bins.
Creating Bins
To clarify, a bin is a folder inside the project panel. It’s basically the same as the folders you have inside the 01_MEDIA folder.
Therefore, you want to ensure that you create a new bin for each camera and each item you’re importing. This example would be GH5, GoPro, Drone, and Music.
Alternatively, you can just import each of the folders into your project, and they will be sectioned off as bins automatically.
At this point, congrats! You’ve successfully imported. Moreover, you’ve also organized footage with the bins. However, Premiere Pro offers many other ways to organize footage.
For instance, at the very bottom of the project panel, you will see the option to toggle between icon and list view. When in list view, you can see all of the details of each individual clip, such as resolution, duration, and file size. It’s all there.
In this list view, you can also organize the color assigned to the footage. For example, you could have the GH5 in green, the GoPro in purple, and the drone footage in red. This makes it easier to locate in your project panel and differentiate between your clips on the timeline.
To do this, select the footage you want to change and simply right-click. Hold your mouse over the label option and select your color.
And there you have it. This is how to import and organize footage in Premiere Pro. 👍
