First Look: Adobe Premiere Pro
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Did I mention improvements to the audio mixer? The new audio mixer now offers sends as well as submixes (actually more returns than submixes) These features can be used to group audio tracks or to apply global effects (affecting more than one track). They can also help optimize efficient use of CPU cycles in your audio workflow and can dramatically simplify effects editing.[an error occurred while processing this directive]5.1 surround sound mixing is supported directly inside the mixer. (show pic of panner audio mixer 3.4) The mixer also supports different looping options making it extremely practical to home in on a particularly troublesome section of a track. Several different mixer modes facilitate different workflows and allow editors to tweak to their heart’s content.
Now that we’ve covered some of the audio features, it’s a good time to mention some of the improvements to the monitor window.
Monitor Window
The new monitor window displays waveforms and allows for precise cutting and insertion of audio. It’s also now possible to trim audio separately from video. This allows editors to perform J and L cuts directly in the monitor before inserting to the timeline. The monitor window also provides an additional view for sub frame audio editing without requiring the user to resize or change the layout of the timeline.
New Motion Controls. No More Motion Settings Dialog Box
New methods, once again borrowed from AE provide users with an intuitive approach to controlling motion. Motion can now be adjusted directly in the monitor window. Simply click and drag handles to resize, scale or rotate clips. (Unfortunately, no bezier curves or velocity adjustments in this release) However, Ease in and Ease out functions have been added and can be applied to keyframes to create non-linear motion paths. Motion now provides increased resolution and vastly improved still image support.
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| Click image for larger view. |
Panning, cropping and motion are now calculated with After Effects like precision. All imported images retain their aspect ratio (no scaling by default). Alpha settings and interpreting footage behaviors have also been adjusted to reflect behavior in accordance with After Effects.
Motion is not the only thing that can be directly manipulated in this window. Several other effects also provide parameters that can be adjusted simply by clicking within the monitor window. Cropping, Garbage mattes, corner pin, just to name a few.
Color Correction
Color correction is also an amazing addition. This professional level color correction tool introduces a bevy of options offering exquisite control. Professional results can be expected. I’ve personally compared the new Color Correction workflow to older methods of stacking filters and was very impressed by the creative potential and professional results achieved with this powerhouse tool. The internal 32-bit processing of the color correction filter is vastly superior to the old method of stacking 8-bit effects in 6.5
It’s important to mention that color correction is definitely not the simplest aspect of editing. For this very reason, Adobe has made this tool very accessible offering several different ways to get the job done. A true beginner can achieve perfect white balance by simply using the provided color pickers to define white, black and gray points. For trickier situations, or more advanced applications, several different methods are available to compensate for problematic footage or to help you achieve a certain look. Use the provided slider to specify a specific tonal range. You can even choose between different color spaces, RGB or HSL. It also offers control over pedestal, saturation and offers a limiting feature to bring your colors into a legal range in an intelligent manner. Premiere Pro offers very powerful color correction tools. There’s even an option to specify brightness of the interface. This can come in handy when optimizing an environment for color correction. This is another example of a well thought out, yet subtle feature that makes our lives as editors, just a bit easier.
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| Color correction controls. Click image for larger view. |
So what if you don’t need or want color correction? Your footage is almost always perfect, right? Well, don’t correct! Use this tool to stylize images or to stylize your productions. Color correction also offers a split screen preview option that provides instant before-and-after views.
To make color correction easier, Reference monitors have been added to the equation. These can be used to house the new waveform monitor, vector scope or the RGB or YcrCb parade displays. Reference monitors can also act as placeholders to help color correct and match footage from different sections of your project.
Effects Control Window
All effects added to clips are now ported to a new palette, the Effects Control Window.
As always, the layout inside Premiere is very customizable and allows users to position palettes and windows according to particular workflows (Color correction, audio work etc). Most users have preferred to dock the ECW in the project window, as this seems to make good sense for a lot editing situations. The effects control window performs several different functions. It brings all effects into a convenient location for adjustment, it also has built in functionality for adjusting and working with transitions and also is the home of intrinsic filters such as motion and volume.
Remember that the A/B metaphor is gone. The ECW was designed to compensate and it actually surpasses previous functionality in regards to fine tuning and adjusting transitions in the timeline.
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| ECW. Click image for larger view. |
Most importantly, the ECW provides another view for editors. Premiere now has the capability to offer editors 4 or more discreet views of an event or transition on the timeline. Let’s discuss them. First, the timeline. This gives a linear representation of what is happening over time in the project. Second, the monitor window. This window provides a perspective for motion control as well as a graphical instant real time view of what’s happening at the playhead. Third we have the ECW. This window focuses on effects or transitions that relate to individual clips. A zoom level can also be specified. This offers a unique zoom level that can be used in conjunction with the timeline to offer simultaneous views of a single event at different zoom levels. Finally, for views 4 and 5, the reference monitors can be opened to provide views of individual clips, or to showcase the waveform and vector scope monitors. In essence, we are discussing a workflow that provides 5 different viewpoints. Extremely powerful and intuitive.
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| 4 up view. Click image for larger view. |
Other Goodies
Export Options
Premiere Pro ships with the Adobe Media Encoder. This plug in supports tons of different formats. Export to DVD, VCD, SVCD, MPEG1, MPEG2, full 5.1 channel AC-3, Real, all of the new Windows Media formats.. You name it, it’s there.
There’s also an option to print directly to DVD from the timeline. This is useful for those times when a client may want a quick preview of your project. Simply choose this option and a new DVD will be delivered shortly.
Believe it or not, this is not even a full overview of all the new features of Premiere Pro. Hopefully it gives you a good taste of some of the features that have been added. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop me a line at wes@sundancemediagroup.com
Currently an Associate Producer for Sundance Media Group's 2003 VASST tours, Wes Howell is responsible for new media projects and training ventures. He is also an experienced Alpha / Beta tester, well versed with many current NLE / FX programs, and an active forum host and contributor to many DV communities. Prev 1 2 3
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