Adobe Premiere Lesson 7A – Video Effects

We have already looked at fixed video effects which are automatically inherent within all video clips added to the TimelineStandard video effects need to be applied to clips as required. They may be “stacked” i.e. multiple effects may be used within one video clip. Standard video effects may be found within the Effects Panel and there are many of them!

Effect Groups
Standard video effects are grouped to aid location of a particular effect. In the example below we have twirled down the “Adjust” group of effects. Don’t forget that you may also use the search box within the Effects Panel, just type the name of the effect that you are looking for.

Accelerated, 32-bit and YUV
Just like video transitions, standard effects fall into different categories such as accelerated, 32-bit, and YUV, and these are indicated by icons in the Effects Panel.

Effect Parameters
Each standard video effect will have its own set of parameters which will of course appear in the Effect Controls Panel once the effect has been added to a clip.

Keyframing
Once a video effect has been applied to a clip, keyframes may be used to adjust each of the effect parameters over time. We looked at this in the Fixed Effectslessons.

 

Working with Multiple Effects
If you have more than one effect applied to a particular clip, then the list of effects will appear in the Effect Controls panel. Sometimes you may wish to turn each effect on or off to compare results. Use the “fx” button to do this.

Effects Presets
In the Effects Panel, there is a folder named Effects Presets. The folder contains versions of effects created by Adobe for use as presets, or “ready to go” effects. Presets are effects that have already had their parameters edited, or keyframes have been added to create a change within the effect over time. Presets folders are denoted by a yellow star.

For example, within the “PiPs” folder there are several presets that reduce a clip to 25% of its original size and place it in a certain position within the screen. Try out some presets within your timeline to see the effect.

Creating Presets
If you use any standard video effect and alter its controls, you may wish to save the results for future use. To save you from having to repeat the work, Premiere CS6 allows you to save your effect as a “Preset“. Let’s create a Preset, right-click in the Effects Panel and choose “New Presets Bin“.

A new folder will now be created within the Presets folder. Give it a name such as “Paul’s Presets“. This is where your new effects presets will be stored.

Next, let’s apply an effect to a clip. If you are using our sequence to supplement these tutorials then choose the close up of the dog and apply the Gaussian Blur effect. Adjust the amount of blur to around 30, then right-click on the name of the effect and choose “Save Preset“.

In the pop up box, give your preset a name and also a description if you wish to help remember its purpose and settings within your video production.

If your effect preset includes changes to parameters via keyframes, then you may select “Anchor to In Point” to align your first Keyframe value with the new clips’ In Point, or “Anchor to Out Point” to align the last Keyframe value to the Out Point of the new clip.

You may now notice that your preset appears in the Effects Panel “Presets” folder. Move it to your own folder within the Presets folder for easy location.

Within the following lessons, we will investigate many of the standard video effects available within Adobe Premiere CS6 and look at how they may improve your video production through use of colour and picture enhancement, special effect application and image manipulation. You may find some of the effects available to be indispensable within your productions, others you may never use.