How To Cut In Adobe Premiere[ Quick Guide]

Making a great video doesn’t require expensive equipment.

In fact, if you have a computer and some software, you’re already on your way. One of the most popular video editing software programs is Adobe Premiere Pro.

While it can be daunting to learn all the features at first, with a little practice you’ll be able to create videos that are both creative and professional looking.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to cut in Adobe Premiere Pro.

We’ll start by explaining what exactly cutting is and why it’s an important part of video editing. Then we’ll walk you through the steps of how to do it in Premiere Pro.

Finally, we’ll give you a few tips on how to make the most of this feature.

Using the Source Monitor to work with audio clips

In the Source Monitor, you can work with audio clips as well as audio from audio and video clips. You may view audio waveforms, scrub audio waveforms, and zoom in and out of them.

Listen to audio waves

When you open an audio clip in the Source Monitor, audio waveforms show immediately. When you open a clip with several audio channels in the Source Monitor, you can see the audio waveforms.

To change the style of the audio track, use the wrench tool on the timeline panel and select Timeline Display Settings. Select Show Audio Waveform to display audio as waveforms in the timeline.

The audio waveform should be scrubbed.

Scrubbing is the process of dragging the playhead across a portion of an audio waveform. It’s a quick way to get about in an audio recording.

Double-click a clip in the timeline panel to open it in the Source Monitor. When you click the audio clip, the playhead displays. To move along or scrub the footage, click across it, forward or backward.

Scrubbing can be disabled by going to Edit > Preferences > Audio and unchecking the option Play audio when scrubbing.

In the Source Monitor, you can zoom in or out on an audio waveform.

In the Source Monitor, you can zoom in on an audio waveform to better identify markers, In points, and Out points.

1. To open a clip in the Source Monitor, double-click it in the timeline panel.

2. In the Source Monitor, drag either end of the zoom scrolling bar that runs below the time bar to zoom in horizontally.

All channels’ waveforms and the time bar increase and compress horizontally.

3. To zoom in vertically, choose one of the following options:

Drag either end of the vertical zoom bar to focus on a specific channel. It is located on the right side of the Source Monitor, close to the decibel ruler.

Shift-drag either end of the vertical zoom bar to zoom in on all channels at once.

The waveform of one or more channels, as well as the decibel ruler, expands or contracts vertically.

RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL VERTICAL ZOOM LEVEL

Double-click the vertical zoom bar to return to the default vertical zoom level.

GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS VERTICAL ZOOM LEVEL

Double-click the vertical zoom bar after returning to the normal zoom level. It lets you go back to the previous zoom level.

Using the Source Monitor to work with clips

The Source Monitor panel contains a variety of tools and methods for interacting with clips. You can set, change, or remove In and Out points, trigger the playhead to any of these places, and preview the frames at their locations using tools and techniques.

In the Source Monitor, open a clip.

Double-click a clip in the Project or Timeline panels to open it in the Source Monitor.

Open the Source Monitor and look at the most current footage.

In the Source Monitor, you can import many clips at once. You can, however, only watch one clip at a time. A menu at the top of the Source Monitor displays recently loaded clips. Select a clip from the drop-down list by clicking the three stacked lines next to the sequence name. You may also use the Shift + 2 key to cycle through the clips in the Source Monitor.

In the Source Monitor, configure the In and Out points.

Drag the playhead to the desired frame to designate an In point. Then press the I key or click the Mark In button.

Drag the playhead to the desired frame to mark an Out point. Then, using the O key or the Mark Out button, make a mark.

Move Together, the in point and the out point

The In/Out Grip is an icon that may be found in the center of the textured region between the In and Out points. Hold and drag the In/Out Grip to a different place on the Source Monitor time ruler to move the In and Out points together. The cursor transforms to a hand when you click the In/Out Grip. If you don’t drag the icon, you’ll merely cue the playhead.

The In and Out points move in tandem, with the duration between them remaining constant.

Changing the edit points in the Source Monitor

1. In the Source Monitor, configure the In and Out points.

2. Insert the video clip into the Timeline.

3. Double-click on the clip to bring it up in the Source Monitor.

4. Hold the In/Out Grip and drag it to a different place on the Source Monitor time ruler. Move both the in and out points at the same time, as in Move In and Out Points Together.

Cue for an In or Out point

The Source Monitor is used to cue a frame for a clip, whereas the Program Monitor is used to cue the current frame for a sequence.

Choose one of the following options:

Click the Go To In Point button to cue the current time to an In point.

Click the Go To Out Point button to cue the current time to an Out point.

Cue to the previous or subsequent edit

You can use the down arrow key to navigate to the next edit point and the up arrow key to navigate to the previous edit point. This command applies to all tracks, whether they are chosen or not.

Click the Go To Next Edit Point button to move to the next edit point in any of the Timeline’s specified tracks. Click the Go To Previous Edit Point button to return to the previous edit point in any of the selected songs.

By default, the Go To Next Edit Point and Go To Previous Edit Point buttons are not available. These buttons can be found in the button editor. It can be seen in the Source Monitor’s lower right corner.

Remove the source clip. Out point or In point

1. In the Project panel, double-click a clip to open it in the Source Monitor.

2. Select one of the three commands listed below:

Clear In > Marker

Clear Out > Marker

Clear In and Out Marker

Trimming the timeline

Trim clips in the timeline quickly by using a combination of trim tools and keyboard shortcuts to pick and alter edit spots.

Choosing edit points

Before you can use timeline trimming techniques, you must first choose edit points for clips in the Timeline. Edit points can be selected with the mouse or by using keyboard shortcuts.

EDIT POINT SELECTION WITH THE MOUSE

To pick an edit point on the Timeline, position the playhead with the mouse.

tool for selection

The Selection tool is the timeline’s default tool. Depending on which side of the edit point you select, clicking it with the Selection tool selects a Trim In or Trim Out edit point selection. A typical edit is when you move the Trim In or Trim Out points.

Tool for Editing Ripples

The Ripple Edit Tool fills gaps created by the edit and keeps all edits to the left and right of the trimmed clip. Depending on which side of the edit point you click, the Ripple Edit tool selects a Ripple In or Ripple Out edit point selection. When you use the Ripple Edit tool and Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on an edit point, the cursor changes to the Rolling Edit tool.

Rolling Editing Software

The Rolling Edit Tool reduces the In and Out points of one clip while leaving the total time of the two clips untouched. When you use the Rolling Edit tool to choose an edit point, it selects both sides of the edit point.

APPLYING MODIFIER KEYS TO TRIM TOOLS

To override the standard linkedclip selection, press the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) modifier key. Only one clip from the associated selection is chosen. This method is handy for creating a split edit (L or Jcut).

Using the Shift modifier key, you can add or remove edit points from the current selection.

You can disregard connected clip selection while adding or removing other edit points from the current selection by combining the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key and Shift.

To enable the Allow Selection tool to select Rolling and Ripple trims without using the modifier key, go to Edit > Preferences > Trim (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Trim (Mac OS). It modifies how the modifier key Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) interacts with the Selection tool. If the preference is selected, the modifier key is used inverted.

TIMELINE GAP TRIMMING

You can use timeline trimming instructions to choose the edit point of an empty gap between clips.

Regular Trim: The same as selecting the clip side of the edit point for the opposite direction, this technique works the same way. Selecting a Trim Out on the right side of an empty gap, for example, is similar to selecting the Trim In of the adjacent clip.

If one side of the edit point is an empty gap, it works similarly to a conventional trim.

Ripple Trim: Moving the edit point and shifting the trailing clips would result from trimming the gap. Trimming the gap includes the adjacent clip, which is in a different position but has the same In point.

MENU TRIM TYPE CONTEXT

By right-­clicking an edit point, you can pick it (or modify the trim type of an existing edit point).

Choose one of the options from the context menu:

CHOOSE MULTIPLE EDIT POINTS

Edit points can be chosen in a variety of ways, including more than one per track. To choose more edit points, hold down the Shift key while using any trim tool. You can also choose several edit points by dragging. Drag a marquee around a group of clips to select several edit locations.

If you have other edit points selected besides the one you clicked, they will all change to the specified type. The Apply Default Transitions menu item applies the current default video or audio transition to each of the edit point locations that are currently chosen.

EDIT POINT SELECTION KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

There are keyboard shortcuts for selecting edit locations based on the position of the playhead and track targets. See Keyboard shortcuts in Premiere Pro for further details.

Trimming the Timeline

Trims can be performed in three methods in the Timeline:

The edit points can be moved in time by dragging them with the mouse.

Keyboard keys can be used to move all chosen edit points one or more frames to the right or left.

“+”, “” and the Enter key on the numeric keypad can be used to trim all the specified edit points forward or backward.

In trim mode, the keyboard shortcuts and +/ keypad entries can also be used in the Program Monitor. Furthermore, various buttons and other user interface components, such as the video displays in the Program Monitor, can be utilized to perform a trim when in trim mode. See Working in Trim Mode for further information.

You can only trim a clip until it meets another clip in the same track, and you can’t go beyond the duration of the material in the clip. When editing multiple tracks, you can trim until you either encounter another clip on the same track or reach the duration of the group’s shortest clip.

When performing ripple trims, clips on various tracks may become out­of­sync. To limit which tracks shift during a ripple trim, toggle Sync Lock or Track Lock on the tracks.

Out of sync indicators appear in the visible portion of a clip in the Timeline, not simply at the beginning. Even if you zoom in or scroll so far that the head is no longer visible, you can notice that a clip is out of sync with its linked portions.

DRAGGING WITH THE MOUSE TO TRIM

To execute a trim after selecting one or more edit points, simply drag the edit point selection in the Timeline. The pointer shifts to the proper trim type when dragging dependent on the edit point that is clicked to begin the drag.

If the Snap button is enabled and you drag an edit point in the Timeline with the mouse, the trim snaps to other edit points, markers, and the playhead. Use the keyboard shortcut S to toggle snapping on and off.

USE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS TO TRIM

Even if you are not in trim mode, the following keyboard keys will conduct a trim whenever there is an active edit point selection. If the whole trim cannot be completed, the allowable quantity is used, and a tool tip informs that the trim is blocked or limited by media or minimum time.

Trim Backwards and Forwards

The edit points are moved by one frame in the chosen direction (left for backward, and right for forward).

Trim Many Backwards and Many Forwards

The edit points are moved by five frames, or any other number of frames specified in the big trim offset preference. To alter the huge trim offset, go to Edit > Preferences > Trim (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Trim (Mac OS), and then input a new number of frames.

Selected Extend Change the Playhead to

Moves the specified edit point closest to the playhead to the playhead’s position, similar to a rolling edit.

Ripple Trimming Previous Playhead and Ripple Trim Edit Next Playhead Edit

Ripple moves the Playhead to the previous or next edit point. To execute a ripple trim to playhead edit, you do not need to select an edit point. A ripple trim to playhead edit, like the Extract command, has no effect on clips on other tracks that are locked or not sync-locked, but all other tracks have the region ripple-deleted. The sequence’s In and Out points are unaffected.

NUMERIC KEYPAD ENTRY TRIM

Even if you are not in trim mode, you can specify a numeric offset using the numeric keypad whenever there is an active edit point selection. When the Timeline is selected, the current timecode indicator on the left transforms into a text box that displays the numbers typed on the numeric keypad. The “+” key advances the trim to the right, increasing in time (you can also use a number instead of the “+” key). The “­” key adjusts the trim to the left and decreases the time. Because the numeric offset is often a tiny number of frames, any number between 1 and 99 is treated as a frame. If you want to provide a timecode, use the numeric period key “.” to separate the minute:second:frame sections. To conduct the trim using all of the presently chosen edit points, press the Enter key on the numeric keypad.

When the Program Monitor is in trim mode, you can also do a trim with the numeric keypad while the Program Monitor is active.

Using the selection tool, trim in a Timeline panel, you can alter a clip’s In or Out point by dragging its edit point using the selection tool. The current In or Out point appears in the Program Monitor as you drag. A tool tip displays the amount of frames you are trimming: a negative number if you drag the edge toward the beginning of the sequence and a positive number if you drag toward the finish of the sequence. Trimming beyond the original In and Out points of the source footage is not possible.

1.Click the selection tool and perform one of the following actions:

Drag the left edge of the clip once the Trim-in symbol appears to edit the In point.

Drag the right edge of the clip once the Trim-out icon appears to edit the Out point.

Trimming in this manner affects only the edit point of a single clip and has no effect on adjacent clips. When you use the Selection tool to trim, a gap in the Timeline is left behind. See Making ripple and rolling edits in the Timeline and Making slip and slide edits for instructions on how to trim numerous edit points at once or relocate adjacent clips.

With the playhead, trim

You can trim a clip in a sequence to the playhead’s position. However, first set up the following keyboard shortcuts to do so:

Point To Playhead Trimming

Cut Point To Playhead

Trim In to the Nearest Edit Point

As Trim Out, choose the closest edit point.

See Customize or load keyboard shortcuts for more information on how to set up keyboard commands for trimming.

Using the Timeline to make ripple and rolling adjustments

Using the Trim option in Premiere Pro, you may do a ripple or rolling edit directly on the tracks in the Timeline.

Regarding ripple and rolling edits

When adjusting the cut, or edit point, between two clips, employ ripple edits and rolling edits. You can make improvements in a single movement that would otherwise need numerous steps if you use specialized tools. When you use the trim tools to do ripple and rolling edits, the impacted frames appear side by side in the Program Monitor. To trim a clip, use the Ripple Edit or Rolling Edit to select an edit point.

Editing in real time

The Rolling Edit Tool reduces the In and Out points of one clip while leaving the total time of the two clips untouched. When you use the Rolling Edit tool to choose an edit point, it selects both sides of the edit point.

When performing a split edit, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to trim only one track of a linked clip (L-cut or J-cut).

Editing using ripples

The Ripple Edit Tool fills gaps created by the edit and keeps all edits to the left and right of the trimmed clip. Depending on which side of the edit point you click, the Ripple Edit tool selects a Ripple In or Ripple Out edit point selection. When you use the Ripple Edit tool and Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on an edit point, the cursor changes to the Rolling Edit tool.

When performing a split edit, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to trim only one track of a linked clip (L-cut or J-cut).

Using the Rolling Edit tool, make a rolling edit.

1. Begin by selecting the Rolling Edit tool.

2. In a Timeline window, move left or right from the clip’s edge to modify it. The neighboring clip is cut by the same amount of frames that were added to the clip. To alter only the video or audio component of a connected clip, use Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS).

OUR FINAL THOUGHTS

So there you have it – a simple guide to cutting in Adobe Premiere. Remember, practice makes perfect so don’t be afraid to experiment with the different tools and techniques at your disposal. With a little bit of patience and perseverance, you’ll be able to create seamless edits that will impress your friends, family, and clients alike.

FREQUENTLY ASK QUESTIONS

Originally posted on February 28, 2022 @ 9:58 pm