Creating the Introduction for the Video

The last part of the project that needs to be created is the introduction for the video. To avoid worrying about altering the timing of our current sequence, we'll create a new sequence for this part of the video. Once the introduction is finished, both sequences can be combined and then published as a video file.

Let's move back to the Editing workspace, so we can get started with making the introduction.

Step 1. Switch back to the Editing workspace. 

Next, we'll make the sequence for the introduction inside the Sequences bin.  We'll be using a different process to make this sequence — instead of using a clip to help us make a sequence, we'll use the New Item button in the Project panel to make this one.

Step 2. To indicate the folder where we'd like our new sequence to be made, in the Project panel,

Click Sequences

Step 3. To create a new sequence, in the bottom right corner of the Panel dock,

Click , Click Sequence...

The New Sequence dialog box appears:

From here, we can assign our sequence a name, choose from different video presets, and change other settings about our sequence.  We'll just assign the sequence a name and make sure we're using a preset that matches our other sequence.

Step 4. To give the sequence a name, in Sequence Name field at the bottom of the New Sequence window, type:

Introduction

Step 5. To choose the appropriate preset, in the Available Presets menu, 

Click , Click HDV 1080p 30

Step 6. To accept the changes we've made and create the new sequence, at the bottom of the New Sequence window,

Click 

Our new sequence is created, and we're ready to start work on the introduction for the video.

Creating a Title

Adobe Premiere Pro gives you many options when it comes to creating a title for a video. You can create a title from scratch in Premiere, import a title graphic created in Photoshop or Illustrator, or import a composition created in After Effects. You can also add animation, special effects, and audio to your title. The first thing we'll add is an image that'll be used for the very beginning of the introduction.

Adding an Image

Since Michael wants to use the same title screen that he has used on other dance videos he has created in the past, we will use an image that he has already created. This image is in the Images bin.

Step 1. Expand the Images bin in the Project panel, if necessary.

Step 2. To add title.jpg to the Timeline, in the Project panel,

Press and Drag title.jpg to the very beginning of the Video 1 track of the Timeline

Step 3. Zoom in until title.jpg appears larger on the Timeline.

In Premiere Pro, still images have a duration. The duration refers to the number of seconds or frames that an image is displayed. The default duration for still images is 5 seconds, but this can be changed.  For our purposes today, we'll want to change the duration of the image to 10 seconds, as that's the same length as the title template we'll be adding later.

Step 4. Move the playhead to the 10 second mark on the Timeline.

Step 5. Adjust the length of title.jpg so it is now 10 seconds long.

Now the title image will remain on screen as long as the title text does.  Let's move the playhead back to the beginning of the Timeline, then save our work.

Step 6. To reposition the playhead at the beginning of the clip, press:

Home

Step 7. Save the project.

Using a Template to Add Text to the Title

Next, we'll want to add a text overlay with the title of the video.  We can do this with the Essential Graphics panel, much like we did when we added credits to the video.  Let's switch to the Captions and Graphics workspace and find a good template to use for the title.

Step 1. Switch to the Captions and Graphics workspace.

Step 2. To find templates that can be used for titles, in the search bar of the Essential Graphics panel, type:

Title Enter key

We're presented with a collection of templates that could be used for titles.  The one we'll be using today is the Film Title template. 

Step 3. To find the Film Title template, in the gallery section of the Essential Graphics panel,

scroll down until you see 

Step 4. To add the template to our sequence,

Press & Drag  to the very beginning of the Video 2 track on the Timeline

The title template is now on the timeline — let's edit it so it matches the feel of our video a little better.  Before we start editing the clip, let's move to a frame where we can see the text clearly.

Step 5. Move the playhead to the 7 second mark on the Time Ruler.

Now we'll change the appearance of the text.  We'll start with editing the title line.

Step 6. To select the line of text we want to edit, in the Program Monitor,

Double-Click the line of text that reads "Your Title Here"

Step 7. To change the font for the title, in the Text section of the Essential Graphics Edit tab,

Click , type: Script MT Bold

Step 8. Reselect the title line, if necessary.

Step 9. To change the title's text, on the keyboard, type:

Learn to Dance

Next, we'll edit the second line of text.

Step 10. Repeat steps 6 through 9 for the second line of text, using the following values:

• Font face: Candara Italic
• Text: With Michael Fatyanov and Friends

Working With Effects

Overall, we like how our title looks so far, but we'd like to turn off some of the visual effects used on the text.  We can do this with the help of the Effects workspace.

Step 1. Switch to the Effects workspace.

The panel we'll be working with is the Effect Controls panel:

This panel allows us to customize the appearance of any effects applied to objects in the clip.  We'll want to toggle some effects off in this panel, so the text doesn't have the grainy gray appearance it currently has, and to hide the visual effect that appears when the text first shows on screen.  We'll start with toggling off the Convolution Kernel effect.

Step 2. To find the Convolution Kernel effect, in the Effect Controls panel,

scroll down until Convolution Kernel appears in the panel

Step 3. To turn off the effect, 

Click 

The effect will disappear from the text in the Program Monitor.  There are a couple of other effects we'll want to turn off as well.

Step 4. Repeat step 3 for the following effects:

• Fast Color Corrector (Blue Lens Abberation)
• Levels (Animated Diagonal Glow)
• Gaussian Blur (Horizontal streaks)

Step 6. Preview the title.

Our title is looking good. Now all it needs is some background music.

Adding Background Music to the Introduction

Background music can be added to a title in exactly the same way that we added voice-overs earlier. Let's switch back to the Editing workspace, then add the file Always_GeorgeOlsen.mp3 to the Timeline. This file is located in the Audio bin, with the rest of our audio files.

Step 1. Expand the Audio bin, if necessary.

Step 2. To add background music to the sequence,

Press & Drag Always_GeorgeOlsen.mp3 to the beginning of the Audio 1 track on the Timeline

This audio clip was downloaded from a site called The Internet Archive which offers a large collection of music that is part of the public domain. This means that the work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial.  The Internet Archive has a large collection of public domain works, including audio files — click here to explore the audio collection at The Internet Archive.

Let's see how our introduction looks so far.

Step 3. Play the sequence from the beginning.

The preview will stop playing when it reaches the end of the sequence.

Our title clip looks great. The music clip lasts longer than the still image, but that's okay. We'll be adding an introduction immediately after the title, and we want it to have the same background music.

Adding More Images

While it is perfectly acceptable to use video in every sequence of a movie, it is also possible to add still images. There are many different ways that you can use photographs and scanned images to make a movie interesting.

When creating a video, it can be tempting to use still images and music clips that you find online. While there are many sites on the Internet that offer free use of their content, there are many others that do not. You should always be aware of copyright issues when looking for assets to use in your videos. Remember, anything that appears on the web in a tangible form is automatically protected by copyright laws, even if there is no copyright symbol or message to inform you of this.

Many sites that do provide shareable images and music require you to give attribution to the author of the work. Flickr is one such site. All of the still images that we will use in this project are available for download and use under a Creative Commons license. Visit the Credits page for Premiere Pro: The Basics to view the credits for the photos used in these materials.

We'll be adding some photographs of people dancing to the introduction for our video. These are all located in the Images bin.

Step 1. If necessary, scroll through the Project panel until you see the Images bin.

Step 2. To select all the images that we will add to the Introduction sequence, in the Project panel,

Click 1_club.jpg, press: Shift key, Click 6_performance.jpg

All of the image files will be selected, and we'll add them all to the Timeline next.

Step 3. To add the images to the Timeline,

Press & Drag the images to the Video 1 track of the Timeline, immediately following title.jpg

Currently these images all have a duration of 5 seconds. Let's change this now. First, we'll need to make sure they're all selected. We can do this easily with the Track Select tool.  We might want to zoom out first, so we can see all of the images.

Step 4. Zoom out, if necessary.

Step 5. To activate the Track Select Tool, in the Tools panel,

Click

The cursor changes into a pair of small black arrows that points to the right.

Step 6. To select all of the still images to the right of 1_club.jpg, on the Timeline,

hold Shift key, Click 1_club.jpg

Step 7. To begin to change the duration of the still images selected,

Right-Click 1_club.jpg

Step 8. To change the duration of the still images, in the menu that appears,

Click Speed/Duration...

The Clip Speed/Duration dialog box appears.  We can change the duration of all the selected clips from here, and also have Premiere Pro use Ripple Edit to ensure there are no gaps.

Step 9. To activate Ripple Edit, at the bottom of the dialog box,

Click the "Ripple Edit, Shifting Trailing Clips" checkbox

Step 10. To change the duration of the still images,

Click the timecode, type: 00;00;07;00 Enter key

The dialog box closes, and the segments on the Timeline that represent the still images become longer. Now we will add our audio.

Step 11. To add the voice-over for the introduction, in the Audio bin on the Project panel,

Press & Drag intro.mp3 to the Audio 2 track of the Timeline

Step 12. To move the voice-over into the correct position, on the Timeline,

Press & Drag intro.mp3 until its left edge aligns with the left edge of 1_club.jpg

Trimming the Background Music

Currently, our background music is longer than the still images that make up our introduction. Let's trim this audio clip now.

Step 1. Zoom out until you can see all clips in the sequence.

Step 2. To activate the selection tool, in the Tools panel,

Click

Step 3. Trim the audio on the track Audio 1 so it ends at the same time the clip 6_performance.jpg does.

Adding Default Transitions to the Introduction Sequence

We're almost done with the introduction — there are two more things we need to do, however.  One of those things is adding transitions to the sequence. Let's do that now.

Step 1. To select all the clips on the Timeline,

Click on a blank area in the Timeline, press: Control key+A

Step 2. To add default transitions to the sequence, on the Menu bar,

Click Sequence, Click Apply Default Transitions to Selection

Step 3. Use any method you prefer to preview the sequence.

The last thing we need to do is adjust the background music so we can hear the narration better.

On Your Own: Adjusting the Volume of the Second Sequence

Once again, we'll use the Audio Track Mixer to adjust the volume of the background audio.  We'll follow the same process we did earlier.

Step 1. Switch to the Audio workspace.

Step 2. Move the playhead to the beginning of the sequence.

Step 3. Start playing the sequence, and adjust the volume of the clips as necessary.  Remember, the Audio 1 controls adjust the background music, while the Audio 2 controls adjust the voiceover.

Step 4. Save the project.

We've finished creating the introduction. Next, we'll combine the sequences in preparation for exporting the finished video.