QUICK GUIDE FOR STARTING A NEW PREMIERE ELEMENTS PROJECT 1. Create a folder on the DATA DRIVE (or your external HD) for your project. You can do this by either holding CONTROL while clicking in the open Drive window, or opening the window and pressing SHIFT+COMMAND+N. Give the new folder a name that you will easily remember like CINE 24 PROJECTS or Shooting & Editing Project. 2. Copy the footage you have shot for this project from your SD card to the folder you just created (or the DATA DRIVE or on your external HD). You ll need to get a CARD READER from the Issue Room if you haven t already. Open your SD Card in the Finder, and click & drag the WHOLE CONTENT of your SD card to the folder you created in step #1.
3. LAUNCH Elements by clicking on the Icon in the Dock [ ]OR by opening FINDER [ ], the selecting APPLICATIONS, and navigating to the Adobe Premiere Elements 15 folder. Double-click on the Premiere Elements icon located within. (if this is the first time the program has been opened since an OS update, expect it to take a moment) 4. Once Elements launches, select the EXPERT view from the top menu. 5. Now, open your PREFERENCES panel by clicking on the Adobe Premiere Elements Editor menu at the top of the screen, and select Scratch Discs. Make sure all of your options are set to Same as Project. If not, change them now. Click OK. 6. Now you ll add MEDIA to your project. Click on ADD MEDIA either in your main menu or on the upper right of your screen. Select FILES & FOLDERS to bring in footage that you ve copied to your Drive. This will open the IMPORT screen.
7. Navigate to your drive, and the select each of the following files to reveal your footage: PRIVATE > AVCHD > BDMV > STREAM FOLDER (for the VIXIAs). Other CAMERAS may have a different path. Select STREAM FOLDER (or the correct folder for your camera), and click IMPORT. This will add all files on your SD Card. You can also select only those files you wish to import. 8. Now, it s time to review your files, trim them, and RENAME them. a. Open your PROJECT ASSETS window, and double-click on any file to open it in your PREVIEW window. From this window you can watch the individual file. b. You can also set the point you want it to start (the IN) by pressing [ I ], and the point you want it to stop (the OUT) by pressing [ O ]. c. Once you have reviewed the clip, you can give it a new name by doubleclicking on the FILE NAME. You can now type a name that describes the shot, such as MED Johnny on street or M Johnny street. d. You should do this for all of your shots before editing.
9. Place your clips in the TIMELINE a. To place your first clip in your timeline, select it in the PROJECT ASSETS window, and perform an INSERT EDIT by pressing [, ] (comma), or click + drag it into the timeline. b. Move your PLAYBACK HEAD (the red vertical line with a blue triangle on top) to the end of the clip, then select your next clip and perform another INSERT EDIT (if your PLAYBACK HEAD isn t all the way at the end, you ll split the previous clip in 2). c. Continue doing this until all of your clips have been placed in the timeline. 10. To remove a clip from the timeline, select it and press the DELETE key. 11. To remove the AUDIO from a clip, go the CLIP menu at the top of the screen, and select UNLINK AUDIO AND VIDEO. 12. You may want to change the duration of the clips, which is called a TRIM. a. To TRIM clips that are already in the timeline, place the cursor at the edit point. You ll see a double arrow with a red bracket appear. b. The direction that the bracket is pointing to tells you which clip will be trimmed. c. Hold down your mouse button, and drag either left or right to lengthen or shorten your clip(s).
13. If you want one image to fade into the next, that s called a TRANSITION. a. To add TRANSITIONS to your edits, select the [ ] icon from the right column. Select the type of dissolve you want, and click+drag it to the edit point where it should be applied. b. You ll get a dialogue box and can select where it is aligned, as well as the duration of the TRANSITION. 14. If you re feeling ambitious, perhaps add a TITLE to your project. a. To add a title to your project, select the TITLE icon [ ] from the right hand column. b. You can use the drop-down menu at the top of the TITLES window to select from a large variety of different default styles. Use these sparingly. c. Select your title, and drag it in to the timeline. d. Now, double-click on the title and it will open in your MONITOR window.
e. You can type directly in the MONITOR window, as well as change your style and animations from the ADJUSTMENTS menu on the right. 15. When you are satisfied with your edit, you ll want to add 5 seconds of black at the beginning and end of your timeline. a. To create a black clip, control + click in your PROJECT ASSETS window. b. From the menu that pops up, select NEW ITEM > BLACK VIDEO. You can then insert this clip at both the beginning and the end of your project.
16. Now you re ready to EXPORT and SHARE your project. a. From the FILE menu, select EXPORT AND SHARE. This will open a pop-up menu. b. For ease of use, select the DEVICES window, and then select COMPUTER. This will give you a number of default choices. c. Choose HD 1080 which will produce a 1920x1080 video file. d. You can also select the FORMAT from a drop down menu (MOV H.264 or MP4 H.264 are universal) and the desired QUALITY (the quality you want will depend on the length of your project and the desired size of your file. Higher quality = Large file). e. Choose your FILE NAME and DESTINATION, and click SAVE. Find your file in the DESTINATION location, and either upload it to CANVAS and/or GOOGLE DRIVE, or copy it on to a Flash Drive or other External Hard Drive. It s not a good idea to store your project on an SD card as you ll use it in cameras, and it s easy to lose. YOU VE CREATED A MOVIE!