With the latest update of Premiere Pro CC and the rest of the Creative Cloud suite, users were given a slew of features to help them use the program more effectively than before. In total, there were over 150 features added to the video-centric applications. There were features within the Premiere Pro CC update that helped users with multi-cam operation, freeze frames, markers, and transitions. In this article, I will summarize my five favorite features of the program. Below is a video by post-production professional Josh Weiss of ReTooled.net going over some of the new features of the 7.1 update.
More freeze frame options
For the longest time, creating a freeze frame in Premiere was quite the hassle. Previous versions only allowed you to export frames from the Source or Program monitor, or with a blade edit proceeded by an enabling of the Frame Hold option. With the first iteration of Premiere CC, they added the option to export a frame and import it into the project browser. While this was a step in the right direction, it still took too many steps to create a simple freeze frame. With the 7.1 update, users now have the option to insert Frame Hold segments, as well as an Add Frame Hold. As summarized in the video above, these options either insert a freeze frame in the timeline, or freeze a part of your clip at the point where your playhead is parked. The best part about these options is that they can be extended for lengths longer than the original clip. With multiple options added to create freeze frames from multiple levels of the interface, the process is more streamlined.
Drag and drop 3rd party transitions
This feature request has been popular among users for the last few years, and I’m glad to see it becoming a reality. One of the drawbacks of using Premiere Pro was that 3rd party transitions acted like filters, instead of transitions that you could drop between an edit point. This functionality is similar for users of After Effects and Motion. The laborious process of getting them to work discouraged many editors from using them. With the 7.1 update, 3rd party transitions from Noise Industries, Genarts Sapphire, and others now function the way they were intended. What’s even better, is that you can manipulate parameters in the Effect Controls panel, add keyframes, and save presets of your settings for later use. The only downside is the preset will not maintain the duration you set. In time, I see other third party developers getting on board for creating drag and drop transitions for Premiere.
Multi-cam options
As shown in the video above, the multi-cam has been given more features as well. Users now have the ability to edit the cameras that are shown in the multi-camera monitor. The previous process would require you to disable the multi-cam nested sequence and rearrange your clips from the timeline level. With this new function, you won’t lose time deciphering which camera is which and you can keep cutting.
Copy and paste multiple transitions
With the updated look of how transitions look in Premiere, one feature that still needed to be added was the ability to copy and paste a transition to multiple edit points. FCP switchers requested the ability quite frequently, and now it’s a reality. As illustrated in the video above, you would first copy your transition. Then, you would Command (Mac)/Control (PC) across a group of edit points and hit Command/Control +V to paste them on the selected edit points. This technique is definitely a timesaver for when you need to add the same transition across various edit points on different tracks.
Ripple markers
Using markers in my edits was the cornerstone of remembering where to place media later, or to remember a particular frame. What sucked was that if I trimmed my footage, the marker would remain where it was and I would either have to delete it or reposition it manually. With the update, users now have the option to have the markers move when they make a ripple trim of clips in their timeline. You have the option to turn it on in the Marker drop down menu. Those are my top five favorite new features for Premiere CC 7.1. In my opinion, I believe within 2-3 updates, Premiere will be able to do everything Final Cut Pro 7 can do, if not better. Despite the feelings folks may have about the Creative Cloud, these updates have been very helpful in making Premiere my go to NLE. I’m the NLE Ninja with Audio Micro asking you to stay creative.
