How to Add Text in Premiere Pro - 2 Simple Ways Explained

How do you add and edit in Premiere Pro?

Premiere Pro allows you to add text via the "Title" tool (this is where you can create text from scratch) or by using pre-designed templates. You can customize everything from font style, size, and color to more advanced settings like kerning (the space between characters) and leading (the space between lines).

I've come to appreciate the transformative power of text in storytelling. Adobe Premiere Pro CC, offers a plethora of options for incorporating text into your videos. Let's delve into some fundamental ways you can use text to elevate your project, each backed by industry standards and best practices.

• Annotations and Footnotes: If you're creating educational or documentary-style content, text can serve as annotations to provide additional information or context. For example, when discussing a historical event, you could use text to indicate the year it occurred or provide a brief explanation of its significance.
• Interactive Quizzes: In educational or training videos, text can be used to pose questions to the audience. This interactive element can make the content more engaging and help reinforce learning. You could display multiple-choice questions and then reveal the correct answer after a few seconds.
• Chapter Titles: In longer videos or series, text can be used to divide the content into chapters or sections. This helps the viewer navigate through the video and understand its structure. It's like a table of contents but in video form.
• Time & Place: These are textual cues that help the audience orient themselves in the story's timeline or geographical setting. For example, if your story jumps between New York and Paris, a simple text overlay can help the audience make that transition seamlessly. The industry standard is to keep these cues brief and straightforward, appearing for about 3-5 seconds on the screen.
• Dialogue: This is particularly useful for scenes where spoken dialogue is not feasible, like text messaging sequences or silent moments. Here, the text becomes the dialogue. The key is to make it natural and in sync with the story's pace. For instance, if it's a text message, the industry standard is to mimic the look of a messaging app on the screen.
• Memes and Humor: Text can also be used to add a comedic element to your videos. Think of the impact of text in viral memes; the same concept can be applied to video to create moments of levity or emphasize a joke.
• Visual Emphasis: Text can be used to emphasize or highlight a spoken word or phrase. For instance, if the speaker says, "This is crucial," the word "crucial" could appear on the screen to underline its importance.
• Title Sequences: This is your first impression, the opening act that sets the tone for your entire film. It's not just about slapping the film's name on a black screen; it's an art form. You can use dynamic animations, blend in some background music, and even incorporate visual effects. The key here is creativity. For instance, using a slow zoom effect on the text can create a sense of anticipation.
• Call to Action (CTA): Text can be used to guide viewer behavior, such as "Subscribe Now" or "Visit Our Website." This is particularly useful in promotional videos or social media content where you want to direct the audience to take a specific action.

‍

Adobe Premiere Pro Adding Text Tutorial

Step 1

To add text, you have three main options: the Essential Graphics panel, the Type Tool, or the shortcut Ctrl+T (Cmd+T for Mac users). Here's how to navigate:

• Type Tool (Method 1): Go to the toolbar, and if you don't see it, navigate to Windows > Tools. Click and hold down the Type Tool, and you'll see options for both the Type Tool and Vertical Type Tool. Once selected, you can click anywhere in your program panel to start typing.
• Creating a Text Box (Method 2): Alternatively, you can click and drag to create a text box. This confines your text within a specific space, which is useful if you're adding a lot of text.

Step 2

‍

To get into the weeds of customization, you'll want to be in the Essential Graphics panel. Here you can:

• Shape, Size, and Color: Make sure the text layer you want to edit is highlighted. From here, you can adjust the font size, color, and even the shape of your text box.
• Adobe Fonts: Premiere Pro comes with a set number of fonts, but if you want more, click on the Add Adobe Fonts option. This will take you to Adobe's main font database where you can choose and activate new fonts.
• Third-Party Fonts: If Adobe's offerings don't cut it, you can download other fonts and install them. Just make sure to restart Premiere Pro to see the new additions.

‍