3 Ways To Make A Rain Effect In Premiere Pro

How To Make Rain In Premiere Pro

Before I start, I’ll make it clear that After Effects is the better option for any sort of rain effect, especially when it comes to 3D and motion tracking. Premiere Pro is also good for rain effects, but the main advantage of using it is that you can edit your footage and add the effect in the same software, without having to switch between different programs. This can save you some time and hassle, especially if you’re working on a tight deadline or a low-budget project.

The steps for each method are as follows:

Method 1: Using the Noise and Turbulent Displace effects

• Create a new adjustment layer and apply the Noise effect to it.
• Set the Amount of Noise to 100% and check the Use Color Noise box.
• Apply the Turbulent Displace effect to the same adjustment layer.
• Set the Amount to 100, the Size to 5, and the Displacement to Bulge.
• Animate the Evolution value from 0 to 2x or higher.
• Adjust the Complexity value to change the shape and detail of the raindrops.
• Lower the Opacity or add a Fast Blur effect to make the rain more realistic.

Method 2: Using a rain overlay video

• Download a rain overlay video with a black background from a free or paid source.
• Import the rain overlay video into your project and place it over your footage in the timeline.
• Apply the Ultra Key effect to the rain overlay video and use the eyedropper tool to select the black color.
• Adjust the settings under the Matte Generation and Matte Cleanup sections to remove any unwanted artifacts.
• Change the Blending Mode to Screen or Add and lower the Opacity or add a Fast Blur effect to make the rain more realistic.

Method 3: Using the CC Rainfall effect

• Create a new adjustment layer and apply the CC Rainfall effect to it.
• Adjust the settings under the CC Rainfall section to change the number, speed, direction, wind, opacity, spread, gravity, and motion blur of the raindrops.
• Add a Fast Blur effect or use a mask to make the rain more realistic.

Method 1: Using the Noise and Turbulent Displace effects

This method uses two effects that are already included in Premiere Pro: the Noise effect and the Turbulent Displace effect. The Noise effect adds some random pixels to your footage, which we will use to create the raindrops. The Turbulent Displace effect distorts the noise and makes it look like the raindrops are falling and bulging. Here are the steps to follow:

• First, you need to create a new adjustment layer. An adjustment layer is a special type of layer that applies an effect to all the layers below it. To create an adjustment layer, go to the Project panel, right-click on an empty space, and choose New Item > Adjustment Layer. A dialog box will appear where you can name your adjustment layer and set its dimensions and frame rate. Click OK to create the adjustment layer.
• Next, you need to drag the adjustment layer over your footage in the timeline. Make sure the adjustment layer covers the entire duration of your footage. You can trim or extend the adjustment layer by dragging its edges in the timeline.
• Now, you need to add the Noise effect to the adjustment layer. To do this, go to the Effects panel, which is usually on the right side of the screen. If you don’t see it, you can go to Window > Effects to open it. In the Effects panel, type “noise” in the search box and you should see the Noise effect under the Video Effects > Noise & Grain category. Drag and drop the Noise effect onto the adjustment layer in the timeline or in the Effect Controls panel, which is usually on the left side of the screen. If you don’t see it, you can go to Window > Effect Controls to open it.
• In the Effect Controls panel, you can adjust the settings of the Noise effect. To make the noise look like raindrops, you need to set the Amount of Noise to 100% and check the Use Color Noise box. This will make the noise more visible and colorful. You can also change the Random Seed value to get a different pattern of noise.
• Next, you need to add the Turbulent Displace effect to the adjustment layer. To do this, go back to the Effects panel and type “turbulent” in the search box. You should see the Turbulent Displace effect under the Video Effects > Distort category. Drag and drop the Turbulent Displace effect onto the adjustment layer, after the Noise effect.
• In the Effect Controls panel, you can adjust the settings of the Turbulent Displace effect. To make the noise look like falling and bulging raindrops, you need to set the Amount to 100 and the Size to 5. These values control the intensity and size of the distortion. You can adjust them depending on the look you want. For example, if you want smaller and more subtle raindrops, you can lower the Amount and the Size values. If you want bigger and more noticeable raindrops, you can increase them.
• Under the Displacement section, you need to choose Bulge from the drop-down menu. This will make the noise bulge outwards, creating a 3D effect. You can also change the Pinning option to None, which will allow the noise to go beyond the edges of the frame.
• Under the Evolution section, you need to animate the evolution of the noise, which will make it look like the rain is falling. To do this, you need to create two keyframes: one at the beginning of your clip and one at the end. A keyframe is a point in time where you set a value for a parameter. To create a keyframe, you need to click on the stopwatch icon next to the parameter name. This will create a keyframe at the current position of the playhead, which is the vertical line that shows where you are in the timeline. You can move the playhead by dragging it or by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. To create the first keyframe, move the playhead to the beginning of your clip and click on the stopwatch icon next to the Evolution value. This will create a keyframe with the default value of 0x. To create the second keyframe, move the playhead to the end of your clip and change the Evolution value to 2x or higher. This will create another keyframe with the new value. You should see a line connecting the two keyframes, which shows how the value changes over time. This means that the noise will evolve from 0x to 2x during the duration of your clip, creating a falling motion. You can adjust the Evolution value depending on the speed of the rain you want. For example, if you want faster rain, you can increase the Evolution value. If you want slower rain, you can decrease it.
• You can also adjust the Complexity value under the Evolution section, which controls the shape and detail of the noise. The higher the Complexity value, the more detailed and irregular the noise will be. The lower the Complexity value, the more simple and smooth the noise will be. You can experiment with different Complexity values to get different looks for your raindrops.
• To make the rain more realistic, you can lower the Opacity of the adjustment layer or add a Fast Blur effect to it. The Opacity controls how transparent the adjustment layer is. The lower the Opacity, the more transparent the adjustment layer is. The higher the Opacity, the more opaque the adjustment layer is. You can change the Opacity by dragging the slider or typing a value in the Effect Controls panel. The Fast Blur effect adds a blur to the adjustment layer, which makes the raindrops look more natural and less sharp. You can add the Fast Blur effect by going to the Effects panel and typing “fast” in the search box. You should see the Fast Blur effect under the Video Effects > Blur & Sharpen category. Drag and drop the Fast Blur effect onto the adjustment layer, after the Turbulent Displace effect. In the Effect Controls panel, you can change the Blurriness value to adjust the amount of blur. You can also check the Repeat Edge Pixels box to avoid any black borders around the frame.

That’s it! You have created a rain effect using the Noise and Turbulent Displace effects. You can preview your result by pressing the spacebar on your keyboard or by clicking on the play button in the Program monitor, which is usually on the right side of the screen. If you don’t see it, you can go to Window > Program to open it. You can also export your video by going to File > Export > Media or by pressing Ctrl+M on your keyboard. A dialog box will appear where you can choose your output settings and destination. Click on Export to start the export process.

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Method 2: Using a rain overlay video

This method uses a rain overlay video, which is a video that has a black background and raindrops on it. You can download a rain overlay video from a free or paid source, such as [Videvo] or [Shutterstock]. Make sure the video has a black background and is in a compatible format with Premiere Pro, such as MP4 or MOV. Here are the steps to follow:

• First, you need to import the rain overlay video into your project. To do this, go to the Project panel, right-click on an empty space, and choose Import. A dialog box will appear where you can browse and select the rain overlay video from your computer. Click on Open to import the video into your project. You should see the video in the Project panel, along with your footage and the adjustment layer from the previous method.
• Next, you need to drag the rain overlay video over your footage in the timeline, above the adjustment layer. Make sure the rain overlay video covers the entire duration of your footage. You can trim or extend the rain overlay video by dragging its edges in the timeline.
• Now, you need to remove the black background from the rain overlay video, so that only the raindrops are visible. To do this, you need to use the Ultra Key effect, which is a keying effect that removes a specific color from a video. In this case, we want to remove the black color from the rain overlay video. To add the Ultra Key effect, go to the Effects panel and type “ultra” in the search box. You should see the Ultra Key effect under the Video Effects > Keying category. Drag and drop the Ultra Key effect onto the rain overlay video in the timeline or in the Effect Controls panel.
• In the Effect Controls panel, you can adjust the settings of the Ultra Key effect. The main setting you need to change is the Key Color, which is the color you want to remove from the video. To change the Key Color, you need to use the eyedropper tool, which is a small icon next to the Key Color value. Click on the eyedropper tool and then click on the black color from the rain overlay video in the Program monitor. This will set the Key Color to black and remove it from the video. You should see only the raindrops on top of your footage.
• You can also adjust the settings under the Matte Generation and Matte Cleanup sections to fine-tune the keying effect and remove any unwanted artifacts. The Matte Generation section controls how the effect determines which pixels are part of the key color and which are not. The Matte Cleanup section controls how the effect smooths and softens the edges of the remaining pixels. You can experiment with different settings to get the best results. For example, you can increase the Pedestal value under the Matte Generation section to make the black color more transparent and less visible. You can also increase the Choke value under the Matte Cleanup section to shrink the edges of the raindrops and make them more defined.
• The next step is to make the rain more realistic by changing the Blending Mode of the rain overlay video to Screen or Add. The Blending Mode controls how the rain overlay video blends with the footage below it. Screen and Add are two blending modes that make the darker pixels of the rain overlay video transparent and the lighter pixels brighter, creating a glowing effect. To change the Blending Mode, you can go to the Effect Controls panel or the Opacity section of the timeline and choose Screen or Add from the drop-down menu next to the Blending Mode option. You can also lower the Opacity or add a Fast Blur effect to the rain overlay video, as explained in the previous method.

Method 3: Using the CC Rainfall effect

This method uses the CC Rainfall effect, which is a built-in effect in Premiere Pro that simulates raindrops falling on your footage. The CC Rainfall effect has many settings that you can adjust to customize the rain effect. Here are the steps to follow:

• First, you need to create a new adjustment layer, as explained in the previous methods. Drag the adjustment layer over your footage in the timeline and make sure it covers the entire duration of your footage.
• Next, you need to add the CC Rainfall effect to the adjustment layer. To do this, go to the Effects panel and type “cc rainfall” in the search box. You should see the CC Rainfall effect under the Video Effects > Generate category. Drag and drop the CC Rainfall effect onto the adjustment layer in the timeline or in the Effect Controls panel.
• In the Effect Controls panel, you can adjust the settings of the CC Rainfall effect. The settings are divided into four sections: CC Rainfall, Drops, Wind, and Force Motion Blur. The CC Rainfall section controls the general appearance of the rain. The Drops section controls the individual characteristics of the raindrops. The Wind section controls the horizontal movement of the raindrops. The Force Motion Blur section controls the motion blur of the raindrops. You can experiment with different settings to get different effects. Some of the settings you can change are:
• Drops: The number of raindrops per second. A higher value means more raindrops and more density. A lower value means fewer raindrops and less density. For example, if you want a heavy rain, you can set the Drops value to 5000 or higher. If you want a light rain, you can set the Drops value to 1000 or lower.
• Speed: The speed of the raindrops. A higher value means faster raindrops and more vertical movement. A lower value means slower raindrops and more horizontal movement. For example, if you want the rain to fall quickly, you can set the Speed value to 2 or higher. If you want the rain to fall slowly, you can set the Speed value to 0.5 or lower.
• Direction: The angle of the raindrops. A positive value means the raindrops are falling from the left to the right. A negative value means the raindrops are falling from the right to the left. A zero value means the raindrops are falling straight down. For example, if you want the rain to fall from the left to the right, you can set the Direction value to 45 or higher. If you want the rain to fall from the right to the left, you can set the Direction value to -45 or lower.
• Wind: The horizontal movement of the raindrops. A positive value means the raindrops are moving to the right. A negative value means the raindrops are moving to the left. A zero value means the raindrops are not moving horizontally. For example, if you want the rain to move to the right, you can set the Wind value to 0.5 or higher. If you want the rain to move to the left, you can set the Wind value to -0.5 or lower.
• Opacity: The transparency of the raindrops. A higher value means more opaque and more visible raindrops. A lower value means more transparent and less visible raindrops. For example, if you want the rain to be more visible, you can set the Opacity value to 100 or higher. If you want the rain to be less visible, you can set the Opacity value to 50 or lower.
• Spread: The variation of the raindrop size. A higher value means more variation and more diversity. A lower value means less variation and more uniformity. For example, if you want the raindrops to have different sizes, you can set the Spread value to 100 or higher. If you want the raindrops to have the same size, you can set the Spread value to 0 or lower.
• Gravity: The acceleration of the raindrops. A higher value means more acceleration and more downward force. A lower value means less acceleration and less downward force. For example, if you want the raindrops to fall faster, you can set the Gravity value to 1 or higher. If you want the raindrops to fall slower, you can set the Gravity value to 0.5 or lower.
• Force Motion Blur: Whether to add motion blur to the raindrops or not. A checked box means motion blur is enabled and the raindrops will have a trailing effect. An unchecked box means motion blur is disabled and the raindrops will have a sharp effect. For example, if you want the raindrops to have a trailing effect, you can check the Force Motion Blur box. If you want the raindrops to have a sharp effect, you can uncheck the Force Motion Blur box.

The last step is to make the rain more realistic by adding a Fast Blur effect to the adjustment layer or using a mask to limit the rain effect to certain areas of your footage, as explained in the previous methods.