The way you edit your preview in Premiere Pro depends on what aspect of the preview you're trying to change. Here's a breakdown of common scenarios and how to address them:
1. Changing the Preview Quality/Resolution:
This impacts how smoothly the video plays back during editing.
- Go to Sequence > Sequence Settings.
- Look for the "Editing Mode" setting. While this primarily defines the codec, it also affects the preview capabilities.
- Adjust the "Preview File Format" and "Codec" settings to balance quality and performance. Lower resolution and a codec like "I-Frame Only MPEG" can improve playback on less powerful systems.
- You can also control the Playback Resolution within the Program Monitor itself. Click the dropdown menu underneath the Program Monitor view, typically set to "Full." Reducing this to "1/2," "1/4," or even "1/8" can significantly improve playback smoothness, especially with high-resolution footage or complex effects. This doesn't affect the final exported video.
2. Adjusting the Display Size and Full-Screen Preview:
- Maximize Panel: Double-clicking the Program Monitor panel header will maximize it, providing a larger preview. Double-click again to restore it to its original size.
- Full-Screen Playback: Pressing the backtick (`) key above the Tab key (also known as the grave accent) while hovering over the Program Monitor will toggle it to full screen. This is also true for other panels like the timeline or source monitor. The linked YouTube video suggests pressing the Delta key to return to your normal workspace, but that may depend on your particular setup; the backtick key should consistently work.
- External Monitor: Premiere Pro supports sending the preview to an external monitor for a more accurate representation of the final output. You can configure this in Premiere Pro > Preferences > Playback. Enable the appropriate external device.
3. Changing Preview Controls:
- Transport Controls: The standard play/pause, stop, and skip buttons are located beneath the Program Monitor and Timeline panels.
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Use keyboard shortcuts (like Spacebar for Play/Pause, J, K, and L for playback controls) for faster navigation. You can customize these in Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Loop Playback: Enable the "Loop Playback" option in the Program Monitor or Source Monitor to continuously repeat a section.
4. Rendering Previews:
For complex sequences with many effects, rendering a preview can significantly improve playback.
- Select the section of the timeline you want to preview.
- Go to Sequence > Render In to Out. This renders the entire sequence between the In and Out points on the timeline.
- Alternatively, Sequence > Render Effects In to Out renders only the effects within the In and Out points.
- After rendering, a green line appears above the rendered section of the timeline, indicating that it will play back smoothly. Yellow or red lines indicate areas that may require rendering for smooth playback.
5. Adjusting the Program Monitor Display
- Right-clicking on the Program Monitor gives you options for safe margins and overlays.
By understanding these various aspects of Premiere Pro previews, you can effectively tailor the preview experience to your needs, balancing quality, performance, and workflow efficiency.
