Whether you want to speed up or slow down a section of your video, Adobe Premiere Pro makes it easy to do so. In this blog, I’ll show you how to adjust the speed of your clips in Premiere Pro.
Method 1: Speed Change
The first easy way to speed up or slow down a portion of your video is by changing the speed percentage of your clip.
To do this, in your timeline, double-click the clip you want to modify. You’ll be presented with a few options and just find and select “Speed/Duration”.
Then on the “Speed/Duration” tool, you can modify the speed percentage of the clip. You can slow down the clip by entering a number less than 100% or speed it up by entering a number greater than 100%.
Method 2: Duration Change
The second way to modify the pace of your clips in Adobe Premiere Pro is by changing the duration of your video.
The process is quite similar to the first method. You’ll need to access the “Speed/Duration” tool as instructed above.
Now, instead of changing the speed percentage of the clip, you’re now going to modify the duration. By shortening the duration, you’ll speed up the clip, and doing the opposite would make the video slower.
Make sure to click the okay button and then preview your video.
Method 3: Time Remapping for Precise Control
If you’re looking for even more control over the speed of your video clips, Adobe Premiere Pro’s Time Remapping feature is a game-changer. This tool allows you to vary the speed of your clip dynamically, creating speed ramps that smoothly transition between fast and slow motion.
To use Time Remapping:
- Right-click on your clip in the timeline and select Show Clip Keyframes > Time Remapping > Speed.
- A horizontal line will appear on your clip, which represents its current speed.
- Drag the line up to increase the speed or down to decrease it. You can also use keyframes to create gradual speed changes, adding a professional touch to your video.
Time Remapping is perfect for highlighting action sequences, creating dramatic effects, or syncing motion to a music track. It’s a powerful way to bring storytelling to life.
Bonus Tip 1:
In the “Speed/Duration” tool, you’ll find a few more effects you can have fun with. The first one is the “Reverse Speed” effect. If you check this option, your clip will be played backward. This is a good option if you want to blot out something on your audio or you just want to confuse your viewers.
The second effect inside the “Speed/Duration” tool is the “Maintain Audio Pitch” option. With this, you can slow down or speed up your clip without altering the pitch of your audio.
Bonus Tip 2: Adjusting Speed Without Affecting Audio
Sometimes, you may want to change the speed of your video but keep the audio at its original pace. To do this, unlink the video and audio tracks in your timeline by right-clicking the clip and selecting Unlink. This gives you the flexibility to manipulate the video and audio separately, ensuring your edits don’t distort the mood or tone of your project.
Last but not least is the “Ripple Edit, Shifting Trailing Clips” Effect. By enabling “Ripple Edit”, the clips that come after the one you are editing will automatically be shifted to the right or left to accommodate the change in duration. On the other hand, “Shifting Trailing Clips” allows you to shift all the clips after the one you are editing by a certain amount of time.
Maintaining Smooth Transitions
When adjusting the speed of your clips, don’t forget to pay attention to the transitions between different sections. Abrupt speed changes can feel jarring to viewers, especially if there’s no visual or audio cue to accompany them. Use transitions like crossfades or add sound effects to make speed changes feel more natural. Additionally, if you’re slowing down clips, ensure they’re shot at a high frame rate to avoid choppy playback.
Using Speed Adjustments Creatively
Speed adjustments aren’t just for fixing pacing—they’re a creative tool for storytelling. For example:
- Slow Motion: Highlight a key emotional moment or add drama to action sequences.
- Fast Motion: Compress mundane activities like walking or driving to keep the pace engaging.
- Reverse Speed: Use backward playback for comedic effects or to create visually striking moments.
When used thoughtfully, these techniques can transform your video from ordinary to extraordinary.
Final Thoughts on Adjusting Audio Speed
Adjusting the speed of your clips in Adobe Premiere Pro can add a new dimension to your videos. By changing the speed of your clips, you can add emphasis to specific moments, create a sense of flow, or enhance the overall impact of your videos. With the help of this blog post, you can easily slow down or speed up your clips to create the desired effect.
Adobe Premiere Pro Presets For Audio
If you’re working with dialogue, different microphones or you need to do some noise reduction in your videos, you need my free Adobe Premiere Pro Presets! With just one click you can fix bad audio, improve the sounds, voice overs and so much more!
