To avoid overwhelming yourself, using the software’s available tools is a good idea. In particular, markers can help you achieve a smoother edit.
In this article, you will find out how to use markers in Premiere Pro.
What Are Markers in Premiere Pro?
Markers are tabs that let you identify important parts of the video with either a color or note. In effect, they work similar to sticky notes in real life. The feature is ideal for keeping yourself organized in Premiere Pro.
When using markers, these will not render out with your video during export. So, you can use them freely without impacting the finalized project.
Adding a Marker in Premiere Pro
To add a marker in Premiere Pro, tap the M key on your keyboard wherever you have a panel with a timeline selected. You will find a new marker at the playhead, which you can label appropriately.
You can also use the Add Marker button under either monitor.
If you do either of the above while a specific clip is selected, Premiere Pro will apply the marker to the clip itself—not the timeline. This allows you to move the clip around while taking the marker along with it.
You will notice that the marker you’ve applied to the clip in the timeline will also feature on the clip in the bin. Hopping over to the source monitor will reveal the marker in its place. You might want to use this feature when syncing sound to a video.
Use too many markers and you may find that your project is difficult to manage. If you don’t need one anymore, you can right-click on it. After doing this, you’ll see a menu with a list of options. Choose either Clear the Selected Marker or Clear All Markers, depending on your preference.
How to Use Markers in Premiere Pro
When working with markers, you need to remember two primary windows:
The panel titled Markers. The Marker Editor window.
You will find the Markers panel alongside Effects, Metadata, and so on. Before doing anything else, access the panel dropdown menu by clicking on the three horizontal lines.
You can work in two modes here. When Show all clip Markers in sequence is enabled, you’ll see a chronological list of all of the markers in the sequence.
If it isn’t, you will only see markers applied to the clip you have selected. If nothing is selected, this panel will be empty.
This panel is useful because it allows you to watch the entire project uninterrupted. When you see something you want to fix, tap M on your keyboard so you can go back later.
The text field indicated by the magnifying glass at the top-left corner of the panel is where you can search your tags in order to pull up what you need. This will make it easy to put your first assembly cut together.
How to Change Marker Labels
By double-clicking one of your markers in the timeline, you will be see the Marker Editor window. Here is where you can apply color labels, and label different tasks with different colors.
You can also assign each marker a name. Other options include adding metadata and keywords to the comment section, which will help you navigate through your assets. Moreover, you can adjust the marker’s duration.
Use Marker Labels to Improve Your Video Editing Workflow
Forgetting parts of a video you need to edit is frustrating, but you can improve your editing skills significantly with markers. Though underused, this feature is one of the most essential to know when using Adobe Premiere Pro.
Once you’re comfortable using markers, you’ll find that your editing quality will improve. After that, you can then focus on learning the other underused Premiere Pro features to take your videos to the next level.
