Text is an important part of any type of film, and as a video editor, understanding how to add text correctly and create cinematic titles is imperative. Today we will show you how to add text in Premiere Pro.
Every element you work with as a video editor helps top move the story along; it pushes the plot along and keeps your viewers entertained.
In today’s article, we will talk about the reasons for using text in your film and how to add text in Premiere Pro. As an editor starting out with these skills and know-how will take you a long way.
Let’s jump straight into it!
Why should I add text in Premiere Pro?
There are many reasons why you should add text in your latest project, these range from subtitles all the way to opening credits. Either way, adding text in Premiere Pro is a skill you must learn. Here are a few more reasons why you should add text to your film:
- Dialogue
- Location
- Opening credits
- Closing credits
- Time
- Title sequences
These are just a few reasons for adding text to your project. Now you know the reasons, let’s jump into how to add text in Premiere Pro.
How to add text in Premiere Pro
To add text in Premiere Pro, follow these simple steps.
Step 1: Import your video
Firstly import your video into Premiere Pro, and drag the clip onto your Timeline.
Step 2: Select the Type Tool
Now your video has been imported into Premiere Pro, it’s now time to use the text tool. You can add text to your video footage, either by selecting the Type Tool in the Essential Graphics panel or by pressing Cmd+T (Ctrl+T in windows).
If you’re going to be customising your text, we advise that you select the Type Tool within the Essential Graphics panel.
Step 3: Add the text box
Next, add a text box. To add text using the Type Tool, you will need to head over to the toolbar and select Windows > Tools – Now click on the Type Tool and hold it down for a second, and the options will pop up.
Now you’ve selected the Type Tool; you can now click anywhere to use it and begin typing!
Fun Tip:
You can create a bigger box by clicking in your viewer and dragging the area with the Type Tool.
Step 4: Customise
Now it’s time to customise the shape, colour, size and font of your text. This is pretty simple when you’ve selected the Type Tool using the essential graphics panel.
When using the Type Tool within the Essential Graphics panel, you will customise your text to fit the purpose. You can alter the shape, size, font and colour to your liking.
How to add a custom font in Premiere Pro
When you look to add text in Premiere Pro, there’s a big chance that the font you wish to use isn’t in Premiere Pro.
Here we will show you how to add a custom font in Premiere Pro.
Let’s dive into it.
Premiere Pro has fonts and styles already loaded into it, but a lot of the time, you’ll be looking to add additional fonts.
To add these additional fonts, simply go to and select Adobe Fonts in the dropdown menu in the right-hand corner – this will open a new tab. Adobe Fonts will now pop up – this is the main fonts database in Premiere Pro.
Here, you can pick your chosen font and then activate it. These activated fonts will be visible in the font options when using the Type Tool. Another way to add fonts is to go to Graphics > Add Fonts in Adobe Fonts.
To add a font that isn’t listed in Adobe Fonts, you’ll first need to install it on your computer. Then if it’s compatible with Premiere Pro, it will appear in Adobe Fonts.
You may also be interested in Export presets: How to create export presets in Adobe Premiere Pro
How to add cinematic titles in Premiere Pro
Now it’s time to add some cinematic titles into the mix. Here we will cover how to add cinematic titles in Premiere Pro.
Titles are incredibly similar to those of the text elements but have a little something extra. These are relatively easy to create but provide another dimension to your text.
To add a title, simply:
- Go to: Windows > Workspaces > Graphics.
- Here there are a few pre-populated credits and titles you can browse – these are both animated and stationary credits.
- To add rolling motion to your cinematic titles and credits, you need to go to the Effects Controls once you’ve created or chosen your title, then position it on your Timeline.
- Now you can put it in the centre of your screen, directly below the frame. Now go to Transform and add a marker or a keyframe.
- Add these by selecting the stopwatch next to “Position” and move the playhead to where the credits will stop.
- Now you’ve done that, simply move your credits to the last position.
- The movements have now been set, so you can select the title you wish to use.
- Now you can customise the title. To edit it, go to the Essential Graphics panel and alter using the Edit tab.
That’s how you create some cool, cinematic, rolling credits. As simple as that, and looks pretty cool!
You may also be interested in The best export settings in Premiere Pro CC for YouTube?
How to create text templates in Premiere Pro
Here’s how to create text templates in Premiere Pro in detail; below is a quick way, but if you want to master the text templates, I suggest heading over to our guide linked above and below.
If you’ve made a cool title you want to keep as a template, here’s the simple way to create text templates in Premiere Pro is:
- Select the text you wish to save as a template and go to Graphics > Export As Motion Graphics Template.
- Once selected, name and save your file.
That’s it; it’s as easy as that! You’ve now saved a text template in Premiere Pro.
When you want to import this text template into a new project, simply go to File > Import and choose your template.
An in-depth look at How to create a text template in Premiere Pro
How to change font color in Premiere Pro
To change font color in Premiere Pro is pretty simple. If you haven’t written your text yet, simply select the text tool and then add your text. If you’ve already got your text and want to change the colour, click on the text in the Timeline.
Once selected, move over to the right-hand side of the Essential Graphics Panel and select the text you want to change the font color on.
Now scroll down to the Appearance section and click the Fill button. Here you can select the color you wish to change your font to.
There you have it; that is how you change the font color in Premiere Pro.
====
We hope this article on “How to add text in Premiere Pro” was useful to you. Let us know your thoughts below in the comments; we’d be happy to hear from you. Simply scroll a little further for more video editing and Premiere Pro articles.
Happy editing!
