Getting Started
Adobe Premiere Pro CC, the essential editing tool for video enthusiasts and professionals, enhances your creative power and freedom. Adobe Premiere Pro is the most scalable, efficient, and precise video-editing tool available. It supports a broad range of video formats including AVCHD, HDV, XDCAM, P2 DVCPRO HD, XDCAM, AVC-Intra, Canon XF, RED, ARRIRAW, QuickTime, and many more. The superior performance of Adobe Premiere Pro lets you work faster and more creatively. The complete set of powerful and exclusive tools lets you overcome any editorial, production, and workflow challenges to deliver the high-quality work you demand.
About Classroom in a Book
Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book® is part of the official training series for Adobe graphics and publishing software. The lessons are designed so that you can learn at your own pace. If you’re new to Adobe Premiere Pro, you’ll learn the fundamental concepts and features you’ll need to use the program. This book also teaches many advanced features, including tips and techniques for using the latest version of this software.
The lessons in this edition include opportunities to use features such as multi-camera editing, keying, dynamic trimming, color correction, tapeless media, and audio and video effects. You’ll also learn how to create files for the Internet and mobile devices with Adobe Media Encoder. Adobe Premiere Pro CC is available for both Windows and Mac OS.
Prerequisites
Before beginning to use Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book®, make sure your system is set up correctly and that you’ve installed the required software and hardware. You can view updated system requirements by visiting http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/tech-specs.html.
You should have a working knowledge of your computer and operating system. You should know how to use the mouse and standard menus and commands and also how to open, save, and close files. If you need to review these techniques, see the printed or online documentation included with your Windows or Mac OS system.
Installing Adobe Premiere Pro CC
You must purchase an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription separately from this book. For complete system requirements and complete instructions on installing the software, visit www.adobe.com/support. You can purchase Adobe Creative Cloud by visiting www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud. Follow the onscreen instructions. You may also want to install Photoshop, After Effects, Audition, Prelude, Speedgrade, Encore, and Adobe Media Encoder which are included with Adobe Creative Cloud for some of the extra exercises in the book.
Optimizing performance
Editing video is memory- and processor-intensive work for a computer. A fast processor and a lot of memory will make your editing experience much faster and more efficient; 4 GB of memory is the minimum, and 8 GB or more is better for high-definition (HD) media. Adobe Premiere Pro CC takes advantage of multicore processors on Windows and Macintosh systems.
A dedicated 7200 RPM or faster hard drive is recommended for high-definition video (HD) media. A RAID 0 striped disk array or SCSI disk subsystem is strongly recommended for HD. Performance will be significantly affected if you attempt to store media files and program files on the same hard drive. Be sure to keep your media files on a second disk if at all possible.
The Mercury Playback Engine in Adobe Premiere Pro can operate in software-only mode or GPU acceleration mode. The GPU acceleration mode provides significant performance improvement. The GPU acceleration is possible with select video cards. You can find a list of these video cards on the Adobe website at http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/tech-specs.html.
Copying the lesson files
The lessons in Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book® use specific source files, such as video clips, audio files, and image files created in Adobe Photoshop CC and Adobe Illustrator CC. To complete the lessons in this book, you must copy all the files from the Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book® DVD (inside the back cover of this book or available from the link that appears on the last pages of the ebook) to your hard drive. You will need about 8 GB of storage space in addition to the 4 GB you need to install Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
Although each lesson stands alone, some lessons use files from other lessons, so you’ll need to keep the entire collection of lesson assets on your hard drive as you work through the book.
Here’s how to copy those assets from the DVD to your hard drive:
1. Open the Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book® DVD in My Computer or Windows Explorer (Windows) or in Finder (Mac OS).
2. Right-click the folder called Lessons, and choose Copy.
3. Navigate to the location you set to store your Adobe Premiere Pro CC projects.
The default location is your computer’s Desktop.
4. Right-click and choose Paste.
Following these steps will copy all the lesson assets to your local folder. This process may take a few minutes to complete, depending on the speed of your hardware.
If you are accessing the files from the ebook version of this book, follow the directions in the last pages of the ebook.
Relinking the lesson files
It is possible that the file path to the lesson files may need to be updated. If you open an Adobe Premiere Pro project and it cannot find a media file, the Link Media dialog may open and ask you to relink offline files. If this happens, you will need to navigate to one of the offline files in order to reconnect. Once you’ve reconnected one file in the project, the rest should reconnect.
Click the Locate button and use the browser to locate an offline clip. You can navigate to the same location where you copied the files you copied from the DVD. The path should be Desktop > Lessons > Assets. You may need to look in some of the included folders to find the media file (especially if it involves tapeless media). You can also navigate to the Lessons folder and click the Search button to have Adobe Premiere Pro search for the file.
When you locate a file, just select it and click the OK button.
How to use these lessons
Each lesson in this book provides step-by-step instructions for creating one or more specific elements of a real-world project. The lessons stand alone, but most of them build on previous lessons in terms of concepts and skills. So, the best way to learn from this book is to proceed through the lessons in sequential order.
The organization of the lessons is workflow-oriented rather than feature-oriented, and the book uses a real-world approach. The lessons follow the typical sequential steps video editors use to complete a project, starting with acquiring video, laying down a cuts-only sequence, adding effects, sweetening the audio track, and ultimately exporting the project.
How to access updates to this book
Purchasing this book gives you access to electronic book updates as they are made available covering new features that Adobe releases for Creative Cloud customers. For access, follow these steps:
1. On a Mac or PC, go to www.peachpit.com/redeem.
2. Enter the code C4C1E8543CAA.
3. If you do not have a Peachpit.com account, you will be prompted to create one.
4. The downloadable files will be listed under Lesson & Update Files tab on your Account page.
5. Click the file links to download them to your computer.
Additional resources
Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book® is not meant to replace documentation that comes with the program or to be a comprehensive reference for every feature. Only the commands and options used in the lessons are explained in this book. For comprehensive information about program features and tutorials, refer to these resources:
Adobe Premiere Pro Help and Support: www.adobe.com/support is where you can find and browse Help and Support content on Adobe.com.
Adobe Creative Cloud Learning: For inspiration, key techniques, cross-product workflows, and updates on new features, go to the Creative Cloud Learn page at https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/tutorials.html. Available only to paid Creative Cloud subscribers.
Adobe Forums: http://forums.adobe.com lets you tap into peer-to-peer discussions and questions and answers on Adobe products.
Adobe TV: http://tv.adobe.com is an online video resource for expert instruction and inspiration about Adobe products, including a How To channel to get you started with your product.
Resources for educators: www.adobe.com/education and http://edex.adobe.com offer a treasure trove of information for instructors who teach classes on Adobe software. Find solutions for education at all levels, including free curricula that use an integrated approach to teaching Adobe software and can be used to prepare for the Adobe Certified Associate exams.
Also check out these useful links:
Adobe Marketplace & Exchange: www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange is a central resource for finding tools, services, extensions, code samples, and more to supplement and extend your Adobe products.
Adobe Premiere Pro CC product home page: www.adobe.com/products/premiere has more information about the product.
Adobe Labs: http://labs.adobe.com gives you access to early builds of cutting-edge technology, as well as forums where you can interact with both the Adobe development teams building that technology and other like-minded members of the community.
Adobe certification
The Adobe training and certification programs are designed to help Adobe customers improve and promote their product-proficiency skills. There are four levels of certification:
• Adobe Certified Associate (ACA)
• Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)
• Adobe Certified Instructor (ACI)
• Adobe Authorized Training Center (AATC)
The Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) credential certifies that individuals have the entry-level skills to plan, design, build, and maintain effective communications using different forms of digital media.
The Adobe Certified Expert program is a way for expert users to upgrade their credentials. You can use Adobe certification as a catalyst for getting a raise, finding a job, or promoting your expertise.
If you are an ACE-level instructor, the Adobe Certified Instructor program takes your skills to the next level and gives you access to a wide range of Adobe resources.
Adobe Authorized Training Centers offer instructor-led courses and training on Adobe products, employing only Adobe Certified Instructors. A directory of AATCs is available at http://partners.adobe.com.
For information on the Adobe Certified programs, visit www.adobe.com/support/certification/main.html.