Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the world’s leading video editing softwares, enjoyed by millions for its accessibility, functionality, and the ability to use it in conjunction with other much-beloved Adobe apps (such as Photoshop, After Effects, and Stock). However, as with any complex programme, it can take some time to get used to, and can feel to newcomers like they’ve got themselves in way over their heads.
If you’re simply wondering how to zoom in and out (either as default, or as an animated element in your video), then fret not. Follow the simple instructions below, and you’ll master the art in no time. For any other queries or information, see the FAQs at the end of the article.
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How to establish the default zoom for a clip in Adobe Premiere
If you have a clip which you wish to zoom in or out from, so that it remains this zoom throughout playback, follow these instructions:
- Launch Adobe Premiere Pro on your chosen device, log in, and load up the video you wish to alter (or a video to test these tutorials on)
- Select the video in the area below the Review Pane (make sure that it is only the video you’ve selected – if there is audio attached, you’ll have to first unlink this by right-clicking on the video and selecting ‘Unlink’)
- Now, under Effects Controls (if you can’t see Effects Controls, click on Window and from the drop-down menu ensure ‘Effects Controls’ is ticked to be viewable), click on ‘Motion’
- Beneath the video in the Review Pane, change the view percentage to something like 10%, just so that you can see the full video and the area it’s fitted to.
- Now, to adjust the zoom (either in or out) of your whole clip, click and drag the clip’s frame boundaries inward or outward to zoom – you’ll be able to see quite easily what part of the original clip will remain in-frame. Once settled on your chosen new zoom level, let go of the click.
- You can now return the Review Pane to its original ‘Fit to window’ size, and you will see that your clip is now zoomed appropriately. It will stay at this zoom throughout its use, unless you alter it further.
How to animate zooming in and out on a clip in Adobe Premiere
In order to animate your zoom in and out on a clip, so that it becomes an animated part of the video clip’s playback, follow the steps below:
- Launch Adobe Premiere Pro on your chosen device, log in, and load up the video you wish to alter (or a video to test these tutorials on)
- Select the video in the area below the Review Pane (make sure that it is only the video you’ve selected – if there is audio attached, you’ll have to first unlink this by right-clicking on the video and selecting ‘Unlink’)
- Now, under Effects Controls (if you can’t see Effects Controls, click on Window and from the drop-down menu ensure ‘Effects Controls’ is ticked to be viewable), we’re going to be utilising the ‘Anchor Point’ and ‘Scale’ tools. First, select ‘Anchor Point’ under ‘Effects Controls’. You’ll now see the anchor point in the centre of your video, move it to the point on your video you wish to zoom in to (or leave it centred, if you simply wish to zoom in and out on the centre).
- Next, scrub to the point in your video at which you wish the animated zoom to begin.
- To set the first zoom keyframe, click the stopwatch icon next to ‘Scale’.
- Next, scrub to the point in your video at which you wish the zoom to end, and set another keyframe here by clicking the ‘Add/Remove Keyframe’ button (little circle in between two opposing arrows in the ‘Scale’ tool).
- Now you want to establish how far the zoom in is going to go. To do so, once you’ve set the endpoint keyframe, bring your cursor over to the percentage box in ‘Scale’, click and drag right to zoom in. You’ll see the effect this will have in the Review Pane, and once satisfied, let go.
- You’ve successfully animated a zoom in on your video. You can now begin work on zooming back out (if you so wish).
- To zoom out,
- You can simply set a third keyframe with a new zoom percentage input (or reset it to default, so as to zoom the video back to its original size) by clicking the ‘Reset Parameter’ button next to ‘Scale’ (it looks like a backwards-revolving arrow), and this will reset your clip at the set anchor point to its original zoom level.
- Or, you can allow the video to sit at its chosen zoomed in level for a while, and set new zoom out keyframes later on, so that (unlike in Option A) the zoom in and out is not one continual motion. To do so, scrub to the point in the video you wish to begin zooming back out, and set a new keyframe with that ‘Add/Remove Keyframe’ button. Then scrub a little further to where you wish the zoom out to end, and set a final keyframe by clicking the ‘Reset Parameter’ button (to reset the zoom to its original scale) or by clicking ‘Add/Remove Keyframe’ and selecting a new zoomed out percentage from the box in ‘Scale’ by clicking and dragging.
- Playing your video back, you’ll see that you’ve animated your zoom in and out to fit within the video. If you wish to smooth the transition of these zooms, or change their positions or lengths, see the FAQs below.
And there you have it! It might seem a little fiddly, but once you get the hang of zooming in and out (either stationary or animated) in Adobe Premiere Pro, your life in video editing will be all that much easier!
For any other queries or information, see the FAQs below.
Frequently asked questions
What is Adobe Premiere?
Adobe Premiere Pro is an industry-leading piece of video editing software, allowing its users to edit almost any aspect of film, from 8K to virtual reality, and from any camera. With Adobe Premiere Pro, users can and do produce end products fit for TV and Film, thanks to Adobe’s accessibility, readiness to be utilised alongside other Adobe apps such as Photoshop, After Effects, and Stock, and staggering levels of functionality. As with all such detailed and comprehensive pieces of software, however, sometimes it can take a while to master. That’s where we and our How To tutorials come in.
Why would I need to zoom in and out in Adobe Premiere?
There are several scenarios in which you might want to zoom in and/or out in Adobe Premiere Pro. You may simply have a piece of footage which you wish to have playback at a different zoom level – this is simple enough. However, it is similarly likely that you’ll be wanting to know how to animate the zoom in your video, and edit it so that as your video plays back, it zooms in to the point you’ve chosen, at the speed you’ve chosen, and then (if you want it to) back out again. This adds some energy and animation to your shot, and is in keeping with the current production trends of almost all popular YouTube channels, who like to add quick and snappy zooms in and out to help highlight funny or dramatic moments, as well as to keep the video interesting and animated.
How do I make my zooms look sleeker?
There is a super simple tool you can use, once you’ve established your zooms, to clean them up, making them look smoother, sleeker, and altogether more professional. Simply drag a box in the scrubbing window to the left of your preview window over the zoom in anchor points. Right-click them, and select ‘Ease In’. Now, do the same with your zoom out anchor points, but instead select ‘Ease Out’ from the right-click pop-up menu. Enabling these options effectively smoothes the transition, making it look nice and clean and professional.
How do I reset/remove the zoom in Adobe Premiere?
If you’ve played around with adding zoom functionality to your video, but have decided you wish to remove it for whatever reason, the process is simple. If adding zoom to your video was the last thing you did in the app, simply click ‘Undo’ (or press CTRL/CMD + Z together on your keyboard) until the zoom effects are undone. If doing so would undo work you wish to save, then instead we recommend returning to the scrubbing window to the left of the preview pane, dragging a box over the anchor points for your various zooms, and pressing ‘DEL’ (‘Delete’) or right-clicking and selecting ‘Delete’. If however, you are not looking to delete your zooms, but want to know how to reset the zoom (say on a zoom back out) to the default zoom level of your particular video/clip, then when establishing the relevant zoom out anchor point, simply click the ‘Reset Parameter’ button next to ‘Scale’ (it looks like a backwards-revolving arrow), and this will reset your clip at the set anchor point to its original zoom level.
How do I change the position of my keyframes, or the lengths of my animated zooms?
To do so is easy, in the scrubbing/keyframe window between the Effects Controls options and the Review Pane, you can simply click and drag your various keyframes, playing around with their positions until you achieve the desired effect. Moving two zoom keyframes closer together will shorten the length of the animated zoom, moving them apart will lengthen it, and moving them generally will change their start and end points.
