To enhance the creativity of a video, or provide graphic features, many times files can be created in Adobe Photoshop and then imported into Adobe Premiere Pro.
What happens when you import a layered Photoshop file
When you choose this option, all layers will be imported as separate clips that you will find in a folder (or bin) inside your project panel.
If you choose the last option, you will open your folder (or bin) and you will find the clips like before, but also, there will be a sequence. Double click the sequence to open it. You will see the individual layers in your timeline and the images will show in your program monitor.
Let's continue our look at importing by bringing in a layered Photoshop file. One of the greatest things is the wonderful integration between all of the Adobe apps and you can bring in a layered file which can contain multiple graphic pieces which can then be animated or modified within premier.
Let's go here to folder one, two graphic and I'll open it up and I've got a video clip. Let me just drop that into a new sequence here and this is a interview and I've got a lower third that goes with it.
What I can now do is choose file import or right click and choose import. Now, simply navigate to the individual folder that you want. In this case, I'm going to go, to the Photoshop file and select the PSD document. Photoshop files have the extension of PSD if they're a standard Photoshop file.
This means that the file can contain layers, layers are often used by designers to isolate discreet elements and they make it easier. If you want to make modifications such as animations or builds.
Let's bring that in with the import command. And now, you see we have specific controls. We could bring it in as a single graphic with all the layers merged together, or if I want I could choose specific layers and then turn different areas on or off by targeting what's going to come in.
We also have the ability to bring in just a single layer as separate files or to import everything as a sequence. This is the option I'm going to choose here and let it set the dimensions here to the document size of the original Photoshop file.
When I click okay, each of those items is imported and you'll see it comes into its own folder. If you click, you could see the individual pieces here. Notice, for example, the text the bar, the texture, et cetera. Also, there is a sequence file here that you can open and you'll see the different pieces. In fact, we can turn visibility on or off and you can see them with all the different options.
For example, what I want to do here is a little build. So I'm going to have this text come on, 15 frames in and I'll just trim it down, and his job title come in at the 30 frame mark plus I'd like this whole graphic to be 10 seconds long. So we can have more time to read everything. Notice here, how easy it is to just extend that and I'm a little bit over it, 10 seconds and three frames, but that's close enough here, and we can just drag it out. If you need to you can use the back arrow to go back to exactly 10 and then with your frame selected just press the w key to trim out the media to the right of the play head.
Let's put a simple animation in here. We'll turn each of these on and what I want to do is have this build. So we'll just do a gentle cross fade here. So that they are revealed over time. I like that gentle and elegant. Let's select the text here, go to the beginning and with our effect controls. I'm going to add a slight motion effect. I'll add position here and we'll go forward plus 30 frames and we can just slide that in, from the right Let's enter a value here of 1920 and you see it fades in. Let's go a little bit smaller here, 1200. I like that nice and gentle. I'll click on the word position here, select both key frames and copy, come to my next clip here. Select it and paste, and you see the little reveal. So now, we have a gentle fade as they come in.
Now, you see that that's a sequence and it could just be dropped right on top here of our actual interview. Now, I brought in only a few seconds of the interview to save on space, but notice how the Photoshop file has all the transparency intact. I could apply a gentle fade here on this entire graphic and what you'll notice is a simple transformation. We can see through the bar partially and have the individual text. Plus by stepping into the Photoshop file. It's easy to adjust. So if I realize that I'd like this to be a little bit more transparent. I'll drop the opacity to 85% for example and we'll set this one to 40%. Now, if we take a look, we could see through the graphic a bit better. And I like that. It's a very modern and clean, lower third graphic.
We'll work with Photoshop files more later, but I just wanted you to see how flexible this is. Plus something that's really cool is Photoshop is just to click away. If you realize that there's something you need to modify or update. You can select an individual item, right click and choose edit original. It'll open it up into Photoshop and now, you are free to select an item and make a change. For example, if I realize that I didn't need the colon here and instead it should be a dash. I could change it, and make a small tech correction. Now, close and save and when I switch back notice it updates. That's the beauty of Adobe applications working together. You have that full edit ability just to click away.
To enhance the creativity of a video, or provide graphic features, many times files can be created in Adobe Photoshop and then imported into Adobe Premiere Pro. 1. 2. When you choose this option, all layers will be imported as separate clips that you will find in a folder (or bin) inside your project panel. Hint: When you create your Photoshop files, be sure to have a transparent background, if you want to float them over other images. If you choose the last option, you will open your folder (or bin) and you will find the clips like before, but also, there will be a sequence. Double click the sequence to open it. You will see the individual layers in your timeline and the images will show in your program monitor.
By leveraging the integration between Photoshop and Premiere Pro, you can systematically manage layered assets, preview individual elements, and fine-tune timings directly within your timeline. The workflow supports selective import, transparency handling, and on-demand editing of Photoshop layers without leaving Premiere, making it easier to maintain a cohesive look across graphics and video.
- Import a layered PSD into Premiere Pro as either merged, selected layers, or as a full sequence to preserve individual elements.
- Ensure transparent backgrounds if you need to overlay graphics over other footage.
- Open the generated sequence to access and animate each layer in the timeline.
- Use edit original to quickly update Photoshop elements and see changes reflected in Premiere.
