To customize most project settings, you must start a new project, select an existing preset, and change its settings.

Choose General settings that conform to the specifications of the dominant source files in your project (for example, if most of your footage is DV, use the DV Playback editing mode). Changing these settings arbitrarily may result in a loss of quality.

Editing Mode

Specifies which video method is used to play back sequences, which timebases are made available, which compression methods appear in the Video Settings panel, and which display formats are available. Choose an Editing Mode option that best matches the specifications of your source footage and/or capture card. This mode does not determine the format of your final movie. You specify output settings when you export.

Timebase

Specifies the time divisions Adobe Premiere Pro uses to calculate the time position of each edit. In general, choose 24 for editing motion‑picture film, 25 for editing PAL (European standard) and SECAM video, and 29.97 for editing NTSC (North American standard) video. Do not confuse timebase with the frame rate of the video you play back or export from sequences, although timebase and frame rate are often set to the same value. The options listed for Timebase vary according to the editing mode you selected.

Playback Settings

Displays playback options for most of the editing modes. Select this option to display a dialog box of Realtime Playback, Export, 24P Conversion Method, and Desktop Display Mode options. You can also choose whether to disable video output when Adobe Premiere Pro is in the background, and whether to enable aspect ratio correction on external devices.

Frame Size

Specifies the dimensions, in pixels, for frames when you play back sequences. In most cases, the frame size for your project should match the frame size of your source files. Don’t change the frame size to compensate for slow playback—instead, adjust playback resolution by choosing a different quality setting from the Project panel menu, or adjust the frame size of final output by changing export settings.

Pixel Aspect Ratio

Sets the aspect ratio for individual pixels. Choose Square Pixels for analog video, scanned images, and computer‑generated graphics, or choose the format used by your source. If you use a pixel aspect ratio that is different from that of your video, the video may play back and render with distortion.

Fields

Specifies the field order, or which field of each frame’s interlaced fields is drawn first. If you work with progressive‑scan video, select No Fields (Progressive Scan). Note that many capture cards capture fields regardless of whether you shot progressive scan footage. (See About interlaced and noninterlaced video)

Display Format (Video)

Adobe Premiere Pro can display any of several formats of timecode. You may want to see the project’s timecode in a film format, for example, if you are editing footage captured from film; or in simple frame numbers if your assets were imported from an animation program. Changing the Display Format option does not alter the frame rate of clips or sequences—it changes only how their timecodes are displayed. The time display options correspond to standards for editing video and motion‑picture film. For Frames and Feet + Frames timecodes, you can change the starting frame number to match the time‑counting method of another editing system you may be using.

The options made visible in the Display Format field depend on the Editing Mode selected. You can choose from the following Display Format options, depending on which editing mode is selected:

30 fps Drop‑Frame Timecode

Reports time in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames, separating units with semicolons. Drop‑frame timecode assumes a rate of 30 frames per second (fps), but skips some numbers by design: To accommodate the NTSC actual frame rate of 29.97 fps drop‑frame timecode skips, or drops, two frame numbers (not the actual frames of video) each minute except every tenth minute. Use for output to NTSC videotape.

30 fps drop‑frame timecode as indicated by semicolons

30 fps Non Drop‑Frame Timecode

Reports time in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames, separating units with colons. It assumes a rate of 30 fps and does not drop frame numbers. Use for output to computer displays via the web or CD‑ROM.

30 fps non drop‑frame Timecode as indicated by colons

24 fps Timecode

Reports time in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames; separating units with colons. Use for 24p footage and to output to 24‑fps formats for film and DVD distribution.

24 fps timecode showing “23” as highest possible number of frames before next second

25 fps Timecode

Reports time in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames, separating units with colons. Use for output to PAL videotape.

25 fps timecode showing “24” as highest possible number of frames before next second

Feet + Frames 16mm

Reports time in feet and frames, assuming the frame rate of 16mm film: 40 frames per foot. Use for output to 16mm film.

Feet + frames 16mm timecode showing “39” as highest possible number of frames before next foot

Feet + Frames 35mm

Reports time in feet and frames, assuming the frame rate of 35mm film: 16 frames per foot. Use for output to 35mm film.

Feet + frames 35mm timecode showing “15” as highest possible number of frames before next foot

Frames

Reports time solely in a running count of frames. Does not assign measurements of either time or spatial length. Use to output sequential stills such as those generated for an animation or DPX film editor.

Frames timecode simply numbers each frame in sequential order.

Note: When working with NTSC video assets, you should usually use 30 fps drop‑frame timecode. This format conforms with the timecode base inherent in NTSC video footage and displays its duration most accurately.

Title Safe Area

Specifies how much of the frame edge to mark as a safe zone for titles, so that titles aren’t cut off by television set overscan. A rectangle with cross hairs marks the title‑safe zone when you click the Safe Margins button in the Source Monitor or Program Monitor. Titles are usually assumed to require a wider safe zone than action.

Action Safe Area

Specifies how much of the frame edge to mark as a safe zone for action so that action isn’t cut off by television set overscan. A rectangle marks the action‑safe zone when you click the Safe Margins button in the Source Monitor or Program Monitor.

Sample Rate

In general, higher rates provide better audio quality when you play back audio in sequences, but they require more disk space and processing. Resampling, or setting a different rate from the original audio, also requires additional processing time and affects the quality. Try to record audio at a high‑quality sample rate, and capture audio at the rate at which it was recorded.

Display Format

Specifies whether audio time display is measured using audio samples or milliseconds. Display Format applies when Show Audio Time Units is selected in the Source Monitor or Program Monitor menu. (By default, time is displayed in frames, but it can be displayed in audio units for sample‑level precision when you are editing audio.)

Note: DV video and audio use standardized settings that are specified automatically when you select DV Playback editing mode. When you use DV Playback editing mode, avoid changing the Timebase, Frame Size, Pixel Aspect Ratio, Fields, and Sample Rate settings.

Video Rendering settings affect how Adobe Premiere Pro generates video when you select Sequence > Render Work Area.

Maximum Bit Depth

Maximizes the color bit depth, up to 32 bpc, to include in video played back in sequences. This setting may not be available if the selected compressor provides only one option for bit depth. You can also specify an 8‑bit (256‑color) palette when preparing a video program for 8 bpc color playback, such as when using the Desktop editing mode for the web or for some presentation software.

Previews

These options—File Format, Compressor, and Color Depth— specify how Adobe Premiere Pro plays previews. Select a combination that gives the best quality previews while keeping rendering time and file size within tolerances acceptable for your system. For certain editing modes, these settings cannot be changed.

Note: If you use a clip in your video program without applying effects or changing frame or time characteristics, Adobe Premiere Pro uses the clip’s original codec for playback. If you make changes that require recalculation of each frame, Adobe Premiere Pro applies the codec that you choose here.

Optimize Stills

Uses still images efficiently in sequences. For example, if a still image has a duration of 2 seconds in a project set to 30 fps, Adobe Premiere Pro creates one 2‑second frame instead of 60 frames at 1/30 of a second each. Deselect this option if sequences exhibit playback problems when displaying still images.

Save and name your project settings even if you plan to use them in only one project. Saving settings creates a backup copy of the settings in case someone accidentally alters the current project settings.

By default Adobe Premiere Pro automatically saves your project every 20 minutes and retains the last five versions of the project file on the hard disk. You can revert to a previously saved version at any time. Archiving many iterations of a project consumes relatively little disk space because project files are much smaller than source video files. It’s usually best to save project files to the same drive as your application. Archived files are saved in the Adobe Premiere Pro Auto‑Save folder.