Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0

Create a universal counting leader

A universal counting leader is the countdown graphic that appears at the beginning of some films. The counting leader helps a projectionist verify that audio and video are working properly and are synchronized. You can customize the color, appearance, and audio settings of the counting leaders you create in Adobe Premiere Elements. The leader is 11 seconds long.

View full size graphic
Example frames from a counting leader

  1. In the Tasks panel, click Edit, click the Media button , and then click Project.
  2. Click the New Item button , and choose Universal Counting Leader.
  3. Specify the following options as needed (click the box next to the color options to choose a color), and click OK.
    Wipe Color
    Specifies a color that gets wiped around the number.

    Background Color
    Specifies a color for the area behind the wipe color.

    Line Color
    Specifies a color for the horizontal and vertical lines.

    Target Color
    Specifies a color for the double circles around the numeral.

    Numeral Color
    Specifies a color for the countdown numeral.

    Cue Blip On Out
    Displays a small cue circle in the last frame of the leader.

    Cue Blip On 2
    Plays a beep at the 2‑second mark.

    Cue Blip At All Second Starts
    Plays a beep at each second in the leader’s progression.
    Change counting leader options by double‑clicking the counting leader in the Media view or the Timeline.

Adobe Premiere Elements will place a Universal Counting Leader clip into Project view. If the current-time indicator is located over an empty area in the Timeline or Sceneline, it will also place the Universal Counting Leader at the location of the current-time indicator. If the current-time indicator is located above a clip, it will place the Universal Counting Leader after that clip.