Adjust position, scale, and rotation
Use the Motion effect to position, scale, or rotate a clip within the video frame. To animate clips, you must set keyframes for Motion properties.
By default, each clip that you add to a Timeline panel has the Motion effect applied as a fixed effect. You can view and adjust the Motion effect properties in the Effect Controls panel by clicking the triangle next to the Motion name. Motion properties can be directly manipulated in the Program Monitor or using the controls in the Effect Controls panel. Motion properties can be controlled with Bezier handles.
By default, a clip appears at 100% of its original size in the center of the Program Monitor. Position, scale, and rotation values are calculated from the clip anchor point, which lies at the clip’s center by default.
Because the Position, Scale, and Rotation
properties are spatial in nature, it’s easiest to adjust them directly
in the Program Monitor. When you click the Transform icon 
next
to the Motion effect in the Effect Controls panel, handles appear
on the clip in the Program Monitor that let you directly manipulate
the clip and adjust the Motion effect properties. Although the clip
anchor point also appears in the Program Monitor, it can be adjusted
only in the Effect Controls panel. However, the Program Monitor
updates any changes to the clip anchor point as you make them.
Standard effects that allow direct manipulation
of clips in the Program Monitor include all the Generate effects,
Corner Pin, Crop, Garbage Matte, Lighting Effects, Mirror, Transform,
Twirl, and more. This capability is indicated by the Transform icon next
to the effect name in the Effect Controls panel.You can adjust the position, scale, and rotation of a clip and Lighting Effects lights by directly manipulating handles in the Program Monitor. You can also adjust the properties using the controls in the Effect Controls panel.
- Select a clip in a Timeline panel, and move the
current-time indicator
to
a location of a frame within the clip. Ensure that the Uniform Scale
checkbox of the Motion effect is deselected. - Do one of the following:
(Lighting Effects only) Apply the Lighting Effects to the clip and then click the Transform icon
next
to Lighting Effects in the Effect Controls panel.(Motion effect only) Click the clip in the Program Monitor or click the Transform icon
next
to Motion in the Effect Controls panel.
The handles and clip anchor point appear in the Program Monitor.
- In the Program Monitor, do any of the following:
To position a clip or lighting effect, click in the clip or effect outline and drag to reposition it. Don’t drag a handle to reposition the clip or lighting effect.
To scale freely, drag a corner handle.
To scale along one dimension only, drag a side (not a corner) handle.
To scale proportionally, Shift-drag a corner handle.
Note: When using the Motion effect to scale a clip, scaling images over 100% can make them look blocky or pixelated.To rotate a clip or effect, position the pointer slightly outside any of the handles, so that the pointer changes into the Rotate icon
and
drag. For the Motion effect, you can also drag in a circular motion
until the clip rotates the number of times you want to create multiple
rotations.To update only the wireframe outline of the frame, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) any handle. This may give faster results for clips with large dimensions or for slow systems.
To animate the motion, scaling, or rotation
over time, set keyframes as you manipulate the clip or effect in
the Program Monitor.Details of scaling in Premiere Pro CS5 and later, plus some other information about CUDA processing.
Andrew Devis shows panning, zooming, and using the Corner Pin effect in this video tutorial.
Franklin McMahon provides a video tutorial on the Layers Magazine website that shows how to use the Motion effect to move, scale, and animate clips.
Scale assets
When you drag an asset into a sequence, by default Premiere Pro preserves its frame size and centers the asset in the program frame. Alternatively, you can automatically scale imported assets to the project’s default frame size. You can rescale the asset without distortion if its pixel aspect ratio has been interpreted correctly.
Scale assets manually
- Drag the asset into a sequence and select the asset.
- Open the Effect Controls panel.
- Click on the arrow
next
to the Motion effect to reveal the motion controls. - Click on the arrow next to the Scale control within the Motion effect to reveal the Scale slider.
- Move the Scale slider left or right to decrease or increase the size of the frame.
Animate motion in the Program Monitor
You can create animations, insets, and split screens by manipulating a clip directly in the Program Monitor and setting keyframes for the Motion effect. By adjusting a clip’s position and scale in the Program Monitor, you reveal clips in the tracks below it and can create interesting compositions.
When you animate a clip’s position, the clip’s motion is represented by a motion path in the Program Monitor. Small white Xs represent keyframed positions, dotted lines represent positions at interpolated frames, and the circular clip anchor point symbol represents a spot in the clip, its center by default, at the current frame. The spacing between dots indicates the speed between keyframes: wide spacing shows fast motion, while tightly spaced dots show slower motion.
For more information about adding motion to clips in Premiere Pro, see this video by Learn by Video and Video2Brain by Jan Ozer.
To quickly apply Motion effect changes to a sequence
clip, you can click the image in the Program Monitor and begin manipulation
(without first clicking the Transform icon next to the Motion effect
in the Effect Controls panel). If you adjust the position of the
image, you can further refine its movement by using the Bezier keyframes.Animate a clip in the Program Monitor
When the Motion effect is selected in the Effect Controls panel, you can manipulate a clip in the Program Monitor. Create an animation by setting keyframes for one or more of the Motion effect’s properties (for example, Position).
- Do one of the following:
Select the Motion effect in the Effect Controls panel.
Click the image in the Program Monitor.
Click the Transform icon
next
to Motion in the Effect Controls panel.
Handles appear around the clip’s perimeter in the Program Monitor.
Note: If you don’t see the clip handles, change the Zoom Level in the Program Monitor to a smaller percentage so that the gray work area around the video frame appears. - In the Effect Controls panel, expand the Motion effect
and click the Toggle Animation button
next
to each property you want to define at that point in time. A Keyframe
icon appears at the current-time indicator for that property. - In the Program Monitor, change the keyframe value by
positioning the pointer near any of the clip’s eight square handles
to use any of the following pointer tools:
The selection pointer
to
set the position value.The rotate pointer
to
set the rotation value.The scale pointer
to
set the scale value.Note: If clip handles disappear, reselect the Motion effect in the Effect Controls panel.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 as needed. When you animate a clip, it can be useful
to reduce the Program Monitor’s magnification level. This way, you
can see more of the pasteboard area outside the visible area of
the screen and can use it to position the clip off screen.
Change Position keyframes in a motion path
You can change the value of a Position keyframe, and thereby adjust your motion path, simply by dragging the Position keyframe (indicated by a white X) in the Program Monitor.
- Select a clip that has Motion effect keyframes.
- In the Effect Controls panel, click the Transform icon next
to Motion. The clip’s motion path appears in the Program Monitor.
- Do any of the following:
To move an existing keyframe, drag the keyframe handle in the Program Monitor.
To create a new position keyframe, set the current-time indicator between existing keyframes and drag the clip in the Program Monitor to the desired location. A new keyframe appears in the Effect Controls panel, the Program Monitor, and in the clip in the Timeline panel.
Note: This procedure changes the position value at a keyframe. To change the timing of keyframes, move Keyframe icons in the Effect Controls panel.
Adjust or animate clip anchor points
By default, a clip anchor point is set at the exact center of a clip. You can change the position of a clip in relation to its frame or motion path, however, by moving the clip anchor point. Further, you can change the location of the clip anchor point over time, allowing the clip to move in relation to its frame or motion path. Animating the clip anchor point can be used, for example, to create an image-panning effect.
- Click on the clip in the Program Monitor.
The clip anchor point becomes visible at the center of the clip.
The clip anchor point in the Program Monitor - Click the Add/Remove Keyframe button
to
set the keyframe.
