Create a streamlined and personalized workspace in Premiere Pro by learning to customize panels and metadata displays according to your specific needs. This article guides you through crafting a tailored environment that enhances your editing experience.
Key Insights
- Learn how to create a custom workspace in Premiere Pro by rearranging and resizing essential panels, such as the source, program, and project panels, to suit basic editing tasks, and save it as a new customizable workspace for future projects.
- Understand the significance of metadata in managing media files by customizing the metadata display in Premiere Pro, enabling organization and retrieval of file information using metadata editing programs like Adobe Bridge.
- Enhance your workflow by saving project templates that include custom metadata displays and organized bin structures, allowing for quicker setup and consistency across multiple projects.
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Custom workspaces can make everyday editing faster and less cluttered. Premiere Pro includes several default workspaces, but they often contain more panels than you need for basic editing. Creating a workspace that matches your workflow helps you focus on the tools you actually use.
This process starts with a simple, disposable project. The project exists only to set up and save your workspace, so you can save it anywhere convenient and delete it later.
Create a New Project for Workspace Setup
From the Premiere Pro welcome screen, create a new project. You can also go to File > New Project or use the keyboard shortcut. Name the project something obvious such as Workspace, and save it somewhere easy to find. Turn on Skip Import Mode so the project opens as an empty workspace with no media.
Once the project opens, switch to the Editing workspace and reset it to the default layout so you have a clean starting point.
Decide What You Actually Need for Basic Editing
The goal is to build a workspace for basic editing tasks. Start by identifying your essentials. Many editors want the Source Monitor, Program Monitor, Timeline, and VU meters for audio levels. You may also rely on panels like Effect Controls and Effects.
From there, remove anything that is not needed for moment-to-moment editing. Panels can always be reopened later, so you are not permanently removing anything.
Close Panels You Do Not Need
To simplify the layout, close panels that are not necessary for basic editing. Common examples include:
- Audio Clip Mixer, since many adjustments can be made in the Properties panel or directly in the timeline
- Metadata, which is useful for file information but not required for basic editing
- Media Browser, especially if your files are already organized and imported another way
- Graphic Templates, helpful for titles but not essential for basic cuts
- Adobe Stock and Libraries, which can be useful tools but are not critical during basic editing
- Info, since much of that information appears when you hover over clips
- Markers and History, which can be helpful but are not required for this streamlined setup
Keep panels you use constantly such as Effects, and reposition them so they are easier to access.
Rearrange Panels for a More Efficient Layout
Panels can be moved by dragging them into a drop zone. Dropping into the center creates a tab group. Dropping to the left or right creates a new column. Dropping to the top or bottom creates a new row.
For example, if you want a larger Project panel without sacrificing space, you can dock the Project panel as a tab group with the Program Monitor. This keeps your media and sequences easy to access while preserving a clean layout.
You can also move the Effects panel into the same area as the Source Monitor and Effect Controls if that fits your workflow.
Resize Tools and Audio Meters
Once panels are in the right locations, resize them. Narrow the Tools panel if it is taking up too much horizontal space. Reduce the width of the VU meters so you can create a longer timeline area.
The goal of the VU meters is quick readability. Green is safe, yellow signals you are approaching the limit, and red indicates audio that is too loud. You want to spot problems quickly without needing to read the numbers.
Position the Properties Panel
Many editors like the Properties panel near the timeline so it is easy to access while making edits. A common approach is to place it to the left of the timeline and keep it fairly small. Adjust its height and width so it stays visible without taking up too much space.
At the same time, adjust the Source and Program monitors so they are similar in size. Some editors prefer a larger Program monitor, but a balanced layout often works well for everyday editing.
Save the Workspace As a New Workspace
At this point, you have modified the default Editing workspace. If you reset the workspace, it will return to its original layout. To preserve your custom layout, save it as a new workspace.
Before saving, click inside the panel you want to be active by default such as the Source Monitor. Then go to Window > Workspaces > Save as New Workspace.
Name the workspace something clear. A useful convention is to start the name with My such as My Editing. The workspace list does not clearly separate default workspaces from custom ones, so naming yours distinctly helps you recognize it later.
After saving, you will see your workspace in the alphabetical workspace list.
Resetting Back to the Default Editing Workspace
Saving a new workspace does not automatically restore the original default Editing layout. If you want to return to the default, go back to Window > Workspaces > Editing and choose Reset to Saved Layout.
You will now have both the default Editing workspace and your custom workspace available.
Customizing the Metadata Display
After setting up a workspace, you can also customize how metadata appears in the Project panel. Metadata includes information such as filename, frame rate, media start and end, and transcription status. This can be extremely useful for sorting and managing assets, especially in larger projects.
To build a custom metadata view, import any file into the project. Then scroll the Project panel to view available metadata columns.
Right click a column header and choose Metadata Display. This opens a dialog box where you can choose which metadata fields are visible.
Choose Only the Metadata You Need
In the Premiere Pro Project Metadata section, disable fields you do not need. For example, you may not need frame rate if you can already view it when hovering over a clip. Media start, media end, and media duration may also be unnecessary for everyday work.
You can keep fields that are useful for editing such as:
- Video In, Video Out, and Duration
- Subclip Start, if you use subclips
- Transcription Status, if transcription features matter to your workflow
Some fields may be outdated depending on your workflow such as Tape Name, which is a holdover from tape-based production.
You may also choose to turn off fields that are not relevant, including the Content Credentials option.
Add Useful Generic Metadata Fields
Premiere Pro also supports generic metadata fields that can be shared across applications. In the metadata display dialog, expand Dublin Core and e