TITLES
CREATING & PLACING A TITLE
We want to add a title to the end of our sequence. Two quick steps to take before we get started: Create a Bin in the Project Window for our title [a], and select a spot on the Timeline where we want the title to appear [b]. The Timeline location can be approximate: it's just for purposes of previewing how the title looks as we build it.
Pull down the Title Menu from the main toolbar. Select [NEW TITLE] > [DEFAULT STILL/ROLL/CRAWL] depending on the desired type of title effect. We are going to make a still title, so we've selected that option.
A dialog box opens up. Check the settings so that they match those shown here and then give your new title a name. Once you're done, click [OK].
Now the Titler opens up. Here are a few of the key features to this interface:
[a]: The Selection Tool is used to select and manipulate titles
[b]: The Text Tool is used to type your title
[c]: The Preview Window shows you what your title will look like on screen
[d]: The Title Safe Area shows you how big your titles can be without spilling off some screens.
[e]: The Title Styles menu offers a series of preset "looks" for your titles. We advise you to use these sparingly, if at all!
[b]: The Text Tool is used to type your title
[c]: The Preview Window shows you what your title will look like on screen
[d]: The Title Safe Area shows you how big your titles can be without spilling off some screens.
[e]: The Title Styles menu offers a series of preset "looks" for your titles. We advise you to use these sparingly, if at all!
We activate the Text Tool and type out our title. At this point, the text that appears on screen is mostly defined by Premiere's default settings.
Time to edit our title. Compare this image with the one above. Can you see all the changes we have made?
What exactly did we do? First, using the Selection Tool [a], we dragged the text box to the center. Had we wished to, we had dozens of fonts to choose from, but we are sticking with the Futura Font Family [b]. Of the several versions of Futura, we have chosen the Medium Font Style [c]. We have increased the Font Size [d] from 100 to 200 points. Finally, we have added a Drop Shadow by clicking the shadow button [e] at the bottom of the panel. Notice how the drop shadow makes the text stand out from the background.
Another way to separate text from the background is through the use of color. To change the color of the title, we select the text with the Text Tool and then click on the Fill box.
We can choose from a vast array of colors, but we can also match a color by clicking on the Eyedropper icon next to the box and then sampling a color. We did this with the rose color in the background image.
Once we're done editing our title, we click the red button in the upper left to close the Titler.
The title we just created is now in the Project Panel. All we have to do is drag it to the Title Bin.
Cutting a title into our sequence is much like editing any other clip. First, we place the title into the Source Monitor. We can determine the duration of the title either by choosing a given amount of the title footage in the Source Monitor or by defining a part of the sequence over which we want the title to play in the Timeline.
Because we had a specific space in the Timeline where we wanted the title to play, here's the editing pathway we chose: We set an in-point in the Source Monitor [a]. We then set both in- and out-points on the Timeline [b]. Next, we made sure that the Video Source Track targeted the Video 2 Track in the Timeline [c]. The area where the title will go appears highlighted on the track [d].
Here's how the title looks once it's edited into the Timeline. Note that the title is superimposed ("supered") over the background image because it is on a second video track.
A title can still be edited after it has been place into the Timeline. Just open the title again in the Project Panel and make whatever changes you like. In this case, we have decided that a little more separation is needed, so we have again added a Drop Shadow. Changes made to the title will be reflected in the edited sequence.
Titles don't have to be supered. If we drag our title down to the Video 1 Track, the title now appears against black. We would have achieved the same result by simply cutting the title into the sequence on the Video 1 Track in the first place.
Click here to proceed to the next section of this editing guide.