Change clip speed and duration

Learn to change the speed of the clip using Time Stretch and Time Remapping in Premiere Elements.

To create a fast or slow motion effect, change the clip speed. Changing clip speed changes the clip’s duration. Speeding up a clip removes frames, thus shortening the clip duration. In the same way, slowing down a clip repeats frames and, therefore, adds to the length of a clip. For audio clips, a change in speed also changes pitch. The Time Stretch command includes an option to maintain the original pitch of an audio clip at any speed.

You can change a clip’s speed using the Advanced view timeline only. Not the Sceneline.

Change a clip’s speed by using Time Stretch

Premiere Elements now has improved Time Stretch, which can be used to change the speed of a clip or duration; it also has a button to link/unlink speed and duration.

Speed: This setting controls how fast or slow a clip plays back. It is expressed in percent. 100% Speed means the clip plays at its original, real-time speed. Less than 100% will slow down the clip, creating a slow-motion effect and increasing the clip's duration. Greater than 100% will speed up the clip, creating a fast-motion effect and decreasing the clip's duration.

Duration: The total length of a clip after you've adjusted its speed. You can change the speed of a clip by speeding it up or slowing it down.

Linked (Chain Icon): When Speed and Duration are linked, any change you make to the clip's speed will automatically adjust its duration. For example, if you reduce the speed of a clip (making it slower), its duration will increase accordingly, and if you increase the speed (making it faster), its duration will decrease.

Unlinked (Broken Chain Icon): When Speed and Duration are unlinked, you can change the speed of the clip without affecting its duration, or you can change the duration without altering the speed. 

Reverse Speed: Select this checkbox to play a clip backward. The clip will run from its end to its beginning, effectively reversing the action.

Maintain Audio Pitch: You can maintain the audio pitch by ticking the Maintain Audio Pitch function. The changes you make to the parameters are applied to the clip dynamically. You can revert to the original state by clicking the Reset icon in the top bar. You can close the panel using a cross at the top left. To close it, we will also have a Save and Exit panel. Please account for that in the panel.

Time stretch can be used by selecting a clip, right-clicking, selecting Time Stretch from the context menu, or selecting a clip and then selecting Tools > Time Stretch. 

Change the speed and duration of multiple clips

You can change the speed and duration of multiple clips when you are in the Advanced view.

Use Time Remapping

You can vary the speed of the video portion of a clip. Use Time Remapping to create slow-motion and fast-motion effects within a single clip in both Advanced and Quick view.

Time Remapping is available in the tools section. Import and select a clip, then select Tools > Time Remapping to open the Time Remapping panel.

Time remapping can be applied only to video clips, images, or time-stretched clips. . For audio-only clips, you can change speed and duration as well. The Time Remapping panel has the given adjustments:

Range: By marking the section, we can select the range of the clip we want to use for time remapping.

Range Speed: The speed input field or the speed scroll bar can change the speed of a section. The clip duration can also be changed, and the speed will automatically change according to the duration entered.

Ramp: The Ramp function smooths out a clip's speed. You can adjust the time you want to smooth it using the text field or the slider.

Maintain Audio Pitch: You can maintain the audio pitch by ticking the Maintain Audio Pitch function. The changes you make to the parameters are applied to the clip dynamically. You can revert to the original state by clicking the Reset icon in the top bar. You can close the panel using a cross at the top left. To close it, we will also have a Save and Exit panel. 

Set Clip Duration using Time Remapping

You can set the clip's duration using the Time Remapping tool by entering or adjusting the time in the Clip Duration field under the Time Remapping panel. You can edit the blue colored time duration as per your requirement.

Premiere Elements offers a guided edit for creating a slow or fast motion effect. Use this time remapping guided edit to add dramatic effects to your video. For more information see, Time remapping Guided Edit.

Set the duration of a clip using Time Stretch

The duration of a video or audio clip is the length of time it plays from its first frame (In point) to its last frame (Out point). The initial duration of a clip is the same as it was when the clip was imported or captured. Most often, you change a clip’s duration by trimming frames from either end. But you can also trim the end of a clip by designating a specific duration.

Unlike video, still images are not limited to the length of the original clip. You can set their duration to any length.

Reverse the playback of a clip

Reversing a clip plays the clip backward, Out point to In point. You can also reverse the clip and change its speed. You can reverse a clip using Time Stretch in the Advanced view timeline.