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Timeline preferences

Last updated on Dec 14, 2023

Learn more about the Timeline preferences in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Screenshot showing the Timeline preferences options within the Preferences panel.
Set the default Timeline preferences for Video Transition Default Duration, Audio Transition Default Duration, Still Image Default Duration, etc.

Adjust the options within the Timeline tab of the Preferences panel.

UI option

Function

Video Transition Default Duration

Type the default duration for video transitions in Frames or Seconds.

Audio Transition Default Duration

Type the default duration for audio transitions in Frames or Seconds.

Still Image Default Duration

Type the default duration for still images in Frames or Seconds.

Timeline Playback Auto-Scrolling

When a sequence is longer than the visible Timeline, you can select from different options to auto-scroll the Timeline during playback.

  • Page Scroll moves the Timeline automatically to a new view after the playhead moves offscreen. Selecting this option ensures that playback is continuous and doesn't stop. 
  • Smooth Scroll keeps the playhead in the middle of the screen, while the clips and time ruler move by.

Timeline Mouse Scrolling

Select Horizontal or Vertical scrolling. By default, mouse scrolling is horizontal for Windows and vertical for macOS. Select Ctrl to switch to vertical scrolling on Windows.

Default Audio Tracks

Defines the type of track in which the clip audio channels are presented when a clip is added to a sequence — Mono Media, Stereo Media, 5.1 Media, or Multichannel Mono Media. Premiere Pro imports and renders each track type in the source format (if you select the Use File option) or converted to another track format (if you select one of the track types other than Use File). The following list describes the compatibility between tracks and clip types:

  • Mono tracks can hold Mono and stereo clips.
  • Stereo tracks can hold Mono and stereo clips.
  • 5.1 tracks can hold only 5.1 clips.
  • Adaptive tracks can hold Mono, stereo, and adaptive (multichannel) clips (but not 5.1).

Mono Media

Specify how to interpret Mono files from the following:

  • Use File imports the file in the same format, Mono.
  • Mono imports the file as Mono when you select Use File as the source file and your preference is Mono.
  • Stereo imports the mono media file as stereo. The mono channel in the file is assigned to one channel in stereo, and the other channel is left silent to interpret the media as stereo.
  • 5.1 imports the mono file as a 5.1 surround clip. The mono channel in the file is mapped to one channel in 5.1 format along with five silent channels to interpret the file as 5.1 surround media.
  • Adaptive imports the file as an N (Max N is 32) channel clip with the first channel as mono.

Stereo Media

Specify how to interpret inherently Stereo files from the following:

  • Use File imports the file as in the source format, in this case, Stereo.
  • Mono imports the file as Mono. The L-R channels in the Stereo are interpreted as two mono channels.
  • Stereo imports the file as Stereo with the channel mapping exactly as the source format. 
  • 5.1 imports the file as a 5.1 surround clip. The file's stereo channels and the four silent channels are interpreted as 5.1 surround media.
  • Adaptive imports the file as an N (Max N is 32) channel clip with the stereo channels as the first 2 channels.

5.1 Media

Specify how to treat 5.1 media files from the following:

  • Use File imports the file in the source format, in this case, as 5.1 channel surround media. 
  • Mono imports the file as Mono, which results in six mono channels.
  • Stereo imports the file as Stereo, mapping the six channels to three stereo pairs.
  • 5.1 imports the file as 5.1 media, with the mapping kept exactly as in the source file. In this case, it works the same as the Use File option. 
  • Adaptive imports the file as an N (Max N is 32) channel clip with the first six channels and the rest of them as silent. 

Multichannel Mono Media

Specify how to interpret files that have N discrete channels from the following:

  • Use File imports the file in the source format, in this case, as multichannel mono media with the same number of channels as in the source.
  • Mono is the same as Use File. That is, all N channels are kept as N mono tracks.
  • Stereo The N mono channels in the source are grouped into (N/2) stereo pairs.
  • 5.1 imports a multichannel mono file as sets of one or more 5.1 tracks by adding extra silent channels (if needed) to complete sets of 5.1 configuration.
  • Adaptive imports the file as an N (Max N is 32) channel clip with the channels mapped to the same number of mono channels in the source media.

Set focus on the Timeline when performing Insert/Overwrite edits

Select this checkbox if you want the Timeline active after you make an edit, not the Source Monitor.

Snap playhead in Timeline when Snap is enabled

Select this checkbox to move the playhead in the Timeline, making the playhead snap or jump to an edit directly. For example, you can align the playhead to a specific marker with snapping enabled.

Toggle snapping on and off by pressing the S key on the keyboard.

At playback end, return to beginning when restarting to playback

Select this checkbox to control what happens when you are at the end of a sequence, and you restart playback. Leave this unchecked to stop at playback end. Check to jump back to the beginning at playback end.

Display out of sync indicators for unlinked clips

Select this checkbox to display out-of-sync audio and video indicators when unlinked and moved out of sync.

Play after rendering previews

Select this checkbox to play the whole project from the beginning after rendering.

Show Clip Mismatch Warning dialog

When you drag a clip into a sequence, Premiere Pro detects if the clip's attributes match the sequence settings.

Select this checkbox to show the Clip Mismatch Warning dialog.

Match frame sets in point

Select this checkbox to open the master clip in the Source Monitor and add a point at the current time indicator (playhead) instead of showing the clip in and out points.

Restore open sequences when opening projects

Select this checkbox to restore open sequences when you open a project.

Reset Fit Clip dialog

A Fit Clip dialog appears when different In and Out points are set in the Source Monitor and Program Monitor. The Fit Clip dialog lets you choose the In and Out points. Select this preference to let Premiere Pro remember your choice and not display the Fit Clip dialog every time.

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