Start a new project

Learn more about the starting point for creating a new project in Premiere Pro.

What is a Premiere Pro project file?

A project file (.pproj) stores information about sequences and assets, such as settings for capture, transitions, and audio mixing. As you work, the project file records your edits. Edits are applied non-destructively, meaning that Premiere Pro does not alter the source files. When you export, Premiere Pro encodes a new file incorporating all your edits.

What does a project folder contain?

Premiere Pro creates a folder on your hard disk at the start of each project. By default, this is where it stores the project file, a record of all the media you have added to the project, and any preview files or conformed audio files you create during the edit.

What is a project panel?

In Edit mode, the Project panel displays all the media used in the project and the sequences you have created. You can organize that media and sequences using bins in the Project panel.

What is a sequence?

A sequence is an assembly of video clips and other media that you can edit on the timeline. Premiere Pro saves a file for your sequence in the Project panel and updates that file as you make changes.

A project may contain multiple sequences, and each sequence can have its own settings. Within a single project, you can edit individual segments as separate sequences and then combine the segments into a finished program by nesting them into a longer sequence. Similarly, you can store variations of your edit, as separate sequences in the same project.

You can have multiple sequences open in the Timeline panel. Move between them by clicking on the tab for each sequence at the top of the Timeline panel.

Get your sequence started fast with new sequence presets for HD, UHD, HDR, and social media projects. Sequence presets have also been reorganized and streamlined to put the most used selections at your fingertips.  

To view the new presets, navigate to File > New Sequence or select the New Item > New Sequence button on the Project panel. You'll now find a simplified list of presets, including: 

• HD 1080p
• Social for 4x5, 9x16, and 1x1 timelines
• UHD (HDR) for 2160p timelines with an HDR color space
• UHD (4K) for 2160p timelines with an SDR color space 
• Legacy for all previously included presets

While these presets are meant to help you get started quickly, you can edit, delete, or create new presets to streamline your own workflow.  

How to name a file?

Here are some general file-naming best practices:

• Avoid using special characters such as : ; / \ , . { } [ ] ( ) * ? < > |! $., which certain creative tools, file formats, and operating systems don't support.
• Don't make overly lengthy file names. Some operating systems have a character limit of 255.
• Describe dates and times in the following order: year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. This is especially crucial when dealing with colleagues from other countries because standard date formats don't apply everywhere.
• Try maintaining a constant sort order by incorporating leading zeros in clip numbers. For instance, "05" instead of "5".
• Don't use the word "final" when versioning an export to deliver to another department.
• Maintain your sequences or timelines' version numbers in sync with the exports. If the timeline says "v5", the export must also say "v5". If they don't match, it will be challenging to cross-reference input on a given cut with the proper modification.