Premiere Pro CS6 Tutorial - Changing the Default Transition

Illustration of a cross dissolve of blue and purple

grafikazpazurem / Getty Images

Every time you start editing with Premiere Pro CS6, the program has a set default transition. The factory settings for the program use Cross Dissolve as the default transition, which is the most common transition used in video editing. What separates the default transition from other transitions is that you can access it through a right-click shortcut in the timeline. In addition, you can set the duration of the default transition to ensure continuity in your video that you're editing.

01
of 07

Setting the Default Transition

Screenshot of Adobe Premiere tools

The current Default Transition will be highlighted in the menu of the Effects tab. As shown above, this is indicated by a yellow box to the left of the transition. Before you change the default transition, think about which transition you're going to be using the most in your video project.

02
of 07

Setting the Default Transition

Screenshot of Adobe Premiere tools

To set the Default Transition, right-click on it in the Effects tab of the Project panel. Then choose Set Selected as Default Transition. The yellow box should now appear around the transition you chose.

03
of 07

Setting the Default Transition

Screenshot of Adobe Premiere tools

You can also access this function from the drop-down menu in the top-right corner of the Project panel.

04
of 07

Changing the Default Transition Duration

Screenshot of Adobe Premiere tools

You can also change the duration of the Default Transition through the drop-down menu in the Project panel. To do this, choose Set Default Transition Duration, and the Preferences window will appear. Then, change the values at the top of the Preferences window to your desired duration, and click OK.

The default duration is one second, or whatever the equivalent frame amount to your editing timebase.

05
of 07

Apply the Default Transition to a Sequence

Screenshot of Adobe Premiere tools

There are three different ways to apply the Default Transition to your sequence: through the Sequence panel, the Main Menu bar, and by dragging and dropping. First, align the playhead with where you want to apply the transition. Then, right-click between the clips, and select Apply Default Transitions. If you are editing with linked audio and video, the Default Transition will be applied to both.

06
of 07

Apply the Default Transition to a Sequence

Screenshot of Adobe Premiere sequence tools

To apply the Default Transition using the Main Menu bar, select the end location for the transition in the Sequence panel. Then go to Sequence > Apply Video Transition or Sequence > Apply Audio Transition.

07
of 07

Apply the Default Transition to a Sequence

Screenshot of timeline and transition in Premiere

You can also use the drag and drop method to apply a Default Transition. Click on the transition in the Effects tab of the Project panel and drag it to your desired location in the sequence. Which method you choose depends on what you're most comfortable with. That said, right-clicking on the video clips in your sequence is a good habit to adopt for adding Default Transitions as it will make you a more efficient editor.

Was this page helpful?