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Inspiring
October 8, 2025
Open for Voting

Feature request: Playback with automatic pre-roll

  • October 8, 2025
  • 5 replies
  • 362 views

Would it be possilbe to create a setting (that can be toggled on & off) so that playback on the timeline automatically will automatically include pre-roll time - so that when you hit play, the timeline indicator automatically jumps back by a pre-determined pre-roll time, allowing you to review the moment where the playhead was parked on the timeline?  This is different to the "play around" command, as I'd like to review my edit point & keep going, rather than loop playback around a small section

I'm always jumping my timeline back in time to do this when I'm reviewing an edit before playing on, so automating  this would be very useful for my workflow

5 replies

Stan Jones
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 12, 2025

I like Step Back!

Stan Jones
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 12, 2025

@Andrew C. Brinsmead,

 

Upvoted. I agree this is a useful addition.

 

Note the help page on this:

See "Play with preroll and postroll" on this page:

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/playing-assets.html

 

I first thought "play around" (Shft+K) was pretty close. I set a longer postroll so it would keep going long enough for me to stop and restart in regular/continuous playback until I got to the next point where I wanted to review again. But when you use play around, the space bar stops and sets the playhead to the original point (before the preroll).

 

In the end, as a workaround, I like Shft+Space, which plays in/out with pre/postroll, but requires you to set at least an in point. But my currently workaround is setting in/out and clearing with Ctl+Shft+X. So setting in (only) gets the preroll, and is not much different than a toggle. And with no specific outpoint set, it will play until I stop again with the space bar. And I don't need to clear the inpoint if I continue to review; just set a new in point.

 

Stan

 

Mike Dziennik
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 12, 2025

Sounds like you want to use the 'Step back' function. Adjust the number of frames to jump in the preferences and then but the default keyboard shortcut of Shift+Left.

 

Inspiring
October 11, 2025

Thanks, but this isn't about trimming (I'm very comfortable using multiple methods as required to trim edits); this is about a general review of a section after I've edited a point in a timeline.  I always have to manually move my cursor (by about 5 - 10 seconds) to a point prior to the current part of the sequence that I've edited so that I can review the section in context as I play on to continue reviewing my seqeunce.

Mike Dziennik
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 11, 2025

How are you trimming? Are you dragging clip handles or are you entering Trim mode? If you edit in Trim mode then your preroll settings will jump back the predetermined duration.