Participating Frequently

Answered

How to expand tools panel??

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
May 15, 2017
12 replies
13607 views

I recently upgraded to Premiere Pro CC2017, and I'm growing increasingly frustrated by the condensed tools panel with the missing/hidden buttons.

I want to expand the tools panel so that I don't have to use keyboard shortcuts or click and hold to switch tools. I noticed that a lynda course instructor was using the CC2017 version with an expanded tool bar:

Please help! I can't find this anywhere in the preferences or panel settings!

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer kulpreet singh

Hi BHiser,

I want to expand the tools panel so that I don't have to use keyboard shortcuts or click and hold to switch tools.

I am sorry but you cannot expand the tools panel. (This is how it has been designed.)

The Latest (and Greatest!) for Premiere Pro CC and Media Encoder | Creative Cloud blog by Adobe

I noticed that a lynda course instructor was using the CC2017 version with an expanded tool bar:

The tools panel has been redesigned in the latest version of CC2017. I am sure that you are following a tutorial from a previous version of CC2017.

Please share your valuable feedback here.

Thanks,

Kulpreet Singh

D

DOTT TECH5CD1

Participant

Sir how can I select the hidden tools in pr cc2017

MyerPj

Community Expert

Like Photoshop, click and hold for a second or two. The ones with a little triangle on the right-bottom of the buttons have other options underneath, so do the above.

MyerPj

Community Expert

I added a User Voice item regards the Tools Panel, you can up-vote it here:

https://adobe-video.uservoice.com/forums/911233-premiere-pro/suggestions/39186631-tools-panel-dock-onto-workspaces-home-panel

S

Sam016235468

Known Participant

Idiotic changes like these have firmed my Resolve to move to another program for editing. Davinci didn't have to worry about some idiot coming in and rearranging or hiding his tool from him like this.There are better programs with better prices that don't rely on the subscription scam.

G

goodfitstudio

Participant

I was having the same issue and found a bit of a workaround. I wanted to create a custom toolbar like you can for Illustrator and found this.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/tools.html

I basically ungrouped all the tools I no longer wanted grouping and they are now basically a 'custom' toolset. Hope this helps!

D

decker1222

Inspiring

I absolutely hate this change and I'd love to hear Adobe's reason for making the change and "compressing" all the icons into a few icons. Any way you rearrange the Tools Panel there's more than enough room to stuff all the icons in that panel.

I use keyboard shortcuts as well, but I despise that Adobe is once again just messing around with stuff simply to I guess, make it look like their 2017 version is "different" than the previous versions.

What is the reason for the change, Adobe?

R Neil Haugen

Legend

Doubtful any "Adobe" will be on here to answer, this is primarily a user-to-user board with overview from Product Support staff (who are not in the same chain as product development).

That said, some months back the product team did note this change as part of I guess cleaning up and simplifying the visual appearance of the program. In some statement or other. Maybe a roll-out statement for NAB or something.

Some like it, some are irritated. Didn't seem a huge thing that needed work, though ...

Neil

Everyone's mileage always varies ...

tomatosoup75

Known Participant

Here's a feature request I made recently, and it would help solve this frustration as well as give more efficient use of screen space. I don't use the tools panel but if I could do this then I would leave it open regardless because sometimes I forget the key I've set for less-used tools like rate stretch. If anyone else agrees please request it!

Allow us to put the tools panel next to the workspaces, where there is also more than enough room to fully expand the main tools:

And even better, give us more screen space, by moving the whole thing down to that bar right below the timeline which sits empty all day:

B

Bite the Hand Productions

Participating Frequently

yes i think more options to customize or make use of wasted space would be ideal. there should be some kind of button system that you could program your favored buttons at least.

Nexahs1138

Inspiring

Ehhh most video editors don't even use a mouse,

This is my layout

jstrawn

Community Manager

New Tools were added to PrPro 2017.1, specifically:

Type
Vertical Type
Rectangle
Ellipse
Pen (as a free shape tool, though it was already there as a keyframe tool for the timeline, which still works)

Keeping all the tools inline would have made it too long too see everything in most views. Making it two columns wide would have used up UI real estate that you may want to use for other panels like the Program Monitor or Effect Controls. So we borrowed from Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator and other apps, and grouped similar tools into wells. Please note that your assigned shortcuts will still summon tools which are not at the top of their wells.

B

Bite the Hand Productions

Participating Frequently

jstrawn,

thank you for your reply. permit me to be blunt. Premiere is a video editing program. It is not a photo retouching tool. I think it is unwise to bury functions behind a "well" because photo retouching programs do the same.

Why? Video editors perform thousands of operations every day usually in an effort to meet a deadline. Don't make us click or search needlessly for critical tools.

I have been a professional editor for over 25 years. In that time I have used and mastered Avid, dabbled with Final Cut and I have used Premiere solidly for seven years.

In my opinion, while Premiere is excellent in a number of regards, the interface lags behind. Of the tools presented in the timeline tools palette, the rolling edit is the one I use the most. Aside from rolling edit, selection and razor, the rest of the tools seem illogical and useless. Because I favor the rolling edit you can see why it is annoying that it is buried behind a tool I never use.

I really wish Premiere's user interface was up to par with Avid, I really do. I wish the Trim mode made sense so that I could rely on it for thousands of trims. Unfortunately I almost never use it. Same goes with any semblance of a slip tool. Your timeline editing tools are sorely lacking and you would be wise to let go of your photoshop analogies and look at a system that has mastered those tools and incorporate some of that logic into premiere.

jstrawn

Community Manager

bitethehand wrote
thank you for your reply. permit me to be blunt. Premiere is a video editing program. It is not a photo retouching tool. I think it is unwise to bury functions behind a "well" because photo retouching programs do the same.
Why? Video editors perform thousands of operations every day usually in an effort to meet a deadline. Don't make us click or search needlessly for critical tools.

After Effects and Audition both have tool wells too, but bluntness is fine and your point is taken.

So the best thing to do is to make sure that your request gets submitted. Thanks in advance for your feedback there.

For now, Hotkeys and Key Combos should save you clicks, which you can customize as needed in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog. For example, you can press N and Rolling Edit will come to the top and stay there until you switch to a different tool or close the project/app.