Bring back the old default track height

[Nick28640325s54q]

The recent Premiere Pro update has made it so that audio and video tracks are now twice as large as they used to be - like it's FCPX or something. For those of us that consistently use as many as 10 or more layers on a timeline, this is a nightmare; as I can shrink the tracks, sure, but they're either too small or too big. I've been using this program for over 10 years now, my workspaces and editing style is built around the old standard track height and having to manually adjust each new layer as it gets created is costing me too much time.

[R Neil Haugen]

Understood ... for now, create track height presets you can simply invoke with a keyboard shortcut.

[Jeff Drake]

There are probably many different opinions out there about the ideal default track height. I always thought the default track height was too small. But what drives me nuts is the phenomenon that you describe. Having to adjust the track height every time a new layer is added is a waste of time. Even if you use Track Height presets, every new track added has to be adjusted or you have to reload the preset.

Adobe Developers, why can't new tracks be created at the same size as the other tracks in the preset?

[michael_audio_team]

How to create custom track height presets:

1. Adjust the track(s) height(s).
2. Open the Timeline Display Settings (the wrench), then select Save Preset…
3. Name the preset
4. Assign a keyboard shortcut from the drop-down menu and hit OK.
   5. Now you can toggle the track heights with the keyboard shortcut as needed.

[michael powell]

I cannot agree more with the original poster.  Things like this need to be left alone and if they get changed, just give us an option to easily change them or go back to legacy settings in the preferences.  I hate that I have to waste time trying to figure out and find work arounds to adjustments that nobody is asking for.  I understand you all want to try new things to see what works but this is definitely not one that works for a lot of people.  Again, just give us an option to switch back to default settings instead of having to manally adjust things or create track presets that aren't even that intuitive.

[michael powell]

Or you could just give us a setting in preferences that allows us to switch it back to the way it was before.  I don't want to create unintuitive presets that don't completely fix the problem.

[Dejan11]

My problem with this new default is that if i quickly click around like i always do i have a big chance of click and dragging the audio gain in the track... If its 1 tick smaller its just a block without an audio gain line. On top of that im very accurate with my mouse so i rather have smaller tracks by default to save space. 

Adobe has magic AI extend picture features... but it doesnt have a default track height setting.... 😒

[luvmykidz74]

I don't understand why the track height would be changed without giving us a way to change it back by default. We now have a new default that practically nobody asked for, and it's not remotely intuitive for a beginner or even a modestly experienced or trained user to deal with this. I couldn't figure it out in the program, and when I come to the forums I have to search for "track height" just to find the option wasn't even created in the first place to change back a default that's been there for at least a decade. I wouldn't even know there's a way to add a shortcut to create a new preset to then make the needed adjustments without this thread. I love this program and it's a key component in a very rewarding hobby, but these out-of-nowhere fundamental changes with no contingency planning (or way to opt-out) don't help everyone. The sudden color change across the board was also disconcerting, and came at the same time, and I don't have the time or patience to try and change everything back. Not every change is progress. Not every surprise is good. And changes that require a workaround to revert is often not ideal.

[R Neil Haugen]

Much of your posty I agree with. But also, I find it odd that someone working professionally for a decade doesn't have presets for track heights for various jobs. When doing audio, you want tall audio tracks.

For doing trim work, probably you want small audio tracks. There's a lot of things where changing track heights makes for easier/faster working processes. So learning them could actually boost your speed.

Like learning the various trim modes does ... yea, it's a pain to try it out for a few minutes. But then you get a lot faster. Easier too.

[Claire35970877atqo]

Can you advise how to do that please?

[R Neil Haugen]

The Adobe documentation ... which always needs significant updates and improvements ... actually does cover setting track height presets.

As does quite a number of the better online helpers ... Jarle Leirpoll's premierepro.net has something on it as I recall, Paul Murphy's awesome ThePremierePro YouTube channel has this, as does Colin Smith's VideoRevealed channel.

I think PremiereGal also covers this.

[CLAddison]

I couldn't agree more! This change is so annoying and I should't have to create a preset that I have to constantly apply. Adobe, if you're going to make a fundamental change, please provide the option to set a default.

[R Neil Haugen]

Neither thee nor me was thilled with the recent changes. And I'm always asking for more user choices.

Those said, apparently quite a large majority of the several million daily users either don't mind the changes, or in many cases, love them.

Which is something I always work to remember ... everyone's mileage always varies. I've got friends that love Resolve's UI, which I also work in daily. I ... don't. Not. Hardly.

NO accounting for taste, I suppose.

But yes, a basic 'default' choice would be good. Although many of the editors I know have around 6 track presets depending on what they're doing. They simply don't understand anyone reluctant to use track presets. 

[fredrik78847280]

@luvmykidz74going back to classic label/track color preset/scheme - preferences>labels> drop down menu down rigth select 'classic'  ... might help a little. Did for me.

[Fortunato001]

Creating track presets to gain back a default setting goes against UX 101.

Invoking a track height preset every time you add tracks to a sequence wastes time. It starts adding up. We are visually organizing layers upon layers, so why change that visual organization without asking the user?

In this case, at least make the preset dictate the track height when adding new tracks for the duration of the session - until a new preset is used or it's manually changed by ALT/OPTION scrolling.

[Jeff Drake]

This is exactly what I was saying @Fortunato001 only you said it better!

[Emerrow]

I wanted to chime in, upvote this thread, and give it some more activity. I too have been annoyed at the new default track height of the video and audio. I also understand that cmd+"+ or -" adjusts video height and opt+"+ or -" adjusts audio height. Setting a new default to change things to the way it has always been until this point just wastes time and I don't appreciate needing to do that. It seems like every time a new version of premiere is released, I end up here on the community page trying to debug the program and get it to work how adobe has taught me to understand the interface. It's very tiresome

[fredrik78847280]

I stated a request for workspaces with combined bin- and timeline view presets. 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-ideas/question-for-combined-workspace-timeline-view-bin-...

@Emerrow like you wrote every now and then I come here to the same threads and look for answers if the latest updates also brought more costumization options. But for most times I have to learn around new features.

I also like new features, but I miss an approach in preferences where I could decide how I integrate new features into existing workflows. Maybe I am wrong here, but professional editing for me also means being less busy with the editing software itself and spending my time efficiently on creating projects.

[Emerrow]

@fredrik78847280 - "professional editing for me also means being less busy with the editing software itself and spending my time efficiently on creating projects" 

Holy moly you hit the nail on the head!! This is EXACTLY how I feel. I'm also with you on enjoying new features (love the addition of the visual audio fades on nose and tails of clips in this last update) but only when they make sense. Example being when Premiere decided to shift to the different import/edit/export panels and hide workspaces in a menu that made you have to click more in order to change formats. In my opinion, that was incredibly cumbersome for my workflow and I absolutely have not utilized those import/edit/export tabs on purpose - but thats because the developers let me keep my workflow for the most part. I just want to end this post by quoting fredrik again.... I hope the developers who actually have a say in feature implementation see these threads

"professional editing for me also means being less busy with the editing software itself and spending my time efficiently on creating projects" 

[wht-service]

This is really frustrating. Please, Adobe developers, address this issue and provide us with a solution. Why isn't there a setting that allows us to preset the track heights? This really makes the user experience irritating.

[csscms]

Have created a track height preset and set a shortcut but I have to hit this shortcut EVERY TIME A NEW TRACK IS CREATED OR A CLIP IS ADDED.

For the love of God, how do we set a default so we don't have to fight the program all day, every day? Or am I missing something basic here?

Any help much appreciated.

[Nero33288230lkp5]

this a video on how to creat keyboard prest untill thy fix this: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVyJmSFF-9Y

[Jonas5ED1]

Chiming in way after the fact, but Premiere 2025 has a "Minimize All Tracks" function that is keyboard-mappable.  Still doesn't address the pain points alluded to in this thread, but it does get all V and A tracks to their slimmest with one click.  (I still wish that the increase/decrease track height function worked on selected tracks – as Media Composer's does – and not all of them, so I wouldn't have to manually shrink back down a track I didn't want increased)

[fredrik78847280]

@Jonas5ED1 this video is a good collection of different ways of manual track height adjustment. I use opt.+scroll most of the time. But it's worth experimenting with all the double-click options (with opt and/ or command and/or shift) in the track selction area.

https://youtu.be/36OBQEvltQ0

[Jonas5ED1]

Thanks, didn't know you can double click on one track to change its height.  Still would prefer a keyboard shortcut option, but lots of options.

[luvmykidz74]

Just saw Neil's response, so providing answers for him. My frustration isn't with him, but with Adobe, to be clear. 🙂

I don't have presets for track heights, because I never need them. I'm not a professional video producer. What I do is a hobby, and I don't need nor want tall audio tracks, or multiple presets. I don't think there's anything odd about it. I work in limited space and the layout I use is optimized for my workflow. If I wanted tall audio tracks in the first place, I'd use them.

Keep in mind that I'm not against adding features or other people using tall audio tracks, presets, whatever. The issue is that Adobe keeps changing things that make it inconvenient for significant chunks of their consumer base.

"We're adding new features and making you use them by default. No we're not going to make it intuitive for you to go back. Isn't this awesome?!"

"Hey guess, what? We're taking away this entire panel, and now you have to find how to do this elsewhere in our program. Have fun!"

"Oh man, you're going to love this new workflow you never asked for! Get this: The button you've been pressing for years? Gone! And all it's siblings, too. We've replaced it with another set of buttons you can't access the same way. You're welcome!"