Automation Blocks: Add Handles to Clips in Timeline

[DanielleDaAE]

Hey everyone! 

I’m working on a script using Automation Blocks in Premiere Pro to help with a shot request workflow — basically, I need to add handles (10 frames) to the start and end of multiple clips in a timeline before sending them to a client as a reference QT and XML.

The goal is:

• Loop through all video clips in the active sequence

• Extend the in-point backward and the out-point forward by a set number of frames

• Avoid touching audio clips or clips that are already trimmed to the edge of their media

I tried to using the "Precompose With Handles" script but it can only do one clip at a time and I don't want it to create a Precomp. I tried to delete sections of it to get what I needed but I just broke it. 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Mathias Moehl]

I don't fully understand what you want to achieve. When you extend a clip by 10 frames, what should happen with the clip before and after it? Or do you always have enough empty space around the clips in the timeline?

[Mathias Moehl]

If you just want to render the clips with the handles, you could also customize the Render Clips of Sequence tool. such that it does not use exactly the in- and out-points from the clips of the sequence, but adds the handles to those.

[DanielleDaAE]

Hi Mathias!

Right now, we do not have space before and after the clips. Ideally, the other clips would ripple edit and not override each other in the string-out timeline (which we do manually right now). If ripple edit is not an option, I could see us changing the process and AEs creating space between the clips before they run the script. 
Unfortunately, rendering is not an option. We would want the clips with handles to remain referencing the original media since the client is often using the timecode of the source to locate the finish-able files to deliver to us.

I am attaching a short video that illustrates our process.

I appreciate your insight!

[Mathias Moehl]

I just added a tool to the community library for you:

Clips/Time/Add Handles to All Clips in V1 A1.xml

In the inputs panel choose a handle duration of 10 frames, then run the tool. It will
Shift all clips in V1 and A1 accordingly to get enough space between the clips for the handles and then also add the handles to the clips.
If you look into the implementation you will see that the clip lists are processed backwards. By starting by the last clips, we can savely shift the clips to the right without risking overwriting other clips accidentally.

[DanielleDaAE]

Thank you Mathias this is awesome and will really speed up our workflow!

I did notice one issue with the clips though and was wondering if you have come across this issue before. When we run a clip through this script it seems to behave differently than the same clip not run though AutomationBlocks. Though the AutomationBlock clip matches back to the source file and has the same timecode the dupe detection and through edit functions do not work as expected. (See attached video). Have you seen this happen before with AutomationBlocks?

For this process we can work around it but we were hoping to use Automation blocks for other processes we do that would require the clips to function as expected.

[Mathias Moehl]

Thanks for your feedback and the detailed description. I haven’t come across this specific issue with dupe detection or through edit markers after running an Automation Blocks script, so I can’t say for sure what’s causing it.

My guess is that it’s related to how Premiere Pro handles timeline changes made via scripting. Even if the script only adjusts in/out points and timing, sometimes Premiere might not fully update the internal connections it uses for these features. This isn’t something Automation Blocks can control—it's likely a behavior of Premiere’s scripting engine itself.

If you notice that the markers reappear after reloading the project, clearing caches or manually adjusting a clip, it could be an indication that it’s just an update/refresh issue in Premiere.