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Participating Frequently
July 12, 2010
Answered

Can I apply a video effect to a track?

  • July 12, 2010
  • 5 replies
  • 46829 views

I just came over from Sony Vegas Pro 9 (which kicks —, but has bad native support for DSLR files).

In Vegas you can apply effects to video in three ways:

1. A whole clip in the project media bin (automatically applying such effects to all timeline events using this clip).

2. Individual timeline events.

3. Entire video tracks (automatically applying such effects to every clip on the track).

Is this possible in Premiere CS5? I find it hard to believe that it's not possible since it is such a useful thing to do. For example, what if you have a bunch of footage that you want to look grainy but you don't want to apply the same effect to every timeline event from the clips because it is time consuming and creates many sources of change if you want to tweak the effect settings?

Mod note: Warning. Do not use profanity. It is against our community guidelines.

    Correct answer Ann Bens

    MIght want to look at Adjustment layers.

    You can put that over an entire track or just part of.

    5 replies

    Participant
    January 18, 2024

    I have an idea that kind of circumvents your problem. (I realize I am posting in 2024) If you put the effect on one clip in the track, then edit the parameters to customize the effect to how you desire. Then paste the custom effect to all clips on the track. If you want to adjust all of the individual effects on the track, (just like how a track effect would work) then select all clips and right click selecting "remove atributes". Finally, remove the effect you created and then re-paste the re-adjusted effect to all the clips on the layer again.

    Participant
    March 16, 2017

    I have to say I agree with all of Gillisie's points, the way Vegas lets you apply an effect to a track is really handy. For example, I'm just about to grade a video I shot but the client wants it asap, so I don't have time to apply an individual grade to every shot in the sequence one by one. If I was using Vegas, I could apply a basic grade to the track, then if a shot comes along that I feel needs additional work, I can apply an effect on that clip, tweak and move on. Most of the shots will be fine with the basic grade, but the odd one will need fixing more. With the nesting method in premiere, if I wanted to tweak a shot I'd need to make cuts at either end of the shot, tweak and move on; a little more hassle. Vegas' track effect is like the best of both worlds - nesting grading and clip grading.

    Yes I could apply the effect to the master clip, but then the entire clip has the grade on it. And if that particular clip requires different style grade at certain points or camera settings change (exposure for example) , its thrown off kilter.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Vegas is better, after all I am using Premiere now. But it's just one of those things that makes Vegas a joy to use.

    Lastly, if I'm still missing something I'd love to hear it. Maybe things have changed since I last checked

    Ann Bens
    Community Expert
    Ann BensCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    March 16, 2017

    MIght want to look at Adjustment layers.

    You can put that over an entire track or just part of.

    Known Participant
    June 14, 2024

    The big problem with Adjustment Layers in Premiere is that they affect all tracks below the Adjustment Layer. There's no way to limit the effect to just the track immediately below the Adjustment Layer, as in Photoshop. Same problem in After Effects, which leads to the necessity of nesting sequences (or compositions). This in turn really slows down the editing workflow. Not being able to see/edit the clips in nested sequences severely limits the ability to work with editing and effects at the same time.

    Participant
    May 2, 2016
    MediaGraphics
    Known Participant
    March 23, 2021

    I have to say, it's 5 years later and I stumbled on to you link. THANK YOU!!!! Elmost exactly what I was looking for. Maybe there is a more elegant way now, I'll look a bit more. But either way, that will serve well.

    Legend
    July 12, 2010

    You achieve #3 the same way.  Nest your edit sequence into a new one.

    GillissieAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    July 12, 2010

    Jim,

    The problem with nesting a whole track is that it makes it MUCH more difficult to edit when mixed with other footage that isn't nested with it. Let's say I want to tweak some in/out points between the nested events and the non-nested ones. Ugh. Of course, at this point I'm thinking theoretically rather than talking about a real-world project, so maybe it's not as a big a deal as I think. Maybe doing #1 will eliminate most of the need to do #3.

    I just don't understand why Adobe would add audio track effects capability but not video track effects.

    shooternz
    Legend
    July 12, 2010
    3. Entire video tracks (automatically applying such effects to every clip on the track).

    This is what you wanted to do.

    I suggested using the track select tool.

    Create your effect on one clip eg Noise at 53%.

    Save it as a Preset.

    Select the track  (Track select tool)

    Drag the preset onto the selection.

    GillissieAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    July 12, 2010

    Note: I just realized that it's possible to achieve #1 by putting the clip into a new sequence and applying the effect in that sequence, then use the sequence in the main sequence instead of using the souce clip. I haven't tried it, but it seems reasonable. Still doesn't solve #3.

    shooternz
    Legend
    July 12, 2010

    #3 is easy.

    Use Track Select Tool > Select the track with it (from the first clip)> Drag an effect onto it.  (All clips get the same Effect.)

    Participating Frequently
    January 17, 2025

    The problem with that method (at least in CS4) is that you still have to adjust each effect on every single clip individually.  With the nesting method, you adjust one effect that applies to all clips.


    15 years later, you still have to adjust the effect for each clip. It's basically mandatory to stick stuff into a subsequence. The problem with doing that though is that subsequences don't show the waveform of the audio so if that's important to you, you'll still feel out of options.