Easiest way to make lyric videos in Adobe Premiere Pro?

Hi Kyle:

There's nothing like having a specific project to drive learning software that you're new to.  Of course, if you can make the time to take a video editing course somewhere, that'll be time very well spent.  There are some elements of video editing that are very straightforward, but then countless elements that require a "if this, then do that" approach.

Here's a quick rundown:

1. Create a folder for the lyric video on your largest and fastest hard drive.  Save any and all data used for this lyric video into this folder.
2. Start a new project, browsing to the folder you created in step one.
3. Import your audio file (AIFF or WAV recommended).
4. Create a new Sequence.  Try AVCHD > 1080p > AVCHD 1080p24 or XDCAM HD422 > XDCAM HD422 1080p24.  As you get better in Premiere and become more informed about video settings and audio settings, you'll be able to pick something different or even create custom Sequence settings.
5. Double-click the audio file in the Project tab to open it in the Source window.
6. In the Source window, play the audio and add Markers as you hear the lyrics by pressing the "m" key or use Marker > Add Marker.  Place markers as frequently as every word or syllable or as infrequently as every line or chorus.  You'll use these clip markers later to sync your title cards to the corresponding lyric.  Tip: If you press "m" and then press "m" again, then you can center the work or line into the "Name" text field and click okay.
7. Add the audio clip to the A1 track of your Sequence Timeline.
8. Create Titles as needed for the lyrics (File > New > Title... or press control T) and add them to the V1 track of your Timeline, placing them at the corresponding clip marker (it'll probably help to have Snap enabled).
9. When you've assembled your lyric video, export it using Media Encoder (File > Export > Media...).  Try the H264 format using the Vimeo 1080p HD preset or the YouTube 1080p HD preset.

Good luck!

-Warren

As Jim said, Premiere Elements should work fine for you at a lesser cost.  There are plenty of tutorials online for that.

With no training or experience, you may be better off with a program designed for beginners.  There are a LOT of them out there, most of which significantly cheaper than Premiere Pro over the long term.