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Last updated on Oct. 14, 2024

Use the header bar to navigate through the editing workflow in Premiere Pro. Use the default
workspace layouts or customize them to suit your own working style.

Adobe video and audio applications all offer customizable workspaces for different tasks.
Although each application has its own set of panels (such as Project, Metadata, and Timeline),
you move and group panels in the same way across products.

The main window of a program is the application window. Panels are organized in this window
in an arrangement called a workspace. The default workspace contains groups of panels and
panels that stand alone.

You customize a workspace by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style.
As you rearrange panels, the other panels resize automatically to fit the window. You can create
and save several custom workspaces for different tasks—for example, one for editing and one
for preview.

Navigate and use the Home screen

The Home screen is where you begin in
Premiere Pro. Use the options on the left
to start a new project or open an existing
project. The right side of the Home screen
provides access to in-application tutorials, and
other tutorials and documentation available
online.
The Premiere Pro home screen when you first launch it
The content on the Home screen evolves over
time as you use Premiere Pro. As you work on
more projects and get more experience, your
recent projects are displayed on the Home
screen and the number of tutorials displayed
are reduced.

Header bar to navigate within Premiere Pro

Use the header bar to move between different parts of the application, and to open different
workspaces when you’re editing.

Header bar

A. Home button to open the Home screen B. Import tab C. Edit tab D. Export tab E. Project
Name F. Workspaces G. Quick export H. Maximize video output

When you choose New Project, Premiere Pro opens in Import mode. After you create a new
 project or open an existing one, Premiere Pro opens in Edit mode. When you’re ready to export
a video, open Export mode.

Workspaces
The Premiere Pro interface is made up of panels that are organized into a layout and saved as a
workspace. Premiere Pro comes with 15 default workspaces. Most of the workspaces are based
on specific post-production tasks (such as color, audio, or graphics), but here are tips for using
some of the general workspaces:

Essentials - Everything you need is

organized for easy access. Recommended
for use especially if you are working with
a single monitor.
Starter - This workspace is especially
designed to help beginners get
acquainted with the software.
Workspaces in Premiere Pro
Vertical - Ideal if you are working with
vertical video. You can toggle between
Source Monitor and Program Monitor in
the same panel.
Learning - Ideal if you want to make use
of the in-app tutorials and learn content
while editing.
Assembly - With a large Project panel,
this workspace is great if you want to
hover scrub, set In and Out points, and
quickly create rough cuts.

Wworking with captions or graphics.

h Adobe Support
Captions and Graphics - Ideal if you are

o Text-Based Editing - Ideal if you are

r creating rough cuts. You can use text-
based editing to transcribe your source
k footage and then copy and paste text to
build your sequence.
s Review - Use this workspace if you want
p Production - Use this workspace if you
to use Frame.io for reviews

a are collaborating with a team on

a Production.
c
eChange Workspaces
sClick on workspace names in the dropdown
a
menu to access workspaces.

n
You can also open a Workspace from the
Window menu or with keyboard shortcuts:

d1. Open the project you want to work on,

h the desired workspace.
choose Window > Workspace, and select

e2. Click Alt + Shift + 1 (up to 9) to open

a individual workspaces.
d You can customize your keyboard shortcuts to open your preferred workspaces, including
e
custom workspaces.

rImport a workspace with a project

b
By default, Premiere Pro opens projects in whatever workspace you currently have open.
aHowever, you can open a project in the workspace last used with it. This option is helpful if you
r
often rearrange the workspace for each project.

Before opening a project, select Window > Workspaces > Import Workspace From Projects.

Note: If you import a project and the workspace is empty, close the project. Deselect
Import Workspace From Projects. Import the project again, and select an existing
workspace for the project.

Modify the order of workspaces or delete workspaces

You can change the order in which
workspaces are displayed, or hide a
workspace so that it is not displayed in
the Workspaces menu. You can also
delete custom workspaces if you no longer
need them.

Choose Edit workspaces at the bottom of

Choose Edit workspaces
the Workspaces menu. The Edit
Workspaces dialog is displayed.

You can also access the Edit

Workspaces dialog
through Window > Workspaces > Edit
Workspaces.
Here you can reorder workspaces, hide
them, or delete custom workspaces.
To revert any change that you made, click
Cancel.

CREATE CUSTOM WORKSPACES

You can modify a workspace and save the
most recent layout as a custom workspace.
Saved custom workspaces appear in
the Workspace menu, for future access.

Arrange the groups and panels as desired, and

then do one of the following:

1. Open the Workspaces dropdown Saving a custom workspace

menu and select Save as New
Workspace. Or
2. Choose Window > Workspace > Save as
New Workspace.

If you make changes to the original

default workspace and save the changes, the
only way to recover them is to delete
the workspace config file from
your Layouts folder.

SAVE CUSTOM WORKSPACES

Premiere Pro can be rearranged to your liking. Use these steps to save custom layouts and edit
the order they appear in the workspace menu.

How to save custom workspaces in Premiere Pro

Learn how to save custom workspaces in Premiere Pro.

RESET A WORKSPACE

Reset the current workspace to return to its original, saved layout of panels.

Do one of the following:

Open the Workspaces dropdown menu and select Reset to Saved Layout. Or,
Choose Window > Workspace > Reset to Saved Layout.

Dock, group, or float panels

You can dock panels together, move them into or out of groups, and undock them so they float
above the application window. As you drag a panel, drop zones—areas onto which you can
move the panel—become highlighted. The drop zone you choose determines where the panel
is inserted, and whether it docks or groups with other panels.

Docking zones

Docking zones exist along the edges of a panel, group, or window. Docking a panel places it
near the existing group, resizing all groups to accommodate the new panel.
Dragging panel (A) onto docking zone (B) to dock it (C)

Grouping zones

Grouping zones exist in the middle of a panel or group, and along the tab area of panels.
Dropping a panel on a grouping zone stacks it with other panels.
Dragging panel (A) onto grouping zone (B) to group it with existing panels (C)

Dock or group panels

1 If the panel you want to dock or group is not visible, choose it from the Window menu.

2 Drag the required panel onto the desired drop zone. The application docks or groups
according to the type of drop zone.

Press the Ctrl key while dragging the panel to make the panel free-floating.

You can choose to present panels in a panel group in a stacked state or in a tabbed
state. Stacked panels are expanded and collapsed with a single click of the mouse on the
panel header, or a tap of the finger when using a touch surface. Choose the desired option
from Panel Group Settings.

Undock a panel in a floating window

When you undock a panel in a floating window, you can add panels to the window and modify
it similarly to the application window. You can use floating windows to use a secondary
monitor, or to create workspaces like the workspaces in earlier versions of Adobe applications.
 1 Select the panel you want to undock (if it’s not visible, choose it from the Window menu),
and then do one of the following:

Choose Undock Panel or Undock Panel Group from the panel menu. Undock Panel
Group undocks the panel group.

Hold down Ctrl (Windows®) or Command (Mac OS®), and drag the panel or group
from its current location. When you release the mouse button, the panel or group
appears in a new floating window.

Drag the panel or group outside the application window. (If the application window is
maximized, drag the panel to the Windows taskbar.)

Resize panel groups

When you position the pointer over dividers between panel groups, resize icons appear. When
you drag these icons, all groups that share the divider are resized. For example, suppose that
your workspace contains three panel groups stacked vertically. If you drag the divider between
the bottom two groups, they are resized, but the topmost group doesn’t change.

Note: To quickly maximize a panel beneath the pointer, press the accent key. (Do not
press Shift.) Press the accent key again to return the panel to its original size.

1 Do either of the following:

To resize either horizontally or vertically, position the pointer between two panel
groups. The pointer becomes a double-arrow .

To resize in both directions at once, position the pointer at the intersection between
three or more panel groups. The pointer becomes a four-way arrow .

2 Hold down the mouse button, and drag to resize the panel groups.
 Dragging divider between panel groups to resize them horizontally

A. Original group with resize icon B. Resized groups

Open, close, and scroll to panels

When you close a panel group in the application window, the other groups resize to use the
newly available space. When you close a floating window, the panels within it close, too.

To open a panel, choose it from the Window menu.

To close a panel or window, press Control-W (Windows) or Command-W (Mac OS), or click
its Close button .
To see all the panel tabs in a narrow panel group, drag the horizontal scroll bar.
To bring a panel to the front of a group of panels, do one of the following:

Click the tab of the panel you want in front.

Hover the cursor above the tab area, and turn the mouse scroll wheel. Scrolling brings
each panel to the front, one after another.

Drag tabs horizontally to change their order.

To reveal panels hidden in a narrow panel group, drag the scroll bar above the panel group.
Drag horizontal scroll bar to see all panels in narrow group

Working with multiple monitors

To increase the available screen space, use multiple monitors. When you work with multiple
monitors, the application window appears on one monitor, and you place floating windows on
the second monitor. Monitor configurations are stored in the workspace.

Brighten or darken the interface

You can lower the brightness, as when working in a darkened editing suite or when making
color corrections. Changing the brightness affects panels, windows, and dialog boxes but does
not affect scroll bars, title bars, and menus that aren’t inside panels. In addition, the change
doesn’t affect the application background on Windows.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Appearance (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Settings >
Appearance (macOS).

2 Choose a color theme.

3 Toggle Accessible color contrast if you want the contrast to meet accessibility guidelines.

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