Video editing is a dynamic blend of creativity and technical prowess. One technique that can dramatically enhance your videos is creating a speed ramp in Premiere Pro.
This guide thoroughly explores speed ramping, specifically how to execute it in Adobe Premiere Pro. Whether you’re a novice video editor, a seasoned professional, or someone new to DaVinci Resolve, this guide will empower you to apply speed ramping effectively.
We’ll delve into what speed ramping is and how to apply it while also providing a detailed, step-by-step tutorial on how to create a speed ramp in Premiere Pro and swiftly alter the speed of a clip. Let’s embark on this exciting journey of manipulating video speed!
What is Speed Ramping?
Speed ramping is a digital video editing technique where the speed of a clip is increased or decreased over time. This technique can be used to create a dramatic effect, smoothly transitioning from one scene to the next or to emphasize a certain point in the video. It’s often used in corporate videos, social media content, and filmmaking to make a scene more “epic” than it would normally be.
Speed ramping works best with slow-motion footage due to the high frame rate at which it’s shot. A higher frame rate video leads to smoother speed ramping because of the number of frames in the video. While speed ramping is still possible at normal speeds, slow motion will yield the best results.
To learn more about other video editing techniques, check out the comprehensive section of our site about video editing.
Example of speed ramps
In this example, the clip appears slow at first, then speeds up and then slows down again. If you’re interested in checking the boxer out, check Chris Whitlow out on Instagram, he’s awesome!
Take a look where the clip appears to be fast, then begins to slow down steadily.
Credit – Slowmo Guys
Creating a Speed Ramp in Premiere Pro
There are a few different ways to speed ramp inside Adobe Premiere Pro. Here’s a simple method:
- Right-click on your video clip in the timeline and go to “Show Clip Keyframes” > “Time Remapping” > “Speed“. A white line will then appear in the centre of your video clip.
- If you COMMAND or CTRL-click the white line inside of your video clip, an arrow with a dotted line will appear. These will serve as markers for your speed ramp.
- Moving these points up and down will result in different speeds for your video clip. You can drag these points to the left or the right to result in a smooth speed ramp transition.
- Moving the white line up will ramp up the speed of your clip, and moving the white line down will ramp down the speed of your clip. Upon playback, you should see your video speed up or speed down.
- You can also add keyframes in the effects control panel by clicking on the keyframe icon. This will create more of those dotted lines with the arrow.
Remember, speed ramping is something that is specific to the type of content you’re trying to create, so play around with it using these techniques to see what you’re able to come up with.
For more tips on using Adobe Premiere Pro, check out our Premiere Pro tutorials.
Learn to create a speed ramp in Premiere Pro: Video tutorial
My goal is to add a moment in the video when the speed ramps faster and then slows back down.
In the example video below, I have a 100fps second clip that has already slowed down 400% to play in 25fps. That means it’s 4X slower than normal speed.
I will add the keyframe where I wanted to speed up the clip and then stretch the two keys outwards to set the length of the ramp.
I then sped up the part of the clip after the keyframes by 400%. Next, I set another keyframe where I want the clip to start slowing back down.
Again, I stretch the keyframes apart to set the length and then slowed down the last part of the clip back to 100%.
Examples of speed ramping in cinema movies
“300” by Zack Snyder: This film is often credited with popularizing the speed ramping technique. The battle scenes in this movie frequently use speed ramping to highlight the action, slowing down to show the detail of a fight move, then speeding up as the move is completed.
Martin Scorsese’s films: Scorsese is known for using speed ramping to emphasize details of a character’s clothing or jewelry typically as they enter a scene.
Baz Luhrmann’s films: In films like “Strictly Ballroom“, “Moulin Rouge“, and “Romeo + Juliet“, Luhrmann uses speed ramping in combination with high-speed cameras and quick cuts to create a unique visual effect.
Summary
Speed ramping in Adobe Premiere Pro is a simple yet effective way to add production value to your content. If done well, a speed ramp can elevate content to an insane degree and make for a rollercoaster of a ride. However, like with all things, it’s best not to overdo the speed-ramping effect.
If overdone, speed ramping can be nauseating and make your edit look cheap. Speed ramping is best used once or twice during a short video to emphasize a very specific point.
Ready to learn more advanced video editing techniques? Check out our advanced video editing tutorials.
Remember, the key to successful speed ramping is practice and experimentation. So, don’t be afraid to play around with different speeds and transitions until you find what works best for your video. Happy editing!
