Premiere Pro Beginner Workflow: Graphics Templates and Basic Titles

What Essential Graphics Does (and Why It’s Beginner-Friendly)

In Premiere Pro, Essential Graphics is where you add and customize on-screen text and motion graphics without building animations from scratch. You can create:

• Basic titles (simple text you design yourself)
• Lower thirds (name/title bars, usually near the bottom)
• Motion Graphics Templates (MOGRTs) with built-in animation and editable controls

The beginner workflow is: choose a template → edit text safely → align with guides → apply brand colors → keep typography consistent → reuse across edits.

Choosing the Right Template (MOGRT) for the Job

Where templates come from

You can use templates that ship with Premiere Pro, templates installed by your team, or templates you import. Templates appear in the Essential Graphics panel under Browse.

How to evaluate a template before committing

• Editable controls: In the Edit tab, you want simple fields like Name, Title, Color, Position, Scale, and maybe Animation Amount.
• Safe placement: Lower thirds should sit comfortably above the bottom edge and away from the extreme left/right edges.
• Timing flexibility: A good template can be trimmed on the timeline without breaking.
• Style match: Choose something that fits your video tone (corporate, documentary, social, etc.).

Step-by-step: add a template to the timeline

1. Open Window > Essential Graphics.
2. Go to Browse.
3. Find a lower third or title template.
4. Drag it onto a video track above your footage (e.g., V2 or V3).
5. Select the graphic clip on the timeline, then switch to Edit to customize.

Editing Text Safely (Without Breaking the Template)

Templates often have protected structure. Your goal is to change what’s intended (text fields, colors, toggles) and avoid “unbuilding” the design.

Best practice: edit via controls first

With the graphic clip selected, look in Essential Graphics > Edit for fields like:

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• Source Text for Name and Title
• Font, Size, Tracking, All Caps
• Fill and Stroke colors
• Background on/off or background color

If the template provides these controls, use them instead of selecting individual layers and changing properties manually.

Keep text from overflowing

• Prefer shorter titles: “Senior Producer” instead of “Senior Producer, Marketing and Communications”.
• Use two lines intentionally: Name on line 1, role on line 2.
• Watch for cutoffs: If letters touch the edge of a bar/box, reduce font size slightly or increase box width if the template allows it.
• Consistency rule: Don’t change font size per person unless absolutely necessary; instead, adjust wording.

Step-by-step: customize a lower third’s text

1. Select the lower-third graphic clip.
2. In Essential Graphics > Edit, locate the text fields (often labeled Name and Title).
3. Paste/type the name and role.
4. Check the Program Monitor at 100% view to confirm readability.
5. Trim the graphic clip length so it stays on screen long enough to read (a common starting point is 3–5 seconds).

Aligning Graphics with Guides and Safe Margins

Clean alignment is what makes beginner graphics look professional. Use guides and safe margins so your lower thirds don’t feel randomly placed.

Turn on safe margins

1. In the Program Monitor, click the wrench (Settings).
2. Enable Safe Margins.

Use these as a boundary: keep important text comfortably inside the safe area.

Use guides for consistent placement

Guides help you lock a consistent baseline for all lower thirds.

1. Open the Program Monitor and ensure rulers/guides are available (depending on workspace).
2. Create guides for a consistent lower-third region (e.g., a horizontal guide where the name baseline should sit, and a vertical guide for left alignment).
3. Snap or manually position your graphic so the text aligns to those guides.

If your template has a Position control in Essential Graphics, use it. If not, you can reposition the graphic clip using Effect Controls > Motion > Position (keep changes minimal so you don’t distort the design).

Quick alignment checklist

• Left edges of all lower thirds line up.
• Vertical placement is consistent across clips.
• Text sits above the bottom edge with breathing room.
• No text crosses safe margins.

Using Brand Colors (Without Guessing)

Brand color consistency is more important than fancy animation. Aim for one accent color and neutral text.

Practical approach to brand colors

• Primary text: usually white or near-white on darker footage, or near-black on light backgrounds.
• Accent: one brand color used for a line, bar, or small shape.
• Background plate: optional; if used, keep it subtle (e.g., dark gray with some transparency) so it works on most shots.

Step-by-step: apply a brand color to a template

1. Select the graphic clip.
2. In Essential Graphics > Edit, find the color control (Fill/Accent/Bar Color).
3. Enter the exact brand value if available (hex/RGB) or use the eyedropper from a known brand reference.
4. Apply the same color settings to every instance of the template.

Tip: If your footage varies a lot in brightness, choose a lower-third version with a background plate or add a subtle rectangle behind text (only if the template supports it cleanly), so readability stays consistent.

Keeping Typography Consistent (The “System” Mindset)

Typography consistency means viewers instantly recognize your on-screen information. For beginners, a simple system beats constant tweaking.

Recommended beginner typography rules

• Limit fonts: 1 font family (or 1 family with bold/regular).
• Use hierarchy: Name = larger/bolder; Title = smaller/lighter.
• Keep tracking modest: Avoid extreme letter spacing.
• Case consistency: Decide on Title Case or ALL CAPS and stick to it.
• Line spacing: Keep the same spacing between name and title across all lower thirds.

Create a simple style spec (example)

Use this as your reference so every new lower third matches the previous one.

Basic Motion Principles Using Template Controls (Ease In/Out)

You don’t need keyframes to get smooth motion. Many MOGRTs include animation controls that already use easing. Your job is to choose motion that feels calm and readable.

What “ease” means in practice

• Ease in: the graphic starts moving gently instead of snapping.
• Ease out: the graphic settles gently instead of stopping abruptly.

Most good templates bake this in. If your template offers controls like Animation, Intro/Outro, Speed, or Ease, use them instead of adding complex animation.

Beginner motion guidelines

• Keep it subtle: short slides or fades are easier to read than bouncy moves.
• Don’t over-speed: if the template has a speed control, slower is usually more professional for interviews.
• Allow reading time: avoid long intro animations that delay the text becoming readable.

Step-by-step: adjust motion using template controls

1. Select the graphic clip.
2. In Essential Graphics > Edit, look for animation controls (Intro/Outro, Speed, Ease, Motion Amount).
3. Reduce motion amount if it feels distracting.
4. Choose an intro/outro style that matches the project (fade/slide).
5. Play back at full resolution to confirm the motion feels smooth and the text is readable quickly.

Working Efficiently: Reuse and Replace Graphics Across Edits

A workflow win is using one lower-third design repeatedly without re-styling each time.

Duplicate and update text

1. Copy a finished lower-third clip on the timeline.
2. Paste it where needed.
3. With the new instance selected, change only the Name/Title fields.

This keeps typography, color, and placement consistent automatically.

Keep durations consistent

Decide on a standard duration (for example, 4 seconds) and use it for most lower thirds. Trim longer only when the name/title is longer or the pacing is slower.

Exercise: Build a Clean Lower Third System and Apply It Across Multiple Edits

Goal

Create one lower-third design (name + title) that matches your brand style, then apply it consistently to at least 5 different clips/edits.

Setup

• Pick one lower-third MOGRT from Essential Graphics (or a basic title you design once).
• Choose your typography rules (font, weights, sizes).
• Choose one brand accent color.
• Turn on Safe Margins and set guides for consistent placement.

Step-by-step

1. Create your master lower third: Place the template on the timeline, set the correct position using guides/safe margins, apply brand color, and set typography.
2. Test readability: Scrub through different shots (bright, dark, busy backgrounds). If readability fails, adjust background plate/opacity if available, or choose a template with better contrast.
3. Lock the system: Write down your style spec (font, sizes, colors, placement).
4. Duplicate for multiple people: Copy/paste the graphic clip 4+ times and change only the Name/Title fields.
5. Standardize timing: Trim each lower third to your chosen duration, then adjust only when needed.
6. Check consistency pass: Play through all lower thirds and verify alignment, color, font, and animation feel identical from one to the next.

Deliverables to verify

• All lower thirds share the same left alignment and vertical position.
• Same font family and hierarchy (name vs title) everywhere.
• Same brand accent color everywhere.
• Motion feels consistent (no random speed differences).
• Text stays within safe margins and remains readable on varied footage.