Week 11: AI‑Assisted Post‑Production & Cleanup

Module Notes

Recommended Workflow: Editing a Profile Interview with B-Roll

For profile or interview videos with B-roll inserts, it’s best to move through editing in logical stages: refining the story structure first, then cleaning audio, matching color, balancing sound, and finishing with titles and credits. This keeps your timeline organized and avoids redundant adjustments.

• 1. Assemble and Trim:
  • Place interview clips on the main video track and B-roll on tracks above.
  • Use the Ripple Edit Tool (B) to close gaps automatically when shortening clips.
  • Use the Rolling Edit Tool (N) to fine-tune transitions between shots without changing total duration.
  • Keep dialogue pacing natural—cut on breaths or pauses.
• 2. Clean Up Audio Edits:
  • Add short Audio Crossfades between cuts to hide pops or abrupt changes: Effects → Audio Transitions → Crossfade → Constant Power.
  • Check transitions with headphones to ensure smooth continuity.
• 3. Reduce Noise and Enhance Dialogue:
  • Select each dialogue clip and open Window → Essential Sound.
  • Assign as Dialogue, then activate Enhance Speech for clarity.
  • If background noise remains, slightly raise Reduce Noise under “Repair.”
• 4. Match Color Across Shots:
  • Correct one “hero” clip first using Window → Lumetri Color → Basic Correction.
  • Then open the Color Wheels & Match tab → enable Comparison View → select the reference clip and click Apply Match to align other clips visually.
  • Use subtle manual tweaks afterward for skin tones and exposure consistency.
• 5. Mix Sound (Voice, Camera Audio, and Music):
  • In the Essential Sound panel, tag tracks as Dialogue, Music, or Ambience.
  • Use Auto Ducking under Music to lower volume automatically beneath dialogue.
  • Balance levels manually: dialogue ≈ -6 dB to -3 dB, music ≈ -20 dB to -12 dB.
• 6. Add Titles, Lower Thirds, and Credits:
  • Go to Graphics → New Layer → Text for titles or author names.
  • Add a Rectangle or Matte Layer under text for readability: Graphics → New Layer → Rectangle.
  • For end credits, duplicate and scroll a vertical text layer.
  • Keep type simple (e.g., Open Sans, Helvetica) and consistent with brand or tone.
• 7. Subtitles and Captions:
  • Open Window → Text → Captions → click Transcribe to auto-generate captions.
  • Edit timing or text as needed, then export with embedded captions or burn-in subtitles.

Workflow Tip: Work from rough cut → fine cut → audio → color → graphics → export. Lock your edit before grading or mixing to prevent re-doing those steps. Keep organized bins for interview, B-roll, music, and graphics, and save incremental versions of your project (e.g., “Interview_Final_v3.prproj”).

Conventional Post-Production Techniques in Premiere Pro

While AI has accelerated many parts of post-production, traditional editing techniques remain essential for creative control, precision, and problem-solving. These conventional methods are the backbone of professional video editing, ensuring consistent tone, pacing, and polish. Below are key areas of manual post-production in Adobe Premiere Pro — with where to find tools, how to use them, and workflow tips for a smooth editing process.

1. Basic Color Correction

When to Use: To correct exposure, white balance, or color inconsistencies across clips.

• How to use:
  1. Select a clip in the timeline.
  2. Open Window → Lumetri Color.
  3. In the Basic Correction tab, adjust Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks.
  4. Use the White Balance Eyedropper to fix color casts.
• How to Match Color Across Clips:
  1. Go to the Color Wheels & Match tab in the Lumetri Color panel.
  2. In the Comparison View (split-screen icon in the Program Monitor), select a reference frame or clip with the desired look.
  3. Click Apply Match — Premiere uses AI to match color, contrast, and lighting between the selected clip and the reference.
  4. Fine-tune results using the color wheels for shadows, midtones, and highlights.
• Workflow Tip: Apply a Lumetri Color Effect to an Adjustment Layer above your clips so you can tweak the grade globally without altering individual shots. Use the Color Match feature after basic correction but before creative looks or LUTs for consistent results.
• Learn more: Adobe: Match Color Between Shots

2. Fine-Tuned Editing & Transitions

When to Use: To refine pacing, tighten dialogue, or improve visual rhythm.

• How to use:
  1. Zoom into the timeline using + (plus) key for frame-level precision.
  2. Use the Ripple Edit Tool (B) to shorten or extend clips without leaving gaps.
  3. Use Rolling Edit Tool (N) to adjust cut timing between two clips without affecting total duration.
  4. Add transitions via Effects → Video Transitions and drag to the cut line.
• Workflow Tip: Use markers (M) to note emotional or narrative beats, then adjust pacing relative to those moments.
• Learn more: Adobe: Trimming and Fine Editing

3. Sound Mixing & Error Fixing

When to Use: To balance dialogue, ambient sound, and music while correcting inconsistencies.

• How to use:
  1. Open Window → Audio Track Mixer or Essential Sound panel.
  2. Assign clips as Dialogue, Music, or Ambience.
  3. Adjust track volume faders or keyframe volume directly in the timeline.
  4. Use the DeNoise or DeReverb sliders to clean sound.
  5. Layer background music on a separate track and manually fade in/out under speech using keyframes (Cmd/Ctrl + click on rubber band line).
• Workflow Tip: Always monitor using good headphones and normalize loudness (around -16 LUFS for online delivery).
• Learn more: Adobe: Mixing Audio

4. Adding Text Overlays & Titles

When to Use: For title cards, lower-thirds, or end credits.

• How to use:
  1. Go to Graphics → New Layer → Text.
  2. Type directly in the Program Monitor and use the Essential Graphics panel to customize font, size, and color.
  3. To add a background: Graphics → New Layer → Rectangle → set fill color and layer it behind the text in the panel.
  4. Adjust position with alignment tools or motion controls in the Effect Controls panel.
• Workflow Tip: Save your design as a Motion Graphics Template (.mogrt) for future projects.
• Learn more: Adobe: Graphics and Titles

5. Audio Cleanup: Enhance Speech vs. Noise Reduction

Premiere Pro offers two main paths for cleaning audio: the built-in Enhance Speech feature, powered by Adobe’s AI Sensei, and the more traditional Noise Reduction process in Adobe Audition. Both can dramatically improve sound quality, but they differ in approach and precision.

Enhance Speech (Premiere Pro)

When to Use: For quick, automatic cleanup of dialogue or interviews with mild-to-moderate background noise or echo.

• What it does: Uses AI to isolate and enhance human voices, removing hums, hiss, ambient room noise, and reverb in one step. Ideal for improving clarity of interviews, vlogs, or field recordings.
• How to use:
  1. Select the clip in your timeline.
  2. Open Window → Essential Sound.
  3. Click Dialogue to assign the clip type.
  4. Under the Repair section, enable Enhance Speech.
  5. Choose Male or Female voice profile for better results, then adjust the intensity slider.
• Workflow Tip:
  • Use Enhance Speech early in your workflow before mixing music or effects.
  • For best quality, export dialogue stems separately and reimport after cleanup.
  • Keep intensity moderate—high settings can make speech sound processed or metallic.
• Learn more: Adobe: Enhance Speech

Noise Reduction (Adobe Audition)

When to Use: For precise removal of constant background noise (air conditioning, tape hiss, camera hum) when AI cleanup is either too broad or introduces artifacts.

• What it does: Lets you manually sample a section of unwanted noise (the “noise print”) and subtract it from the rest of the clip, preserving fine vocal details.
• How to use:
  1. Right-click your audio clip in Premiere → Edit Clip in Adobe Audition.
  2. In Audition, select a portion of the waveform that contains only the noise (no speech).
  3. Go to Effects → Noise Reduction / Restoration → Capture Noise Print.
  4. Then select the entire clip → Effects → Noise Reduction / Restoration → Noise Reduction (Process).
  5. Adjust the Reduction (20–60 dB) and Noise Reduction percentage until noise fades naturally.
  6. Preview frequently—too high settings can create a “watery” sound.
  7. Save and return to Premiere; your clip updates automatically.
• Workflow Tip:
  • Use this method when you need surgical control over steady noise (hiss, fan, hum).
  • Always work on a duplicate clip and keep an unprocessed backup.
  • Combine with Premiere’s Enhance Speech for final clarity if needed.
• Learn more: Adobe: Noise Reduction in Audition

Summary Workflow

• Light Cleanup: Use Enhance Speech inside Premiere for speed and natural results.
• Heavy Noise: Send to Audition for detailed noise profiling and restoration.
• Best Practice: Apply noise reduction before EQ, compression, or loudness normalization to avoid amplifying artifacts.

6. Syncing Audio from External Source

When to Use: When using separate camera and audio recorder tracks (dual-system sound).

• How to use:
  1. Select both the camera clip and external audio clip.
  2. Right-click → Synchronize…
  3. Choose Audio as the synchronization method → Premiere aligns them by waveform.
  4. Mute or delete the camera’s scratch audio track afterward.
• Workflow Tip: Label and group synced clips immediately (right-click → Merge Clips) to stay organized through later edits.
• Learn more: Adobe: Sync Audio and Video

7. Workflow Tips for Efficient Post-Production

• Use bins in the Project panel to separate footage, audio, graphics, and sequences.
• Set consistent naming conventions for clips and sequences (e.g., “Interview1_Master_V2”).
• Work in stages:
  1. Rough cut → fine cut → sound → color → titles → export.
• Always nest complex edits before applying transitions or effects to multiple clips.
• Keep a backup project file after every major edit (Premiere auto-saves, but manual saves preserve milestones).

Summary: Conventional post-production methods remain vital for achieving a cinematic polish. Even as AI accelerates repetitive tasks, foundational color, sound, and timing techniques provide the creative depth and control that define professional editing.

AI in Post-Production

AI is transforming post-production by automating routine editing tasks and enhancing creative control. In Adobe Premiere Pro, new AI-driven tools streamline workflows—transcribing and cutting interviews, matching colors, removing noise, isolating subjects, and even extending shots with generative frames. These tools free editors to focus on storytelling and rhythm rather than technical drudgery. Below is a guide to Premiere Pro’s AI-powered post techniques and how to use them effectively.

1. Text-Based Editing & Transcription

When to Use: Editing interviews, documentaries, podcasts, and dialogue-heavy scenes.

• What it does: Automatically transcribes speech to text, allowing you to edit the transcript directly — cutting or rearranging lines instantly trims the corresponding video.
• How to use: In the Text panel, choose Window → Text → Transcript, click Transcribe sequence. Once transcribed, use the text view to select and delete lines to edit visually.
• Where to find: Window → Text → Transcript
• Learn more: Adobe: Text-Based Editing

2. Scene Edit Detection

When to Use: When you import a flattened video or need to identify cuts in unedited footage.

• What it does: AI scans a clip for scene changes and automatically places cuts at detected transitions.
• How to use: Right-click a clip in the timeline → choose Scene Edit Detection → enable “Add Cuts at Each Detected Edit.”
• Where to find: Timeline → Right-click → Scene Edit Detection
• Learn more: Adobe: Scene Edit Detection

3. Enhance Speech (AI Audio Clean-up)

When to Use: To fix muffled, distant, or noisy dialogue recordings.

• What it does: AI isolates and enhances human speech, removing room echo and background noise.
• How to use: Select a clip → open the Essential Sound panel → assign as Dialogue → enable Enhance Speech and adjust strength to “High” or “Low.”
• Where to find: Window → Essential Sound
• Learn more: Adobe: Enhance Speech

4. Auto Reframe

When to Use: Repurposing content for vertical (9:16), square (1:1), or cinematic (21:9) formats.

• What it does: AI tracks the subject and automatically adjusts framing for new aspect ratios.
• How to use: Go to Sequence → Auto Reframe Sequence → choose target aspect ratio → Premiere creates a new sequence with reframed motion keyframes.
• Where to find: Sequence → Auto Reframe Sequence
• Learn more: Adobe: Auto Reframe

5. Color Enhance & Auto Tone

When to Use: Quickly balancing color or light across shots before fine-grading.

• What it does: Automatically adjusts exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, and saturation using AI analysis.
• How to use: In the Lumetri Color panel, click Auto in the Basic Correction tab; tweak sliders afterward for nuance.
• Where to find: Window → Lumetri Color
• Learn more: Adobe: Auto Color and Tone

6. Auto Duck & Sound Mix Assist

When to Use: Balancing dialogue and music automatically.

• What it does: Detects speech segments and lowers background music volume when people are talking.
• How to use: Select music clip → mark as Music in the Essential Sound panel → check Duck Against Dialogue → click Generate Keyframes.
• Where to find: Window → Essential Sound
• Learn more: Adobe: Auto Duck Music

7. Object Selection & Mask Tracking (AI Masks)

When to Use: Isolating subjects for selective grading, exposure correction, or visual effects.

• What it does: Uses AI to detect objects (faces, people, skies) and automatically track them frame-by-frame.
• How to use: In the Lumetri Color or Effects Controls panel, draw a mask and click Track Forward; Premiere refines it using AI object tracking.
• Where to find: Effect Controls → Masks
• Learn more: Adobe: Mask Tracking

8. Generative Extend (New Feature)

When to Use: Extending clips that end too early or need extra duration for transitions or pacing.

• What it does: AI generates new frames and audio to lengthen a shot seamlessly, filling missing frames naturally.
• How to use: Right-click a clip → select Generative Extend → choose extension duration → Preview and confirm generated segment.
• Where to find: Context menu → Generative Extend
• Learn more: Adobe Blog: Generative Extend

9. Auto Caption & Translation

When to Use: Creating multilingual subtitles for accessibility and global sharing.

• What it does: Transcribes dialogue, then automatically translates captions into over 27 languages.
• How to use: Go to Window → Text → Captions, click Transcribe → then Translate Captions.
• Where to find: Window → Text → Captions
• Learn more: Adobe: Auto Translation
• Learn more: Adobe: Auto Captions

Summary: These AI tools in Premiere Pro are designed to accelerate post-production and expand creative possibilities. Use them to automate dialogue edits, balance visuals, polish sound, or generate new visual elements — but always refine manually to retain human rhythm, timing, and emotion in the final cut.

In‑Class