Say hello to a completely new reimaging to Adobe Premiere Pro’s import, export, and header bar applications!

If I’ve learned one thing about film and video production over the past decade, it’s this—get used to change. Sometimes, it might not feel needed. Other times, it might feel absolutely necessary. But, it’s always inevitable. Today, we have some minor changes coming to Adobe Premiere Pro that, to some, might be a mix of both.

Adobe is launching a nearly complete reimagining of Premiere Pro’s import and export workflows with its new Premiere Pro Public Beta, available here on June 22nd, 2021. It’s different, innovative, and most probably necessary, for sure. But, before you download the update, let’s explore these changes to see if they might be right for you to adopt now or, inevitably, later.

New Import Workflow

Dubbed by Adobe as “an intuitive, media-first approach to creating projects and importing media,” this new import workflow for Premiere Pro is much more visual and focused on you and your media uploads than perhaps your project settings and needs. (Which, of course, can be changed and tinkered with later.) This new import page better streamlines uploading media clips from multiple locations at once, as well as speeding up the import process, overall.

It’s a much more visual format as you can select clips and other assets (including audio and graphics) by browsing thumbnails. You can also review these assets in the media uploader by simply hovering and scrubbing over the individual clips. 

From Adobe, here’s the full eight-step process to creating a new project:

1. In the left-hand column, navigate to your media storage location.
2. Select the storage location. Your media is presented on the Import desktop.
3. The file path for the current storage location is displayed at the top of the window.
4. Select video clips and other media assets to add to your project.
5. As you choose your media, thumbnails of each asset are collected in the Selection Tray at the bottom of the Import window. If needed, select other storage locations to add more assets to your project.
6. For locations you use frequently, you can click on the star next to a storage location to add it as a favorite.
7. At the bottom of the window, give your project a name and select a location for your project file.
8. Select Create to create the new project. 

New Export Workflow

Along with an updated import workflow, Adobe has fittingly also reimagined its export controls complete with a similar video-focused approach. The new goal, as Adobe puts it, is for a more “streamlined export based on your video destination,” which should be helpful for any creators looking for more optimized render settings tailored for social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Again, while these changes might seem a bit jarring at first, this new export workflow certainly will look and feel similar to other NLEs and social-media-specific editing platforms. (A recent review of the VN Video Editor app for smartphone filmmakers comes to mind.)

Overall, Adobe seems to be growing more aware that many of their Premiere Pro users aren’t just old-fashioned video production professionals anymore, and instead, a new more diverse group of content creators, YouTubers, and others using the platform for a wider array of purposes—many without much of the same years of NLE editing.

Also from Adobe, here’s the new six-step exporting process:

1. Select the sequence you want to export.
2. Choose Export from the new header bar at the top of the Premiere Pro (public Beta) to open the new export workspace.
3. The export workflow moves from left to right. Start by selecting a destination for your video from the choices in the left-hand column, such as YouTube, Vimeo, or your local drive (Media File).
4. Premiere Pro (Public Beta) presents optimized export settings based on your destination.
5. Accept the defaults or open dropdowns to access options to customize your output.
6. Click Export.

Finally, not to be missed along with the new import and export workflows, Adobe’s Premiere Pro Public Beta will also include a new header bar to better “navigate easily within Premiere Pro.” This updated header bar will also be addition by subtraction, perhaps, as it’ll only offer “high-level navigation” (Import, Edit, Export), the current project name, and a place to access different editing workspaces.

This new header bar will actually be a common new design element across the Adobe Creative Cloud, as the brand (overall) is looking for more simplicity with its full-platform design. It’s important to note, though, that the Edit mode will include task-specific editing workspaces, along with a friendly, quick export option. 

There will also be a new System Compatibility Report option, where users of the new Public Beta can read about what’s new in the latest version, as well as follow a link to provide feedback on the Beta, overall.

If you’re interested in checking out this new Premiere Pro Public Beta and diving into these new import/export workflows, it’ll be available to download any time after June 22nd, 2021, through the Adobe Creative Cloud with more information available here.

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All images via Adobe.