How to Make Rolling Credits in Premiere Pro - 1 Min Tutorial

Rolling Credits In Premiere Pro

Credit sequences are pretty easy to make, but you can make yours stand out by mastering the art of rolling credits in Premiere Pro. Rolling credits are more than just a list of names; they're the final touch that wraps up your production, giving due recognition to those who contributed. However, creating smooth, professional-looking rolling credits can be a challenge for many, especially if you're new to the process.

In this article, we tackle:

• Navigating the Graphics workspace to initiate your text layer.
• Crafting and styling your credits to fit your project's aesthetic.
• Positioning and animating the text for that classic rolling effect.
• Refining the motion for a cinematic finish.
• Previewing and making necessary refinements.
• And finally, exporting your masterpiece.

Crafting Your Text Layer

1. Initiating a New Layer: In the Graphics workspace, you'll notice a panel titled 'Essential Graphics'. This is your hub for text creation and manipulation. At the bottom of this panel, there's a button labeled 'New Layer'. Click on it, and a dropdown will appear. Select 'Text'. This action creates a new text layer on your timeline and a text box in your program monitor.
2. Entering Your Credits: Now, click inside the text box that appeared in the program monitor. This is where you'll type in your credits. For instance, I'd start with "Directed by [Name]" and continue with the rest of my credits. If you've already prepared your credits in a document, you can copy from there and paste directly into this box.
3. Styling Your Text: Back in the 'Essential Graphics' panel, you'll see a plethora of options to style your text. Fonts, sizes, colors - it's all there. For example, I might choose a classic font like 'Times New Roman', set the size to 48 for readability, and opt for a white color to contrast against a dark background.

Positioning for the Roll

4. Setting the Starting Point: The idea is to have the credits roll from the bottom to the top. So, grab the text box in the program monitor and drag it to the very bottom until it's just out of view. This sets our starting position.

Animating the Roll

5. Accessing Effect Controls: On the left side of your screen, there's a panel labeled 'Effect Controls'. If it's not immediately visible, you can find it by going to 'Window' in the top menu and selecting 'Effect Controls'. This panel is the heart of animation in Premiere Pro.
6. Keyframing the Position: With your text layer selected in the timeline, go to the 'Effect Controls' panel. Here, you'll see an option labeled 'Position'. Next to it is a stopwatch icon. When I'm about to animate, I move my playhead to the point on my timeline where I want the credits to start. I then click the stopwatch, which adds a keyframe. This keyframe marks the beginning of our animation.
7. Determining the End Point: Now, move your playhead to where you want the credits to end. Back in the program monitor, drag your text box upwards until it's out of view at the top. As you do this, you'll notice a new keyframe is automatically created in the 'Effect Controls' panel. This marks the end of our animation.
8. Refining the Speed: The distance between the two keyframes determines the speed of the roll. If I find my credits are rolling too quickly, I'd increase the distance between the keyframes. Conversely, if they're too slow, I'd reduce the distance.

Smoothing the Motion

9. Easing the Keyframes: For a more cinematic feel, I always add easing to my keyframes. Right-click the first keyframe in 'Effect Controls', hover over 'Temporal Interpolation', and select 'Ease Out'. Do the same for the second keyframe but select 'Ease In'. This ensures the credits start and end smoothly.

Preview and Refinement

10. Watching the Magic: Press the spacebar to play your timeline from the start of the credits. As I watch, I'm looking for consistent speed and ensuring the text remains readable. If something feels off, I revisit the previous steps to make adjustments.