Best Lower Thirds In Premiere: Our Complete Guide [With Examples]

It’s been a while since we featured a video editing tip, and what better time than now to share this quick tip? Here’s how you can use Lower Thirds in Premiere Pro to help your audience understand who they’re watching on the screen.

Let’s say you’re filming an interview with two people, and it’s important that your audience know who they’re watching at all times.

You could, of course, just ask one of them to always be sure to introduce the other person whenever they mention them by name.

But that would be kind of ridiculous!

What if you’d rather not interrupt the natural flow of their conversation? This is where Lower Thirds come in.

With just a few clicks, your audience will be able to easily follow along with every conversation, even if everyone involved has inexplicably gone silent!

Let’s take a look.

Using Premiere Pro

If you aren’t already familiar, Premiere Pro is a video editing software used by professional editors and filmmakers.

It’s available on Windows and Mac operating systems.

Premiere Pro is a professional standard editing application that can be used to edit videos, add effects, titles and transitions etc.

It was developed by Adobe Systems Inc. which makes the most popular graphic design software in the world.

The company offers other video editing software such as After Effects and Media Encoder as well.

Premiere Pro also has a companion application called Prelude which is a non-linear editing program for first-time editors who want to become familiar with it before moving on to Premiere Pro.

Premiere Pro is a non-destructive video editor, meaning that you will retain all your original files even after editing them.

You don’t lose any content during the process and you can always go back to your original files if needed.

Premiere Pro is one of the leading video editing programs available. This tutorial will show you how to use Premiere Pro to create a video file that can be uploaded and viewed online.

First, open Premiere Pro. Then, choose “File > New” or press [Ctrl] + [N].

If you’ve already opened a project, select “File > Close Project” or press [Ctrl] + [W] followed by “File > New.” You should see a dialog box asking you what size you want your project to be.

Make your desired settings and then click “OK.” You are now in the project workspace.

Under the “File” tab, select “New Media.” This will bring up a dialog box that allows you to determine where the media on your computer will be located.

Select the desired media and click “OK.”The file should now be imported into your project workspace.

Next, under the “Edit” tab, click on “Select All” and then click on the green arrow that appears above it. This will select all of your media in your workspace.

Click on either the green checkmark or red X that appears above it to add/remove your selected media from/to your timeline.

Premiere Pro Lower Thirds

We will be using the default lower third presets that come with Premiere Pro, but you can also set custom dimensions for your titles.

Step 1 – Create a New Project

Start by creating a new project and then adding your video footage.

I’ve already added some footage of our product designer making that awesome logo we used at the beginning of this video.

Step 2 – Add Lower Third Preset

Next you’ll add your lower third preset to the timeline.

If you need to change the dimensions go to “Window” > “Timeline” > “Type” and adjust accordingly.

Step 3 – Customize Title

Here I’ve added a title underneath the video clip, but if you want multiple lines of text simply click on the title and drag it into position.

You can customize every aspect of each title by right-clicking on them and choosing “Properties”.

That’s it! Now you know how to add lower thirds in Adobe Premiere Pro using presets and customizing them yourself.

Templates For Premiere Pro

Templates are layouts created in Adobe Premiere Pro. They are the starting point for all projects.

When you create or open a project in Premiere Pro, the program will automatically load a default template. You can choose to save any changes you make to your template for future use, so feel free to customize it as you wish! 

   

Like most things in Premiere Pro, templates are completely customizable and can be altered to meet your own needs.

Making a new template is a great way to collect and organize your most commonly used effects and presets. This can save you a lot of time when you start new projects.

The more complicated your templates get, the more time you’ll save by using them repeatedly on multiple projects.

Best Lower Third Templates

Getting your videos to stand out from all of the noise on the web is tough, but one of the best ways to do that is by using lower thirds.

Lower thirds are often used in TV news broadcasts to say who’s speaking, or as an establishing shot with a title and credits for a show.

Lower third titles work well in any type of video, though—the goal is simply to keep viewers engaged and informed about what they’re watching.

When trying to find the right lower third template, you want to consider a few factors:

How easy is it to customize. 

You don’t need professional design skills to use a lower third template, but some are easier than others. Look for lower thirds that offer plenty of customization options so you can tweak it until it works perfectly with your video.

How much control do you have over font size and color. 

You may want your company logo in bright yellow against a black background, or your text in a large font size so viewers can see it clearly. Look for templates that let you adjust these elements.

Best Lower Third Templates For Premiere

Lower third and title templates are a key part of any video editor’s toolkit. They allow you to add a presenter to your videos, easily apply text to them and make the titles both easy to read and stylish.

Titles are perhaps one of the most important elements of your video, whether you’re trying to explain something or get a message across. But they’re also incredibly easy to ignore.

This is why titles need to be as eye-catching as possible, without being distracting. That’s where lower third and title templates can help.

The best lower third templates for Premiere Pro are going to be those that offer flexibility with the way you use them. 

There should be a range of different looks, with some more subtle than others, so you have the option to combine and customize elements until you find something that works for your project.

These are also likely to come with some customization options so you can adjust them even further if needed. 

While some people will want a standard look, others might want something a little more bespoke or out there – or even just slightly different from what everyone else is using.

Using Lower Thirds In Premiere Pro

One of the most common uses for lower thirds is to credit people who are on camera. In general, you’ll want to use a lower third rather than a title clip in this case because you don’t need to write someone’s name out or have it match their spelling.

For example, if a woman is interviewed on camera and she goes by two different names (such as “Stephanie” and “Stephanie Smith”), you could write one out but not the other.

Titles are also more visible when they’re placed closer to the center of the screen.

When you place a title close to the top or bottom of the screen, there’s more room for it to be seen by an audience. 

Placing the same title over someone’s head can make it harder for an audience to read, because that audience needs to focus on what’s on screen rather than worrying about reading your titles.

Lower thirds are also handy for providing basic information about what’s going on in the scene. 

For example, when you film a person talking at a desk, you can put their name on the lower third so that people know who they’re seeing without having to read what they’re saying.

This technique is used often in documentaries to identify interview subjects without forcing them to break

Designing Lower Third Graphics

Lower third graphics can be a great way to spice up your videos. 

Creating them is easy, even if you’re not a video editor. 

If you’re creating a video that features yourself, it helps if you add a visual element that indicates who is speaking.

This can be done with titles, fonts or even custom graphics.

The easiest way to create the look of customized lower thirds is by using pre-made templates from sites like VideoBlocks or Pond5.

Both of these sites offer pre-made lower thirds for purchase. You can use these templates as is or modify them with your own text and graphics. Templates are also available at Fiverr and Upwork.

Lower third graphics are a great way to have your name on TV. They can be used in news programs or to identify people or companies in other shows.

If you are an aspiring actor or producer, you can use lower thirds to represent yourself. The best way to get the attention of a network is to create your own lower third graphics for the shows you want to be on.

Choosing Colors For Lower Third Graphics

Choosing the right color for lower third graphics can be tricky. It’s not difficult, but there are a few points to consider.

Tone and emotion are key factors in picking colors for lower third graphics. Color conveys different feelings depending on what you want your video to express.

For example, if you are going for a serious and professional look, try black or dark blue. If you want something to stand out on the screen, then red will get your point across very clearly.

If you prefer something that is more subtle, pick two or three colors that are similar but just different enough to create some contrast in your video’s background.

Color scheme is another important factor to consider when choosing colors for lower third graphics.

For example, using complementary colors can give you a sense of unity or harmony in your video; this is typically seen with nature or graphic design. 

An analogous color scheme, which uses three or four colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, is often used for business purposes like website design.

Color psychology is another consideration when deciding on lower third graphics color schemes. Red and yellow are both attention grabbers so they could be good choices if you want people to pay attention to the message you’re trying to convey.

Finding The Right Typography For Lower Third Graphics

The most important step to creating a successful lower third is to select the correct typeface. If your audience cannot read what you have written, then the purpose of your lower third is defeated.

In order for your graphics to successfully communicate their message, it is essential that your typeface be legible at all sizes.

One way to avoid any potential issues with legibility is to use a sans-serif typeface in either an oblique or normal weight.

Sans-serif typefaces are very legible and readable due to the fact that they have no contrast between thick and thin lines. This means that they are best suited for use in lower thirds because they will remain easy to read in any size.

Examples of sans-serif typefaces include Arial, Helvetica, and Lucida Grande. These typefaces are often used in combination with a serif typeface and work quite well together.

The serif typeface gives some added contrast within the text, which can make it easier for audiences to read across multiple lines of text. Examples of serif typefaces include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Palatino.

Choosing A Font Size For Lower Third Graphics

In order to choose a font size for your lower third graphics, you should first decide what information you want to display.

The basic rule of thumb for choosing a font size for lower thirds is to ensure that it’s readable at a distance and that it does not overtake other elements on the screen (such as text or graphical elements). 

   

The font size used in lower thirds should be roughly between 10 and 15 points, which will work well at both short and long distances.

Of course, you can use fonts of different sizes depending on how much information you want to convey through your lower third graphics. 

For example, if your lower third graphic is just displaying text information such as a company name or website address, then a smaller font will suffice.

On the other hand, if you want to include more information or insert images within your lower third graphic, then a larger font size will work better.

Using Shapes In Lower Third Graphics

The first step to using shapes in lower thirds is to decide which shape you want to use. This can be any shape such as a circle, square, rectangle or triangle.

Once you’ve decided what shape you want to use, put the shape into a program that can make it for you.

There are a few different ways you can create shapes in lower thirds.

Some programs will let you import an image and turn it into a shape, while others may require some extra work. If the program you are using doesn’t allow you to import an image and turn it into a shape, then there are a few ways you can go about creating your own shape.

The easiest way is to create a box that is the correct size and color that you want your shape to be. Add the text you want on top of the box and then adjust its positioning so that it overlaps with the text.

There are also many programs out there that will let you import an image and turn it into a shape automatically, while also giving you more options such as adjusting the opacity of the shape or even rotating it.

Animating Your Lower Third Graphics

A lower third graphic consists of two different options: a title and a subtitle. 

The title is usually displayed at the top of the screen and the subtitle is usually displayed in the middle of the screen.

Low thirds are a great way to identify a speaker or present information to your audience. The following steps will help you animate your lower thirds using Adobe After Effects.

Step 1 Create Your Lower Third in Photoshop

If you’re going to be animating your lower thirds, you’ll need to create your graphic in Photoshop. If you’re planning on using After Effects for any other effects, consider creating your lower thirds in After Effects and then importing them into Photoshop.

Either way, when creating your graphics, make sure that you use vector graphics so that they can be easily scaled in both the X and Y axis.

Step 2. Create Your Timeline with Keyframes

Create a new solid layer on top of all of your layers, then scale it down so that it takes up only about 50% of the canvas.

This will be used as a mask for your lower third later on during animation, so name this layer “Mask.”