Quickly Applying Default Transitions in Premiere Pro
Save yourself some time when applying transitions in Premiere Pro with this handy quick tip.
If you have to apply the same video or audio transition to a series of clips in your timeline, it can get pretty annoying to constantly go in and drag them from the effects panel to the individual clips. However, there’s a better way to handle transitions in Premiere Pro.
Using the ‘Apply Default Transitions to Selected Layers’ button, you can easily apply a default transition of your choosing to both your videos and audio layers. The technique is incredibly easy and it can save you a lot of time. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Select your clips
In the timeline, select the clips to which you want to apply the default transition. These clips can be side by side or on completely different sides of the timeline – it doesn’t matter. Just remember to hold down the ‘shift’ key if you are trying to select multiple clips.
Step 2: Apply the Transition
There are three different default transitions styles you can add using this method: Default video transition, default audio transition, and both.
To select your desired default transition, simply navigate to ‘Sequence > Apply Default _____ Transition’ depending on your needs. You can also use keyboard shortcuts to apply the transitions. The keyboard shortcuts are as follows:
- Apply Default Video Transition: ⌘D
- Apply Default Audio Transition: ⇧⌘D
- Apply Default Audio and Video Transition: ⇧D
Step 3: Modify Transition Length if Needed
By default, your transitions will be one second each. If you want to modify that duration, you’ll need to go in and change them by hand. 
Changing the Default Transition
By default, the default video transition will be cross dissolve and the default audio transition will be constant power with a default duration of one second. If you want to change the default time, simply navigate to ‘Edit > Preferences > General’ for Windows or ‘Premiere Pro > Preferences > General’ for Mac OS. From there you can change your default settings to your liking. Want to save even more time in Premiere Pro? Check out a few of the following resources:
- Exporting Multiple Timelines in Premiere
- Copying Multiple Effects in Premiere
- Custom Workspaces in Premiere
If you want to learn even more, check out the Premiere Pro section of the PremiumBeat blog. We have hundreds of articles and tutorials dedicated to helping you become a better video editor.
How do you use the default transition feature in Premiere Pro? Let us know in the comments below.
