Section 15. Add Special Media Clips

1.

Open the Context Menu and Choose New Item

Find an empty area in the Media panel and right-click it. This action brings up a context menu with various options; the third item down is New Item .

Move your mouse to highlight the New Item selection; another menu drops down. This submenu holds all the special media clip choices.

NOTE

At the top of the New Item submenu, notice the Title option. To learn about titles and how to create them, see 95 About Titles.

2.

Select Clip Option

From the New Item submenu, select the name of the clip you want to add to the Media panel (and eventually to the Timeline and your movie).

You might have seen something similar to a Bars and Tone clip come up on your television set from time to time. (This kind of clip is also known as a test pattern or test screen .) The special clip in the New Item submenu is called Bars and Tone because that is what you see and hear: There are colored bars that appear on the screen and a very audible tone to go along with it. To add the Bars and Tone clip to the Media panel, select that option.

15. Add Special Media Clips

TIP

Use the Bars and Tone clip at the end of your movie to remind you when the movie ends. That way you will never have to wait and wonder if there is another clip coming up.

TIP

The Black Video clip is great for separating clips and for using as a background for text-only titles. You will use this special clip in 101 Create a Star WarsStyle Credit Roll .

TIP

You can export the Color Matte clip, add a cutout to the matte in Photoshop Elements, and import the clip back into Premiere Elements. Then you can use the edited matte as an overlay for a title or intro clip.

TIP

Be sure to give your Color Matte a pertinent name. Use a name that will help remind you of its purpose, and where it will be used (such as pink matte for baby video ).

3.

Select Matte Color

In the Color Picker dialog box, choose a color for your matte. You can choose from millions of colors, or from a more limited selection of web-safe colors. Simply pick the color you want the matte to be and click OK .

4.

Name the Matte

After you have chosen the color for your Color Matte clip and clicked the OK button, you are asked to name your matte. Simply type the new name for the matte in the text box and click OK . Your new Color Matte clip is added to the Media panel.

5.

Specify Counting Leader Options

If you select the Universal Counting Leader option from the New Item submenu, the Universal Counting Leader Setup dialog box opens.

You can change the color of any object on the counting leader screenfrom the target to the number and the wipe. To select a new color for that object, click the color box next to the object's name. The Color Picker appears, offering you a choice of millions of colors. Because you can select a different color for each of the objects ( Wipe Color, Background Color, Line Color, Target Color , and Numeral Color ), the combinations are limitless. You can also set the audio cue blipsthe little blip noises you hear during the countdown. The options are Cue Blip on Out, Cue Blip on 2 , and Cue Blip on all Second Starts . The counting leader clip is a fun clip to play around with.

After you have set your sound options and colors for the counting leader, click the OK button to add the Universal Counting Leader clip to the Media panel.