Freeze and hold frames

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Premiere Pro provides you several ways to easily freeze frames from a video clip.

You can use Frame Hold options, freeze a single frame for the entire clip duration (as if you imported the frame as a still image), or use the Time Remapping technique to freeze a portion of the frame.

Freeze video using Frame Hold options

Premiere Pro provides you rapid and efficient methods of capturing a still frame from a video clip by using Frame Hold options.

The Frame Hold options are designed to capture a still frame without creating any additional media or project items.

Add Frame Hold

  1. Position the playhead at the desired frame you’d like to capture.
  2. Select Clip > Video Options > Frame Hold. Or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+Shift+K (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+K (Win).

A still image of the current placement of the playhead is created in the Timeline. The still image that is added to the Timeline looks like the previous portion of the original clip without any change in name or color.

Insert Frame Hold segment

  1. Position the playhead in the Timeline where you'd like to insert a freeze frame.
  2. Select Clip > Video Options> Insert Frame Hold.

The clip at the Playhead position is split and a two-second freeze frame is inserted. You can then trim the inserted freeze frame to any length.

Export a still frame

Use the Export Frame button to create a still image (freeze frame) from a movie clip.

The Export Frame button in the Source Monitor and Program Monitor lets you quickly export a frame of video without using Adobe Media Encoder.

  1. Position the playhead at the desired freeze frame in a clip or sequence that you want to export.
  2. Click the Export Frame button. The Export Frame dialog box opens with the name field in text edit mode. The timecode of the frame from the original clip is appended to the still image clip’s name. For example, ClipName.00_14_23_00.Still001.jpg

Premiere Pro creates a still image file on disk and reimports it into the project by default, adding a new project item. You then have to manually edit the still image clip into a sequence.

Note:

Still images appear in Lavender color in the Timeline, letting you easily distinguish the imported clip from the original.

Freeze a video frame for the duration of a clip

You can freeze on the clip’s In point, Out point, or at marker 0 (zero), if present.

  1. Select a clip in a Timeline panel.
  2. To freeze a frame other than the In or Out point, open the clip in the Source Monitor, and set Marker 0 (zero) to the frame you want to freeze.

  3. Choose Clip > Video Options > Frame Hold.

  4. Select Hold On, and select the frame you want to hold from the menu.

    You can select the frame based on Source Timecode, Sequence Timecode, In Point, Out Point, or Playhead position.

  5. Specify Hold Filters as necessary, and then click OK.

    Hold Filters

    Prevents keyframed effect settings (if any are present) from animating during the duration of the clip. Effect settings use the values at the held frame.

    Note:

    If you set the hold frame on an In or Out point, changing the edit point doesn’t change the freeze frame. If you set the hold on Marker 0, moving the marker changes the frame displayed.

Freeze a frame for a portion of a clip using Time Remapping

  1. In a Timeline panel, select Time Remapping > Speed from Clip Effect menu.

    Note:

    The Clip Effect menu appears next to the filename of every clip in a video track. If the Clip Effect menu is not appearing, zoom in to the clip.

    Choose Time Remapping > Speed from a video effect control

    A horizontal rubber band that controls the speed of the clip appears across the center of the clip. The clip is shaded in contrasting colors above and below the 100% speed demarcation. A white speed-control track appears in the upper portion of the clip, just below the clip title bar.

  2. Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on the rubber band to create a speed keyframe .

  3. Ctrl+Alt-drag (Windows) or Option+Command-drag (macOS) the speed keyframe to the place at which you want the freeze frame to end.

    Note:

    Be sure to drag the rubber band horizontally, not vertically as you do with other keyframes.

    A second keyframe is created at the place where you dropped the keyframe. The inner half keyframes, the hold keyframes, take on a squared appearance as compared with regular speed keyframes. You cannot drag a hold keyframe unless you create a speed transition for it. Vertical tick marks appear in the speed control track to indicate the segment of the clip that is playing freeze frames.

  4. (Optional) To create a speed transition to or from the freeze frame, drag the left half of the speed keyframe on the left to the left, or the right half of the speed keyframe on the right to the right.

    A gray area appears between the halves of the speed keyframe, indicating the length of the speed transition. The rubber band forms a ramp between the two halves, indicating a gradual change in speed occurring between them.

    After you create a speed transition, you can drag a hold keyframe. Dragging the first hold keyframe slips it to a new media frame on which to hold. Dragging the second only alters the duration of the held frame.

  5. (Optional) To make the blue curve control appear, click the gray area in the speed control track between the keyframe halves.
  6. (Optional) To change the acceleration or deceleration of the speed change, drag either of the handles on the curve control.

    The change of speed eases in or eases out according to the curvature of the speed ramp.

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