There are a variety of ways to connect Premiere Pro and After Effects. Premiere is used primarily for editing video and audio in a clean timeline. After Effects is most often used for Visual Effects and Motion Graphics. They are both available in the Adobe Suite and are essential tools for any video editors. File Extension conversion from AEP to PRPROJ is the conversion of computer file extensions from After Effects Project File to Premiere Pro Project. Furthermore, each computer program handles file extensions in a different manner.
This page is a companion document to the system requirements for Premiere Pro and After Effects. It provides additional information on system components and considerations for optimal performance.
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The four key variables for a great video production system are memory, storage, graphics, and your processor.
Memory
Professional video workflows rely on system memory. A good video editing workstation should have at least 32GB of memory— and as much as 128GB.
Adobe Premiere After Effects
Storage/hard drives
Fast storage is critical for video production. Use solid-state NVMe or SSD storage. Unless you have a fast RAID array, spinning disks generally do not offer sufficient speed for HD and 4K video production.
The best way to achieve excellent performance (and to keep different types of files organized) is to spread the load between multiple drives. An optimal setup has three drives:
- System drive for OS and applications
- Drive for the media cache
- Media drive (or shared storage)
Only have two drives? Use a fast external drive for your media and Media Cache.
The media cache is where Premiere Pro stores accelerator files, including peak files (.pek) and conformed audio (.cfa). Premiere Pro can make thousands of call to these files every second). For more information, see Set Media Cache preferences.
- NVMe Flash memory drives with Thunderbolt 3.0 connectivity are excellent.
- SSD drives with USB 3.1 connectivity are also good - but have a 4TB limit.
Graphics
The GPU is used for onscreen rendering and export, priority areas for video production. Premiere Pro is engineered to take advantage of the GPU. After Effects is also GPU-optimized.
- Graphics card with at least 4GB of memory (VRAM).
- (Optional) Multiple GPUs, including eGPUs, can be used to speed up rendering and export.
Out-of-date graphics drivers are one of the most common causes of performance issues with video applications. For optimal performance, make sure you have the latest drivers for your GPU, including integrated Intel GPUs. For more information, see GPU and GPU Driver Requirements for Premiere Pro.
Processor/GPU
For CPUs, clock speed matters more for After Effects. Multiple cores have more impact for Premiere Pro. The sweet spot for running both applications is a fast CPU with 8 cores.
- Core i7 or Core i9 Intel processors or AMD equivalents are strongly recommended.
- Fast clock speed at least 3.2 GHz, or higher.
- 8 cores are ideal for Premiere Pro. The application can use more cores, but without significant added benefit. Depending on the task, Premiere Pro runs at 93-98% efficiency with 8 cores.
H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) are widely used capture formats for DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, action cameras, and phones. H.264 is also the preferred format for uploading to YouTube and social media sites. These compressed formats are well suited for capture and distribution, but they are processor-intensive for post-production.
If you work with H.264 and H.265, consider Intel Core i7 and Core i9 processors, which offer Quick Sync hardware acceleration, supported in both Premiere Pro and After Effects.
AMD and Intel Xeon processors work well for other formats, such as cinema camera formats, (such as RED, Sony Venice, ARRI) and broadcast formats (such as XDCam HD).
Adding memory is the easiest and usually most impactful place to start if you want to upgrade your system to improve performance for both Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Upgrade Premiere Pro system in this order of priority:
- More RAM — up to 128GB if your motherboard supports it.
- A faster GPU (or additional GPUs) for faster rendering and export
- Faster (or more) NVMe or SSD drives
- Faster CPU
Upgrade your After Effects system in this order of priority:
- More RAM — 128GB is a good target for top-of-the-line systems.
- Faster (or more) SSD or NVMe drives
- Faster GPU (or additional GPUs) for faster rendering and export
- Faster CPU
Export times are impacted both by your graphics hardware and your workflow. A second GPU (same class GPU as the primary GPU) can provide substantial speed increases for export. Creating previews during your edit can also accelerate export times.
Assuming you have a good system, performance for multicam workflows is more dependent on your project setup than your hardware. Expert users create their own project templates to standardize their setup.
A calibrated reference monitor connected through external transmit hardware is highly recommended for accurate display of interlaced and color critical content. Proper monitoring of HDR content requires an HDR-capable external display.
This is a matter of personal preference. Because the timeline is a central element in the Premiere Pro UI, an ultra wide 37” display combined with a second reference monitor is an excellent option.
Simultaneous monitoring of multi-channel audio requires a multi-channel sound card. On Windows the sound card should be ASIO-capable.
Your workflow, and how you decide to work with file formats, can have a significant impact on overall performance. Our best practices guide for working with native formats has suggestions for designing your workflow to ensure optimal performance with your hardware.
- Puget Systems recommendations for Premiere Pro
- Puget Systems recommendations for After Effects
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Add authentic and realistic camera shake to your footage and motion graphics with these 15 FREE presets.
Do you have footage shot on a tripod that you want to look handheld? You can easily add camera shake to your video with these free presets designed for After Effects. You can also apply the free camera shake presets and bring the footage into a Premiere Pro project.
These free presets are also great for motion graphics, adding a unique feel to titles, lower thirds, and animations.
Download 15 Free Camera Shake Presets
In this pack of free presets from PremiumBeat, you’ll get the following:
- 24mmCamera Shake Preset (4K and HD)
- Heavy Movement
- Medium Movement
- Light Movement
- 35mm Camera Shake Preset (4K and HD)
- Heavy Movement
- Medium Movement
- Light Movement
- 50mm Camera Shake Preset (4K and HD)
- Heavy Movement
- Medium Movement
- Light Movement
- 85mm Camera Shake Preset (4K and HD)
- Heavy Movement
- Medium Movement
- Light Movement
- Zoom Camera Shake Preset (4K and HD)
- Crazy Zoom
- Light Slam Zoom
- Light Slow Zoom
But wait, if you add up the 4K and HD presets, that’s more than 15! It’s actually a pack of 30 FREE camera shake presets!
To download these presets, just click on the button below. These camera shake presets are free to use in any personal or commercial projects. By downloading, you agree not to resell or redistribute these free assets.
DOWNLOAD 15 FREE CAMERA SHAKE PRESETS
Link After Effects To Premiere Pro 2017
Camera Shake In Action
I made these camera shake presets for a variety of projects, and I still use them often, like in our review of the ultimate VFX camera. The shot was locked off, and all the camera shake you see here was added in post.
Here’s a quick breakdown of that entire shot.
Using the 15 Free Camera Shake Presets in After Effects and Premiere Pro
Want to learn how to use these presets on your next project? This tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know.
1. Install the Camera Shake Presets
Install the presets in your Adobe After Effects presets folder by copy and pasting the PB Free Camera Shake Presets folder into the presets folder under Adobe After Effects CC.
2. Open your Premiere Pro project, Replace with AE Comp
Select footage in your Premiere Pro timeline, right-click, and select Replace with After Effects Composition.
3. Save the Project File
Save your project file accordingly, and verify your composition settings at 4K or 1080p.
4. Create Null Object, Apply Camera Shake
Create a new Null Object. Then apply the camera shake preset of your choice to the null object by dragging and dropping.
5. Pick Whip footage to the Null
Grab the Pick Whip tool from your footage layer and parent it to the Null object.
6. Add Motion Blur
Turn on motion blur on both the footage layer and the overall composition itself.
7. Scale or use Motion Tile to fill the canvas
How To Import From After Effects To Premiere Pro
Adjust your footage size by either scaling the footage layer,
or applying the Motion Tile effect. Click Mirror Edge and change the Output Width and Output Height to fit your canvas.
8. Customize Free Camera Shake Presets by Adjusting Keyframes
You can further customize the free camera shake presets by adjusting the keyframes to change the timing and shake. You can simply delete a selection of keyframes, then extend and adjust the remaining keyframes by holding the Alt key and dragging your keyframes to the beginning of the clip.
Looking for more free filmmaking assets? Check these out.