New Interface and Workspaces

Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 debuts a new user interface that lets you spend less time tweaking your desktop layout and more time actually editing video. Instead of a main window plus a series of separately floating palettes, the entire workspace is now contained within the application window itself, organized into docked groups of stacked tabbed panels that automatically resize to fully utilize available space.

The new environment improves efficiency, reduces clutter, and eliminates the headache of overlapping or hidden windows and palettes. In most situations, you'll now find it much easier to rearrange your workspace and quickly access the controls you need. But you can still easily create floating windows for panels or sets of panels, which can be especially useful when working with two monitors. The same docking interface design used in Adobe Premiere Pro is also found in the latest versions of After Effects, Adobe Encore DVD, and Adobe Audition, providing an even more consistent and intuitive environment
when using multiple applications together. Adobe Premiere Pro also includes Workspace presets (Editing,Effects, Audio, Color Correction), and lets you save any workspace modifications you make as a custom Workspace.

Try it: Organizing your workspace

1. Launch Adobe Premiere Pro and choose Open Project in the Welcome dialog. (If the Welcome dialog does not appear, choose File > Open Project>). Open the interface.prproj project file. The main Adobe Premiere Pro application window appears.

2. Resize the application window by dragging on any corner. (If the window is in Maximize mode, first click Restore at top right to make the window resizable.) If you have two computer monitors, pull the application
window across both. The Adobe Premiere Pro panels resize proportionately with one operation, so when you need space to view another application you no longer have to minimize Premiere Pro or move and resize multiple windows and palettes. Resize the window to use about 60-75% of total screen size.

3. Position your cursor on an edge between any two panels so that the cursor icon changes into a vertical or horizontal drag icon. Hold down the mouse button and drag the cursor to resize panels without creating overlaps, and while maintaining full utilization of the application window without resizing or tweaking any other panels.

4. The panel that currently has focus is indicated with an orange outline. Click on any other panel to change the focus. Make any panel the topmost panel in its group by clicking on the panel's tab at the upper-left. The panel size will remain consistent with the other panels in its group, with no overlapping of adjacent panels.

5. Hold down the mouse button on any panel tab and drag the panel around within the application window. As you move over other panels, a highlighted, panel-shaped preview indicates where the dragged panel will be positioned if you released the mouse button. If the cursor is centered over another panel, the preview fills the entire space of the target panel, indicating that the dragged panel will be grouped with that panel. If the preview highlights only part of the space of another panel, that panel will resize to make room for the dragged panel. In either case, the space left at the panel's original location gets automatically filled by an adjacent panel. Drag and release various panels to different locations to get a feel for rearranging the workspace.

6. . Panels aren't restricted to the application window. If your application window is maximized, resize it again to 60-75% of total screen size. Drag a panel outside the window and release the mouse button. The panel appears within a new floating palette window. Use the drag bar at the top to reposition the window, which you can resize by dragging at the sides or corners. You can also drag additional panels into palette, creating a tabbed stack, and drag them out again, either creating a new palette or restoring them to the main application window.

7. Choose Window > Workspace > Save Workspace to save your current panel arrangement. (Don't worry if you don't like the arrangement; you will learn how to delete it in a later step). When the Save Workspace
dialog appears, enter a name (e.g. “Test Workspace”) and click Save.

8. Choose Window > Workspace > Editing to reset the application window, then choose the just-saved custom Workspace from the same submenu. The panel arrangement in the application window reverts to the state it was in when you saved the Workspace.

9. Explore the workspace presets by choosing Window > Workspace again and selecting one of the workspace
presets listed in the submenu (Editing, Effects, Audio, or Color Correction). Try a different preset to see how the application window optimizes for different tasks. Any of these presets can be the starting point for a custom Workspace; simply make changes and save a new Workspace as described in step 7.

10. Choose Window > Workspace > Delete Workspace to open the Delete Workspace dialog. Select the name of your custom Workspace from the drop-down list, now click Delete. Confirm the deletion by once again choosing Window > Workspace. Your custom Workspace should no longer appear in the submenu. The steps above show how Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0's new user interface provides an extremely flexible and efficient working environment with key tools close at hand, yet out of the way when not needed. With proportional
resizing and panels that can be grouped, repositioned, or turned into floating palletes, the options for optimizing your workspace are nearly limitless. And with custom Workspaces, you can easily create and select personal favorite configurations that are optimized for each phase of post-production.