How to Create a Timer in Premiere Pro CC

A timer is a useful visual element for showing elapsed time in a video. It works great for cooking tutorials, workout videos, DIY projects, time-lapse sequences, or any content where tracking time adds context. Unlike a countdown that counts backward, a timer counts upward from zero.

Premiere Pro does not have a dedicated timer tool, but you can create one using the Timecode effect on a transparent video layer. With some cropping and color adjustment, you can customize it to fit any project. Today I am going to show you how.

How to Create a Timer in Premiere Pro

Adding the Timecode

1. Create a sequence and place your footage on the timeline.
2. Go to File > New > Transparent Video. Click OK with the default settings.
3. Drag the transparent video from the Project panel onto the timeline, on a track above your footage. Adjust its length to match how long you want the timer to run.
4. Go to the Effects panel and search for Timecode (under Video Effects > Video). Drag it onto the transparent video.

Configuring the Timer

5. In Effect Controls, find the Timecode settings:
   • Set the Format to SMPTE (the standard time format).
   • Set the Timecode Source to Generate. This makes it count from zero instead of reading the clip’s embedded timecode.
   • Check your footage’s frame rate by right clicking it in the Project panel and going to Properties. Set the Time Display to match (24fps, 25fps, 30fps, etc.). Always choose the non-drop frame option.

Formatting the Display

6. Use the Size field to adjust how large the timer text appears.
7. To remove the background behind the numbers, set the Opacity to 0%. To keep a background, set it to any value above 0.
8. The full timecode displays hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. For most timers, you only need minutes and seconds. Apply the Crop effect (Effects > Video Effects > Transform > Crop) to the transparent video. Use the Left and Right crop values to cut off the hours and frames portions.

Changing the Color

9. Go to the Effects panel and search for Tint. Drag it onto the transparent video.
10. In Effect Controls, find the Tint effect. The timer text defaults to white on a black background:
    • Change Map White To to set the text color (any color you want).
    • Change Map Black To to set the background color (if you kept the opacity above 0).
11. Position the timer on screen using the Motion > Position controls in Effect Controls.

Tips

• Add a background graphic. Create a small rectangle shape behind the timer for a cleaner, more readable look. A semi-transparent dark rectangle ensures the numbers are visible on any footage.
• Use the Offset property in the Timecode effect to start the timer at a specific time instead of zero. This is useful if you want the timer to begin at 2:00 instead of 0:00.
• For a countdown instead, check out how to create a countdown in Premiere Pro. It uses the same Timecode technique but with the speed reversed.
• Extend the transparent video longer than you need and trim the front to start the timer at a specific elapsed time.
• Pair with text overlays to label what the timer is measuring. “Elapsed Time” or “Cook Time” above the timer gives it context.

That is how you create a timer in Premiere Pro. The Timecode effect does the counting for you. All you need to do is format it and position it where you want.