How to Use Adobe Premiere Pro's New Text Tool (CC 2017 11.1)

When Adobe released the 11.1 update for Premiere Pro, they completely changed how text and graphics work. The old Title Tool was replaced with a new Type Tool that lets you write text directly onto the Program Monitor, just like you would in Photoshop or Illustrator. No more opening a separate title editor. You click, type, and the text appears right in your sequence.

The new tool is faster, more flexible, and integrates with the Essential Graphics panel for full customization. Today we go over how to use it.

How to Use the Type Tool

Creating Text

1. Find the Type Tool in the toolbar. It is at the very bottom of the tools panel by default. You can also press T on the keyboard to select it.
2. Click on the Program Monitor where you want the text to appear. If you just click, Premiere creates a self-adjusting text box that resizes as you type. If you click and drag, you create a fixed-size text box.
3. Start typing. A new Graphics layer will appear in the timeline automatically. This layer holds your text.

Customizing Text in Effect Controls

4. Click on the graphics layer in the timeline, then go to Effect Controls.
5. You will see the text element listed inside the graphics layer. Click on it to expand the controls.
6. From here you can adjust:
   • Font, size, and style (bold, italic, condensed)
   • Color, stroke, and drop shadow under the Appearance section
   • Position, scale, and rotation under the Transform section
   • Paragraph alignment (left, center, right, justified)

Using the Essential Graphics Panel

7. For a more visual editing experience, open the Essential Graphics panel by going to Window > Essential Graphics.
8. The panel gives you the same controls as Effect Controls but laid out in a more intuitive way. You can drag to reorder elements, adjust alignment, and preview changes in real time.

Animating Text

The Type Tool integrates with keyframe animation just like any other element in Premiere Pro.

1. In Effect Controls, find the Source Text property inside your text element.
2. Click the stopwatch next to it to enable keyframes. You can then change the text content at different points in time to create a typewriter-style animation.
3. You can also animate the Position, Scale, Rotation, and Opacity properties to make text slide in, fade in, or grow on screen.
4. For more polished reveals, check out how to create a text reveal animation.

Tips

• One graphics layer can hold multiple elements. You can add additional text, shapes, and images to the same graphics layer. This keeps your timeline cleaner than having separate layers for every piece of text.
• Use masks for creative effects. Below the text element name in Effect Controls, you will find mask tools. You can use these to crop, reveal, or hide portions of the text.
• Center your text using the Align and Transform controls in the Essential Graphics panel if you need it perfectly centered on screen.
• Save as a Motion Graphics Template. If you create a text design you like, you can export it as a .mogrt file and reuse it across projects.

The Type Tool is straightforward once you know where everything is. Spend a few minutes playing with it and it will become a natural part of your editing workflow.