You can make sophisticated compositions in Adobe Premiere Pro by adding motion graphics to your video clips. Import multilayered graphics from Adobe Photoshop and manipulate their scale, skew, and position. Every track is a compositing track that includes an alpha channel so that transparency is built in. Just add layers, adjust, and go!

1. Import Adobe Photoshop files.

To take full advantage of new compositing capabilities in Adobe Premiere Pro, use Photoshop files with transparent backgrounds, or add an alpha channel to an existing Photoshop file. For example, you can create a logo on a single, transparent layer to animate over video.

Import the Photoshop file as footage with merged layers and then add it to the topmost track in the Timeline window. Add video clips to the lower tracks. Use the rate stretch tool in the Timeline window to adjust the duration of the graphic to around five seconds.

2. Optimize your work area to use effects.

Adobe Premiere Pro uses effects to animate layers and provides a workspace setting designed specifically for this task. Choose Window > Workspace > Effects to open the Effect Controls window, docked in the Monitor window. Click the tab to view its contents.

3. Set keyframes for the Motion effect.

To animate clips, use the Motion effect. This effect allows you to adjust the position, scale, and rotation properties of a clip. Because these properties are intrinsic characteristics of a clip, they are built into every clip. As such, the Motion, Opacity, and Volume effects appear in the Effect Controls window whenever you select a clip in the Timeline window. To view these effects, select the Photoshop file in the Timeline window.

To make Motion properties vary over a specific duration, you must set at least two keyframes for each property. Adobe Premiere Pro interpolates values between these keyframes. Expand the Motion effect in the Effect Controls window and click the stopwatch for each property to establish starting keyframes.

4. Adjust the clip handles.

The easiest way to animate scale and position is by directly manipulating clip handles in the Program view of the Monitor window. To activate clip handles, select the Motion effect in the Effect Controls window. Handles appear around the edges of the image and an anchor point appears at its center. All adjustments are calculated around the anchor point.

Next, position the selection tool on the image in the Program view. To adjust scale or rotation, position the selection tool over a handle and drag when the rotation or scale cursor appears. To adjust position, place the selection tool anywhere on the clip (except on a clip handle) and drag. Use a combination of adjustments to set the graphic's starting position.

5. Animate the graphic.

In the Effect Controls window, move the current-time indicator to the end of the timeline. When you adjust the Photoshop file in the Program view, Adobe Premiere Pro automatically creates new keyframes for each property value that you change. Change the Photoshop file's position, scale, and angle in the Program view, using the area in and around the video frame. To see the entire video frame and work area, select a setting such as 25% for the View Zoom Level in the Program view.

When you reposition the graphic, a dotted motion path appears in the Program view. Each dot represents a frame in the timeline; X's represent keyframes.

6. Adjust the motion path in the Program view.

To create more interesting animations, you can adjust the shape of the motion path and change the interpolation method for your keyframes. In the Effect Controls window, move the current-time indicator to the middle of the timeline and click the Add/Remove Keyframe button to add a new Position keyframe. In the Program view, drag the new keyframe (which appears at the center of the anchor point) so that the motion path forms an angle.

Next, change the interpolation methods of the keyframe so that the graphic's speed varies, simulating realistic movement. Right-click the center keyframe you just created in the Effect Controls window and choose Fast In from the menu that appears to accelerate the clip's movement as it approaches the keyframe. Right-click the keyframe again and choose Easy Curve Out to slow its movement as it exits the keyframe.

7. Add other effects.

You can add other video effects by dragging them to the clip in the Timeline window from the Effects window. Or you can animate the Opacity effect to make the Photoshop file fade to black by setting two keyframes: one with a value of 100%, the second with a value of 0%.

8. Preview the animation.

When you've completed your animation, press the spacebar to preview the results.

You can animate any clip using the methods discussed here or you can use the Transform effect to skew the clip in addition to adjusting its position, scale, and angle.