How To Use Masks In Premiere Pro

By Kevin Graham

If you want to dynamically crop an image or graphic in your edit, masks are the best way to do this.

A mask is a selection that you make within your image, which results in everything outside of that selection becoming no longer visible (or, in inverted mode, everything inside the selection being cut).

In Premiere Pro, masks are easy to make.

Simply click either the rectangle, ellipse, or draw tool in the “mask” section in the “opacity” tab, and a new mask will be created.

You can adjust the mask further by licking and dragging the anchor point, or even creating additional ones.

The two pre-made shape tools are a great way to quickly create basic masks, and the draw tool allows for more precise shapes.

You can adjust the feather, opacity, expansion, and even animate the mask path with keyframes.

I make frequent use of masks in my edits, and the fact that this can all be done within Premiere Pro is a huge time saver.

Kevin is the Music Director and Lead Composer at Filmpac.