To anyone new to the software, Adobe Premiere Pro can be a little overwhelming at first sight. The sheer amount of options and tools you have at your disposal pop up on the screen all at once.
One of these many tools is the timeline, which should appear regardless of your Premiere Pro layout. The timeline is an easy tool to navigate and use, but sometimes, there’s that one tool you’re unsure how to use or know where it’s located. The zoom tool and knowing how to zoom in and out.
We’ll show you how to zoom in and out of your Premiere Pro as quickly as possible while providing necessary detail and pictures.
If you’re looking for how to create a zoom-in/out effect on your project, you can with our other content, How to zoom in on Premiere Pro.
Why should I know how to zoom in on my timeline?
Being able to zoom in on your timeline allows you to edit your projects in much finer detail than you could if you were zoomed out. You can cut videos much more accurately, and you’ll have an easier time moving clips around.
It’s a basic tool, but it’s one of the tools you’ll use the most, especially if you’re planning to work on plenty of future projects.
The 2 ways you can zoom in & out on the timeline
You can zoom in and out on your Premiere Pro timeline in two ways. One way is to use the Zoom tool, which you can access through the toolbar next to your timeline or by temporarily pressing the (Z) hotkey.
The other way is by using the zoom bar below the timeline. To zoom in, decrease the size of the bar by using the dots on either side. To zoom out, increase the size of the bar. Easy.
Zoom in/out using the zoom tool
You can find the zoom tool on the toolbar. This can be located in different places depending on your Premiere Pro layout, although it should be located in a similar place to the image above. We’ve highlighted the tool with a red square so you can identify it quickly.
You can click your mouse on the timeline when this tool is selected to zoom in. You’ll know you have the tool selected as your mouse cursor will turn into a magnifying glass.
To zoom out while using this tool, hold the ‘Alt‘ button on your keyboard next to the space bar while clicking your mouse. You will see that the little (+) icon inside the cursor magnifying glass has turned into a (–).
Zoom in/out using the zoom bar
The zoom bar is our preferred way to zoom in/out of the timeline. It’s just easier.
Locate the zoom bar beneath your Premiere Pro timeline. It should have two dots on either side of it. To zoom out, increase the size of this bar and to zoom in, decrease the size.
You don’t have to select any other tools to use this method, change the size of the zoom bar, and that’s all you need to do.
Summary
As you can see, zooming in and out of your timeline on Premiere Pro is a piece of cake. Let us know if there are other methods or different tutorials you’d like us to cover.
If you want to see our other, easy-to-follow tutorials and guides, you can in our complete guide to Premiere Pro.
