Import and preview clips

Start your first video project by importing your footage, then save time with preview options.

Published January 12, 2026

00:01

Introduction

Hello everyone, I'm Hallease, a filmmaker and storyteller based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Creating a video is like baking a cake, you just need the right ingredients.

In video editing your ingredients, also called clips, are your media files like videos, graphics, and music.

You'll add all those clips to a sequence, and it's the sequence that becomes your video, just like your eggs, flour and sugar come together to make a cake.

There are a few different ways to import your clips

00:24

Importing clips using Import mode

into Adobe Premiere Pro.

When you're starting a new project, the easiest way is to use the Import mode, which opens automatically when you click New Project, then navigate to where you saved your footage and select the clips you want.

Before you click Create, though, let's talk about the Create new sequence option on the right-hand side.

If this option is enabled, Premiere Pro will create a sequence of your clips in the order you selected them.

If you'd prefer to assemble your clips in a more bespoke manner, toggle the switch to disable it.

Clicking Import will automatically switch you to Edit mode.

You can see all your media in the Project panel here.

If you want to add additional media, you can switch back to the Import mode by clicking at the top of the Premiere Pro interface and selecting more clips.

Or you can also double click the background of the Project panel

01:13

Adding additional media to a project

to open a Finder or Explorer window and select the clips there.

If you're like me and most filmmakers, you probably shot a lot more footage then you need.

There's an easy way to review your clips from the Project panel

01:25

Reviewing footage with hover scrub

so you can decide which ones to use.

Just select Icon view at the bottom of the panel and then without clicking to select any clips, hover your cursor over the thumbnails to see a preview of their contents.

This is called Hover Scrub.

01:42

Building a sequence in the Timeline panel

Now that I know which clips to add, it's time to build our sequence.

I'll add my first clip by dragging it from the Project panel into the Timeline panel.

I can also select and drag multiple clips, and they will be added to the sequence in the order I select them.

Let's recap.

The first steps in editing your video are to import and review your footage.

You can use Import mode or double click the background of the Project panel to add clips.

Once imported, you can review your footage with Hover Scrub in Thumbnail view.

Finally, add your newly imported clips by dragging them into the Timeline panel.

In the next video, we're going to walk through assembling a rough cut.

I'll see you over there.

Note: Stock assets provided are for practice purposes only. See terms.

What you'll learn

Create a new project

The first step in any video edit is to create a new project and import your footage using Import mode.

Add more footage

Double-click in an empty part of the Project panel to add additional footage if needed.

Review your clips

After you import your footage, use thumbnail view to quickly see the contents of your clips. You can also double-click on any clip to open it in the Source Monitor.

Create a sequence

Drag your clips into the Timeline panel to create a sequence.

Instruction by: Hallease Narvaez
Footage by: Valentina Vee
Adobe Stock Contributors: Blackboxguild; Daozlimited

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