Additionally, the titling tool, which has been improved from Premiere Elements 2.0, is actually a little more convenient than the one found in Premiere Pro 2. When you hit the “Add Text” button right above the preview window, it creates a title on the frame from the playback head to 5 seconds ahead on the timeline. Because the number of options aren’t quite as profuse as those found in PP2, it allows the option pad for the titles to fit neatly on the properties panel, without requiring you to create an entire “Titling” workspace, such as most of us do in Premiere Pro 2. I actually found it was easier to whip out 1/3 graphics and the like with the Elements 3.0 titling tool, as well.
Another new feature that’s very simple to use is the “Add Narration” button. While it won’t loop your audio for easy redubbing purposes (you’ll still need Adobe Audition or Sony Vegas for that), it does permit very easy narration recording from any mic that the computer happens to recognize as being attached, including USB mics. (Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to auto-detect some USB mics, as I did have difficulty getting it to recognize a Blue Snowball USB mic. However, with a little exploring in the audio setup, I was able to manually add the mic and it worked fine.)
Depth of Options
While it’s missing some of the more complex options like a slip editing tool, multiple timelines, nesting abilities, and the like, the abilities Premiere Elements 3.0 brings to the table are pretty impressive. Besides the ones that largely relate to ease of use which I’ve already mentioned, Premiere Elements 3.0 now supports HDV, which further makes it a good choice for new filmmakers. Additionally, for folks who want to do animation, Elements 3.0 now supports stop-motion animation, for time-lapse shots, claymation, and traditional animation. One nice feature of this is an onion peel layout, which shows preceding frames in partial opacity to make it easier to sync motion from frame to frame.
