Trim Session: A New Trim Editing Workflow In Premiere Pro CC 2015
What Do You Get When You Undo A Revert Trim Session?
What is a Trim Session? This post postulates that Trim Session is a newly enhanced and highly nuanced approach to trim editing in Premiere Pro CC 2015. Included in this post is a video demonstration of three feature requests that will further establish Trim Session editing as a unique and powerfully efficient editing workflow in Premiere Pro.
When it comes to NLE updates, the hope of every editor is twofold: improved media management and faster editing. Additional features are just bonus. So, let's ignore the Lumetri Color Panel for a moment and look at an enhancement in Premiere Pro CC 2015 that improves editing. This feature is hidden in the terminology of the Revert Trim Session button.
Revert "Trim Session"
In a previous post, it was hinted that Revert Trim Session has deeper implications beyond its own functionality. Here's the Revert Trim Session feature description in the CC 2015 release notes:
“A Revert Trim Session button can be added to the Program Monitor to enable an edit point to be returned to its original position before Trim Mode was entered”
But what is a Trim Session? There is no documentation for it, other than it can be reverted. You won't find either "trim" or "session" anywhere in the Premiere Pro CC 2014 press release. Perhaps it's an expanded capability of Trim Mode? Then why not call it "Reset Trim Mode"? No, Trim Session feels more nuanced than just editing in Trim Mode. So what is it besides semantics?
Trim Session Defined
This video defines Trim Session and how it can be improved with three feature requests.
It's logical to infer that a Trim Session includes all trim activity between the time Trim Mode was entered and exited. Said another way, Trim Session is a series of Trim Mode edits that Premiere Pro treats as one event. Keep in mind, editing in Trim Mode supports continuous loop playback. Now, apply this to editing a radio edit or finessing a rough cut in the timeline. Suddenly, Trim Session begins to look and feel different than other timeline editing methods. Instead of click-and-drag trimming or in-and-out-point editing—both of which require playback to be stopped and manually reset to review changes—Trim Session enables continuous, uninterrupted trim editing, which can be collectively undone in one command. Dynamite.
An Enhanced Trim Editing Workflow
Through the Revert Trim Session feature, Adobe has, knowingly or unknowingly, introduced a new term for an enhanced trim editing workflow. However, it's as if Trim Session has been teased out without fully delivering on it's obvious strengths. Certain functionality is still needed in order to establish Trim Session as its own editing workflow in Premiere Pro. The absence of three features in particular, prevent Trim Session from achieving its full potential.
Trim Session Feature Request
- The ability to jump between edit points during loop playback in a Trim Session.
- The ability to Toggle Trim Type during loop playback in a Trim Session.
- The ability to toggle target audio/video tracks during loop playback in a Trim Session.
Trim Session editing will truly come into its own when given the capability to switch trim type, jump between edit points, and toggle target audio/video tracks without having to stop loop playback. This will enable Premiere Pro editors to work down the timeline, trimming edit points on specific tracks more quickly, and all as one collective event. This ability to continuously adjust and collectively undo without interrupting playback will make Trim Session a very attractive editing method to all Premiere Pro editors.
Note, continuous loop playback is an advantage of Trim Session editing, not a requirement. Loop playback can be paused for fine-tuned edits and still be contained within a Trim Session.
Trim Session Summary
The key message of this post is not about reinventing the wheel or adopting new terminology, but improving Premiere Pro functionality for its users and satisfying the desire for faster editing workflows. Whether or not it's called "Trim Session" is beside the point. Call it whatever you want; these three feature requests provide the functionality Revert Trim Session inherently suggests, but Premiere Pro does not yet provide. Not to mention, they also give editing in Trim Mode the appeal it never really had.
If you would like to support these three feature requests, simply copy the feature request text above and paste them into Adobe's Feature Request form.
I realize feature requests are largely opinionated and, if you read this far, I want to thank you for investing your time in something I feel passionately about. Please leave your feedback and comments below or message me on social media. I would love to hear if this post resonates with you. Thanks for reading!
