How to Change Magnification and Set Display Quality in Adobe Premiere Pro

When you import a clip into Premiere Pro and attempt to view it in the Source or Program Monitor, it will automatically be scaled to fit into the available area. You can change the magnification setting for either of the monitors to see the video in more detail. You also can reduce the resolution of the Monitors to decrease the processing demands that the video places on your computer. This will allow you to work more quickly.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. To change magnification settings for the Monitors, choose a setting from the View Zoom Level menu. It is to the right of the current time display in both the Source and the Program Monitors

2. When you click on the arrow, you will see several percentages, ranging from 10 to 800 percent. In the Source Monitor, the values refer to the size of the source of your footage. In the Program Monitor, the values refer to the image size specified by your project settings.

3. If you are having problems watching your clips in real time, reduce the resolution of the Source or Program Monitors. This will allow your system to handle previewing clips that may otherwise require a render.

4. In either the Source or Program Monitor panel, go to the upper right hand corner and click on the arrow to reveal the Monitor menu. You can choose a quality setting from among "Highest," "Draft" or "Automatic Quality." The setting for “Highest Quality” will display your clips at full resolution. "Draft Quality" will display them at ½ that resolution. "Automatic Quality" adjusts the playback performance of your clip and adjusts accordingly.