Selecting a layer

[yosale]

I have media on several layers (tracks) on my timeline (one on top of the other).
When I am in Photoshop, I can click on a particular layer to select and work on it.
In Premiere, is there a way to click on a particular media in the project window to select it?
For example when I want to rescale a clip using the mouse.

Thanks,
Joe

[Bob]

To select a particular media clip, locate where it is in the timeline and click on it. By default the audio and video for a clip are linked, so both will be selected. If you only want to select either the video or audio without selecting both, Alt + click on the one you want to select.

[RJ Johnston]

Joe,

There is a less obvious way to select media in the preview window. Let's say that you have a picture-in-picture effect, and the media on the bottom layer (background) is selected. If you try to click the media on the top layer in the preview window, you can't select it by left-clicking it. You can right-click on it and then select "Select" from the popup menu, where you'll get a choice of which image you want to select. Then you can resize it.

[yosale]

Thanks you Bob and RJ,

RJ's solution hits the nail on the head. Perfect!!!!.
I wish I had known this a long time ago. I have struggled with this issue for a long time.

Joe

[RJ Johnston]

Thanks for reporting the success. RJ

[Bob]

I used this method in Premiere Elements 7. I don't know for sure that it still works in 13, but there's a good chance it will. If the media clip you want to adjust is at least partially showing in the monitor, there is easy way to select it. If another clip is already selected (you see the bounding boxes around it) deselect everything by clicking on an empty area of the monitor panel area or the timeline. Then, when nothing is selected, place the cursor over the image of the clip you want to select in the monitor and double click. The clip should then be selected and the bounding boxes should appear. This method also works in Premiere Pro and I use it there.

If the clip you want to select is hidden behind another clip so you can't see any part of it, you will need to select it using the method RJ described or use the method I originally described.

[yosale]

Hi Bob,

Thanks again for your latest suggestion. I tried it with Premiere Elements 13. I de-selected everything on the Preview window (all corner handles disappeared). Then double-clicked on a image that I wanted to select, But invariably it selected the lowest layer( the background).


Four years I used to use Premier Pro but ever since they started charging monthly fees, I switched to premiere elements. I am a casual user, not the professional and I'm pretty satisfied with premiere elements.

Joe

[Bob]

Thanks for trying it and letting us know the results. Looks like that feature was dropped. I'm guessing that it was one of those undocumented features inherited from its Premiere Pro roots and lost as the Premiere Elements interface evolved.

I still have the Premiere Elements 7 disc, so I reinstalled it to double check my memory of how it worked. It was flakier than I had remembered. It still worked pretty much the way I described, but sometimes it would select the background instead of the one I was clicking on. Another double click selected the one I was clicking on though. Sometimes a single click would select the next clip, but there was little consistency.

I'm using Premiere Pro CS6 and it works well in that. No inconsistency, it's solid. I only need to double click on one clip image to get the bounding boxes and can then use a single click to select another clip and get the bounding boxes on it. If I select the background though, I do have to deselect before selecting another clip. Very handy when working with multiple clips on the screen.

[yosale]

It is strange that Adobe has two different methods for performing the same task in premiere elements 13 and Premier Pro.
Obviously, in premiere Pro it's much easier and more intuitive to select a clip. Supposedly, premiere elements 13 is intended to make things easy but they chose to make it more convoluted. From a software development standpoint it would seem to me that it would be more economic to have the same code in both versions as to minimize coding effort and maintenance. It is really not such a big feature that will distinguish premier Pro from Premier elements. I'm really puzzled by the Adobe's approach. Street

[Peru]

From a software development standpoint it would seem to me that it would be more economic to have the same code in both versions as to minimize coding effort and maintenance.

I believe that the two applications use different software teams.

[Bob]

I believe Peru is correct. Two teams. The early versions of Premiere Elements looked and worked like Premiere Pro but with reduced capabilities. I believe the two products originally shared the same core code but had a different user interface maintained by a separate team. It certainly does appear that the core code was shared through several versions. But, I don't know whether they still share any code. The core code may have "forked" and may now be developed independently.

[yosale]

Not very smart. One of the foundations of good software engineering is reusability of code. Also, if one wants to switch from the Pro version to the elements one or vice versa, will have to learn a new way for doing the same thing.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Also, if one wants to switch from the Pro version to the elements one or vice versa, will have to learn a new way for doing the same thing.

(Once upon a time, long, long ago....)

I switched from Premiere Elements 2 to PPro. At that point PrEl v2 appeared to be very much a reduced function version of PPro so the transition was very easy. I haven't used PrEl since so cannot comment on how easy/difficult that transition might be now.

[Peru]

Also, if one wants to switch from the Pro version to the elements one or vice versa, will have to learn a new way for doing the same thing.

(Once upon a time, long, long ago....)

I switched from Premiere Elements 2 to PPro. At that point PrEl v2 appeared to be very much a reduced function version of PPro so the transition was very easy. I haven't used PrEl since so cannot comment on how easy/difficult that transition might be now.

I upgraded from Premiere Elements 3.0.2 to Premiere Pro CS4 and had no trouble adjusting. I think that the Premiere Elements users that rely on Sceneline would be the ones that have a longer learning curve.