Premiere Pro how-to
How to fade in and out in Premiere Pro (video and audio)
Short answer
For video, open the Effects panel, find the Dissolve transitions and drag one (for example Cross Dissolve or Dip to Black) onto the start or end of the clip. Or keyframe Opacity from 0% to 100% in Effect Controls. For audio, expand the audio track in the timeline and drag the fade handles at the clip's edges.
Checked against: Adobe Premiere (formerly Premiere Pro), 2026 releases, Windows and Mac.
Method 1: Video fade
Select the clip
Select a clip in the Timeline panel.
Drop a Dissolve
In the Effects panel, search for the Dissolve effects and drag the one you want onto the beginning (fade in) or end (fade out) of the clip.
EffectsVideo TransitionsDissolve
Or keyframe Opacity
In Effect Controls, click the stopwatch next to Opacity and set keyframes from 0% to 100% (fade in) or 100% to 0% (fade out).
Method 2: Audio fade
Expand the audio track
Make the audio track taller in the Timeline panel so its handles show.
Drag the fade handles
Drag the handle at the start or end of the clip to create the fade. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt while dragging to change only the slope or only the duration; hold Shift to change one side of a crossfade.
Fade lengths that work
| Use | Length | At 30 fps |
|---|---|---|
| Fade from black at the start | 0.5 to 1 s | 15 to 30 frames |
| Fade out at the end | 1 to 2 s | 30 to 60 frames |
| Music fade out | 2 to 4 s | 60 to 120 frames |
If it doesn't work
| What you see | Fix |
|---|---|
| Transition won't fit | There are no spare frames past the clip's end; trim a few frames off the clip first. |
| Fade to white instead of black | Use Dip to Black (or Dip to White if that is what you want). |
| Audio fade handles not visible | Expand the audio track height. |
Questions people ask
What is the shortcut for a fade in Premiere Pro?
Select the edit point and press Ctrl-D (Windows) or Cmd-D (Mac) to apply the default video transition, Cross Dissolve unless you changed it.
How do I fade music out in Premiere Pro?
Drag the fade handle at the end of the music clip, or keyframe its volume down over two to four seconds.
How do I fade text in?
Drop a Cross Dissolve on the start of the graphic clip, or keyframe its Opacity.
More Premiere Pro guides
Sources and how we checked
- Adobe Help: Create fade-in video effects (checked 2026-10-05; Adobe blocks automated readers; text read from the Internet Archive copy of 20 Sep 2026)
- Adobe Help: Fade in or fade out clip audio (checked 2026-10-05; Adobe blocks automated readers; text read from the Internet Archive copy of 5 Jan 2026)
Reviewed October 5, 2026 by the Koldflux team. Each step is compared with Premiere Pro's own documentation (linked above) and with the top search results for this task; where they disagree, the maker's documentation wins. Steps without a source link follow the menu names that several current guides agree on.