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Short answer: Mako
For documentary and long-form editors on Premiere Pro 2022, the best free panel is Mako. It takes the small jobs you repeat hundreds of times across a long timeline and makes each one a single click.
Mako runs in Premiere Pro 2022 (version 22) and later, on Mac and Windows. It costs nothing, and there is no account or license key to manage between projects.
Long-form work and version 22 go well together. Premiere Pro 22.0 added Simplify Sequence, which makes a cleaned-up copy of a sequence for sharing or archiving and can remove empty tracks and markers. Mako takes care of the editing in between.
What long-form editors get
A documentary lives on interviews, archive and B-roll, often across many sequences. These are the Mako tools that pay off most on a long project.
- Freeze Frame. Park the playhead and click. Mako places a PNG still of that frame on the track above, held for the whole clip. Shift-click for a 3-second still from the playhead.
- New Sequence. An empty sequence with the settings of the one you are in, opened in its own tab. Ideal for a new act, a selects reel or a trailer.
- Adjustment Layer. Select a whole act and click to grade it under one layer, cut to fit on the first free track. Mako never overwrites a clip.
- Color Matte. Pick a color and get a clean background for chapter cards, dates and locations.
- Staircase and Unstaircase. Step interview angles or archive clips up one track each, then bring them back down to one track.
- A tidy project. Adjustment layers and freeze frames go into a Mako bin, so a big project stays easy to find your way around.
- Seven more tools. Fit to Frame, Clear Effects, QC Check, Transparency Grid, Nest, Unnest and Delete Empty Tracks, also one click each.
Every tool is free, and Mako updates itself in the background, so the panel stays current through even the longest project.
Step 1: Install and dock Mako
Add Mako to your cart and check out. It is free, so no card is needed, and the download appears right after checkout. We also email you the link.
On a Mac, open Mako.pkg. On Windows, run MakoSetup.exe from the zip. Restart Premiere Pro 2022 and open Window > Extensions > Mako. The panel lays its buttons out in columns when it is tall and in rows when it is wide, so it fits any workspace.
Step 2: Hold a moment with Freeze Frame
Documentaries pause all the time: on a face when a name comes up, on an archive photo while the narration lands, on the last frame before a chapter card. Park the playhead on the exact frame and click Freeze Frame.
The still lands on the track above the clip and is held for the clip's full length, so you can trim it to the beat you need. Want just a short hold? Shift-click for a 3-second still that starts at the playhead.
For more ways to use a held frame, see our freeze frame tutorial and the flashback effect, both made for story-driven edits.
Step 3: Trim the panel to your workflow
Long-form editors live in their keyboard. Click the gear to open Settings and, on the Buttons tab, switch off the buttons you don't use and drag the rest into your own order. Hidden buttons keep their shortcuts.
On the Shortcuts tab, give Freeze Frame, New Sequence and the rest a key each, like Option + 1 or an F key on its own. Shortcuts work in the timeline and the monitor as long as the panel is open, even docked behind another tab. For a tour of every button, read the full Mako guide, or see how Mako fits social media editors on Premiere Pro 2023.
FAQ
Does Mako work with Premiere Pro 2022?
Yes. Mako works in Premiere Pro 2022 (version 22) and every later version, on macOS and Windows.
How do I make a freeze frame in Premiere Pro 2022 quickly?
Park the playhead on the frame you want and click Freeze Frame in Mako. A still of that frame goes on the track above the clip, held for the whole clip. Shift-click for a 3-second still from the playhead.
Where do Mako's freeze frames go in my project?
Into a Mako bin, together with the adjustment layers Mako creates. Your other bins stay exactly as you organized them.
Can I hide the Mako buttons I don't use?
Yes. In Settings, on the Buttons tab, switch off any button. It disappears from the panel and keeps its keyboard shortcut.
Give your next long edit thirteen one-click tools, for free. Get Mako for Premiere Pro.
