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Step 1: Create a black video
Go to the Project panel, click the New Item button at the bottom and choose Black Video. Click OK in the dialog, then drag the new clip from the Project panel onto a track above your footage, such as V2, at the point where you want the character to blink. This black clip will become the eyelids.
One click with Mako: the free Mako panel adds a black color matte, which works just like Black Video here, at the playhead on the first free track in one click. Get Mako for free
Step 2: Add a Barn Doors transition to both ends
Open the Effects panel (Window > Effects) and search for Barn Doors. You will find it under Video Transitions > Wipe. Drag it onto the start of the black clip, then drag it onto the end of the clip as well. Now the black opens up from the middle at the start and closes again at the end, just like eyelids.
Click a transition in the timeline to see its settings in Effect Controls. The default Duration is quite slow, so type a much smaller number to make the doors move faster. The video brings it down to just a few frames. Use the small direction arrows around the preview thumbnail so the doors travel up and down, which gives you eyelids rather than curtains from the sides. The tooltip should read South to North.
Step 3: Shorten the black clip
A real blink is quick. Right-click the black clip in the timeline and choose Speed/Duration. In the Duration field, type a small value (the video uses 10, which Premiere reads as 10 frames) and click OK. A higher value makes the blink slower and a lower value makes it faster, so adjust it to match the mood of your shot.
Step 4: Nest the blink and blur the edges
Right-click the short black clip and choose Nest... so the black clip and both transitions become one nested sequence. Nesting lets you put an effect on the whole blink at once.
Now search for Gaussian Blur in the Effects panel and drag it onto the nested sequence. Select the nested sequence and open Effect Controls. Set Blur Dimensions to Vertical and raise Blurriness to a high value. The video uses 407. This softens the hard edge of the eyelids so they look like a natural, blurry blink instead of a sharp black bar.
Faster with BetterFX: skip the Effects panel. Press your BetterFX shortcut, type the first letters of Gaussian Blur and press Enter to apply it to the selected clip. Get BetterFX
Step 5: Copy the blink along the timeline
Hold Alt (Option on a Mac) and drag the nested blink to the right to duplicate it. Place copies wherever you want another blink. People usually blink in a short pair or at irregular intervals, so avoid spacing the copies perfectly evenly. Press the spacebar and play it back.
Tips
- Time it to the action. Put a blink right before a cut or when the subject looks away, so the effect feels motivated.
- Change the strength. If the eyelids look too harsh, raise the blur. If they look too faint, lower it a bit.
- Add a sound. A very quiet whoosh or breath under each blink makes the first-person feeling much stronger.
FAQ
How do you make a blink transition in Premiere Pro?
Put a black video above your clip, add a Barn Doors transition at the start and end, shorten the clip to a few frames, and blur it. Repeat the clip wherever a blink should happen.
Why is my eye blink effect too slow?
The default transition length is long. Shorten the Barn Doors Duration in Effect Controls, and reduce the clip length with Speed/Duration. A lower value gives a faster blink.
Why nest the black clip before adding Gaussian Blur?
The blur needs to affect the black clip together with its transitions. Nesting turns them into one clip, so a single effect softens the whole eyelid movement.
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