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Step 1: Straighten the red cross
Import a transparent red cross image (the video links one in its description) and place it on the timeline. Select it, open Effect Controls and change Rotation until the cross looks like a plus sign. Make the two lines as straight as possible, because the next steps rely on it. You may also need to lower Scale a little and move the image to the center.
Step 2: Nest the image and apply Crop
Because you changed rotation and scale and still want to animate the layer, nest it first. Right click the image on the timeline, choose Nest, give it a name and click OK. Then search for Crop in the Effects panel (it is under Video Effects > Transform) and apply it to the nested layer. Click Crop in Effect Controls to show the blue handles in the Program Monitor.
Step 3: Crop one line and animate it
Drag the left handle as close as possible to the cross without touching it, then do the same with the right handle. Drag the top and bottom handles in so that only the horizontal line remains. This is why straight lines matter. Next, create a keyframe for Right at the start, move forward a bit and drag the right handle further left, so the line wipes in from one side. Play it back and the first stroke is animated.
Step 4: Ease the keyframes
Because you used Crop, you can smooth the animation. Select the keyframes, right click one of them and choose Ease In, then right click again and choose Ease Out. For more control, open the arrow next to Right, select one keyframe and adjust its handles in the speed graph. Only drag the handles sideways, because moving them up or down will mess up the animation.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
Step 5: Duplicate the line to make the cross
Select the nested layer, hold Alt (Option on a Mac) and drag it up one track to duplicate it. With the top layer selected, set the Anchor Point to the center of the line, then change Rotation by 90 degrees to turn the plus again. Move one layer a little later in time so the two lines animate one after the other. Select both nested layers, right click and choose Nest again, and rotate the new nested layer to get an X instead of a plus.
If you are not happy with the direction of the strokes, change the rotation of the nested sequence, or apply Horizontal Flip or Vertical Flip to the clip for a slightly different animation. Our guide to flipping video in Premiere Pro shows where to find them.
Step 6: Add the glow
Duplicate the nested layer by holding Alt or Option and dragging it up. Apply Gaussian Blur (under Video Effects > Blur & Sharpen) to the top layer. In Effect Controls, move to the point where the two lines overlap and create a keyframe for Blurriness. Move forward one frame with the Right Arrow key and increase Blurriness to around 400, or whatever you like. To fade the glow out, add an Opacity keyframe that lines up with the blur keyframe, move forward about a second and lower the opacity. Ease these keyframes as well, and move the second opacity keyframe to change how quickly the glow disappears.
Step 7: Add a zoom with an adjustment layer
Go to the Project panel, click New Item and choose Adjustment Layer. Drag it above both nested layers and match its duration to the clips.
One click with Mako: the free Mako panel adds an adjustment layer over the selected clips, at the playhead, on the first free track, in one click. Get Mako for free
Search for Transform, apply it to the adjustment layer and, at the start of the clip, click the stopwatch next to Scale. Move forward about one second and set the scale to around 75, or whatever you like. Ease the keyframes and fine tune the speed graph again. The cross now shrinks slightly after it appears, which adds impact.
Step 8: Nest everything and keep it transparent
Highlight all the layers, right click, choose Nest and click OK. The animation is transparent, and you can check that by opening the wrench menu in the Program Monitor and enabling Transparency Grid. You can now place the nested cross over any footage and move it where you want it.
Tips
- Keep the lines straight. The tidier your first step is, the cleaner the crop animation looks.
- Time it to the hit. Match the first stroke to a sound effect or a visual cut for the strongest impact.
- Save it as a preset. Once finished, see our guide to making a preset in Premiere Pro so you can reuse it.
FAQ
Why do I need to nest the image?
Nesting lets you animate a layer that already has rotation and scale changes, without those values interfering with the Crop effect.
How do I make the glow?
Duplicate the nested layer, apply Gaussian Blur and keyframe Blurriness to about 400, then fade the layer out with an Opacity keyframe.
Can I use the animation over other clips?
Yes. Nest all layers together and place the nested sequence above your footage. Turn on the transparency grid to check that the background is see through.
Make every keyframe animation feel polished with EaseFlow, which applies easing curves in one click.
