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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Pick a clip with fast movement
The effect only shows when something moves, so choose a clip with a clear subject and quick action. Jumps, flips, spins and fast camera moves all work well. Drop the clip on your timeline and park the playhead on a frame in the middle of the movement so you can judge the result as you go.
Step 2: Find the Echo effect
Open the Effects panel (Window > Effects) and type echo into the search field. You will see a few audio effects appear, but the one you want is under Video Effects > Time > Echo. Drag it onto your clip, or select the clip and double-click the effect.
Faster with BetterFX: skip the Effects panel. Press your BetterFX shortcut, type the first letters of Echo and press Enter to apply it to the selected clip. Get BetterFX
Step 3: Set up the Echo settings
Select the clip and open the Effect Controls panel. Scroll down to Echo and change these values:
- Echo Time (seconds): set it to a small negative number. The video uses -0.033, which pulls in frames from just before the current one and creates the trailing ghost images.
- Number Of Echoes: 3. More echoes give a longer, smoother smear, but it quickly starts to look messy.
- Starting Intensity: around 0.5. The video moves between about 0.44 and 0.56 while tuning the look.
- Decay: 1.00.
Scrub through the clip after each change. A tiny tweak to Echo Time or Starting Intensity makes a big visual difference, so adjust until the trails look natural for your footage.
Step 4: Choose an Echo Operator
The last setting, Echo Operator, decides how the ghost frames blend with the current frame. Open the dropdown and you will find Add, Maximum, Minimum, Screen, Composite In Back, Composite In Front and Blend. The video uses Add, which gives bright, glowing trails. Try the others while the playhead sits on a moving frame, because each one blends the ghosts in a different way and the best choice depends on how bright or dark your footage is.
Step 5: Play it back
Press the spacebar and watch the clip at full speed. The trails should follow the subject and fade quickly. If playback stutters, set the Program Monitor to a lower playback resolution while you tweak, then switch back before you export. If the effect feels too strong, lower Starting Intensity or drop to two echoes.
Tips
- Apply it to part of a clip. Cut the clip with C (Razor tool) around the action so the shutter lag only hits the big moment.
- Use it on 50 or 60 fps footage. Higher frame rates give smoother, more even trails because there are more frames to blend.
- Combine with other looks. Echo pairs nicely with a quick zoom or a color grade, and you can see another way to add impact in our impact effect tutorial.
FAQ
Where is the Echo effect in Premiere Pro?
It is in the Effects panel under Video Effects > Time > Echo. Searching for "echo" finds it quickly, but ignore the audio effects in the results.
Why does my shutter lag effect not show anything?
Echo only works on movement. If the subject is still, there is nothing to trail. Also check that Echo Time is not set to zero and that Number Of Echoes is more than one.
Can I use a positive Echo Time instead?
Yes. A positive value pulls from future frames, so the ghosts lead the action instead of trailing it. The negative value is what gives the classic slow shutter lag.
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