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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Open Speed/Duration
Place your clip on the timeline, then right-click it and choose Speed/Duration from the menu. You can also select the clip and press Ctrl + R (Cmd + R on a Mac). A small Clip Speed / Duration window opens.
Step 2: Lower the speed
The Speed field starts at 100 %. Type a lower number to slow the clip down. The video uses 60, which stretches the clip from about 5 seconds and 26 frames to 9 seconds and 23 frames. Anything below 100 percent is slow motion, so go lower for a more dramatic effect. The Duration updates automatically, because the two fields are linked.
Leave Ripple Edit, Shifting Trailing Clips checked or unchecked depending on your edit. If other clips sit right after this one, ticking it moves them along so nothing overlaps.
Step 3: Set Time Interpolation to Optical Flow
This is the step that makes the slow motion smooth. At the bottom of the window, open the Time Interpolation drop-down. It has three options:
- Frame Sampling: repeats existing frames. It is fast, but the motion can look stuttery.
- Frame Blending: blends neighbouring frames together. It is smoother, but can look ghosted.
- Optical Flow: analyses the movement and creates brand new in-between frames. This gives the smoothest slow motion.
Choose Optical Flow and click OK.
Step 4: Render the clip
Optical Flow takes a lot of computing power, so playback may stutter at first, and a red bar appears above the clip in the timeline. Select the clip and go to Sequence > Render Selection. Premiere processes the new frames, and when it is done the bar turns green and you can play the slow motion in real time. If you work with in and out points, Render In to Out works too.
Step 5: Compare before and after
Play the clip and compare it with the original. With Optical Flow the motion should glide, where plain frame sampling would jump. If you see warping around fast-moving limbs or edges, try a slightly higher speed percentage or switch to Frame Blending for that clip.
Tips
- Shoot at a high frame rate. Footage recorded at 60 fps or more slows down far more cleanly than 24 or 30 fps footage. See our guide to changing the frame rate in Premiere Pro for more on how this works.
- Keep the background simple. Optical Flow struggles when objects cross in front of busy backgrounds, which causes smeared edges.
- Render before you export. Rendering also makes it much easier to check your slow motion while you edit.
FAQ
How do you make smooth slow motion in Premiere Pro?
Right-click the clip, choose Speed/Duration, lower the Speed percentage and set Time Interpolation to Optical Flow. Then render the clip.
Why does my slow motion look choppy?
By default Premiere uses Frame Sampling, which only repeats existing frames. Switch to Optical Flow or Frame Blending to fill the gaps with new frames.
Why is my Optical Flow clip warped or glitchy?
Optical Flow guesses the missing frames, so fast movement and busy backgrounds can create artifacts. Slow the clip down less, or use footage shot at a higher frame rate.
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