How to Create Split Screen Videos in Premiere Pro [Easiest Way]

Split-screen videos are a technique often used in film, television, and video content to show viewers different scenes or actions in the same frame. With this, creators can display explanations and visuals side by side or feature multiple perspectives of an event simultaneously.

Creating split-screen videos is possible on Adobe Premiere Pro. By using its Crop effect, you can divide your screen into multiple sections, where each section displays different video clips. However, Premiere Pro can be challenging for beginners due to its complex interface and extensive feature set.

If you're new to Premiere Pro and find it hard to navigate, follow our guide below to make the process straightforward and easier to follow.

Part 1. How to Create a Split Screen in Premiere Pro

Cropping video clips in Premiere Pro is similar to editing images in photo editing software. Both processes involve isolating specific portions of the media to focus on. The Crop effect on Premiere Pro comes with the software, so there’s no need to download additional plugins or tools.

Here’s a detailed guide on how to create a split screen in Premiere Pro:

• Step 1: Import all the clips you want to display and arrange them in the sequence timeline.
• Step 2: Trim each clip to make sure they are of equal length.
• Step 3: Disable other tracks so you can focus on one of the clips first. Then, navigate to the Effects panel and apply the Crop effect to your video.

Make any necessary adjustments to the clip, such as the crop, position, and scale settings until you are satisfied with the arrangement. You can adjust these settings freely or refer to the next part for more precise adjustments.

After that, you can repeat these steps for each clip in your sequence. You may need to revisit and adjust clips to ensure they fit together seamlessly.

How to add borders in a split-screen video

To add borders between your video clips, you may think of creating gaps between them. While it's possible, using that method will make it hard to ensure each clip is evenly sized and spaced. Instead, here's how you can add borders in a split-screen video:

• Step 1: Navigate to File > New > Legacy Title to open the title editor.
• Step 2: Use the Line tool to draw lines along the edges of your clips. Adjust the line width and color until it looks right.

• Step 3: Close the title editor. You'll see the border in your project browser. Drag it onto the timeline above your clips.

Part 2. How to Scale the Cropping Percentage

You now understand the basics of how to create split-screen videos in Premiere Pro using the Crop effect. But to evenly distribute your clips across the screen, you may need to perform some basic calculations regarding the dimensions and positioning of each segment. This calculation will also help if you want to make a vertical split screen in Premiere Pro.

In the Effects Control panel, there are two key adjustments for creating a split-screen video: scaling and cropping. Scaling adjusts the size of each video segment relative to the screen while cropping controls which parts of the video are visible within each segment. Both parameters are adjusted in percentages.

1. Scaling the clip

By default, any clip you add to your project occupies 100% of the screen. To achieve equally sized clips in a split-screen layout, you need to divide 100 by the number of clips you intend to display.

For instance, if you're creating a split-screen with four identically sized clips, you can set the Scale of each clip to 25%. So, each clip occupies a quarter of the screen. After having an equal scale for each clip, you can adjust the position of each one and align them precisely within the split-screen layout.

Bear in mind that scaling will maintain the aspect ratio of the clip. If there are any parts you want to exclude to make the clip fit better within its frame, you'll need to adjust the cropping parameters as well.

2. Cropping the clip

In Premiere Pro, cropping a clip involves adjusting its dimensions from the bottom, top, left, and right edges. You have three methods to crop: using percentages, the slider, or the crop handles.

• Using percentages

Using percentages for cropping in Premiere Pro may require some calculation, but it's particularly useful for creating split-screen effects with equal division. For instance, if you want to make a split-screen with two clips taking up half of the screen each, you can crop each clip by 50%.

• Using the slider

Besides putting the parameters in percentages, you can use a slider to crop your clip. In the Effects Control panel, click the small arrow button next to each crop direction. It will show a slider that lets you manually adjust the crop percentage. Slide it to increase or decrease the crop from 0 to 100%.

• Using the crop handles

If you're uncertain about how to adjust the crop size, you can use the crop handles. After applying the Crop effect, you will see adjustable handles on the clip within the Video preview window. You can manually refine the crop dimensions by dragging these handles to adjust the frame.

Given the explanation above, you can refer to this table when scaling or cropping the clips to make horizontal split-screen videos in Premiere Pro:

If you want to create a vertical split screen in Premiere Pro, you can use a similar approach to creating a horizontal split screen. What you need to do is make sure your project settings have the correct dimensions and then stack your clips vertically instead of arranging them side by side. Adjust each clip's scale or position to fit the vertical layout as needed.

Part 3. Using Split-Screen Video Templates for Premiere Pro

Another easy method to create a split-screen video in Premiere Pro is by using available video templates that can be found through online searches. These templates usually have various styles and layouts suited for different creative needs.

Using pre-made split-screen video templates is also the easiest way to create an animated split screen, as they often come with transitions and effects. This makes it much simpler to produce visually appealing split-screen videos compared to starting from scratch.

Some of the websites that provide Adobe Premiere Pro split screen templates are Motion Array and Envato Elements. Once downloaded, you can import these templates into Premiere Pro and replace the footage with your own.

Part 4. Easier Alternative: Creating Split Screen Video Using Wondershare Filmora

In addition to Premiere Pro, you can use Wondershare Filmora to create a split-screen video more easily. Compared to Premiere Pro, Filmora is more user-friendly and suitable for beginners, with a simpler interface and quicker learning curve.

Moreover, Filmora includes built-in split-screen video templates, so everything can be found in one app. Despite its simple interface, Filmora still has a robust set of features that can elevate the quality of your videos. Other notable features include:

• Basic video editing, such as trimming, cropping, and adjusting video speed
• AI features like Vocal Remover
• Library of video stocks and stickers
• A diverse collection of video effects
• Wide range of transitions
• Filters for creative customization

How to use Filmora to create a split-screen video:

Step1Open Filmora and create a new project

Start by launching Wondershare Filmora on your computer and creating a new project. Then, import your videos into the project.

Step2Select the split-screen templates

Navigate to Templates > Split Screen to access the library of preset layouts. Choose from over 250 split-screen templates that accommodate up to 6 clips.

You can preview different layouts by double-clicking on the preset thumbnails. Drag your selected layout from the library to the timeline panel.

Note: The default duration for each split-screen segment is 5 seconds. But you can adjust it by dragging the timeline edges. You can also scroll through the thumbnail view area to select the split-screen categories like "Basic" to "Social Media.”

Step3Import the clips

Arrange your imported clips onto different windows of the split screen by dragging them one by one into the split-screen preview window.

Step4Edit the split-screen videos

To add borders, go to the Property Panel > Video, and enable the Border option. Adjust the color and size of the borders between clips as needed.

To modify the size or position of clips, navigate to the Video tab and enable Transform. This feature allows you to rotate, scale, and adjust the size of each segment within the split screen.

In case you want to uniform the video sound, you can remove the sound from each clip by using Filmora’s AI Vocal Remover. To do it, select the clip, click the Tools menu at the top, and select Audio > AI Vocal Remover. Then, import and add your desired soundtrack to the timeline.

Conclusion

I hope the information above is useful for you to put videos side by side and make a split-screen effect in Premiere Pro. With the split-screen effect, you can empower your imagination with more creativity. If you are looking for an alternative to Premiere Pro to make a split-screen video in a much easier way, don’t forget to give Filmora a try.