How To Make Special Effects In Videos

Adding Adobe Premiere video effects can set your project apart from the rest. It helps create a defined finished look and setting while highlighting the proper tone throughout your project. However, effects can get expensive to purchase and a bit tedious to make. So, we've put together a few cool effects that you can download for free and use in Premiere Pro.

Part 1: 17 Easy to Use Premiere Pro Effects for Creatives

Light Leaks

Light leaks are really cool effects that you can create in Premiere Pro to help provide ambiance. They create a certain stylistic look for your video to highlight certain aspects of your visuals, set the mood, or layout a specific tone.

1. Free Light Leaks

This free download provides a larger light leak, great for opening a new visual or scene.

Free Light Leaks Download

2. Light Leaks Overlay

This free download provides a more traditional light leaks look that adds a soft glow to your project.

Download Light Leaks Overlay Now

3. Free Light Leaks Pack

This free download is a contemporary light leak with a sci-fi or futuristic vibe.

Download Free Light Leaks Pack Now

Motion Array also has many other free light leaks templates and a great Light Leaks Generator template for premium users too!

Overlays

Overlays are video footage that you lay on top of a piece of existing footage to create a special effect or look. You can use overlays in Adobe Premiere Pro to add a whimsical touch to your video project.

4. Lens Flare

If you're looking to bring perspective to your image a lens flare is a great way to do it.

Download Lens Flare Now

5. Free Organic Particles

Whether you're looking to add dust, snow, or light twinkles to your scene, this particle overlay helps you add a little or a lot.

Download Free Organic Particles Now

Motion Array has a great Dust Particles overlay templates for premium users.

6. Free Film Grain Overlay

If you want to give your video a historical makeover, then a grain overlay is perfect for you. This one gives your once pristine cinematography a dated feel that's sure to give it some depth.

Download Free Film Grain Overlay Now

7. Free 4K Bokeh Effects

This effect gives you a modern stylized look providing a soft out-of-focus blur.

Download Free 4K Bokeh Effects Now

Transition Effects

Video transition effects are used to quite literally transition from one scene to another. There are a whole host of ways scenes can transition: everything from swooping, swishing, smoothing, sliding, or even a funky glitch.

8. Free Premiere Pro Transitions

This download has a compilation of transition options including smooth slide, spin, wipe, whip, and zoom.

Download Free Premiere Pro Transitions Now

9. Error – Glitch & Distortion Presets for Premiere Pro

If you're looking for a grungier, futuristic, or sci-fi transition, this glitch and distortion pack will help you accomplish that goal (you can find the template tutorial on the download page).

Download Error – Glitch & Distortion Presets for Premiere Pro Now

10. 5 Free Swish Transitions

These contemporary swish templates help transition your cinematic story quickly by "swishing" the picture off the screen.

Free 5 Swish Transitions Download

11. 7 Optical Transitions

These optical illusion transitions distort and move your image before bringing in the next scene. The download page has an instructional video show you how to use the template.

Download 7 Optical Transitions Now

12. 5 Free Ink Transitions

If you're looking for an ink spread transition (or opener) these 5 are a great choice to provide a smooth reveal.

Free 5 Ink Transitions Download

Openers

Openers are great to set the overall tone of the video. If you're making a sci-fi, your opener is going to be a lot different than if you're telling the latest Nicholas Sparks tale. And you can start your video with anything from a glitch to set the mood of a digital mystery or the right light to set up a perfect beach morning.

13. Big Stretch Intro

Featuring stretching effects and sliding animations, this intro is perfect for your sports promo or new product launch. Includes 4 modular scenes with 9 titles, 4 media placeholders, and also 2 editable colors – easily change to your liking.

Free Big Stretch Intro Download

14. Free Video Intro Templates

These opener templates help to add flashes of light in just the right places.

Free Video Intro Templates Download

15. Free Inspired Edit

This opener is perfect for the latest posh reality show or a contemporary story with a strong female lead beating all the odds. It has a great modern, chic and posh vibe to it.

Free Inspired Edit Download

Creative Effects

Perhaps you're not looking for typical. Maybe you have a specific feel or emotion you want to bring out in your video. Creative effects are only limited by your imagination (and a bit by the confines of Adobe Premiere Pro) so here are a few different ideas for you.

16. Free Edgy Reveals

These 5 "edgy reveals" roll a scene in by coloring the edges in a graphic look (think sepia, blueprint, etc.) before revealing the final shot. On top of being interesting, it's easy to use!

Free Edgy Reveals Download

17. Free Glitch Presets

If you're looking to open or transition through your modern horror flick or telling the next after the end of the world tale, these glitch presets are perfect for you.

Free Glitch Presets Download

Part 2: Tips & Tricks: Using Premiere Default Effects

Perhaps you are simply looking to make a few adjustments to your footage for a different look. Or adding an effect that doesn't require a downloadable template. If that's the case, here are a few tips and tricks to use the Premiere default effects to manipulate your footage. We also have an in-depth tutorial on Premiere Pro effects if you want to jump ahead to more advanced edits.

Sharpen Images

Sharpening your images in Premiere Pro can help point your viewer's eyes in the right direction and bring certain things in the footage out. And while you could just mass sharpen everything in the image, you're footage would look a little odd, especially considering any out-of-focus background.

Roughen Edges

Creating rough edges in your video helps to distort an image giving it a grungier more unfinished look. Creating rough edge video effects using Adobe Premiere Pro is fairly simple. Once you're in the Effects Panel, navigate to the Roughen Edges option and choose your style.

Compound Blur

Find yourself wishing you could add a heavenly glow to outline the faces of those beautiful actors featured in your video? We have good news for you: you can do it using the Premiere Pro effects Compound Blur. This feature is in the Effects Panel, under Compound Blur. Once you've arrived there, you can increase the Maximum Blur.

This will also blur your subject's face. You can reduce this by using two layers, reducing the blur in the second layer and making the blend mode Multiply.

Magnify

The Magnify tool is also in the Effects Panel. To use it you drop the effect where you want to use it on your footage then adjust the different tools under Magnify as you see fit.

Linear Wipe

To create a linear wipe between scenes you need to put your footage on two different tracks, overlaying the section that you want to wipe. Once this is done, you'll want to head to the Effects Panel and search for the transition called Linear Wipe. Apply it to the first scene which should be the top track. At the beginning spot where your two layers line up, you want to start the transition by putting a marker set at 0%. Then go to just before the overlapped scenes end set a second marker at 100%.

Many factors define the overall composition and quality of your project, but including cool Premiere Pro video effects can help set the right tone. Now that you have access to free templates and tips to create your own — these new effects could be what takes your video from good to great!