How to Fade Audio in Premiere Pro in 3 Simple Ways

Learn how to fade audio in Premiere Pro quickly. Perfect for beginners to enhance their sounds with smooth transitions. Alternatively, explore CapCut as a free way to fade audio.

how to fade audio in premiere
CapCut
CapCut2024-07-21
0 min(s)

Fading audio is a fundamental technique that can significantly enhance the quality of your projects by creating smooth audio transitions and eliminating abrupt changes in sound. Whether you are looking to fade in or fade out the audio, Premiere Pro offers user-friendly tools to achieve the desired results easily.

However, this article will explore how to fade audio in Premiere Pro in three simple methods, helping you achieve audio transitions effectively.

Table of content

What is audio fading

Audio fading involves gradually increasing or decreasing the volume of an audio track, creating a transition between different audio segments. This technique is commonly used at the beginning or end of audio clips to prevent blunt changes in sound levels, ensuring a more polished and professional output. When it comes to adding an audio transition in Premiere Pro, it is important to note that fade can be applied manually or using built-in tools to achieve the desired effect.

Types of audio transitions in Premier Pro

Premiere Pro offers three main types of audio transitions: Constant Gain, Constant Power, and Exponential Fade.

  1. Constant gain
  2. The Constant Gain crossfade reduces your clips' volume at a constant rate. This transition can sometimes sound abrupt because it cuts the audio evenly throughout the duration. It's less smooth than the other options, making it less ideal for seamless transitions.
  3. Constant power
  4. The Constant Power crossfade provides a smoother transition by gradually decreasing the audio in the first clip and increasing it in the second. This results in a more natural fade, as the audio volume changes progressively rather than uniformly, making it suitable for most audio transitions.
  5. Exponential fade

The Exponential fade transition works similarly to the Constant Power transition but has a more gradual effect. It decreases the volume following an exponential curve, delivering a seamless and smooth fading effect. This transition is ideal for creating Premiere Pro's most natural-sounding audio fade-outs.

How to fade audio in Premiere Pro using 3 methods

Learning how to fade audio on Premiere Pro is essential to create efficient transitions and maintain the flow of your audio tracks. This software provides various methods to ensure your audio transitions are done effectively. Let’s explore audio fading and the different methods available to achieve it.

How to fade audio in Premiere Pro using the default transition

If you are wondering how to fade in audio in Premiere Pro using default transitions, follow these steps:

  • Open your Premiere Pro project and go to the timeline for your audio track.
  • Position the playhead at the outpoint of the audio track you want to fade out.
  • Right-click at the outpoint of the audio track and select "Apply Default Transition" from the context menu.
  • The default "Constant Power" transition will be applied to the end of the audio track.
  • To adjust the duration of the fade, click and drag the edge of the transition icon to make it longer or shorter.
  • 
    Showing how to fade audio in Premiere Pro using the default transition

How to fade audio in Premiere Pro using the pen tool

These are steps explaining how to fade out sound in Premiere Pro using the pen tool:

  • Expand the audio in the timeline by clicking on the arrow next to the track name.
  • Ensure "Show Keyframes" is enabled by right-clicking on the audio track and selecting "Show Clip Keyframes."
  • Press the "P" key to enable the Pen tool.
  • Click on the white line (volume line) at the point where you want the fade to start.
  • Click again at the point where you want the fade to end, and drag the second point down to create the fade.
  • Adjust the curve by holding the "Ctrl" (Command on Mac) key and clicking on the points to create a smooth fade.
  • 
    Steps showing how to fade audio in Premiere Pro using the pen tool

How to fade audio in Premiere Pro using auto-ducking

Here is how to fade out audio in Premiere Pro using auto-ducking:

  • Select the voiceover or dialogue clip in the timeline and open the "Essential Sound" panel.
  • Assign the dialogue clip as "Dialogue" by clicking the "Dialogue" button.
  • Select the background music clip in the timeline and assign it as "Music" in the "Essential Sound" panel.
  • Enable "Auto Ducking" in the "Essential Sound" panel and set the "Duck Against" option to "Dialogue."
  • Adjust the "Sensitivity," "Duck Amount," and "Fade Duration" sliders to your preference.
  • Click "Generate Keyframes" to apply the auto-ducking effect, automatically lowering the music volume during the dialogue.
  • 
    Showing how to fade audio in Premiere Pro using auto-ducking

A free alternative to fading audio in Premiere Pro: CapCut

CapCut desktop video editor is a robust and user-friendly tool that offers a variety of audio editing features. It allows users to easily fade audio, trim clips, and apply advanced audio effects, making it an excellent alternative to Premiere Pro for both basic and advanced audio editing tasks. With CapCut, you can achieve professional-grade audio fades and enhancements.


Interface of the CapCut desktop video editor — the robust tool to fade audio with ease

Key features

  • Adjustable fade effects
  • You can customize the duration of the fade-in and fade-out effects, allowing for precise control over how quickly the audio fades.
  • Keyframe support
  • CapCut allows the use of keyframes to control the fade effects more precisely. You can set multiple points within the audio clip to gradually change the volume, creating complex fading patterns.
  • Ease of use

The fade-in and fade-out effects can be easily applied through the audio settings or directly on the audio track, making it accessible even for beginners.

How to fade audio with CapCut

Click the download button below to download the CapCut desktop video editor for free. Then, run the installer and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

    Step
  1. Import an audio
  2. Open CapCut and start a new project. Click "Import" to upload your audio file from your device. CapCut supports all types of audio formats.
  3. 
    Uploading audio in the CapCut desktop video editor
  4. Step
  5. Apply fade in/out effects
  6. Once the audio is uploaded, drag and drop it into the timeline. Go to the "Basic" section in the right toolbar, where you can apply fade-in and fade-out effects to your audio as desired. You can also adjust the volume level from there. Additionally, explore features like voice enhancement, and noise reduction to perfect your audio according to your needs.
  7. 
    Applying fade in/out effect to audio in the CapCut desktop video editor
  8. Step
  9. Export and save

Once you’ve finished editing your audio, go to the "Export" section. Uncheck the video option, check the audio option, and choose your preferred audio format (MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC). Select the location where you want to save the file and click "Export" to save it.


Exporting audio after applying fade effects in the CapCut desktop video editor

Conclusion

In conclusion, learning how to fade sound in Premiere Pro completely transforms your audio project. It can be done quickly using built-in default transitions, the Pen tool, or auto-ducking. These methods help create smooth audio transitions and enhance the overall quality of your projects. However, if you want an alternative with a more user-friendly interface and advanced audio editing features, consider using the CapCut desktop video editor. It offers a great set of tools, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and professionals.

FAQs

  1. How do I fade out audio in Premiere Pro for podcasts?
  2. To fade out audio in Premiere Pro for podcasts, place your audio in the timeline, control-click at the end of the track, and select "Apply Default Transition." This will create a fade-out effect. For more advanced audio editing features like noise reduction and audio enhancement along with fading, consider using the CapCut desktop video editor.
  3. How do you fade music in Premiere Pro?
  4. If you want to know how to fade out music in Premiere Pro, you can use methods like default mode, the pen tool, and auto-ducking. Each technique provides varying smoothness levels and transition effects, allowing you to choose the best one for your project. If you want a more straightforward tool, use the CapCut desktop video editor, which has easy-to-use fade effects and advanced features for perfect audio editing.
  5. Can I fade audio in Premier Pro for free?
  6. No, you cannot use the fade effect of Premiere Pro for free, as it is only available through a Creative Cloud membership. You can choose a single-app plan for Premiere Pro or one with multiple apps. However, if you want to apply fade effects to your audio for free, you can try the CapCut desktop video editor. It provides powerful audio editing tools, including fade effects, volume adjustments, and more.
Share to

Hot&Trending

More topics you may like