Since Instagram introduced Reels in 2020, the feature has become a crucial part of many creators’ growth strategies on the platform.

But beyond the growth potential, you can have a lot of fun creating Instagram Reels. If you want to take your production skills to the next level, you should strongly consider using a video editing tool like Adobe Premiere Pro.

So, why should you use Premiere Pro to create Reels, and how do you do it? Let’s find out.

Why Should You Create Instagram Reels With Adobe Premiere Pro?

Below, we’ve outlined the three top reasons why you should make your Reels on Premiere Pro.

1. More Creative Freedom

A boy syncing sound in Premiere Pro.

Instagram gives you a lot of freedom when producing Reels. Beyond adding music from your favorite artists, you can include things like filters. However, your capabilities on Instagram are somewhat limited when you compare the platform to a complete video editing solution.

Adobe Premiere Pro has several handy tools to help you produce engaging Reels, and you’ll have a significant amount of creative freedom. You can color grade videos taken on your camera (more on that later), in addition to adding frames and much more.

2. Better Quality

Photo of a photographer looking at their camera while sat down

Whenever you upload a photo or video to Instagram, you probably prioritize the quality of your visuals above everything else. And while many smartphones can capture excellent footage, you’re often better off using a video camera—especially if you plan to vlog regularly.

If you use Premiere Pro to edit your Instagram Reels, you can capture high-quality shots on your camera before importing them to your computer. Editing these directly from the Instagram app—or many other third-party smartphone apps—would be more challenging.

3. Practice for Your Long-Form Videos

Photo of a videographer in the studio

Once you’ve created Instagram Reels for a while, you might discover a love for video creation and editing that you never previously knew existed. As your interest grows, you might decide to take filmmaking more seriously—and in some cases, you may even choose to start your own YouTube channel.

The more you use Premiere Pro to edit your Instagram Reels, the better you’ll get to know the platform. Over time, you’ll discover several helpful features that’ll enable your video to stand out—and you can try some of these in your long-form videos to see if they have a similar effect.

If you’ve never created long-form content before but decide to begin doing so after producing Reels, you’ll have less of a sharp learning curve. As such, your production quality will increase faster.

How to Create Instagram Reels With Adobe Premiere Pro

To use Premiere Pro, you’ll need to purchase one of Adobe’s subscriptions. Unfortunately, unlike Final Cut Pro, you can’t make a one-time purchase and own the software outright.

Premiere Pro costs $20.99 per month ($19.99 per month if you’re a student). If you already use some of Adobe’s other software, you might find that the $52.99 Creative Cloud All Apps plan is more cost-effective.

Screenshot showing different pricing categories for Adobe Premiere Pro

The Dimensions of Your Visuals

Instagram Reels are typically in the 16:9 ratio, and you’ll have to emulate this on Premiere Pro to ensure no cropping occurs. After importing your footage, you can change the dimensions by going to New Sequence > Frame Size. Here, change the frame size to 1080x1920. You’ll need to ensure you’ve selected Custom on Editing Mode.

If you see a warning message appear on your screen, select OK. You might also notice another box titled Clip Mismatch Warning when adding your visuals to the frame; if you do, click on Keep existing settings.

screenshot showing the warning box that shows on your screen when selecting new dimension settings on PP

Once you’ve added your video to the frame, you might notice that the visuals don’t fit properly. You can correct the issue by going to Effect Controls and typing 50 into Scale. After that, go to Rotation and—depending on how the video was shot—type 90 or -90. Once you've done this for one clip, hold Ctrl and your trackpad and choose Paste Attributes.

screenshot showing the paste attributes button in premiere pro

Color Consistency

If you’ve dabbled in photography or videography for an extended period, you’ll know that color grading is crucial for improving the look and feel of your visuals. Premiere Pro has extensive color correction and grading tools to achieve better results.

When shooting the video content for your Reels, consider using a flat profile on your camera; you’ll have a little more creative freedom if you do. You probably won’t want to spend too long editing, so you can use look-up tables (LUTs) for color grading if you’re short on time.

If you want to produce more original content, Premiere Pro has color grading and color correction wheels that you can use. If you want consistency across your shots, you can add the same color settings by adding an adjustment layer.

Add an adjustment layer by going to New Item > Adjustment Layer. Spread the layer as far as you want; to create new ones, repeat the process.

screenshot showing how to adjustment layer premiere pro

Add Text to Your Reel

Premiere Pro is excellent for editing videos, but you can also use the tool to add extra effects to your Reel—such as text. You can use words to give your Reel a clear title that people can view without clicking on your video, as well as to help tell your story better.

To add text to your Instagram Reel in Premiere Pro, go to the Captions and Graphics tab. Browse from the different text forms on the right-hand side of your screen and add your favorite ones to the video.

screenshot showing how you can add text in premiere pro

Incorporate Music in Your Instagram Reel

Music is arguably the most essential part of your Reel. If you use Instagram, you’ll have access to several songs—but you can use other services to get the music you want as well.

If you’ve already got a subscription to a royalty-free music supplier, such as Epidemic Sound, you can usually use the sounds and songs in their catalogs to soundtrack your Reel. Check the terms and conditions for your plan and supplier to ensure that you can.

Export Your Video to Your Smartphone

At the time of writing in March 2022, you can’t use the Instagram website to upload Reels. So, you’ll need to transfer the video to your smartphone.

Exporting videos from Premiere Pro to your mobile device can be a stressful experience. To simplify the process, you’re better off using a preset. Whoismatt has a free exporting preset for Reels that you can download and add to Premiere Pro; we recommend using that one.

After downloading, the preset mentioned above includes instructions on how you can use it when exporting. You'll need to go to the Export tab to save the completed video somewhere else; you can use several tools, including AirDrop and WeTransfer, to move the file to your phone.

Premiere Pro Is the Perfect Editing Tool for Your Instagram Reels

Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most popular video editing tools for filmmakers and videographers who produce long-form content. However, the tool is just as handy if you’re looking to take your Reels to the next level.

The tips we mentioned in this guide will also work for Instagram Stories and TikTok posts, and you can use much of our advice in Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve as well.