How to Freeze Frame in Premiere Pro for Titles or Dramatic Moments
If you’ve ever wanted to pause a moment in your footage, maybe to insert a dramatic title, highlight a frame, or freeze a perfect shot, the Freeze Frame technique in Premiere Pro is exactly what you need.
Here’s a quick and easy way to do it without breaking your timeline flow.
Step 1: Load Your Footage
Drag your video into the Premiere Pro timeline. Play through the clip until you reach the exact frame you want to freeze. This could be a pose, a facial expression, or any visually striking moment.
Step 2: Add a Frame Hold
Place your playhead on the exact frame you want to freeze. Then:
Right-click on the clip → Add Frame Hold
This will freeze the frame at that point, creating a still image right on your timeline.
Step 3: Duplicate and Extend the Clip
To make the freeze frame work cleanly without affecting the rest of your edit, do the following:
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and drag the clip upward to duplicate it onto a new track.
Drag the end of the duplicated clip to extend it. This is now your freeze frame.
Now, the original clip continues below while the frozen frame sits on top, giving you a seamless edit point.
Step 4: Add Your Title or Text
This is where the magic happens.
Use the Type Tool (T) to create your text.
Add a bold title, movie name, or comment like “Missing.”
Increase the font size and center it on screen.
Animate it or apply a slam-on effect for dramatic impact.
Step 5: Continue the Timeline
Once your freeze frame plays out, let the original clip resume underneath. Your viewer experiences a quick cinematic pause, then boom, back to the action.
This technique is perfect for creating highlight moments in short films, YouTube videos, or trailers. Whether you're making a comedy punchline or an intense intro, freeze framing gives you that extra control and creativity.
To see this in action and explore even more tutorials, check out the video playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/@MaxwellRidgeway/videos