
With all of this information in mind, we’re ready to jump into Premiere. Overexposed images and underexposed images will both be difficult for the editing program to analyze and are more likely to result in errors or an undesirable outcome. Properly exposing your footage is also key for any shots that you hope to stabilize in post. A shot with clearly defined edges will be easier to stabilize in post than a shot of something like a blank wall or a body of water that lacks easily definable spots for the editing software to track.

To stabilize footage in post, the editing software needs to analyze each frame and identify certain data points to track their locations throughout the shot. If you don’t have any of these tools, you can still set yourself up for success in post by planning ahead and making smart decisions during the shoot that will make stabilizing easier and more effective. Use a tripod, gimbal, steadicam, or stabilizer on set to get the best results. Personally, if I have to nest to solve this problem I add a 1 sec handle at each end and then nest and trim it back to fit the original shot length.The best way to get smooth footage is to ensure the footage is shot smoothly on set. One word of warning - if you only nest the clip as it sits in the timeline, then if you want to dissolve either end of that clip then you will only be able to dissolve (or any other transition) into the clip. Then apply the stabiliser to that new clip.

The easiest solution is nest the clip - right click and select nest on the clip. With the warp stabiliser in Premiere, the clip has to have these numbers of a clip the same as those of the timeline. The first number (1920 or 1280) is the number of horizontal pixels of a frame and the second number (1080 or 720) is the number of vertical pixels of a frame.

For example, for a 1080 clip the dimensions are 1920x1080, for a 720 clip they are 1280x720. The clip dimensions is the pixel count for your individual clips, while the sequence settings are the same but for the timeline you are working with.
