Export a real-time countdown video from Premiere Pro
By Spencer Tetik.
A countdown only works if it lands on zero at the right moment. The simplest way to guarantee that is to make the clip exactly as long as the countdown, plus a few seconds for the moment it hits zero.
In Premiere Pro
- Drop the countdown template on the timeline.
- Set Countdown from in seconds. Five minutes is 300, ten minutes is 600.
- Trim the clip to that length plus about five seconds, so viewers see the label flip at zero.
- Place it so the clip starts exactly when you want the count to begin.
The Starting Soon Countdown runs in real time: the MM:SS clock and the progress ring both track the actual seconds left, and at zero the label flips to We're Live (you can change both labels). Turn off Clock running to hold a fixed time on screen.
For OBS and other streaming software
The live OBS Browser Source is the no-export option. Copy its private URL from your library, add it to OBS at 1920x1080, then set the minutes or target time, headline and color in the URL. See the Starting Soon OBS setup for the steps, or the livestream countdown timer guide for every option and restart behavior.
To use a video instead, export the countdown with a transparent background so it sits over your start screen (turn off Show background first). Apple ProRes 4444 with alpha works in most editing and playback tools. If your streaming software will not read it, convert it to WebM with alpha using FFmpeg:
ffmpeg -i countdown.mov -c:v libvpx-vp9 -pix_fmt yuva420p countdown.webmAdd the file as a media source and start it when you want the count to begin. Its timing follows the exported clip.
Timing tips
Start at a round number people recognize, like 5 or 10 minutes. If you might run late, make the clip a few minutes longer than the countdown: it holds on We're Live at zero, which reads better than a clock that resets.
