Play clips with preroll and postroll

Last updated on Apr 1, 2026

Learn to use the Play Around feature to preview a few seconds before and after the playhead or edit points in Adobe Premiere.

Preroll and postroll playback help you evaluate transitions and timing by playing a few seconds of footage before and after specific points in your sequence. This preview method is useful when refining edits, checking cut smoothness, or reviewing In and Out point selections.

The Play Around feature plays a fixed duration before and after the playhead position or In and Out points. By default, Premiere uses 3 seconds of preroll and 2 seconds of postroll. You can adjust these durations in the Playback preferences to match your review workflow.

Preview with preroll and postroll

Position the playhead at the frame you want to review.

Press Shift + K to play a few seconds before and after the playhead position.

To preview around an In and Out point selection instead, press Shift + Space. This plays the specified duration before the In point and after the Out point.

The Play Around icon in the Source Monitor and Program Monitor button bar provides the same functionality. If the icon isn't visible, add it using the Button Editor icon.

Button Editor dialog showing the Play Around icon that can be added to the Program Monitor toolbar.
Add the Play Around button to the Program Monitor toolbar using the Button Editor to play clips with preroll and postroll.