Re: preferred Workflow for lower thirds

I like Justin's approach, read his post several times so you understand the nuances.

I don't use CS4 for editing, I use Final Cut and we do all of our lower thirds using a collection of templates created in Apple's Motion. The template is created using drop zones for the text elements. When the template is used in the Final Cut timeline, the drop zones are all accessible form with thin effect's setting, directly inside FCP's interface. If our project has more than, say, ten supers, we create a simple text file that contains the names and job titles and locations and then we just copy and paste from Text to FCP.

Don't know if Premiere has a similar hook into presets from AE that allow access direclty to the text layers. However, I don't see why you'd want to use AE for the text component unless you're using some gee-whizzy text animation. use AE to create your backgrounds/straps/pills (whatever you call the lower third thingies) and insert the text using Premier's text tools. Far easier to make changes in the editor than in an upstream motion graphics app.

bogiesan