Several Newbie Questions About Premier...

Hello everyone, first post here, and first time I'm trying my hand at video editing.

Just a few questions to help me get started if you all don't mind.

1.) How can I get rid of the black box that appears around all my videos? It appears in the sequence 01 video feed, and exports the video looking the same way. Am I doing something wrong in my video settings?

2.) I have been able to successfully import audio only by using .wmv as my source file. If I want to import audio from another format (.avi) what do I have to do? or does CS3 not support audio in some formats? (I've already discovered I have to convert .mp3's)

Thats all for the moment, you all seem to have a helpful site here that I look forward to using more in the future (hopefully I can help more than ask, but this is a COMPLEX program lol)

Several Newbie Questions About Premier...

Welcome to the forum.

1.) Make sure that your Project Preset matches your Video footage exactly. Now, it does not - hence the black bars.

2.) It's easiest to work with the Audio-only portion of a muxed file. Some muxed AV files are OK in PrPro, but some give problems. I would use Soundbooth to ''rip'' the Audio from these AV files. I think that it does this. I use Audition and it is perfect at ripping.

Good luck,

Hunt

Several Newbie Questions About Premier... (I've already discovered I have to convert .mp3's)

Back to #1. If you do not know the full specs of your source footage, then G-Spot will give you the details. You may have to create a Desktop Project and set the Frame Size, etc., but at least you will have a Project for that footage.

Good luck,

Hunt

Thank you Hunt, I'm currently downloading Audition and G-Spot and will return to update \ give correct answer once they are both done and I get a chance to field test them.

Good stuff !

Please do come back with the report from G-Spot. That will likely give you all that you need to consider, when selecting your Project Preset.

Hope I didn't hit you with too much at one time.

Good luck,

Hunt

New question - (not sure if I should make a new thread, but related to prior) - how can I create a new preset? I'm currently playing with a couple videos I found on the internet and they are fairly low quality. (480x270) None of the factory settings even come close to my frame size

EDIT: G-Spot was a GREAT reccomendation. I can't think of any information that it doesn't give. Thanks Hunt

I'm currently playing with a couple videos I found on the internet and they are fairly low quality. (480x270)?

This thread still works for me. As you say, this is related to your question #1.

In PrPro CS3 (little differences in CS4), you need to create your Project with Presets that match your Imported footage. In your case, you will not find a Preset with those dimensions, or at least I do not think that you will.

Instead, you will choose a ''Desktop'' Preset from the dropdown list. That is a slightly misleading name, in my book, but it does what you want. Once you choose it, you get a dialog box, and can change the Frame Size, FPS, etc.. That is what you will want to do, and use G-Spot's info to guide you.

Now, let's move on to Lesson 2 - CODEC's:

G-Spot will give you the CODEC info on your file. THAT can be very important to your results and how much hair you will have left, after trying to edit the footage. If it came from the Internet, it is likely compressed. In doing so, it will employ one, or more (Audio will differ in most cases) CODEC's, the encoders and decoders. These, when properly installed on your system will allow you to play those files. Note the emphasis on ''play.'' Some of these CODEC's can be used to edit the file by the NLE (Non Linear Editor). Many cannot. This trips up many - ''hey, the file plays fine, but PrPro won't Import it... '' Happens all the time.

Without giving you the full 3 volume set of books, take a look at this ARTICLE (do not think I linked to it earlier), and then come back with the full CODEC data. Someone will explain how well, or poorly, that CODEC is likely to work in PrPro. Most likely, you will want (probably NEED) to convert that/those file(s). It's easier to deal with your specific files than to explain all the possibilities.

See you, when you have the data on those files. Note: in that linked article, I show where to look in the G-Spot GUI.

Good luck,

Hunt

Hunt - Thanks for all the information and help. I extracted audio using Audition (which was surprisingly easy) and have familiarity with codecs, so I think I've got it from here. Only point left is to research which ones work best with PrPro so I don't have to do it later when I'm in the middle of a project. You've done a great job pointing me to tools that I probably never would have found on my own.

Only point left is to research which ones work best with PrPro so I don't have to do it later when I'm in the middle of a project.

I Googled it, and it lead me back here. To another thread. Which Hunt had answered.

I now own Digital Media Converter and so far, its been able to convert everything I've thrown at it minus .mp4. Thanks Hunt, your time and help has been invaluble to me.

I only have one question to close the thread. Since .mp4 seens to be compatable with nothing MSWindows, I assume I'll have to convert it to another format, then convert it to DV AVI Type II. Will I suffer a horrible loss of quality from multiple conversions?

Go to my Adobe notes page http://www.pacifier.com/~jtsmith/ADOBE.HTM

There is a section on trying to edit compressed files... including a link to a site that discusses what happens when a file is compressed for viewing

Yes, there is a quality hit when you convert from a VIEW format back to an EDIT format... just how bad that quality hit is, is up to you to determine

For all things Apple, I use QT Player Pro (about US$30 upgrade for the unlock code). If you have SD material and plan on editing in SD, you will want to use the Export in QT-Pro and choose the DV-AVI option.

If you have HD and want to edit SD, that should work too.

If you have HD and want to edit HD, you should be able to install the proper CODEC onto your sytem, to have PrPro work with it. There are three H.264 CODEC's, that I can think of: Lead, MainConcept and Apple. Some folk have better luck with one, than the other two. Last time that took an unofficial poll, it seemed that the MainConcept was leading. Remember, YMMV.

Good luck,

Hunt