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Working with DSLR and AVCHD files, transcode?
I am doing a project using both DSLR footage (h264 quicktimes) and AVCHD files (mts). I know I can edit with this stuff natively in my Adobe Premiere Pro cs5.5, but my problem with it is I cannot scrub through the clips smoothly. Adobe boasts being able to edit natively, which is great, but for someone like me who gets really annoyed when I scrub through and several frames are dropped, it is hard to work with. I have a fast computer and mercury engine playback but still have issues.
My question is, who has the same issues and what is your solution? Do you transcode to something with a smaller bitrate etc, and then once done with your project relink the transcoded media to the raw source files (upressing so to speak)
Thanks,
Garrett
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17 Replies
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It happens to everyone. h.264 and AVCHD (which is another MPEG variation) are both interframe codecs; codecs that store some full frames with partial frames in between. The lag is because it’s trying to calculate partial frames.
You can transcode to one of a few intermediate codecs; codecs that are designed for editing. Avid DNxHD is a good choice since it’s free, Cineform is free up to 1080, and there is always ProRes.
Your intermediate files will be larger than your originals because they’re much less compressed. You’re basically trading performance for hard drive space.
At that point, you can decide “hey, I’ll just finish with a high quality intermediate like ProRes 422” or you can go for a small intermediate like ProRes LT and then relink the originals. The process of relinking original media is called conforming.
Just because you can edit natively, doesn’t mean it’s the greatest. Part of Avid and Final Cut’s robustness has to do with their use of DNxHD and ProRes at a time when editing compressed camera files was simply just taxing on a computer’s CPU.
Personally, I’m split. If it’s a large edit, or an edit with a lot of footage to review, I might transcode and conform later regardless of the camera being used. If it’s a smaller edit then I’ll just keep it native.
Angelo Lorenzo
Fallen Empire Digital Production Services – Los Angeles
RED transcoding, on-set DIT, and RED Epic rental services
Fallen Empire – The Blog
A blog dedicated to filmmaking, the RED workflow, and DIT tips and tricks -
Thanks Angelo! Your response to my question is very helpful. I work as an assistant editor on a few TV shows so I am familiar with conforming and upressing since we edit in offline in much lower resolution. I work on AVID on these shows and personal projects I generally use Adobe Premiere Pro since it was the first nonlinear system I learned.
I have never transcoded anything to a Prores format since I don’t use a Mac at home, so I will try the DNxHD which should work fine.
I’ll let you know how it comes out and anymore questions I might have. I see you work in digital workflow services so you know your stuff! The TV shows I work on still use tape! 🙂
Garrett
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You’ll need to install the DNxHD Quicktime codecs. In Premiere’s export window, it’ll be a codec listed once you select Quicktime as your output. In the options panel, you’ll be able to select DNxHD175 or 220, etc. They have presets for 720p, 1080i, and so forth, but Quicktime seems to override them with whatever you set in the main export panel; The only thing of importance is the codec’s bitrate.
Angelo Lorenzo
Fallen Empire Digital Production Services – Los Angeles
RED transcoding, on-set DIT, and RED Epic rental services
Fallen Empire – The Blog
A blog dedicated to filmmaking, the RED workflow, and DIT tips and tricks -
I have AVID as well on my system at home so I have the quicktime codecs already. My project is 720, which DNX codec would you use ? 220
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I have found Transcoding completely unnecessary if you have some sort of RAID
storage playing the files back from.most complaints of slow playback in premiere are a result of no RAID / inadequate throughput.
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I don’t use a Mac so Raid isn’t an option.
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[Garrett Lynn] “I don’t use a Mac so Raid isn’t an option.”
PC’s use RAID too.
You will need it if you expect smooth playback of multi-layered HD sequences.
PC or Mac.
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Ok thanks. So with Adobe, you would keep your capture scratch on the raid and that would do the trick?
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[Angelo Lorenzo] “They have presets for 720p, 1080i, and so forth, but Quicktime seems to override them with whatever you set in the main export panel; The only thing of importance is the codec’s bitrate.”
Not quite. You do need to set your settings correctly. One of them tells Premiere what to render, and the other tells Quicktime. If you set them up wrong, everything gets resized.
For example, if I go to codec options and set it to the DNxHD 1080i 220 10bit preset, but then forget to also set the resolution in the regular place, you’ll get a 1080i video of what ever that other size was, upscaled to 1080i.
I probably did a bad job of explaining that.
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Yeah I know what you are talking about. You have to make sure both are set right.
I transcoded my MTS files, the ones from my DSLR actually play good enough. I transcoded the MTS ones to DNXhd145 and that did the trick. Bigger files but they play smoothly.
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