FCP vs Premiere comment

[Joe Moya]

Prem. Pro is not as good as some other NLE’s when it comes to mixing various video formats… that is the primary issue that you seem to have realized. FCP is better at this task… but, (non-Mac) NLE’s such as Vega and Avis (specially Avid Liquid) are much better at handling various codecs (including mixing 24 fps with 30 fps) within the same timeline/project (…some also report Edius is equally good at handling various file formats but I have no experience with mixing file formats with Edius).

Your best option if you wish to use Prem Pro with mixed formats is to convert them all to a common video format before editing. However, this too can cause some issue that might not make this a viable option. Another option would be to go back to using FCP.

The key strength of Prem Pro is it intergration of After Effect as a compositing tool.

[Arc Nevada]

Joe Moya,

Your comments are 100% false. Premiere Pro can mix just about any type of codec you put on the timeline whereas FCP needs everything converted to the Apple ProRes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj0JoFxoOyo

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[Mike Velte]

CS4 cannot import several types of re purposed video files correctly or play them on the timeline smoothly. My tool box has Premiere Elements 8 which has works much better with these problem clips.

[Joe Moya]

If my comments are false… then, why is it that when I put a mix of some 2K video with some various m2t/m2v files, mpeg and a few over mov files both compressed and uncompressed (just as a test) and I get all kinds of issues with Prem Pro… but, put the same short clips in Avid and/or Vega and get no problems (…or much fewer problems in a few instances of various format mixes).

I am not saying that CS4 can’t mix codecs… but, my experience has been that CS4 has more problems using various formats than other editing software… similar to what the original poster has already noted.

And… if I want to make this a more fair comparison… Avid MC (which costs WAAAY more than Avid/Pinnacle Liquid) doesn’t do as good of a job as Avid Liquid (specially for the cost difference). Liquid had mastered the multiple codec/fps many years before either Avid or Prem Pro were able to achieve this task. Plus, my experience seems to point to the fact that Vega doesn’t frequently play well with mov files.

The original poster noted he recieved various file formats (…which is always a big pain to start with for almost any NLE). And, noted that FCP did a better job of handling this problem (…could be because FCP converts to a Apple common codec (AIC) – don’t know because I am not sure exactly how he brought it into FCP). At any rate… No matter, my experience is that CS4 doesn’t do as good of a job as some other NLE’s. That doesn’t make CS4 a bad NLE… but, it does make it a limitation of CS4 – imho.

The original posters problems could be more easily solved by converting to a common file codec and not so much by saying the software is not as capable. In the end, I think what is happening is that FCP is converting the file format for the poster… and, he is unaware of this.. that is why is works better… but, then again… that is just a guess.

[Alan Lloyd]

I had to put together a series of small videos that members of a company would send to me, for their sales convention. I had to fix sound, music, put transitions, all that stuff. People would send me .Avi, .mpg, .vob, .mov…I would import them to Premiere but nearly 50 or 60% percent of the videos presented some type of problem, and Avis would not run at all (they were all shaky and with no sound, so I had to open them in AE). Some of them would run fine, but after opening the project 2 or 3 times they would start with the shakiness as well…(I know it has something to do with frame rate, or timeline rate…)

I am working now in another project for the french embassy in my country, and I had to download a bunch of videos from youtube (mp4). Premiere only imports audio…(Do i Need ANOTHER codec for this?)

GIGO. (Garbage In, Garbage Out.)

It’s not the file types, I suspect, so much as the quality of those files.

I use CS3 and CS4 both, on multiple machines, at home and at clients’ facilities, and with a good file of almost any type, they work fine for me.

You also did not tell us, by the way, what your “better PC” consists of – OS, RAM installed, chip, motherboard, drive configuration, etc. These things can make a big difference in stability.

[Arc Nevada]

Joe Moya,

Did you watch my video? As you can see my mediocre 2.66 GHZ Yorfield with a mere 4 GB of RAM and a mediocre 9400 GT can play back native AVCHD, MPEG 2, DV and HDV with ease. I can mix all of these codecs on the same timeline. I can drop native AVCHD into a P2 timeline or even drop HDV clips into a P2 project timeline. Not only does it not have to convert the files but I get a lot of realtime as you can see. What more do you want from Premiere Pro? I can even put my FRAPS and CamStudio native codecs on the timeline and play them back in realtime. What codecs can you not play using Premiere Pro?

I had Avid Liquid Edition and sold it because it could not out put in RT to the Firewire port to make use of my DV converter like Premiere Pro can. Vegas can do it but I get more realtime with Premiere Pro so I sold my Sony Vegas software as well. Sony Vegas still does not support the P2 codec from Panasonic with out plugins.

I do agree FCP is converting all the files to the Apple ProRes codec.

[Joe Moya]

Want a file format that doesn’t work? That is easy… try and import a m2t file recorded with a Canon HD HV20/30/40… and, THAT is not an uncommon camera or file format. Chances one of two things will happen… PPro will indicate it is not supported or (in about 1 out of 20-ish times) will import the file with no problem. Never figured out why this happens… but, it does. In general, the problems with compatibility of video formats and PPro seem to fall in the HD codec area and less in SD.

As for various formats working with PPro… there are two issue. One, there are many file formats that will import but will crash/freeze if you try use effects. Two, see above reference to the Canon m2t file. Oh…BTW,… Adobe indicates they support m2t files BUT if you dig deeper and read the fine print you will find it only supports the Sony m2t format.

Prem Pro is good… but, it is not as capable of handling some formats that other editing softwares have no problems handling. And, this is true for every NLE available… but, my experience seems to point to the fact that PPro seems to have more problems than the others I have used.

[Bob Dix]

An m2t file generated in Premiere Pro can easily be Imported into Premiere Elements 4-8 and Exported to Tape from that software. No problems. We do it all the time in PAL territory as the Project setting is set automatically at 25fps which suits the Canon HV20 and boy the results in High definition is very good indeed. Tape only no DVD

[Joe Moya]

When you say “generated in Premiere Pro”… do you mean captured through PremPro? If so, then perhaps that could be the reason for your success… however, frequently I recieved video to edit that may have been capture through various applications (…with HDV Split being a very popular application).

Avid has a similar system where that if you capture through AVID’s MC it puts a MXF wrapper around the m2t file and works like a charm… however, AVID also thinks the world revolves around it’s propriatary MXF wrapper. As a result, it is difficult to use the AVID captured video with After Effects or just about any other NLE or compositing software.

So far, the only solution I have found that works consistently is to use Cineform to convert all HD video to a common codec… or… just use Avid Liquid for my editing application and forget about wasting time by re-rendering into an acceptable PremPro codec.

[Bob Dix]

Hi Joe,
We were having problems in Exporting to Tape in Premiere Pro off the timeline as it would not recognise the Canon HV20 @ PAL 25fps our fault (as the Project was set to 30fps to suit mov files from a Canon 5D mark II captured @ 30fps)However Premiere Pro did generate the mt2 file which was not accepted in Pro but when Imported into Premiere Elements 4 rendered and worked like a charm. We have since sorted this out with the Projects setting as PAL 25fps, import the 30fps Canon D Mark II (Quicktime mov . files (clips)on to the timeline and change the speed & Audio modulation with right click(Speed/Duration) to correct movement in Premiere Pro. Or render and transcode the whole timeline in Export to Movie using the Cineform 1.5.1 Upgrade.

The results are highly professional in High Definition, if you know an easier way let me know?

We still use the older software as it was designed for XP and works perfectly well if not a little slow at times. We have trialled CS4 , Vegas Pro 9 but no real advance for what we do, travel docs, fashion shows and art etc I run a DEll 8400 Windows Premiere Pro Specified Computer and my son is into Apple Mac and has been for 15 years

Ps. My son who runs the Web Design business and videos fashion etc has run into trouble using Final Cut Pro particularly in regards to rendering mov files from The Canon 5D mark II in mov but, the lower amature version works Ok but , without the bells and whistles. The Canon 5D Mark II works very well for the work we do, quite amazing in low level light.