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Playing image sequences off the Premiere Pro timeline?
Hello! First post.
I got a system recently based on a MultiBridge Extreme. The reason I got this setup was to play HD image sequences straight off the Premiere Pro timeline. I haven’t been able to even get standard definition image sequences playing straight off the timeline! I can do uncompressed AVI’s, I can even import separate still images (set their duration to 1 frame), butt them up together and play them without problem BUT if I import an image sequence, I get droppped frames within a few seconds of playing (even standard def!). I’ve disabled the AVG virus checker, made sure I’m playing off the raid(!) but still can’t get it working.
I’m just wondering if I’m the only person who can’t get this to work or whether others are having the same issue? Can you let me know if you can play HD image sequences straight off your Premiere Pro timeline (not AVI’s or any other movie format – just image sequences)
BM support say they don’t have an issue at their end, my reseller implies it can’t do it – I’m stuck in the middle getting nowhere!
My system is….
HP XW8400 – 4Gb Ram two woodcrest CPU’s, Ciprico Raid (It’s fast enough).
Thanks.
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14 Replies
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You can playback HD image sequences in realtime if you put the frames separatly into the timeline.If you are using the virtual clip (which is created when you import with the “Numbered stills” – function)the playback is dropping frames.But you can try the following.Import the folder which includes the image sequence into the bin.After that drag the folder to the timeline.The frames will automatically have their correct order.We delivered the same system to an animation studio.The customer uses premiere pro 2.0 with decklink multibridge only to play out his animation files.He uses an infortrend storage system which is fast enough to handle that (Read speed >200MB/s).
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Thanks Martin – Appreciated.
So, I’m not the only one!
I also discovered this single frame workaround and told BlackMagic about it. The problem with this method is that you can’t easily edit the animation. For example you can’t trim clips to the exact length or put in cross fades (to be rendered), unless I’m missing something? It does prove though that it is NOT a performance issue.
So, has ANYONE actually got numbered stills/image sequences to work?
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The only way I know it to be documented as working is using the “import folder” method. Which, of course, is essentially useless if you have to edit anything.
I typically take the extra step of converting an image sequence into a BlackMagic AVI file (i’m on XP) before I even open Premiere, via either Combustion or Cleaner. It is a bit of extra work, yes, but then I can both render to image sequences, and edit the clips in Premiere. Writing a 4:2:2 AVI from frames is pretty quick.
-jeff
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Thanks Jeff – second person to confirm – Now I’m getting scared!
I’d love to hear from a Blackmagic representative on this. Is this seriously what they mean by playing TGA and BMP sequences as depicted on their website?!?! As a collection of stills that gives you no ability whatsoever to actually edit them?!?!?!
This cannot be true?!?!?!
Grant or anyone else at Blackmagic – Is this true?
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The pain with rendering to AVI Format is the long conversion time
Another way could be the BMD Framelink Method,but i never used it before.If anyone get this to work , please let us know. -
I agree.
For animation in particular, you just don’t want to convert at all – it’s a real workflow stopper. I specifically got BM’s MultiBridge Extreme because of what is depicted on the website – TGA’s and BMP sequences straight off the timeline.
Any comments BlackMagic guys?
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It was also one of the selling points for me. Working in SD with a fast Raid (220mb/sec in and out) I did an entire project using the numbered stills import with Targas. It worked but wasn’t pretty. Everytime I touched anything on the timeline it rendered so the time savings was nil. Also sometimes I got droped frames on a particular targa file. Don’t know why. I’m now back to pre-rendering sequences in to BMD AVIs. I’d certainly love a way to work directly with sequences but it seems pretty problematic.
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Sounds to me like nobody’s managed to get it working like the BMD website states. I wonder if there’s a fix in the pipeline?
Any comment from BlackMagic Design?
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Hi…We are shooting stopmotion animation but because we shoot raw nef straight from our slr, we knew premiere doesn’t support this format so we convert in after effects with a burnt in frame number then offline edit sd in prem pro2. We use a multibridge as well.
Have you tried getting a image sequence with very small datarate to play? Does premiere play back these files in a non blackmagic timeline like straight dv? It would be cool if blackmagic would give some specifics on what sequences can play back.
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I did a 360×288 (half D1 PAL) image sequence and that played straight of the timeline. You’d hope so though with a five disk raid!!!!! I’m rendering on the machine so I can’t test higher than that at the moment.
On Black Magic’s website, they specifically refer to 32bit Targa image sequences playing straight off the timeline without rendering. Kristian has said that he has it working at his end so we must all be doing something wrong!?!? Unless of course he means using the folder technique….
I’ve sent an email to Kristian – I’m eagerly awaiting his reply. I am very much hoping that they recognise this as an issue and are working on a solution as a priority.
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