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PP CS3 HD Output Settings
Hi guys,
I have a new Sony HDR-S11E HD camcorder. I have shot some footage at 1440×1080 and copied it to my computer. Having little to no luck with editing or importing the AVCHD files, I used Elecard Converter Studio to convert the footage using it’s built in “HDV-2 1080i” profile, which makes a 1440×1080 MPG2. After conversion, the footage looks great and it’s far easier to edit with the MPGs in Premiere Pro CS3.
However, what I can’t figure out is the correct output settings from Premiere. My current project involves several 5 minute segments that need to be stitched together into one long 30 minute movie. Therefore, each 5 minute segment, I will edit it and put titles on it, and then I want to export it so I can reimport that movie into PP.
Eventually I will take the full 30 minute video and recompress it for SD DVD (or maybe even BluRay), but before I can do that I need to have the master file as close to the original footage quality as possible.
What I can’t figure out is what is the “best quality” Export Movie option for each 5 minute segment. I don’t care if the wrapper is avi or mov, and the file sizes aren’t terribly important either (within reason of course – ie 200gb for 5 minutes isn’t acceptable). I just need the Exported Movie to look as good as the original footage but I can’t figure out what the right combination of wrappers and options to use. To use the Elecard jargon, there is no equivalent “HDV-2 1080i” Export Movie profile in PP as far as I can tell.
Any ideas?
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2 Replies
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Unfortunately the built-in codecs aren’t that great. If you have a Matrox card or the Cineform codec, you have some good near-lossless export options with small file sizes compared to uncompressed. What is your reason for rendering and re-importing into premiere? Because you can import a project into premiere, and just drag all the 5 minute timelines into a new timeline. As for your final export, you might want to look into a Frameserver plugin (free):
https://debugmode.com/frameserver/
This will allow you to create a pseudo avi file which you load into another program to mpeg encode or apply special filters (like deinterlacing, resizing, sharpening in a program like Virtual Dub). What the frameserver does is load the frames from your premiere timeline into the avi file as the second program asks for them. It does this in a completely lossless process, and without creating a huge file, since it only delivers single frames at a time as the second program requests them.
It is a very easy process. When ready to export, you go to file > export > movie. Then select the debugmode frameserver as the file type output. Enter the name of the pseudo avi file it will create, then it will wait for you to open your other program to finish the work. For example, you can open up procoder, import the pseudo avi, and begin mpeg encoding it, and premiere will start feeding the procoder program uncompressed frames as it needs them. Once the encoding is complete, you can go back into premiere and stop the frameserver. It’s a very useful plugin that saves lots of space and exports in the highest quality possible.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
Thanks for the tips. I actually went with the Cineform codec. Neo-Scene was only $129 and it converted the files without a problem. Naturally I have some Cineform related followup questions but it looks like their forums are pretty active so I’ll check them out.
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