[Img-interactivemediagurus]

I also use both PPRO and FCP4. I like them both, and certainly agree the are more similar than different. Avid is a definite left turn and huge learning curve. We use and Avid system, and a Vegas suite as well as all of the other NLE’s, so that we have a compatible system for client work should the need arise.

Simply put, I have used PC’s and Macs for over 20 years, I like them both, both absolutely, the hands-down winner of the PPRO and FCP4 battle is defintely Adobe. The tight intregration Adobe has with ALL of its products is overwhelming. I can start a project in Illustrator, literally drag and drop a vector into Photoshop, drag that file into Premiere, make changes INSTANTLY in Photoshop if need be (without having to re-import the same file over and over!), import into AFter Effects if necessary, render it, import into Encore, make menu changes in Photoshop with INSTANT updates (again, no re-import or WASTED TIME is necessary, good ol’ FCP can’t BEGIN to touch that smooth work flow, PERIOD!), then render and burn or export to DLT as is required by the project. And NO, FCP4 is not necessarily easier, and certainly NOT for beginners. I would suggest Vegas for a novice before FCP or PPRO.

But again, I use and love ’em both; I hate my Avid, since it is a pain to work with, and I am forced to export as a QT file into “The CleanerXL”; I HATE the weight-lifter icon instead of the ease of use in PPRO and FCP4’s drag-and-drop of clips to move stuff around. Why in the world did they design the app like that? You have to select the beginning and end of the clip you want to move, then click on the weight-lifter guy, THEN you can drag to a new track….that’s a HUGE waste of valuable time. Anyway, either FCP or PPRO are great choices….just get lots of RAM and SATA drives. 250 SATA drives are dirt cheap now compared to 2 years ago, less than a dollar a GB. I get the drives from a wholesaler at around $129 for a 250 GB drive, so putting together an ASUS mobo with a Terabyte of on-board storage is easy and relatively cheap these days.

Scot Sheely
IMG – Interactive Media Gurus
https://www.interactivemediagurus.com

It’s always harder to do the right thing, but you’ll always be glad you did in the end.

[Img-interactivemediagurus]

Hi Jeff,

First of all, which version of Encore are you using? 1.0 or 1.5? That does make a difference, as 1.5 is the only version currently out that supports dual-layer DVD+R9’s, although I have a neat trick / work around tip for you on that subject. (See bottom of page for details on that subject).

Second, what settings are you using for your Encore Project tab for the project size? You do need to change that to reflect the larger media size before you create a disk. Obviously you will need the DVD-9 setting if you are using version 1.5, but use DVD-5 for version 1.0 and re-encode in Premiere to squeeze more data on the disc. Of course, the trade-off is always quality.

Third, what settings are you using in Premiere / MainConcept encoder? I suggest the following settings (see link for details):
https://www.interactivemediagurus.com/weva/ENCODER_SETTINGS.gif

Try not going over 5 or 6 MBPS on the two timelines; possibly even a setting of 4 MBPS to get everything on a single disc, if that is your goal. Also, what are your audio settings looking like? Did you use straight PCM, Dolby or what? You can lower the bitrate there to save some disc space.

Finally, look at your menu assets. Did you create them in Photoshop? If not, why not? Are you using motion menus and / or backgrounds? Those eat up valuable disc real estate. Your menu sizes should either be 720×480 or 720×486, not any larger. If they are bigger than that, or carry a file size weight over 5-10 MB, you need to consider optimizing them to reduce the overall file size a bit. Everything adds up in the long run.

What does the overall disc size display as on the DISC tab in Encore? How much free space (if any) is remaining?

Last of all, as promised, here is my Encore DVD+R9 burning trick, if you only have version 1.0 (or the upgrade 1.01, which you should have if you have the 1.0 version. The patch is a free download from Adobe).

Simply create a disc image to a folder on your desktop, then rename that image to the .nrg file extension. Open that up with Nero (if you don’t have it, you can download a working free trial version from ahead.de), and select “burn DVD from image” and make sure the image type at the bottom is listed as *.nrg for the allowed source file types. As long as your burner is in fact a dual-layer DVD+R9 capable drive, and you are using the correct media type, you will definitely be able to burn from there.

This last tip will also solve other potential issues you may be having with either Encore or your DVD burner, so it is definitely worth a try.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any further questions, I’ll be glad to help.

Scot Sheely
IMG – Interactive Media Gurus
https://imgvideos.com
scot@interactivemediagurus.com

It’s always harder to do the right thing, but you’ll always be glad you did in the end.