[Ivan Myles]

[Dennis Cummins] “I asked their IT dept and they hadn’t got a clue.”

It may take a few iterations before everything is up and running. If playback is choppy try encoding with a lower bitrate, lower Profile, and/or lower Level.

Here are some guidelines for H.264 video data rate in bits per pixel (and kbps for 1280×720-30p footage):

YouTube: 0.07 bpp (~1900 kbps)
Apple: 0.125 bpp (~3400 kbps)
Upper limit for streaming (arbitrary): ~0.20 bpp (5400 kbps)
High quality download/local playback: 0.35-0.40 bpp (~9500-10800 kbps)
DVD/BD: 0.60-0.70 bpp (~16-19 kbps)

I don’t recommend going below the YouTube rate unless the video has very little motion.

[Ivan Myles]

Adobe Media Encoder should also work. The H.264 spec supports up to 4,096×2,304, so you might need to resize or trim the larger file.

There will be a slight color shift when using H.264 (and most other highly compressed codecs) regardless of the encoder. Severe issues probably indicate another problem. What media player were you using to view the H.264 file? Can you please describe the issue or post comparison pictures of a source and encoded frame?

[Ivan Myles]

Export the YouTube video as 640×480 with square pixels for an aspect ratio of 4:3.

The quality of your graphics might be impacted by rescaling. I have had more success exporting from AI at the desired resolution rather than rescaling in the NLE. It usually takes a few iterations to get the correct size, but 480×360 is probably a good place to start.

[Ivan Myles]

I am unaware of any reason why file format would make a difference with respect to longevity. How were the archived files stored, and were the problems related to the storage media? As a general statement platter discs are more reliable than memory cards for long term storage. Also, it is a good idea to have a backup copy of your archives stored in a different location.

[Ivan Myles]

No, you do not need to render preview files prior to exporting.

Enable “Use Render Files” when smart rendering. Smart rendering allows you to shorten the final time to export by encoding portions of the timeline while editing. It is not required, though.

Enable maximum quality if you would like to render at a depth greater than 8-bpc. This is recommended when exporting to a 10-bit codec. There might also be benefits when using 8-bit codecs, but you should test to verify.

It takes about the same amount of time to export a single file directly from Premiere or through the AME queue. However, it is much quicker to use the queue when encoding multiple files from the same sequence (for example, with different codecs or bitrates). You can send an encoding job to the AME queue, duplicate the job in AME, and then adjust the settings as required. AME will process jobs from the same sequence in parallel (render once, encode many). AME can also be used to encode multiple jobs in succession, so you can leave the computer processing over night.

AME produces poor quality results when rescaling footage. If the export dimensions are different from the sequence settings, you should avoid the AME queue and encode directly from Premiere Pro. Otherwise, quality is the same either way.

Smart rendering will decrease the time for final export because the rendering is done while editing. GPU acceleration is the best way to reduce processing time.

[Ivan Myles]

Just to confirm that the issue is not related to preview lag, is there a problem when the file is exported? Or in Premiere Pro when looking at individual frames? Or only when previewing in realtime?

[Ivan Myles]

To rule out the possibility of storage/hardware issues, clean the cache, manually delete any cached files, and check the available capacity of your hard drives.

[Ivan Myles]

There are a few potential causes and resolutions. What are the frame rates of the source footage and the Premiere Pro sequence? Are the duplicate frames encoded in the source file, or are they being generated by Premiere Pro?

If you want the delivered file to have the same frame rate as the source file, check the sequence settings to make sure the frame rate is correct. If not, create a new sequence.

If you want the delivered file to have a different frame rate than the source file and you don’t want to repeat frames, either change the speed of the clip (using Interpret Footage or Speed/Duration), or enable frame blending, or use After Effects to interpolate new frames at the desired frame rate.

[Ivan Myles]

How does the clip play if you encode it?

[Ivan Myles]

The best available alternative is a round image in a square frame. Use a codec that supports alpha channel to make the background transparent.

How do you plan to use the video? There may be another way to achieve the desired result.