[Ivan Myles]

Have you tried any QuickTime codecs like PNG, JPEG2000, DNxHD, or uncompressed 4:2:2 YUV?

[Ivan Myles]

By the way, have you tried importing the camera files directly without transcoding?

[Ivan Myles]

[Don Cobble] “Is this a correct setting for an AVI?”

Cannot say without more information. These are the key sequence settings; are any different from the source footage?

– Timebase (aka frame rate)
– Frame size (horizontal x vertical)
– Pixel aspect ratio
– Fields
– Audio sample rate

If you are unsure about the source file, right click on it in the Project Panel and select Properties.

[Ivan Myles]

[Andrew Johnson] “I have tried many MPEG2 formats but with those I don’t seem to get any control over the actual Mbps bit rate, just the arbitrary AME 0-100 Quality slider, which is essentially meaningless in terms of DVD Studio Pro 4’s requirements of an actual bit rate. Am I looking in the wrong places to adjust the output VBR/CBR in AME?”

AME MPEG2 export parameters are quite extensive. Be sure to scroll down and expand each section to see all the options.

MPEG2-DVD parameters are more limited, but you can still set bitrate and CBR/VBR encoding:

[Ivan Myles]

[Ben Mullins] “Also, how do I check the numerical luma values in Premiere?”

Change “Composite Video” to “All Scopes” or “YC Waveform” using the tools menu in the bottom right corner of the Reference, Program, or Source monitor.

When I try using DNxHD with color level 709 the luma values outside of 0-100 IRE get truncated and then the remaining values between 0-100 get blown out to -7.5 to 109 IRE. Therefore, I stick with RGB color level.

Any luma or RGB values outside of 0-100 IRE will be clamped when converting to DNxHD, PNG, JPEG2000, or uncompressed RGB. I have not tested many other codecs, but uncompressed 4:2:2 YUV and H.264 codecs are OK. It is a good idea to view source files using the scopes prior to transcoding. The same is true for Premiere sequences, especially if exporting a file for color correction in a different program.

[Ben Mullins] “I’ve just switched from a Mac to PC and was going to use DNxHD as a replacement for ProRes when I export my master file. Is this a good idea? Is there a preferred option?”

ProRes, DNxHD, and GoPro Cineform commonly used. Here is a great comparison:

https://www.fallenempiredigital.com/blog/2013/02/28/avid-dnxhd-vs-apple-prores-vs-gopro-cineform-recompression-generation-loss/

AVC-Intra is another potential option. To the best of my knowledge ProRes will not be available on Windows; Adobe CS needs FCP or Compressor to provide the codec. In CS Next DNxHD MXF will be an option for preview files and smart rendering.

[Ivan Myles]

Instead of using a preset, you can create a sequence based on the clip settings as described in this post.

[Ivan Myles]

You could also use a codec like ProRes, DNxHD, or uncompressed 4:2:2 YUV (very large file size) for better quality. Another option is to create the DVD using Adobe Encore with a Dynamic Link directly to your Premiere Project (no intermediate file required).

[Ivan Myles]

AME H.264 export allows you to set the key frame distance, but that does not necessarily mean the GOP will be closed. The first option below will definitely work, the other two options should work provided the GOP only uses one reference frame:

– Key frame distance = 1 (all I-frames, best H.264 quality, larger file), or
– Key frame distance = 2 (IPI GOP), or
– Profile = Baseline (IPPP… GOP, CAVLC encoding)

Have you considered exporting with MPEG-2 instead? It provides more control over GOP structure, and is also the codec used for SD DVD. Your H.264 export is being transcoded to MPEG-2 by DVD Studio Pro.

[Ivan Myles]

Glad you were able to get working.

[Ivan Myles]

What versions of QuickTime are loaded on the two computers?