This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Supported File Types
Clients throw everything at us. It’s rare that they understand that certain formats aren’t optimized for video editing. In their heads, video is video, photos are photos, and audio is audio regardless of where it came from.
Get ProRes
Apple’s ProRes codec (decoder only) can be downloaded as part of Apple’s QuickTime installer, and consider paying for the Pro install, which contains extra features, at www.apple.com/quick-time/download. To actually write ProRes media, you must have a Mac, and your system must have at least one Apple application that can write ProRes. We suggest Apple Compressor because it’s the least expensive of these tools.
It’s always best to work with the least compressed file type, with the XDCAM files instead of the Flash file that was posted to the Web, and with the TIFF rather than the JPEG from your client’s smartphone. Realistically, we don’t always get these choices. Fortunately, Adobe Premiere Pro handles almost everything.
You can find the full list of supported formats at http://adobe.ly/supportedformats.
For all supported formats, remember that they’re imports, not captured footage. Adobe Premiere Pro merely links to them. If you move them (or eject the card), you’ll no longer have access to the footage (it’ll then be offline). You need to copy or clone the desired media to your media folder at the operating system level.
Install the Avid Codecs
Avid’s DNxHD codecs are available for free download at www.avid.com/support/codecs. This makes working with Avid projects and media far easier.
Footage Files
Adobe prides itself on keeping up with the latest changes in camera technology in Adobe Premiere Pro. As such, you’ll often see “dot” updates available that add support for new cameras. You can find the full list of supported formats at www.adobe.com/products/premiere/native-tapeless-workflows.html. These formats can be read by Adobe Premiere Pro, providing access to their metadata. Some manufacturers provide drivers to mount their material on your system. Some also have their own players or utilities that allow you to examine the footage, assign card names, and adjust metadata. We strongly suggest you visit your manufacturer’s Web page and stay abreast of the latest information for your camera.
A Swiss Army Knife
Adobe Premiere Pro can also handle formats that were never meant for editing. You may find it useful that Adobe Premiere Pro can handle diverse files like WMV (Windows only), DVD Video Objects (VOBs), and Flash Video. They’re distribution formats—small files with tremendous compression. But sometimes they’re all the client has.
The major tapeless formats supported by Adobe Premiere Pro include the following:
- Any DSLR camera that shoots H.264 directly into QuickTime
- ARRI ALEXA
- Panasonic P2
- RED ONE, RED EPIC, RED SCARLET
- XDCAM (disc based or card based)
- Sony HDV (when shot on removable media)
- AVCHD cameras
- Canon XF
- AVC-Intra Frame (50/100 Mbs)
Getting Footage from a Final Cut Pro User
If you get footage from a Final Cut Pro user, make sure it uses the ProRes codec. When it comes to formats like XDCAM and DVCPRO-HD, Final Cut Pro rewraps the material into a QuickTime movie with its own codec. These codecs may not be available on a system that doesn’t have Final Cut Pro installed. You can check out Cailbrated Software, which sells codecs that can directly access XDCAM, P2, and other codecs (www.calibratedsoftware.com/products.asp).
Graphics Files
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics tool used by 98 percent of all video editors. Fortunately, Adobe has also integrated a lot of its image-handling features into Adobe Premiere Pro. You can import most formats, including JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and PSD files.
Image Sequences
Even cameras/systems that can’t output QuickTime or AVI files often can produce an image sequence. Image sequences are also often used with time-lapse cameras. These sequences are a number of sequentially numbered stills. Either import via the File > Import command (and click the Image Sequence button) or via the Media Browser (where you’ll find the switch under the panel menu).
With that said, here are a few key points to keep in mind when importing graphics into Adobe Premiere Pro:
- PDF files won’t work. Perhaps it’s because PDF files span multiple pages that they won’t work. It’s a concept that just doesn’t make any sense in the video world. You can open a PDF in Photoshop and crop or extract images.
- Develop DNG/Camera Raw files. You should process any raw still images using Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop. We recommend developing and saving 16-bit TIFF files.
- Stick to RGB. Make sure your graphics are in RGB mode. In Photoshop, choose Image > Mode > RGB. In Adobe Illustrator, choose File > Document Color Mode > RGB. CMYK and even grayscale will cause weird color shifts or even incompatibility. Keep in mind that Adobe Illustrator files will be flattened.
- Go big if you want. Unlike other editing tools, which may limit their graphics to 4 KB, you’ll have greater range in Adobe Premiere Pro. The maximum still or movie image frame size that can be imported is 256 megapixels. There’s also a maximum dimension of 32,768 pixels in either direction. Of course, keep in mind that bigger images use more RAM and need faster disk speeds to display.
Codec Packs Warnings
If you’re a Windows user and you want to use a codec pack, be forewarned. Be very, very careful about installing any codecs not from professional video manufacturers (such as the K-Lite Codec pack). Depending on how they instruct Windows to work, Adobe Premiere Pro and other video tools may no longer correctly play back.
Understanding Bits per Channel
Video professionals describe how many steps per channel as bit depth. Most video has 8-bits per channel (2^8 = 256), which equals 256-steps per channel. Because there are three color channels on a computer (Red, Green, and Blue), they yield millions of colors. Some video formats support 10 and even 12 bits per channel. If you’re working with still images or rendered computer graphics, they can be brought in at 16-bits per channel.
Photoshop (.psd) files
One of the best features that illustrates how well the Adobe family communicates is the ability to import a layered Photoshop file into Adobe Premiere Pro (a workflow we explore in Chapter 12, “Essential Effects”). When you import a layered Photoshop file, the dialog in Figure 4.17 appears. Here you have four choices; each gives you a slightly different result.
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Figure 4.17. The Photoshop Import dialog. Good naming conventions in Photoshop equals ease of knowing what to import to Adobe Premiere Pro.
Understand the Creative Suite Graphics Workflow
If you want to fully understand how to use the Adobe Creative Suite to build video graphics, we can recommend a great book; Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques (Adobe Press, 2010) explores Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Adobe Premiere Pro.
- Merge All Layers. This option brings in a single file and merges the layers based on what was visible when the file was saved in Photoshop. The new file will occupy one track in your Timeline panel.
- Merged Layers. This option allows you to bring in a single merged file. You can choose which layers you want to be visible. The new file also occupies only a single track.
- Individual Layers. This option lets you bring in each layer as an individual file. You can choose which layers you want to import.
- Sequence. This option is similar to the Individual Layers option. The difference is that you get a sequence that matches the Photoshop file’s appearance. This makes it easy to animate layers with keyframes (see Chapter 12). You can place the sequence as a nested item inside another sequence.
Layered Photoshop/TIFFs
You can crop files (like Raw) nondestructively in Photoshop CS6; just save them as a Layered TIFF, and you can always go back and make adjustments.
If at any point you want to force a graphic to update in Photoshop (such as to adjust exposure or use the Clone Stamp tool to remove something), it’s easy. Select the clip in your sequence or Project panel and choose Edit > Edit in Photoshop.
Edit Original
Nearly every format supported has the option to open it in its native application. For example, to send a graphic back to Photo-shop, just right-click and choose Edit Original or press Command+E (Ctrl+E).
What Works from Photohop?
We find that layer masks, adjustment layers, opacity, clipping paths, vector masks, and layer effects come across. Most blending modes do, but some don’t. All in all, it’s the best compatibility we’ve seen in an editorial tool.
Illustrator (.ai) files
Unlike Photoshop, Illustrator stores most graphics as mathematical vectors. The benefit is infinite scaling to size for specific applications, such as when printing or when working with vectors in After Effects. No matter how much a vector file is scaled up or down, the graphic remains crisp in Illustrator (or After Effects).
The Adobe Photoshop to Adobe Premiere Pro Workflow
In this video you’ll learn how to create a Photoshop file from within Adobe Premiere Pro. You’ll also learn how to use the Camera Raw module to develop a photo from a DSLR. We’ll explore advanced options like the Lens Correction filter, Content-Aware Fill, and the Content-Aware Scale capabilities to selectively resize a photo.
When you import a vector graphic from Illustrator into Adobe Premiere Pro, it will rasterize (be converted to pixels). If you scale it larger, the image will become pixelated. An Illustrator file comes across only as a “flattened” item—all the layers are combined.
The Adobe Illustrator to Adobe Premiere Pro Workflow
In this video you’ll learn how to scale elements in Illustrator. You’ll also learn how to use the video-oriented document presets and to adjust the artboard area so that the finished work is visible in Adobe Premiere Pro.
If you intend on scaling up the graphics more than 125 percent, it’s best to open them in Illustrator and adjust the scale there. Simply choose Edit > Edit Original from within Adobe Premiere Pro to open the vector file. When you’re finished, close the file and save your changes. The linked file will update within Adobe Premiere Pro.
Audio Files
Pretty much every audio format you’ll encounter will work in Adobe Premiere Pro. You can toss in MP3, AAC (MP4), WAV, and AIFF. With that said, it is far better to work with uncompressed audio files. Otherwise, you’ll be forcing your system to work harder than necessary, which can lead to dropped frames and drifting sync during playback.
Uncompress It!
The best way to lessen the stress on your computer’s CPU is to transcode. Modern systems are pretty fast. But often it’s considered wasteful to use computing power on dynamically converting audio that can quickly be converted into an un-compressed file. You can transcode audio from either Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Media Encoder.