Weird video problem in Premiere

[NautiluStar]

I started using Premiere a mounth ago and until now I didn't have any problem, but now I have this weird problem. I have P III 900 MHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard disk and I use Premiere 6.5 on Windows 98. I have instaled all new codecs[video and audio]. When I import mpg, mpeg or avi file, they look pretty normal in the source window, but when I drag them in to the Timeline the video is jerky especialy if it is mpg file. The audio works normal. I set the framerate and divX 5.0.2 codec in General setings/Video but the video is still idiotic. After I export the timeline, and open the clip in any player it looks just fine ... isn't this weird ??? I am new to Premiere and guess this is not huge problem, but I will apricate any help. If it is not Premiere problem please tell me what should I do [maybe it is a windows 98 problem ??] ...

 

[g0ste]

that is perfectly normal.

 

[drewzride]

Go into one of the settings and unclick the preview on video camera. I think that is what I did and it worked
Drewman

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Premiere isn't designed to edit MPEGS, as I understand it.

Cheers,
Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[WizyWyg]

Well mpeg is not an "editable" format to begin with.

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

...yet somehow I am able to import it, edit it, and export it.

MPEG is editable, but Premiere isn't designed to do that, which can lead to all sorts of results. Sometimes junk, sometimes crap, sometimes passable image.

This problem, however, extends to AVI files (I missed that first time 'round), which is somewhat annoying. In theory, AVI files are perfectly cool to Premiere.

NautiluStar, what are your project settings?

Cheers,
Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[WizyWyg]

Edward,

MPEG is not an "editable" format in the sense you are thinking. ITs a "final format" file format, that once you're done editing, you can render it out to mpeg video. Because of the mpeg "file" format, trying to edit an mpeg file means that you are editing it at the "compression" its already been rendered in; and hence can only render it out at its equivalent compression or less. You can't make it better.

Its like taking a 300 dpi image file and trying to make it into a 600 dpi image.

And mpeg file format does lose "frames" that may not be noticeable to many people. I for one have messed around with the file format for a while to know that you lose a lot of information trying to edit an mpeg file. For me, I have to work with uncompressed or at least DV avi's, and stay away from editing mpeg files.

Just because it can be edited and rendered out, doesn't mean its wise to do so.

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Yeah, I know this. JPG, Photoshop, same thing. Lossy, non-lossy. Yeah, well-known. Here's the high-level concept: Information cannot be added to an image or source file. Regardless of format. MPEG has probably had a lot of information removed from the source (depending upon your compression level) And the other high-concept: Premiere will do what it can with what its given. So, without the "edit" in there, it's probably a lot clearer and you don't have to worry about what I mean by "edit".

This problem, however, extends to AVI files, which makes the MPEG discussion fairly moot. In theory, AVI files are perfectly cool to Premiere. By "cool", I mean "editable" using most people's definitions.

NautiluStar, what are your project settings?

Cheers,
Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[GEAK]

When the AVI format was first developed it was designed to allow the encoder to incorporate just about any compression/decompression algorithm he/she wanted. As developers came up with better compression algorithms the algorithms were applied to AVI files and gave smaller files with better quality (incidentally, the same applies to a certain extent to the quicktime MOV file format).

The Windows version of Premiere is designed to work with AVIs but more specifically, with AVIs that use a DV codec: MicrosoftDV type-2, DVSoft, Canopus DV... The Mac version is designed around DV encoded MOV files.

WizyWyg has already established that MPEG is not an editable format, here's the next issue: DivX (and XviD) encoded AVI files are using a variation of the MPEG-4 encoding specification. That means (you guessed it), it isn't an editable format. Also, although the reasons are different, generally the same can be said for any other non-DV codec applied to an AVI (or MOV).

My recommendation is that if you want to edit a file - whether AVI, MPEG, QT/MOV or whatever is to first convert it to DV. Drag the movie to the timeline and export it as another movie using settings for DV. Be prepared to wait a while and you'd better have a lot of disk space. Once it's been exported, bring in the DV version into premiere and do your edits with it.

BTW, if you're working on a Windows box, I'd recommend using VirtualDub to do the conversion to DV - it'll go a lot faster but it'll only work if the source is already in a DV resolution & framerate (720x480 @ 29.97 fps, 720x576 @ 25 fps or 720 x 480 @ 23.976 fps).

 

[WizyWyg]

Excellent point GEAK, though I just plain out use uncompressed avi's. I haven't had any problems with premiere using them. DV in a sense is "compressed" as well, since a DV avi is smaller than an uncompressed one. Just that you must be willing to work with the large file sizes when working on a project.

That's why they invented 200 GB HD's and multibay comps ^_^