Participant

Not Prioritized

Bring Back Video Capture

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
October 20, 2023
68 replies
19191 views

This morning when I opened Premiere Pro 24 for the first time, I was dismayed at not being able to find the Capture option in the File menu. Upon contacting customer support, I was told that feature had been retired, and I was directed to the following page:

https://helpx.adobe.com/in/premiere-pro/kb/retiring-tape-based-workflows.html#sa_src=web-messaging

Here's my problem. As a professional media archivist, I used the capture system frequently in the process of digitizing old video tapes (mostly VHS and U-Matic, sometimes DVCPro) for digital access and storage. The article above seems to think tape-based capture is only for transferring tape-to-tape, which is wrong. There are professional archivists and media professionals all over the country, or all over the world, whose job it is to preserve tape-based media via digitization. Adobe has now effectively abandoned an entire industry because it thinks people don't need this feature anymore. Adobe is wrong. As I write this, I have several dozen VHS tapes at my desk waiting to be digitized, and now I have to come up with another software solution because Adobe evidently does not care about customers like me who do this for a living.

Dear Adobe, this was a poorly researched decision, potentially affecting a lot more of your customers than you realize. I am asking for the tape-to-digital capture feature to be restored to the software for video professionals like me who were using it faithfully.

Mod note: Title changed slightly.

Show previous replies

mortenf123456

Participant

Hi I'm TOTAL agree.

I'm also a professionel arhivist, and also making tape-to-fil...for archive and broadcast...and I'm in a middel op a project, where I now have to backroll to a earlier version of Premiere...Adobe have forgot to ask the users, that pay for a professionel product what the user uses before making a BIG change like that!!!! 😞

J

jdmack01

Inspiring

I agree that it is more than annoying when Adobe *removes* a feature from the "upgrade." Fortunately, I still have older versions of Premiere on my systems (yes, systems plural) that can capture through firewire, but it is a pain to have to capture in one program and edit in another. Adobe, stop removing features without asking your users if they'd mind!

S

SpielbergRules24x7x365

Known Participant

Absolutely RIDICULOUS. After I lost my company to the pandemic like so many others, I started a business digitizing analog tapes. Now I can't even do THAT anymore. Wonderful. I guess Adobe is just another virus. Will go find something else I don't have to pay for every month just to put me out of business. DISGUSTING.

W

Warren Heaton10841144

Community Expert

Premiere Pro 2023 which still has the capture option is likely to remain available until Premiere Pro 2026 gets released.

Anything captured in 2023 will import into a newer version.

There is plenty of time to find another option for video capture.

L

leightong62146308

Participant

Hi There.

I just ran into this and the "Capture" feature is still present and working in version 23.

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/using/install-previous-version.html

Totally agree and it's hard to imagine it's actually costing Adobe anything to keep that functionality.

Good luck.

jefjaeger

Participating Frequently

This is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. I am a one-man business, and about 75% of my business is converting analog and tape-based digital video to digital and doing various repairs and enhancements. I have been a customer for many years. First Adobe started calling paid software 'not genuine' a number of years ago and official software that I paid hunderds of dollars was no longer useable. Then the forced subscription model which for many of us is not the best choice. Then Encore, which was discontinued, but still offered with the Premier Pro CC subscription, was suddenly taken away. Then there is the workaround stuff for MTS importing without audio. Then a week or so ago, I open up my app to do some captures and - no capture. Just gone. The solution is apparently to install the previous old version 23.6 to capture - because 24.0 - supposedly a professional app - cannot capture video any more. Unacceptable. I keep feeling betrayed by Adobe. Over and over again. Very angry. I will of course be using 23.6, but as I continue to pay my subscription fee, I do not enjoy any of the upgrades. Unless I try to bounce between capturing video with 23.6 and then doing the project in 24.0. Pretty cumbersome workflow for something I do for a living every damn day! Very frustrated. I am going to start looking for alternatives to Premiere Pro. I already ditched Photoshop for Affinity becuase of how expensive it is to subscribe to only a few apps.

S

SpielbergRules24x7x365

Known Participant

After seeing all these posts and replies, I didn't see ONE response from an Adobe employee. Gee, I wonder why.

S

SpielbergRules24x7x365

Known Participant

Thanks for that and no need to apologive. I should have figured that they never would nee this... But also thanks fr the idea to post in "Bugs and Ideas". Think they'll actually give a ___ about this issue?

C

cinemanfilm

Participant

I've been using Premiere since 1998. Been a paid, professional filmmaker for the last 10. I often wonder whether Adobe employs ANYONE in developing its software who's an actual filmmaker. Just opened the 2024 update today and tape capture is gone. So much for making documentaries using old tape from the 80's and 90's and ingesting it directly into Premiere. I mean, are you OUT of your minds? Many serious film editing jobs involve old or archival footage that is ANALOG. Come on, guys. Bring this back immediately.

W

Warren Heaton10841144

Community Expert

Did you vote for this at the top (to the left of the original post)?

The Premiere Pro team pays close attention to that number when it comes to prioritizing feature requests.

R

R4949

Participant

This may be a "correct" answer but it's the "wrong" answer for those of us who still use tape daily for documentary and archive work. That's how I earn my living!!!! And reinstalling an earlier version to capture won't exactly enhance my work flow rate.... I think this is a terrible decision by Adobe and it needs to be reinstated asap!

W

Warren Heaton10841144

Community Expert

I would like to see video capture remain as well.

While text-based editing is one of the greatest things to happen in a significant NLE for documentaries in a long time (but a quick shout out to Lumberjack), losing video capture may be one of the worst. If a documentary filmmaker has archival footage on Digital 8, MicroMV, MiniDV, DVCAM or DVCPro, this poses a real challenge.

If not maintaining an older version or Premiere Pro alongside the current version, FireWire-based tape capture is still supported in Final Cut Pro X ($299) and iMovie (included with macOS-based computers).

If capturing via SDI or other video connectors, BlackMagic Design Media Express is included with BlackMagic Design hardware.

While I do not do as much documentary work as I used to, I keep my 2013 Mac Pro and 2013 13-inch MacBook Pro running for capturing from FireWire-based tape formats via Premiere Pro CS6 or Premiere Pro CC2014.

L

lauriej24226234

Known Participant

I've tried 3 versions of Blackmagic Intensity Pro cards and external devices. Media Express when it works is insane. None of the input options make sense. No simple 720 x 480 30fps usually. You have to add it using legacy versions. Well, at least I did.. I use old Canopus firewire modules. Its all I need to do what I want. Even a garbage passthrough works if you capture to Adobe Premiere.

Had it all figured out in CS6 All downhill from there.