Encoding/charset of Source Text in exported GraphicAndType effect

Has anyone tried to decode one of these base64 Strings from a more recent version of Premiere? The sample <value> from this thread *does* indeed decode to a valid JSON string if you use UTF16-LE. But that does not work for XML output from the latest version of Premiere.

Here's an example that I cannot get to decode no matter what text encoding I try (I've attempted 28 so far):

<parameter authoringApp="PremierePro">
										<parameterid>1</parameterid>
										<name>Source Text</name>
										<hash>4e081bff-5365-dc02-2a20-2ed4000001a4</hash>
										<value>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</value>
									</parameter>

I made an app which managed to import SRT file to pr in essential graphic title. It's Pr Titles and it is available on Mac App Store. You make a title on timeline and export the sequence to Final Cut Pro xml, then use SRT file and xml file to generate a new xml file which contains all subtitles from SRT file. Hope this doesn't bother. 

Hi, folks!

After hours of headaches, I cracked it.

The <value> tag's contents is a base64-encoded JSON string, wrapped in some weird special characters. It's not related to the hash field. ‡

Original XML line:

<value>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</value>

When decoded from base64, the gobbledygook is comprehensible:

ASCII readable string format (doesn't display fully as some characters are invisible): †

h {"mTextParam":{"mAlignment":0,"mDefaultRun":[],"mHeight":0,"mHindiDigits":false,"mIndic":false,"mIsVerticalText":false,"mLeading":-3,"mLigatures":false,"mRTL":false,"mShadowAngle":135,"mShadowBlur":40,"mShadowColor":4144959,"mShadowOffset":7,"mShadowOpacity":75,"mShadowSize":0,"mShadowVisible":false,"mStyleSheet":{"mBaselineOption":{"mParamValues":[[0,0]]},"mBaselineShift":{"mParamValues":[[0,0]]},"mCapsOption":{"mParamValues":[[0,2]]},"mFauxBold":{"mParamValues":[[0,false]]},"mFauxItalic":{"mParamValues":[[0,false]]},"mFillColor":{"mParamValues":[[0,16777215]]},"mFillOverStroke":{"mParamValues":[[0,true]]},"mFillVisible":{"mParamValues":[[0,true]]},"mFontName":{"mParamValues":[[0,"TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT"]]},"mFontSize":{"mParamValues":[[0,58.826084136962891]]},"mKerning":{"mParamValues":[[0,0]]},"mStrokeColor":{"mParamValues":[[0,16777215]]},"mStrokeVisible":{"mParamValues":[[0,false]]},"mStrokeWidth":{"mParamValues":[[0,1]]},"mText":"Adobe Forum","mTracking":{"mParamValues":[[0,0]]},"mTsumi":{"mParamValues":[[0,0]]}},"mTabWidth":400,"mWidth":0},"mVersion":1}

As you can see, this example is for a graphic that says "Adobe Forum" in Times New Roman.

To change the text or font you would have your script:

– Decode from base64

– Replace the parts you want to replace like font or text or font size

– Re-encode for base64

– Re-place between two value tags.

Have a play. Reach out if you need any help.

Valid for Premiere Pro version 12.1.1.

This example Essential Graphic <value> is saved on a pastebin​ for posterity in ASCII, hex and base64 formats. For reference, the whole FCP XML (from which the <value> is taken is here.

More:

† It's safer to do a replace of the valid Premiere Pro-generated string because of the special characters and the top and bottom of the string. If you try to build a fresh JSON object and base64-encode it, it won't work in Premiere Pro because of the missing special characters at the top and bottom.

‡ And, to re-state, the hash tag is irrelevant.

The example graphic is this:

hey ya

Did you ever get to the bottom of this? I'm having the same issue. It would seem that the <value> element is base64 encoded, using an online decoder it outputs a json object containing parameters and the text value. But editing and then re-encoding to base64, produces no text when you import the xml back into premiere.

Cheers

I'm in the same boat, I assume it has to do with the hash field, how do they calculate it?