Cannot import iPhone video into Prem Elements 2023 (import fails HEVC error)

[Millicent292050990k3y]

Hello,

I am trying to import video clips from my iPhone into Premiere Elements 2023 (v21.0). When I try, I get the following error:

Unable to import media

Your system needs to be configured to import HEVC or HEIF type of media. Click on 'Learn more' to know how to enable these formats for import.

I think I have tried pretty much all the online how-to's so now I'm stuck. Here is all the info so far:

- Computer is a recent model Windows 11 laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

- Clip is a .MOV file taken on an iPhone, it is (only) 1920x1080 (standard HD) @ 30 FPS

- Phone is an iPhone 13 Pro running the latest software.

- I had previously (99.9% sure) had the Microsoft HEVC extensions installed. .MOV files played fine on the computer. However I could not find any reference to the HEVC codec or MS HEVC extensions on the laptop so, to be sure, I downloaded and installed the extensions from the Store today - see screenshot.

- I followed the Adobe help text at this link: Using HEVC and HEIF media on Windows (adobe.com)

- As a result of this link I installed the Microsoft HEVC extensions (which as I said I think were already installed but, just to be sure). I then cleared the cache as explained (multiple times). And I also went through the crazy painful video tutorial to change the file and folder permissions for the codec.

- Despite all of the above, still nothing. Same error.

My Prem Elements is the latest version (PE2023, v21.0). It is a full subscription copy not a trial. I have also tried uninstalling it and reinstalling it.

I know these highly-compressed video containers can be problematic but there's simply no sense having a video editing package which cannot cope with the video format from such an benchmark phone!

Can anyone help? Tbh I'm not optimistic as I've read so many "here's how to fix it" texts so far, on web pages and on forums, tried it all, none of it works... if I could give out a special prize for the person that solve it here... I would!

Thank you.

MM

[Ann Bens]

Contact support. If they cannot solve the issue, you can ask for your money back within 30 of purchase from Adobe.

https://www.adobe.com/about-adobe/contact.html

[Millicent292050990k3y]

OK here's a (very weird) update which may help you guys help me...

So. If I take the file natively from the iPhone, through iCloud, onto the PC, it behaves as above i.e. it does NOT work correctly, Prem Elements cannot import it.

However if instead of this I export the videos individually (literally one by one) from the phone, to Microsoft OneDrive, and then access them from the laptop which is in turn signed in to OneDrive... it works! Looking at the data it's quite clear that something changes in the pass through OneDrive which does not change when accessing through iCloud:

- In both cases the video remains 1920x1080

- The file size has been increased from 30.7MB (the one that doesn't work) to 51.9MB (the one that does work)

- In both cases it remains a .MOV file according to the file properties / details accessible through Windows Explorer

- On the non-working example: data rate 8628kbps, total bitrate 8818kbps, frame rate 29.99

- On the working example: data date 14775kbps, total bitrate 14965kbps, frame rate 30.00

- In the properties detail there is an item "Attributes": in the non working version this shows "ALP", in the working version it only shows "AL"

So clearly something changes when the file is passed through an export-to-OneDrive process from the iphone, which changes the file (although it still manifests itself as a .MOV file), and whatever change that is converts it to a format that Prem Elements can cope with. But since it's not possible to know what change it has made, I am still baffled...

,,,oh any anyway I don't want to have to export my videos through OneDrive one by one!

Help still required please..

Thanks,

MM

Hello,

I am trying to import video clips from my iPhone into Premiere Elements 2023 (v21.0). When I try, I get the following error:

Unable to import media

Your system needs to be configured to import HEVC or HEIF type of media. Click on 'Learn more' to know how to enable these formats for import.

I think I have tried pretty much all the online how-to's so now I'm stuck. Here is all the info so far:

- Computer is a recent model Windows 11 laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

- Clip is a .MOV file taken on an iPhone, it is (only) 1920x1080 (standard HD) @ 30 FPS

- Phone is an iPhone 13 Pro running the latest software.

- I had previously (99.9% sure) had the Microsoft HEVC extensions installed. .MOV files played fine on the computer. However I could not find any reference to the HEVC codec or MS HEVC extensions on the laptop so, to be sure, I downloaded and installed the extensions from the Store today - see screenshot.

- I followed the Adobe help text at this link: Using HEVC and HEIF media on Windows (adobe.com)

- As a result of this link I installed the Microsoft HEVC extensions (which as I said I think were already installed but, just to be sure). I then cleared the cache as explained (multiple times). And I also went through the crazy painful video tutorial to change the file and folder permissions for the codec.

- Despite all of the above, still nothing. Same error.

My Prem Elements is the latest version (PE2023, v21.0). It is a full subscription copy not a trial. I have also tried uninstalling it and reinstalling it.

I know these highly-compressed video containers can be problematic but there's simply no sense having a video editing package which cannot cope with the video format from such an benchmark phone!

Can anyone help? Tbh I'm not optimistic as I've read so many "here's how to fix it" texts so far, on web pages and on forums, tried it all, none of it works... if I could give out a special prize for the person that solve it here... I would!

Thank you.

MM

By @Millicent292050990k3y

[Bill Sprague]

I agree with Ann's reccomendation.   If you do not getting working to your satisfaction, get your money back before it is too late.  

That said, where are the clips when you are editing.  Are you moving them to your computer's primary drive?  Or are they still on a cloud drive? 

[Millicent292050990k3y]

Thanks but getting my money back doesn't really solve the problem, and this cannot surely be an unsolvable problem. I am surely not the only person who wants to edit footage taken on an iPhone using Premiere Elements (which anyway is a learning curve for me towards Premiere Pro)? I want to get it working, not get my money back.

As I tried to describe above, in both cases, the clips are being edited on the computer's drive:

- In case 1, I have a synchronised folder to iCloud on my laptop. To avoid any risk of cloud sync not working, I copy the files to my local hard drive before trying to edit them (but I am copying from an iCloud sync'd drive).

- In case 2, I have moved the files on my phone directly to MS OneDrive, which is also sync'd to my laptop. Once again however to remove any sync risk, I copy the files from the laptop copy of OneDrive to a local scratch drive for editing.

In both cases therefore I am working off local copies not cloud drives. However case 2 (sending from the phone to OneDrive) works after - apparently - reformatting the files somehow, case 1 (pulling a copy of the videos from iCloud to a local drive) does not.

I guess no-one on this forum knows the answer to this?! I will speak to Adobe Support this morning.

[Ann Bens]

Elements is not really a learning curve for Premiere Pro. PPro works in many ways very differently and is changing over time.

Learning Elements first and switching over to Ppro might get frustrating.

I suggest skip Elements and go straight to Pro.

Besides, no more fuss over hevc files. Pro has the codec build in.

Here is how I do it:

I connect my iPhone with USB to my computer and transfer the files directly to my local drive.

iCloud and OneDrive are not suited for editing. Use them only for backup.