Importing slideshow from Photoshop to Premiere Elements 12

[JRAYnSC]

One again, no manuals, no answer to question online. Can someone please tell me how to import a slideshow created in Photoshop to Premiere? I already have a video in progress, also a slideshow I created in Photoshop. As I recall, I simply migrated it. But now when I try to do the same thing, I get an error message. I'm, sure you want to know what the error message says: "The importer reported a generic error."

Must the slideshow be processed in someway? I have manuals for older versions of both programs (PS 4.0 and Pre 2.0) and they say import the slideshow and complete the project. But, they do not say HOW to import the slideshow to Premiere. In Pre 12 I click on Add Media and go to the Organizer where the slideshow project appears. But when I click on "Edit Project in Premiere Elements," I get the error message. To say I am frustrated is a major understatement!

[Guest]

Hi

You may be better off posting your query here Premiere Elements

I can move this thread for you if you like

[JRAYnSC]

Thank you. That would be much appreciated, especially since it took five minutes to figure out even how to reply.

[Bill Sprague]

I create slideshows in Premiere Elements by using the Add Media dialog.  The images can be processed in a photo editor first, ot not. 

Premiere Elements 12 is getting old, but I can try to help if you can be more specific about your workflow steps.

[JRAYnSC]

Yes, Premiere Elm 12 is getting old. So am I. So is everything I own. I simply cannot afford to buy new hardware and software every time developers upgrade them. While I appreciate our Capitalistic system and realize that continual supply of "new, improved, exciting" products is what keeps the economy going, the fact is, I purchase things with the hope they will do the job intended and do so for as long as possible. That being said, my workflow steps thus far have been:

1. Years of research gathering genealogical information, photos, documents, etc.

2. Coordinating all the above into a story board and writing dialog/script to explain them to interested parties.

3. Pulling photos and documents into the media center of Adobe Photoshop (companion to Premiere Elements 12 purchased as a bundle) and creating a slide show.

4. Recording the dialog/script to each slide, making pans, transitions, etc to hold interest.

5. Then re-reading the manuals I have for my REALLY OLD Photoshop 4.0 and Premiere Elements 2.0 (also purchased as a bundle) to see how it was done then.

6. Then, attempting to import the slideshow into Premiere without success.

7. Having said all that, I then re-read the formats which Premiere will accept and work with and decided I needed to Export the slideshow to a .wmv file, which I did.

8. Then I was able to "Add Media" of this .wmv file to the media center, then draged it into the timeline of my project. (This particular slideshow being added as part two.)

However, now the sound does not work when I attempt to preview what I have just done. The existing project worked fine before adding this new file. Now neither file has sound. I can see the waveform sound tract on both, and the video portion works fine, but no sound. Speakers are on, etc. Any idea? This happened to me once before and the only solution I was able to come up with (even after discussion on this forum) was to create it all over again from scratch, using the elements from the media center.

[Bill Sprague]

Around step 6 I get confused.  Not your fault!  It is mine. 

My slideshow procedure starts with making adjustments to photos in Lightroom or Photoshop.   I could use Photoshop Elements but choose not to. 

Then my entire slideshow is created in Premier Elements.

You seem to be making a slideshow in the Organizer program that creates a complete WMV movie file.  So when you do work with your slide show you are adding one movie file to Premiere Elements.  That does not make a project where you have the typical controls over individual photo files.

You should be able to watch and share the WMV file as it is.  What are you trying to accomplish in Premiere Elements? 

For the sound issue, first check that the track is not muted.  Then, if not,  it is not uncommon that something disturbs the settings.  In Premiere Elements, go to Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware and set the Default Input to None.  If that doesn't work, try any of the other choices.

[JRAYnSC]

What I am trying to do, and have done before at least twice, but on older versions of Photoshop and Premiere, is create DVDs that play on home DVD players as well as PCs. Premiere does that. Yes, I edit individual photos, etc, create slides, etc. in Photoshop. Why? Because I know how to do that successfully. I want to add menus to the DVD. In the present project, there will be three separate parts or elements or components to the DVD; each a separate, but related, part. So the main menu will show those three options. One can choose which to view, or view the entire thing from start to finish.

Thank for the tip about sound. This happened once before and in the end the only solution was to do it over again; that is, begin a new project in Premiere and drag all the parts from the Organizer in the proper place and order. At present that is about 20 elements to add to the time line from the media center. It's tedious and time consuming, so I was hoping someone else may have had the same problem and figured out a solution other than starting over. I just checked Preferences, Audio Hardware, and None is not an option. There is only one item listed and that is my sound card, which works fine. But this project still will not play audio. So, I bite the bullet, so to speak, and do it over.

[Bill Sprague]

I wish I could help you more.  I just can't understand your workflow.    Good luck and I wish that you didn't have to do it over.

Bill

[JRAYnSC · Accepted solution]

Since I have had the sound problem twice using Premiere Elements 12, I want to post the solution to the problem of sound suddenly not playing in a project in which it played earlier. I still have not discovered WHY the problem occurred, but at least with a great deal of patience and by the grace of God, I discovered what turns out to be a simple solution. But, of course, if one does not know what to do no matter how simple the final solution may turn out to be, it is very vexing.

So, in Premiere Elements 12, if a project you have been working on suddenly without warning stops playing sound tracks, try this:

1. in the menu line/bar at the very top of the screen click on Tools, then on Narration. The window shown below will open.

2. Then notice the small box that says "Mute audio while recording". If that box is checked, UNCHECK it. This fixed my problem. Once that was done, all my narration and music audio on my Premiere projects worked fine. Now, is the default setting a checked box? I don't know. I just know that my projects work fine while I am creating them, but when I come back and reopen them to do more work, the sound does not work. The first time this happened, I simply began all over again with a new creation of the project. The last time would have required too much work, so I simply began looking at everything---since there is no manual and NO help from Adobe, except this community forum, for which I am grateful. But no one here knew the solution either. So, that is why I feel compelled to post what I discovered today, August 8, 2019. Thanks to those who replied to my plea both times this happened. I hope this will help someone else.

[JRAYnSC]

At step six I was trying to say that when I attempt to move/migrate/open the slideshow from Photoshop in which it was created to Premiere where I would continue to work on it, I could not remember how to do it. I attempted to drag it, but got an error message saying in essence that I could not do that. And when I highlighted the project in the Organizer and right clicked to open menu options, the top option says "Edit with Premiere Elements Editor . . .", I clicked on that and again got an error message. And then I did not know what to do. So I reached out here for help. As it turns out, I figured out the solution by looking at the manual for my older Premiere 2.0. The index lists file types that may and may not be opened in Premiere Elements. I saw there .WMV. I knew that in order to make my slideshow have that file type designation, then I must Output it in that fashion, which is  what I did. Once I had a .wmv file, I easily opened it using the "Add Media" option in the menu bar of Premiere Elements 12. Problem solved. Thanks for your interest and help.