Project settings-have to force them on video

Report · Nov 06, 2018

When I start a new project, for example, a 720 x 480 mp4 video, I have to force the settings. Otherwise, it reverts to a sony handycam 640 x 480. Supposedly, Adobe says the project will accept the setting of an imported video in expert mode. It does not.

This is for Elements 2019. Is there a way to change the default setting so that I do not have to go through starting a new project and forcing the settings.

I have tried just setting a project to 720 480 mp4 and using that as my standard project. It does not work. When i import the file in expert mode it still reverts back to project setting of Sony Handycam 640x480.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Report · Nov 06, 2018

What is the source of the video? Can you share a sample via DropBox or similar? Are you doing the automatic setting by putting a primary clip on the timeline? What steps are you using to force settings?

Report · Nov 06, 2018

I'm with Bill on this one. Your project settings only change if the program reads different specs on the video.

Short of sharing the video, can you open a sample of your source video in the free download MediaInfo? Set MediaInfo's View menu to Text and then copy and paste the report it generates to this forum.

We'll better know what's going on once we know the nature of your source video.

Report · Nov 07, 2018

General

Complete name : C:\Users\vze24\Videos\project sample\VIDEO_TS\VTS_01_1.VOB

Format : MPEG-PS

File size : 1 024 MiB

Duration : 19 min 40 s

Overall bit rate mode : Variable

Overall bit rate : 7 274 kb/s

Video

ID : 224 (0xE0)

Format : MPEG Video

Format version : Version 2

Format profile : Main@Main

Format settings : CustomMatrix / BVOP

Format settings, BVOP : Yes

Format settings, Matrix : Custom

Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=12

Format settings, picture structure : Frame

Duration : 19 min 40 s

Bit rate mode : Variable

Bit rate : 6 874 kb/s

Maximum bit rate : 7 200 kb/s

Width : 704 pixels

Height : 480 pixels

Display aspect ratio : 4:3

Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS

Standard : NTSC

Color space : YUV

Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0

Bit depth : 8 bits

Scan type : Interlaced

Scan order : Top Field First

Compression mode : Lossy

Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.679

Time code of first frame : 00:00:00:00

Time code source : Group of pictures header

GOP, Open/Closed : Open

GOP, Open/Closed of first frame : Closed

Stream size : 968 MiB (94%)

Audio

ID : 189 (0xBD)-128 (0x80)

Format : AC-3

Format/Info : Audio Coding 3

Commercial name : Dolby Digital

Muxing mode : DVD-Video

Duration : 19 min 40 s

Bit rate mode : Constant

Bit rate : 256 kb/s

Channel(s) : 2 channels

Channel layout : L R

Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz

Frame rate : 31.250 FPS (1536 SPF)

Bit depth : 16 bits

Compression mode : Lossy

Stream size : 36.0 MiB (4%)

Service kind : Complete Main

Menu

This is typical of video i am trying to import. It does not matter if I convert it to another type of file(mpeg, mpeg4, etc.).

The reason I noticed this was that I am using Neat Video and that plugin says the something about the quality of the video. I check the project settings and sure enough it is 640x480.

This did not happen in Elements 15. It would recognize the settings.

I have worked around this problem by setting up a project with the desired settings i need and then check the force settings box. Before I import a video, I open the project I need.

I am just confused about why Elements 2019 does not recognize the setting of any video I import.

Report · Nov 07, 2018

Is this by any chance video from a 10-year old or so JVC hard drive camcorder?

For a while those cams were using a video format that produced a strange 704x480 video that didn't work well with any video editor. And programs like Premiere Elements that based project settings on the video specs couldn't make sense of it.

The format was introduced somewhere between tape-based miniDV and hard drive-based AVCHD and has all but disappeared.

Report · Nov 07, 2018

no. These are VHS based that have been transferred to disc or digitized.

I have been doing some more investigating. I imported a VOB and checked the setting-they were correct. I imported another VOB and it was correct settings. I imported an MPE4 video with the same VOB settings and the settings reverted back to sonycam 640x480.

I found another problem. I force the settings on an MPE4 and try to do shake reduction. It will not do. It says project setting does not match and start new project.

When Elements does recognize the file-VOB-it will do shake reduction-but the results have been disappointing. Usually, it fails or gets very low on memory-I have 32 GB and the program becomes unstable.

Report · Nov 07, 2018

I'm not sure which device and what software you're digitizing your VHS files with, but it's not producing files that are editable in Premiere Elements. When that happens, you are correct: you will not be able to use Shake Reduction on that file.

I guess it's up to you whether you want to try to convert these files into an editable format, recapture them in a format that is editable in the first place. But those 704x480 videos are just bad news. And beyond that I'm not sure what more to recommend.

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Project settings-have to force them on video