New user, find that video quality is terrible and the program stalls a lot!

[RatBot]

Hi there, so the first thing I want to disclose is that I'm a complete amateur when it comes to video editing.

So I wanted to ask.  I took some raw footage on my iphone (.MOV files).  I added about 18 short separate files (about 35Mb - 65Mb per file -- or 30 - 45 seconds per file), which I was to trim down in the program.  Anyway, I noticed that the images on the preview were very grainy.  Like the program had compressed the files and lost a lot (a LOT) of information.  I figured, it was just the display, and when I export the final project it would be ok.  However when I exported the file, the video quality was better than on the preview screen, but it was significantly lower than the original files. 

I equate it to buying a 4k BluRay movie but only able to watch it on my parents old CRT Tv with the twisty knobs, that's how much the difference in quality was from the raw footage to the finished video.

The second issue I had was that the program was stalling a lot, especially later in the edit.  When I was trimming videos (Smart Trim), there's a button on the bottom right that says "continue editing...", that button stopped working and I had to "x" out of the trim and was asked to save changes.  Also, the videos themselve became very corrupted on the preview screen (later in the edit) where the video wasn't even showing and it was all colour bars and static.  I had to "render" the file for it to be ok.  

I'm just really disappointed, that's all.  Being a paid software is one thing, being a product from a company like Adobe is another.  I'm hoping there's a reasonable explanation to this?  

[Steve Grisetti]

There are many variables to consider if you want a high quality workflow, so it depends on whether you want to pursue this or just chuck the whole program.

Which version of the program are you using on what operating system?

What resolution is your iPhone footage? Is it HEVC video? Does your Premiere Elements project setting match your original video specs?

Does your output resolution match your source video specs?

When your workflow is correct, your finished video should be every bit as clean and sharp as your original footage. The program, which used properly, gives excellent result, results worthy of its nearly 20 year history.

If you're interested in learning how to get the most out of the program, you can check out my free 8 part Basic Training course as a start.

[Bill Sprague]

I'm posting to back up Steve's post.  "Video Qaulity" is not an issue with Premiere Elements.  I've been shooting, editing, outputing 4K and watching 4K video with Premiere Elements for a couple years.   Viewing quality is excellent, even on big 4K TV screens.

[Amit Kumar Gupta]

I guess you are using HEVC files from iphone. Would like to know your system configuration (OS, RAM, processor etc)

What is the project setting?