Can I render to 4:2:2 from 4:2:0 footage with Premiere Pro?

[best-light]

New to PP, just got a gig that requires output with chroma 4:2:2, but my camera only shoots 4:2:0. Will I be able to render my 4:2:0 footage out to 4:2:2 using PP, or is there other transcoding (Windows) software that I can/should put my footage through first to get it to 4:2:2?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

- Frank

[davidarbor]

Sure, you can convert to a 4:2:2 format, but that's not going to solve your problem. You can't create color data that was never captured in the first place. Can you rent a camera that can capture 4:2:2 instead? Alternatively, a lot of external recorders, such as ones from Atomos can record higher quality data via HDMI. 

[best-light]

Thanks! I'm not confident that I could do as good a job with a whole new camera that I'm not familiar with, and I was hoping to avoid the cost of buying an Atomos, though maybe I could rent it. Since the video is interview-style, indoors, fairly muted and with no green screen requirements, I was hoping that my 4:2:0 captured enough (admittedly sub-sampled) colour to look good, and that a subsequent up-sampling to 4:2:2 would also still look good. But your point is well taken, thanks, I'll try some tests tomorrow and then maybe rent an external monitor if my upsampled test results look bad.

[davidarbor]

That's a fair point about the camera, especially if this shoot is soon. I guess the real question is why is the requirement 4:2:2? Is this going to broadcast? Is there someone who will be receiving the file that you can talk to about whether or not you can deliver 4:2:0 sampled to 4:2:2?

[best-light]

Right, that's a good question - it is for broadcast, a PSA that my charity client wants played on Canadian television. There are a few companies that offer distribution services, and I reached out to 2 of them about this today (because they both specify 4:2:2 for some reason, even though my prior Googling led me to believe that all TV is 4:2:0 anyway). One distributor responded that my 4:2:0 would be fine. The other responded "Because we have transcoding processes in our platform deliveries, we require files to adhere to our specs to ensure these processes run as they should. So a 4:2:0 file might not properly transcode in our system. I am not totally familiar with Premiere but it's possible that you can import your video there and then output as 4:2:2."  Which is what got me posting here!

[davidarbor]

Interesting. Well it's possible that this will work just fine then. You as the editor might not need the extra color info a 4:2:2 file will provide, but when a broadcaster tells you what their specs are you do need to meet them exactly. It's always best practice to deliver the highest quality file and then work down from there, which is what the first response you quoted implied. Broadcasters and distributors have automated QC tools that will pass or fail your file, so if it doesn't conform to the required specs there's no working around that. Now that I understand your situation a little more, I have a feeling that simply converting to something like ProRes 4:2:2 will actually get the job done just fine.

[best-light]

Great, thanks very much for your time and feedback; much apreciated!

[rodneyb56060189]

I shoot with a nikon dslr D800. It shoots 4.2.0 in mov wrapper using H264 to SD card. I don't like that. So, I record using atomos Ninja2 out of HDMI to a 4.2.2. space ( and higher bit rate) to mov wrapper with DNxHD codec. It puts the same 4.2.0 color into a 4.2.2. "space". So, the source material says 4.2.2. when i put it into editor. Then I can export that same space. I can't export what I don't have. This is not a color issue, but a space issue. Use your own camera if HDMI lets you output an uncompressed signal to the atomos and then choose your options in atomos. The broadcast people don't care about the color you got, they care about the specs. Good luck!

[best-light]

Thanks! My camera can output 4:2:2 via HDMI, and I would actually love to get an Atomos at some point, it does sound like a great upgrade. But I didn't budget for it this time, and I'm trying to break my usual habit of buying gear first and then hoping I'll make the money back eventually 🙂 Plus, if I'm thinking of spending close to $1K to get better video, maybe I should be spending it on a camera upgrade instead. All good possibilities, none of which I'd like to decide on before this particular job, if I can avoid it. But I appreciate hearing about the benefits you're getting from your Ninja2.

[rodneyb56060189]

you're welcome. I don't think your camera can output 4.2.2. that's the whole reason you're asking this question. Cause you got 4.2.0 and they want 4.2.2.

[best-light]

Right, sorry, I wasn't clear - it's a Fujifilm X-T2 that can only record 4:2:0 internally, but it can output a 4:2:2 signal to an external recorder like an Atomos via its micro HDMI slot.

Your post got me searching for a Ninja 2, seems to be discontinued but I did found a posting for a used one ...  tempting ...

[rodneyb56060189]

the ninja2 I have is only good up to full HD, so be careful what you buy (new or used ). You need to also buy an SSD ( fast one) for the ninja thing,

[rodneyb56060189]

sorry, sent prematurely with enter key. not used to this forum yet. to continue.. your camera is not sending out a 4.2.2 'signal' out via hdmi, it is sending 'uncompressed' signal...and the ninja is the gizmo that puts your 4.2.0 subsampled stuff into the 4.2.2 'space'. like, pretend you got no electronics in the camera to save stuff... and the ninja does it instead. The difference is that it's a higher bit rate, a different better edit codec, and your NLE will see the source as 4.2.2 ( even though it just has color subsampling 4.2.0 from your chip). So, effects you apply, graphics, SFX, and grading, etc. will now do THAT work in the 4.2.2 space. hard to explain.

[rodneyb56060189]

is there a way to post screenshots and png images etc. in this new forum ?

[davidarbor]

That's a good question. We were told there would be, perhaps it's still being worked on. In the meantime you could upload your screenshots to imgur or a similar site and post a link here.

[best-light]

That helps me understand, thanks again, I've still got a lot to learn. So it sounds like I wouldn't really be gaining any more colours, just an easy way to put the limited colours that my camera can record into a bigger colour space. So maybe the benefit is more that I can get 10-bit instead of 8-bit? Which would be nice, but not necessary for this particular job.

[best-light]

Ah, good to know, thanks! I definitely need the ability to work with 4K footage.