Can't edit my HEVC (H265) videos in Premiere Pro 2023

[siyabendbartin]

Version 23.6.0 (Build 65) user here.

I was using H264 codec to record and edit but from now on I've decided to do it on H265 since it provides higher quality and lower file size. I recorded some stuff but I can't edit them in Premiere Pro 2023. It's so laggy and shows you the next frame maybe after 15 seconds, impossible to make your edits.

I don't think that my specs are the problem, I have 6900 XT GPU, 5800x3D CPU and 36 GB 3600 MHz RAM's.

I need your help everyone.

[RjL190365]

Which software are you using to record?

If it is OBS, and your recording has an .mp4 extension, then it's the way that OBS wraps the container format that trips up Premiere Pro. Also, Premiere Pro has trouble dealing with VFR (Variable Frame Rate)  HEVC material as all NLEs currently in use had been designed many years ago when all video content was CFR (Constant Frame Rate).

And if your recordings have a 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, forget about hardware decoding as no discrete GPU outside of Intel's ARC series supports it.

[siyabendbartin]

I am using OBS and yeah, VBR was on but I've just changed it to CBR since it is better for gaming videos. But nothing has changed, I still can't edit my records on Premiere Pro.

I also bought something from Microsoft Store named "HEVC Video Extensions" but it didn't help.

I really don't want to go back H264 codec. Please help me.

[RjL190365]

I meant VFR, not VBR. They are two completely different things. And OBS always records with VFR by default, and one must be proficient with command-line switches to force CFR.

And VFR means that the frame rate varies wildly from less than 15 fps to around 60 fps within the same video – which makes it very tough on NLEs to handle.

[Warren Heaton]

Switch to Apple ProRes 422 LT from OBS and you should get much better editing performance.

Home Forums > OBS Studio Support > Windows Support > ProRes record parameters with StreamFX

What you'll notice right away is that ProRes 422 LT files are their own Preview files (no yellow line above the footage in the Timeline).

Also, H265 is not inherently better picture quality than H264.  Both encoding  methods have low peak signal noise ratio (PSNR) and are very prone to compression generaiton loss.

[siyabendbartin]

Guys, I appreciate you trying to help me. However, I don't know whether it is because my English is not very good or because I am not very knowledgeable on this subject, what you wrote was not helpful to me.

H265 provides lower file size, faster rendering speed. That's why i want to use it. But I am very surprised that Premiere Pro doesn't let me editing my H265 videos smoothly. We are in 2024, it should be run fine...

You gave me some advices about OBS, but I also record 1-minute clips with Radeon Software while playing games then montage them. Even if I fix the OBS part, I won't be able to edit videos from Radeon Software.

By the way, the version of Premier Pro that I wrote in the first message was not up to date, I guess none of you noticed that lol, but it doesn't matter, because even though I updated it, the problem was not solved.

What can I say, I am disappointed with Premiere Pro.

[Warren Heaton]

You're trying to force a format at setttings that are not good for editing to be good for editing.

H265, even at high-end settings (like 422 color sampling at 100 megabits per second or higher), requires a more powerful workstation than that of formats that are good for editing (ProRes, DNx).

Are you able to try your footage on an 13th generation Intel i7 or i9 or Apple Silicon based system?  If not, switch to ProRes 422 LT or ProRes 422 Proxy.

[R Neil Haugen]

H.264/5 are great at storing data in a very small space.

They are the worst media to edit from in any NLE. Period.

Why?

They don't actually record all of every frame, they only record an actual frame (called iframes) every 9-30 or more 'frames' of video. For the other 29 or so frames, they make the computer recreate image data from keeping a copy of that iframe, maybe decoding/decompressing another iframe, and then using charts of pixel data.

As in ... datasets of a) pixels that have changed since the last iframe or b) pixels that will change before the next iframe and c) BOTH.

So to simply show a frame, the computer has to decode and decompress likely two iframes, store them to RAM/cache, then compute every frame in between from those datasets before they can show the first frame after an iframe.

Some computers have the specialized chips, and can do 'hardware' encoding/decoding, and they can handle this without "as much" trouble. But many computers don't. No computer can play long-GOP H.264/5 as easily as they can an intraframe codec like ProRes, DNx, or Cineform.

The "intraframe" codecs I listed are larger on disc because every frame is complete in and of itself, none requires any other decoding work. So they are vastly easier on the hardware to play.

I work for/with/teach pro colorists. Some of the major teaching ones. I spend a lot of time at pro events and online in discussions with them about workflows.

Most of them have 'heavy iron', computers VASTLY more powerful, loaded, and expensive than you or I. They'll have typically $15,000 (cheap setup) to $50,000 in monitors and calibration devices alone!

And nearly all the ones I know ... on getting a job in from a client ... look for H.264/5 media. If it's 'there', they transcode all of it immediately, and grade from the transcodes. Because they don't want that stuff messing up their playback.

[siyabendbartin]

Even if I switch to ProRes 422 LT etc, how will I edit the clips from Radeon Software? I cannot edit the clips from there smoothly. If H264 or H265 is that bad, why is it the most recommended codec for gameplay videos? If is there better codecs for gaming videos feel free to recommend me...

[R Neil Haugen]

Gaming is not at all like unto video editing ... that's the first thing to note.

Gaming only involves playback. A vastly simpler process.

Editing involves a highly organized programmin of on-the-fly work grabbing short specific clips of video, short specific but different clips of audio, playing this cutup mishmash as if it was one file, plus adding tons of at time highly loaded computational effects to those clips.

It's both a much larger hardware demand, and a very, very different one for the specfic resources needed and used.

Which is why Nvidia has the gaming drivers and the Studio drivers. Running any NLE, you should never use Nvidia's gaming drivers. 

[siyabendbartin]

Thanks for information 🙂 But from my viewpoint you guys are just making it more complex... Looks like I won't get any help here and unfortunately will go back to H264.

[MyerPj]

You can use Shutter Encoder to convert the files (before editing) to constant frame rate. Maybe try ProRes LT or even ProRes Proxy format within Shutter Encoder for easy to edit formats with 'better' files size.

Convert your Radeon files with SE get ProRes from OBS.

The others have done nothing but recommend better 'gaming' video. If you have to save an h.264 or 5, then convert those to ProRes for editing. h.265 does not provide faster rendering speed.

https://www.shutterencoder.com/en/

[Warren Heaton]

H264 and H265 are fine for saving screen recordings to watch later.

They are not fine for video editing.

[R Neil Haugen]

RJL and Warren are giving you excellent professional advice. H.264/5 is a mess for editing, as ... there are very few actual video frames recorded/encoded to file. Maybe every 15-30 or more. Those are called iframes.

In-between those few frames it stores frame datasets, that's all. Called p or b frames, depending on things. It's why the size on disc is so small!

But those are just essentially a chart listing :

a) pixels that have changed since the last iframe.

b) pixels that will change before the next iframe.

c) both.

So to playback that file, frame by frame on the monitor, the computer has to do a TON of math work to de-encode and decompress and reconstruct up to 60 frames, storing them in RAM or cache files.

That's why h.264/5 is great for small file on disc, but lousy for playback in all NLE apps.

And why Warren's comment about generational issues is SO important to note!