Inspiring

Answered

Converting H.264 Files Before Editing

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
July 29, 2019
6 replies
15629 views

My camera produces HD avchd files using h264 and after editing I then render out files for YouTube which use the same codec.

Scrubbing and editing has been painfully slow and I've started using proxy files instead. Those files use QuickTime and the gopro cineform format.

They are super fast when editing. In fact I use the same resolution for those files. I Believe It's all down to the native codec I'm using having a lot of compression.

R Neil Haugen also mentioned that h.264 used to be often transcoded before use.

This led me to think why don't I just convert all the files into a new format before I start my project.

If I do that what's the best tool to use and the best format to use to avoid any loss of quality?

I could create the previews in same res like now, but I am not sure if I am losing information.

I would prefer some quick batch process like handbrake, but the same question arises.

If I did do this, I'd discard the original files, and only keep the newly converted, as otherwise I'd run out of space.

The other benefit to conversion would be that I could go Ryzen with my next upgrade, however I'd have to be sure it's a lossless conversion.

You're going to tell me Google is my friend, however I am also curious about a workflow that suite video editors well.

Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Kevin-Monahan

Hi WCN_Dave!

My camera produces HD avchd files using h264
I've started using proxy files instead.
They are super fast when editing.
why don't I just convert all the files into a new format before I start my project.

Sure! This is a common process called "Transcode at Ingest." I use it for almost every project.
- Set up an Ingest Preset or use one of the included presets (they should work fine for you).
Navigate to the choices in the Media Browser
- Click the "Ingest" box
- Click the "Wrench" to open the Settings dialog box.
- Under Ingest > Choose the option to "Transcode"
- Choose Apple ProRes 422 or whatever is best for you.
- Select, then Right Click (WIN) or Ctrl-click (Mac) and then choose > Import
- Your clips import into the project and begin to transcode in the background
Start editing with ease!
- The added benefit is much faster exporting by using smart rendering
  - Go to Sequence > Sequence Settings > Editing Mode: > Custom
  - Change Video Previews > Preview File Format to: ProRes 422
  - Render your Timeline as you go, or at least before exporting
  - Export to ProRes 422 with the "Use Previews" box checked.
  - Exporting is lightning fast.

Hope this helps you,
Kevin

W

wcn_daveAuthor

Inspiring

I've failed to get smart rendering to work. I am also in a position where I have to make a 2 second tweak, and then wait for the whole file to render out, so smart rendering looks good, even if the final file is large.

I have screenshots, however won't upload them unless needed, hopefully my description and numbers will make sense.

I have an MTS file, 1920x1080 50fps which is 1.03mins and 212MB

It transcoded using "Match source - GoPro CineForm YUV 10bit" as ingest setting to a 2.8GB mov file in 38 seconds

I set sequence settings to custom, and saw two choices. Format: GoPro, codec: Quicktime, or Format Quicktime and codec: gopro. I tried both, one created a 2.8GB preview file, slightly smaller, however with no audio. The other created a 9GB file, so decided that was not what I needed. The 2.8 file took 38 seconds again.

(There are no effects anywhere)

Exported as Quicktime, gopro, and then did "use previews", the export took 38 seconds, it did therefore not seem to use the preview.

I exported as quicktime, preset "match source", and it took 38 seconds

I exported as quicktime, preset "match source", and then selected "use previews", it took 38 seconds....

Doesn't seem that any of the options actually used the preview file, as the render to create with or without preview file is 38 seconds, and the time to created the preview is also 38 seconds....

Can't see what I'm doing wrong!!

MyerPj

Community Expert

Not sure if you've seen Kevin-Monahan's blog post regards smart rendering, it could be helpful:

Smart Rendering in Premiere Pro CS6 (6.0.1, and later), & Premiere Pro CC

Also this thread:

FAQ: How do I speed up rendering, exporting, or encoding?

W

wcn_daveAuthor

Inspiring

Yes, I followed his page to do it.

R

rodneyb56060189

Legend

made me cry

R

rodneyb56060189

Legend

am watching 'westside story' on broadcast TV … is 4:3.. black bars on sides ( on a 16:9 TV). Basically the TV broadcaster is buying right to show movie from some entity who already scanned and panned and reduced movie stuff to TV stuff ( NTSC) at 4:3...

The world is the culture we deserve, as Barzun would say.

R

rodneyb56060189

Legend

So complicated. I'm starting to lose track. If you record via atomos via hdmi or sdi those ARE your original files. There's no SD card getting the lower H264 files.. it's ONLY on atomos SSD. So, that's your original.

??

that means that you got the stuff without a transcode or proxy or whatever you want to call it... it's the source.

After THAT, once you move stuff from recorder to internal HD ( or SSD, whatever ) it's just the usual stuff. Back it up if you want, on another drive or whatever. Who cares. I don't worry about backing up anything until I know it's worth backing up, and to be honest most of what I've been shooting or editing lately is basically useless. No client, no big deal if I lost the source. I'm an idiot, so you'd have to be even dumber than me to give me a project to edit.

Kevin-Monahan

Correct answer

Community Manager

Hi WCN_Dave!

My camera produces HD avchd files using h264
I've started using proxy files instead.
They are super fast when editing.
why don't I just convert all the files into a new format before I start my project.

Sure! This is a common process called "Transcode at Ingest." I use it for almost every project.
- Set up an Ingest Preset or use one of the included presets (they should work fine for you).
Navigate to the choices in the Media Browser
- Click the "Ingest" box
- Click the "Wrench" to open the Settings dialog box.
- Under Ingest > Choose the option to "Transcode"
- Choose Apple ProRes 422 or whatever is best for you.
- Select, then Right Click (WIN) or Ctrl-click (Mac) and then choose > Import
- Your clips import into the project and begin to transcode in the background
Start editing with ease!
- The added benefit is much faster exporting by using smart rendering
  - Go to Sequence > Sequence Settings > Editing Mode: > Custom
  - Change Video Previews > Preview File Format to: ProRes 422
  - Render your Timeline as you go, or at least before exporting
  - Export to ProRes 422 with the "Use Previews" box checked.
  - Exporting is lightning fast.

Hope this helps you,
Kevin

Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio

W

wcn_daveAuthor

Inspiring

The first part really helps, as I see I can have it auto convert on import, and also on drag into project files.

The second part sounds like export is fast, as your previews use the same format, however, the link doesn't work

Also, I am not sure about ProRes 422. I used Quicktime GoPro Cineform as Matt Johnson recommended it, however I could use anything that's quick.

I generally want to export either for home video use, to display at events, or for YouTube, so I've always exported in H.264, however that won't work with smart rendering as it's the slow format.

In any case, at least now I can edit with ease!

I don't know who to mark as correct, as both answers help in different ways!

R

rodneyb56060189

Legend

I don't do 4k, so I don't know if that's the case for me.

I definitely get bigger files from original for both transcode and proxy.

Anyway, that's not important as they're all archived after the project.

there's this old joke that circulated when a woman cut off her husband's pp while he was comatose in bed. She then drove away and threw the pp out her car window into the woods. The joke was basically, this.

Two guys are driving down the road at night and suddenly they are shocked by something hitting their car windshield... and one guy says to the other, " Holy smokes ! Did YOU see the size of that PP on that FLY ? "

That is like shooting with a BMPCC with my Nikkor lenses. It's cinemaDNG raw, full HD, and with lens adapter I can put on full chip lenses on that camera. It's very small ( the camera ). The lenses are like the giant PP, and the camera is like the fly.

But it looks great ( footage from SD card ) and is raw which has a lot of latitude etc... and it edits nice without proxy or nothin in Resolve. I don't know if PPro had ever managed to get it to work in their own editor ( PPro ), even though that company was the most influential in 'creating' ( inventing ) the codec.

Go figure.

MyerPj

Community Expert

You can convert using the project file by setting the 'ingest' to create / transcode the files for editing. In fact you are essentially there. It would be the same process you use now for proxies (assuming you create those using PP and ME (media encoder). Just make your settings to Transcode and then you edit with those files.

Similar to editing with proxies as per speed, fluidity, etc... however the proxies yield to the original files for export.

So, the Cineform (and now Windows has ProRes also), are 'near' lossless. So, you are not much further away quality wise than using proxies. But the editing will be as fluid as when using proxies, etc.

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