CS6: Will Export then Import Decrease Video Quality?

[Jiptastic]

My video has multiple layers and effects; and it's gotten to the point where it's running frustratingly slow.  I'd like to export and re-import the video and then continue editing.  I'm using the H.264 youtube format, which is looking pretty good.  

My question is: when I export the video a second time for the final draft, will the quality be decreased considerably from compressing the video again?  Is there an export format that can be reimported without any loss in quality?  Is there any other way to solve this problem?  Rendering does not seem to help.  I've looked into clearing the cache, but it's not clear to me whether this is a good idea either.  My hard drive has over a terabyte of free space.  

[title edited by mod]

[R Neil Haugen]

Been to a blockbuster movie lately ... Star Wars, a Marvel pic ... ? Much of what you've seen on-screen has been through several generations.

The key is the format/codec chosen for creating a "digital intermediate" or DI file. Cineform, ProRes 422, and the mid/upper flavors of DNxHD/R are all used for this. And besides carrying a very close to completely lossless quality, they will edit a lot easier in your machine than any H.264. The H.264/long-GOP media is great for the cameras ... they have a specialized chip to encode the image into it in-cam, and they can cut down the amount of writing needed dramatically.

Long-GOP media is a right pain on the computer to play back, especially in an NLE as you start adding effects.

Using a proxy workflow can also help with this sort of thing.

Neil

[Jiptastic]

Hey Neil, 

This is awesome advice.  Thanks!  I'll try soon.  

[Jiptastic]

Hmmm.... I'm using CS6.  Not seeing the options listed.  These are the options I have: AIFF, Animated GIF, AVI, AVI (uncompressed), BMP, DPX, F4V, FLV, GIF, JPEG, MPEG2, MPEG4, MXF OP1a, P2 Movie, PNG, Targa, TIFF, Windows Media.  

What am I missing? 

[R Neil Haugen]

Those are the formats. And CS6 is way more limited than the newer versions for format/codec options.

What options do you have in MXF-OP1a? And if you look at the options for AVI or others, do you see Cineform?

Neil

[Ann Bens]

There is no Cineform in CS6.

You need a plugin for that but doubt it even excist anymore.

[Antero]

But I have the Adobe Premiere Pro 2020.

[SAFEHARBOR11]

You can download and install the free Lagarith codec, which will then be available under the AVI options. This is a mathermatically lossless codec with great quality that I used a lot in the past before Adobe started offering usable options like DNxHD and ProRes.

https://lags.leetcode.net/codec.html

Thanks

[SAFEHARBOR11]

As when exporting with ANY codec, make sure to verify that the specs of the source/sequence match the export settings, meaning frame size, frame rate, pixel aspect, fields. So as an example, look that SOURCE and OUTPUT specs match, as you may have to manually make adjustments before exporting

• 1920x1080
  29.97
• 1.0 PAR
• Upper

[Ann Bens]

Hmm, upper?

[SAFEHARBOR11]

Ann, interlaced HD is always Upper Field First, confused by your comment...

Jeff