How do I ingest Sony FS7 footage into Premiere Pro?

Report · Mar 21, 2015

Hi! I was told the Sony FS7 footage can natively ingest into Premiere. But my footage is crashing every time I try to import. Any ideas?

Report · Mar 21, 2015

You're probably using the AVCHD codec from that camera ... which is trickier than say a simple mp4 or H.264 MOV file. Your shots are split up into separate audio & video bits put by the camera in different folders. It probably also cuts the shots into shorter bits and then uses a database to tell any programs 'reading' this later that clips 1 2 and 3 are actually clip 5967y490 as one "clip". So you have to be careful ... you must copy the ENTIRE folder structure from the card to your computer intact by taking the top level folder (and all sublfolders) in one copy/move action.

Then, in PrPro, you MUST navigate to the footage with the Media panel, select the clips, right-click and "Import" ... then move to the Project panel and work with your clips from there.

Neil

Report · Mar 21, 2015

Your shots are split up into separate audio & video bits put by the camera in different folders.

Not sure if thats technically correct Neil.

I believe that AVC(HD) is actually a single stream of Video and Audio

There is no additional folder for audio in either the Sony or Panasonic version of AVC(HD)

But...The folders do have functions so basically its still good advice to maintain the "structure". especially for spanned clip/files.

Report · Mar 21, 2015

Perhaps depends on the camera. I've ,,, in my little experience ... come across some that was. Don't remember which brand/camera was used ... but it was a total stopper. It was the first AVCHD I'd worked with, and I copied (as is not uncommon for the uninitiated) the folders that seemed to have actual video content. Finally got VLC to play it from my computer, but it was only video ... so after a bit of learning over the net, figured out the error of my ways. Sure enough, soon as I added the folder that seemed to have something odd in it but not video ... I had sound. And from the things I've seen around here with the problems of those that have trouble with sound in AVCHD (among other things) ... perhaps I'd just assumed the same thing applied universally.

I've done only a little AVCHD with my GH3, just enough to test out the comments from others that the AVCHD was noisier than the MOV files ... which, yes, they are. Not terribly, but ... MOV is simpler to work with, why shoot a noisier codec?

Neil

Report · Mar 23, 2015

Hi,

In my opinion, Premiere is crashing while the preview of the file is being generated. Try this:

Under File > Project settings > General , change the Video renderer to 'Mercury Playback Engine software only'. Click OK and select 'Delete Previews'. Then try to import again and see if it works.

Thanks,

Rameez

Report · Mar 23, 2015

Although this may fix the problem, it is only a work around.