Import Image Sequence not importing all images

[reastick]

I have a sequence of 99 JPG images that I am trying to import into Premiere Pro. These images were created by an export from Lightroom.

When I perform the import starting at the first image, only 35 images are imported.

If I import the sequence starting at the 34th image, only 2 images are imported.

If I import the sequence starting at the 35th image, only 1 image is imported (and it is imported as an image file it appears).

If I import the sequence starting at the 36th image, the remaining images are imported.

I have tried a number of different settings for the export from lightroom, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. For example, if I export as TIFF I see the exact same problem. If I export as JPG using a smaller image size I see the exact same problem.

I have tried "Replace Footage..." to no effect.

When I inspect the image files using an image view there appear to be no issues with the files. File sizes are consistent and not inordinantly large (~5MB).

The filenames are all properly numbered as expected by Premiere Pro.

I have done this successfully dozens of times before this problem arose, and I have done it successfully a number of times since the problem arose. The problem appears to happen only with this particular set of images.

I can work around the problem by importing the images as two separate imports (one starting at the first image and a second starting at the 36th image) and putting them both in a single sequence. In fact, this spliced sequence looks as expected with no missing frames or anything else untoward that I can see.

I've poked around with this for a couple days, and cannot discern any other factors that may be causing this.

Does anybody have any idea what might be going on?

[Jeff Bellune]

Check the file names for images 36+ again.  Are there any extra or missing spaces or zeros as compared to images 35- ?

[reastick]

I checked the filenames again and they're properly sequenced with no extra or missing spaces or anything else that doesn't follow the pattern of the first 34 images. In fact, I took a screenshot of this, and in doing so I figured out what the problem is.

Here's a screenshot of the directory with all the images.

As I was reviewing this screenshot, I noticed that the "Date" column goes over midnight. Images 0001-0034 all took place before midnight, and images 0035-0099 took place after midnight.

This column shows the capture time of the images, coming from the camera and through the export from Lightroom. This is different from the creation date of the exported file, which is shown in the "Date modified" column (cropped out of screenshot). In other words, you can see that I took the pictures on February 25 and 26, but exported them on March 1.

To verify that this might be the problem I used "Edit Capture Time..." in Lightroom to shift all the images an hour earlier. This means that there is no longer a date change in the sequence as they all have capture times before midnight. I then exported the images from Lightroom again, and imported them into Premiere Pro.

When I do this, all the images are imported into Lightroom successfully.

I realize this is only one data point, but it sounds like Premiere Pro is maybe using the capture time as part of its sequencing heuristics, and for some reason it isn't handling a date change properly. Or maybe something else is afoot.

What do you think?

Message was edited by: reastick trying to fix link to screenshot...

Message was edited by: reastick ...well that didn't work either...

[Jeff Bellune]

reastick wrote:

What do you think?

I think that's some darn good troubleshooting.

Even if date/time is part of the algorithm by design, it's a bad design.  An image sequence should never be split based on when an image in the sequence was created or modified.  You should file a bug report here:

Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form

Cheers,

Jeff

[Steven L. Gotz · Accepted solution]

It isn't the date and time, it is the file name. The file name changes to a new sequence and Premiere Pro can't tell that a file that begins with 20140225 is supposed to be followed by a file that begins with 20140226

[Ann Bens]

Steven is on the right track.

File names for image sequences need to be the same followed by a number is sequental order.

[Jeff Bellune]

Thanks Steven and Ann.  When I wrote (and then finally posted) my reply the image in his post #2 was broken.  The fact that the changing date is part of the segment of the file name that is supposed to be constant is, as you pointed out, the reason for the disconnect in this case.

Jeff

[able123]

dont know if this helps poster etc.. but I love this free program...

renamer

just be sure you only install that program .. I forget if its loaded with other junk, but thats kinda normal to be careful ...

its drag and drop, put in rules for filename group ( use a folder with just those files you wanna change ) .. and you can do anything with it... keep numerical increments if they are in originals, all sorts of cool stuff .. main thing is you can basically take a batch of stuff from camera ( ssd etc ) and call it what you want based on your import to computer date or whatever.. and keep the order you want.. and do boolean stuff on that to create what you want if necessary..

way better than punching in stupid file names date and slate junk before you record etc...

[Ann Bens]

You can rename (and lots more) in the Bridge and Windows explorer....

[レオンマ]

ok

[reastick]

Thanks everyone. You have no idea how many times I looked at those filenames for gaps or something else in the numbering and never noticed the date change.

For the record, the date in the filename came from using "YMD" in the "File Naming" section of the Lightroom Export dialog. I did not realize that the YMD would be the capture date and not the current date.

In an attempt to force uniqueness in the filenames, I hung myself by my own petard.

[Steven L. Gotz]

Sometimes it just takes an extra set (or sets) of eyes to spot something you are too close to. We are always pleased to be of assistance. It's good for our Kharma.

[Snowbound_60]

I was having this problem, but it wasn't a date or file name issue. I was importing from a folder with about 400 images and if I picked OK too fast it wasn't get them all. I found that you need to wait long enough for the file list in the import dialog to load all the images.

[BagglesZZZ]

If that's the case, it's poor UX and should be fixed, but I too have the same problem  and no filename discontinuity or date stamp issues. Attempting to import 2596 frames.