Interfacing Premiere Pro complex functions with other applications

[Factura23428548l8od]

Hello,

I'm building an application that converts powerpoint-like presentations to premiere video projects.

Our first approach was to use XML as an input method for Premiere; that worked fine for simple stuff like importing audio and video and creating sequences.

We are moving into more complex stuff like Adjustment Layers and XML is not capable enough to handle our requirements.

What would be the best way to interface with Premiere, so that I can take advantage of the maximum ammount of Adobe Premiere features.

The basic requirement is: 

User creates multimedia presentation in our software> Our converter does something! (THIS IS THE BIG QUESTION) > The user imports or loads some file or files> An Adobe Premiere project is created, including effects, adjustment layers, etc> The user continues to work on the video in Premiere.

Thanks!

[R Neil Haugen]

Porting effects ... and Adjustment layers are actually an effect, mostly ... between applications is just not really 'a thing'. Those complex parts of each app are native to that app, it seems.

There might be some scripting that could help ... @Bruce Bullis is the one who would know.

Neil

[Factura23428548l8od]

Thanks a lot, Neil! This thread interests me and my team. 

[Warren Heaton]

For clarification, does your application convert PowerPoint presentations to a Premiere Pro project?  Or, does it convert a PowerPoint-like presentation that your app creates (meaning that it's not a .ppt)?

Assuming it's converting a PPT to a PRPROJ, it seems you'd just be looking to convert what can be done in PowerPoint to a Premiere Pro equivalent.  Does this actually need Adjustment Layers to be created on the Premiere Pro side?  Let's say a PNG is scaled down with reduced opacity at the lower left of a slide, it seems the conversion app would match the Scale and Opacity parameters via the intrinsic Motion effect for the still image.

It could be helpful to have a converter app to turn each slide into a Sequence with the layered elements on the slide layered in Video Tracks, similar to how a layered PSD file imports into Premiere Pro, with things like PowerPoint text objects converted to a Premiere Pro Graphic with text object.

As I think about the times I've had to rebuild a PPT in Premiere Pro (when freelancing for corporate clients), a converter app would have been helpful.  I usually save PNGs from the PPT as needed as well as use that clever trick of changing the .ppt filename extension to .zip to then expand the contents of the PPT into a folder and then work with them directly in Premiere Pro.  Also, doesn't someone publish a PPT to a PSD exporter?  If so, I haven't tried it.

Not sure if this is the type of feedback that you're looking for.  Hope it helps some.

[Factura23428548l8od]

Thanks for you help, Warren. However, its Power Point-like, so no actual PPT in the process.

[Bruce Bullis · Accepted solution]

Things you'll probably want, that are not present in PPro's ExtendScript API: 

• Create adjustment layer
• Apply effects to trackItems ('clips')

However, some partners do provide much of the functionality you've described, by inserting customer-selected video into pre-existing sequences, instantiated from within "template" projects. 

In either case, CEP panels in PPro are the right starting point for the integration you've described. 

Here's the sample panel (with dev environment configuration instructions):

https://github.com/Adobe-CEP/Samples/tree/master/PProPanel

[Factura23428548l8od]

Thanks Bruce!
Bear with me as I'm a complete noob at Premiere API. Let me know if I got it.

1. We can use ExtendScript to do more than what XML allows.
2. We can get around some unsopported functionality of ExtendScript by creating a "template" project with pre-made adjustment layer and effect sequences and just load those using ExtendScript.
3. We would need to create a CEP panel, and the panel would load an ExtendScript file that describes the sequence? (this is the part I'm not sure about)

A few questions:

A. Can we load an XML the same way ? (because we already build a significant ammout of code to build XML files)
B. Can we use the same CEP panel to load different files? Meaning, the user only installs CEP panel once, and it uses it to load multiple of our files over time ?
C. If so, our software will output an ExtendedScript per video export, and the CEP panel will be able to load it and process it?

Thanks for the valuable info !

[Bruce Bullis · Accepted solution]

1. Yes, ExtendScript allows you to do things that cannot be done simply by importing an FCP XML. 
2. Yes, instantiating a new sequence (or entire project) based on a template sequences (or projects) is an established approach, to publishing "personalized" video.
3. Yes, you would create a panel, which would use ExtendScript to solicit user input, and drive subsequent PPro behavior.

A. PPro supports FCP (Final Cut Pro 7) XML. If you're already building sequences in FCP XML, importing those XML files into a project, or creating a new PPro project based on your FCP XML, are possible. If your XML is not FCP XML, PPro won't be able to import it.

B. Correct, a given CEP panel can load as many files as you like.

C. No, your CEP panel contains and uses ExtendScript, which it will use to import your XML, copy sequences from template projects, et cetera.