Sequence settings for random footage

Report · Jul 16, 2017

I'm recording some online classes with Snagit. I usually go for full screen but it's not always the same dimensions and in any case my teacher wants me to give the recordings to him at 1280x720.

The challenge in knowing what to create for a PPro sequence is that Snagit chooses the frame rate and it randomly changes with every new recording (as do the dimensions just depending on how I select the area, but it's always more than 1280x720).

I can easily scale and position the video to fit a 1280x720 sequence if that's the specs I give the sequence when I create it, but it's a little challenging to have the sequence match the frame rate of the mp4 that Snatit creates. Well, it's not challenging if I create each sequence manually by first checking the frame rate of the mp4 Snagit created. It would be nice to be able to create a sequence preset that I use every time, but I'm not seeing a practical way to do that.

If I tell PPro to modify the sequence specs to match the video I'm placing, it modifies the frame rate to match, which is what I want, but also the dimensions, which is not what I want. I don't see a way to manually modify either of those specs after the sequence is created or after PPro changes it per the clip I'm placing on it.

I want my sequence to be 1280x720 and to use scale and position to fit the original.

Am I missing something, or do I need to just manually create each sequence from scratch at 1280x720 at the frame rate of the given recording? (And, if so, what's the best way to see the frame rate? Import it into the project and look at it's properties? Or look in Explorer in Windows 7?)

I realize exporting offers options there as well but I'm pretty comfortable with the process I'm describing and I like to just use the provided preset for H.264 - Match Source.

Thanks!

Report · Jul 16, 2017

Hi JayNewWeb - Try these options:

(1) After you create a new sequence from the clip in your project panel, right-click on the sequence in the project panel and select "Sequence settings" and change the dimensions to be 1280 x 720. Then you can adjust the scale of the clip from the effects controls or right click on the clip and select "set to frame size"

(2) You can also try and make sequence presets for the screen recordings.

After you create a new sequence, go to the"Settings" tab, and you can adjust the frame rate to match the SnagIt screen recording frame rate, and change dimensions and then click on "Save preset" which you can re-use for future sequences.

Report · Jul 16, 2017

That first suggestion seems more realistic. I didn't realize that option existed for Sequence Settings (I was just looking at Properties). Even then, though, it seems I still need to manually set the frame rate even after having told it to change the sequence to the clip specs when I placed the clip. It went with the size of the original clip but set it to 10 fps, while the PPro properties on the clip say it's 11.73 fps -- which isn't an option in the settings dropdown anyway so I guess I have to go with 12 fps at that point. (I should probably get Camtasia if I want better output, which I assume let's you set the recording rate, but this seems to be working good enough for me for the time being.)

The other approach, to create a custom preset, probably isn't practical here because Snagit seems to come up with different frame rates each time it does a screen recording.

Thanks!

Report · Jul 16, 2017

Your file is probably variable framerate, Premiere cannot handle this.

You will have to run you file through Handbrake first to set it to Constant Framerate.

Import.

Then make new sequence by dragging the clip into the New Item Icon at the bottom of the Project Window.

Report · Jul 16, 2017

I'm a bona fide novice user, using PPro for my own company's needs only, but based on the little quick research I did I doubt it's variable framerate. The reason I say that is because it plays fine in PPro and exports fine. I had been setting the sequences to 10 fps in the past, and now I see that's what PPro did when I told it to match the clip as well, and regardless of whether I set it to 10 fps or 12 fps it plays fine in PPro and exports fine using the H.264 - Match Source preset (well, I haven't tried exporting from 12 fps, just 10 fps).

I figure I'm just losing a little quality with this odd framerate issue, but it's been producing more than tolerable results so far and I really didn't even notice any quality loss worth attending to, so I guess I'll just leave well enough alone and keep doing what I was doing.

Thanks again!

Report · Jul 17, 2017

I recommend Step 2b from the link below on this one.

Unofficial Premiere Pro Troubleshooting Guide

Report · Jul 17, 2017

Actually, as I mentioned, I "think" I'm okay how I am. I need to watch the output again on a couple systems to make sure it's all okay.

My reason for having even revisited this after initially determining it was all working adequately was when i went to find a timecode position and noticed it's not giving me timecode positions, it's only giving me frame numbers -- even though it's set to show timecodes.

I have no real need for the timecodes so I guess it's not a big deal. But I will test the output in a few places to make sure it's adequate.