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Question

Video has wavy lines when played on timeline

Forum|Forum|7 months ago
August 1, 2025
5 replies
4893 views

HELP!! I HAVE A DEADLINE!!! When playing back video on my timeline, I am getting horizontal, wavy lines but ONLY when the camera shots pan, not when there is a stationary camera shot. The original video is fine. The captured video is fine when played from in the project panel. I only have the probelm once I bring it to the timeline. Support suggested I change the render setting to "software only," but that has not helped. I have also tried creating a new sequence. No change. ANY answers?????

JonesVid

Community Expert

Ive downloaded the Clip you sent Clip 03.

I've gone to my older Windows 10 PC and fired up Premiere Pro Version 13.1.5 !

Amazed it still works.

I'm assuming your goal is to create H264 uploadable videos (Without wavy lines )

I dropped your clip onto a blank timeline then went in and forced the sequence to 720x480 Progressive.

I found the video a bit dark so increased Exposure a bit and sharpened it slightly in Lumetri . Cosmetic stuff

See the sequence settings and the Export settings

Export I just selected High Quality 480SD 720 x 480 pixels, H264 Progressive (No Fields)

Ann is correct that the Vimeo video stretched the Aspect ratio slightly, so not 4:3 ratio anymore

I have attached the output Video I made - no wavy lines appear.

THis rendered in Software for some reason but maybe I could have selected my NVidia Card but didn't bother.

Why don't you give these settings a go on your V15 version Premiere?.

Ultimately you will need to get to latest PPro version but make note of Ann's comment the 'gotcha' is no DV capture from Premiere V24 onwards

One final thing puzzles me (side issue).

This cannot be digital DV tape ?? as Hi 8 tapes I have were the Hi 8 Video 8 (analogue tape based format).

So what Analogue to Digital card did you use?

Good luck with the videos. I'm sure your client will be very happy.

Captured_Wavy_Line_Clip_03_Progressive_H264.zip

FlyingFourFun

Inspiring

@JonesVid the OP would not have to use a capture card, you can use a Digtal8 camcorder, which will read HI8 tapes, and the camcorder (or play back deck) will convert the Analog to Digital via the Firewire, I have done this hundreds of times. I suspect the OP used this approach.

(edited to add that now ALL cameras do this, you have to check the specs, but there is a healthy list of ones that do just didn't want someone reading this in the future to think every camera did and to confirm the model they have/buying will);

I still have a Sony Camera I kept for this purpose, but with lots of luck have not needed it, because I update premier to the latest version as soon as my current work is done - all in on the risk 🙂

If I ever needed to capture a HI8 again, I would just get one of those analog to SD card captures and avoid the computer to capture. But fingers crossed I would not want to, This thread has caused me to remember all the reasons I disliked interlaced footage, and the analog noise....

I

Idea525Author

Known Participant

You are correct! I am having to capture directly from their old Hi-8 camcorder. When I get done with this, I hope to never see one again.

I

Idea525Author

Known Participant

Here is some additional info, consolidated so no one has to look back at earlier texts. Also, please remember 2 things:

1) Yes, this is an older computer and OS (not the one I use regularly). The reason for this is after this OS version was apparently the last one that would allow me to communicate and capture (firewire) directly with the cameras from which this old footage is played. I upgraded and it no longer worked. Adobe told I had to downgrade to return this feature.

2) I am doing these home movie videos for an elderly couple's 65th anniversary this month. Their family is surprising them with it. I have done 333 so far and have had no issues till now. ANY help you could give would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you have further requests.

Here is the additional info below & attached:

- Link to Rendered & exported clip showing the wavy line issue (Vimeo)

- Computer/OS Info

- Premiere Pro Version

- Project Settings

- Capture Settings

- Sequence Settings

- Export Settings

- Captured Raw Footage (no problem)

Captured_Wavy_Line_Clip_03.zip

Ann Bens

Community Expert

There is not much we can do. The clip runs fine in 25.3 (windows) but your Premiere version is very old and so is your machine.

Might want to transfer footage to a newer Premiere version and machine.

Did you turn off Composite in linear color?

If you get this sorted, you need to change your export settings.

Clip on Vimeo shows horizontal stretching (4:3 stretched to 16:9)

Frame size 864x480 with a par of 1.0 and fields to progressive.

This way there will be no combing (or other interlaced artifacts or incorrect aspect ratio) on a modern digital tv.

On a side note 2023 was the last Premiere version with the Capture feature.

FlyingFourFun

Inspiring

@Idea525 the advice @Ann Bens provided is solid.

I noticed a ton of Interlace artifacts on the Vimeo video also; and the 'banding/blocking' that was your concern.

The downloaded video didnt show any of the problems with banding/blocking for me either, but it did have some combing, which could be fixed with a proccess and is a something that is well understood if you wanted to properly deal with it.

Have you tried to play the sample videos you provided to download on your other system? how do they play?

The fact that they play without issues for both Ann and I likly points to a machine specific issue. If you can move the project to your other machine and apply Ann's export advice to better deal with the interlace and pixel aspect ratio it could resolve this banding/blocking issue also.

To me the pattern I see is very regular, so there is some sort of math driving the issue, I would have no way to know for sure, but it seems to me like the video with the blocking is playing back the clip with lower field first, then switching to upper field and then back at a regular clock cycle. Because it plays back on other systems without the issue, I would amost venture a guess its a codec / player issue - because that machine is old, its likly to not have had any updates to the software bits. Doesnt explain how you have had other projects without this issue, but my gut says its a codec - moving the project to an updated machine at this point would be an easy work around - if you start messing with the software of that old machine, you could make it worse and might not capture DV footage - so maybe leave it alone, as the capture itself seems to be fine.

JonesVid

Community Expert

Yes, probably interlaced issues ?.

You can Convert to Progressive Video first (de-interlace) and then edit that in your sequence.

Your original Clips look as if they are Interlaced Hi8 Tape based video.

Ann mentions Topaz Video which is an excellent piece of software investment if your are editing a lot of Old Videos that are interlaced.

You can de-interlace, Upscale the video and apply improvements like sharpening, take out some motion blur etc.

For a cheaper (free option) you can do this in programs like Handbrake (decomb) or Shutter Encoder

I've also had good results taking Interlaced Footage and dropping them on a forced Progressive Video (No Fields) editing AVCHD video..

Render sequence then export as a Progressive H264 Video (No Fields). Try that as well.

FlyingFourFun

Inspiring

I think FFMPEG also does deinterlace for free if the OP is more aware of that tool.

What I see in the symptoms video doesn’t align to interlacing issues fully unless it has something to do with the playback engine creating a different defect than what would normally be expected.

The fact that its blocking in large groups of rows is different and not expected. It reminds me of a capture sync and frame rate issue - but this is so far back in my memory banks I am not 100% confident.

If it tweaks anyone’s memory, I was thinking it might be something along the lines of manually selecting 30 FPS for capture, and the playback is 29.97 in this case, and because the user may have had to manually select frame rates they didn’t align.

It’s possible they could use the interpret footage to force a new frame rate to match the captured rate.

I’d like to see the media info of the source files and see how that compares to the sequence settings. However, I suspect when they created the project, they were asked to update the timeline to match and likely said yes (if they said no this is probably the issue).

It feels like a frame rate mismatch to me but can’t exclude interlace playback issues either.

a Sample of the footage used would allow @Ann Bens to test, and I would also.

The OP could post clips from Media info tool to confirm the frame rates of the actual video, but if it was a capture / playback mismatch it would not catch that error with media info.

I

Idea525Author

Known Participant

I can't thank you both enough for being willing to help me! I am out of town, but will be back tonight. I will get more info for you. You are correct, the source is Hi-8. It is fine when played on the camera's playback -- no wavy lines. I captured it -- no wavy lines during that process. I played the clip from the gallery, it was also fine. It was when it was placed on the timeline that I had the line issues. I will get more info when I get back. Again, THANK YOU!!!!!

I

Idea525Author

Known Participant

Here is additional information -- sequence setting, export setting, & a sample of what I'm experiencing.

IMG_0865.zip

Ann Bens

Community Expert

I would like to have a original clip not a screen recording

please post computer specs

what devise is going to be used for the video because the export settings are not good

which premiere version and build

FlyingFourFun

Inspiring

@Ann Bens did you notice they export and timeline settings are are interlaced? I was expecting to see combing, wondering if the artifacts are a result of the interlace source, timeline and export?

I have not worked with Interlaced footage for years, and the last project I deinterlaced it before editing started...

Not to toss you a red hearing on this, just wondering about the interlacing impacts.

If the OP shares a original clip, I would be willing to try the project myself and see what results I get too as I have some time between projects right now....