Where is "match sequence settings" in new Export window Premiere Pro 2023?

[pauln10313081]

Match source does not match the source exactly and creates a larger file than the original by about 30%. I'm just putting a watermark on a video. What the hell happened to this box?!

[Kevin-Monahan]

Sorry, Paul. Do you have a sample clip to share? I can verify any issues for you.

Thanks,
Kevin

[pauln10313081]

Hi Kevin,

It's not an issue with a clip. The previous version of PP had a check box at the top of the render window that said "Match Sequence Settings." I can't find that function in the new layout.

[R Neil Haugen]

That has always been just framerate and framesize, never bitrate.

Bitrate varies per preset, such as adaptive high versus low, or ProRes LT versus HQ.

And down in the settings after your chosen preset, you can modify the codec settings further.

Neil

[pauln10313081]

So how do I get the codec to be exactly what the original file is? I'm just throwing some watermarks on footage so I want everything to be the same as the original. Non of the "match source" high, low, etc. produces the same file size or bit rate.

[R Neil Haugen]

You can't add other image elements like a watermark without completely re-encoding the file.

So it must be a new, different file. And if your original is in a long-GOP form, H.264/5, the nasty compression process used can induce banding and blocking artifacts if you try to go low.

Neil

[pauln10313081]

Thanks! I think I was misunderstood. I know it has to be re-encoded. My original file is 2.3 gigs. The Match Source low bit rate makes it 3.2 gigs. There's no way adding an occasional watermark balooned the file to that size, so I was looking to get the setting as close to the original as possible. There is no Match Source setting that gets me anywhere near the original 2.3 gigs. I've tried them all. Any suggestions?

[R Neil Haugen]

Neither Premiere nor Resolve are built to give small long-GOP files. They work more at preserving details, sort of.

If it's crucial for some reason to get the file size down, perhaps do a ProResLt out of Premiere, then take that file into ffmpeg or ShutterEncoder.

Those two apps give a lot more detailed granular options.

Neil

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hey Paul,

Sorry I misread your post. I see you had a question about export and were trying to get a similar file size to your original but with a watermark. I think Neil is right and has a good idea to solve it; Check it out.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Warren Heaton · Accepted solution]

In the Preset pop-up menu, choose "Match Sequence preview settings".

[pauln10313081]

Thanks Warren, but this ballooned my original 2.3 gb file into a 43gb file. Apparently it's not the same as the old "Match Sequence Settings" checkbox.

[R Neil Haugen]

"Match Sequence" for exports only ever matched the raw sequence details, from the Sequence Settings ... framesize/rate and whether progressive or interlaced.

It never was designed to match bitrate, or even "notice" any clip's bitrate, as that was not a sequence item at all. That's an item per clip, yes, but not for the sequence.

For bitrate, we've always needed to choose an appropriate bitrate 'level' preset, like Adaptive Medium Bitrate, or set that manually. The results of the presets may be a bit different than before, as they may have tweaked the settings. You can check that by seeing what bitrates each preset brings up, compared to the same named preset in an earlier version.

But they are based on the same data from the sequence settings. Not clip data. I don't know how that could even be designed ... so you've got one clip that's at three times the bitrate of the next, does the app then jump the bitrate for that clip, drop it at the next edit point?

Neil

[pauln10313081]

I don't know what you mean by "drop it at the next edit point." I don't understand why on my older Mac, I have the premiere perameters set to the same exact setting as my new Mac (Match Source - Medium bitrate). But on the old one, it's creating a 2.5gb file from my original 2.3, and on the new installation it's creating the afformentioned 3.2gb file. I just wish there was an easier way to tell Premiere that I don't want it to change anything about the original codec and just add the extra (occasional) watermark. Quicktime does this when you use the Edit function to trim a file. Everything else remains the same and it very quickly chews through a new render.

[R Neil Haugen]

Again ... Premiere does NOT nor ever has looked at the original codec for that data on bitrate. Only framesize/rate and progressive/interlaced/audio channels stuff.

The difference in file size between the two versions is probably because their targeted bitrate has been changed. As I noted above ... go to the 2022 app, check the bitrate & other seggings used, go to the 2023 app, check the bitrate & other codec settings used.

Why has it always ignored clip bitrates? Because most sequences have a wide range of bitrates in the sequence. You can have an 8k full RGB/4444 clip next to an 8 bit GoPro clip. The bitrate for the first may be over 800Mbps, the second, only 125Mbps.

If you want to have a slightly smaller file, that is very very easy to do. Start with the preset you've been using, go down to the settings, drop the bitrate a bit, and make another export. Do several tests. You get what you want, save that as a preset.

Unstar theirs, star yours. Now it's a 'favorites' selection.

Neil

[pauln10313081]

Thank you, Neil. That's VERY helpful!

[R Neil Haugen]

I always like to get to the practical what's going on & how it really works stuff. As users, we can't fix for the changes we'd like, we can only do what the app is built to do at the moment.

Glad to help you sort this.

Neil