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Cinema Físico
Known Participant
May 21, 2020
Question

Why Preview File Format default is I-Frame Only MPGE in Adobe Premiere?

  • May 21, 2020
  • 1 reply
  • 16145 views

I came from Final Cut 7 and I allways transcode my material to ProRes and setup my sequences as Apple ProRes. And I never understand the I-Frame Only MPGE when I migrated from FCP 7 to Premiere. Why Adobe Premiere sequence default codec is MPGE I-Frame? By the way, I have never seen any codec called MPGE I-Frame? 

 

Usualy I get this sequence setup when it cames from an assistant that don't know my workflow. I hate this setup. Or am I missing something on this? Shoud I give a chance to Preview File Format >I-Frame Only MPGE?

 

Thanks a lot.

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1 reply

Inspiring
May 21, 2020

Premiere treats the preview files that get created by rendering as disposable previews that you use only as temporary stand-ins to let you view your edit in real time. You'll choose the actual output file format when you export.

 

(If you choose Match Sequence Settings on Export Settings panel, it will choose the settings you have set for the preview).

 

MPEG I-frame is a very low bandwidth format that retains ease of editing, so for the purpose of providing only temporary files, it is a good choice. The I-frame indicates it is an intra-frame codec (like ProRes) as opposed to MPEG which in inter-frame, using a GOP structure.

 

If you want to make use of your preview renders as final output files, you can easily set the Sequence Settings to create the preview files in that format:

You can easily change the Preview settings of a sequence at any time. You will, of course have to re-render and previews that were done prior to the change.

You can also set up custom sequence settings presets that include your preferred format for the preview files:

MtD

Cinema Físico
Known Participant
May 21, 2020

Another doubt. Why when you use I-Frame Only MPGE the timeline bar is allways yelow? And if use the right clip files codec it won't have any color bar in the timeline.

Fernando AlvesEditor
Inspiring
May 21, 2020

The red/yellow/green bars are estimates from Premiere as to whether it can play the material back in real time without glitching. What color bar you get depends a lot on the horsepower of your computer, see this blog post:

https://theblog.adobe.com/red-yellow-and-green-render-bars/ 

 

Personally, I convert everything to ProRes and edit with the preview set to ProRes as well, since I am Mac based. Then when I output, I check the box for use Previews in Export which saves time.

but everybody works in the way that is best for them.

 

MtD