Skipping in Video File from Facebook Live Stream

[Lisa Shea Author]

I’ve been making videos for many many yeaers. I'm generally comfortable with doing this. When I make Facebook Live videos each Saturday, my Samsung Galaxy S7 phone streams directly to Facebook Live via the Facebook app. I can later download that file from Facebook to edit in Adobe Premiere to then post on YouTube. The file I download from Facebook has a random frame rate around 27.47 to 29.91 to 29.94 and so on. They all work fine for making my YouTube files.

The file from Saturday March 13th came down to me at 29.99. The file plays perfectly fine both as a raw file and in Premiere. However, for some reason this particular file is having problems compiling for YouTube. I’ve tried compiling it with a 30fps rate. I’ve tried 24fps. I’ve tried other settings. The ending file always has ‘jumping frames’ in it. 

It’s not even a direct interpolation problem. There can be a section with the paper being stationary (non-moving) and somehow that section gets frames stuck in there with the paper in a completely different position, from far behind or far ahead. So something quite bizarre is going on.

Any thoughts or ideas? I could play the file in Adobe and record my screen and it would be perfectly fine. It’s just the export that is failing for some reason. I don’t want to just use that original file because there’s a few moments of loud noises or trimmed content that I’d like to maintain. I suppose if I really have to I can just post the base video as-is, if that’s my only option.

(I apologize if this gets double-posted. I had posted this a few days ago but don't see that it ever went live. If I'm posting this in the wrong area, please message me to let me know. Thanks!)

[Ann Bens · Accepted solution]

As the file is variable framerate which can cause issues, convert to constant framerate with Handbrake before bringing into Premiere.

Please do not call it a raw file but rather original or source file : raw is something different.

[Lisa Shea Author]

I apologize for using the term raw - I meant it in the "original" sense and not RAW in the digital camera sense. I realize it can be confusing.

For many, many years I used standalone copies of Adobe Premiere on my PC. Those versions always had an issue with variable framerate from my phone files, so I am quite familiar with Handbrake. I haven't had to use it since I bit the bullet and upgraded to the online subscription-based version of Premiere. All of those phone files have worked flawlessly since then. I just worked on another three videos today - two from Facebook live feeds, one from my phone straight - and all videos worked perfectly. So it's a bit bizarre that this one particular file of 29.99 is causing issues. 

I will give Handbrake a run on this file and report back with the results. It'll be good to know that is a safety net, but I'm still just generally curious why this one particular file is having this issue when none of the hundreds of others I've worked on since upgrading have ever posed a problem. 

[R Neil Haugen]

Ann is correct ... even if sometimes, VFR media works, it may glitch on you at any time. So download/install the free utility app she recommeded, HandBrake. Use it to convert to CFR, and make sure you both check the CFR circle and set a specific number time for frame-rate. I also set compression to "near placebo" to avoid re-compression issues.

Neil