Video source (rush) appears like a solid green while trying to read it/put it in the timeline.

[wotofok]

Hello everyone,

I've recently shot some video with my phone in 4K 60fps .mp4 and while I'm trying to import/read them on Adobe Premiere Rush they appear in full green (like 1 color, no detail, nothing).

I've tried to download some video in 720p .mp4 from youtube and there is no problem at all.

Any idea ?

I'm super beginner.

Thank you.

[Myra Ferguson]

Here's a Knowledge Base article that might help with a link to the driver that you need:

• Green and pink video in Premiere Pro or Premiere Rush

[wotofok]

Hello Myra. I don't think it's the same problem because mine is fully green. Anyway I've tried to install the driver but it open an error window saying that This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software lol.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi wotofok,

What are the specs of your computer? What camera shot the footage? Is it 4K? Perhaps we can provide some advice.

Thanks,
Kevin

[wotofok · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I'm on a Windows 10, i9-10900K @ 3.70ghz, 64gb of RAM withg a GeForce RTX 3090.

The videos are in 4K 60IPS coming from a Google Pixel 6 Pro.

I've tried to put my videos on Handbrake to have them in h264 .mp4 and everything is working just fine now. So I guess it was really a codec problem. 🙂

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi wotofok,

Thanks for leaving details about what worked for you. The community is happy for you, as am I! 🙂

TLDR: For the desktop version of Rush, transcode all clips before editng, and you won't have the problem of green frames or other unexpected behavior. With constant frame rate clips, you can edit without issues like this.

To get nerdy on it:

The codec (H.264 or HEVC) is fine. It is somewhat non-performant, but useable. The real issue is the frame rate a device records to its disk; either a variable frame rate or a constant frame rate.

Except for pro cameras, every mobile-like device (mobile devices, tablets, phones, drones, webcams, Zoom sessions, recorded video game streams, etc.) will generate a variable frame rate.

Rush can handle variable frame rates if they're not too far off from the base frame rate of the sequence. However, once the frame rates are too far from the sequence settings, you need to transcode the footage to be safe from gremlins.

• Transcode (AKA 'rip" or re-record) the footage to one of the following:
  • To the same codec (taking roughly the same space), like H.264 or HEVC.
  • To an editing codec (which takes 20x the space, but provides a much smoother experience while editing). ProRes, DNxHD/HR, or GoPro Cineform are the key options.

If you want to save space, but can live with sub-standard performance, transcode to H.264 or HEVC using either Handbrake (like you did), or Shutter Encoder.

If you want the best performance with more complex squences, use an editing codec. Handbrake does not have that feature. You must use Shutter Encoder, which I prefer.

In Shutter Encoder:

• I like to choose ProRes 422 or ProRes LT. Typically, I go for ProRes LT.
• Some editors might not have the drive space necessary for these codecs. so check your drive space if you go down that road. If not, buy a new drive. You'll probably need it!
• For the drive that contains your transcodes, you want to leave 1/3 to 1/4 of the space for "headroom."

What is FFMPEG? Both these applications are simply a "shell" UI containing code based on the Open Source framework: FFMPEG. 

A quick word about these shell apps: don't pay any money for any similar apps. I won't name names, but they are the ones that buy ads from places like Google. These free apps I mentioned are of a much higher quality. You can choose to donate to those, if you use the apps a lot. I have.

Terminology: Synonyms you may hear describing an editing codec are: intermediate codec or mezannine codec. They refer to the same thing. You may hear these terms interchangeably when getting advice from colleagues. Nice to know! These transcodes will have a constant frame rate by default.

Why not use Media Encoder? Media Encoder has a different encoder/decoder than FFMPEG, and its shortcoming is that it can't handle transcoding clips with variable frame rates to constant ones. That is the reason why you need these third party utility apps.

Some good stuff: after you have delivered the project (or uploaded to YouTube), you can delete those transcodes to recover drive space. You can always make new ones in the future, once more. 🙂

Exporting goes much smoother too.

• Variable frame rates tax your GPU, which can be overwhelmed and produce green frames, as you did.
• Please also install the latest NVIDIA or AMD studio drivers to be free of green frames if you still have them after transcoding.
• Exporting from underpowered computers: GPUs with 4GB VRAM or less, low RAM, or an underpowered CPU can benefit from transcoding, as well.

Media optimization is a vital step I used to teach in my editing classes before I came to Adobe. It saves you a lot of trouble and actually saves you time in the course of an editing session.

Now you see a good reason to invest in a professional camera system. That said, even pro cameras shoot H.264/HEVC clips. And even with a constant frame rate, some will struggle with that codec; especially underpowered computers. In that case, I'd recommend choosing an editing codec.

This advice I wrote above would be the same for Premiere Pro editors.

Note: if you edit with Rush solely on mobile devices, the above advice does not apply. I am not aware of how to transcode clips in a third-party mobile app. I will edit this post, if I find something suitable. Sorry. For mobile users, I would suggest an HD sequence rather than a 4K one. That should help.

Of course, let me know if you have any questions or reach any further snags and we'll work 'em out. Good luck!

Thanks,
Kevin

[wotofok]

Hey !
Thank you so much for all the informations Kevin (funny, my name is Kevin-Mark, I feel like talking to myself)
I'm a super beginner and I only have one project/idea for now but everything you said is very interesting and I've taken tons of notes.

So in order to do things properly the next time here what I'm thinking ;

-I'm gonna use Adobe Premiere Rush to do a couple of monthly video of 00;45s.

-Everything will be captured thanks to my Google Pixel 6 Pro. 4K or 1080P (still trying to think about what I really need).

-in 30 FPS.

-Always keep all the source video coming from the Google Pixel in a cloud folder

-Transcode those files into a ProRes 422 or ProRes LT using Shutter Encoder.

-Editing on my PC which is pretty "good" for these kind of work I suppose. Keeping an eye on the storage space.

-After exporting and posting the video I can delete the ProRes 422 / ProRes LT files because I still have the mp4 h264 things somewhere.

-Is there anything in particular I should know about exporting ? Like some compression or anything else tips ? For now I'm just working on some reel/shorts videos to help market a product but I do want to do the right things and learn. It could really helps me when I'll have to work on much bigger/longer projects.

Thanks again Kevin, very appreciate it !

[Kevin-Monahan]

Great plan, Kevin-Mark. Please return if you have any trouble along the way. We'll be here.

Thanks!

Kevin