Does Premiere Elements 2019 Have CRF Encoding as an Option when using AVC H.264?

[Dr__Mack_Foxx]

I am considering upgrading from Adobe Premiere Elements 14 to the latest version. I have been unable to find any information concerning if CRF variable bit-rate encoding is available natively in the newest edition of Premiere Elements when using the AVC H.264 format under the MP4 standard. I could use an answer to one of these two questions:

1. Does the latest version of Premiere Elements have this encoding option natively?

2. Will I need to find a plugin for Premiere Elements which will allow CRF encoding using the AVC codec under MP4?

I have been unable to find any answers to these questions. Currently, the best option I can find in Adobe Premiere Elements 14 is to do a 2-pass variable bit-rate encode and then I have to re-encode my video files using a different application, Format Factory, in order to do CRF encoding. I find this encoding type to be considerably faster than the 2-pass encoding in Premiere Elements 14. In addition, I get considerably smaller file sizes without compromising video quality.

I would consider HVEC/H.265 encoding via plugins, but I have two major problems with it.

1. YouTube still does not support this format.

2. Encoding times are hideously-slow on my somewhat-dated computer compared to AVC/H.264 encoding.

[IE: 6 year old Dell XPS with a 2nd gen quad-core Intel i7, 12 GB RAM, 1 GB AMD Radeon HD 7770]

I am also not considering WEBM as encoding times are unacceptable. In addition, even with high bit-rates, I found visual quality ended up taking a considerable hit upon close examination in several tests I ran comparing WEBM directly to AVC/H.264 using similar encoding settings.

I would love to be able to encode with CRF variable bit-rate control as an option using AVC/H.264 in Premiere Elements natively. This would cut encoding times down greatly for me and grant smaller file sizes versus the 2-pass encoding I currently have to do. In addition, this would save me the trouble of having to use another program to spend hours re-encoding with the CRF control.

All this being said, I have to know:
Will upgrading to Adobe Premiere Elements 2019 give me the CRF encoding option for AVC/H.264 under the MP4 format or am I going to need a plugin of some kind to gain this functionality?

[Bill Sprague]

I may not understand your question.  Below are screen shots of the output encoding choices.  You do have control of the bit rate and that will affect the file size.  "CRF" is not specifically listed, nor do I know what it means.   H.265 is not part of version 2019.  On an Apple machine, the Apple variant of H.265 has been listed as a feature.  I don't have any Apple equipment so can't try it. 

So, if your goal is to control file size with bitrate control, Premiere Elements does that in 2018 and 2019.  I'm pretty sure it does it in version 14 the same way. 

[Dr__Mack_Foxx]

Ah. CRF [Constant Rate Factor] is generally a 1-pass variable bit-rate video encoding option I have seen and use frequently in other programs, such as Open Broadcaster Studio [OBS] and Format Factory. It allows you to control file size and video quality by putting in a number for the CRF controller between 1 [Effectively Lossless] and 51 [Awful quality]. I find using a CRF of 10 tends to work best for excellent-quality video and manageable file sizes. File size will generally depend on how much motion and detail your video has.

It seems CRF AVC codec functionality may not exist in Adobe Premiere Elements, including new versions, unless someone or a 3rd-party company makes a suitable plugin. I guess I can try experimenting with the one-pass VBR encoding settings as detailed in your screen shots. That could prove useful. Thank you.