AVI from Fuji 602S --> Premier --> Needing uncompressi

[ewingr]

I am wanting to work on some AVI files from a FUJI 602S camera in Adobe Premier. I have found that they do not load into Premier natively, and that the fix to that is to run them through Virtual Dub, and save out w/o audio compression. This of course makes very larger files.

My question is this: Naturally, I will most likely be working with a fair number of files once I start a project. Does anyone have any suggestions to better accomplish this? I do not know anything about Virtual Dub at all. My goal would be to have a way to 'automate' the process, as opposed to loading a bunch of files, one by one, and uncompress them.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Schmendrick]

I also work with AVI files from a Fuji 602S camera. The file format is MJPEG compression for video either 640x480 or 352x240 with 30 frames per second and 8000Hz, 8Bit mono PCM audio. So probably the AVI files won't load to Adobe Premier because you don't have the appropriate MJPEG-codec installed or the audio-format causes trouble.

VirtualDub has a built-in MJPEG-support as far as I remember, but I am not really totally sure as I also have an other, compatible MJPEG-codec installed. But how long are your AVI files if the file length is of a concern for you? Your audio track is uncompressed anyway an in its format it only requires 0.4 MB per minute. I guess you might have to convert to audio track to at least 32000, 44100 or 48000 Hz sampling rate and stereo even though the sound quality doe not get better, but Adobe Premier might be limited in the range of audio formats it supports.

Additionally to resampling the audio track, which can be done with VirtulDub very easily, you also might have to recompress the video-track to a different compression method like DivX to be able to load the video into Adobe Premiere.

I had already done all sorts of conversion like building a SVCD or DVD in either NTSC format which only requires a slight frame-rate change from 30 to 29.976 frames per second or into PAL format which is more compatible with our DVD-Players and TV's (25 frames per second). This was all done from AVI files from a Fuji 602S Zoom.

CU
Schmendrick

[ewingr]

Schmendrick

Interesting to hear you are getting this cone.

On the topic of hard drive space, it is not really an issue. Just a comment.

And in fact, I am converting video when I run it through Virtual Dub. I mentioned converting audio because that was what someone was talking about doing in another thread, and that was what I was attempting to do. But, I'm sure I am converting video...and that's probably why the files are large.

I had already done all sorts of conversion like building a SVCD or DVD in either NTSC format which only requires a slight frame-rate change from 30 to 29.976 frames per second or into PAL format which is more compatible with our DVD-Players and TV's (25 frames per second). This was all done from AVI files from a Fuji 602S Zoom.

How are you doing this? I may be misunderstanding, but I take the implication from your message that if I have the correct codec on my system I can possibly load it into Premier and work. What codec would that be, and where would I get it?

Other than that, what tools and methods are you utilizing to create your DVDs?

[Schmendrick]

Hi Roger,

as I mentioned before, possibly you are unable to load the AVIs either because Adobe Premiere is unable to process the very low rate audio track so just converting the audio track to 16 Bit stereo 48000 Hz PCM should fix this problem, or as you may not have a direct show MJPEG codes installed in your system might be the reason that Adobe Premiere is unable to read the video track. Therefore you should install the DivX-codecs 3.11 and 5.05 into your system. If you first install the DivX3.11alpha codec then it also installs a MP3-codec as well.

For a conversion to DVD you need a MPEG2-encoder and a DVD-authoring program. bbMPEG is a freeware encoder or TMPGEnc is a shareware encoder you can use. IfoEdit is a freeware program which has a DVD-authoring part. For this you need separat MPEG2-video and MPEG2-audio tracks. First you will need to resize the video when encoding it to a DVD-compatible format: so 720x480 from 640x480 for an NTSC-DVD-movie and you have to change the frame rate from 30 to 29.976 frames per second. This you can do within the settings or profiles of the MPEG2-encoder program. On this website under guides you can find appropriate guides and under downloads the appropriate programs or links to programs you require for these tasks.

Good luck

CU

Schmendrick

[tygrus2000]

I too use a 602S and the files have to be rendered out to an uncompressed format in VirtualDub before they go into any other program. Thats the only way I could get it to work, nothing else will load them.

its only larger files until you get them into another program and encode them, so shouldnt be a real big obstacle.

tygrus

[Schmendrick]

Hi tygrus2000,

I am sorry to opose your statement that the AVI files from the 602S have to be converted to an uncompressed form. This might be true for Adobe Premiere as I do not have this program for a test, but if you want to feed the files for conversion for MPEG2 into bbMPEG or TMPGEnc only the audio track has to be in uncompressed PCM audio, but the video track can be e.g. compressed as DivX. I have already producred a number of MPEG2-video DVDs with this method. Otherweise the conversion would be very tedious and space consuming as 1 frame RGB is almost 1 MB or YUV 0.5 MB.

I suggest you should try my method to proove me wrong!

CU

Schmendrick

[ewingr]

but the video track can be e.g. compressed as DivX

This implies to me that you do have to go through a conversion process, i.e. from what it comes down from the camera as, to DIVX, then into the encoders. Bottom line is two processes to go through.

I currently use TMPGENC, and when I loaded the native file into it, it said it was not supported. Of course, with all of the complicated settings in TMPGENC, it might just need some tweaking.

All this being said so far, it looks like my goal of eliminating a conversion process is not attainable. Right now I can succeed with this by converting via Virtual Dub. Sounds like Schmendrick's method of converting to DIVX may save space, but not save the extra process to go through.

Am I understanding this correctly?

Of course, not to take this off topic, but to put my goals in perspective: I have been finding that if I load MPEG files into DVD WS that that program does not work well with them. So, working with AVIs, as much as I hate to, seems to be what I need to do. I don't know how DVD WS will work with DIVX files.

Again, what I want to do is have files to edit in Premier, then I end up converting them onto a DVD via DVD WS. If I convert them to MPEG from Adobe, DVD WS flakes out and bombs out when I create chapters from the MPEGs. I may try that with MPEGs from TMPGENC and see how that goes. But I really need them as AVIs first. (I have found Adobe to flake out with MPEGS as well...especially ones created from Adobe...go figure)

[Schmendrick]

Hi Roger,

if you want to put the video clips of your 602S onto a DVD you will have to go through at least one conversion process. TMPGEnc should be able to produce DVD compatible MPEG2-files at once so that there should be no further conversion required. f you want to feed your original AVI files directly into TMPEnc then you need to install a direct show MJPEG codec. If you search the web you should be able to find a suitable one. Otherwise you have to do two conversions: first using the internal MJPEG decoder of VirtualDub to make a conversion to DivX and then the actual conversion to MPEG2. It might be possible that after you have installed a suitable MJPEG codec that also Adobe Premier is able to read your 602S-AVI files.

If you do not have a MJPEG codec installed then no tweaking of the settings within TMPGEnc helps.

DVD WS might be picky with the MPEG2 flavor of the files you produce with TMPGEnc, so if you use the DVD template and load it to your TMPGEnc settings it should work. Important is that you do a resizing to 720x480 while keeping the same aspect ratio, so you will have black bars left and right of the picture thus avoiding a picture distortion.

Good luck!

CU
Schmendrick

[ewingr]

Schmendrick

Thanks for your reply! Good information.

Last night, in fact, I was able to achieve a conversion of the files to MPEG in TMPGENC. I had not thought about the aspect ration in TMPGENC. I presume that is where you are talking about setting that.

I really prefer to convert them to AVI, or have a codec that Premier utilizes, to use the orig. avi files. This is because Adobe is somewhat finicky about using MPEG, and DVDWS is worthless with MPEGS. So, based on your message, sounds like I need to search for a MJPEG codec. If I don't come up with any specific recommendations, I'll do a search for one. I'll browse the forum for recommendations as well.