Convert multiple formats to one format for editing?

[swjtx99]

Hi,

Trying to produce a video using clips from a variety of sources in Prem Pro. Am I better off converting all these clips to one standard format first? If so, which one? Clips are in every format you can imagine. I intend to imbed Jpeg stills, do some slow motion and add MP3 or WAVE audio tracks.

Output will just be a file, not a DVD.

Thanks,

swjtx99

[smrpix]

Which version of Premiere Pro and how complex is your edit? The latest versions handle multiple formats fine.

If you know what you're doing with Avisynth you can improve the quality of mismatched clips somewhat, but it's not strictly necessary.

If you go the Avisynth route, I would recommend you do your edit first, then go back and only convert the parts of the clips you have actually used.

[swjtx99]

I have CS5. The edit is very complex imho? I have about 30 clips of various formats, .asf, .mov, .mpg, .mp4, .wmv, .avi, .mkv, that i'll be cutting into a DVCPro clip. along with .mp3 audio tracks and .wav sound files.

Not sure if it's better to just get everything into one format (.avi?) beforehand, or if CS5 can handle.

[smrpix]

My initial take would be to try it as-is. If the system is struggling, go ahead and convert to DVCPro (SD right, not DVCProHD.) That should cut like butter on any decent system.

Complex is a matter of number of cuts, layers and effects, a layer of video and a layer of stills doesn't sound too bad -- but only you know for sure. Also, .mov, .mpg, .mp4, .wmv, .avi, .mkv are containers not formats, so the extension alone doesn't necessarily tell you what's inside.

[Cornucopia]

I disagree, because I think that ultimately you will have to do it anyway. Convert all to the same format (a good, common Lossless or VisuallyLossless Intermediate type).

Scott

[swjtx99]

I've been away from this for a while, however, 8-10 years ago I did a similar project using ULead and did not convert all files... and recall having to wait for dreadfully long times for the software to re-render every time I made even the most minor edit. Perhaps computers and software are so much better that that is no longer an issue?

If I do convert to a "good, common lossless..." format, what is recommended?

Thanks,

[Cornucopia]

Computers are much better & faster, but video is also so much more complex, so it kinda evens out, and there are still similar issues today.

Example codecs...
Lossless: Lagarith, HuffYUV, UT
Visually Lossless (but lossy): Cineform, DNxHD, Jpeg200

Which one is most "common" depends on the platform & editing system you're using, as some support DirectShow, some Quicktime, some both, etc. Cineform is really good all-around and free (for the basic version), so is quite portable.

Scott