Premiere -> FrameServer -> MeGUI -> MKVMerge | alternative ?

[Slind]

Hey,

I´m looking for a simpler way of encoding videos.


At the moment my steps are:

1. open raw video in premiere (lagerith lossless codec yuv12)
2. cutting in premiere
3. opening the audiofile in audition to apply a compressore and some more effects and save it
4. exporting the video via the debug FrameServer
5. encoding via. MeGUI to x264 .mkv and double the respolution of the video (resize)
6. same for audio
7. merging the video and audio with mkvmerge

I would like to speed this up. Things I don´t like at the current way:

1. no bulk/queue encoding/exporting because of the frameserver
2. extremly slow, because of the frameserver, MeGUI uses only 30% of the cpu
3. a lot of files are generated

Yes, the fastest way would be to get x264pro for premiere but this is a way to expensive and they don´t offer education sales.



Do you have any idea how I could speed this up ?
It would be no problem for me to switch to another video editing software as long as the cutting is comfortable.

[poisondeathray]

Are you sure the 30% CPU is from the frameserver only ? Because far more common bottlenecks are usually things such as encoding settings, filters used, avisynth (non MT)

You can get around some of them e.g. use avisynth MT , faster encoding settings, make sure the avs is efficient

Another option is x264vfw , so you can queue up jobs with it in Adobe Media Encoder . There are several versions of it, Komisar's and Master Nobody's on Sourceforge . They are organized quite differently so play with them and see which one you like better. You need the x64 version for CS5/CS6/CC

[Slind]

Yeah, it is related to the FrameServer. I encoded the video as lossless avi from premiere and run it through MeGUI and it was 3x times faster with 90-100% cpu usage.

How do I get the x264vfw into Premiere ? Are there any disadvantages compared to the MeGUI Avisynth way ?

[poisondeathray]

x264 shows up in AME, not premiere. So you can add your project files to AME in a batch queue

The disadvantages of x264vfw are some options are not available compared to CLI , even though there is a command line box. Also, vfw seems slower than CLI when encoding directly. CLI directly with --demuxer lav is usually faster than megui with avisynth (avisynth is always a bit slower because of some overhead, and megui uses avisynth) . But you cannot access the CLI version of x264 through premiere or AME

[Slind]

no x264 in AEM:



sry I didn´t understand anything.

vfw seems lower than CLI = worse quality ?


CLI directly with --demuxer lav is usually faster = does CLI mean Command Line ?
I dont think that command line changes something, when megui runs only on 30% with framserver and on 90-100% without.

[poisondeathray]

It should show up under Microsoft AVI

vfw seems lower than CLI = worse quality ?


CLI directly with --demuxer lav is usually faster = does CLI mean Command Line ?
I dont think that command line changes something, when megui runs only on 30% with framserver and on 90-100% without.

Yes, CLI = command line interface

No quality is the same, if you use the same encoding settings. But some options are not available in the VFW version

That command line is encoding directly from a video file, not through avisynth. I was just mentioning it that megui/avisynth will be slower than using a binary directly , but if you're using debugmode, you don't have that option . Avisynth is a frameserver too, and there will always be overhead. Don't necessarily look at CPU usage. The key metric is FPS

[Slind]

The vfw would be the best solution, I think. A lot less work for me and I only set this:
program --preset slow --crf 20 --output "output" "input"
I think this should still be possible with the vfw, I don´t need more.

but there is no x264 in AEM, I installed the 2377.x86 and 2377.x86_64 from this site http://komisar.gin.by/:

[poisondeathray]

You missed the 1st line in post # 6. Look under "Microsoft AVI" . All system installed VFW codecs will be under that category

[Slind]

Ahh ok. Do you think there is a difference between mkv and avi ? Because everyone uses mkv with meGUI for youtube?

Should I use x264 or X264 ?

[poisondeathray]

Yes, AVI is not suitable when you use b-frames (you can get decoder issues with green frames, frames out of order) . MKV or MP4 is a better container in that respect

The x264vfw version can export non AVI (e.g. rawavc, mp4, mkv ) , when using the extra command line box. I think one of the GUI's has some boxes for other containers as well (not sure , I don't really use them) . But I don't think it muxes audio (not sure, at least it never did before)

-o PATH\output.mkv

Should I use x264 or X264 ?

I'm not sure what you're asking ? Aren't they the same thing ?

[Slind]

I can define extra options and use a command line as you see in the picture. Could I get mkv or mp4 with Adobe this way ?

[poisondeathray]

Yes, I posted the commandline above

In the extra options box, put -o "PATH\output.mkv" , where PATH is something like C:\folder\....

One big problem this used to have is it never muxed audio. So you're better off using rawavc since you're muxing it later anyways (or it doesn't matter if you use AVI then remux it later). I don't know if that's changed

[Slind]

So you're better off using rawavc since you're muxing it later anyways (or it doesn't matter if you use AVI then remux it later).

Mhh, I didn´t understand anything, sorry.

One big problem this used to have is it never muxed audio

Do you say, if I use the command you posted above, the file is without audio and I have to mux it in ?

So you're better off using rawavc since you're muxing it later anyways .

How do I use rawavc ?

(or it doesn't matter if you use AVI then remux it later)

what ?


How should I do it ?

1. Export without commands as avi and mux it into mkv
2. export it as mkv and mux the audio into it
3. export it as raw and mux it together ?

Not sure if I could rhyme it together.

[smrpix]

You're really taking the long way around. Everything you're doing can be done in Premiere. While I agree with PDR's suggestion that you can use x264fvw, there are a number of h.264 presets in AME that you can modify to your liking, and of course you can batch export as well.

Especially if this is going to YouTube, mp4 works quite well. (And you must know a different "everybody" than I do )

[poisondeathray]

You can do whatever you want

raw avc is containerless (elementary video stream, no audio) . To do that, you specify output.264 instead of output.mkv or output.mp4

Personally, I always use raw avc , because x264's internal muxers aren't very good (for example there have been problems reported compared to doing it separately with mkvmerge), and for things like blu-ray you need elementary streams

You're doing audio separately anyways in audition - so it doesn't matter for you with this project if it doesn't mux audio (you have to mux audio in a separate step anyways, so it's a "sunk cost" )

[Slind]

Yeah, but as soon as I press Strg+S in Audition it is synced to premiere pro But I can batch the muxing, too. so its fine.


I made a test and exported it as default avi and the audio is included, but at 1411 kb/s and I can´t set a encoder for the audio. So the Audio is bigger than the video with this way.


I think I will use the raw avc and mux it with mkvmerge.


Should I export Audio as .flac ?

[smrpix]

Yeah, but as soon as I press Strg+S in Audition it is synced to premiere pro But I can batch the muxing, too. so its fine.

Oops, originally misread that as audacity. Yes, audition is a good way to go.

[Slind]

Do you know a good audio codec I could use ? So I could do all in one step,

[smrpix]

I honestly can't hear any difference between aac codecs at the same bitrate (though 320kb does seem to provide a little more definition between foreground and background on original material.) The AAC codec built in to Media Encoder should be fine, but I invite opposing viewpoints.

[Slind]

Ok, thank you.

Is there any x264 command which I could use to prevent the creation of the .avi file ?
At the moment I get the .avi file from premiere and the .mkv file which I set my self as extra command.

[poisondeathray]

I don't think there is a way to prevent it. The avi is a "dummy avi" only a few kb in size . You can delete with a batch file

[smrpix]

Is there any x264 command which I could use to prevent the creation of the .avi file ?

Do you mean can Premiere put it in a different wrapper? No. Or do you mean must you render it then and there? Again, no. You can add it to a batch queue.

[Slind]

damn and dump Premiere. Could I export it to another wrapper with SonyVegas ?

Yeah I added the raw file as extra command so I get the .avi from Premiere and the raw file.

[smrpix]

Could I export it to another wrapper with SonyVegas ?

Again, the only way to access x264 specifically is through avi. But there's really nothing wrong with the h.264 encoders in Vegas or Premiere.

[_Al_]

generally yes, except low bitrate videos for web, low bitrates like 1000kbps etc, it is almost unusable, video "breathes" somehow or for videos we have no idea what the bitrate would be, where CRF is much better choice (encoding tutorials for youtube, maybe even games) where one can save some serious bandwith, or guesses bitrate too low on the other hand,.., Vegas, Premiere cannot encode CRF - this is what I personaly do not get, why, MainConcept for sure does it on standalone aplication and CRF if something that is so natural to choose ..., ,.., or if one wants to resize video, this is another story (goes hand in hand with that low bitrate export for web for example), to resize interlace video is much better done in Avisynth, where specific case interlace HD into SD interlace is really tragic in Vegas, Premiere

[Slind]

yeah, h264 is a no go for low bitrates. As long as the image doesn´t move much it is fine, but if it moves...

[Slind]

mhh, the text is blurred on youtube. My localfile looks just good. Is there any better codec for youtube and text ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdt_l6vtmcs

[_Al_]

It is not that blurry,
your PC screen should be 1920x1080 while capturing

if your PC screen is not exactly 16:9 , capture it with 1080 height at least, you have to set your Premiere Project to exactly that captured size and just pad it to 16:9, pillarboxed it in Avisynth. Goal is no resizing whatsoever.

But of course tutorial is going to be blurry to those who watch it at home not having 1920x1080 monitor. Or the other way if tutorial is for example 1280x720, watching it on full screen on 1920x1080 , there will be some upscale artifacts, the only thing is to download video and watch it 1:1, you will never satisfy everybody ....

[Slind]

I don´t think this is the problem, because if I create a double size version and upload it, it isn´t blurry

[_Al_]

I forgot that you are actually upscaling ...