P Pro trial limitations

[Marc Salvatore]

I just downloaded the demo to test out Premiere CS5 and see how it works with Cineform and the Intensity card. I come to find out that it only edits DV resolution in demo mode. How does Adobe expect someone to figure out if this program work for them by editing in DV resolution? Really silly policy.

[Harm Millaard]

It is completely understandable, because if these limitations were not in the trial, Adobe would have to pay license costs for a trial that you can use free of charge. That is really silly.

If you want to know if it works, get the full paid version and if you do not like it, return it and get a refund within 30 days.

[Marc Salvatore]

Strange because the Vegas trial has no such limitations and from what I remember the Edius did not either. I can't see why they are unable to allow me to edit 1920x1080 Cineform (since I own Neo HD) without paying license fees. Also the AE trial allows me to process Cineform HD footage without issue. Seems like they are losing sales to me.

[Tim Kolb]

I know there are MPEG limitations...but if you install CineForm in the proper place (CS5's folder structure), it should work as far as I know...

I don't know about the BlackMagic drivers...but if they'll work at all, I'm guessing you'd need to go through another install procedure to place the drivers properly.

[Marc Salvatore]

Tim,

Thank you very much. My mistake, I needed to reinstall Cineform after PPro. I take back everything bad I thought about Adobe :)

BTW, What are most of you guys using to send to a monitor for color correction? Do you just use the secondary monitor function?

Thanks, Marc

[Jay West]

Everything said about the limitations of the CS5 demo was above was correct --- you are basically limited to non mpeg formats --- BUT the Cineform NeoHD trial gives you a work-around.

This seems to come up so often that I wonder if maybe this could be a sticky or in an FAQ?

Here's what I would suggest:

Because of licensing issues, the CS5 trial version will not ingest or mount any mpeg- based formats. No Mpeg Transport Streams such *.mts (file extension for some AVCHD), no *.mp4, no *.m2t (file extension for HDV). You cannot capture tape from HDV cams. You cannot import file-based media versions, either.

The Adobe CS5 trial versions will allow you to work with high def AVI and MOV files.

So, the work-around is to download a trial version of Cineform's NeoHD version 5 or NeoScene. You install it AFTER you install the Adobe trial.

You then use Cineform to capture and/or convert your Mpeg-based footage to your choice of either *.AVI or *.MOV. Cineform converts mpeg formats (i.e., mts mt2) it to high definition *.avi or *.mov. Once converted to AVI or MOV, you can bring the footage the converted HD footage into CS5 for trying out the editing.

If what you really want to test is how well or how poorly your system will handle four streams of AVCHD under PPro CS5, you are out of luck. You cannot do that testing with the trial version of PPro CS5.

On the other hand, if you want to explore high def editing with PPro CS5, you certainly can do that with this workaround.

[Ann Bens]

On the other hand Premiere has a 30 day money back garantee.

[Dave Partington]

Originally Posted by Ann Bens

On the other hand Premiere has a 30 day money back garantee.

IF you buy from Adobe.....

If you buy from a dealer then it's up to the dealer if they take it back or not - and most won't.

[Pete Bauer]

To clarify:

Within North America, you can arrange a return through Adobe even if you bought from a reseller:
Return or change Adobe orders | North America

whereas returns on purchases made through resellers in other parts of the world must go through the reseller:
Return, cancel, or change an Adobe order | EMEA, APAC

[Jay West]

Originally Posted by Ann Bens

On the other hand Premiere has a 30 day money back garantee.

So, how about this for a revised explanation:

TITLE: Using high definition footage in Trial Versions of PPro

MESSAGE:

If you want to explore high definition editing in PPro CS5, you will need to do one of two things: (a) use an "intermediate" program to convert your test footage to a high-definition *.avi or *.mov file or (b) pay for the program and look to Adobe's 30-day money back guaranty to get a refund if PPro does not work for you.

It needs to be clearly understood that the CS5 trial version will not ingest or mount most high definition video footage in their native formats. The Adobe download website specifically states:

"Due to licenses of various codecs, several formats are not supported in the trial version of Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, limiting some of the features available in the trial. Formats not supported in the trial version include AVC-Intra, AVCHD, Canon XF, HDV, and XDCAM. In addition, sequence presets for RED or DSLR footage are not available in the trial, although RED R3D files are supported. Certain formats, such as MPEG-2, MPEG-2 DVD, and MPEG-2 Blu-ray, cannot be exported from the trial version."

This exclusion covers files with extensions such as *.mp4, *.mt2 and *.mts.

However, the Adobe CS5 trial versions will allow you to work with high def *.AVI and *.MOV files.

To take advantage of this, you will need a separate program that will convert mpeg etc. streams to either AVI or MOV files. If you do not already have one of these programs, you can go to DVinfo sponsor Cineform 's website and download fully functional trial versions of NeoScene or NeoHD. You install one of these programs AFTER you install the Adobe trial. You can then use that program to capture or convert your high definition footage into high definition *.avi or *.mov files which will work in the trial version of PPro.

If your purpose is to find out how well or how poorly PPro on your present computer will handle native mpeg, XDcam, Red, etc. formats, you will need a fully licensed copy of PPro to do that. For example, if you wanted to find out if your system can handle 4 streams of unconverted AVCHD in a PPro multi-cam timeline, the only way to make that test on your computer is to buy a copy of PPro. Copies from the Adobe on-line store come with a thirty-day money back guaranty, so you may be able to get a refund if PPro does not work out on your system. Some resellers, such as DVinfo sponsor Videoguys may offer similar guaranties. Some resellers may impose a "restocking" fee. Check the current terms of the guaranty with Adobe or the reseller before going this route.

[Kevin Monahan]

If you want certain items (like codecs) in your trial, make a feature request: http://www.adobe.com/go/wish