Switching to CS from FCP, maybe? at DVinfo.net

Betsy Pearl · June 11th, 2012, 08:14 AM

Hello, I've been lurking on this board for awhile, and finally decided to check in. Would like some input on FCP v. Adobe.

It's time me to upgrade. I was using FCP 7 and not thrilled with the newest version, but I played around with a friends Premiere for PC (CS 5) and liked it as much as FCP. Assuming it would work the same on a Mac which I have no doubt.

One thing I've heard (read) is that my Sony HVR M15au recorder will not recognize Premiere to capture video? Has anyone else encountered this problem, or heard of this problem?

Chris Hurd · June 14th, 2012, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Would like some input on FCP v. Adobe

If anybody out there would like to take an in-depth approach to answering this question, please speak up. DV Info Net could really use a dedicated article, to be featured on the home page of our site, that explores the topic of transitioning from FCP to CS6 in detail. I have a budget from which I can compensate you for your time and effort, provided that DVi gets exclusivity on publishing. Reply here or contact me via email, chris at dv info dot net.

David Knaggs · June 15th, 2012, 06:57 AM

I'd love it if someone were to post a sticky with a bit of a "guide" to navigating the Adobe website for newcomers (such as those who have switched from FCP).

If there is a problem with certain functions of Premiere Pro, what are the exact actions one can take to properly contact Adobe and get them corrected? I know there is a US phone number that can be called, but for those of us overseas, is there an email line? Also, when people say, "Put in a ticket," could the exact link for that be put in the sticky as well? I think I fluked my way onto a form on the Adobe website a few months ago and sent one. Maybe that was a "ticket", but I'm not sure. No-one contacted me or acknowledged me from Adobe.

I just bought the upgrade to CS6 (Production Premium) in the hopes that Adobe may have fixed their importing of FCP projects into Premiere Pro. It wasn't a very robust function at all in 5.5. It would import simple FCP projects, but Premiere was unable to import any of my long and involved FCP projects (XMLs), even though Apple Color would recognise and open the XML just fine. But Prem Pro CS6 has also been unable to import and gives the same "generic error" message. So I go to the Adobe website and try to figure out how to inform them of this and I ended up in some sort of merry-go-round that tried to get me to purchase a platinum support package or send me to their forums. I can only figure that I must be lacking a bit of know-how on navigating the Adobe universe, so a sticky listing all of the different options, and direct links to each, would be invaluable.

Betsy, one advantage of Premiere Pro is that it can natively work with a lot of different formats straight out of the camera. This can save a lot lot of hard drive space (and time), because you don't have to re-wrap them into QuickTime wrappers. PPro CS5.5 had a drawback when it came to exporting QuickTime movies. I found that it would export it with any codec, but it would constrain the frame size to DV. At least that was my experience. But I believe that CS6 has greatly expanded the exporting capabilities of PPro, although I haven't checked it myself yet.

I would also recommend getting the entire Production Premium suite rather than just getting PPro. I now use Photoshop all the time in my professional workflow and it has become "my favourite software ever". This alone has justified the cost of Prod Premium many times over. I am also extensively using the green screen keyer from After Effects on my current project and it is, without a doubt, the best and most efficient keyer that I've come across.

But right now I'm not using Prem Pro at all. Lack of FCP import is still a deal-breaker for me. So I'm still having to use FCP 6. Go figure.

Bart Walczak · June 15th, 2012, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Knaggs

PPro CS5.5 had a drawback when it came to exporting QuickTime movies. I found that it would export it with any codec, but it would constrain the frame size to DV. At least that was my experience.

That's not possible, we've been exporting HD-sized QuickTimes since CS3, and never had any problems with that. Perhaps you mistook the fact that when you were choosing PAL/NTSC framerate, Premiere would change your frame size to SD. Simply change it back to HD, save your selection as a preset, and you're all set.

David Knaggs · June 15th, 2012, 06:51 PM

Hi Bart.

Thanks for chipping in on this.

I've just opened up CS5.5 to duplicate exactly what I tried. I was working with XDCAM EX 1080p25 (both the footage and the sequence). When I went to export the sequence, I did the following:

1. File>Export>Media
2/ On the "Export Settings" box which came up, I chose "QuickTime".
3/ The "Preset" drop down box then gave the following options: NTSC DV, NTSC DV Widescreen, NTSC DV Widescreen 24p, NTSC DV 24p, PAL DV Widescreen and PAL DV. There were no other options given, which was very surprising.
4/ I selected PAL DV (because of the 25 fps) and under the "Video Codec" drop down I selected Apple ProRes422.
5/ Under the Summary it then said, "...720x576, 25 fps ... Apple ProRes 422"

And that's as far as I could ever get. (I checked through my Lynda.com tutorials and Adobe Help at the time, but perhaps I overlooked something.)

Next to the Preset drop down there are three icons to Save Preset, Import Preset and Delete Preset. But I didn't have any Presets to import. I vaguely recall that I might have posted on here at the time asking if there were some sort of "trick" to getting around this. I know that After Effects is very straightforward with its QuickTime exporting (rendering). Everything is right there in front of you.

I also tried (in PPro 5.5) checking the option of "Match Sequence Settings". But that removed the QuickTime wrapper by changing the Format from QuickTime to "MPEG Preview" (.mpeg). And I specifically wanted the QuickTime wrapper.

Bart, when you say, "Simply change it back to HD", which part of the interface are you referring to? Where is the drop down or checkbox for this?

Or have I been working in the wrong part of the PPro 5.5 interface?

David Knaggs · June 15th, 2012, 07:10 PM

Bart, forget my last post. You are 100% correct. I'm a dope. The "Video Codec" section actually has a scroll down bar on the right which I had completely overlooked!

My apologies, Betsy. I have given you false data.

Well, one good thing has come out of discovering my stupidity on this. When I finish my current project in two week's time, I'll start the next one in Premiere Pro. It's time to learn it properly and use it as a real tool.

(But I'd still like to see that sticky I mentioned earlier.)

June 11th, 2012, 08:14 AM	#1
Betsy Pearl Tourist Join Date: May 2012 Location: NC Posts: 3	Switching to CS from FCP, maybe? Hello, I've been lurking on this board for awhile, and finally decided to check in. Would like some input on FCP v. Adobe. It's time me to upgrade. I was using FCP 7 and not thrilled with the newest version, but I played around with a friends Premiere for PC (CS 5) and liked it as much as FCP. Assuming it would work the same on a Mac which I have no doubt. One thing I've heard (read) is that my Sony HVR M15au recorder will not recognize Premiere to capture video? Has anyone else encountered this problem, or heard of this problem?

June 15th, 2012, 06:57 AM	#3
David Knaggs Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 826	Re: Switching to CS from FCP, maybe? I'd love it if someone were to post a sticky with a bit of a "guide" to navigating the Adobe website for newcomers (such as those who have switched from FCP). If there is a problem with certain functions of Premiere Pro, what are the exact actions one can take to properly contact Adobe and get them corrected? I know there is a US phone number that can be called, but for those of us overseas, is there an email line? Also, when people say, "Put in a ticket," could the exact link for that be put in the sticky as well? I think I fluked my way onto a form on the Adobe website a few months ago and sent one. Maybe that was a "ticket", but I'm not sure. No-one contacted me or acknowledged me from Adobe. I just bought the upgrade to CS6 (Production Premium) in the hopes that Adobe may have fixed their importing of FCP projects into Premiere Pro. It wasn't a very robust function at all in 5.5. It would import simple FCP projects, but Premiere was unable to import any of my long and involved FCP projects (XMLs), even though Apple Color would recognise and open the XML just fine. But Prem Pro CS6 has also been unable to import and gives the same "generic error" message. So I go to the Adobe website and try to figure out how to inform them of this and I ended up in some sort of merry-go-round that tried to get me to purchase a platinum support package or send me to their forums. I can only figure that I must be lacking a bit of know-how on navigating the Adobe universe, so a sticky listing all of the different options, and direct links to each, would be invaluable. Betsy, one advantage of Premiere Pro is that it can natively work with a lot of different formats straight out of the camera. This can save a lot lot of hard drive space (and time), because you don't have to re-wrap them into QuickTime wrappers. PPro CS5.5 had a drawback when it came to exporting QuickTime movies. I found that it would export it with any codec, but it would constrain the frame size to DV. At least that was my experience. But I believe that CS6 has greatly expanded the exporting capabilities of PPro, although I haven't checked it myself yet. I would also recommend getting the entire Production Premium suite rather than just getting PPro. I now use Photoshop all the time in my professional workflow and it has become "my favourite software ever". This alone has justified the cost of Prod Premium many times over. I am also extensively using the green screen keyer from After Effects on my current project and it is, without a doubt, the best and most efficient keyer that I've come across. But right now I'm not using Prem Pro at all. Lack of FCP import is still a deal-breaker for me. So I'm still having to use FCP 6. Go figure.

June 15th, 2012, 06:51 PM	#5
David Knaggs Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 826	Re: Switching to CS from FCP, maybe? Hi Bart. Thanks for chipping in on this. I've just opened up CS5.5 to duplicate exactly what I tried. I was working with XDCAM EX 1080p25 (both the footage and the sequence). When I went to export the sequence, I did the following: 1. File>Export>Media 2/ On the "Export Settings" box which came up, I chose "QuickTime". 3/ The "Preset" drop down box then gave the following options: NTSC DV, NTSC DV Widescreen, NTSC DV Widescreen 24p, NTSC DV 24p, PAL DV Widescreen and PAL DV. There were no other options given, which was very surprising. 4/ I selected PAL DV (because of the 25 fps) and under the "Video Codec" drop down I selected Apple ProRes422. 5/ Under the Summary it then said, "...720x576, 25 fps ... Apple ProRes 422" And that's as far as I could ever get. (I checked through my Lynda.com tutorials and Adobe Help at the time, but perhaps I overlooked something.) Next to the Preset drop down there are three icons to Save Preset, Import Preset and Delete Preset. But I didn't have any Presets to import. I vaguely recall that I might have posted on here at the time asking if there were some sort of "trick" to getting around this. I know that After Effects is very straightforward with its QuickTime exporting (rendering). Everything is right there in front of you. I also tried (in PPro 5.5) checking the option of "Match Sequence Settings". But that removed the QuickTime wrapper by changing the Format from QuickTime to "MPEG Preview" (.mpeg). And I specifically wanted the QuickTime wrapper. Bart, when you say, "Simply change it back to HD", which part of the interface are you referring to? Where is the drop down or checkbox for this? Or have I been working in the wrong part of the PPro 5.5 interface?

June 15th, 2012, 07:10 PM	#6
David Knaggs Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 826	Re: Switching to CS from FCP, maybe? Bart, forget my last post. You are 100% correct. I'm a dope. The "Video Codec" section actually has a scroll down bar on the right which I had completely overlooked! My apologies, Betsy. I have given you false data. Well, one good thing has come out of discovering my stupidity on this. When I finish my current project in two week's time, I'll start the next one in Premiere Pro. It's time to learn it properly and use it as a real tool. (But I'd still like to see that sticky I mentioned earlier.)