Adobe Premiere & Premiere Pro discussions from 2004

[Marc Sacco]

just an update...
i did my timelapse shot by filming in real time and then taking it into pro1.5. a tip to anyone trying this...open the footage in a separate project (or a separate would do) adjust the speed/duration to desired effect and then export it as a movie. then you can bring it into your real project as a much smaller file then the original!
it worked out fine for me...
thanks again for the comments!

marc

[Marc Sacco]

sorry that should have read (or a separate sequence would do)

[Kris Holodak]

My short questions are:
1. what's your operating system?
2. what's your capture card?

Here's the background:
I am in the unenviable position of needing to spec a new machine for someone else in my building that is "the same" as the machine that I'm using. Except that my machine was configured about 2 years ago when I got here. They bought Premiere 6.5 just before I started and I was ok with that because it was software I knew. And since the machine sitting on my desk then was 3 years old the IT guys helped me get a new one. It's a Dell (because we have a standing deal with dell) with a Matrox RT2500 capture card running on Windows 2000 Professional. I can't give you too many details on the computer itself because my login privileges don't allow me to access stuff like the device manager.

Well, Premiere 6.5 isn't being made anymore, though I've found a couple of resellers on Amazon who claim to have new copies available. And Pro is only good for Windows XP. The RT2500 isn't being made anymore and the cards that Matrox is selling they spec as only compatible with XP. On this I'm with the IT guys, I don't want to expose our network to the vulnerabilities of XP. I'd rather switch editing software than switch operating systems, and if I was going to switch OS I'd go to the Mac with Final Cut.

But I think the easiest answer is to buy one of these old copies of 6.5 and switch capture cards. I just want to make sure that whatever card I select is actually going to work.

Thoughts? Advice? Warning bells?

Thanks,
Kris

[Pat Engh]

My old system is 3 years, old but I use xp... as far as capture cards, I have the DV 500 "Pinnacle" working with 6.5 and it's never givin me a problem... as for 6.5, I think it sucks compared to Premiere Pro... Check it out

[Dan Euritt]

i used to be an i/t guy, the last thing i/t people want to do is to mix mac's and pc's... xp would be a much better choice from that perspective; if your i/t guys can't address the "vulnerabilities" of xp, then your company needs to find some competent i/t help.

if the second pc isn't for a full-time editor, you could just get a generic win2k pc with a firewire port, install premiere 6.5, and go to work... the main thing you'd be giving up is some real-time transition capability, but most of your graphics and video clips would still be interchangeable.

[Pat Engh]

1. Does PP 1.5 allow me to here audio scrubbing on external monitors "Speakers" I've got my fire wire hooked up to my Mini Dv Deck to here and see on external devices... Using a SB Audigy Sound Card...I can her it scrub through my PC Speakers, But not my external Monitors.

2. I had to return my Matrox card because it wasn't compatible with my machine... Tech support also told me that the matrox doesn't work well with Xeon Processors, and I've got 2 of them... Maybe I'll just call Adobe about this...

[K. Forman]

For what it's worth, I'm using Premiere 6.1 and Win2k, with the Canopus DV Storm card and breakout box.

[Rob Lohman]

I can't answer your first question and I am wondering what the
second question is about? Why did you want a Matrox or any
other card?

[Ed Smith]

Hi Pat,

1. Have you selected to use audio on DV hardware? To check this go to project settings > General, select Playback settings and make sure that it is selected. Unfortunately you can not have both (DV hardware and your SB card scrubbing at the same time. It’s either one or the other.

2. I trust you are talking about the Matrox RTX 100? Hardware accelerators are a bit picky about the hardware it is connected to. That’s why the manufacturer has a recommended/ minimum system spec. Premiere (software only) should run OK with your MB and processors, I believe.

[Kris Holodak]

Well, after a day of reading up on stuff, and finally at the end of the day being allowed to talk to this new user, I'm leaning toward having them capture directly through their firewire port. They have neither expertise nor interest in doing complicated stuff, and it saves me from having to stay on top of their card as well as mine.

DAN: Yes, I'm more likely to get XP than to get Mac, but in reality they aren't going to give me either. And if I let myself start down the path of "finding competent i/t help" I'll be telling stories like the help desk manager saying "Be sure to buy something that Kris understands because my folks won't be able to help either one of them."

Thanks for all your thoughts.

[Patrick Norman]

Hey all,

I keep hearing about the various pulldowns (16:9, etc.), and I think I'm familiar with the concept, but the term still slightly confuses me. To my understanding, a "pulldown" occurs when you convert aspect ratios, say 4:3 to 16:9. I know it can probably get complicated, but can someone please explain just exactly what a "pulldown" is, and how they are done in post production?

I know that you can choose aspect ratios in Premiere, but does pulling down refer to some additional process? Please clarify.

Thanks!

[Rob Lohman]

Firewire is definitely the easiest and fastest way to go.

[Rob Lohman]

A pulldown has actually nothing to do with 16:9, you have:

1) 16:9 / anamorphic / widescreen: this is a widescreen mode where your image is wider than it is tall. You can fake it or get it with a true 16:9 camera or with a anamorphic attachment for your lens

2) 3:2 pulldown is the method to store 24 fps material in 30 fps for transfer over a system that does not support 24 fps native (like DV) and then convert it back to the original 24 fps without loosing any quality or (spatial) resolution

So yes pulling down is a different process. Changing aspect
ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 is usually pretty easy. I'm not working in
Premiere anymore so I can't help you with how to do that
exactly in that package, sorry.

[Patrick Norman]

Rob- Thanks for the clarification! You reaffirmed what I previously thought about 16:9 cams & anamorphic attachments, and your explanation of the 3:2 pulldown was most helpful, as I had heard of 3:2 pulldowns before but exactly what they meant was a litle hazy to me. Thanks again!

I don't want anyone to have to explain the whole process, so does anyone know of a good site that explains the entire process of the 3:2 pulldown for Premiere Pro?

[Dan Euritt]

sorry to hear about the limitations of your i/t department!

but i understand how it is, the holy grail for i/t is standardize, standardize, standardize...

one thing i would also look at is whether or not your new user needs to share a premiere edl with you... some of the transitions you have may not be available on their system.