Mac Editors: Collaborate and Deliver easier with Premiere Pro CS4
 

I'm always pursuing options to get work done faster, easier and with more options and though this to be a good thread for those considering NLE options.

Although Premiere Pro does have it's own category here on the forum it unfortunately seems to garner mostly PC users, not Mac, and from what I can tell there's a plethora of Mac editors in *this* category who would be excited to learn about other options for getting work done.

If you're a small post-house or even a one-man-band indie producer then one of the biggest challenges you have is how to give your client a preview of your work so they can then make comments, changes or even give direction to your work. As far as I know not even Avid has these cool tools and they're very powerful and incredibly simple:

1. You can take any timeline you're working on and export as a PDF *with* the embedded video (you can select various quality/size/rate options) and, a "clip notes" section which allows the other user to make notes, create markers that are associated with the notes and even preset in's and out's. The best part? The user who's receiving the PDF only needs the *Free* Adobe reader to do this not the pro version! And since it's a PDF it's 100% compatible between Mac and PC, period.

At first this may not seem like a big idea but first consider the typical methods, you either: Burn a DVD with full-res clips to show style or content; make a web-video and post it somewhere; have your client/editor come to your location and do a "sit-in" or; in extreme situations make a super-small highly compressed clip to send over email. In all these situations there's no built-in or contiguous method to watch the content AND make direct commentary that's directly tied to the clip in a single file that can be sent anywhere and seen by anybody. This is huge.

2. Let's say you've got several clips that you need feedback on; maybe they're same-scene clips shot in different manners or, the same clip with various filters/effects applied. Or, maybe you've got a DVD that you want to have previewed *before* the dreaded build-and-burn process - or worse, replication. Sharing multiple clips or even an entire DVD isn't going to happen in a PDF with clip notes, you need another method. Enter Encore.

You can build an Encore project in whichever manner you choose, whether it's with the typical menu structure for DVD presentation or, displaying multiple clips for preview - or whatever you need. Once your "image" of that project is completed you can export the entire project - animated menus and all - as a Flash-based file that will play in *any* Flash-enabled browser. The file size is small and as we all know Flash video is very high quality.

And again, the finished Flash-Encore project doesn't require any special plug-ins on the users end, only that Javascript and Flash be enabled.

Currently, there no other NLE package, not Vegas, Final Cut Studio or even Edius offer this level of built-in sharing, exporting and collaborative tools, and this stuff is something *every* Mac editor/producer should know about.

One last note: If you're already using Final Cut and are hoping you could get PP and use these cool tools (and the other stuff that PP does that FCP does not currently) you're in luck: PP CS4 comes with a migration tool that specifically transfers FCP project into PP in their entirety. Of course third-party plug-ins and filters that don't have an equal in PP currently will need to be rebuilt or re-envisioned with a different plug-in that's a small price to pay for having this much functionality available.

After reading your post Robert, I was excited then I launched and imported a ProRes file and poof. I think that's why many don't use it on the mac side... Is it stable for you?
-C

It does work flawlessly. You first have to make sure you have the 4.1 update for PP and use the XML transfer process outlined in the on-online tutorials. I've never migrated a ProRes project but it shouldn't matter which it is since the XML interchange process takes care of the transfer hand-shaking for you.

Your response is a perfect example of why I've posted this info thread and will be sharing more in the near-future. There's a wealth of things PP can offer FCP editors, you simply have to first understand what's possible and then know how to implement the tool.

The XML interchange process is not unlike first-time users of Compressor; it seems very simple on the surface but there are some not-so-obvious setups you need to be aware of before things work smoothly.

Use the on-line overview of the Final Cut project transfer process which shows a very clear step-by-step workflow and you'll be in business in no time.

By the way, there are a plethora of things that could have caused PP to stop responding that have nothing to do with project transfer, for example, how well maintained is your OS environment?

From what I heard from Adobe at the FCP UG SuperMeet, the Final Cut Pro to Premiere XML transfer process is broken if you use Final Cut Pro 7. Adobe is working on a fix. Apparently, Apple doesn't like the cool stuff that Adobe is doing to make the life for Final Cut editors' easier. I have also heard that Audition is being ported to the Mac at this moment. I hope it will be included with CS5. Soundtrack Pro is a pain in the ass and Soundbooth can't be compared to Audition. I am working with both suites now. Final Cut Pro, Compressor, Color and sometimes Motion and After Effects, Photoshop and Encore. Works like a charm.

Another great thing is Premiere's speech transition function. It doesn't work perfectly yet (1st gen) but I can see the potential. Import your footage to Premiere Pro, transcribe it, let it fill the meta data and import it in Final Cut Pro. Tada!

The timing is good for me and this thread, since I just installed CS4 and will be using the next two projects to explore the workflow and leverage the additional toolset.

First, I want to see how well iPhone footage edits in Premier Pro. Second, cut together ProRes footage in FCP6, then export to PP/AE/Encore to DVD.

Less rendering is better!