show the timecode...
 

Hello all,

I am making a couple of check copy DVD's with some of my footage... Premiere Pro 1.5.... Is there a way to show the timecode in the actual end video... or maybe even just a fake add-in to download somewhere?

thanks!
Matt

It's possible right in Premiere! I apologize, though, if this is 2.0+. I haven't used 1.5 in awhile.

There is an effect somewheres, 'timecode' I believe.

Take your current finished composition, drop it in a NEW composition, and then apply the timecode effect to that new clip of your main composition in the new timeline. Tweak effect settings, export!

C

Carl is a 100% correct. Check out this YouTube tutorial. Its for version 2.0, but I think the timecode effect works the same way (hopefully!). It should help you out either way, its a detailed tutorial expressly about doing timecode overlay in Premiere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVJW3MQmBE8

Matt, keep in mind that the timecode is derived from the PPro timeline, not from the timecode on the source tape. If you have clients that need the real thing, get a DVD Recorder, the kind that works in a stereo system, and take the 'display out' from your camcorder and record in real time. 3 to 5 window dubs should pay for the DVD recorder.

Why do I always see so many complaints about this? Timecode is an effect, and like most other effects, has editable settings. If you go into the effect controls panel, and change the "timecode source" from "clip" to "media" it will display the timecode of the original individual clip, assuming Premiere has stored it.
Sorry its nothing personal, I just see this particular complaint posted all sorts of places and its frusterating. Premiere is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to limit the complaints to what is ACTUALLY broken or missing.

That's a really good catch Mike. Tsk tsk Eric, beating up on Premiere like that! Just kidding! I think people can be so much in a rush to try and help, they forget to really qualify their responses. It just happens. I usually check stuff out on the program before I post just to be sure I've got my facts straight, but it's easy to see how people can miss some things like that. I do understand how it can happen, but I also understand the frustration. Nothing is worse than seeing actually the wrong information out there, but mistakes happen... I'm glad you caught it and brought it to our attention. Adobe's website has a news article about the upcoming liable lawsuit their slamming Eric with... Eric, what have you done?!

No offense intended, but I have seen this specific complaint on Adobe forums, Matrox forums, the Red Forum, etc. It is not even like it was originally missing and recently added, like some features. The Timecode effect itself was added in the 2.0 release with full functionallity from the start. The only complaint I can see is that this, or any other effect, should be able to be applied to many clips at once. How frequently will you apply timecode to a single clip instead of an entire sequence? At least you can use pasting to place them one ot a time with the correct "Media" setting already selected. That probably should have been the default setting anyway, it would have avoided all those complaints I keep running across.

AH HA!! See? You should watch that video that I linked, its great and tells you exactly how to do this. I'll tell you here, but be warned, its sounds harder than it is. I can do this in about 5 seconds, really. Just create a new sequence, and nest your current sequence inside it. Now the nested sequence, with all your different cuts and edits, appears as one continous clip. Now just add the timecode effect, and you have a nice window burn across all your edits. Very simple, very easy to do, and the nice thing about doing it this ways is: 1) you don't effect your original sequence. You won't have to go back later and remove the timecode effect from your original sequence later. 2) The timecode window burn not only is continous this way, but also is unaffected by any transisions such as dissolves.

Again, check out the tutorial, it covers nesting as well.

Don't know if this only works in CS3, but you can add transparent video to a track and then apply the timecode effect to it. If you make sure the clip is the length of the timeline, the timecode will be for the sequence and it's visible whilts editing.

I'm about to upgrade to CS3 from 6.5 so this is great for me. The only way I found to do this in 6.5 was to render a one hour timecode sequence generated in After Effects then key it into the video on a separate track - hard work but realtime with hardware!

Looking forward to CS3...(!)

While that might work, I think its not as good as an option as nesting the sequence for these reasons:

1) You're making changes to your original sequence. Just another chance that you might accidentally screw something up with your edit as you add a transparent track, stretch it to fit, etc. By nesting the sequence you are not making any changes to your original edit. If the client calls and says "burn me a DVD" you don't have to remember to switch off the timecode layer. Just select the original sequence and burn.

2) Its more work. I'm amazed at the resistance that people have to nesting a sequence in Premiere Pro, which is too bad because its a great feature and super easy to do. Like I said in my other post, I can nest a sequence in under 5 seconds. I could setup a timecode display by nesting a sequence in under 10 seconds.

You just click the "create a new item" button at the bottom of the Project Panel and select "sequence". Give it a name, it opens automatically in the Timeline Panel, and just plop your original sequence in there, you're done! If you've used After Effects, you'd recognize the procedure as nesting a composition, something you do a lot of when compositing video and graphics in After Effects, so its no big deal. I find that there are editors that seem to try and find any way possible to avoid nesting, many who aren't even aware that the feature exists. Honestly, instead of trying to find a work around, embrace what the software is capable of. Watch that tutorial I posted, its clearly explained. Nesting is also great when you have a really complex edit with mutiple layers, that you want to be able drag around in your timeline to try it at different locations. Try it, you'll like it!

Unfortunately you can not use a nested sequences to get the original media timecode to be overlaid. By using a nested sequence or a transparent layer, you are abstracting the effect from the clip, and it will have no way to access the origianl timecode data you are looking for. In order to get proper source timecode, you have to apply the effect to each clip.

I find bad performance with nested sequences, and they are definitely not transparent in that regard. Sub-comps in AE work much better.

For PPro 1.5, does anyone know if there is an easy way to use the 2.0 effect in 1.5? Maybe a Timecode.aex file or something that can be copied to Premiere Pro 1.5.

No, you can't use nested sequences to get the original timecode, but then that's a very different situation. In that case, you're showing a client, producer or whoever footage and it is the footage that they are looking to approve ("we like take #4, from 1:14:10 to !:18:00).

If you're showing a potentially finished edit, then it doesn't make any sense to source the original timecode. You want the client to be able to watch the video, and take notes, saying what they like, and dislike. This way if they say "at one point, whe don't like the camera angle" you can just ask the client to note down the specific timecode displayed at that time. Makes things much clearer if you are talking over the phone about an edit, and its also, at least in my experience, the more likely reason to want to do a window burn.

As for finding bad experiences with nested sequences, I have no idea what you mean. I use them extensively and have had no issues at. Don't know if maybe you just have a bad setup or what, you didn't really give any details as to what issues you're having. For me, at least with version 2.0, they work flawlessly.

It usually asks me to render things in nested sequences that I would not otherwise have to.
The source timecode in very important if you are working to manually reconform a project offlined in Premiere, with an exported guidetrack with BITC.

Why not try Canopus EDIUS 4.5 preview

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=91670

The reason the "transparent video" method will work for me is that the code is visible whilst editing. I have a producer client that likes to see the timecode on the preview monitor as we're cutting pieces. I may be wrong (only having used the trial CS3), but if you use a nested sequence you can't edit it?

Anyhow, I guess it's horses for courses and if it works both ways then great!