How to set up a project when using multiple file types

[HammerKing]

Hi,

Apologies if this is already answered somewhere, but I can't find it. I'd like to make a home video combing files from family members devices, iPhones (.MOV, JPEG & HEIC) + attraction footage we purchased taken on a GoPro (MP4).

Which settings should I choose/force or should PE auto adjust?

I'm an infrequent user of PE and not had this scenario previously. I didn't think about it when I started to combine video earlier. Everything appeared to be working okay, but as soon as I tried Picture in Picture, with one video playing over the other, the smaller video clip (in picture video in the Monitor panel) & the same clip appearing in the timeline both go red. However, this is not immediate & I'm not sure what is triggering it.

Could it be multiple file types? The main video (1) is MP4 taken with GoPro and the 2nd video (2) (the one I would like to play at the same time as smaller PIP) is .MOV taken with iPhone. Main video plays and if I isolate the sound to this, I get the sound from Video 2, but just not the picture (just a red block).

Thanks for reviewing this post.

Kind regards

HammerKing

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Firstly I should say that I am not a PrEl user so I don't know whether these controls are available in PrEl but this is how I would do it in PPro.

I would place the "picture in picture (PIP) video" on the track above the "main" video and use the Video Effects Scale control to change the size of the PIP file and the Video Effects Position control to place the PIP clip where I wanted it to be on the "main" clip.

Effect Controls.jpg

[HammerKing]

Hi John

Thanks for your reply. It may be my lack of experience here but isn't the position & the scale about the size of the PIP & the position of the PIP? If so, I've already adjusted those & played around with size & position, but I still only see red rather than the actual video.

If you're describing something else, please lay it out for me in the simplest (dummies type) terms.

Thanks & regards

HammerKing

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

The image that you posted doesn't show the PIP on the track above the "main". Could that be the source of the problem?

[Steve Grisetti]

It could also be related to the specs of the PIP file. Is it an MOV and from exactly the same source of the MOVs on your main video track?

We may need to dig into the specs of the file. Premiere Elements is a lot fussier with MOVs than with MP4s.

[HammerKing]

The image that you posted doesn't show the PIP on the track above the "main". Could that be the source of the problem?

Hello John,

Thank you for your reply. The video file I'm using in track 2 for PIP is already being used. in track 1 a couple of clips earlier. As you point out, for some reason, it's showing the earlier video 1 file as a red block in the timeline while the one in the monitor panel is to the right.

I ran a couple of tests yesterday before my original post & both were producing the same/similar outcome.

I have literally done nothing with the project yesterday and PE has been shut down all day until a couple of hours ago. Don't ask me how, but for some reason the project is now FIXED!!

How on earth this can be, I really don't know, but it is no longer an issue.

Thanks for your reply. I'm hoping this was some kind of glitch and I won't experience it again, fingers crossed!

Kind regards

[HammerKing]

It could also be related to the specs of the PIP file. Is it an MOV and from exactly the same source of the MOVs on your main video track?

We may need to dig into the specs of the file. Premiere Elements is a lot fussier with MOVs than with MP4s.

Thank you Steve. Per my message to John, this appears to have fixed itself. However, the answer to your question above is yes, Same file, used twice, once for main track & once for PIP.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Kind regards

[Steve Grisetti]

Glad you found a solution, Hammer. Though I'm sorry we couldn't help you find out why it happened in the first place.