Combine avi and avchd in one project

[Simon Silverstein]

I have material shot on tape dv-avi camcorder. I have other material shot with an avchd camcorder. Eventually, I would like to combine parts of each type of video into one project. The end product does not have to be HD, but I'd like to to be of good quality. What is the best way to go about doing this?
addendum:
Thanks for the responses. I guess at this point what I'm requesting is information related to the specific PE7 settings (and their locations in PE 7) with which I import the AVCHD files from my SD card, and the same specific settings for exporting these files as AVI--with best DVD quality.

Also, a related question is this: can I convert an AVI tape originally shot in 4:3 format to 16:9 format without distortion? I'd like to do this so both the original AVCHD (16:9 format, now converted to AVI) will match the DV material (originally shot in 4:3). The two will eventually be combined into one larger project.

[VernonRobinson]

Simon,
Welcome to Muvipix. When using Premiere Elements (PrEl), it is works best with AVI. The computer requirements to work directly with AVCHD is high due to the compressed nature of the format. So I would recommend that you convert the AVI while working in PrEl. Choose the resolution whether you want HD or SD.

Regards,
-Vernon

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

As Vernon says, AVCHD is highly compressed and will need a powerful PC to edit.

My approach would be to edit the DV-AVI in one project and edit the AVCHD as a second project. Then combine the edited outputs into a single AVI based project.

[Paul LS]

Or export your AVCHD from Premiere Elements as DV-AVI and use this in a standard definition project.

[rusty]

Over the holidays, I compiled some clips and created a DVD using PE7 for some friends. I inadvertantly grabbed an AVCHD (.mt2s) file along with a number of .avi's. The editing went fine, but when I went to render and burn, it really took a long time when it came to that clip and I was worried it would freeze up or crash. It turned out okay after a wait, but in future I would export just that clip as an .avi and then bring it into the project with the others so that everything is .avi. It will be much smoother and I won't have a heart attack.

[Simon Silverstein]

Thanks for the responses. I guess at this point what I'm requesting is information related to the specific PE7 settings (and their locations in PE 7) with which I import the AVCHD files from my SD card, and the same specific settings for exporting these files as AVI--with best DVD quality.

Also, a related question is this: can I convert an AVI tape originally shot in 4:3 format to 16:9 format without distortion? I'd like to do this so both the original AVCHD (16:9 format, now converted to AVI) will match the DV material (originally shot in 4:3). The two will eventually be combined into one larger project.

[Steve Grisetti]

You may want to look at my Basic Training in Premiere Elements tutorials. They'll show you exactly where and how to set up your project for AVCHD, DV-AVI, etc.
http://muvipix.com/products.php?searchp ... 10&btn.y=2

The only way to use a 4:3 video in a 16:9 project at full screen is to scale the video up to 133% so that it fills the frame from side to side (and, of course, loses some off the top and bottom). That''s over-rezzing the image, so it could mean your picture might look a little bit fuzzy. But it's up to you if the loss in clarity is worth getting a 16:9 image from the video.