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New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Specific to Premiere Elements version 2021

New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby jdunn » Mon Mar 01, 2021 4:51 pm

Hello!
I am brand new to Premiere Elements (2021) and to video editing in general. I just finished Steve's Lynda class on Premiere Elements 2021.

I'm trying to help a friend with a video project. She has a Powerpoint lecture recorded on Zoom that she will eventually upload to Youtube. She wanted a bit of extraneous stuff trimmed on the beginning and end. Before the video's uploaded, there will also be introduction and closing clips that aren't filmed yet.

Since I wanted to practice, having just finished my class, I did the small trims for her and exported the video to see what it looked like. First time in SD, second time in HD. The exported videos are MUCH larger than the original.
from19.3 MiB original to 287 MiB HD or 187 MiB SD

The video is losing its compression? So, my questions:

1. What settings should I be using to export, if my input is or includes Zoom-generated video?
2. What's going on that's making the exported videos get so big?
3. Can I make them smaller?

Also, I expected to see one channel of audio in the audio mixer tool, but both left and right are populated, which surprised me. Not really a problem, but ????

Thanks,

jana the newbie

Mediainfo from the original Zoom-generated file:
General
Complete name : C:[omitted] betsypioneers-unedited (2021_02_06 19_39_10 UTC).mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (isom/mp42)
File size : 19.3 MiB
Duration : 14 min 12 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 190 kb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2021-02-03 00:48:57
Tagged date : UTC 2021-02-03 00:48:57

Video
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L5
Format settings : CABAC / 11 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames : 11 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 14 min 12 s
Bit rate : 61.3 kb/s
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.003
Stream size : 6.23 MiB (32%)
Title : H.264/AVC video
Encoded date : UTC 2021-02-03 00:48:57
Tagged date : UTC 2021-02-03 00:48:57
Codec configuration box : avcC

Audio
ID : 1
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : mp4a-40-2
Duration : 14 min 12 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 126 kb/s
Maximum bit rate : 163 kb/s
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Channel layout : C
Sampling rate : 32.0 kHz
Frame rate : 31.250 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 12.8 MiB (67%)
Title : AAC audio
Encoded date : UTC 2021-02-03 00:48:57
Tagged date : UTC 2021-02-03 00:48:57

Mediainfo from my HD experiment:
General
Complete name : C:[omitted]\Betsy-pioneers\Betsy's Pioneers Video, HD.mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (mp42/mp41)
File size : 287 MiB
Duration : 14 min 0 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 2 861 kb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2021-03-01 06:21:54
Tagged date : UTC 2021-03-01 06:21:57
TIM : 00:00:00:00
TSC : 25
TSZ : 1

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L3.2
Format settings : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames : 2 frames
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=25
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 14 min 0 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 2 700 kb/s
Maximum bit rate : 9 999 kb/s
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.117
Stream size : 270 MiB (94%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2021-03-01 06:21:54
Tagged date : UTC 2021-03-01 06:21:54
Codec configuration box : avcC

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : mp4a-40-2
Duration : 14 min 0 s
Source duration : 14 min 0 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 157 kb/s
Maximum bit rate : 222 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 15.8 MiB (6%)
Source stream size : 15.8 MiB (6%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2021-03-01 06:21:54
Tagged date : UTC 2021-03-01 06:21:54

MediaInfo from my SD experiment:
General
Complete name : C[omitted]\Betsy-pioneers\Betsy's Pioneers Video, Edited.mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (mp42/mp41)
File size : 187 MiB
Duration : 14 min 0 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 1 863 kb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2021-03-01 05:57:54
Tagged date : UTC 2021-03-01 05:59:43
TIM : 00:00:00:00
TSC : 30000
TSZ : 1001

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L3.1
Format settings : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames : 4 frames
Format settings, GOP : M=4, N=29
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 14 min 0 s
Bit rate : 1 670 kb/s
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Original display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) FPS
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan type, store method : Separated fields
Scan order : Bottom Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.161
Stream size : 167 MiB (90%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2021-03-01 05:57:54
Tagged date : UTC 2021-03-01 05:57:54
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.601 NTSC
Transfer characteristics : BT.601
Matrix coefficients : BT.601
Codec configuration box : avcC

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : mp4a-40-2
Duration : 14 min 0 s
Source duration : 14 min 0 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 192 kb/s
Maximum bit rate : 223 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 19.0 MiB (10%)
Source stream size : 19.0 MiB (10%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2021-03-01 05:57:55
Tagged date : UTC 2021-03-01 05:57:55
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby Steve Grisetti » Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:03 pm

The basic principle is that there is editing video and there is delivery video. Delivery video is highly compressed and doesn't always edit well. Editing video is usually less compressed with more concern with quality than file size. If you edit a video in Premiere Elements, the output file will be larger because the program presumes you're editing a higher quality video.

Your Zoom video has an overall bit rate of 190 kilobytes per second. The video from Premiere Elements had an overall bit rate of 2,860 kbps for your HD and 1,863 kbps for the SD. That's a difference of 20x and 10x, which alone could account for the difference in file size.

If you're going to edit low quality, highly compressed video like Zoom video, you might be better off using a program like the Windows Video Editor, which is built into Windows 10.

There are ways to creating a much smaller file from Premiere Elements, but it's a bit like using a hammer to push a thumbtack into a bulletin board. It will work, but it's probably not the best tool for the job.
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby jdunn » Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:48 am

Hi Steve,

Thank you for responding.

I did try out the video editor in Windows 10. It's a bit awkward, and doesn't have transitions. I think it would work very well for making a video out of vacation photos, but not as good for a situation where you might want transitions and need to do a bit of sound mixing.

For the project at hand, for complicated reasons, the Zoom video is what I will be working with, plus whatever the others on the project come up with for the opening and closing clips.
It is what it is. Now that I know this tiny bit about Zoom video, I will suggest to the others that we use something other than Zoom for the subsequent projects.

I'm still open to (and will need) suggestions on what settings would be most workable for output/exporting Zoom-source video with Youtube as the final destination.

jana
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby Steve Grisetti » Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:56 am

Well, as I said, Premiere Elements has a semi-professional workflow so, even if you output a high compression output from your high compression video, the program's project file is still high quality. So it's a little like running water through a tiny hose to a bathtub -- then back out through a tiny hose.

But if you go to Export & Share/Devices you'll see a tab marked Custom. Under Custom, click Advanced Settings and select the H.264 Format and, under the Video settings, click Match Source. Then scroll down Bitrate Settings and drag both sliders all the way to the left so that your bitrate is 0.19.

I can't promise these files will be the same size as your originals -- and the result may look awful -- so you'll need to experiment until you find a bitrate that gives you the quality and size you're looking for. But it is going to be a compromise. As I've said, you can't "smart render" this video in Premiere Elements and get the same video out as you put in. That's just not how the program's workflow works.
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby jdunn » Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:28 pm

Hi Steve,

Thanks again for your response. I actually had tried "match source" and reducing the target bit rate all the way last night before I saw your second response; the file doesn't shrink. However, reducing the target bit rate part way makes a slightly smaller file. Shrug.

Last night I also made a test file with the "camera" app on Windows 10, just to see what that looks like. I need a little help with interpreting the MediaInfo output; what fields should I be looking at? What are the characteristics of "good enough" video (for an educational video on YouTube)?

I also see that in the Text output MediaInfo puts spaces in between some of its numbers, e.g.

Overall bit rate : 6 661 kb/s

Is that 6,661 or something else?

For the next segments of our project, we will have some people filming at home due to COVID. They have phones and laptops, of various quality, I am sure; if I have to chance to make suggestions, which (and which apps) should I suggest they use?

Thanks for bearing with me; as I said, I am absolutely brand new to video.

jana
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby ed » Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:50 pm

You could try using Movavi for editing the Zoom mp4 files. I edited a Zoom recording for my wife's knitting group, and the export size was not to large when I set it for 'Good' quality and re-exported as mp4. I didn't adjust sound quality or bit rate, just used the preset 'Good' setting. I use it on a Mac, but there is a Windows version. There is a free trial if you want to try it, but I think the trial watermarks the video.

https://www.movavi.com/videoeditor/
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby Steve Grisetti » Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:37 pm

Good suggestion, ed. As I suggested, if you must edit Zoom and webcam video, there are other editors that will do the job more efficiently.

If you're going to edit your video with Premiere Elements, you're best to start with video from an AVCHD camcorder or a phone.
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby sidd finch » Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:50 pm

Steve is correct Premier is most likely not the program to use.

The Zoom website advocates for ScreenFlow, Camtasia, and iMovie to use for editing.

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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby ed » Tue Mar 02, 2021 2:50 pm

iMovie should be good, it loves mp4
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby jdunn » Tue Mar 02, 2021 4:18 pm

Thanks for all the input guys.

Looks like Screenflow and iMovie are for Macs; correct me if that's not right. Camtasia is $250 for a single-user license.

Sounds like a smartphone will produce better source video than a webcam? I haven't tested my phone yet; I have a small tripod on order and will test the phone when the tripod gets here.

I still would like help with reading the MediaInfo output -- this:

I also see that in the Text output MediaInfo puts spaces in between some of its numbers, e.g.

Overall bit rate : 6 661 kb/s

Is that 6,661 or something else?

And which fields I ought to be paying attention to when I look at my test video from the phone. What's important for "good enough" video that's destined for youtube?

jana
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Re: New User: working with video from Zoom; export issues?

Postby Steve Grisetti » Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:40 pm

Yes, 6 661 is computer-ese for 6,661.

Quality is in the eye of the beholder, Jana. It's up to you what is good enough and what image quality you're willing to compromise on to get a small file size.
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