Field Options

[DebCrowell]

Hello Muvipixers!

Does anyone know what the following options mean under "field options"? I have a clip that is AVCHD format that I am using in a project that is set up for DV. Per Steve's book suggestion, I want to reverse the field order so it's compatible.....should I choose either one of the below options as well?
-interlace consecutive frames
-always deinterlace

Thanks! Deb

[Steve Grisetti]

Hi, Deb. Welcome to Muvipix!

Field Options are related to how many video formats create video frames. In traditional television (and most camcorders) a frame of video is created in two passes, each pass drawing every other line of pixels. Basically, in DV-AVIs, the odd-numbered lines are drawn first (Lower Field First); in MPEGs (including AVCHD), the even-numbered lines are drawn first (Upper Field First). De-interlacing essentially makes both sets of lines identical so that it doesn't matter whether it's upper field or lower field first.

Oversimplifying, of course. But that's the basics.

However, if your project is set up to match your video source, you should not be manually switching the Field Options! Otherwise, you'll mess up what the program is already doing right.

I would very much recommend against using AVCHD in a project set up for DV. That will only lead to trouble. If your video is coming from an AVCHD camcorder, you should use it in a project set up for AVCHD -- and then leave the Field Options alone.

What model of camcorder is your video coming from?

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Just wanted to add my 'Hello and welcome to Muvipix'

[DebCrowell]

Thanks John and Steve for your welcomes.....My footage is primarily DV, hence the desire for a quick conversion for the AVCHD footage that I want to add to this project (from a Kodak playtouch handheld camera). Steve, I saw your mention of using "Field Options and then Reverse Field Order" (p.42) and thought I'd see how well that worked before I started messing around with a video converter. Well, you're right- every time I render it's a long wait. So on to video converters and scratch that question about what all those options are under Field Options!

[Steve Grisetti]

Don't rush right out and convert your video yet, Deb! You may be opening up a whole new can of worms!

Rather, start a new project using the correct AVCHD settings for your camcorder. Add the AVCHD footage. (You should not see a red line above your clips when you add them to the timeline if you're using the right project settings.) Then go to Share/Computer/AVI with the DV presets. This will output your AVCHD video as DV-AVIs without the liabilities of some conversion programs.

Now that all of your video is DV-AVIs, you can safely mix them in your DV project.

Naturally, if you don't need your entire AVCHD, you can output only the segment(s) that you want to use in your project.

But I very much recommend against mixing DV-AVIs and AVCHD in the same project! It's asking for trouble!

[DebCrowell]

Thanks Steve, as always, for your advice- I've used the PE export to AVI trick before and it's a little cumbersome for multiple clips (which I forsee in my near future). I read the list in the back of your book of conversion programs that are out there and got a little overwhelmed about which to choose. Of course, I wanted to try a free one first.....and went for "Super"....which seems to be called "foxtab?". Nice concept to drag and drop and then poof- converted! So I've been seduced! The only problem is that the conversions failed. I re-loaded the program twice (cleared browser, active java script) and it gets as far as laying down a new file and then fails......bummer. Maybe you have another one to suggest? I'm seeing what you mean about can of worms....

But before we move off of the PE Export option.....That was a new tip about the red line appearing (THANK YOU!) which indicates the correct project preset settings......The file I am trying to convert is from a Kodak playtouch Xi 10. It's a mini camcorder (like a Flip). It puts out an MP4 file. I can choose the output settings on it and have set it to HP 720p 60 and when I imported it to PE with preset option to AVCHD Lite 720p60 there is no red line. Is there something I should know about these mini camcorder files that are not recognized by PE?

THanks!

[Steve Grisetti]

Unfortunately, MP4s from those pocket camcorders -- with the exception of the Flip cams -- are usually not compatible with Premiere Elements. As it says on the package, those cams are pretty much designed to shoot and load to YouTube. If you need to edit, you're pretty much stuck with the editing software that comes with them. This isn't so much a short-coming on Premiere Elements' end as it is with the camcorder's manufacturers, who are creating codecs (compression systems) that fit more video into smaller files.

As for converting AVCHD to DV-AVI -- as I said, no convertor is going to give you the kind of good, stable results that running your video through Premiere Elements (as I described in my previous post). It may be cumbersome -- but, unfortunately, sometimes the way to get the job done right is cumbersome. Sorry.

Maybe others have other suggestions. But I'm sticking to mine: Do not combine different video formats in the same project, and ideally use Premiere Elements to change your hi-def formats into into DV-AVIs.

[DebCrowell]

OK- got it on using PE for conversions.....and not combining different video formats in the same project. BUT, I love the pocket cam (spent lots o hours researching before my purchase and chose NOT to buy the Flip because it didn't have a plug-in for an external mic) and I clearly missed the memo on the package! Is there nothing out there that can convert an MP4 to DV-AVI???

[Chuck Engels]

Is there nothing out there that can convert an MP4 to DV-AVI???

Premiere Elements does a pretty good job of that.

[Steve Grisetti]

Sometimes it does.

But "mp4" can mean many, many things. And many do not work well in Premiere Elements.

Actually, they don't work CONSISTENTLY well. With mp4s, especially from pocket camcorders, it may work on my computer but not on yours. It really is a bit of a wild card.

[RJ Johnston]

You might want to try converting with WinFF if you have a lot of files to convert. http://winff.org/html_new/downloads.html

WinFF will convert to raw DV format, which Premiere Elements 9 can import. Instead of .avi file extension, there will be a .dv file extension on your converted files. That is okay.


After adding your "MP4" files to WinFF, click the big Options button in the upper right of WinFF and enter the following information:

Convert to: DV
Preset: Raw DV for NTSC or PAL fullscreen.
Output Folder: your choice. I would create a new folder.
Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Then click the big Convert button.

If you have problems converting, exit out of WinFF and then start it up again.

[DebCrowell]

Thanks Guys- I'll start working with my "wild cards" and try RJ's suggestion and report back after I've had time to fool with it a bit. What a wrench in the wheel-Lesson learned (but not ready to give up using this footage or camera yet!)

[DebCrowell]

OK- so WinnFF worked great (easy!)- but when I look at the footage (file size is almost the same as the original size and sound is fine) the video is not good quality (blurryish)...is that because it is a .DV file which might not be compatible w/my media player? (Quick time) Or is this an obvious problem?

When I read the text report, post-converstion, there's two things that caught my attention (this was stated repeatedly for each clip that was selected to be converted):
-"seems stream 0 codec frame rate differs from container frame rate: 119.88 (120000/1001)" etc....
- "can't process DV frame #473 (this number changed depending on the clip)Insufficient audio data or severe sync problem.

OH- BTW they refer to the file as a "hybred.MP4" seems like a fitting title given Steve's comments!

[momoffduty]

I don't have anything to add, but wanted to say Welcome to Muvipix!

[RJ Johnston]

If there is a problem with the way the video looks in Quicktime, it could be the Quicktime player, or it could be that WinFF doesn't have access to the same codec that was used to create the MP4s, so it can't decode it perfectly before encoding to DV. You should put the DV in Premiere Elements and then share a file to see how that looks.

Quicktime uses a different gamma range and makes video look higher key and more washed out. It's not good for judging video on a PC.