Transferring and importing files

Premiere Pro can import many video and audio formats. Premiere Pro can import files in the formats listed, provided the codec used to generate a specific file is installed locally. Most of these software modules are installed automatically with Premiere Pro.

See the PDF Supported video and animation file formats for a basic list of supported file formats for import.

Supported video and animation file formats

• 3GP, 3G2

• ASF (Netshow, Windows only)

• AVI (DV-AVI, Microsoft AVI Type 1, and Type 2)

• DV (raw DV stream, a QuickTime format)

• FLV and F4V

• GIF (Animated GIF)

• M1V (MPEG-1 Video File)

• M2T (Sony HDV)

• M2TS (Blu-ray BDAV MPEG-2 Transport Stream, AVCHD)

• M4V (MPEG-4 Video File)

• MOV (QuickTime Movie, requires QuickTime 7 for import of non-native QuickTime files; in Windows, requires QuickTime player)

• MP4 (QuickTime Movie, XDCAM EX)

• MPEG, MPE, MPG (MPEG-1, MPEG-2), M2V (DVD-compliant MPEG-2)

• MTS (AVCHD)

• MXF (Media eXchange Format; P2 Movie: Panasonic Op-Atom variant of MXF, with video in DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, AVC-Intra; XDCAM HD Movie, Sony XDCAM HD 50 (4:2:2), Avid MXF Movie), and native Canon XF (new in Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later)

• R3D (RED camera)

  • In Premiere Pro CS5, there was an update to the importer software for RED (R3D) files available on the Adobe Labs website. The update is related to the RED camera Mysterium-X sensor and new color science. See the Premiere Pro Work Area blog for information. If you are working with Premiere Pro CS5, update to Premiere Pro CS5 (5.0.2) to get the updates for RED (R3D) footage and new REDCODE plug-ins.

  • In Premiere Pro CS5 (5.0.2), there were updates for RED (R3D) footage and new REDCODE plug-ins. See the Premiere Pro Work Area blog for more information. Installing the plug-ins from Adobe Labs is no longer necessary.

  • Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later includes several additions and improvements to source settings for RED Digital Cinema (R3D) files, including new color science support (REDcolor2, REDgamma2, REDlogFilm, etc.) and better curves and levels user interface. For a summary of these new and changed features for RED (R3D) footage, as well as improvements made in the Premiere Pro CS5 (5.0.2) update, including RMD and Red Rocket card support, see this video by Video2Brain or this blog post.

  • Adobe has also released a preview version of advanced RED importer software that adds support for RED EPIC footage for Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later, as well as the following features:

    • Ability to rotate and flip footage based on the camera orientation flag in R3D metadata

    • Support for Echo port in R3D Source Settings dialog box, so that RED preview can be sent out to an external monitor

    • Increased size of RED R3D Source Settings dialog on large monitors

    • HDR track selection and HDR blend support

• SWF
  

• VOB

• WMV (Windows Media, Windows only)

Supported audio file formats

• AAC

• AC3 (including 5.1 surround)

• AIFF, AIF

• ASND (Adobe Sound Document)

• AVI (Video for Windows)

• BWF (Broadcast WAVE format, Premiere Pro CS5 (5.0.2) and later)

• M4A (MPEG-4 Audio)

• mp3 (mp3 Audio)

• MPEG, MPG (MPEG Movie)

• MOV (QuickTime; requires QuickTime player)

• MXF (Media eXchange Format; P2 Movie: Panasonic Op-Atom variant of MXF, with video in DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, AVC-Intra; XDCAM HD Movie, Sony XDCAM HD 50 (4:2:2), Avid MXF Movie)

• WMA (Windows Media Audio, Windows only)

• WAV (Windows WAVeform)

Supported still‑image and still-image sequence file formats

Premiere Pro supports 8bpc (4 bytes per pixel) and 16bpc (8 bytes per pixel) still-image files.

• AI, EPS

• BMP, DIB, RLE

• DPX

• EPS

• GIF

• ICO (Icon File) (Windows only)

• JPEG (JPE, JPG, JFIF)

• PICT

• PNG

• PSD

• PSQ (Adobe Premiere 6 Storyboard)

• PTL, PRTL (Adobe Premiere title)

• TGA, ICB, VDA, VST

• TIF

Supported video project file formats

• AAF (Advanced Authoring Format)

• AEP, AEPX (After Effects project)

• CSV, PBL, TXT, TAB (batch lists)

• EDL (CMX3600 EDLs)

• PLB (Adobe Premiere 6.x bin) (Windows only)

• PREL (Adobe Premiere Elements project) (Windows only)

• PRPROJ (Premiere Pro project)

• PSQ (Adobe Premiere 6.x storyboard) (Windows only)

• XML (FCP XML)

Some filename extensions—such as MOV, AVI, MXF, FLV, and F4V—denote container file formats rather than denoting a specific audio, video, or image data format. Container files can contain data encoded using various compression and encoding schemes. Premiere Pro can import these container files, but the ability to import the data that they contain is dependent on the codecs (specifically, decoders) installed.

By installing additional codecs, you can extend the ability of Premiere Pro to import additional file types. Many codecs installed into the operating system (Windows or Mac OS) work as a component inside the QuickTime or Video for Windows formats. Contact the manufacturer of your hardware or software for more information about codecs that work with the files that your specific devices or applications create. If Premiere Pro does not import your file, see this FAQ video tutorial, "Why can't Premiere Pro import my file?" for an explanation.

Video and still-image files that you want to import must not be more than the maximum dimensions allowed. For more information on maximum dimensions in Premiere Pro, see the Premiere Pro Work Area blog.

Adobe provides workflow guides for P2, RED, XDCAM, AVCCAM, and DSLR cameras and footage on the Adobe website.

Colin Brougham explains how Premiere Pro works natively with tapeless media (no transcoding) in this article and video series on the ProVideo Coalition website.

For more information about RED (R3D) digital cinema and Canon XF improvements in Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later, read this post on the Premiere Pro work area blog.

For an excellent explanation of importing files into Premiere Pro, see this excerpt from "An Editor's Guide to Premiere Pro," entitled, "Importing Media into Adobe Premiere Pro."

For information about shooting and capturing high-quality audio and video, see “Shooting and Capturing Great Video Assets,” from Premiere Pro CS5 Classroom in a Book.

Transferring projects from other computers

When transferring project files, such as After Effects project files, Premiere Pro project files, or Final Cut Pro project files from another computer to the computer on which you import those project files into Premiere Pro, make sure that you transfer all the assets associated with the project files. Keep the project files, and their associated assets, on the destination computer in folders that have names and folder structures identical with files on the computer of their origin.

Transferring assets from file-based media

It is possible to edit assets residing on file-based media, such as P2 cards, XDCAM cartridges, SxS cards, or DVDs. However, Premiere Pro performs faster if you first transfer the assets to a local hard disk. Using Windows File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS), transfer files from file-based acquisition media. Then, import the files on the hard disk into Premiere Pro projects.

When transferring files to hard disk from file-based media, transfer the folder containing all related files and all of its subfolders. Keep the folder structure intact. For example, when transferring files from AVCHD file-based media, transfer the BDMV folder and all its contents. When transferring files from DVCPRO HD media, transfer the CONTENTS folder and all its contents. When transferring files from XDCAM EX media, transfer the BPAV folder and all its contents. When transferring files from DVD, transfer all the contents of the VIDEO_TS folder, and if it exists, all the contents of the AUDIO_TS folder.

For a video overview of the ways to import assets into Premiere Pro, see the Adobe website.

Importing is different from capturing. The Import command brings files that are already on your hard disk or other connected storage device into your project. Importing files makes them available to a Premiere Pro project. Premiere Pro lets you import numerous types of video, still images, and audio. Finally, you can export a Premiere Pro project from After Effects, and import it into Premiere Pro.

You can import video, audio, and still files in various file formats into a Premiere Pro project. You can import a single file, multiple files, or an entire folder. Frame sizes cannot exceed 16 megapixels.

If you have spanned clips, be sure to import them via the Media Browser instead of importing them through the File menu.

For a basic tutorial on importing, editing, and then exporting a file, see this video by Clay Asbury.

In Premiere Pro, you can import files by using the Media Browser or the Import command. You can also place files into Premiere Pro from Adobe Bridge.

Premiere Pro indexes certain types of files and transcodes others after importing them. You cannot edit these types fully until these processes are completed. The filename of a clip appears in the Project panel in italics until it has been fully indexed or transcoded.

To import files that Premiere Pro does not support natively, install the appropriate capture card or third-party plug-in software. For more information, check the manual that came with the installed card or plug-in.

The Media Browser makes it easy to browse to files, and to find them by their type. Unlike the Import dialog box, the Media Browser can be left open, and docked, like any other panel. The Media Browser gives you quick access to all your assets while you edit. Also, you can use the Media Browser to import clips copied from video storage media such as P2 cards, SxS cards, XDCAM disks, and DVDs. When you import an asset Premiere Pro leaves it in its current location, and creates a clip in the Project panel that points to it. By default, Premiere Pro writes XMP files to the directory where the media files are located, but you can turn off this behavior in Preferences. For best performance, first transfer files from their file-based media to a local hard disk. Then, import them into Premiere Pro projects from the hard disk.

• Choose File > Import. You can select multiple files.
• To import a recently imported file, choose File > Import Recent File > [filename]. (The filename doesn’t appear if Premiere Pro preferences have been reset.)
• To import a folder of files, choose File > Import. Locate and select the folder, and then click Import Folder. The folder, with its contents, is added as a new bin in the Project panel.
• For instructions on importing a numbered still-image sequence as a clip, see Importing numbered still-image sequences as one clip.

You can import files into Premiere Pro from Adobe Bridge.

For a video on using Adobe Bridge, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0090.

Premiere Pro imports the clip into the Project panel.

Premiere Pro supports four-channel assets. Every processed pixel in the render pipeline uses four channels. When Premiere Pro processes a three-channel asset, such as DV, HDV, or MPEG footage, Premiere Pro automatically converts it to a four-channel asset. Premiere Pro converts a three-channel asset when you add an effect or transition to the asset.

Premiere Pro supports 10-bit color depth, sometimes useful for editing standard and high-definition footage.

The trial version of Premiere Pro CS5 doesn't include some features that depend on third-party software components that are only included in the full version of Premiere Pro. The import and export of some formats are not supported in the trial version, such as AVC-Intra, AVCHD, HDV, MPEG-2, MPEG-2 DVD, MPEG-2 Blu-ray, and XDCAM. The trial version for Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later does not have the limitations that Premiere Pro CS5 has. It includes all sequence presets, editing modes, encoders, and decoders that are included in the full, activated version of Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later. However, after downloading the trial version of Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later, you do not receive the title templates or non-English speech-to-text dictionaries (speech analysis modes). These items are available for download after you have purchased the software. For a detailed list of limitations of the trial version of Premiere Pro software, see the Adobe website. For more details about the trial version of Premiere Pro CS5.5 and later, see this video.