Capturing and digitizing footage

To bring footage that is not already in the form of a file or set of files into a Premiere Pro project, you can capture it, or digitize it, depending on the type of source material:

You capture digital video from a live camera or from tape: you record it from the source to the hard disk. Many digital camcorders and decks record video to tape. You capture the video from tape to the hard disk before using it in a project. Premiere Pro captures video through a digital port, such as a FireWire or SDI port installed on the computer. Premiere Pro saves captured footage to disk as files, and imports the files into projects as clips. You can use Adobe After Effects to start Premiere Pro and start the capture process. Alternatively, you can use Adobe OnLocation to capture video.

You digitize analog video from a live analog camera source or from an analog tape device. You digitize the analog video, convert it to digital form, so your computer can store and process it. The capture command digitizes video when a digitizing card or device is installed in the computer. Premiere Pro saves digitized footage to disk as files, and imports the files into projects as clips.

System requirements for capturing

To capture digital video footage, your editing system needs the following components:

• For HD or SD footage playable on a device with SDI or component outputs, a supported HD or SD capture card with SDI or component inputs.

• For HD or SD footage stored on media from file-based camcorders, a device connected to your computer capable of reading the respective media.

• For recording audio from analog sources, a supported audio card with an analog audio input.

• A codec (compressor/decompressor) for the type of footage you want to capture. Plug-in software codecs are available for other types. Hardware codecs are built in to some capture cards.

• A hard disk capable of sustaining the data rate for the type of footage you want to capture.

• Sufficient disk space for the captured footage.

• A project that was created using a preset in the New Project dialog box in which all settings match the footage you plan to capture.

Set capture format, preferences, and tracks

Use the Capture panel (choose File > Capture) to capture digital or analog video and audio. This panel includes a preview, which displays video being captured, and controls for recording with or without device control. The Capture panel also contains a Settings pane for editing your capture settings, and a Logging pane for logging clips for batch capturing. For convenience, some options available in the Capture panel are also available in the Capture panel menu.

You can control certain source devices, such as camcorders and decks, directly from the Capture panel. Your computer must have an IEEE1394, RS-232, or RS-422 controller compatible with Premiere Pro. If your source device lacks any of these interfaces, you still use the Capture panel. You must cue, start, and stop your source device using its controls.

Specify capture settings

Set capture preferences

Select tracks for capture

Capture from stereo sources to mono tracks

You can capture from sources containing stereo or 5.1 audio channels so that each audio channel maps to its own mono audio track automatically. The Mono Default Track Format preference enables this behavior for footage captured from multi-channel sources, and for imported multi-channel files. For more information about audio channel mapping, see Mapping source and output audio channels.

File size limits

Premiere Pro does not limit the size of files. However, your capture card, operating system, or hard disk can set such a limit. Check your capture card and hard disk documentation for information on the support of large files.

The format of your hard disk greatly affects its ability to handle large files. NTFS and exFAT don't limit file size. It's best to use NTFS-formatted disks as the scratch disks where you capture video and for the target hard drives where you export video files. However, other components of your video editing system can limit file size.

Set up device control

You can use device control to manage and automate video capture and to export sequences to tape. Device control lets you precisely control devices, such as decks and camcorders, with capture and batch capture controls. With device control, you can use the Capture panel to log each clip and then use the Batch Capture command to record logged clips automatically.

Premiere Pro controls devices through its built-in support of IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link) and third-party support for RS-232 and RS-422 controllers. Regardless of type, if your device isn’t automatically recognized, you can set it up manually. Before setting up device control, make sure that you have a tape deck or camcorder that supports external device control, and a cable that connects the device to your controller, computer, or both.

Set up a project for device control

Some device control settings are available when you choose Edit > Preferences > Device Control (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Device Control (Mac OS). Others are in the Device Control section at the bottom of the Settings pane of the Capture panel. Device control settings apply to the entire project.

Set up a device for device control

Premiere Pro supports the control of devices such as camcorders and VTRs. Premiere Pro controls DV and HDV devices by way of IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link) connections. Premiere Pro controls serially controlled devices by way of third-party RS-232 or RS-422 controllers installed on the computer.

Select a device for device control

Calibrate an RS‑422 or RS‑232 device (third-party only)

Control an RS‑422 or RS‑232 device (third-party only)

Device controls in the Capture panel

You can use the controls in the Capture panel to operate the device as you log clips. The jog control lets you navigate quickly to nearby frames. The shuttle control lets you change the speed of the tape as you play it forward or backward. The Record button lets you begin a manual capture.

If you press the Rewind button when the tape is stopped, the device rewinds the tape at full speed. If you rewind when the tape is playing or paused, the device rewinds while displaying video in the preview.

If you press the Fast Forward button when the tape is stopped, the device moves the tape forward at full speed. If you fast forward when the tape is playing or paused, the device moves the tape forward while displaying video in the preview.

If you press the Previous Scene button, the tape shuttles to the previous start point and pauses. If you press the Next Scene button, the tape shuttles to the start point of the next scene and pauses.

You can also press the J, K, and L keys to control your device. J rewinds the tape; L fast forwards it, and K pauses it. The speed of forward or reverse increases each time you press J or L. To rewind or forward one frame at a time, hold down K and press J or L once. To slowly rewind or forward, hold down K+J or K+L.

Disable device control

Capture without device control

If you do not have a device that Premiere Pro controls, you can capture video manually. You manually operate both the playback device controls and the Capture panel controls in Premiere Pro.

Capture with device control

After a device and the project are set up properly, you can begin capturing clips using device control. You can capture an entire tape or you can mark In and Out points for each clip, and then capture the clip. You can log In and Out points for any number of clips and have Premiere Pro capture as many as you like in a batch. Premiere Pro supports FireWire device control, but supports serial device control by third-party drivers only.

For details about capturing tape from an AJA device and setup in Premiere Pro, see this video by Walter Biscardi.

Capture an entire tape or portion of a tape

Select and capture a clip

Determine whether your device is online

Log clips with automatic scene detection

Scene Detect can greatly speed up the process of logging clips. As you capture video, Scene Detect logs a clip wherever there is a break in a tape Time/Date stamp. With Scene Detect, Premiere Pro automatically captures a separate file (Windows) or creates a master clip with a subclip (Mac OS) at each scene break. On Mac OS, Premiere Pro places the subclips in a new bin. Scene Detect works whether you capture an entire tape or just a section between specific In and Out points. Scene Detect creates clips even between defined In and Out points, if it detects a scene break.

Scene Detect logs scenes for batch capturing without altering the tape’s progress. It also logs scenes that occur across timecode breaks.

Common capture issues

If you run into problems while capturing digital footage, refer to Premiere Pro Help or the documentation for your camera, deck, or capture card. For more information, check Troubleshoot digital video capture and playback. The following are common issues that may arise when you capture digital video:

• If your device (camera or deck) goes into sleep mode, close and then reopen the Capture panel; or close the Capture panel, turn the device off and back on, and then reopen the Capture panel. You can disable sleep mode on many cameras by connecting them to AC power and ejecting the tape.

• If video looks grainy in the Capture panel or Monitor panel, Premiere Pro may have decreased display quality to preserve capture quality. Video is captured and stored at the quality you determine and always plays at that quality on an NTSC or PAL monitor. On slower systems, Premiere Pro may lower the quality of the capture preview in order to ensure that sufficient CPU resources are available for full-quality capture.

• If the video image does not appear in the Capture panel, verify your device control and capture settings. Then, leaving the device on, restart Premiere Pro.

• If captured audio and video are not in sync, make sure that sections of tape weren’t skipped (left unrecorded) between shots. Blank tape areas lack timecode, which may cause interruptions in the camera time mode. When you capture the blank area, the camera doesn’t transmit valid frames, but time continues to be marked.

• If no audio is recording, try playing a source through the computer’s sound input and speaker system without recording. If you can’t hear it, the audio source may not be connected properly or audio parameters may not be set properly. Check hardware connections, Sounds And Audio Devices in the Windows Control Panel, and mixer settings, and refer to the documentation for your sound card. In Premiere Pro, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences (Mac OS), and check the settings for Audio, Audio Hardware, and Audio Output Mapping.

• When shuttling, logging, and capturing HDV footage on Mac OS, the preview pane in the Capture panel will remain blank. You must preview this footage on an external TV monitor or, when the source device is a camcorder, on its viewfinder.