AVI file not supported or no codec installed

[pantux]

I have been working on a project for a class for a couple of months have not opened it in a week went to open it today and the file opens and plays find everything works but i can not add new clips. They are in AVI format and have opened before now they do not. They will open in windows media player. I am using elements 7. The error message reads not supported or codec not installed 5 days ago these clips worked. Help assignemnt is due end of week.

[ATR]

pantux

What is the source of the ".avi" clips that you cannot add to an existing project? DV AVI is the native format of the Premiere Elements Timeline. Not all files with an .avi file extension are DV AVI. AVI is considered a wrapper format that can have different compression, example, Motion JPEG AVI, AVI MPEG4, etc. Some non DV AVI files may need to be converted to DV AVI (sometimes with Windows Movie Maker, sometimes MPEG Streamclip...).
Are these .avi coming from a camcorder? If so, what brand and model? And are you saying the all your .avi files (the ones already in the project and those that will not import into this existing project are from the exact same source?

I am curious about:
a. If you open a new project and try to import these problem .avi files into the new project, will they import successfully??
b. If you open a new project and try to import "the good .avi" files that are in the project in question, will they still import successfully??
c. How are you importing these files into Premiere Elements? Get Media/Files & Folders saved to internal hard drive location, other??

Please answer all of the above.

Also, depending on your answers,
a. what is in the existing project besides ".avi" files, length of.... any photos, if so what pixel dimensions, how many
b. computer operating system, available RAM, free hard drive space
c. have you been working on this project on your own computer where you have control of what happens to the computer or have you been or are you working on a class computer which is not under your control??

To be continued.....

ATR

[pantux]

Hello even those clips that were good can be editied in the project but they can not be opened by themselves. A cannon G3 is the source all from the same source up loaded on the computer at work and save on to a 500 gig hard drive. Then worked on the project at home on my laptop. Every thing was fine and now
a. If you open a new project and try to import these problem .avi files into the new project, will they import successfully??
No they will not even open the error message comes up


b. If you open a new project and try to import "the good .avi" files that are in the project in question, will they still import successfully??

In the project they are fine but if you try to open them the same eror message comes up.
c. How are you importing these files into Premiere Elements? Get Media/Files & Folders saved to internal hard drive location, other??

That is exactly how they were saved now they were opened on a diffrent computer but have had no problem until now

a. what is in the existing project besides ".avi" files, length of.... any photos, if so what pixel dimensions, how many

Jpegs taken from the video as a still capture 3 seconds long converted to B+W with filter and crop filter so it looks like a snashot about 18 one to go with each clip. Clip length about 20 secnds each

b. computer operating system, available RAM, free hard drive space

Vista 2GB Free Hd space 300 gigabyte on external hd

c. have you been working on this project on your own computer where you have control of what happens to the computer or have you been or are you working on a class computer which is not under your control??
I control both computers but the one at the school is on a network but I am the only one who use it.
Thanks
If you need more info let me know.

[ATR]

I am still working on this one, but.......

Your Canon Power Shot G3 is recording video in Motion JPEG format with a file extension of .avi. So, you are not working with DV AVI. Do you have Windows Movie Maker in your Vista that will allow you to convert your Motion JPEG AVI to DV AVI? If so, you could convert on of the problem files to DV AVI with it and then import the DV AVI version into Premiere Elements. Instructions can be supplied if necessary.

But, before you do all that, I need to make sure I have your details correct...have you been following this scenario?

1. You create a video from your Canon G3 video clips (Motion JPEG AVI) at work in Premiere Elements (what version?)
2. You save the project (.prel) file and the source media to this external hard drive that you mention
3. And, then at home you attach this external hard drive to your laptop Premiere Elements (what version?) and continue to work on the project (editing and adding more of the Canon G3 .avi) without getting any error
until now.....is that how is goes?

At this moment...Is this issue confined to just your laptop Premiere Elements at home? In other words, when you take this external hard drive back to work and connect it to the computer there, can you edit and add more .avi files to the project (.prel) file stored on the external hard drive and opened in the Premiere Elements at work?

Although I still have questions about the fine points of your responses, let us focus on:
a. naming versions of Premiere Elements work and home
b. supplying answers for the additional questions asked above
c. Using laptop Premiere Elements, taking one or two of the Canon G3 Motion JPEG AVI video clips and copying it to the internal hard drive, and then from there trying to import that into Premiere Elements via Get Media/Files & Folders.
c. See if you can import the problem .avi into Premiere Elements after you convert it to DV AVI with Windows Movie Maker (more detailed instructions to follow, if necessary)...here is the outline of steps
1. Open Windows Movie Maker and click on File/Import Into Collections
2. In the Import File dialog, browse to your problem .avi on the hard drive, select it, and click Import
3. Drag the import to the video section of the filmstrip
4. Then File Menu/Save As Movie
5. In the Movie Location dialog, click on My Computer and following respond to the save dialog boxes that follow.
6. In the Movie Setting dialog, select "DV AVI (NTSC)"

Basically I am trying to figure out:
1. If you are dealing with an issue related to use of different version of Premiere Elements
2. Issues related to a non DV AVI format, namely, Motion JPEG AVI
3. Issues related to storage/transfer of project .prel and source media (by the way what is the format of that 500 GB external hard drive (NTFS or FAT32).

ATR

Add ons....
(It would be helpful if you would elaborate on what you mean by good .avi work in Premiere Elements, but cannot be opened by themselves. Are you telling me that you can import these good .avi into a new Premiere Elements project, but you cannot get playback of the .avi in any of your computer players?)
(For photos and freeze frames, aside from the file format, you need to think of the size in terms of pixel dimensions. If you do not know what they are, take one of the photos or freeze frames into Photoshop Elements Full Editor, Image Menu/Resize/Image Resize and see what it says. You would think that you could also get the information from looking at the file in Windows Explorer.)

[Chuck Engels]

Try downloading the proper codec from LEAD, details here
http://muvipix.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=7987#p7987

Results have been almost 100% positive after the codec is installed.

[ATR]

pantux

I dislike dealing in generalities, but here I must.

A lot of what I have already told you about your video recordings is repeated in the link provided by CE. But....

Although the link provided by CE sure sounds like your problem and sounds like it is offering an immediate solution to it, I would hold off introducing the suggested codec into your computer (assumed laptop) until we have worked through the details that I have outlined. It will not take much time to do so.

Reason. For me there are still gaps in the description of the problem that you are describing. Until we are 100% on that, I do not feel comfortable encouraging you to install any additional codecs into your laptop now. Although additional codecs could be required in your case, there might be a risk of messing up your system. So, why do that unless you have to?

If you want to look for a missing codec related to your problem files, you could always use the free gspot software and see what that tells you in order to justify adding the LEAD codec or any codec to your computer system:

http://www.headbands.com/gspot/v26x/quick_start.html

I will continue to watch for your progress.

ATR

[Chuck Engels]

If pantux is truly using mjpeg video and does not have a mjpeg codec on the computer it will never work. Sorry to disagree with you ATR but adding the codec would be the first thing I would try ;)

[ATR]

CE

You must have missed the details of what I wrote. Your last response does not appear to be in sync with what I wrote. That Premiere Elements message indicates Unsupported File or Missing Code. There is an OR in that message. We could be dealing with damaged files or other?? The required codec may or may not be installed on the laptop in question.

If the laptop system information offers no clues, it is safer to look before you leap by looking for a missing codec using the problem file and the gspot software, not to mention being 100% on the workflow in use.

That is all I am saying.

The most innocent adjustment to a computer status quo can often generate side effects. Why risk it without backup information that is quick and easy to obtain?

ATR

[Chuck Engels]

There are no side effects or problems with installing the Lead mjpeg codec and it will most likely solve the problem. This has come up many, many times before and installing the Lead codec almost always works. That is what I would recommend in this case, if it does not fix the problem it won't cause any new ones either.

[ATR]

pantux,

I have offered questions and suggested progressions/sequences in troubleshooting which I feel are the the way to go. We are all on route to the same thing, getting your project finished successfully in a timely fashion.

More details from you (as mentioned in prior posts in this thread) would make me more comfortable about the route that I have outlined as well as the route outlined by others.

Taking things for granted is a disaster in troubleshooting, and we do not want to fall into that trap.

So, read all the posts here and please update us on your information and progress.

Thanks.

ATR