MPEG in PE7

[Little Nac]

Hi all,
Here is a little information I have just discovered with several tests.
If you have any feedback it would be great to hear.
Firstly I was using Premier Elements 4, and now I am using PE7.
I had an old analogue video of a trip we did in 1996, and wanted to do up a project in PE4. I played it through a VCR and through a digital converter (Belkin), but could not capture it correctly in PE4 (Video only no Voice), so I put it through Nero which did it properly and saved it as an MPEG. I brought it into PE4 with no troubles and it put it to Video 1 and Audio 1. This was fine. I then uninstalled PE4 and put on my new PE7. It conformed the video and everything was OK. I carried on working on the Project with no problems. Because the Project was in three parts all about 60 minutes long, and of course in three different folders, but when I saved each Part, I accidentally saved them into the one folder (Part 1). My stupid mistake, I deleted the Project accidentally and as it was too large for the recycle bin I said yes to delete all.
Anyway, that was my error, but at least I still had all my Narration, Sounds etc. and my converted footage still on my hard drive.
So back to square one.
I made a new Project in PE7 and left all defaults for tracks set to 3 and 3.
I then deleted empty tracks which left me with Video 1, Audio 1, Narration and Soundtrack in that order.
Adobe did its thing with Indexing and Conforming the footage, and when I tried to bring in the footage to V1 & A1 tracks, it made a second Video and Audio Track and placed it there, above the V1 & A1 Tracks.
I went out without saving and when I reopened the Project all Tracks were still there 3 Video plus 3 Audio as the default.
I tried once again to place it on V1 & A1 but it made a fourth Video and Audio Trac and placed it there.
I tried several options with the same result. It would not place it on V1 and A1 where it should have. So my Wife came up with an idea. Do exactly the same with some footage from my DV Camera which Adobe imports as an AVI File. Guess What? The footage fell exactly on the Video and Audio Tracks 1 (Timeline).
So I have tried it now a couple of times and have come to the conclusion if it is an AVI file from the Camera it will fall on the Timeline where it should, but if it is MPEG it won't.
Does anyone have a comment on this. Sorry to rattle on so.
Little Nac

P.S.
As for the Colour Matte.
I found a way to solve the problem, (Which is probably pretty obvious to everyone else).
I have a Folder called Matte. At the start of my Project I just make a White Matte and call it anything like "Matte to Use".
Then when I need a Matte, I just copy and paste it into the same folder, change the name and colour (which you have to do anyway), and Voila, I can then drag it into the Timeline and place it where I want it to go. That way it doesn't split the clips and place it where it wants to. I just need to put up with that the very first time, and that's all.
Thanks again for all the help.
We have both learnt a lot from this site for which we are very greatful.
Thanks again,
Little Nac and Bubby Grub
Talk Soon

[ATR]

Little Nac

This may be an easy track problem to put to rest after a few questions and answers:

1. What is the Premiere Elements 7 project preset that you have set in the New Project dialog before the workplace interface opens?

PAL DV Standard or Widescreen

or

PAL AVCHD Full HD 1080i25 or PAL AVCHD HD 1080i25?

2. Does the footage from the "DV Camera" contain 5.1 channel sound?

Please refresh my memory as to what brand and model camcorder that is involved.

As for the color matte, I am glad that the suggestion which I placed in Bubby Grub's recent thread worked out OK, that is, making a saved color matte, bringing that into Premiere Elements, and then changing its color in Premiere Elements if necessary.

ATR

[ATR]

Add on....

In the my prior post
PAL AVCHD Full HD 1080i25 or PAL AVCHD HD 1080i25?

Underneath that should have been included:
PAL AVCHD Full HD 1080i25 5.1 channel sound or PAL AVCHD HD 1080i25 5.1 channel sound

ATR

[Little Nac]

Thanks again ATR,
The DV Camera is a Panasonic, but the footage in this case was taken from an old Analogue Camera, and transferred from an old VHS Tape through Nero and is definitely not 5.1. But the funny thing is, that at the start of each Audio Track there is a very small "5.1".
The setting was PAL Standard. No problems in PE4.
As I said previously that this footage when I try to bring it down to the Timeline (Video 1) it makes its own track Video 2 and places it there.
But if I bring in some footage from the Panasonic it places it on the Timeline where it should be.
Thanks again for the help.
Little Nac

[ATR]

Little Nac

You would not see a 5.1 channel sound issue in Premiere Elements 4, but you would in Premiere Elements 7.

I am not sure, but almost sure that Nero can export to 5.1 channel sound, Premiere Elements cannot (any version). Any chance your Nero audio export was set to 5. 1 channel sound? Do not know if that is possible, but worth looking into.

You say that you do not have Premiere Elements 7 set to one of the project preset which includes 5.1 channel sound. So, that is not doing it. With a project preset of PAL DV Standard and your observations, I suspect:
Panasonic DV AVI video is coming with no 5.1 channel sound
but
Nero processed footage may have been exported with 5.1 channel sound.

Can you check the Nero audio set to see if that is possible? I thought that I recalled that you can convert Stereo to 5.1 channel with Nero, but that it would not be "real 5.1 channel". Maybe it might be real enough to trick Premiere Elements 7 into thinking that it really was. Just speculation.

That would explain it all that you wrote in your initial description of the issue.

ATR