Importing AVCHD Video Won't Show Thumbnails In Media Downloader Advanced Dialog

[rurede05]

I have tried to import video from a AVCHD Flash Card Canon Camcorder but it doesn't show the thumbnails to show me what videos I am going to import. This is rather annoying as I can't select the videos I want from a picture thumbnail. I have to just go by the file name...which isn't good because I don't know what 1000.MTS video is.

Any help would be greatly appreciate it.

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/PremiereElements/7.0/images/af_04_popup.png

The link is what I want to see when I am about to import the video...I don't get those thumbnails.

[ATR]

Did you take a good look at the graphic that you presented? Notice all .jpeg still images?

Take a look at the link that I am providing to an excerpt from "Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Adobe Premiere Elements 7 Classroom in a Book" which is written by the Adobe Creative Team:

http://books.google.com/books?id=wCgEAWeQCOcC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=Premiere+Elements+Media+Downloader+no+thumbnail s&source=bl&ots=sa79TW5FXP&sig=UFYWP6H_WoAAXC2YcLcP75q7Jls&hl=en&ei=DFSYSszXBMyd8QaY5_3FAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=Premiere%20Elements%20Media%20Downloader%20no%20 thumbnails&f=false

The important part is their statement:
"When importing video from an AVCHD camcorder in the current version of Adobe Premiere Elements, no video thumbnail will be shown, though the Media Downloader will display thumbnails of digital still images captured by the AVCHD camcorder."

I have used the Media Downloader for ripping VOBs from DVD-VIDEO to bring the VOBs into the Premiere Elements Media/Timeline. I NEVER remember seeing any picture thumbnails, only thumbnails with a graphic of a film strip in the middle...that was for Premiere Elements 2, 4, and 7.

So, your question got me to do some experimenting.
1. Media Downloader (Advance) to rip VOBs from DVD-VIDEO..as usual, just VOBs with thumbnail with graphic of film strip + file name.
2. Media Downloader (Advance) to bring in 6 jpeg, 1 AVI MPEG4 video, 1 WMV video all burned a single DVD disc to create a data disc....thumbnails for jpegs and videos all had a picture thumbnail in the Media Downloader.

I have one more experiment to do tonight, namely, use the Media Downloader (Advance) to bring in video (AVI MPEG4) and stills (jpeg) from my digital camera (USB connection). My typical workflow is to save the download from the camera to a computer hard drive folder (USB connection) and then bring media into Premiere Elements from that computer hard drive folder.

To be continued....

ATR

[ATR]

I just completed by test

1. I have a digital camera that records jpeg stills and AVI MPEG4 video to a SD Memory Card.

2. I connected the digital camera to the computer via USB and used the Premiere Elements 7 Media Downloader (Advance dialog) to get the media into Premiere Elements (Get Media/Digital Camera).

3. After device was selected, I obtained "picture" thumbnails for all files, be they jpeg or AVI MPEG4.

So, except for the DVD-VIDEO VOB ripping/Media Downloader part, I got what I expected. Bottom line: your results are consistent with the Adobe Creative Team details.

Please let me know if you have any further questions on this.

ATR

[Shadrackc]

Have the same problem. Pulling in .mts files from a Sony HD camcorder, and no thumbnails. Is there a reason, or just something you have to accept?
Moved to this from Pinnacle Studio and so far I have to say I enjoy Studio for its speed and file handling.

[ATR]

Shadrackc

With what version of Premiere Elements are you working?

ATR

[Shadrackc]

Version 8. Also running an i920 clocked to 3.8 Ghz with 12 GB ram and a Raid 0 on my main drive.
Really, I was very surprised at how slow it was, and all the background rendering.....WOW. It was pretty much a whole day of rendering with 45 minutes of HD video to edit. Could still work but slow, no sound for a lot of clips...just not really impressed compared to Vegas and Studio. Want to like it but so far not so good.

[ATR]

Shadracko

First, have you had a chance to look at the recent thread here discussing RAID drives?
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52916

Definitely turn off the Background Rendering feature under Edit Menu/Preferences/General as well as the AutoAnalyzer feature in the Elements Organizer under Organizer Tab (row under Organize Tab)/Edit Menu there/Preferences/AutoAnalyzer options. Do both on your command rather than having the program do them automatically.

The .mts and .m2ts thumbnail situation appears to be better from versions 7 to 8, BUT you can still find problems popping up. One fellow with about 30 .mts in the Premiere Elements 8 Organizer is getting sporadic grayed out thumbnails as he scrolls through the thumbnails there...no problem if browsing the Project Media view. But you are addressing the Media Downloader, not the Organizer. I will look at some .m2ts in my Premiere Elements 8 Media Downloader and get back to you on my observations.

By the way, Premiere Elements 8 is still a 32 bit application running in the 32 bit compatibility mode of a 64 bit system. As such, it has all the RAM and addressable memory limitations of a 32 bit system. So in spite of your 12 GB installed RAM, I would ask "How much of that is available RAM?" And, just how much free hard drive space do you have on your local drive?

What Sony model do you have and what setting are you recording at?

ATR

[Shadrackc]

ATR, I haven't looked at that thread. Just found this forum when I was searching for solutions and am glad I found it. Thanks to you for your responses.

I have 800 GB free on my local drive.

HDR-SR7 is the model I have and recording at the highest quality settings.

Also, do you notice that when in Organizer, and you double click a file to preview it, it is in 4:3 not widescreen? In Premiere elements when doing a preview, it works properly.


Funny thing is, I did an analyse on one of my mts files that was showing any thumbnail and after that completed I get the thumbnail. Other than that, nothing on any of the rest.

I was a user of Premiere when it first came out years ago, and left the program after others seemed to catch and surpass it. Trying to get back to using it as I did like it a lot back in the day, but the speed on a system like mine is really unacceptable, and to not do this in 64 bit......?

[Shadrackc]

Ok, just added a 1 TB drive and am moving scratch/capture, etc to that drive and now copying the mts files over as well. Will see if there is much of a difference.

[ATR]

Shadrackc

I have not had a chance yet to take another look at .m2ts in the Premiere Elements 8's Media Downloader....should have that done in a few hours later today.

I will be looking forward to your results.

To be continued.....

ATR

[ATR]

Shadrackc

The first thing that I have to double check with you is
Are we both talking about .m2ts thumbnails without images in the Premiere Elements 8 Media Downloader (Advanced dialog)?
And, what Get Media option are you using to open the Media Downloader?

This is what I did to simulate what I believed to be your situation

I burned 3 .m2ts files to a DVD disc (make data disc) with burn software that came with the DVD burner. The descriptions of these videos with .m2ts file extensions were:
Video 1 = 26 MB, 18 seconds, 1440 x 1080 HD anamorphic, 29.97 frames per second
Video 2 = 22 MB, 14 seconds, 1440 x 1080 HD anamorphic, 29.97 frames per second
Video 3 = 12.4 MB, 9 seconds, 1440 x 1080 HD anamorphic, 29.97 frames per second

I inserted the DVD with the videos into the the DVD burner tray and then opened Premiere Elements 8 with a project preset (new project dialog) = NTSC HDV HDV 1080i30. I clicked on Get Media, followed by DVD (Camcorder or PC DVD Drive) to bring up the Media Downloader (Advanced dialog) and select the Device (the DVD drive into which the DVD disc was inserted).

Three thumbnails immediately appeared each without an image in the thumbnail. HOWEVER, within several seconds, the image appeared first in thumbnail 1, then the image in thumbnail 2, and then the image in thumbnail 3.

When Get Media was clicked in the Media Downloader to bring up the Premiere Elements' workspace, all three thumbnails appeared there with images.

Looking forward to your comments.

ATR

[Shadrackc]

So I moved everything over. Now if I preview (double click) one of the files (which I movd all over to the new HD as well) then it conforms the audio, and then I get a thumbnail. Strange.
Doing a render on 5 files (45 minutes of HD video) and still have over an hour to go after 2 hours of work.
Is that normal?

[ATR]

Shadrackc

By render do you mean like rendering the Timeline in the Edit Mode by pressing the Enter Key of the computer main keyboard to get the best possible preview of the end product....

or

By render do you mean like in export to a Share/Personal Computer export choice

Both can be time consuming based on the nature of the Timeline content coupled with the computer processor and other (computer optimization/defragmentation keys).

ATR