To bring footage that is not already in the form ofa file or set of files into a Premiere Pro project, you can captureit, 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 camcordersand decks record video to tape. You capture the video from tapeto the hard disk before using it in a project. Premiere Pro capturesvideo through a digital port, such as a FireWire or SDI port installedon the computer. Premiere Pro saves captured footage to disk asfiles, and imports the files into projects as clips. You can useAdobe After Effects to start Premiere Pro and start the captureprocess. Alternatively, you can use Adobe OnLocation to capturevideo.

You can capture audio and video from a DV or HDV device by connecting the device to your computer with a FireWire cable. Premiere Pro records the audio and video signal to the hard disk and controls the device through the FireWire port. Premiere Rush works across all your devices. Capture footage on your phone, then edit and share to social channels on your phone, tablet, or desktop. Everything is synced to the cloud, so your latest edit is always at your fingertips, anywhere you are.

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

Note:

While capturing footage, you can monitor audio levels in theAudio Master Meters panel.

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

• For DV or HDV footage, one of the following:

  • an OHCI-compliant IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link) port or capture card

  • a non-OHCI-compliant IEEE 1394 capture card with presets, drivers, and plug-ins written specifically for Premiere Pro.

• 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. Premiere Pro has its own codecs for importing DV and HDV footage. 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.

Note:

Your operating system or hard disk format could limit the length of a captured clip.

• 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.

Note:

Some DV and HDV camcorders require a connection to their poweradapters to activate their IEEE 1394 ports. Other camcorders gointo sleep mode or demo mode if left in the camera mode withouttape activity for a period. To avoid these problems, connect yourcamcorder to its power adapter when setting it up for capturingor dubbing video. If the camcorder goes into demo mode with thepower adapter connected, disable this feature using the camcordermenu system.

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

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

Note:

When not capturing in Adobe Premiere Pro,close the Capture panel. The Capture panel assumes primary focus,so leaving it open while editing or previewing video disables outputto the source device. Leaving the Capture panel open also may decreaseperformance.

With a project open, choose File >Capture, and select the Settings tab.

In the Capture Settings dialog box, select an optionfrom the Capture Format menu.

Note:

When capturing DV formats, Premiere Pro usesQuickTime as the container for the DV codec in Mac OS and AVI isused for Windows. When capturing HDV, Premiere Pro will use MPEGas the format. For other formats, you must use a video capture cardfor digitizing or capturing. See Digitizinganalog video and Capturing HDvideo.

Choose Edit > Preferences > Capture(Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Capture (Mac OS).
Specify whether you want to cancel capture on droppedframes, report dropped frames, or generate a batch log file.
Specify whether to use device control timecode. If adevice controller is installed, Premiere Pro can record the timecodesupplied by the controller instead of recording any timecode writtento the source tape.

Select Record Video, Record Audio, or Record Audio andVideo, depending on the option desired.

Adobe Premiere Supported Capture Cards

You can capture from sources containing stereoor 5.1 audio channels so that each audio channel maps to its ownmono audio track automatically. The Mono Default Track Format preferenceenables this behavior for footage captured from multi-channel sources,and for imported multi-channel files. For more information aboutaudio channel mapping, see Mappingsource and output audio channels.

Select Edit > Preferences > Audio (Windows),or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Audio (Mac OS).
In the Source Channel Mapping pane of the Preferencesdialog box, select Mono from the Default Track Format menu.

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

The format of your hard disk greatly affects its ability to handlelarge files. FAT32 formatting limits each file to 4 GB, or about18 minutes of DV footage. NTFS formatting does not limit file size.It is best to use NTFS-formatted disks as the scratch disks whereyou capture video and for the target hard drives where you exportvideo files. However, other components of your video editing systemcan limit file size.

You can use device control to manage and automatevideo capture and to export sequences to tape. Device control letsyou precisely control devices, such as decks and camcorders, withcapture and batch capture controls. With device control, you canuse the Capture panel to log each clip and then use the Batch Capturecommand to record logged clips automatically.

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

Some device control settings are available when youchoose Edit > Preferences > Device Control (Windows) or PremierePro > Preferences > Device Control (Mac OS). Others are inthe Device Control section at the bottom of the Settings pane ofthe Capture panel. Device control settings apply to the entire project.

Choose Edit > Preferences > Capture (Windows)or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Capture (Mac OS).

Select one or more of the Capture options. If you areusing a device controller that generates its own timecode, selectUse Device Control Timecode. Use Device Control Timecode replacesthe unreadable timecode recorded on the tape with the controller’stimecode. Click OK.

If you want to save captured clips to a specific binin a project, first open the project. Before capturing, make surethat the bin exists in the Project panel.

In the Settings panel, click Edit to verify that thecapture format specified in the Capture Settings dialog box is appropriatefor your device. Click OK.

Note:

Not all formats have options for capture settings.For example, the HDV format has no options.

In the Capture Locations section of the Settings panel,make sure that the disk drives you designate for captured videoand audio have sufficient free space. If you want to change thelocations, click the corresponding Browse button, set the location,and click OK.

In the Device Control section, if device control hasnot been set up, choose a device from the Device menu. Click Optionsto set it up. Options vary depending on the device; see the documentationfor your device driver.

Test the device control buttons in the Capture panelto verify that they work. If video preview is supported for theformat, make sure that you see video in the preview.

Click Logging. In the Setup area, choose Audio, Video,or Audio And Video from the Capture menu depending on what you wantto capture. Select a bin from the Log Clips To list if needed. Bydefault, the Project panel is selected in the Log Clips To field.

Enter information into the Clip Data area as needed.This information is saved in the metadata of the clip.

Note:

To avoid confusion, make sure that the tape name isunique. Some types of device control software ask you to specifythe Tape Name setting each time you insert a new tape. The otherLogging Data options aren’t required.

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.

To open the Device Control Preferences dialogbox, choose Edit > Preferences > Device Control (Windows)or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Device Control (Mac OS).

Select the type of device you want to control from theDevices menu.

(Optional) If you are connecting a DV or HDV device,make your selections from the Video Standard, Device Brand, DeviceType, and Timecode Format menus. In the Device Type menu, if yourparticular model is not listed, do one of the following:

• Select a model from the same family (if known).

• Leave at Standard.

• Click Go Online For Device Info.

If you are connecting a serial device, make your selections from the Protocol, Port, Time Source, and Time Base menus. Check either or both check box selections available for the Protocol you choose.

(DV/HDV Device Control only) Click Check Status. PremierePro displays one of the following statuses:

Premiere Pro does not see your device. Check all yourconnections and settings.

Premiere Pro sees your device but cannot control thetape (possibly because there is no tape inserted).

Premiere Pro sees your device and can control the tape.

In the Device Control section of the Settings pane, specifythe following options as needed:

Indicates how much before the In point Premiere Pro startsplaying the tape before capture. The appropriate value varies dependingon the device you are using.

Indicates the number of frames to adjust the timecode embeddedin the captured video. Set the offset so that the timecode correspondswith the timecode number of the same frame on the source tape.

From the Device menu, select the type of device you wantto control .

(Optional) If you're connecting a DV or HDV device, make your selections from the Video Standard, Device Brand, Device Type, and Timecode Format menus. In the Device Type menu, if your particular model is not listed, do one of the following:

• Select a model from the same family (if known).

• Leave at Standard.

• Click Go Online For Device Info.

If you're connecting a serial device, make your selections from the Protocol, Port, Time Source, and Time Base menus. Check either or both check box selections available for the Protocol you choose.

(DV/HDV Device Control only) Click Check Status. PremierePro displays one of the following statuses:

Premiere Pro does not see your device. Check all yourconnections and settings.

Premiere Pro sees your device but cannot control thetape (possibly because there is no tape inserted).

Premiere Pro sees your device and can control the tape.

In the Device Control section of the Settings tab, specifythe following options as needed:

Indicates how much before the In point Premiere Pro startsplaying the tape before capture. The appropriate value varies dependingon the device you are using.

Indicates the number of frames to adjust the timecode embeddedin the captured video. Set the offset so that the timecode correspondswith the timecode number of the same frame on the source tape.

Adobe Premiere Capture Card

Enter the number of offset frames, as appropriate foryour device, to the Delay Movie Start, Manual Edit Timing, and Prerollboxes.

From the Devices menu, select Serial Device Control.
In the VTR And Port Control section, select a protocoland port for your device.
In the Time Control section, select a time source andtimebase for your device.

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.

Note:

Previous Scene and Next Scene are supported for DV in Windows only, and not supported for HDV for either Windows or Mac OS.

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.

Note:

To operate Capture panel controls using the keyboard, see the tool tips in the Capture panel. You can change the shortcuts by choosing Edit > Keyboard Customization. To shuttle a tape quickly to a specific frame type its timecode into the Capture Panel’s current timecode field, to the lower left of the monitor. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

Open the Device Control Preferencesdialog box by doing one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Preferences > DeviceControl (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Device Control(Mac OS).

• In the Capture panel, click Settings.

Note:

When device control is disabled, start playback onthe device manually.

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.

Note:

Preview HDV footage on an external TV monitor, or, if the source is a camcorder, on the camcorder viewfinder while shuttling, logging, and capturing on Mac OS. The preview pane in the Capture panel shows the words Previewing On Camera.

Make sure that the deck or camcorder is properlyconnected to your computer.

(Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens,choose video and audio settings appropriate to your project.

These settings are preserved for the project, butyou can set them again for each new project.

In the Setup area of the Logging pane, choose your mediatype from the Capture menu.

Use the controls on the deck or camcorder to move thevideotape to a point several seconds before the frame where youwant to begin capturing.

Press the Play button on the deck or camcorder, and thenclick the red Record button in the Capture panel.

Record a few seconds beyond the end of the footage youneed, to provide room for editing. Press the Esc key to stop recording.

When the Save Captured File dialog box appears, enter loggingdata and click OK. The new file is listed in the Project panel andis saved to the disk location specified in the Settings pane ofthe Capture panel.

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.

Note:

On Mac OS, preview HDV footage on an external TV monitor, or, if the source is a camcorder, on the camcorder viewfinder while shuttling, logging, and capturing. The preview pane in the Capture panel shows the words Previewing On Camera.

Note:

When capturing with In and Out points, the earliest allowable time for the In point is 2 seconds. If the provided In point is earlier, it will be automatically adjusted to start at 2 seconds.

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

(Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens,choose video and audio settings appropriate to your project.
These settings are preserved for the project, butyou set them again for each new project.
In the Capture panel, make sure that the device is online,as indicated above the preview.
Insert a tape into the device. Premiere Pro prompts youto name the tape. Be sure not to give any two tapes the same name.
Note:
Including a unique number in the name canhelp you avoid using the same name twice.
In the Setup area of the Logging pane, choose the mediatype from the Capture menu.
Rewind the tape to its beginning, or to the beginningof the portion you want to capture.
To create a separate file (Windows) or a subclip (MacOS) for each new scene on the tape, select Scene Detect in the Capturearea.
You can capture frames that extend beyond the In andOut points of each clip. Enter the number of frames in the Handlesbox in the Capture area.
To stop capturing at the end of a portion, click theStop button. Otherwise capturing stops when the tape comes to itsend.

(Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens,choose video and audio settings appropriate to your project.
These settings will be preserved for the project,but you may need to set them again for each new project.
In the Capture panel, make sure that the device is online,as indicated above the preview.
Insert a tape into the device. Premiere Pro prompts youto name the tape. Be sure not to give any two tapes the same name.
In the Setup area of the Logging pane, choose the mediatype from the Capture menu.
Use the controls in the Capture panel to move to thefirst frame you want to capture, and click Set In. Then move tothe last frame you want to capture, and click Set Out.
Note:
If capturing HDV footage on Mac OS, you must previewon an external TV monitor or camcorder viewfinder while logging.The preview pane in the Capture panel will show the words PreviewingOn Camera.
If you want to capture frames that extend beyond theIn and Out points of each clip, enter the number of frames in theHandles setting of the Capture section.
Click the In/Out button in the Capture area of the Loggingpane to capture the clip.

(Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens,choose video and audio settings appropriate to your project.
These settings will be preserved for the project,but you may need to set them again for each new project.
In the Device Control area of the Settings tab, clickOptions.
In the DV/HDV Device Control Settings dialog box, clickCheck Status.

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

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

TracyPeterson provides a video tutorial that demonstrates automatic scene detectionon the Adobe website.

• Click the Scene Detect button belowthe image.

• Select Scene Detect in the Capture area of the Logging pane.

Scene Detect starts a separate file (Windows) or subclip (MacOS) at the first frame of each scene




Note:

Scene detection works for DV, HDV 1080i, and HDV 720pfootage.

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 toAC 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 capturequality. Video is captured and stored at the quality you determineand always plays at that quality on an NTSC or PAL monitor. On slowersystems, Premiere Pro may lower the quality of the capture previewin order to ensure that sufficient CPU resources are available forfull-quality capture.

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

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

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

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

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