How Best to Import iPhone 4 video into Premier Pro CS5 - Settings for new import "sequence preset"?

[Guest]

Shooting video with my iPhone 4 (ATT version) and am trying to import file into Premiere Pro CS5 (5.0.3) running on Macintosh OS 10.6.6.

The problem is that I am simply guessing on how to import sequence, and the result is that I am getting motion artifacts and generally inferior quality.  I am using iMovie 11 as my basis for comparison.   Not surprisingly, iMovie 11 imports from iPhone beautifully, but when I've looked around inside of it for properties, there isn't much to see.

From using Apple's built in quicktime "inspector,"  it is possible to see that iPhone4 video has following properties:

".mov" file

dimensions:   1280 x 720

codecs:  H.264, AAC

Color Profile:   HD (1-1-1)

Audio Channels:  1

Total Bit Rate:  10,543

PPRO - PRESET DESCRIPTION:

<my comments in angle brackets>

????  = Question

General

Editing mode: DSLR    < Correct?   Best i could do, perhaps it should be "Mobile Device"  perhaps it doesn't matter>

Timebase: 29.97fps

Video Settings

Frame size: 1280h 720v (1.0000)    <from apple quicktime "inpector" window >

Frame rate: 29.97 frames/second     <from apple quicktime "inpector" window >

Pixel Aspect Ratio:  ????

Fields: N????

Audio Settings

Sample rate: ?????

Default Sequence

Total video tracks: 3

Master track type: Stereo

Mono tracks: 0

Stereo tracks: 3

5.1 tracks: 0

Submix mono tracks: 0

Submix stereo tracks: 0

Submix 5.1 tracks: 0

Seeking advice on how to smoothly and *losslessly* import/ingest iphone4 footage into PPro CS5.  (I am not worried about exporting for iPhone display, which is what most of the information I can find relates to).

Thanks in advance,  Michael

[Colin_Brougham · Accepted solution]

Seeking advice on how to smoothly and *losslessly* import/ingest iphone4 footage into PPro CS5.

You import it... that's it. Premiere will (or should) work with the file natively, so no need to do anything out of the ordinary.

To create a sequence for it, just drag one of the clips to the New Item button at the bottom of the Project Panel; a new sequence will be created that matches the footage. Edit away...

[Guest]

Wow.  Thanks Colin.

When I follow your approach, I don't get the same "sequence preset" dialog box popping up.    

FU question, though, the motion is frequently jagged.  Is there a way to smooth out/increase the quality of the rendering?    I have 16gb ram, Mac Pro.   which is able to handle iPhone video rending fine in quicktime.   (I've tried rendering for "performance" and "memory" but both seem to produce, eh results.).

Michael

[Colin_Brougham]

Make sure your Playback Resolution is set to "Full" and not "1/2." To do this, click the Output button in the Program Monitor (looks like a Venn diagram with three overlapping circles). That usually smooths out playback on footage like this.

[Guest]

great.   exactly what I needed - motion is now smooth.  (now PPro is right there in quality with iMovie 11!).

m

[Colin_Brougham]

(now PPro is right there in quality with iMovie 11!).

Yeah... I know what you mean...

[CaptainPickard]

Thanks for this insight about playback setting.  When I first imported, all my footage was getting this blocky stuff happening.  But now with playback at Full, all systems go. 

And I am using iPhone 5 video.

Thanks

[Guest]

My question is more basic.

I plugged in my phone, How do I import into premier?