Exporting to an MP4 file

[johnm39171401]

I am currently experiencing difficulty when attempting to share projects I have created using Adobe Premiere Elements 14 on a Windows 10 computer.   If I elect to create an MPEG file in order to burn the project to a DVD, it is created just as I wish with the video and audio correctly synchronised.  However, if I choose to use exactly the same project, without any alterations, to create an MP4 file to be able to play it on other devices, the audio is about two to three seconds later than the video.

Why should this be and how can I correct it?

[Steve Grisetti]

What model of camcorder is your original footage coming from and what is the video's format and resolution?

This happens most often when your original video is coming from a non-camcorder source that saves your video with a variable frame rate.

[johnm39171401]

The video was originally recorded back in 1998 on an old analogue camcorder and recorded onto a VHS tape before the days of digital.  It was converted to digital using a Roxio Easy VHS to DVD 3 Plus. I cannot find the video's format and resolution as it just shows as VLC on my computer even though I have not used VLC to process it at all.

[Steve Grisetti]

It would be probably best to edit that video with Roxio Easy VHS to DVD rather than Premiere Elements. Most of these digital converters are designed to create files that will work in the editor that comes with them.

If you want to dig into the file and see what it's made of, you can download the free program Media Info and open your video file in it. If you go to the View menu and set it to Tree, it will display a report that you can copy to this forum.

Once we see the specs we'll know what's causing the problems -- including if it has a variable frame rate.

[johnm39171401]

Thanks for your reply.  I have had a look at the editing facilities in Roxio Easy VHS to DVD and they appear to be very limited.  I would rather keep to Premiere Elements if I can as I was very pleased with the results when I edited the video material from Easy VHS to DVD in Premiere Elements and would never have guessed that it had started off as analogue material.

I have also had a look at Media Info and it did not seem to me to be very helpful.  All it showed was that the file size was 7.29 KiB.  If that was meant to be kilobytes I can't believe it was correct as the video was 1hr 58min long.

I have also found a post on the Adobe Community Site from back in March 2014 from someone calling himself the_wine_snob, who still seems to be posting regularly, suggesting adding a piece of Black Video at the start of the video track and then adjusting the audio track so that it is the appropriate time ahead of the video which should then match up in the final MP4 copy.  That would suite me better if it will work as I can then make my MPEG copy to burn to DVD with the video and sound synchronised and then alter the timing of the audio to make the MP$ copy with the synchonisation adjusted.

Do you think that would work?

[Steve Grisetti]

Wine Snob (Bill) has not posted here for years.

If you want our help, you'll need to provide us the Media Info report using the method we described above.

[johnm39171401]

I have had another look at Media Info and have found what I think are the details you need.  Here is the result:

[Steve Grisetti · Accepted solution]

This is a PAL file. Are you in Europe?

If you open this file in your Easy VHS to DVD program, what are your options for output?

[johnm39171401]

Yes, I am in the UK.

I can export it to Computer, iPhone, DVD, iPod, iPod Touch, iPad, Android Phone, Android Tablet, Facebook, You Tube or DivX.

If I choose Computer, I have a choice of MPEG2, H.264 or WHV and two choices of Resolution.

If I choose DVD I can create a menu.

If I choose DivX I can alter the resolution but can only select PAL.

I am also told I can edit it but the editing appears to be limited to trimming the video.

[Steve Grisetti]

I don't see any reason you should have any limitations with what you can do with this video file.

[johnm39171401]

Although the quality of the files I get from the Roxio Easy VHS to DVD programme are remarkably good for a VHS original, they are somewhat pallid and washed-out compared with modern digital standards.  To get them up to modern standards I have to correct the brightness and contrast.  My editing programme of choice is Premiere Elements and the results I get from that are very satisfactory.  It is with the resultant Premiere Elements Files that I get the problem of the video and audio being out of sync when i  make MP4 files but not MPEG files.