SpeedGrade Not Opening ANY Files?

[illianna_wotton]

Hi, I'm new to the SpeedGrade community (hello! nice to meet you all!) so I'm not completely well-versed in how to manually override the recent updates between Premiere and SpeedGrade. Forgive my absolute ignorance!

I have been trying, for a quick tutorial, to import a media clip (not a .prjproj file) into SpeedGrade, but it's always leaving a message saying that there was an error in opening the clip. I've tried with several file types including .MOV which I've been told is the safest bet, but nothing's working.

Is this just a problem with me and my computer? Or is this a new problem after the update? Or am I extra stupid in thinking I can import anything other than a .prproj file into SpeedGrade? Any feedback would be helpful; I'm still learning this after all.

Thanks!

[R Neil Haugen · Accepted solution]

As you'll see if you look back through thread topics here, the Premiere Pro develop team removed the "Direct Link" process connection that allowed SpeedGrade to open directly and work with a PrPro project file.

This happened  (without prior announcement) with the rollout of PrPro 2015.3.

2015.3 was actually a major version update rather than the "dot" update it looks like from the name. 2015.0/1/2 were all 9.x builds, 2015.3 started the 10.x series. Included in the 10.x were some upgrades to Lumetri within PrPro and the lack of capabilities to grade directly in SpeedGrade, a net loss in grading abilities of a rather large degree.

SpeedGrade has many ... unique... um, quirks? So using it in "native" or "standalone" modes can be a bit of a learning process. And can be frustrating without resources like the tutorials available through lynda-dot-com or say Alexis Van Hurkmans' book "Getting Started in SpeedGrade".

And asking questions here, of course!

Among other things, in native mode before you begin a project you normally need to use the Wrench icon to go into the setup options and set a frame-rate that matches the clips you will use.

Then navigation through the Sg Media tab to your media will hopefully get Sg to use it ... if it's  a codec Sg recognizes (including the options within that codec Sg will accept).

While this may sound daunting it can be worth the effort as what Sg does, once you know how to useit, is done well and fast. It's nowhere near as deep and widely featured as Resolve but also has a much lower learning required.

If you do much editing in PrPro and are on PC, I cannot more highly recommend Patrick Zadrobilek's nifty app from HD Ntown site for "modding" PrPro project files so that a 10.x or 11.x (2017) project file will open in Sg, and after saving in Sg, revert the file so the 10.x or 11.x version of PrPro that created it "sees" it as its own again.

Fast, simple, it's cheap, and it works.

You'll find it mentioned and linked a few threads down. I've only "met" Patrick via this forum and don't get a dime. I just use that app as a utility tool to keep my workflow flowing.

I must note of course it is not "officially sanctioned" by Adobe.

There is also a manual method to MD the project files both for Mac and Windows listed in previous threads. I can't test the Mac one, but did just test the PC process and it still works as it should, as that is exactly what Patrick's app does automatically.

Neil