Premiere Elements 8 Initial Impressions

SG

To answer your last question before I go on to Part 2....

As I go through the different aspects of the program that you are seeing described by me, I am formulating my "final answer" as they say on that TV program.

But, no matter what I decide on whether or not I "need" the program and/or consider it a worthwhile advance, I will no double purchase Photoshop Elements 8/Premiere Elements 8 so that I can help troubleshoot problems for those who feel that they personally need/must have the new versions.

So far, I have not found too many things that I cannot do in prior versions. But, this is just the beginning.

On to Part 2 of my progress in decision making.

ATR

Premiere Elements 8 First Look: Part 2.

Miscellaneous

1. Track Arrangement. (For Standard 3 track setup)

For those wishing for the good old days of Premiere Elements 2 where the line up, top to bottom, was:

Video Track 3

Video Track 2

Video Track 1

Audio Track 1

Audio Track 2

Audio Track 3

(No Narration Track or Soundtrack)

The Premiere Elements 8 arrangement is the same as for Premiere Elements 7:

Video Track 3

Audio Track 3

Video Track 2

Audio Track 2

Video Track 1

Audio Track 1

Narration Track

Soundtrack

2. 5.1 Channel Sound vs Stereo (2 Channel)

In Premiere Elements 7, if you had AVCHD or MPEG2 with 5.1 channel sound, your video could go to Video Track 4/Audio Track 4 with a tiny “5.1” to the left of the audio track. That situation generated a lot of Sceneline users complaints in this regard. In the case of AVCHD with 5.1 channel, using the correct project preset could correct the situation. In the case of MPEG2 with 5.1 channel, you worked in the Timeline with your video and audio on those upper tracks. Now, right or wrong project preset (new project dialog), you can drag video with 5.1 channel sound to any track on the Timeline. However, the program continues to support the export of Dolby Digital Stereo (2 channel sound), not 5.1 channel sound.

3. Opening Premiere Elements 8 Scary Moment

The opening sequences goes:

Welcome Screen (one of the friendliest Welcome Screen that I have come across)

New Project

Then a Window opens with a menu bar across its top and everything else in the Window gray. I expected the gray in the Window to be replaced with options/graphics. No way.

So, next you click on File Menu to reveal the drop down with:

New

Open Project

Open Recent Project

4. Project Media Tab

As has been reported by Steve Grisetti, you need to click on Organizer to see the Project Media Tab, instead of Edit Mode as in Premiere Elements 7. Somehow the designers managed to leave access to the Properties Palette (via Timeline icon or Window Menu/Properties) the same as for Premiere Elements 7.

5. Cutting Tools.

The Split Clip (Scissor looking icon) to bottom right of Monitor is still in the same place. And, you still have access to the hidden Razor Tool by hitting c on the computer main keyboard to turn your mouse cursor into a razor (and hitting v to get yourself back to the safety of the Timeline Selection Tool) Trimming clips in the Preview Window with In and Out points and generating subclips remain the same as in Premiere Elements 7.

6. Pop Ups Dragging Media to Timeline.

In Premiere Elements 7, there was only one of this kind, namely the Videomerge one. Now there are two, the Videomerge one and one called Smart Fix that asks “Fix quality in Clips” Yes or No. Both of these pop ups has a check off for “Do not show again.” I am not yet sure if it keeps that promise.

Photoshop Elements 8/Premiere Elements 8 Integration with regard to Slideshows

1. In Photoshop Elements 8, under the Create options, you will see included:

a. Slideshow

That essentially stays the same as for Photoshop Elements 7, except that the Output option (non .wmv) is now called “Edit with Premiere Elements” instead of “Send to Premiere Elements”. This option results in the availability of the Premiere Elements 8 command “Break Apart Adobe Photoshop Elements Slideshow”.

b. DVD with Menu

This is an often misunderstood option which is the same as in Photoshop Elements 7. It accepts only videos as well as already created slideshows in the form of .wmv (Save As A File, Movie (.wmv) or slideshow project (slideshow saved to Organizer without Output; typically named with .psess file extension).

c. Instant Movie

This is a new option, and it had be wondering for the longest time. My interpretation of this is that the Instant Movie button is merely a launcher to Premiere Elements 8 where you select from the Premiere Elements 8 Organizer Media there (which is same as in Photoshop Elements 8) and then click on the Premiere Elements 8 Instant Movie feature to initiate the actual process. As best I can tell at this point, it looks like it is intended for the person who is working in the Photoshop Elements 8 Organizer and suddenly decides wouldn’t it be a good idea to create an Instant Movie in Premiere Elements 8.

Those exports choices looks like the next place to look into deeper.

ATR

Premiere Elements 8 First Look: Part 1 Add ON

for "Adobe Folder, folders and files" section.....

I finally found the Media Cache Folder (.cfa and .pek) in Premiere Elements 8, which appears to have been removed from the Premiere Elements 7 Adobe Folder location in My Documents and tucked away and out of sight in Premiere Elements 8.....

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Application Data\Adobe\Common\Media Cache.

Brace yourself for the large number of conformed audio files that you will find piled up there!!

Also in that general area are the video counterparts, with the .mcdb file extensions.

ATR

Hunt,

In Premiere Elements 8, you can redirect many of those folders that appear in the Adobe Folder (My Documents/Default) to an external hard drive

See Premiere Elements 8, Edit Menu/Preferences/Scratch Disks

For

Captured Video

Captured Audio

Video Previews

Audio Previews

Media Cache

Disc Encoding

You can browse, for example, to an external hard drive location and direct these categories there, so that you end up with previews and media cache etc. there. The project .prel and the associated .log files will go to wherever you designate in the opening Premiere Elements 8 dialog. It is those CA Object Track Results Folder that I need to get a handle on (work in progress). That is another site for file pile up.

I decided to see what Adobe has put on its web site Support/Knowledgebase for Adobe Premiere Elements 8. This is what I have found so far:

Adobe TechNote for Premiere Elements 8

Troubleshoot system errors and freezes when you burn DVDs or Blu-Ray discs (Adobe Premiere Elements 8)

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/515/cpsid_51553.html

Troubleshoot damaged projects (Adobe Premiere Elements 8)

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/515/cpsid_51552.html

Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in Premiere Elements 8 (Windows)

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/514/cpsid_51427.html

The Message “A Reduced set of Content Instant Movie Themes, Titles and menu Templates, etc) has been installed” is displayed in Adobe Premiere Elements 8 on Windows

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/508/cpsid_50878.html

Adobe Premiere Elements 8 Help PDF

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/PremiereElements/8.0/Win/Using/WS09e4b3c48f3a79fc19b622510385d 4355c-7ff9.html

Everytime I head to take an in depth look at exports, I get detoured. The new locations for applying scene markers and using audio tools just caught my attention as well as this "background rendering". I need to focus.

ATR

Hunt,

Funny that you should mention "Background Rendering". I was just about to put that on the "back burner", so to speak. But since you surfaced it...

How to turn it off???

Edit Menu/Preferences/General

Besides the good old standard check offs for "Play work area after Rendering Previews" and "Default Scale to Frame Size", there you will find a place to check or leave unchecked "Enable Background Rendering".

It looks like there are some new check off there which include:

"Apply Dissolve on Smart Trim"

"Show All Do Not Show Again Messages" (for those with a change of mind)

"Enable GPU Playback"

Back to work....

ATR

Special Add On....Bug or Other

Photoshop Elements 8 Slideshow Editor slideshow Output option (Edit with Premiere Elements) to Premiere Elements 8

In an earlier accessment of the above, I said that the process was essentially the same as what occurs in Photoshop Elements 7 and Premiere Elements 7. Further looks at the process in the new versions have suggested otherwise with the process rather than the end result.

In Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7, after you outputted the slideshow with what is called Send To Premiere Elements in the 7 version, the slideshow would automatically be sent to Premiere Elements where you would find:

a. In Media Panel: a folder with the slideshow's assets and a file representing the slideshow in a video format

and in addition

b. Your slideshow in a video format on the Timeline

c. If desired for additional edits, you can use the Premiere Elements 7 Break Apart Adobe Photoshop Elements Slideshow command to do that with the Timeline content.

I cannot get that to happen as described above in Photoshop Elements 8/Premiere Elements 8. The only way I get to the Media Panel/Timeline end result is with Premiere Elements 8 opened when the functional Edit with Premiere Elements command is hit in the "Elements Organizer". At first I thought that it was related to the settings on the Welcome Screen when you commanded Premiere Elements to open. If you go to the Premiere Elements 8 Welcome Screen top right, next to the close X, there is an icon to set what you get when you start Premiere Elements:

a. Just show the Welcome Screen

b. Always Launch Elements Organizer behind the Welcome Screen

c. Always Launch Premiere Elements Editor behind the Welcome Screen

That was not the answer.

This is what I ended up having to do:

a. Created Slideshow in Photoshop Elements 8 Slideshow Editor

b. Click on Output, selected "Edit with Premiere Elements"....that did launch Premiere Elements 8.

c. In my trial version, clicked OK to Install Full Content dialog, and clicked Continue for the Trial Version dialog

d. I was now facing the window with the menu bar running across the top and everything else gray.

e. Now I clicked on the Elements Organizer panel in the Task Bar to bring that into view in the Window

f.  Selected again Output, Edit with Premiere Elements

g  At this point, I clicked on the Premiere Elements panel in the Task Bar which was flashing orange. This action brought up the Premiere Elements New Project dialog which I set accordingly. When I clicked OK to the New Project dialog, an Add Media dialog flashed across the screen as the Edit workspace opened with the Media/Timeline representing the Photoshop Elements 8 Slideshow Editor slideshow. And, yes, I could successfully use the Premiere Elements 8 Break Apart Adobe Photoshop Elements Slideshow command.

If this is not a bug and not an operator misdirection, then this process does seem a downstep in the version evolutions.

Anyone else run into this?

ATR

I have not gotten to Part 3 yet. This is an add on to the last add on.

I tried to find the Premiere Elements 8 Read Me file since those Read Me files usually contain "Known Bug Messages". I could not find that Adobe had put it online, but I did dig it out of the try out download folder. Here is the excerpt on Premiere Elements 8 known bugs/issues:

Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0 Known Issues

Importing Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 and 4.0 Projects

• Effect keyframes in Premiere elements 3.0 projects may not import correctly

Capturing and Importing Video
DV Device control will be disabled and capture will not proceed normally if sound card is not present or offline.

·         If capture is interrupted by a system event such as switching users, locking the system, or the screensaver, the duration of the captured file will be much shorter than expected. It is recommended to disable the screensaver before starting capture, and to avoid any actions that may interfere with the capture.

·         For live capture from DV camcorders, you must first disable scene detect.

·         When importing some Flash files a “Macromedia Flash Player security" message reading “Flash player has stopped potentially unsafe operation" may appear. Click “OK”, and the file will import normally.

·         When capturing form HDV camcorders you may see interlace lines in the preview window, The interlace lines do not appear in the captured video

·         Divx files may not be imported properly and sometimes import only audio or video part of it

·         After completing time-lapse capture, it may take some time for the organizer to update and display the thumbnails for the captured files. Still images captured using Stop Motion are not added to the organizer.

·         Importing media from some devices requires that the drivers provided with devices are installed

·         Stop Motion capture is not supported for HDV camcorders.

Organizer

•       When reconnecting missing media, each grouped scene must be reconnected individually

Edit

·         If issues are seen with color in preview, switch to CPU playback mode by un-checking “Enable GPU Playback” checkbox in Edit>preferences>General and restart application after saving your project.

·         Generation of thumbnails for DVD scene menus may take longer than expected when using HDV content.

·         Organizer may exhibit performance issues with large catalogs (5000-10,000 files )

·         With some GPU cards enabling “Accelerated GPU Effects” may cause the preview to be zoomed in.

·         Voice over narration may not be recorded using a mono USB microphone

·         When previewing audio mixes, pops may be heard as the CTI passes form one clip to the next. These pops will not appear in your exported movie

Audio mixer sliders may become “sticky” when mixing clips that have been time stretched

·         [Japanese  & Chinese Simplified SPECIFIC] When application is installed to path that contains double byte characters path, GPU effects/transition will not function.

·         [Japanese SPECIFIC] Inputting ¥ symbol in Menu templates produces a backslash ( \ )

Photoshop Elements Integration

• In Photoshop Elements, choosing “Edit in Adobe Premiere Elements” may not bring the Adobe Premiere Elements window to the foreground.

• If a Photoshop Elements slideshow is sent to Adobe Premiere Elements, further edits in Photoshop Elements will not be reflected in Adobe Premiere Elements.

• Images saved in Photoshop Elements in BMP mode using the Advanced Settings cannot be imported into Adobe Premiere Elements. This includes images created using Adobe Premiere Elements Freeze Frame function and sent to Photoshop Elements for editing. If the image is saved using Photoshop Elements Advanced Settings, it cannot be returned to Adobe Premiere Elements, and as result, the original, unedited Freeze Frame image will be used.

• Send to Premiere Elements 8.0 will not work from older versions of Photoshop Elements

Exporting Movies

• Export of movies to the root directory of any drive (e.g. D:\) may fail.

• When exporting movies over one hour to MPEG2 format, the render dialog may continue to be displayed for a period of time after the render progress bar appears to have completed. Rendering is still occurring until the render dialog boxes closes. Clicking Cancel before the render dialog box closes will interrupt this process, and your export file will not be created

• For play back on a PSP, movies must include both audio and video. Movies exported with video only or audio only will not play back on the PSP.

• Archival of projects with Type 1 DV-AVI files is not supported.

• If standard definition menu templates are used when burning to Bluray, menu images s will appear of low quality

• When attempting to burn a Bluray disc to a previously burned disc, you will see an error message indicating that the disc is incompatible, instead of an error message indicating the disc is full.

• Movies exported in H.264 format may have a few white frames added to the end

• Movies exported in MPEG2 format may be a few frames shorter than the original movie

This seems to answer my question about Photoshop Elements 8/Premiere Element 8 integration regarding slideshows, but may be of more widespread interest to others for the other "known bugs" cited by Adobe.

ATR

Hunt

I cannot confirm the details that you presented. I am not sure if there is some confusion on the part of the user between an early seen tab that says New Project and the New Project dialog itself. Because, once you have the New Project “dialog” itself as you want it and click OK to it, it is a one way street to the opening of the Premiere Elements 8 workspace.

Let me go over the step by step details to see if we can determine what is happening or not happening in the case of the user. I am working from the tryout, so the routine should be the same, maybe plus or minus some tryout associated dialogs.

1. Click on the Premiere Elements 8 icon on the Desktop.

2. The Premiere Elements 8 Welcome Screen opens with promotional stuff to the right. On the left is our functional area: Organizer Tab, New Project Tab, and Open Project Tab. Up at the top right corner of the Welcome Screen (near the close X button) is an icon. When you click on that, you get 3 options for how you prefer the Welcome Screen to open after you hit that Premiere Elements 8 icon on the Desktop:

a. Just show the Welcome Screen

b. Always Launch Elements Organizer behind Welcome Screen

c. Always Launch Elements Editor behind Welcome Screen

Whichever choice you make, you are going to get that Welcome Screen coming up after hitting the Desktop icon. If you had picked “b”, the Organizer Tab would automatically have a stream like icon running, indicating that the Organizer was loading. So it saved you the time clicking on the Organizer Tab. And, if you had picked “c”, the New Project Tab would automatically have a stream like icon running, indicating that the Elements Editor was loading. So it saved you the time clicking on the New Project Tab. I prefer to leave it with “Just show the Welcome Screen” and then click either the Organizer, New Project, or Open Project tab. (I have not found a way to liquidate the Welcome Screen entirely.)

3. Onward. In my case with tryout, I next get an “Install Full Content” dialog to which I click OK. Then comes the typical Tryout Setup (27 days left…) dialog to which I click Next.

4. Then you get that window that I described in a previous thread, the one with the menu bar across the top (File/Edit/Clip/Timeline/Disc/Title/Window/Help) and everything else in the Window completely a light gray color. Keep in mind that so far we have not seen the New Project dialog itself. So what you do now is go to the File Menu in this light gray window and click New/Project. That brings up the New Project dialog itself. After you have that set as you want and click OK, the Premiere Elements workspace opens in the new project that you have designated in the New Project dialog (the one and only).

The above is the longer version of what I wrote previously.

I will go back and re-read the thread that you cited to determine if I have any further thoughts on this. That Part 3 write-up, mainly dealing the Premiere Elements 8 exports is taking forever. I hope to have it done soon. I believe there was a significant amount of change in the video audio exports that was not cited by others yet.

ATR

Important Add On Regarding 5.1 Channel Sound Support Premiere Elements 8

In an earlier addition to this thread, I wrote the following:

2. 5.1 Channel Sound vs Stereo (2 Channel)

In Premiere Elements 7, if you had AVCHD or MPEG2 with 5.1 channel sound, your video could go to Video Track 4/Audio Track 4 with a tiny “5.1” to the left of the audio track. That situation generated a lot of Sceneline users complaints in this regard. In the case of AVCHD with 5.1 channel, using the correct project preset could correct the situation. In the case of MPEG2 with 5.1 channel, you worked in the Timeline with your video and audio on those upper tracks. Now, right or wrong project preset (new project dialog), you can drag video with 5.1 channel sound to any track on the Timeline. However, the program continues to support the export of Dolby Digital Stereo (2 channel sound), not 5.1 channel sound.

That last statement which I have placed in bold type needs to elaborated on.

Further inspection of the program indicates that there are some 5.1 channel export routes available in this new version in a new export  with the path Share/Personal Computer/Audio and  Share/Personal Computer/Windows Media. My comprehensive overview of Premiere Elements 8 Exports should be ready for posting here later today and will define where 5.1 channel sound is available for export and where it continues not to be available.

But, I thought this an important enough point to post this add on now for those reading the above before I get a chance to post my Exports Report.

ATR

Hunt,

I am about to post my "almost" complete observations on Premiere Elements 8 Exports. But, before I do I want to address a fundational issue with regard to the way we (I) have been tossing around the concept of 5.1 channel sound. There are a lot of words to follow in my post on the Premiere Elements 8 exports, but I want to focus in on the fact that 5.1 channel sound comes with different compression types, for example, Dolby Digital, Windows Media Audio 10 Professional, and AAC to name three. Dolby Digital with the 5.1 channel is the one referred to as AC-3. Which is better? That is for another thread. But, it appears that Premiere Elements 8, like Premiere Elements 7, can import Dolby Digital 5.1 channel (AC-3), but does not export Dolby Digital 5.1 channel (AC-3). In the case of Premiere Elements 8, it now is exporting 5.1 channel with compression types such as Windows Media Audio 10 Professional and AAC.

Looking forward to your comments on the following.

ATR

Premiere Elements 8 First Look: Exports Part 3.

Edit Mode: File Menu/Export

Saving a Titler created Title as a .prtl file for future use in another project .prel is the same as in Premiere Elements 7. You highlight the Title file in the Project Media view, click on and use the File Menu/Export/Title route. In addition, you will have the original Title embedded in the project .prel in which was created.

But now exporting/saving Title is the only option under File Menu/Export; gone are the options for Movie, Frame, Audio, and Export to Tape. These appear to have been consolidated in the Share section. (Details to follow.)

Share:

Categories:

Disc (Burn DV and Blu-ray discs)

Online (Upload to video sharing)

Personal Computer (Export files for viewing on Computer)

Mobile Phones and Players (Export files for viewing on mobile phones and other devices)

Tape (Record to DV or HDV tape)

                                    ______________________________

Disc

Same as Premiere Elements 7, in that

1. Share/Disc/Disc offers burn to DVD disc or burn to folder (4.7 GB or 8.5GB setting). The audio of the export remains Dolby Digital Stereo (2 channel), even if your Timeline video imported with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound (also called AC-3).

2. Share/Disc/Blu-ray offers burn to a Blu-ray disc with no option for burn to folder. For an innovative workaround for that aspect, see Robert Johnston work on Phantom Burner

http://muvipix.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3896

                                    _______________________________

Online

Categories:

Photoshop.com (Upload video to Photoshop.com)

YouTube (Upload video to YouTube)

Podbean (Podcast Hosting)

Photoshop.com

This appears to have non changeable preset components.

YouTube

This also appears to have non changeable preset components. But it now has two preset choices:

Flash Video for YouTube

Flash Video for YouTube Widescreen

Podbean

This also appears to have non changeable preset components. But it does offer four different

presets of various quality levels.

                                    _________________________________

Personal Computer

Categories:

Adobe Flash Video (Use for posting on web pages)

MPEG (Use for Playback on this PC or burning to DVD)

AVI (Use for editing Adobe Premiere Elements)

Windows Media Player (Use for email and playback on Windows PC)

QuickTime (Use for email and playback on Mac)

Image (Use for exporting still image)

Audio (Use for exporting audio)

Adobe Flash Video

The interesting thing here is that in Premiere Elements 7 I could import .swf files, but not .flv and .f4v files. Now in Premiere Elements 8, I can import .f4v as well as .swf files into the Timeline, but not .flv.

Also of note, in Premiere Elements 7 Share/Personal Computer/Adobe Flash Video, if you wanted to maintain a transparency in the video, you used the Video On2VP6 with “Encode Alpha Channel” checked (or at least you tried to) with FLV choice selected. The end result was often an error message saying “Invalid Argument”. Most of the time, you had to go with the export with the “Encode Alpha Channel” unchecked to avoid the error message. If you tried to do this with F4V checked, there was no option available for “Encode Alpha Channel”. Now in Premiere Elements 8, the “Encode Alpha Channel” option is gone altogether (FLV or F4V).

A usually successful alternative to exporting video and maintaining the transparency was via File Menu/Export/Movie/Microsoft AVI with compression “None” and “Color Depth at “Millions + of colors”. This route is no longer available in Premiere Elements 8 now that all AVI export is now consolidated in Share/Personal Computer/AVI (what used to be Share/Personal Computer/DV AVI in version 7). That Microsoft AVI in the new location in Premiere Elements 8 does not have a Color Depth option. So, defining the procedure for maintaining transparency in a Premiere Elements 8 export needs to be done (work in progress).

MPEG

Everything remains the same in this category. Depending on the Presets selected, the Video codec is either MainConcept H.264 Video or MainConcept MPEG Video. For those using H.264 HD 1080i30 or MPEG2 1080i30 or their PAL counterparts, the file extension of the export is typically .m2t. In “MPEG” category, there can be found options for Dolby Digital (AC-2) Stereo audio, but none for Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 channel audio or any other 5.1 channel audio with any other type of compression.

AVI (consolidated category to include more than just DV AVI as in Premiere Elements 7 with its File Menu/Export/Movie and AVI choices plus Share/Personal Computer DV AVI)

This is a new consolidated category as mentioned previously and contains subcategories for:

DV NTSC Standard, DV NTSC Widescreen, DV PAL Standard, DV PAL Widescreen, Microsoft AVI, and Uncompressed Microsoft AVI.

Further study is needed in what appears to be a loss of way to export video and maintain the video’s transparency areas. Video and audio codec for this Preset will be supplied on request.

There is no Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 channel audio in this AVI preset.

Windows Media

This category contains video codec for HD1080i30, HD 1080i25, HD 720p25, HD 720p30, and four other categories that I will not go into. The audio offerings for this category merit looking into. Accompanying those HD video codecs are audio codecs:

Windows Media Audio 10 Professional

Windows Media Audio 9.2

Windows Media Audio 9.2 Lossless

Windows Media Audio Voice 9

ACEP.net

In Premiere Elements 7 only "2 channel choices" could be found depending on your audio codec choice. Now in Premiere Elements 8, you can find:

Windows Media Audio 10 Professional…choices with varied bitrate, kHz, and 2, 5.1, or 7.1 channel, etc.

Windows Media Audio 9.2 Lossless…choices with varied bitrate, kHz, and 2 or 5.1 channel, etc.

But here is the interesting point for me. Forgive me, audio engineers, for my limited working knowledge of audio. When Dolby Digital, the audio compressor type, exists with 5.1 channel, that is typically referred to as AC-3. So, since the Windows Media export is using the audio compressor type Windows Media Audio 10 Professional as the audio compressor (codec) with the audio format which includes 5.1 channel, it follows that Premiere Elements 8 is not offering Dolby Digital 5.1 channel (AC-3) in these options, but rather Windows Media Audio 10 Professional 5.1 channel. In the comparison of the two, I am not sure at this point which ends up on top. I did a quick search to see if I could find opinions. Here is one, maybe not the greatest, but it will give you an idea.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070913112058AAlJVxl

Audio

This also is an interesting new consolidated category in this location of the program. It offers Presets for ACC, AIFF, MP3, and Windows Waveform. Under the Advance button for each Preset are numerous options for audio format, codec, and output channels. And, yes, output channels = 5.1 channel can be found here, but we are not talking about AC-3. For example, for the Preset ACC (Advanced Audio Codec), one option is for audio format = AAC, Codec = AAC, and Output Channels = 5.1 channels.

.At this point, I think that I can safely conclude that Premiere Elements 8 is now offering some audio formats including 5.1 channel audio with some of its exports, but definitely not Dolby Digital 5.1 channel (AC-3). 

I will conclude this section tomorrow with QuickTime and Image categories.

ATR

Premiere Elements 8: First Look
IMPORTANT ADD ON .... DISABLE TRACKING OF INFORMATION

Soon after I installed Premiere Elements 8 and started working with it in the studies that I have been reporting on, I started to hear computer noises of a few seconds duration about every 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. When I heard the noise, I noticed that the light lit for my A: drive (3 1/2" Floppy Drive) and disappeared with the disappearance of the noise.

I did not associate this with Premiere Elements 8, so I did virus checks, disc error checks, drive cleanups, which did not resolve the issue. So, I decided to continue with my Premiere Elements 8 first look and "ignore" the noise. When looking up something else online, I think I ran across the answer in the Adobe Premiere Elements Help PDF, namely "Disable tracking of information". When I disabled "the tracking of information" in the Registry as described in the PDF, the problem went away and has not returned for several hours now.

So you may need the following information if this is happening to you. I think it important enough to quote the entire PDF writeup below:

"Disable tracking of information

The Welcome screen by default records and relays some usage information to Adobe to assist in the improvements of the Welcome screen experience. The Welcome screen usage data is anonymous and does not link the information to your personal data or your Adobe ID account information. Usage information from the Photoshop Elements Editor, Adobe Premiere Elements Editor or Adobe Premiere Elements is not tracked. To disable the tracking of information in the Welcome screen:

1. In Windows XP, click start > Run (or in Windows Vista click the Start button and select Run) and type regedit.exe and click OK.

The Windows Registry Editor opens. Using the tree navigator on the left navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Elements Organizer\8.0\Organizer.

2. Right click anywhere on right panel and select New > DWORD Value.

A new DWORD Value with the name New Value #1 is created.

3. Rename New Value #1 to DisableTracking.

4. Double-click DisableTracking.

The Edit DWORD Value dialog opens.

5. Enter 1 in the Value Data field, click OK, and close the Registry Editor."

The above can be found in the Premiere Elements 8 Help PDF under

Adobe Premiere Elements Workspace

About the workspace

Welcome screen

Since this procedure involves the Registry, please double check instructions that I have given against those in the PDF. They should be one and the same.

Please let me know if you ran into this issue.

ATR

Ozpeter

Thank you for your comments.

From my point of view, I would prefer more comprehensive and significant upgrades of these programs on a less frequent basis, rather than token upgrades on a yearly basis. But, I guess one might argue that the yearly upgrade is necessary to keep up with the competition. Yet, from your example, we can clearly see that they are not accomplishing that with the yearly new version marketing strategy.

Right now, I suspect that top of the user wish list is the application you mention as well as introduction of a 64 bit version. But, there is an old expression, "Be careful what you wish for."

Thanks again for taking the time to comment.

I still need to finish off the Exports part of my First Look and add some miscellaneous interesting features. I still do not have a final answer to the question from those who ask "Upgrade to Premiere Elements 8?".

ATR

Ozpeter

You have definitely caught my attention with mention of your Panasonic Lumix DMC-GHI and how its video edits in Premiere Elements 8. Have you been able to edit the video from this camera in Premiere Elements 7?

Your post sent me online to check out your Panasonic. Very impressive, but from the point of view of Premiere Elements 7 or 8....  From what I have read and my understanding of it:

1. AVCHD with Dolby Digital Stereo

2. 1920 x 1080

NTSC, sensor captures 60 fields per second with recording at 24p.

PAL, sensor captures 50 fields per second with recording at 25p.

3. NTSC, 1280 x 720, sensor captures 60p (60 progressive frames per second) with recording at 60p.

PAL, sensor captures 50p (50 progressive frames per second) with recording at 50p.

I will be watching for any corrections to my look at your camera specifications and your follow up comments, especially how the programs dealt with the 1280 x 720 and associated frame rates.

Hope that by now the news is good on your side.

ATR

Premiere Elements 8: First Look

IMPORTANT ADD ON:  ENABLE GPU PLAYBACK OPTION

In a recent thread here Marc Barriere reported on purple screen for the Premiere Elements 8 with use of his video MotionJPEG with an AVI format. He said that he did not have this problem with the same video in Premiere Elements 7. This Premiere Elements 8 problem was resolved by going to the Edit Menu/Preferences/General and unchecking “Enable GPU Playback”. See his thread for details:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/498747?tstart=0

Background Summary.

In Premiere Elements 7, the Playback Settings (via right clicking Edit Mode Monitor and selecting Playback Settings) includes an area for Desktop Display Mode and gives the choices of Compatible, Standard, and Accelerated GPU Effects. There is no “Enable GPU Playback” in its Edit Menu/Preferences/General.

In Premiere Elements 8, the Desktop Display Mode with its choices are gone from Playback Settings. In Edit Menu/Preferences/General, there is now an option called “Enable GPU Playback” to check or uncheck.

Unchecking this “Enable GPU Playback” worked for Marc so that he no longer has that purple screen in his Edit Mode Monitor with the MotionJPEG with AVI format.

ATR

Jugemon76

I have been doing my evaluation of Premiere Elements 8 from the tryout version downloaded from Adobe. My computer operation system is Windows XP Professional SP3 (32 bit).

Except for DVD Templates and items like that, it has been my experience (versions 2, 6, and 7) that what you get in the tryout is what you will also get in the purchased version in the retail store or by making the purchase online.

As I stated earlier, the appearance in the opening sequence of that window with just the menu bar and everything else gray was a scary moment. I waited and waited, thinking that it would dissolve into something else. It did not. That is when necessity forced me to try File Menu where the New/Project allowed for continued progress in opening the program (new project dialog, followed by workspace).

Are you saying that, if you wait long enough, your window with the menu bar/gray will dissolve and progress into the next stage of opening automatically??

I suspect that the Premiere Elements 8 Welcome Screen may be a new concept for the Adobe designers. This default tracking of information from the Welcome Screen business may be generating more than it is worth. But these thoughts are just speculation at this point. So any further observations relating to the program opening would be very helpful.

ATR

Ozpeter

I cannot confirm your observation about the opening sequences for Premiere Elements 8.

I cannot escape the Welcome Screen. I have tried opening the program Start/All Programs/Adobe Premiere Elements 8 as well as the shortcut on the Desktop that was automatically placed during installation, and I get the same sequence as described in an earlier post.

Please advise if I have understood your observations and how they were obtained?

ATR

(using tryout version Premiere Elements 8, Windows XP SP3)

Ozpeter

I can now confirm your observation and am now able to bypass the Premiere Elements 8 Welcome Screen and get directly to the window with the Menu Bar across the top and everything else gray. At this point, I select File Menu/New/Project, followed setting up the New Project dialog, OK and am in the workspace. The choreography could be better designed, but....

It does seem strange to have those two files sitting next to one another in the Program Files (Adobe Premiere Elements 8.exe and Adobe Premiere Element.exe) and the Desktop shortcut set by the installation process set to target = Adobe Premiere Elements 8.exe which forces you to go through the Welcome Screen whereas the other does not. How did this get by the beta testers or was that just a mishap in the build of the new tryouts and copies for purchase??

For those interested in details, these are the details that I used to bypass the Premiere Elements 8 Welcome Screen, thanks to the observation and follow up of Ozpeter. There may be variations along the route, but this worked for me.

1. Right click the Premiere Elements 8 shortcut that the installation process places on your Desktop.

2. Select Properties, and, in the Properties Dialog, click on Find Target.

3. Find Target will take you to Program Files/Adobe Premiere Elements/8.0 where you will see the file "Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0.exe" highlighted.

4. Right next to the "Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0.exe" file is a file named "Adobe Premiere Elements.exe".

5. Right click the "Adobe Premiere Elements.exe" file and select "Create Shortcup".

6. You can cascade the Windows if you like and drag the "Create Shortcup" icon to the Desktop. (I guess you could do this with a copy/paste also)

7. Continue to use this new Adobe Premiere Elements 8 shortcut if you want to bypass the Welcome Screen when opening Premiere Elements 8.

Thank you for sharing this observation will prove very helpful to all.

ATR