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-Add the Transform effect to Adjustment layer as alternative to nesting a group of pictures with a move.

Did you know:
In Premiere and After Effects layers/effects on the timeline. The bottom layer is rendered/processed first.
But.
In effect controls (of one layer), processing order is top to bottom!

For example: the Video Limiter has to be on top in the timeline to be the last effect, but on the bottom in effect controls.

See this Adobe post about render order.

Super useful: Video & Audio Usage columns. Right-click on column in Project window> Premiere Pro Project Metadata> Check> Video Usage & Audio Usage.
Amazing for times when you want to figure out which pictures or music files you used and how many times. It even lets you right-click, open the Sequence and cues up the blue-line at the clip! Good stuff Adobe.

 

Find all clips and sequences in a project
By typing “seq” or “clip” in the search box.
It conveniently twirls down all folders showing sequences or clips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alt-drag markers to stretch them out.

Add source TC and Clipname to screeners.

-File>New>Transparent Video
-Add the Transparent Video on an empty track in the sequence.

-Add>Effects>Video>Clipname & Timecode to the Transparent Video
-in the effect controls choose the track of which you want to read the information.
-in above clip I also selected the Sequence TC burn in on export.
This kind of screener is very useful for picking clips from a lot of raw footage or for precise screening notes.

Premiere’s “Editing modes” are the same as FCP7’s “Easy setups.” The Sequence Settings show in one window how the application will behave. Understanding them can make the difference between struggling through your days or having a smooth experience. Related to this is the connection speed to your media drives, the performance of those drives and correct media locations.

Go to File>New>Sequence
Click Tracks>choose Multichannel.

Never work in default stereo, because you can’t change output channels from the sequence afterwards.
You also loose your renders when you copy and paste between sequences.

If you can match your mediafile’s settings in part 1 & 2 of the sequence settings, you’ll have no yellow render line on your timeline. (save as preset for later)
Adobe calls this: “use the media file as the preview file.”

 

Like in FCP7, a sequence can change “Editing Mode” the first time you drag footage into it when empty and like FCP7 it doesn’t always recognize the incoming clip correct.  So when do you choose change or keep?Nine times out of ten, start with File>New>Sequence, choose an editing mode, make it multi-channel or re-use an old sequence. “Change sequence settings” is unreliable!

–With DVCPRO-HD60i choose Editing Mode: P2 1080i-1080p 60Hz DVCPROHD
–With C100, MTS, AVCHD, DSLR H264 files and MP4 clips, choose either:
P2 1080i-1080p 60Hz DVCPROHD .MOV
or
AVC-Intra 50 1080i .MXF
With these formats you edit with yellow real-time line, then render and get the green line, for screening without stutters.
–NEVER use “I-Frame Only MPEG” in part 2 of the sequence settings.
–On a MAC always work in QuickTime ProRes.

For final exports, export straight out of Premiere. Export matching sequence settings, using previews.
Remove all disabled clips from the timeline before export! Premiere has a bug that exponentially inflates export times with even one disabled audio clip on the TL!
Export speed should be 1/4 realtime or better. Don’t use Queue because when you send a timeline with hundreds of edits with adjustment layers and filters. Dynamic linking has to pass all that information from Premiere to AME in the background applied to the footage in order to render all the frames correct. It causes glitches and is too slow.
The correct way of using AME is letting it crank out screeners from flattened files in the background while you work. H264 from flattened file should take 1/2 realtime. 

NOTES: In Premiere on WIN> PRORES Quicktime can’t be used at all, because it is a Mac-only format.(Apple will not license it to Adobe)
With DSLR’s try to shoot with KiPro or Samurai to avoid transcoding altogether.

This is the list of preferred I-Frame codecs that play without generating cache files:
DVCPRO-HD in MXF wrapper (the file structure on P2 cards)
DVCPRO-HD in Quicktime wrapper
PRORES  (Mac only)
AVID DNxHD & DNxHR MXF (Adobe licensed for both Mac & PC)
AVID DNxHD & DNxHR in Quicktime wrapper
AVC-intra MXF (Mac & PC)
C300 & C500 MXF files
AVI (windows only)
Any other file will generate Cache files on import for both Video & Audio

Legalize the video by adding an adjustment layer to the top track and apply the Video limiter with the following settings:

New 90% title save area’s for 4×3 & 16×9
Put in your General Project settings to reflect the “new” (since 2010) 90% Title safe settings.
They are 33, 10, 10, 10.
After putting in those numbers, simply go the the Program monitor’s Wrench and turn on Safe Margins. Also shows up in Title Tool.

STILL SPECS
Scan as close to 5000 pixels, in either direction.
For example, if you scan a 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper, it should be about 2909w x 4000h
All images must be saved in RGB, not grayscale, CMYK or any color space other than RGB.
File format should be either .tiff (TIFF) or .tga (Targa).
Tiff’s should be saved as 8bit, uncompressed, in PC byte order.
This method should provide you with the most options for your needs and provide you with a solid “master” element.

Premiere Pro by default operates internally in 32-bit color (that’s 32 bits per channel) Lead programmer on the Premiere Pro team, Steve Hoeg, explained how this works in Karl Soule’s blog post back in 2010. His explanation is at the end of the post, and is recommended reading for everyone who wants to understand the image processing in Premiere.
“When you add an effect and the timeline render bar turns red, this should trigger your attention.”
To make sure everything is done in 32-bit, you need to know for sure if you’re in 8-bit or 32-bit mode in Premiere. And it’s not always straight forward. Here’s the run-down.

• If you set your project settings to GPU acceleration mode and use only the GPU accelerated effects (the ones with the speedy Lego brick icon) it’s easy. You’re always in 32-bit mode. Your timeline render bar is yellow, and all is good.
• If you use non-accelerated effects, even with the project set to GPU mode, Premiere switches to Software Only mode, 8-bit. Go to Sequence > Sequence Settings and turn on “Maximum Bit Depth”, and you’re in 32-bit again – provided the effect supports it. You can have a look at the other Lego brick in the Effects panel, which says 32 if it is 32-bit capable. You will have to park the Playhead or render the timeline to see the image in its 32-bit treated glory when using non-GPU accelerated effects.
  But now you also have to remember to set the export to render in 32-bit, or the output will not match what you see when you edit! You do this in the Export panel under Basic Video Settings > Render at Maximum Bit Depth.
• If you’re working in Software Only mode because your GPU doesn’t have enough video RAM, then you always have to set the Sequence settings and the Export settings to Max Bit Depth to be able to work in 32-bit. The red render bar is your reminder to check this – and again you will have to park the Playhead or render the timeline to see the actual result.

So what can you take away from this list? To make your life easy, use a system with a good GPU, and only use effects with the speedy Lego brick badge. 

Plura monitor settings to match brightness & contrast of the Panasonic:
Brightness 5, Contrast 10, Color 0, Sharpness 20, Tint 0. Don’t change any other settings.

 

 

 

 

DELIVERY
Make sure your segment is within the following tech specs:
LUMINANCE: between 0 – 100
GAMUT: between -20 – 120
AUDIO: Level should sit between -15 & -10.
filling up to -10db (occasional peak up to -8db)
Sub-mixes are like the adjustment layer in video.
Dedicate tracks to VO, Nat, BG, Music etc. then apply filters to make them sound good, I always put the Multiband Compressor, De-esser and EQ on tracks.

-GFX 4×3 titlesafe and at 90% white.
-Add 2 seconds of handles at the Head and Tail of the segment
-Deliver your final flattened file in one of the 3 formats discussed above.
-Deliver a textless version with split audio.(separate: NAT, VO, MUSIC)

Audio mixer filters:

1. Multiband Compressor> Gain -6dB
2. DeEsser >Default
3. Dynamics processing on Host channel to reduce room noise with soft gate
   1 set to Noise Gate @20dB
4. 2 move point 3 left to bring up host without clipping

 

1. Adaptive Noise Reduction. >Light Noise Reduction > reduce by 5DB

Export matching sequence settings, using previews.
IMPORTANT> Remove all disabled clips from the timeline before export! Premiere has a bug that exponentially inflates export times with even one disabled audio clip on the TL!
Export speed should be 1/4 realtime or better. Don’t use Queue because when you send a timeline with hundreds of edits with adjustment layers and filters. Dynamic linking has to pass all that information from Premiere to AME in the background applied to the footage in order to render all the frames correct. It causes glitches and is too slow.
The correct way of using AME is letting it crank out screeners from flattened files in the background while you work. H264 from flattened file should take 1/2 realtime.

Resources
FAQ: How do I speed up rendering, exporting, or encoding?

 

1. File>Project Settings
2. Edit>Preferences
3. Go to File>New>Sequence
Click Tracks>choose Multichannel.

Never work in default stereo, because you can’t change output channels from the sequence afterwards.
You also loose your renders when you copy and paste between sequences.

If you can match your mediafile’s settings in part 1 & 2 of the sequence settings, you’ll have no yellow render line on your timeline. (save as preset for later)
Adobe calls this: “use the media file as the preview file.”

 

Like in FCP7, a sequence can change “Editing Mode” the first time you drag footage into it when empty and like FCP7 it doesn’t always recognize the incoming clip correct.  So when do you choose change or keep? Nine times out of ten, start with File>New>Sequence, choose an editing mode, make it multi-channel or re-use an old sequence. “Change sequence settings” is unreliable!

–With DVCPRO-HD60i choose Editing Mode: P2 1080i-1080p 60Hz DVCPROHD
–With C100, MTS, AVCHD, DSLR H264 files and MP4 clips, choose either:
P2 1080i-1080p 60Hz DVCPROHD .MOV
or
AVC-Intra 50 1080i .MXF
With these formats you edit with yellow real-time line, then render and get the green line, for screening without stutters.
–NEVER use “I-Frame Only MPEG” in part 2 of the sequence settings.
–On a MAC always work in QuickTime ProRes.

4. Import footage, edit and render.
5. For final exports, export straight out of Premiere. Export matching sequence settings, using previews.
Remove all disabled clips from the timeline before export! Premiere has a bug that exponentially inflates export times with even one disabled audio clip on the TL!
Export speed should be 1/4 realtime or better. Don’t use Queue because when you send a timeline with hundreds of edits with adjustment layers and filters. Dynamic linking has to pass all that information from Premiere to AME in the background applied to the footage in order to render all the frames correct. It causes glitches and is too slow.
The correct way of using AME is letting it crank out screeners from flattened files in the background while you work. H264 from flattened file should take 1/2 realtime. 

NOTES: In Premiere on WIN> PRORES Quicktime can’t be used at all, because it is a Mac-only format.(Apple will not license it to Adobe)
With DSLR’s try to shoot with KiPro or Samurai to avoid transcoding altogether.

This is the list of preferred I-Frame codecs that play without generating cache files:
DVCPRO-HD in MXF wrapper (the file structure on P2 cards)
DVCPRO-HD in Quicktime wrapper
PRORES  (Mac only)
AVID DNxHD & DNxHR MXF (Adobe licensed for both Mac & PC)
AVID DNxHD & DNxHR in Quicktime wrapper
AVC-intra MXF (Mac & PC)
C300 & C500 MXF files
AVI (windows only)
Any other file will generate Cache files on import for both Video & Audio

Resources
FAQ: How do I speed up rendering, exporting, or encoding?
Transcode?
Test disk speed WIN MAC

Scratch Disk settings for a shared Premiere project:
File> Project Settings (Tied to project, moves with project)

General Tab

-Set Title Safe to: 33, 10, 10, 10.
This reflects the new 90% PBS Red Book Title safe standard for both 16×9 and 4×3 Title Safe.
-Check > Display the project item name and label color for all instances. It makes colors in Project & Timeline consistent.
Edit > Preferences > Media
Both should be local, preferably on a 3rd drive. Unfortunately that means that in a shared project setup the Cache files will get regenerated when you open the project in another room. Until Adobe gets it’s act together this is just how it is. Check the “Write XMP ID” box for a better database experience.

Note: You get the best performance out of Premiere with all local drives. Adobe doesn’t know how to deal with files on a network!.

Updating and backing up project files: best practices
1. File>”Save a Copy” of the project every day. Not Save As, because that creates a new render folder.
Make sure only one version of the project is visible so that anyone can open the latest edit.
2. Keep a versioning system inside the project to make it possible to “step back in time.”
For example: Sequence_V1.0, Sequence_V1.1, Sequence_V1.2, through Sequence_V1.35
After export or screening, go one version number up: Sequence_V2.0, Sequence_V2.1… Sequence_V2.10 etc.
Internally, you can have as many versions as you like, but, externally, limit versions only to simple numbers.
I keep one bin at top level called “all” and have all other bins inside that. At the end of the day, copy and paste the latest sequence to the top level, leaving no question about what the latest sequence is.
3. Keep tracks locked when not in use, especially audio tracks after sending out an OMF to sound mix.
4. Always know if  “Selection Follows Playhead” is on or off!
Map it on your keyboard, or you will accidentally delete clips.
5. Before pasting material into timeline, right-click and choose “Default Source Assignment” to keep clips in the same stacking order.
6. When exporting “Software Only” check “Max bit depth” in export settings.
7. Avoid losing your renders, By clicking away from your rendered sequence, BEFORE closing Premiere.
Premiere immediately checks to see if the render files are available. If it doesn’t “see” them in those first milliseconds, they are ignored and you’ll have to re-render.

From Premiere manual
Ensure that Adobe video applications use the same cached files
Adobe video applications can automatically insert a unique document ID into each imported file. These unique IDs ensure that each application accesses the same cached previews and conformed audio files, preventing additional rendering and conforming. In the Media section of the Preferences dialog box (or the Metadata section for Soundbooth), select Write XMP IDs To Files On Import.

This setting is global—a change in one Adobe video application affects all the others. This setting also results in new file modification dates when IDs are initially inserted.
To save rendering time when transferring a project to another computer, move both cached and original files.

When resizing or making moves> Set zoom level of your Program monitor to 100%, then click Motion in Effect Controls.
Now you can check that your image doesn’t go off the edge of the screen.
Keep Transparency Grid (Program Wrench) on. It helps prevent mistakes with resizing, and FX.

 

Trim view helps prevent flash frames.

1. Make a cut and apply dissolve.
2. During the dissolve in this example there is a flash frame.
3. Grab dissolve with Selection Tool (V)
-Trim view automatically shows how to adjust dissolve.
-In this example make the dissolve end at cut.
4. Check transition.

 

 

 

 

Did you know:
In Premiere and After Effects layers/effects on the timeline. The bottom layer is rendered/processed first.
But.
In effect controls (of one layer), processing order is top to bottom!

For example: the Video Limiter has to be on top in the timeline to be the last effect, but on the bottom in effect controls.

See this Adobe post about render order.

Super useful: Video & Audio Usage columns. Right-click on column in Project window> Premiere Pro Project Metadata> Check> Video Usage & Audio Usage.

Amazing for times when you want to figure out which pictures or music files you used and how many times. It even lets you right-click, open the Sequence and cues up the blue-line at the clip! Good stuff Adobe.

 

Find all clips and sequences in a project
By typing “seq” or “clip” in the search box.
It conveniently twirls down all folders showing sequences or clips.

Sequence settings here
Project settings here
WIN>Edit > Preferences
MAC>Premiere Pro > Preferences
1. General: Default Settings,  ALWAYS check> Default scale to frame size.
 It makes footage & stills fit the sequence size.
For resizing using original resolution simply uncheck the box in right-click menu 
2. Appearance: Default Settings
3. Audio: Default Settings, except>change all Default Audio Tracks to Mono.

4. Audio Hardware 1of3 WIN-Room with AJA card.
4. Audio Hardware 2of3 MAC-Room with AJA card.

Also change: Apple-Menu>System Preferences>Sound>Output>AJA KONA

4. Audio Hardware 3of3 MAC or WIN software only.
5. Auto Save: Default Settings
6. Capture: Default Settings
7. Control Surface: Default Settings
8. Device Control: Default Settings
9+10. Label Colors & Defaults: Default Settings
11. Media Cache & Database should always be local, preferably on a 3rd SSD drive. Unfortunately that means that in a shared project setup the Cache files will get regenerated when you open the project in another room. Until Adobe gets it’s act together this is just how it is. Check the “Write XMP ID” box for a better database experience. More about Cache Files.
Note: You get the best performance out of Premiere with all local drives. Adobe doesn’t know how to deal with files on a network!
12. Memory Default Setting>Performance. Note: Premiere will use up to 16 processors for rendering, but sequences requiring large amounts of memory – like sequences with large stills – will need too much memory and your system will potentially starve on RAM. You can make a struggling system more stable by changing this setting to Memory. Remember to change back to Performance when done.
13. Playback 1of3 WIN-Room with AJA card.
13. Playback 2of3 MAC-Room with AJA card.
13. Playback 3of3 MAC or WIN software only. > Default Setting.
14-16 Sync, Titler, Trim> Default.

When you borrow from another project, learn to selectively import only the clips and elements you need:
1. Browse another Premiere or AE project using Media Browser> find sequence or element.
You can have multiple Media Browsers open at the same time!
2. Double click to open in source monitor. (this does NOT import yet)
3. Mark and edit into timeline or drag and drop with multiple sequences “pancaked”
4. Usually the Nest button on the Timeline should be off.
This way only the elements needed will be imported.
Adobe’s explanation.
Chinfat’s Media Browser guide.

When you work with designers or outside post facilities you frequently see the Quicktime Animation codec, especially when you receive elements with an alpha channel.
Quicktime Animation codec is no longer supported in Premiere 2015! On import you get error: “The File Has no Audio or Video Streams”
“Animation” is really quite an outdated codec. Premiere is not alone, Resolve 12 doesn’t support it either.
Instead export:
1. ProRes 4444 for Mac
2. Cineform > Mac & PC
3. Matte & Fill> Mac & PC

Producers & Designers:
To convert legacy Animation codec you can still import in AE 2015 and then export as Matte & Fill or Cineform.
You have to change all your future production specs to reflect this change.
Send outside designers and post facilities a note and a link to the Adobe Cineform format specs.

How to use Matte & Fill in Pr 2014 & 2015

1. Place the Fill & Matte on top of the footage.

2. Add the Track Matte Key to the fill.
3. Choose the video track with the matte above.
4. Composite using: Matte Luma

Funny in 2016 Photoshop still can’t read Cineform files!

 

 

There is still no Ultra Key in the 2015 version of AE, so how do you get an Ultra Key from Pr over to AE for compositing?
Export your clip as Quicktime Animation uncompressed 32 bit and the alpha channel will show up in AE

There is a known bug with AVCHD that causes audio to drop out in the middle of a clip in Premiere.
It looks like the file is corrupt. even when you match-frame, the audio drops out. But the files are fine.
Read this Adobe advice on importing AVCHD footage.
Sometimes when you bring in a lot of files using Media Browser you still get it.
Here is my workaround