This post aims to provide a workaround for people who are looking for a solution to convert Panasonic Lumix GH4 AVCHD MTS files for editing in Avid Media Composer with excellent quality.
Needed to convert Panasonic GH4 MTS clips for Avid editing
“I work on Mac platform and am having trouble with editing Panasonic GH4 footage in Avid MC 5.5. The source files are MTS clips copied from my girlfriend’s GH4 camera. I heard that if I wanted to use MTS files in Avid, I had to convert them to a format that is compatible with Avid in advance. If it’s true, which program should I use and what format should I convert to? Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.”
Yes, it’s true. Like most NLEs, Avid can not directly accept separate MTS clips copied from an AVCHD folder without entire folder structure preserved. If you already have loads of loose GH4 MTS files on hand, or for some reason Avid refused working with your AVCHD footage even with entire folder structure maintained, you can consider transcoding GH4 AVCHD MTS file to DNxHD, the native editing codec of Avid, which Avid will accept and handle well. The Video Converter is a good choice to process Panasonic GH4 AVCHD to DNxHD MOV conversion. It comes with ease-to-use and intuitive interface, and offers optimal DNxHD .mov format preset for Avid Media Composer, which enables you to create editable files for use in Avid directly in simple steps.
Find the joy of Video Converter
Panasonic GH4 and Avid workflow – how to convert GH4 AVCHD to DNxHD for editing in Avid MC?
Follow these steps:
Step 1: Start up Video Converter as a GH4 AVCHD Converter for Avid. When its main interface pops up, click ‘Add File’ to input your source media.
Step 2: Choose output format for Avid MC
From ‘Format’ bar, select ‘Avid DNxHD (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.
Important: If you’ve loaded a number of video clips to do batch conversion, please do remember ticking off ‘Apply to All’ option before you start.
Step 3: Custom video and audio settings
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button and go to ‘Profiles Settings’ panel to modify video and audio settings like video encoder, resolution, video bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio encoder, sample rate, audio bit rate, and audio channels. 3D settings are also available.
Step 4: Start GH4 MTS to DNxHD MOV Conversion
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. As soon as the conversion is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the exported DNxHD MOV files for use in Avid apps with optimum performance.
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