Run into issues editing Sony FS7 4K XAVC files in Premiere Pro CS6? If so, you may have interest in this post. It displays a workaround to transcode FS7 4K XAVC footage for use in Premiere Pro CS6 flawlessly.
The FS7 records 4K video internally with a super 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor, giving the image a nice film look with beautiful depth of field. The actual resolution in camera is UHD (3840 x 2160), not quite full 4K – for that you need an external recorder. In UHD you have your choice of two different codecs, 10-bit 4:2:2 XAVC-I or 8-bit 4:2:0 XAVC-L. The difference between XAVC-I (intra) and XAVC-l (long) other than colorspace is about 450mbps; XAVC-I tops out at 600mbps while XAVC-L reaches just 150mbps. They are great formats, but the UHD can bog down a slower to mid-range workstation, and Premiere Pro CS6 does not support the format.
To make Sony FS7 XAVC footage work beautifully in Premiere Pro CS6, a simple solution is to transcode them to a format that is best suitable for use in Premiere, such as DNxHD and ProRes. With HD Video Converter installed, it won’t be a problem to do this.
How to convert Sony FS7 XAVC footage for Premiere CS6 editing?
Here’s what you need
HD Video Converter
You can download a demo version (for both, PC and Mac) to have a try. They are not free but it totally worth it.
Follow these steps:
Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as a Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC to Premiere Pro Converter.
Step 2: Click ‘Add File’ to import Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC media to the program.
Step 3: Select output format
1) Convert PXW-FS7 XAVC to DNxHD .mov for Premiere
If you are on a Windows PC, from the Profile list, choose ‘Avid DNxHD 1080p (*.mov)’ as output under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.
2) Encode PXW-FS7 XAVC to ProRes .mov for Premiere
If you are on a Mac computer, from the Profile list, choose ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as target format under ‘Final Cut Pro’ catalogue.
3) You can also choose the WMV, MPEG-2, and MOV under ‘Adobe Premiere/Sony Vegas’ column as output, but these three formats may cause lossy quality more or loss, so the DNxHD .MOV and Prores .MOV are recommended for lossless quality.
Step 4: Custom video and audio settings (for advanced users)
Click ‘Settings’ button, the ‘Profile Settings’ panel pops up, on which you are able to modify video and audio settings like resolution, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate and audio channel.
Step 5: When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start transcoding Sony PXW-FS7 XAVC files to Premiere Pro supported file format. As soon as the conversion is complete, click ‘Open’ button to locate the generated files and now you are able to open them in Premiere for post production with optimal performance
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