For a fast and fluid editing workflow, people sometimes need to process “transcoded editing”. In this post, we will guide you through the process of transcoding Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 footage for editing in Avid, Premiere and Vegas with optimum performance.
How can I import Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 AVCHD 60P files into AMC?
“I have a MC 5.03 and I am using is a consumer grade Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7. Its best file capability is 1080/60P. I have tried importing the 60P files directly to MC but get a message “This type of mpeg file is not supported”. Is there an import file update or patch available that will allow me to bring these into Composer?”
The GF7 can record 1080/60p video in AVCHD or MP4 format. 60fps at 1080 is a non-standard format…and Avid only works well with standard film and broadcast formats. For a quick and smooth workflow, you will need to transcode the DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 footage to AVID friendly DNxHD codec. Apart from Avid MC, you may run into the same situation while editing DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 video in Adobe Premiere and Sony Vegas. We’ve talked about how to use Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7 60p video on Mac iMovie and FCP X in our previous post, and here in this post, we will continue talking about how to convert DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 files for editing in Avid, Premiere and Vegas. This required third party software like HD Video Converter for Mac. You can download a demo to see if it is able to do what you want.
How to convert Lumix DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 files for Avid, Premiere and Vegas?
Follow these steps:
Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as a professional Panasonic DMC-GF7 Converter for Avid/Premiere/Vegas. When its main interface pops up, click ‘Add File’ to input your source media.
Step 2: Select output format for your NLEs
1) Create editable file from Lumix DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 video 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.
2) Convert Lumix DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 video files for Premiere
If you are running Premiere Pro on a Windows PC, you can from ‘Format’ bar, select ‘Avid DNxHD (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.
If you are using Premiere Pro on a Mac, you can select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Final Cut Pro’ column.
In addition to DNxHD and ProRes, you can also select ‘MOV (AVC) (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Adobe Premiere/Sony Vegas’ option.
3) Transcode Lumix DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 video for Sony Vegas
Click the drop-down list besides ‘Profile’, choose ‘Adobe Premiere/Sony Vegas > MOV (AVC) (*.mov)’ as the most compatible format for Vegas with best quality. You can choose ‘MPEG-2 (*.mpg)’, or ‘WMV (VC-1) (*.wmv)’ as well.
This method is also available when you want to edit Lumix DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 video files in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
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 Lumix DMC-GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 files to 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 MOV files for use in Avid apps, Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas with optimum performance.
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