Transcoding MXF files into Premiere Pro editable files


Couldn’t edit MXF files in Premiere Pro smoothly? That’s mainly because your hardware is not powerful enough to handle MXF footage. In that case, you are going to need transcode MXF files into Premiere Pro preferred format prior.

Issues working with Sony FS5 MXF files in Adobe Premiere
“Hello everyone, I recorded a bundle of slow motion 240 fps videos using a new Sony FS5 camera. When I import my .MXF files in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, I get a very “bumpy” preview, and most of all I get lots of completely red images. I work with Premiere Pro CC (2016 V9.2.0) on an old MacBook Pro running OS X10.11.3 El Capitan. Is there anything I can do to solve the problem? Thanks for any help.”

With a relatively slow computer, transcoding step is required for a fluid MXF workflow in Premiere Pro. When converting the MXF files into ProRes or DNxHD, they will work just fine in PPro. Check a simple guide on how to transcode MXF files into Premiere Pro editable files.

How to convert MXF files for Premiere Pro editing?

Software requirement
HD Video Converter
MXF to Premiere Pro ConverterMXF to Premiere Pro Converter

Step 1: Start up HD Video Converter as an MXF to Premiere Pro Converter.

Step 2: Click ‘Add File’ to import your source media to the program.
transcode MXF files into Premiere Pro

Step 3: Select output format
* If you are on a Windows PC, from the format bar, choose ‘Avid DNxHD 1080p (*.mov)’ as output under ‘Avid Media Composer’ column.

** If you are on a Mac computer, you can from the format bar, choose ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as target under ‘Final Cut Pro’ catalogue.
issues editing MXF footage in Premiere Pro

Also, you can select ‘MOV (AVC) (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Adobe Premiere/Sony Vegas’ option.
transcode MXF files for use in Premiere Pro
*** A point to note here is that the HD Video Converter software features an MPEG-2 format profile optimized for Adobe Premiere, but some people said that the MPEG-2 is a lossy codec that throws away information which is not the right codec for editing. For this reason, we would recommend converting MXF to DNxHD MOV for Premiere Pro on Windows and transcoding MXF to ProRes MOV for Premiere Pro on Mac.

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 MXF files to Premiere Pro supported QuickTime MOV format. As soon as the conversion complete, click ‘Open’ button to locate the generated files and now you are able to open them in Premiere Pro for further editing.

Also read
How can I import MXF footage into Avid Media Composer?
FCP 7 not recognizing my MXF file – convert MXF to ProRes
Convert P2 MXF to ProRes for FCP 6/7/X without losing sound
MXF and Vegas – How can I edit MXF video files in Sony Vegas?