Batch capturing and recapturing

Adobe Premiere Pro supports batch capturing—automatic, unattended capture of multiple clips from a controllable device. You can define a batch by selecting a group of clips you have logged. These appear as offline (placeholder) clips in the Project panel or in a bin. You can capture any number of logged offline clips by selecting them and choosing File > Batch Capture. When you begin capture, Adobe Premiere Pro automatically re‑sorts entries by tape name and timecode In points so that they’re captured as efficiently as possible.

To save time by reducing the number of clips you log manually, consider using Scene Detect. See Use automatic scene detection.

When you want to batch capture a set of logged offline clips, select them in the Project panel and choose File > Batch Capture. If you organized offline clips into bins, you can batch capture an entire bin by selecting the bin.

Adobe Premiere Pro can capture video in the background so that you can perform other tasks during capture. When you start either a manual capture or batch capturing in Adobe Premiere Pro, you can minimize the Adobe Premiere Pro application or switch to another application without stopping capture. After you restore the Adobe Premiere Pro window, you can click anywhere inside it to halt capture. However, be aware that frames may drop out if you perform a system‑intensive task while capturing. The chance of dropping frames is lower on a high‑performance system, such as one with dual processors.

Preparing for batch capturing

A.

Clips selected for capture

B.

Capture Settings option

1. Select the offline clips that you want to capture, and then choose File > Batch Capture.
2. In the Batch Capture dialog box, do any of the following:
   • Choose Capture With Handles and enter the number of frames for the handles if you want to capture frames beyond the In and Out points identified for each clip in the batch.

     Note: The number of frames you enter here will be added to the number you set for handles in the Capture panel.

   • Choose Override Capture Settings if you want to replace the capture settings of individual clips in the batch with the project’s default settings.

3. Verify that the deck and source videotape are set up properly for capture, and then click OK.
4. In the Insert Tape dialog box, insert the requested tape and click OK. If you are capturing from multiple tapes, be ready to insert them when prompted.
5. If you want to stop batch capturing, click the Stop button in the Capture panel, or press the Esc key.

You can perform trouble‑free batch capturing if device control and the project’s capture settings are set up properly and if the offline clips you logged are consistent and free of conflicting data. If you encounter problems with batch capturing, make sure that all clips you want to batch capture are set up with the proper settings:

• The Status of each clip must be Offline. Verify the status in the Project panel List view. If a clip is not offline, select it in the Project panel and choose Project > Unlink Media. If you select multiple clips and some are online, Adobe Premiere Pro captures the offline clips only.

• Tape Name, Media Start, and Media End must be specified in the Edit Offline File dialog box for each offline clip. As long as one selected offline clip contains these settings, the Batch Capture command is available, but only clips with all three settings are captured. If necessary, verify this in the Project panel List view or double‑click each offline clip to edit settings.

• Recording video, audio, or both must be supported by the selected capture device. For example, audio isn’t captured if the capture device doesn’t capture audio. If settings exist that can’t be captured, batch capturing stops and the Capture Settings Error dialog box appears.

• The filename of each clip (as specified in the Capture Settings dialog box) must not duplicate the filename of an existing clip. If necessary, double‑click each offline clip to verify that its name is unique. If you select an offline clip with a duplicate name for batch capturing, Adobe Premiere Pro slightly alters the name of that clip when it captures it. In this way, it avoids overwriting the other file with the same name.

To manage capture errors when the Capture Settings Error dialog box appears, do one of the following:

• To fix the capture settings for any clips in the list, select one or more files in the list and click Edit Settings.

• To omit the clips with invalid capture settings and proceed with the rest of the batch capture, click Skip. Clips you skip are removed from the list and are not captured.

• To stop batch capturing, click Cancel. No clips are captured.

• To import a batch‑list timecode log, open a project and choose Project > Import Batch List. Locate and select the file, and click Open.
• To export a batch‑list timecode log, select the files that you want to log. Then choose Project > Export Batch List. Specify a filename and location, and click Save.

For online editing, you capture clips at the level of quality required for the final version of the video program. This is the default method of working in Adobe Premiere Pro. Online editing works well when the speed and storage capacity of the host computer are adequate to the demands of the video formats used. For example, most modern computers can handle the data rate of DV in full resolution. They may be challenged, however, by the greater demands of, for example, HDV or HD footage. For many videographers, that’s where offline editing comes in.

In offline editing, you capture low‑quality clips for editing purposes, but recapture them at high resolution when it’s time to finish, render, and export your final product. Editing the low‑resolution clips allows standard computers to edit excessively large assets, such as HDV or HD footage, without losing performance speed or running out of storage. It also lets editors use laptop computers to edit—for example, while on location.

You may edit a project entirely online. On the other hand, you may edit in a two‑phase workflow: making your initial creative decisions offline, then switching to online for finishing tasks like fine‑tuning, grading, and color correction.

You can complete an offline edit of, for example, an HD project with Adobe Premiere Pro and then export your project to the Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) or EDL for transfer to an editing system with more powerful hardware. You can then perform the final online edit and rendering, at full HD resolution, on that system.

1. If you want to override the capture settings for any clip that you intend to recapture, set the clip’s Capture settings.
2. In the Project panel, select all the clips you want to recapture. If you want to select clips in different bins, use List view, which lets you view multiple bins.
3. Choose Project > Make Offline. The selected clips are dissociated from their current source files.
4. In the Make Offline dialog box, specify whether the source media files are to remain on disk or be deleted.
5. With the offline clips still selected, choose File > Batch Capture. Adjust the settings as necessary.
6. Verify that the deck and source videotape are set up properly for capture, and then click OK.
7. After recapturing is complete, save the project.