Adobe Premiere: Export Files for DVD, Blu-ray Disc and Compression [Video]

Posted on by Larry

[This is an excerpt from a recent online video training: Create DVDs and Blu-ray Discs Using Adobe Encore, which you can download from our store. You can also access all our Adobe training by becoming a Video Training Library subscriber.]

In spite of the constant drumbeat from technology companies, the media world is not yet ready to abandon optical media like DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. The key, today, is finding and learning the software you need to create professional-grade discs: Adobe Encore.

In this short video training, host Larry Jordan shows you three different ways to export files from Adobe Premiere Pro CC for use in optical media:

As part of this tutorial, Larry also suggests compression settings to get the best results for your media.


Export Files for DVD, Blu-ray Disc and Compression

TRT: 9:17 — MPEG-4 HD movie

NOTE: This video may not play inside FireFox; if so, please use a different browser.

Visit our website for more great training and editing ideas!


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19 Responses to Adobe Premiere: Export Files for DVD, Blu-ray Disc and Compression [Video]

  1. Tom says:

    Larry,

    Hi, I’ve been in Adobe Premiere CC now, for over a year, and I’m kind of paranoid about matching specs to create my high quality master. coming from FCP7, all we had to do was “Export Same as Source”, and we were done. However, when I’m editing Sony XDCAM EX 1080p30 (35Mb/s VBR), I find that when I go to export and click on “Match Sequence Settings”, Adobe Premiere wants to create a “MPEG Preview”, so I’ve always just opened QuickTime, CTRL+I to get the original image specs, and also check my time-line specs, to ensure they’re both identical, then manually dial in my output with the same specs, Quality 100%, XDCAM EX 1080p30 (35Mb/s VBR)… I save the preset and call it “Same as Source”, do you have any thoughts on this? I’ve also heard that exporting an XDCAM EX 1080p30 (35Mb/s VBR) is a waist, and that for a final master, I should consider a 1080p H.264 file.

    Any thoughts?

    • LarryJ says:

      Tom:

      Well, this gets tricky. XDCAM is, actually, an MPGE-2 file. And I would never recommend transcoding from XDCAM to H.264 for a master file, though this is perfectly fine for creating a distribution file to send to YouTube from your XDCAM master.

      Just as a test, check the “Match Sequence Settings” checkbox during export and compare the specs of what Premiere exports vs your timeline settings. I suspect they will be the same.

      Larry

  2. Tom says:

    Larry, thanks so much for the response. It’s incomparable to have someone like you with all the great training, and everything always ensure responses to your audience, it’s truly unique, amazing, and very much appreciated, amid all you do and your schedule. Thanks so much.

  3. Mark says:

    Unfortunately in Premiere the match sequence settings in the export window has nothing to do with media codec. Even if you used the “New sequence from clip” contextual command to try and maintain quality by setting a sequence to your media. The match sequence settings is based on the Sequence Settings –> Video Previews.
    For example set the VIdeo previews file format to QuickTime and Codec to H.264 and that is was match sequence settings checkbox will output on export.

    To reduce the incidence of re-encoding output you could set video previews settings to match the media (if only one flavour is used in your sequence).

  4. Marco says:

    Larry, super helpful video.

    A bit confused on what to do after I match the settings and export it to be put in media encoder.

    the export for the match sequence setting goes to a “CONTENTS” folder with many files such as “clips” “audo” “proxy” and others.

    What do I do to send the sequence to export it to be view on a dvd player?

    Thanks so much


    Marco

    • LarryJ says:

      Marco:

      Before you export, look at the top of the window. You can change the location of the exported file.

      As to what to do with the file once it is exported, THAT is the entire process of authoring a DVD. This webinar explains:

      http://www.larryjordan.biz/app_bin/Store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=360

      Larry

      • Marco says:

        Larry,

        The file turns into a “content” folder and its not one file – it exports to 6 files. audio, clip, icon, proxy, video and voice.

        Confused on what it is i do with those folders and how i get it into media encode to successfully make it viewable on a dvd.

        And another thing..

        i dont seem to have mpeg2, is it a codec you downloaded? Working with premiere pro Cs6

        Thanks

        • LarryJ says:

          Marco!

          Ah… It seems that Premiere is trying to write this back to your system in AVCHD camera card format. Hmmm… MPEG-2 is an old codec, you should not need to download anything to get Premiere to support it.

          If you are able, try exporting your file using AVC-Intra. This is a very high-quality codec available with Premiere on both Mac and Windows. Then, use that as your master file for AME to compress.

          If that codec isn’t available, it’s time to call Adobe Support.

          Larry

  5. Alex says:

    Thank you Larry for this excerpt but it leaves me slightly confused.

    Like Tom above, I want to export from Premiere Pro CC 2014 the highest quality master file I can given the media I am using which is mostly DSLR footage from Canon cameras. The footage was not transcoded before the edit and I used the DSLR 25fps 1080p Sequence preset. When I use the Match Sequence Settings option I get the MPEG Preview Format and all the basic video settings at the bottom are ‘greyed out’. Also, worryingly, the Quality is set to 50 and also ‘greyed out’.

    Reading from above I guess this is because it is looking at the ‘Sequence Settings Video Previews’ rather than the footage in the sequence itself. I quickly tested this by creating a new sequence but rather than using the DSLR preset I made up settings from scratch and ensured that the Video Previews were not ‘I-Frame Only MPEG’ but Quicktime and then used the Apple PreRes 422 (HQ) codec. This time when I tried to export that sequence and match the sequence settings I got the Quicktime Apple ProRes 422 settings showing at 100% quality.

    So my main questions are, what are the Video Previews exactly (and how do they affect my edit)? Additionally, if you were editing with mostly DSLR footage (occasional GoPro clips too) what would you set your Video Previews to? Any help would be so gratefully received.

    Best regards

    Alex

    PS – I bought your Premiere Pro workshop from CreativeLive when I switch do Premiere Pro and it has been an invaluable tool. Thank you so much for all your advice.

    • Tom Laughlin says:

      Alex, it seems like this was something that FCP 7 had, that Premiere doesn’t, or it does, but it’s not that simple. “Match Sequence Settings” I too, have used, but am not happy with the results or satisfied that the settings are absolutely matched, at least they way I understand matching sequence settings. I find that most of the time, when I drag a native DSLR or EX-1 file into my time-line, Premiere gets it right, but some sequence stuff is “greyed out” so I figure Premiere does this “greying out” to act as a courtesy for beginners and intermediates. But for advanced level editors, who understand specs and “care” about specs a bit more, I feel that Premiere should give us more control in the set phase, and export phase. Or, what I probably mean is, make it more overt, and more straight forward, like FCP7 did. This “I-Frame MPEG Preview” I still don’t really know what that means, I’m assuming it’s a good thing, I don’t know?

      In terms of editing, I’m 100% certain, but when it comes to be sure in Premiere about setup and export, it gets kind of fuzzy, and everyone has their own ‘belief’ that what they are doing is the correct way. In FCP7, it was more technical, not as vague. Or, at least it was simple, where it needed to be simple, and complex, where it needed to be complex. In Premiere, where it needs to be simple, it’s complex, and where it’s complex, it needs to be simple. Rather than give us 100 export options, give us three top export options. I recently did some export tests using Premiere, I exported three ways, matched settings, dialed in setting with “limited the export to 10,000 kps” box checked, and then also exported a file dialed in setting with Premiere’s suggested “limited the export to 10,000 kps” box unchecked, and found that the uncompressed file was the best quality, but I had to do all this homework on my own time, and I felt that this testing should be replaced with standardized workflow and export instructions that Adobe can continue to make more apparent.

      I also need to keep learning, so I can’t wait on Adobe either. Also, every project is different, and some footage and export issues make come out golden, stars aligned, whatever, but other times, for some strange reasons, we have exports that don’t look as good, even though we’ve followed everyone’s advice, so all I can say is, when you arrive at your answers, share it with us!

      With that, as to not duplicate efforts on Larry’s part, I do appreciate the wealth of instruction Larry has offered to us all, however, I am open to the explorations and answers to those questions that people like you Alex, continue to raise, in this learning process and effort.

      • LarryJ says:

        Tom:

        You make some excellent points. I agree there needs to be a clear method to output a file with the highest quality without requiring excessive configuration.

        I’ve sent a note to my contacts at Adobe to see if I can learn more.

        Larry

  6. Tom Laughlin says:

    Larry,

    Thanks for the note, and for taking the time to send notes upstream, huge appreciation.

    With that, I think the only thing I feel I left out of my comments, was, this sensse of, or flavor, or concept, or spirit of ‘exactness’, and simplicity, but more so, this “exactness” aspect. We need exactness.

    As an editor, having to experiment, and spend a lot of time dialing in settings, as we sometimes do, and also when Adobe does their own automated dialing in for us upoon set-up or export, that’s helpful to a point. Really.

    But it’s like getting “medical advice”, rather than getting a surgeon in there inside the doctor’s office, telling you exactly what is wrong, the simple details coupled with technical exactness, rather than the suggestions (referring to the somewhat “generically” vague, endless, or on-going conversations we have with our medical or nutritional consultants, they’re all valid and great, but what patients want it direction and exactness…) is kind of what I’m getting at… If that makes sense? Yes, I tend to state and overly state the obvious, this is an addendum comment, so it’s more directed to the “exactness” factor we once saw in FCP7.

    Thanks!

  7. Lee says:

    Thank you Larry, I found this short video really helpful. I am just looking to author DVD from my Premiere project so this is exactly what I needed to know.

  8. Olufemi says:

    kindly, assist me, I export with mpeg2 DVD but my output file separate video from audio. how do I merge this to create a standard DVD disk

    • Larry says:

      Olufemi:

      Great question. You don’t. Instead, the two files (called “MPEG/2 Elementals”) are combined during the DVD authoring process (called “multiplexing”) to create the final DVD.

      In other words, your authoring software combines them.

      Larry

  9. K Stevens says:

    PLEASE HELP LARRY

    I have exported as advised for DVD and have ended up with 2 files.
    What programme do you recommend using to actually burn to disk? Is finder ok? I need something inherent within the mac as I am worried about viruses from other programmes and don’t have Encore. Please advise me the simplest way possible to burn these 2 exported Premiere files to a blank disc.

    Thank you
    K Stevens

    • Larry says:

      K:

      Well, this depends upon the two files you created. If you created an .M2V and .AC3, then you will need either Adobe Encore or Apple DVD Studio Pro – both run on the Mac, but neither are currently sold.

      If you created a .mov file, you can use Roxio Toast – do a Google search – to burn your DVD. Roxio is your best option, but it will require a QuickTime movie, not the two MPEG elemental files I mentioned in the first paragraph.

      Larry

  10. Monique says:

    Hello Larry
    Every year I edit a 1.5 hr. long multicam sequence of our Christmas production in Premiere Pro. I have tried lots and lots of ways to get it to look good on a DVD and failed. I tried to follow your instructions, but I can’t click the match sequence settings button and then change other things – it grays them out and sits on MPEG preview in the format field. Any advice?
    Do I just have to live with the fact that my video looks horribly pixely on the DVD?
    Thanks for your advice.

    • Larry says:

      Monique:

      Well… maybe. It is important to remember that ALL DVDs use standard-definition video. (Blu Ray discs use HD.) So, you are looking at an image on a DVD that’s only 720×486 pixels. PAL images are slightly larger: 720×576 pixels. There isn’t a lot of visual information there.

      So, if you are looking at DVD playback on a large, high-resolution computer monitor, it’s gonna look grainy. If you play it on a TV and sit on the couch, it will look as you expect.

      Also, the DVD spec requires MPEG-2 video and AC3 audio. That can’t be changed.

      Larry

      All DVDS,

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