Down-convert Panasonic GH2 MTS footage from 1080p to 720p for editing in FCP/Premiere

Summary: In this article, you can learn the best way to convert Panasoni GH2 AVCHD MTS to a file that FCP/Premiere can recognize on Mac(Mavericks 10.8 included) with downsizing 1080p HD video to 720p.

                                     


Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 updates the highly acclaimed if rather pricey GH1 Micro Four Thirds system camera. As such the GH2's styling is closer to that of a baby DSLR than its sibling's, the GF2 compact camera form. While stylistically similar, its size is roughly a third of the size of Olympus' Four Thirds E-5 DSLR, and closer in fact to that of a bridge camera. Except unlike a bridge camera, the Panasonic's added appeal is the ability to swap the lens in use. Therefore it's fair to say that for those who like the feel of a DSLR but not the attendant bulk, the GH2 is potentially a very attractive proposition. It's in effect a DSLR 'lite'. 

Easiest way to convert GH2 1080p .mts to 720p?

I'm a Director, DP-Editor/Gaffer. I do commercials and corporate work. I got my Panasonic GH2 and I shot all the .mts footage myself about Teaching Practices in Public Schools in Maryland. I like One-touch HD video recording and manual controls. And now I need to down-convert GH2 MTS footage from 1080p to 720p for storage and editing in FCP&Premiere. Is there any easy way (free or nominal fee)? 

Why we need to downsize the HD video?

By google search, you can see many folks are asking about how to downsize 1080p to 720p. It is my impression that if I edit with actual 720p files, it will be less strain on the system both in editing and rendering as well has hard drive space. In fact, it really does. After reducing the big video size, we will edit more smoothly, save space and make 1080p video playable on protable device like iPad.

An easy to use 1080p to 720p Converter

As in the above case, you have the need to find a professional MTS Converter for FCP/Premiere to downsize 1080p HD video to 720p. Pavtube MTS Converter for Mac is exactly the one ease of use. I have used it on my project, it is helpful in down-converting Panasonic GH2 1080p full HD video to 720p video quickly and transoding GH2 MTS file to FCP/Premiere editable Prores codec, then I can wok well with GH2 mts file in FCP and Premiere. Overall first impression is excellent. Below I will share the step-to-step guide to you.

Simple way to downconvert GH2 1080p to 720p for editing in FCP/Premiere

Step 1. Download Pavtube MTS Converter for Mac. This professional Panasonic MTS Converter can help you convert 1080p AVCHD MTS files to rich formats for use on Mac(Mavericks 10.9 included). 

Step 2. Install and launch this 1080p to 720p MTS Converter. Import 1080p MTS footage from GH2 to it. 
  


Step 3. Click "Format" bar to choose format for output, you can choose Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 HQ (*.mov) for editing in FCP and Premiere Pro.

Step 4. You can click “settings” to customize the output parameters, adjust the resolution, bitrate as you want. To down-convert 1080p to 720p, you just need set Size(pix) to 1280*720. That is the exact 720P.

Step 5. Click convert button to start converting Panasonic GH2 1080p AVCHD MTS to Prores for FCP and Premiere editing with 1280*720 definition.

As long as the conversion is done, you will get the 720p mov video files in full screen from its destination folder, and then you can import the files with 720p resolution to FCP/Premiere editing smoothly on Mac (including Mavericks 10.9).

Read more guides here: 

Panasonic G3 AVCHD to FCP
Panasonic DMC-FZ200 MTS to iMovie
Make Panasonic LX7 compatible with Avid MC
Panasonic Lumix GH3 MTS in FCP X
Edit Panasonic HC-V720K 1080 60p/50p MTS in FCP X
Panasonic HS900 AVCHD work with iMovie/FCE
Work with Panasonic V700 1080/50p AVCHD  in FCP

Transcode Sony NX5U MTS to ProRes for Aperture 3/Premiere Pro on OS X Mavericks 10.9

Summary: In this article, you can get the info of covnerting Sony NX5U AVCHD to Aperture 3/Premiere Pro compatible Prores codec for importing and editing on OS X Mavericks 10.9.


The first in Sony's line of NXCAM solid-state camcorders, the NXCAM HXR-NX5U is also the company's first professional-level AVCHD camcorder. And while it may look similar to its HDV predecessor, the HVR-Z5U, in fact this is a very different animal. And because the NX5U can capture to media cards plus an optional flash memory unit, you can simultaneously record a different signal to each, whether HD + a backup or HD + SD. The footage is then easily downloaded to a computer or backup drive using USB 2.0.

Sony HXR-NX5U can capture HD and SD video in AVCHD and MPEG-2 formats--and save it to solid state media--is only one of its distinctive traits. Full-raster 1920 x 1080 video is another, including the option of recording 720/60p video as well as 60i, 30p and 24p. With the 1080 video recording AVCHD file from NX5U, you may face problem when trying to import/load the 1080 AVCHD MTS to Aperture 3/Premiere Pro on OS X Mavericks 10.9.

Well, as is known to us, Aperture 3 and Premiere Pro accepts Prores MOV best, so, to convert AVCHD to Prores MOV is a good choice for editing Sony NXCAM HXR-NX5U AVCHD MTS inAperture 3/Premiere Pro.

To do the job, AVCHD Converter for Mac is an ideal tool. With it, you can convert Sony NX5U 1080 AVCHD files to Apple ProRes 422 for editing with Apple Aperture 3 and Premiere Pro on OS X Mavericks 10.9 without losing quality or rendering.

Below is the step-by-step guide for you to quickly convert Sony NX5U 1080 AVCHD to Aperture 3 or Premiere Pro compatibel Prores codec on Mac Mountain Lion, Lion, Snow Leopard or Leopard, OS X Mavericks 10.9.

Step 1: Download Pavtube Mavericks AVCHD MTS/M2TS Converter and import your Sony NX5U AVCHD file. This software will solve your AVCHD to Apple Aperture 3/Premiere Pro importing problems.



Step 2: You will need to choose the output format for Aperture/Premiere. You are recommended to choose Final Cut Pro -> Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov), it's great for editing in Apple Aperture and Premiere Pro. There are more formats for output, you can pick as you need.



Step 3: Click "Settings" button to adjust the output video's parameters, such as bitrate, resolution, etc. for example, you can choose the resolution as 1920*1080 or 1280*720, that's 1080p or 720p resolution, great for editing.



Step 4: Start converting Sony NXCAM NX5U 1080 AVCHD to Prores for Apple Aperture 3/Premiere Pro.

After converting, you can load Sony NXCAM NX5U 1080 AVCHD MTS to Apple Aperture 3/Premiere Pro for editing as you want, now you can have a try.

Find more solutions on Pavtube MTS column and Sony Column:

Sony VG900/VG30 MTS and Avid MC
Sony FS700 1080 50p/60p AVCHD workflow for Avid Media Composer
Sony NEX-VG900 AVCHD work with Final Cut Pro
Sony NEX-5N/NEX-7/A57/A65/A77 1080 60p AVCHD to FCP
Transcode Sony PJ580V to FCP X
Import Sony PJ650V MTS to ProRes for FCP 6/7/X on Mac
Edit Sony HX200V AVCHD in Final Cut Pro on Mac
Effortless Ingest Sony XR500 AVCHD to FCP 7

Transfer Canon HF R40/R42/R400 60p AVCHD to Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle,Movie Maker and Cyberlink

Summary: Tricks for transcoding Canon Vixia HF R40/R42/R400 60p AVCHD to Windows PC prefered codec for editing in Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker and Cyberlink. 

Canon updates its VIXIA line of digital camcorder, introducing three new HF R-series Full HD models designed to capture and share every day moments easily. The new HF R42, HF R40 and HF R400, built for everyday shooting, delivers improved image quality, sharing capabilities and user experience. Three models share many their features but differ from each other in storage capacity and connectivity options.




Each of these new VIXIA camcorders sport a 3.28 Megapixel Full HD CMOS image sensor, a new DIGIC DV IV image processor and a 53x Advance Zoom Canon HD Video Lens to capture HD movies. They can record Full HD MP4 videos at 35Mbps and Full HD 28Mbps AVCHD Progressive 60p videos. If you shot the 1080/60p movies in AVCHD format with Canon HF R40/R42/R400, some problems would occur during the importing into Windows editing software like Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker and Cyberlink.

In fact, AVCHD format is not supported by many editing softwares. It is not an ideal video format for editing softwares to support owing to its special codec. So if you want to edit Canon HF R40/R42/R400 1080 60p files in Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker and Cyberlink smoothly, you need to convert Canon Vixia 60p AVCHD to Window PC compatible codec first.

To get the work done,  Canon Vixia MTS Converter is the best third party program to achieve your goal smoothly. The software is a great choice for converting AVCHD videos to Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker and Cyberlink editable formats. It works with Sony, Panasonic and Canon AVCHD .mts and .m2ts footage. There are various export format for users to choose from, including AVI, MPEG-2,MOV,WMV. It also lets users to convert AVCHD files into common video formats like MP4, MKV, M4V, etc.


(Tips: If you are mac users, you can try this Canon MTS Converter for Mac)
Download  Pavtube AVCHD MTS/M2TS Converter here:

  

Guide: How to Convert Sony A99 MTS clips to DNxHD/AVI/WMV/MPEG-2 for Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker and Cyberlink 

Step 1. Connect Canon HF R40/R42/R400 camcorder to computer via USB cable, and it is easy to download videos from Canon HF R40/R42/R400 to your computer hard drive. 

Step 2. Install and run Pavtube MTS/M2TS Converter as the fast MTS to Windows PC Converter, click the "Add Video" button or the "Add from folder" icon to load your .MTS videos directly from your camera or a camera archive on your computer's HDD. 
 

Step 2. Set output video format for your video conversion.

Click the "Format" bar and choose "Adobe Premiere/Sony Vegas -> MPEG-2 HD Video (*.mpg)",or select WMV/MOV, you can also choose "HD Video -> AVI HD Video (*.avi)". Finally, click the file icon beside output bar, and choose a destination folder for saving output files. 

 

Tips: You can click “Settings” button in the main interface of the software to customize the output parameters, such as resolution, bitrate, etc. 

Step 3. Click “Convert” button to start converting Canon HF R40/R42/R400 1080/60p AVCHD MTS to Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker and Cyberlink  optimized videos. Then you could click “Open” button to find the converted video in destination folder.

In this way Canon HF R40/R42/R400 60p MTS/M2TS footages can be successfully loaded to  Avid, Premiere, Sony Vegas, Pinnacle, Windows Movie Maker and Cyberlink for editing and authoring. 

See also: 

Canon HF M500 AVCHD workflow on FCP, FCE, iMovie
How to import Canon Vixia MTS to Windows Movie Maker?
Work with Canon Legria HF20/HF200 MTS Videos on Mac
Transcode Canon C100 AVCHD on Mac

Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF workflow in Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro

Summary: Follow this article you will know how to solve Sony  PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF editing problems with Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro on Mac.

Sony has announced the new PDW-F800 XDCAM Camcorder, and you'll be able to get your hands on it at the Abel booth at NAB. This camera is basically a PDW-700 camera with some upgrades that many of our customers have been asking for. The list of new features that come standard with the camera include: 24p recording, variable frame rate recording (over-crank & under-crank), user gamma modes, dual-optical filters (ND and Color Correction), and SD recording modes. They have also added the ability to record proxy video data directly to a USB memory stick, so your editor can start working immediately with these files.


The PDW-F800 offers very high quality HD recording at a data rate of up to 50Mbps using the MPEG-2 4:2:2P@HL compression and the recorded video format is MXF. But for Mac users, using Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD 422 MXF is a big problem. The mxf files will not be handled perfectly in Mac editing software like Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro due to the incompatible format and codec. Especially, some XDCAM HD422 MXF raw footage was shot in 50 fps, it can't be accepted by Avid MC and Premiere Pro.

So if you want to smoothly edit Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF in Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro, you first need to convert Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF video to Avid and Premiere compatible mov format.

First of all, we highly recommend the professional Sony XDCAM MXF Converter for you, which allows you to convert/transcode Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF files to Avid/Premiere friendly format easily and quickly without any video and audio problem. Below, we give you the step-by-step guide. 

Convert Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF to Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro on Mac OS X 


Step 1: Add MXF video files. 

Download and run Pavtube Mac Sony XDCAM Converter. Connect Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM camcorder to your Mac computer hard drive via USB cable. 

Click the button "Add File" or "Add from folder" to add Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF files, or directly drag and drop your Sony XDCAM HD MXF files. 
 

Step 2: Select an output format for Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro. 

Click on the "Format" and get the dropdown menu, then move you pointer to Adobe Premiere/ Sony Vegas-> MOV(AVC)(*.mov) for output in Premiere Pro for editing.



And if you need to edit in Avid MC, choose Avid Media Composer -> Avid DNxHD (*.mov), this format is best for Avid native editing.   


Step 3: Click "Settings" icon to adjust audio and video parameters. 
Click the "Settings" icon and you will go into a new interface named "Profile Settings". You can adjust codec, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate and audio channel in the interface according to your needs and optimize the output file quality. 

Step 4: Start Converting. 

Click the "Convert" button; it will convert Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF files to MOV for Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro on Mac immediately. 

After the Sony XDCAM to MOV Conversion, you will be able to get the output files for Avid MC and Premiere Pro via clicking on "Open" button effortlessly.

Afterwards, you can import the converted Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD422 MXF videos to Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro freely for further editing without any trouble. 

Mac Video Importing Tips

• Premiere Importing: How to import video files or projects to Premiere Pro?
• Avid Media Composer Importing: How to import Media files to Avid MC?

XDCAM related guides:

Edit PDW-700 XDCAM MXF in FCP
Work Natively with Sony PDW-510 XDCAM HD MXF in iMovie
How to Import XDCAM into FCP X without using any plugin
Convert Sony XDCAM MXF files for iMovie 11
Transfer Sony XDCAM footage to QuickTime MOV on Mac
Transcode Sony PMW-100 XDCAM MXF to Premiere Pro