Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0

Capture footage using device control

Capturing footage with device control simply means using the controls (Play, Fast Forward, Rewind, Pause, Stop, Record, and so on) in the Capture panel to control your device, instead of using the controls on the device. Device control is a convenient way to locate and capture scenes.

Capture panel controls 

A.
Previous Scene

B.
Next Scene

C.
Rewind

D.
Step Back

E.
Play

F.
Shuttle

G.
Step Forward

H.
Fast Forward

I.
Stop

You can use device control with DV and HDV camcorders and tape decks when you connect them using the IEEE 1394 port (recommended) or the USB port. If you connect using the USB port and do not get device control, use the IEEE 1394 port instead.

If your device does not use these ports, device control will not be available, and you must capture using the controls on the device itself.

Capture from DV and HDV camcorders

If you are capturing only a portion of a tape, as opposed to capturing an entire tape, capture at least three seconds of additional footage (called handles) at both the beginning and end of the capture to ensure a margin of error during capture. Handles also allow for cleaner transitions and more flexibility when you trim your clips.

  1. Connect the DV or HDV camcorder to your computer.
  2. Turn on the camcorder and set it to playback mode, which might be labeled either VTR, VCR, or Play. You can also keep it in recording mode.
  3. Start Adobe Premiere Elements.
  4. If this is your first time capturing from a given device, or if you have changed devices since last capturing with Adobe Premiere Elements, click Setup in the Welcome screen.
  5. In the Setup dialog box, select the preset that matches the format and television standard of your device. For example, if you are capturing from an HDV camcorder, choose the appropriate HDV preset. Click Save As Default. (See Prepare a project for video capture.)
  6. From the Welcome screen, select New Project or Open Project.
  7. Choose Edit > Preferences > Device Control, and do one of the following, and click OK:

    • (Recommended) To capture video through an IEEE 1394 cable, select DV/HDV Device Control from the Devices menu.

    • To capture video through a USB 2.0 port, select USB Video Class 1.0 - Device Control from the Devices menu.

  8. Click Get Media in the Media view of the Tasks panel, and choose DV Camcorder, HDV Camcorder, Webcam .
  9. (Optional) To turn off automatic scene detection, deselect Scene Detect By Timecode or Scene Detect By Content in the Capture panel menu.
    Note: Scene Detect By Timecode is available for DV capture only. You can detect scenes in HDV or WMD after you’ve captured footage using Scene Detect By Content. (See Use scene detection.)
  10. (Optional) Select Capture To Timeline from the Capture panel menu. Capturing to the Timeline automatically assembles all captured clips in the Timeline, in the order in which they are captured, providing a quick way to prepare your movie for editing.
  11. Select Capture Settings from the Capture panel menu, and select the format of your video source from the Capture Format menu: DV Capture, HDV Capture, or WDM Capture. Then click OK.
  12. Locate the scene you want to capture by doing either of the following:

    • Drag the Current Position Timecode display, or click it and enter the timecode you want.

    • Advance to the next or previous scenes by clicking Next Scene   or Previous Scene  .

      Note: Activating any application window other than the Capture panel stops the capture. If you want the capture to continue without interruption, do not access any other panel.
  13. Click Get Video.

    You will see a preview of your video in the Capture panel. If for some reason, the video cannot display in the Capture panel, a default image with the message “Playing on video hardware” will appear there, and you can view the playback on the HDV device itself.

  14. To stop the capture before the tape reaches its end, click Stop Capture.
  15. (Optional) Do one of the following:

    • If you chose Scene Detect, use the Next Scene and Previous Scene buttons to move to the next scene you want to capture.

    • If you didn’t choose Scene Detect and you captured only a segment of your video, repeat this procedure to locate and capture another segment of video.

  16. When you finish capturing, close the Capture panel.

    The captured clips appear in the Project view of the Tasks panel, as well as the Organizer.

To operate some Capture panel controls with the keyboard, see the shortcuts in the tool tip for each control button. (Hold your pointer over a button to see its tool tip.)

Change device control settings

Device control settings specify the type of device you’re capturing from and settings for that device, as well as preroll and timecode offset.

 Choose Edit > Preferences > Device Control, or, choose Device Control from the Capture panel menu and set any of the following:
Devices
Specifies the type of device from which your capturing footage. If you’re using IEEE 1394 capture, select DV/HDV Device Control. If you’re using USB 2.0 capture, choose USB Video Class 1.0 - Device Control.

Preroll
Specifies the number of seconds you want Adobe Premiere Elements to roll the tape before the specified start time so that the device can attain a constant speed. The tape plays for the specified amount of time before recording begins.

Timecode Offset
Indicates the number of frames to adjust in the timecode embedded in the captured video so that it corresponds with the same timecode number of the same frame on the source tape.

Options
Lets you specify the following options for your device:
Video Standard
Specifies whether the device uses NTSC or PAL.

Device Brand
Specifies the exact brand for your device.

Device Type
Specifies device settings to use: Standard uses the normal settings for the device; Alternate uses the settings for a comparable device if the actual device used is not listed; HDV uses settings specific for HDV devices.

Timecode Format
Lets you choose the type of timecode you want to use for capture. For best results, choose Auto Detect. Drop Frame is best for NTSC content that will be broadcast on television.