Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0

What you need to capture video

Before you capture video, make sure that your system is set up appropriately for working with digital video by following these general guidelines:
Important: For an up-to-date list of system requirements, as well as assistance with error messages, see the Support Knowledgebase at www.adobe.com/support.
DV or HDV camcorder, WDM device, or webcam
Check your camcorder documentation if you are unsure whether it is digital or analog.
Note: If you have an analog source (such as VHS recorder), you need to convert it to digital video first, and then import it to Adobe Premiere Elements.

Computer connections and cables
To connect to your DV or HDV camcorder, your computer must have one of the following:

  • IEEE 1394 port and cable (also known as FireWire or i.LINK)


  • USB 2.0 port with a USB Video Class 1.0 driver installed (also called USB 2.0)


IEEE 1394 is recommended, and should be used whenever possible. Not all camcorders will work with USB. Many computers include onboard IEEE 1394 cards. If your computer does not include one, you can purchase and install one yourself.

Note: If you capture using the USB 2.0 port, and your camera appears as “offline,” your camera likely does not use the USB Video Class 1.0 driver. Capture using FireWire instead, or see the Support Knowledgebase on Adobe.com for more information.

Hard disk speed
DV formatted data is transmitted at a speed of 3.6 MB per second. The data transfer rate (often shortened to data rate) of your hard disk should meet or exceed this rate if it is to capture DV. To achieve this rate, your hard disk must be able to operate at 7200 rpm. Most hard disks manufactured in the last five years have this capability. To confirm the rate or rpm speed of your hard disk, see your computer or hard disk documentation.

Hard disk space
Five minutes of DV-AVI video occupies about 1 GB of hard disk space. Allow enough space, not only for the source footage you will capture, but also for the preview files and final rendered movie and DVD or Blu-ray folders, should you choose to make these. A minimum of 4.5 GB is recommended. Periodically defragment your hard disk. Writing to a fragmented disk can cause disruptions in your hard disk’s write speed, causing you to lose, or drop, frames as you capture. You can use the defragmentation utility included with Windows.
Note: Before capturing, make certain that you have enough hard disk space for the length of footage you will capture. Before capture, the Capture panel shows the amount of free disk space remaining. During capture, it shows the duration of footage that can be captured using the remaining free space.

External hard disks
Capturing to an external hard disk is not recommended. If you must use an external hard disk, make sure the cables can handle the drive’s data rates and rotational speeds, and use large capacity UDMA 133 IDE/SATA drives dedicated to video only.

Note: You can get video, audio, and still-image files from certain digital still-image cameras, mobile phones supporting Nokia PC Suite 6.0 and later, DVD camcorders, and other removable media using the Media Downloader feature. Not all video devices and file types are supported.