File formats supported for import

Premiere Pro can import many video and audio formats. Plug-in software modules provide file format support. Most of these software modules are installed automatically with Premiere Pro.

Some filename extensions—such as MOV, AVI, MXF, FLV, and F4V—denote container file formats rather than denoting a specific audio, video, or image data format. Container files can contain data encoded using various compression and encoding schemes. Premiere Pro can import these container files, but the ability to import the data that they contain is dependent on the codecs (specifically, decoders) installed.

By installing additional codecs, you can extend the ability of Premiere Pro to import additional file types. Many codecs must be installed into the operating system (Windows or Mac OS) and work as a component inside the QuickTime or Video for Windows formats. Contact the manufacturer of your hardware or software for more information about codecs that work with the files that your specific devices or applications create.

Premiere Pro can import files in the formats listed, provided the codec used to generate a specific file is installed locally. For example, to play and edit an AVI file encoded with the DivX encoder, the DivX codec must be installed.

Note: The free trial version of Premiere Pro does not include some features that depend upon software licensed from parties other than Adobe. For example, some codecs for encoding MPEG formats are available only with the full version of Premiere Pro software.

Supported video and animation file formats

  • 3GP, 3G2 (QuickTime movie)

  • AVC-I, AVC-Intra,H.264 Intra (Advanced Video Coding Intra)

  • ASF (Netshow, Windows only)

  • AVI (DV-AVI, Microsoft AVI Type 1 and Type 2)

  • DLX (Sony VDU File Format Importer, Windows only)

  • DV (DV Stream, a QuickTime format)

  • FLV/F4V

  • GIF (Animated GIF)

  • M1V (MPEG-1 Video File)

  • M2T (Sony HDV)

  • M2TS (Blu-ray BDAV MPEG-2 Transport Stream, AVCHD)

  • M4V (MPEG-4 Video File)

  • MOV (QuickTime Movie; in Windows, requires QuickTime player)

  • MP4 (QuickTime Movie, XDCAM EX)

  • MPEG, MPE, MPG (MPEG-1, MPEG-2), M2V (DVD-compliant MPEG-2)

  • MTS (AVCHD)

  • MXF (Media eXchange Format; P2 Movie: Panasonic Op-Atom variant of MXF, with video in DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, or AVC-I formats; XDCAM HD Movie, Avid MXF Movie)

  • SWF (Shockwave Flash object)

  • VOB (Video Object, MPEG Movie)

  • WMV (Windows Media Video, Windows only)

Note: Type 1 AVI clips must be rendered before they can be previewed from a DV device. To render a Type 1 AVI clip, add it to a sequence in a DV project, and preview it.

Supported audio file formats

  • AAC (MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding File)

  • AC3 (including 5.1 surround)

  • AIFF, AIF (Audio Interchange File Format)

  • ASND (Adobe Sound Document)

  • AVI (Audio Video Interleaved)

  • M4A

  • MP3 (MP3 Audio)

  • MPEG, MPG (MPEG Movie)

  • MOV (QuickTime; in Windows, requires QuickTime player)

  • MXF (Media eXchange Format; P2 Movie: Panasonic Op-Atom variant of MXF, with video in DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, or AVC-I formats; XDCAM HD Movie, Avid MXF Movie)

  • WMA (Windows Media Audio, Windows only)

  • WAV (Windows WAVeform)

Supported still-image and sequence file formats

Premiere Pro supports 8-bit per-channel (4 bytes per pixel) and 16-bit per-channel (8 bytes per pixel) still-image files. It converts images with lower bit-depths to 8-bits per channel and images with higher bit-depths to 16-bits per channel on import. High bit-depth files are supported at one single-precision float per channel (16-bytes per pixel).

  • AI, EPS (Adobe Illustrator and Illustrator sequence)

  • BMP, DIB, RLE (Bitmap and Bitmap sequence)

  • EPS

  • GIF

  • ICO (Icon File) (Windows only)

  • JPEG and JPEG sequence (JPE, JPG, JFIF)

  • PICT and PICT sequence (PIC, PCT)

  • PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

  • PSD (Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop sequence)

  • PSQ (Adobe Premiere 6 Storyboard)

  • PTL, PRTL (Adobe Premiere title)

  • TGA, ICB, VDA, VST (Targa and Targa sequence)

  • TIF (TIFF and TIFF sequence)

Note: You can import layered Illustrator and Photoshop files as sequences.

Supported video project file formats

  • AAF (Advanced Authoring Format)

  • AEP, AEPX (After Effects Project)

  • CSV, PBL, TXT, TAB (Batch lists)

  • EDL (CMX3600 EDLs)

  • PLB (Adobe Premiere 6.x Bin) (Windows only)

  • PPJ (Adobe Premiere 6.x Project) (Windows only)

  • PREL (Adobe Premiere Elements)

  • PRPROJ (Premiere Pro)

  • PSQ (Adobe Premiere 6.x Storyboard) (Windows only)

  • XML (Final Cut Pro XML)

Adobe recommends

Getting Started: 04 Importing Footage

Paul Trani
Paul Trani shows you how to import assets such as video, audio, and graphics. Access and view the files with the Media Browser, Preview and organize projects, and create bins.

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