Monday, January 8, 2018

PE 2018: Ways To Share Template Based Movie

INTRODUCTION

Premiere Elements 2018 offers several features for creating a template based movie, and Adobe gives details for a "how to" for each. The template based movie choices include

Video Story
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-elements/using/video-story.html 

Instant Movie
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-elements-editor/using/instant-movies.html 

Video Collage
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-elements/using/video-collage.html 

Elements Organizer Create/Slideshow
https://helpx.adobe.com/elements-organizer/using/create-slide-shows.html 

Video Story was introduced in Premiere Elements 13/13.1, and it has been included also in Premiere Elements 14/14.1 and 15 as well as 2018. Refer HERE for ATR prior details regarding Video Story feature. 

Instant Movie's origin goes back to at least Premiere Elements 7 and has been included in Premiere Elements versions to the present version 2018. Refer to HERE and HERE for ATR prior details regarding Instant Movie feature.

Video Collage was introduced in Premiere Elements 15, and it has been included also in Premiere Elements 2018. Refer HERE for ATR prior details regarding Video Collage.

Elements Organizer 2018 Create/Slideshow feature, like that in 13 through 15, is template based but differs from that found in 13 through 15. Refer HERE for the Elements Organizer 13 through 15 slideshow feature details. The Elements Organizer slideshow feature for version 12 and earlier is Windows Only, is not template based, and differs markedly from that in versions 13 through 2018. Refer HERE for details of Elements Organizer 12 slideshow feature. 

ISSUE

Premiere Elements 2018 Blu-ray and AVCHD opportunities are gone under Export & Share/Disc, leaving under that Disc category only the lesser resolution choice of DVD (Disc or ISO Image). However, the Timeline can be exported to a file  with a H.264 Blu-ray or H.264 AVCHD format. See HERE.

In view of this situation, the question came up "So, I have created a movie using Video Story, Instant Movie, Video Collage, or Elements Organizer 2018 Slideshow. What are output opportunities that Adobe has left the user for each of these movie creation features? The focus of this blog post will attempt to review the output opportunities for a movie created with Premiere Elements 2018 Video Story, Instant Movie, Video Collage, as well as with Elements Organizer 2018.

OBSERVATIONS 

Video Story 
Output Choices (2)

(1) "Export & Share" tab
(This tab is found at top right of Video Story workspace.  There are Export & Share area options for Video Story as SD or HD file saved to computer hard drive, but none for DVD which is grayed out/inactive in the Export & Share area choices . See details to follow.)

Choice of this tab opens directly to the Export & Share area of the project currently in use. The Export & Share area has opportunities for exporting the Video Story as SD or HD file saved to the computer hard drive. Important....in this route, the Quick Export, Devices, and Online categories of Export & Share area are available, but the Disc, Audio, and Image categories are grayed out/inactive. In the absence of that Disc output in this route, it was not found possible to take the Video Story even to DVD-VIDEO on Disc or create its DVD ISO Image when the Video Story workspace "Export & Share" tab was selected for the Video Story output. When the file export is completed and "Done" tab is hit in the Export & Share area, the user is returned to the Video Story workspace of the current project in use. At this stage, hitting Video Story workspace "Exit" tab triggers a Save dialog for the project save to the Adobe Folder/Premiere Elements/16.0 (aka 2018). A copy of the Video Story created can be saved to the Video Story workspace where it can be opened at a later time and re-edited.

For this Video Story workspace "Export & Share" tab route, the Export & Share available categories and options for export of Video Story as file include:
Quick Edit 1280 x 720
Devices
...Computer
.......4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160
.......HD 1080 1920 x 1080
.......HD 1080 1440 x 1080
.......HD 720 1280 x 720
.......SD 576 720 x 576
.......SD 480 720 x 480
...TV
.......4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160
.......HD 1080 1920 x 1080
.......HD 720 1280 x 720
...Mobile
.......HD 1080 1920 x 1080
.......HD 800 1280 x 800
.......HD 720 1280 x 720
Online (Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo)
...HD 1080 1920 x 1080
...HD 720 1280 x 720
...SD 480 640 x 480

or

(2) "Export to Timeline" tab
(This tab is found at the bottom right of the Video Story workspace. With this tab choice, the project has Export & Share area options for Video Story DVD (disc or ISO Image) as well as SD or HD file saved to the computer hard drive. See details to follow.)

Hitting the "Export to Timeline" tab in the Video Story workspace triggers the message that the Video Story will be published as a new project. The Video Story in the new project's Timeline tracks can be further edited and then can be pointed to its Export & Share area which has all the Export & Share categories available (Quick Export, Devices, Disc, Online, Audio, Image), not just Quick Export, Devices, and Online). Save opportunities associated with this "Export to Timeline" tab route include saving of the original project and newly created project to the computer hard drive's Adobe Folder/Premiere Elements/16.0 (aka 2018) as well as saving a copy of the Video Story created to the Video Story workspace for further redoing if necessary. 

Note 1: Media for Video Story workspace can be added from the Timeline of the project in use or can be added using Media Source area in the project's opened Video Story workspace.
Note 2: When the Video Story arrives in the project's Timeline, often Timeline rendering of that content is needed before doing anything else.

Instant Movie
Output Choices (1)
(The completed Instant Movie on the project's Timeline appears to be destined for the project's Export & Share area with its opportunities for export of the Timeline's Instant Movie to SD or HD file saved to the computer as well as the DVD Disc and ISO Image end product. See Export & Share Quick Import, Devices, DVD, Online, Audio, and Image.)

The completed Timeline's Instant Movie before export appears to be saved within the project in which it was created (either as intact or broken apart using the Break Apart Instant Movie command accessed via right click of Instant Movie, followed by Clip/Break Apart Instant Movie). I have not found a save location elsewhere for the created Instant Movie before it is exported.

Note: Media for the Instant Movie need to be added in the opened project's Timeline before the project's Instant Movie feature is opened. 

Video Collage
Output Choices (2)

(1) "Export & Share" tab
(This tab is found at top right of Video Collage workspace. There are Export & Share area export options for Video Collage as SD or HD file which can be saved to the computer hard drive, but none for DVD which is grayed out/inactive in the Export & Share choices . See details to follow.)

As is the case for Video Story, hitting the Video Collage workspace "Export & Share" tab opens the project's Export & Share area where Quick Export, Devices, and Online are available, but not DVD, Audio, and Image.

The Save button at the bottom of the Video Collage workspace allows for saving the Video Collage as a vs file in the Adobe Folder/Premiere Elements/16 (aka 2018). The saved vs file can be opened in Premiere Elements 2018 for re-editing and subsequent export.

Note: At this time, only Premiere Elements 2018 and 15 have the Video Collage feature. While I could open the saved 15 Video Collage vs file in 2018 in Windows 7 Professional or 10 Home 64 bit, I could not open the 2018 Video Collage vs file in 15 installed on the same computer.

(2) "Export to Timeline" tab
(This tab is found at the top right of Video Collage workspace. With this tab choice, the project has Export & Share area options for Video Story DVD (disc or ISO Image) as well as SD or HD file saved to the computer hard drive. See details to follow.)

Hitting the "Export to Timeline" tab in the Video Collage workspace triggers the messages
  • adding Video Collage to Timeline
  • Video Collage has been added to Timeline
Like Video Story and its "Export to Timeline" tab route, the Video Collage will be published as a new project, even though the messages do not specifically say that in the case of Video Collage. Next, hitting "Exit" tab at the bottom of the Video Collage workspace closes that workspace and opens to the project's Timeline workspace which now contains on its tracks the created Video Collage. The Video Collage in the new project's Timeline tracks can be further edited and then can be pointed to the project's Export & Share area which has all the Export & Share categories available (Quick Export, Devices, Disc, Online, Audio, Image), not just Quick Export, Devices, and Online). Before "Export to Timeline" from Video Collage workspace, use of "Save" tab at the bottom of the Video Collage workspace results in the following saves to the Adobe Folder/Premiere Elements/16.0 (aka 2018):
  • vc file (for re-opening to edit)
  • vct file
  • VCAssets Folder (appears to be collection of Video Collage assets as bmp files)
When finished, both the original and new project involved in this "Export to Timeline" route can each be saved to Adobe Folder/Premiere Elements/16.0 (aka 2018). See project workspace's Save options.

Note 1: When the Video Collage arrives in the new project's Timeline, often Timeline rendering that content was needed before doing anything else.
Note 2: Media for the Video Collage is added in the Video Collage workspace (See Media Bin tab or drag and drop into the selected template's spaces).

Elements Organizer 2018
Output Choices (4)
(The choice "Export" at the top right of the Elements Organizer 2018 Slideshow workspace offers 4 output options: Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or Export Video To Local Disk. The Export Video To Local Disk offers output as 720p or 1080p file.)

The Slideshow workspace Export/YouTube was explored and found to give good quality results. The viewing of the upload on YouTube was set for "Unlisted". Yet, it was not understood why "Upload In Progress" remained at YouTube, and "Upload Complete" notification with link for viewing HD slideshow on YouTube came relatively quickly from an email from Adobe Photoshop Elements/Premiere Elements Team.

The Slideshow workspace Export Video To Local Disk setup has presets for 720p or 1080p export, and the default save destination for the 720p or 1080p file is C:\Users\Owner\Videos. Some properties details of the 720p and 1080p files exported from Elements Organizer 2018 Slideshow workspace include:

720p
Video
Format = AVC
Codec ID = avc1
Frame Width and Height = 1280 x 720
Display Aspect Ratio = 16:9
File Extension = .mp4
Frame Rate = 29.970 (constant)
Bitrate = variable with Bitrate 5779 Kbps and Maximum Bitrate 9000 Kbps (Overall Bitrate = 6107 Kbps)
Audio
Format =  AAC
Codec ID  = 40
Bitrate = Bitrate 318 Kbps (constant)
Channels = 2 channels
Sampling Rate = 44.1 KHz

1080p
Video
Format = AVC
Codec ID = avc1
File Extension = .mp4
Frame Width and Height = 1920 x 1080
Display Aspect Ratio = 16:9
Frame Rate = 29.970 (constant)
Bitrate = variable with Bitrate 8892 Kbps and Maximum Bitrate 15.0 Mbps (Overall Bitrate = 9220 Kbps)
Audio
Format = AAC
Codec ID = 40
Bitrate = constant with Bitrate 318 Kbps
Channels = 2 channels
Sampling Rate = 44.1 KHz

Save opportunities exist for
  • Save of editable project to Organizer
  • Save of exported video to Elements Organizer
Side Note 1: Correcting green eye in family pet (dog) photos for the Elements Organizer 2018 slideshow was effectively handled by Photoshop Elements Editor 12 through 2018 Red Eye Removal Tool, using a check mark next to Pet Eye and setting Pupil Radius = 65% and Darken = 50%. That Pet Eye option was not found in Photoshop Elements Editor earlier than version 12.

Side Note 2: With regard to supported media for sharing opportunities, a distinction should be made between using an option under Share in the Elements Organizer workspace top right versus using an an option under Export in the Slideshow workspace. For one example, Share/YouTube in the Elements Organizer workspace will accept video such the 720p or 1080p slideshow, but not the Slideshow Project (the editable form) that was saved to the Elements Organizer from the Slideshow workspace.

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Work in Progress (editing and adding to)

ATR