When importing AVCHD files in Mac OSX...Premiere needs create unique MTS filenames
When importing AVCHD files from different recording sessions but part of a same project when .MTS files are dragged into a timeline and multiple timelines from different recording sessions are open at the same time...audio playback from other .MTS files in other timelines occur. This most likely happens because every .MTS is labelled with a generic number 00001.MTS. It could possibly be that Adobe Premiere has the ability to catalogue and continuously keep things organized...but when it sees multiple files with the same numbering system it's not hard to imagine it getting confused even thought the clips are in separate BINS and were imported at different times. Maybe a solution is to have a date and time put before the generic number so each .MTS file is unique by filename and this will never happen. I have been lucky enough to save the project and reopen and the timeline plays back properly...but the unpredictable nature of the .MTS file naming problem is unnerving...especially when you have invested a week editing. The main problem is the way MAC OSX sees the AVCHD as a package that you can't "expand" to see the contents. Otherwise renaming and reconnecting files might be a "FIX" but the import process needs to be improved because of the way MAC OSX sees these files when imported. Premiere needs to make unique names when imported.
Joe Rusnak
shared this idea
I have an AVCHD camera, that follows that naming convention; agreed, tedious.
Renaming source media files on import can cause problems with lots of formats, and is a behavior PPro avoids, whenever possible.
PPro can differentiate between files with identical names, based on their paths. But you’re right, this isn’t very obvious in the project panel (unless you’ve already set up the project panel to show paths).
Would your suggestion be to append the date/time to the project item name, associated with 00001.MTS files?
4 comments
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Joe Rusnak
commented
One factor that just dawned on me that I think may be the reason why Premiere Pro has difficulties with the file management. I was using a portable hard drive for my project and would work on the project on a Mac...edit...then mirror the file changes using a filesync program to the portable hard drive. Then I would go edit in the other location on a PC...file sync to the PC...edit...save...filesync the hard drive. I never changed the file structures. I was only really saving the project files and possibly some proxy files that may have changed as a result of whatever preview Premiere had made. I made sure to keep entire folder intact. I think this file saving between operating systems is the culprit. Windows 10 and OSX 10.15.7 Catalina.
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R S
commented
Kevin, Bruce,
This seems to raise the question of why there are two functionally different categories of imported files - an imported file should behave the same way regardless of the method that was used in importing it.
Barring this obvious improvement, files should have a browser label which identifies how they were imported so that users can problem-solve around the issue (ie. give users the info which is necessary to address the issue).
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Kevin Monahan
commented
The Chat Techs are correct. You do need to use the Media Browser (not the File Browser) in order to import these files. Any camcorder that generates card based media must be imported in this manner in order to make sure all the metadata is carried through into the actual working project. If you import files any other way, then the anomalies you mention will occur because the metadata that differentiates clips form one another is not carried over. Like children separated from their parents, they "get lost." It is listed in the manual to treat card based media in this manner, but not everyone finds this crucial bit of information:
It's not intuitive as stand alone media files can be dragged in without this constraint.
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Joe Rusnak
commented
My suggestion would be to first ask the programmers why this behaviour is happening. I was told by the online live chat tech to bring in the files via the Premiere file browser. I don't think this is a fix. To be clear...I first drag the entire file folder from the capture card to the hard drive. Then I drag that folder into the Premiere Project window. It automatically creates a folder with a list of numbered .MTS files. in the "Projects Window". When an offending clip is on the timeline I can right click on the file and "Reveal in Finder" and Adobe somehow managed to display the file chain inside the AVCHD "folder". I then right click and "Reveal in Project" which points me to the proper .MTS file. I double click on that file and that clip pops up in a Source Monitor window and plays back properly. But then I go back to the main sequence timeline that has it's own unique sequence name and it still plays back audio from another file. There may be a problem between the way Adobe sees files and how MAC OSX handles the AVCHD file package. It's impossible to use the OSX Finder and double click on the AVCHD to drill down into the folder structure. I have tried to view the AVCHD file in several different view modes (list view, column view, icon view, ect) and when you double click the AVCHD all you get is Quicktime opening up a file browser window with generic clip names (Clip#1, Clip#2, Clip#3, ect) Regardless...Adobe is confused about something and all roads lead to the naming convention of .MTS files when imported. Again...the programmers need to be asked what or how Premiere sees the files. And how could it possibly only confuse the audio layer of a file? You would think that it would confuse both layers and play the audio and video at the same time...but it is only the audio that plays incorrectly.