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Old 20th October 2020, 15:45   #2  |  Link
poisondeathray
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,345
I would convert to lossless AVC using x264 , with MP4 container (you can use --keyint 1 and --tune fastdecode for "snappier" editing but larger filesizes). It's the only lossless 8bit 4:2:0 codec that is truly lossless in Premiere. Other "lossless" codecs get converted to RGB when decoded. You can export lossless x264 again using the voukoder plugin, so full in/out is lossless . Premiere is one of the few NLE's that has a native YUV capable timeline and can work in 4:2:0 (it doesn't "force" 4:2:2 , or RGB conversion, unless you perform an operation or use a filter that requires it)

Run a few short tests first on the version you are using, because some point release versions of PP botched up lossless decoding. You can check with various methods, such as PSNR


Do you really need "lossless"? ; x264 --qp 1 will be very nearly lossless and accepted by most NLE's, and treated as proper YUV (or studio level RGB in vegas) . At --qp 1, the quality will be significantly higher than even Cineform filmscan 3, or Prores 4444XQ . Usually ~8-16 higher dB PSNR. Usually qp 1 is overkill anyways

Last edited by poisondeathray; 20th October 2020 at 16:05.
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