User Manual

Importing and adding media

Last updated 11/5/2019

An MPEG file can be imported or played in Adobe Premiere Elements if it meets the following criteria:

• The file must be in a format that Adobe Premiere Elements supports.

• The compressor used to create the file must be compatible with the Premiere Elements decompressor.

The compatibility requirements for playing compressed files are less stringent than the requirements for editing them.

MPEG files that play in Windows Media Player and QuickTime can be imported or played in Premiere Elements if they

meet the compatibility requirements.

note: The first time you import an MPEG-2 file, Adobe Premiere Elements automatically activates the components if

you are connected to the Internet. If you are not connected to the Internet, you are prompted to activate the MPEG-2

component. The instructions appear in the Activating Component dialog box.

Type 1 AVI file render requirements

Render these files before you can preview them from your DV camcorder. To render a Type 1 AVI clip, add it to the

Quick view/Expert view timeline. Build a preview file of that section of the Quick view/Expert view timeline by

pressing Enter. If the clip must be rendered, a red line appears above the clip in the Quick view/Expert view timeline.

DVD file protection

If the DVD is a motion-picture disc that uses copy protection, you cannot add the files.

Guidelines for adding audio files

When you add audio files to a project, they are conformed to the audio sample rate specified in the Project Settings

dialog box. During that process, you’ll see a progress bar in the lower-right corner of the application window. You can

play back conformed audio instantly at high quality because it’s consistent with all other audio in the project.

By default, conformed audio is stored at the location

C:\Users\<username>.<domain>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\. You can change the default location of the

media cache by choosing one of the following options:

• (Windows) Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks.

• (Mac OS) Adobe Premiere Elements 13 > Preferences > Scratch Disks.

Note:

After you conform an audio clip, you don’t have to confirm it again unless you delete the corresponding file in the Media

Cache folder. If you delete conformed audio files, Adobe Premiere Elements regenerates them when you open related

projects.

When adding audio files, consider the following:

Stereo and mono files You can add many of the stereo audio files that you can open in another audio player, to your

project. To create a stereo version of a mono file, the mono channel is copied to both the left and right channel in the

new stereo track. In this case, both channels contain the same information.

5.1 surround sound files Importing clips containing 5.1 audio adds a 5.1-channel audio track to your project.

mp3 and WMA files Formats such as mp3 and WMA are compressed using a method that reduces some of the original

audio quality. To play back compressed audio, Premiere Elements (like most video editing applications) must

decompress and possibly alter the file’s sample rate. Compressing can degrade the audio quality.

CD files If you want to add audio from a CD, copy, or rip, the audio tracks to your hard drive using another application.

Windows Media Player, included with Windows XP, can perform this task. You can also use Adobe Audition to rip the

CD at various quality settings and perform complex audio-processing functions on the file. If you plan to air or

distribute your movie, ensure that you own the copyright, or have licensed the copyright to your CD audio.