The Only Way to Import from DVD is to Encode the VOBs First?

[Typhoon859]

Is there any way to get video from DVDs straight into Adobe Premiere CS3? I guess I can import the VOBs but there's a lot of weirdness with that and that's besides the fact that to keep those files on the hard drive is ridiculous considering their size. Any ideas? If you're sure that there's no other way then please say so. Logically thinking, I doubt there is some magical other way but ya know... Either way, maybe I can get suggestions on what people find to be the best way? Thanks ^^

[AaronAMV]

Making small .avs files? I don't believe there is a way to just import the DVDs into Premiere just like that.

[Typhoon859]

Making small .avs files? I don't believe there is a way to just import the DVDs into Premiere just like that.

So what do you recommend I do? Rip the VOBs and use those or encode to some other format. I'm looking for quality yet still keeping capacity in mind. Though I have a lot, I don;t like wasting it. So what's something best in between - unless using the VOBs is just the best choice.

[Dr. Derpface, J.D.]

You could always encode to an insanely high bitrate DivX file, but that presents its own set of problems. There's really no way around it. If you want to maximize quality, you're gonna have to keep the VOB's around and pull clips from them. Can't pull from the ones on the DVD because there's nothing in DVD2AVI/AVISynth to decrypt them, and the transfer rate would be BEYOND abysmal.

The bottom line is that making an AMV (and video editing in general) eats space if you want to do it right. My last project was around 12gb total once you counted the dvd VOB's, the wav's for the audio, the preview files generated by Premiere, and all the clips. And that was for a relatively uncomplicated video. Once I finished everything and trimmed it, I got it down to 2gb, but the only thing left was the audio file and the clips I actually used. I just shelved an AMV for a while that had grown to 10gb and only had clips pulled for about 1/3 of the timeline.

Don't think of it as wasting capacity, think of it as using all the resources available to you. If you have tons of space, there's no reason NOT to use it. Once you're done, you can always trim the project down to only what you need should you want to re-export later (say, if a more efficient compression comes along and dethrones h.264).

[sayde]

Unfortunately, it's really hard to preserve the quality of your footage if your not willing to temporarily use up a lot of storage capacity. Having said, the best way to do things is to convert your .vob's to either an uncompressed avi format or encode them to .avi using a lossless codec (such as Huffyuv). If you're really concerned about saving storage space on your HD, encoding the vob's w/ a lossless codec is the best way to go. You can also use Virtual dub mod to convert and export only the clips you want to edit as suppose to converting the entire vob. All of this also has the added benefit of being viewed relatively smoothly within CS3. (Viewing mpeg2 footage or divx/xvid encoded files in CS3 is not fun IMO.)

*Sorry to repeat some of what Fire_Starter1982 stated. That message was posted while I was typing this.*

[Typhoon859]

You could always encode to an insanely high bitrate DivX file, but that presents its own set of problems. There's really no way around it. If you want to maximize quality, you're gonna have to keep the VOB's around and pull clips from them. Can't pull from the ones on the DVD because there's nothing in DVD2AVI/AVISynth to decrypt them, and the transfer rate would be BEYOND abysmal.

The bottom line is that making an AMV (and video editing in general) eats space if you want to do it right. My last project was around 12gb total once you counted the dvd VOB's, the wav's for the audio, the preview files generated by Premiere, and all the clips. And that was for a relatively uncomplicated video. Once I finished everything and trimmed it, I got it down to 2gb, but the only thing left was the audio file and the clips I actually used. I just shelved an AMV for a while that had grown to 10gb and only had clips pulled for about 1/3 of the timeline.

Don't think of it as wasting capacity, think of it as using all the resources available to you. If you have tons of space, there's no reason NOT to use it. Once you're done, you can always trim the project down to only what you need should you want to re-export later (say, if a more efficient compression comes along and dethrones h.264).

Guess I'll use the VOBs... Would the quality worsen if I encoded to h.264 in terms of how well it worked with Premiere itself?

BTW, what do you recommend I rip the VOBs from the DVDs with? I use DVDFab but it leaves stupid "DVDFab" frames when you try not to just rip EVERYTHING. And.. DVD Decryptor is just weird and it feels like a bogus job after it rips. Plus, I can;t find a way to not rip ENTIRE VOB files using that. Might as well just copy and paste from the DVDs in that case. :/ Nothing seems solid from what I;ve tried... which basically was just these two but still... (They seem to be most common)

[Typhoon859]

Unfortunately, it's really hard to preserve the quality of your footage if your not willing to temporarily use up a lot of storage capacity. Having said, the best way to do things is to convert your .vob's to either an uncompressed avi format or encode them to .avi using a lossless codec (such as Huffyuv). If you're really concerned about saving storage space on your HD, encoding the vob's w/ a lossless codec is the best way to go. You can also use Virtual dub mod to convert and export only the clips you want to edit as suppose to converting the entire vob. All of this also has the added benefit of being viewed relatively smoothly within CS3. (Viewing mpeg2 footage or divx/xvid encoded files in CS3 is not fun IMO.)

*Sorry to repeat some of what Fire_Starter1982 stated. That message was posted while I was typing this.*

When I did it, I don;t think it was right. Converting to an uncompressed AVI, how do I do it? Also using VirtualDub right? But more specifically..

[sayde]

When I did it, I don;t think it was right. Converting to an uncompressed AVI, how do I do it? Also using VirtualDub right? But more specifically..

For the sake of simplicity, I'm leaving out the entire DGIndex/avisynth step

1.) Load your vob into virtual dub mod.
2.) Go to "file"--->"save as"
3.) Select the save destination and name the output file.
4.) Make sure the compression section says "uncompressed RGB" (if it does not say that, change it to that option)
5.) Then save it.

You'll know you've done it right if the exported avi file is a few gigs in size. You can load this avi file back into virtual dub to see if the file works properly.

[Typhoon859]

When I did it, I don;t think it was right. Converting to an uncompressed AVI, how do I do it? Also using VirtualDub right? But more specifically..

For the sake of simplicity, I'm leaving out the entire DGIndex/avisynth step

1.) Load your vob into virtual dub mod.
2.) Go to "file"--->"save as"
3.) Select the save destination and name the output file.
4.) Make sure the compression section says "uncompressed RGB" (if it does not say that, change it to that option)
5.) Then save it.

You'll know you've done it right if the exported avi file is a few gigs in size. You can load this avi file back into virtual dub to see if the file works properly.

Lol. Oh... It's that simple huh?... I know how to use VirtualDub. I just didn't realize what to do to make an uncompressed AVI. Thanks. Lol, think you can answer my other questions as well <makes>

"What do you recommend I rip the VOBs from the DVDs with? I use DVDFab but it leaves stupid "DVDFab" frames when you try not to just rip EVERYTHING. And.. DVD Decryptor is just weird and it feels like a bogus job after it rips. Plus, I can;t find a way to not rip ENTIRE VOB files using that. Might as well just copy and paste from the DVDs in that case. :/ Nothing seems solid from what I;ve tried... which basically was just these two but still... (They seem to be most common)"

[Typhoon859]

[makes evil grin]* o.0;;

Why can't posts be edited? XD