I just started working as an editor for a company and they did not have a unified filing system for video assets. I am coming from DSLR world where the camera spits out nice .MOV files that are ready to use/transcode and easy to move around and organize. This company uses AF-100 which spits out the AVCHD file structure that I see many have had trouble with.
My problem is figuring out how to separate multiple shoots from the same AVCHD package in Finder. For example, if they shot an interview on day 1 and a commercial on day 2, but did not get the files off the camera in-between, the computer ends up with one AVCHD package. Finder cannot separate them without removing the .MTS files from the structure (We've found Premier doesn't like "naked" .MTS files).
So my goal is to find the best solution to get the video files out of the required AVCHD folder structure so that I can move the video clips independently as needed in our file system in Finder. Is the best option to transcode all of the .MTS files before editing (keep AVCHD folders as "raw" backup)? If so, what codec maintains quality, and won't slow down my edit time in Premier? (My edit work will consist of simple cut and post or can be extensive projects with color correction and graphics)
My problem is figuring out how to separate multiple shoots from the same AVCHD package in Finder. For example, if they shot an interview on day 1 and a commercial on day 2, but did not get the files off the camera in-between, the computer ends up with one AVCHD package. Finder cannot separate them without removing the .MTS files from the structure (We've found Premier doesn't like "naked" .MTS files).
So my goal is to find the best solution to get the video files out of the required AVCHD folder structure so that I can move the video clips independently as needed in our file system in Finder. Is the best option to transcode all of the .MTS files before editing (keep AVCHD folders as "raw" backup)? If so, what codec maintains quality, and won't slow down my edit time in Premier? (My edit work will consist of simple cut and post or can be extensive projects with color correction and graphics)