Premiere Pro CS5 or CS5.5, DLSR Footage, and 1st Gen Mac Pro - Anyone using?

[csista]

Hey everyone.

Been trying to find a solid answer to this for days, and everything seems to be hypothetical only. Tried the Adobe Forums, but the only response I got was from someone who felt the need to point out the price of a PC.

I have a 1st gen Mac Pro, and I'm currently using Production Premium CS4. Currently have 8GB of RAM but I could easily upgrade that. I now shoot video with a Canon 5D and 7D. I would really like to start editing native DSLR video, and would like to stick with the Adobe Production suite so I can bounce back and forth between PP and AE easily. However, the 64-bit requirement is where this gets tricky.

Due to the original Mac Pros not being 100% true 64-bit, I am concerned that I may spend $500 on an upgrade that won't work. (Defintiely can't afford a new Mac Pro) Most answers I've found speculate that there shouldn't be a problem. But I'd like to hear confirmation from anyone actually using a 1st Gen Mac Pro with CS5.5 to edit DSLR footage.

So, is anyone actually using this setup to edit? And how does it work?

Thanks for any help!

- Chris

 

[ppc_michael]

Adobe has a 30-day trial of Premiere Pro CS 5.5 available for download from their website. I think the best thing to do is to download that and try it out yourself! It won't overwrite your current CS4 version, so it's definitely a good thing to do.

 

[berndkiltz]

Works. At Least with snow leopard.

A Friend of mine does lots of editing with cs5.5, mainly Footage from a Canon 550D, and since he got 8GB of Ram it works really well.
CS5 is SO much better than cs4, get it!

Oh an Yes, he has a first Gen MacPro, 2 CPU's at dualcore 2,66 I think.

 

[WRP]

Your first problem is editing with h264. More importantly, you are bringing that h264 into AE which is a MAJOR no-no.

h264 is a processor intensive codec (why you should never edit and certainly not deal with motion graphics). Updating your software isn't going to speed anything up. You either need to upgrade your system (yes) and transcode your 5D and 7D footage to a more manageable codec (yes).

 

[csista]

Works. At Least with snow leopard.

A Friend of mine does lots of editing with cs5.5, mainly Footage from a Canon 550D, and since he got 8GB of Ram it works really well.
CS5 is SO much better than cs4, get it!

Oh an Yes, he has a first Gen MacPro, 2 CPU's at dualcore 2,66 I think.

Thanks. That's all I need to hear, was someone with actual experience and the same specs as me. Don't know why I didn't come to this board first.

Also, to ppc_michael. Thanks, I didn't think about that. Going to try that out just in case, since I have a month before I actually buy the software.

 

[WRP]

Thanks. That's all I need to hear, was someone with actual experience and the same specs as me. Don't know why I didn't come to this board first.

Also, to ppc_michael. Thanks, I didn't think about that. Going to try that out just in case, since I have a month before I actually buy the software.

Yeah take the advice you want to hear instead of the right advice. Brilliant.

 

[KeithPratt]

Yeah take the advice you want to hear instead of the right advice. Brilliant.

What's been your experience editing DSLR footage natively in CS5.5?

 

[WRP]

What's been your experience editing DSLR footage natively in CS5.5?

About $50K last year. About $200K editing it in Pro Res. Guess which one I prefer....

PS.... I spent almost the same amount of time physically working on those and made 4X transcoding.

Have fun with premiere.

 

[ppc_michael]

About $50K last year. About $200K editing it in Pro Res. Guess which one I prefer....

PS.... I spent almost the same amount of time physically working on those and made 4X transcoding.

Have fun with premiere.

ProRes creates some issues of its own in Premiere. On the other hand, it is my understanding the latest versions of Premiere have been built to handle h.264 natively and, although I'm mostly an Avid guy, with my limited experience in the other NLEs, Premiere seems to blow FCP out of the water in the way it handles h.264.

Besides, I don't think the original post was asking for workflow advice, I think he was just asking if the newer version works well with his system.

 

[csista]

Yeah take the advice you want to hear instead of the right advice. Brilliant.

Right now, even converted Pro Res files from my 5D are too choppy in Premiere CS4. I can get them to work in Final Cut. I'd rather work in Premiere. I like it better, specifically how easily it works with other Adobe programs.

It was good advice that I already knew. But, since I posted a specific question asking about having direct experience with a specific combination of programs and hardware, you ultimately did nothing but add clutter to what should have been a simple thread. I just didn't feel that was something to be thankful for. Only now do I realize I was wrong. So, thank you for offering generous advice that has now and forever opened our eyes. Sorry if it felt like you were being ignored. You were heard, I promise you, and we're all better as a result.

 

[WRP]

ProRes creates some issues of its own in Premiere. On the other hand, it is my understanding the latest versions of Premiere have been built to handle h.264 natively and, although I'm mostly an Avid guy, with my limited experience in the other NLEs, Premiere seems to blow FCP out of the water in the way it handles h.264.

Besides, I don't think the original post was asking for workflow advice, I think he was just asking if the newer version works well with his system.

Brainiac... I was answering a question posed to me. Asking what my experience was. My experience was that YOU SHOULD NEVER EDIT IN H264 REGARDLESS IF YOUR COMPUTER CAN HANDLE IT. I wasn't promoting an NLE or a codec, I was saying that I know what I am talking about based on my past experience.

Right now, even converted Pro Res files from my 5D are too choppy in Premiere CS4. I can get them to work in Final Cut. I'd rather work in Premiere. I like it better, specifically how easily it works with other Adobe programs.

It was good advice that I already knew. But, since I posted a specific question asking about having direct experience with a specific combination of programs and hardware, you ultimately did nothing but add clutter to what should have been a simple thread. I just didn't feel that was something to be thankful for. Only now do I realize I was wrong. So, thank you for offering generous advice that has now and forever opened our eyes. Sorry if it felt like you were being ignored. You were heard, I promise you, and we're all better as a result.

Nice to see it went completely over your head as well. Buy CS5.5, it will totally make your computer faster...

 

[berndkiltz]

to WRP:

I agree, you should never edit in avchd if you can avoid it.
unfortunately, Premiere has no good intermediate format... Everything has it's pros and cons. (to be honest it sucks)

unless anyone has a suggestion for a good intermediate HD format in real 1920by1080 without GOP.

I DISAGREE with the I suppose Ironic assumption the CS5.5 wouldn't make the OP's workflow faster - It actually does, as it is completely rewritten and 10x better than CS4.
CS5 is a very Big step in a very good direction, totally worth the upgrade for Premiere AND Media Encoder!

 

[mBox]

Yeah take the advice you want to hear instead of the right advice. Brilliant.

Haha we dont always agree WRP but your bang on with this one.
Op just take WRP advice. Work with a codec that plays back within your computers ability.
This was the case for a lot of us back in the day when it came too Digital Video.
Thanks to Apple and DV with FCP, things got easier.
Of course that opened up doors to everyone and now everyone thinks they can edit with any footage ingested from a Camera
It just doesnt work that way.

 

[Kevin Monahan]

Your first problem is editing with h264. More importantly, you are bringing that h264 into AE which is a MAJOR no-no.

Why? It works fine. There's no need to transcode for After Effects. Ever.

h264 is a processor intensive codec (why you should never edit and certainly not deal with motion graphics).

If you have the proper system, there is no problem with this.

Updating your software isn't going to speed anything up.

Yes it will. Premiere Pro CS5 and later will gain access to all CPU cores, and installed RAM, and will accelerate performance with an NVIDIA CUDA-based card, while Premiere Pro CS4 cannot.

You either need to upgrade your system (yes)

Might not be necessary. If you can install Snow Leopard, you can run Premiere Pro CS5.5. Try the trial first to double check. To get the hardware version of the Mercury Playback Engine, you'll need an upgrade to a qualified NVIDIA CUDA card.

transcode your 5D and 7D footage to a more manageable codec (yes).

One of the beauties of Premiere Pro running on a qualified system is that you DO NOT have to waste time transcoding.

----------

Hey everyone.

Been trying to find a solid answer to this for days, and everything seems to be hypothetical only. Tried the Adobe Forums, but the only response I got was from someone who felt the need to point out the price of a PC.

I see you've run into Harm, an aptly named Apple hater. ;-) Don't listen to Harm. Macs can run Premiere Pro like gangbusters, you just have to fill them up with RAM and use an NVIDIA card. It is true that certain PC configs are probably faster than Macs, but not by too much.

Due to the original Mac Pros not being 100% true 64-bit, I am concerned that I may spend $500 on an upgrade that won't work. (Defintiely can't afford a new Mac Pro) Most answers I've found speculate that there shouldn't be a problem. But I'd like to hear confirmation from anyone actually using a 1st Gen Mac Pro with CS5.5 to edit DSLR footage.

It should be fine, but try before you buy: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=production_premium

More RAM and a CUDA based NVIDIA card will really help you edit smoothly with that DSLR footage. Our recent updates have improved scrubbing and playback with DSLR footage.

 

[mBox]

Why? It works fine. There's no need to transcode for After Effects. Ever...

Damn it Kevin fix my 2GB file limit problem first!!
LOL!
My experiences differ when it comes to both AE and PPro.
It dont play nice with mixed media on Mac Pro 2.93/32GBRAM/Quadro 4000 system at times.
Yes we have a few of these systems with Master Collection CS 5.0 to CS 5.5 running.
Its a roll of a dice at times

 

[Kevin Monahan]

to WRP: I agree, you should never edit in avchd if you can avoid it. Unfortunately, Premiere has no good intermediate format... Everything has it's pros and cons. (to be honest it sucks). Unless anyone has a suggestion for a good intermediate HD format in real 1920by1080 without GOP.

A lot of our users are using the Avid DNxHD codecs for intermediaries. They're free and cross-platform. If you'd like to see an Adobe intermediate codec, make a feature request: http://www.adobe.com/go/wish

I DISAGREE with the I suppose Ironic assumption the CS5.5 wouldn't make the OP's workflow faster - It actually does, as it is completely rewritten and 10x better than CS4. CS5 is a very Big step in a very good direction, totally worth the upgrade for Premiere AND Media Encoder!

^^^^This!

----------

Damn it Kevin fix my 2GB file limit problem first!!
LOL!
My experiences differ when it comes to both AE and PPro.
It dont play nice with mixed media on Mac Pro 2.93/32GBRAM/Quadro 4000 system at times.
Yes we have a few of these systems with Master Collection CS 5.0 to CS 5.5 running.
Its a roll of a dice at times

Working on it! lol

I'd be interested in finding out more about the formats, frame rates and frame sizes you are mixing. Feel free to PM me.

Sometimes instability is due to the drivers for the NVIDIA cards. We have no control over the Apple/NVIDIA relationship, but it's up to them to get new drivers up periodically. Hopefully when new ones come out, it will solve your issue.

 

[mBox]

Working on it! lol

I'd be interested in finding out more about the formats, frame rates and frame sizes you are mixing. Feel free to PM me.

Sometimes instability is due to the drivers for the NVIDIA cards. We have no control over the Apple/NVIDIA relationship, but it's up to them to get new drivers up periodically. Hopefully when new ones come out, it will solve your issue.

Kevin Ive succumbed to the pains of CS3 then CS4.
After the years of dealing with that mess, the little issues I have with CS 5 to 5.5 has not soured my taste for Adobe products.
However, I cant for the life of me, not get into using PPro.
Even though it utilizes our RED Rocket Cards and works fine with our R3D, I still cant fathom using it.
Oh and dont think its a breath of fresh air using Avid and AMA
You dont work for Avid so Ill save you the rants
Ill throw a post on Adobe Forum for my recent PPro mixed media probs.
Imprudent to take away the ops post.