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There are plenty of advanced Adobe Premiere Pro tutorials on Digital Media Net, but there's a shortage of basic, step-by-step guides on how to do simple setup, capturing, editing and output with the software and its associated hardware. So, by popular demand, we bring you a series of tutorials, written in bite-sized pieces, that will give you a basic start-to-finish overview of the software. In Part 1, we cover setting up your monitors and hardware to work best with Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0.
For editing with Adobe Premiere 2.0, I recommend using two computer monitors and one NTSC (or in other words, everyday standard definition TV) monitor. Most modern computer graphics cards are capable of handling two monitors, and the price of LCD displays has plummeted to a point where it's entirely affordable to purchase an extra monitor for your video editing and other tasks. In every way, using two monitors will enhance your productivity.
Since Adobe Premiere Pro has an abundance of windows and workspaces, you'll need as much screen real estate as you can possibly afford. Consider using two 24-inch LCD displays (around $900 each and falling), or even two 30-inch monitors for editing. Keep in mind that once you get above that 24-inch size, where the pixel count goes higher than 1920x1200, the cost of entry goes up because you'll need a special graphics card.
Even if you can't afford two 24-inch monitors, 19-inch or 20-inch monitors are even more affordable, and if you put together two of those, you'll still have plenty of space to get more work done than if you just had one screen. No matter what size monitors you're using, using two of them gives you room on the left screen for your timeline and effects windows, and then you can use the right screen for the window that includes all of your clips that you've captured. Although this is a method that's commonly accepted as convenient by the pros, remember that Premiere Pro's excellent flexibility with its window sizes and shapes will let you configure the interface to your liking, and only you can decide how you best like to work with the software.
In addition to two computer monitors, I would also recommend using a standard-definition TV set for you to watch the results of your edits. It you'll be positioning the TV set on your desktop alongside the monitors, I would recommend a smaller set, not much bigger than 15 inches diagonal. For my monitoring in standard definition, I have a 15-inch CRT television with an S-Video input that works beautifully for this purpose.
Built into the DV system of video recording and editing is a wonderful capability, and that is that the 1394 (otherwise known as FireWire) cables are two-way. So when you plug your camcorder into the 1394 port in your computer, there is not only video traveling from the camcorder to the computer, but video also travels from the computer back to the camcorder. So whatever you are editing in Premiere will show up on your camcorder. Because of this, you're able to tap the S-Video output on your camcorder and see that video on a television screen. This gives you an exact representation of what your viewers will see, and lets you judge for yourself how the video will look in its final form.
Connecting Cables
To connect your camcorder to the computer, first you'll need a 1394 cable. There are two different kinds of ends on these cables, one is a smaller connector called a four-pin connector, and the other is slightly larger, about the size of a USB connector, and it's commonly called a six-pin connector. These connectors differ with various computers and camcorders, but generally a camcorder will use the smaller four pin connector on its head, and most computers have the six-pin port. You may need different 1394 cable with your setup, but the most common is a four-pin to six-pin 1394 cable. Find a 1394 port on your camcorder and computer, and connect those two.
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| At the top are the two types of DV, or 1394 plugs: on the left is a six-pin 1394 plug and the right is a 4-pin plug. Below are their corresponding ports, and below that is an S-Video cable. |
Next, if your television set has an S-Video input, connect that to the S-Video output of your camcorder. If you don't have that, simply connect the composite outputs of your camcorder to the composite inputs of your television set. Composite cables look just like regular audio cables, and have what's called an RCA plug. However, better to use S-Video inputs and cables if you have them. Either way, the result will be the ability to see your edits on a TV set, and with Premiere Pro, a lot of that will be happening in real time.
Now that we have everything hooked up, stay tuned for Part 2, where we'll learn how to capture video using your DV camcorder, PC, and Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0.
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