Editing Technique: Restoring A/V Sync in Premiere Pro

Executive Summary: A common problem with footage created using iPhones, screencam tools, Wirecast, and Skype is a loss of A/V sync when importing the video into Premiere Pro. This video tutorial presents a simple fix using Handbrake. You can read a tutorial on the Streaming Media Producer Website here

Overview and discussion: Many sources of video, like mobile phones, screencam programs, live streaming software mixers (like Wirecast) and videoconferencing programs (like Skype) record video using a variable frame rate (VFR). When this video is played back in programs like VLC Player and QuickTime, the VFR doesn’t cause a problem. However, if you import the footage into a non-linear editor like Premiere Pro, the video can lose audio sync. 

One quick and inexpensive fix is to use freeware encoding program Handbrake, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu, to convert the footage from VFR to constant frame rate. To diagnose the problem, import the video into MediaInfo. If MediaInfo reports the footage as variable frame rate, as in the figure, converting to constant frame rate in Handbrake should fix the problem. 

MI-VFR.png

Here’s the tutorial. 

Other Resources:

Video tutorial: Two Free Video Analysis Tools; MediaInfo and Bitrate Viewer, Streaming Learning Center

Video tutorial, How to Encode with Handbrake, Jan Ozer, YouTube

About the Streaming Learning Center: The Streaming Learning Center is a premiere resource for companies seeking advice or training on cloud or on-premise encoder selection, preset creation, video quality optimization, adaptive bitrate distribution, and associated topics. Please contact Jan Ozer at [email protected] for more information about these services.

About Jan Ozer

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I help companies train new technical hires in streaming media-related positions; I also help companies optimize their codec selections and encoding stacks and evaluate new encoders and codecs. I am a contributing editor to Streaming Media Magazine, writing about codecs and encoding tools. I have written multiple authoritative books on video encoding, including Video Encoding by the Numbers: Eliminate the Guesswork from your Streaming Video (https://amzn.to/3kV6R1j) and Learn to Produce Video with FFmpeg: In Thirty Minutes or Less (https://amzn.to/3ZJih7e). I have multiple courses relating to streaming media production, all available at https://bit.ly/slc_courses. I currently work as www.netint.com as a Senior Director in Marketing.

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