Have You Hugged Your Metadata Today? Part 2

In the last segment, I extolled the virtues of Panasonic''s P2 cards and the Material eXchange Format (MXF) used thereon. In this segment I review Adobe''s P2 and MXF workflow. Just to change things up, I''ll write this segment as a FAQ, rather than a narrative, which will identify the questions I feel are key to any implementation of P2/MXF support, and also let the hurried reader quickly find the issues most relevant to them. Keeps the word count down, as well—which is nice, because I''m way over.

You''ll need to update to at least 3.1.1 (374) to get the features I''m about to describe.

Figure 1. Here are Adobe Premiere Pro''s DVCPRO-related presets, which you can augment with custom presets.
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Figure 1 shows the presets. Between frame rate, frame size, progressive and interlaced, and data rates, apparently there are dozens of different project types (the number 81 pops into mind, but I couldn''t find the source). Figure 1 shows the presets that Adobe supplies, which you can augment with custom presets.

I shot and tested only DVCPRO HD projects at 1080 24p and 1080 60i.

Figure 2. Creating a new project is a fast, efficient way to transfer only the necessary content from P2 card to disk.
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There really isn't one; you import MXF files just like you would any other file. You can import from the P2 card itself, or copy the entire card to disk and import from there. Either way, you import a file from the video folder, and Premiere Pro is smart enough to find the other related components.

If you import from the P2 card, you can add the necessary source files to the project, then use Premiere Pro''s project manager to create a new project and copy the required source files from the P2 card to the designated folder on your hard disk (Figure 2). That way, you copy over only the necessary files, which saves transfer time and space.

Yes, and you can send the finished project back to the P2 card as well. Premiere Pro will insert the files back onto the P2 card without deleting or replacing the original source files (nice!).

It doesn''t, which is probably the least elegant part of the feature. You have to import all files manually and link them together in a sequence.

Figure 3. Here''s the metadata saved with the imported file.
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Premiere Pro preserves the metadata for viewing in the Properties window (Figure 3), but doesn''t let you edit or add to it, or even search by it.

Yes, it doesn''t transcode any of the imported files. If you open up the Property window, you would see P2 Movie as the Type.

Figure 4. Here''s Premiere Pro exporting to P2.
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Yup. Choose File > Export to Panasonic P2, and you''ll see the options shown in Figure 4. Premiere Pro handles everything, naming the separate files and creating the XML file that glues all the files together and contains the metadata.

Figure 5. Here''s After Effects importing MXF video data.
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Adobe After Effects version 8.0.0.27 will import and edit P2 footage, but not export it. You should be able to get the footage over to Premiere Pro via Dynamic Link or by creating a Premiere Pro project, and exporting from there.

I''m not sure when AVC-Intra technology will ship, but CS3 doesn''t support it now. In my discussions with Adobe, they seem pretty jazzed about AVC-I, P2, and MXF in general, so I''m sure it won''t long in coming.

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Back to the grind, eh? Final Cut Pro imports P2 data via the Log and Transfer interface, where you can select files and in and out points and copy them to your hard drive. Unlike with Premiere Pro, you have to ingest before you start editing (although Final Cut Pro does combine all spanned files into a single file).

Final Cut Pro also edits the audio and video files natively and preserves MXF metadata, but it does this all within a QuickTime wrapper. You can''t export the files in MXF format without a third-party plug-in. I haven''t tried any but I''ve read good things about Raylight, which costs $195.

If you don''t care about metadata preservation and you don''t need to export MXF data, it''s pretty close to a tossup. If using and preserving MXF data and metadata is your primary focus, Premiere Pro has better support without considering third-party plug-ins.

If Adobe wants to beat the metadata drum so loudly, the company needs to find a way to integrate metadata search and input more effectively into Premiere Pro, After Effects, and even Soundbooth and Audition. Support for files that span across P2 cards is an obvious next step. Adobe is clearly aware of both issues, and I''m sure we''ll see enhancements in future releases.

Overall, MXF is here to stay, and it will become a highly desirable, if not essential, feature on camcorders with solid-state capture options. Adobe''s 1.0 implementation is impressive, and I''m sure it will pave the way for much more extensive support—both within Adobe products and in the editing industry in general.