Premiere Elements 2 for Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide

Digitizing Three Ways

If you want to use footage from analog

sources, you have three options, explained

in this section.

Dubbing to DV

In addition to an IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire or

iLink) connector, most DV camcorders also

have analog connections. Often, this connec-

tion is in the form of an adaptor cable. One

end plugs into the camcorder (generally using

a proprietary connector that works only with

your brand of camcorder). The other end of

the cable has analog connectors for video and

audio (usually RCA connectors like the ones

you use to hook up most consumer VCRs and

audio equipment).

To view a DV tape on a TV or copy it to a

VHS tape, you use the cable as an audio/video

output. However, you can use the same cable

as an input to record the audio/video signal

coming from your television tuner or VCR.

This way, you can copy, or dub, an analog

source (such as a VHS tape) to a DV tape.

Once your footage is on DV, you can use

Premiere Elements to capture your footage

in the manner described in

the section

“Capturing DV.” As a plus, you’ll have

a copy

of your (possibly precious) tape in a newer,

more versatile, and more resilient format.

Converting to DV using a

camcorder

Some DV camcorders can act as analog-to-

DV converters. They accept video and audio

from an analog source, convert the signals

into the DV format, and output the DV signal

directly to another device (such as your com-

puter). This way, you can capture analog

footage as DV in a single step, and (depend-

ing on your camera) without even using a DV

tape. Not all DV camcorders have this feature,

though. Check your camera’s documentation

for a pass-through feature or an E-to-E (elec-

tronic-to-electronic) mode. Pass-through lets

you record and output DV simultaneously,

whereas E-to-E converts and outputs the

video and audio without recording to a tape.

Note that you’ll have to use another program

(such as Windows Movie Maker) to capture

footage using this method. Once the footage

is in DV form, however, you can import it

into Premiere Elements (as explained later in

this chapter).

Using an analog-to-DV

converter

You can also convert analog video and audio

to DV using—what else?—an analog-to-digital

converter (sometimes called an A-to-D con-

verter). Depending on the device, an A-to-D

converter can also be a D-to-A (digital-to-

analog) converter. These devices are small

boxes with video and audio inputs and out-

puts appropriate to the formats being con-

verted. In this case, one output is an IEEE 1394

(FireWire, iLink) connector.

A converter is an attractive option for those

without a DV camcorder or with an over-

abundance of analog source tapes. Again,

Premiere Elements isn’t designed to work

with converters directly, but you can use

the DV files they create.

✔ Tip

■

There’s an old saying in video production:

“Tape is cheap.” In other words, the cost of

videotape is typically the smallest expense

in a video production. This adage holds

true even for home productions. Although

there’s no need to waste tape, it’s usually

well worth using enough tape for your

needs. Dubbing an old analog tape to DV

also is often worth the expense—not only

for the editing advantages you gain, but

also to archive what is likely a rapidly

deteriorating keepsake.

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Chapter 3

Digitizing Three Ways