How to edit Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC S files in Premiere?

Does Adobe Premiere Pro comes with native support for Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S codec? If not, what software can I use to make it compatible? Actually, support for XAVC-S format was added in Premiere Pro CC.1 (7.1). If for any reason you are unable to work with Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files in Adobe Premiere properly, you can transcode them to a format that is compatible with Premiere first.

"Is it possible to work with Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S media in Premiere Pro CS6 (6.0.4)? I have paid a lot of money for my Premiere Pro 6.0 version and it seems that there won't be an update for my 6.0 pro version to support Sony XAVC-S codec. I don't upgrade to the CC version, so my question is, are there any workarounds to get Premiere CS6 opening Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S footage?"

To be able to use Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files in Premiere Pro CS6, you will need to transcode them first. The following guide displays how to do this in detail.

• Part 1: How to transcode Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files for use in Adobe Premiere on Mac?
• Part 2: How to transcode Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files for use in Adobe Premiere on Windows?

Video Converter (It is available for Mac and Windows, simply download the proper version depending on your computer's OS.)

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Part 1. How to transcode Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files for use in Adobe Premiere on Mac?

Step 1: Import Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files. Start up Video Converter for Mac and click "Add File" to load Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S videos that you need to convert into this program. This converter supports batch conversion, so you can import a bundle of Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files into it to do conversion at a time.

Step 2: Click "Profile" to select output format. For Mac based Premiere, we would recommend choosing "Final Cut Pro" > "Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)" as output format. The ProRes 422 codec will ensure a good balance between file size and file quality.

Tips: 1. This converter only outputs Apple ProRes files up to 1080p. If your source video is 4K and you want to keep its original quality, you can select "4K Video" > "4K H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Video (*.mp4)" as target format for use in Premiere. To select 4K H.264 as output, please make sure your computer has enough power to handle 4K H.264.

2. If necessary, you can click "Settings" button to modify video and audio parameters like encoder, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, aspect ratio, sample rate, and audio channels. You can also "Enable 3D Settings" to add 3D effect to your source media.

Step 3: Start file conversion. Click "Convert" to start transcoding Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S media for Premiere on Mac. As soon as the conversion is complete, click "Open Folder" to get the generated files for editing in Premiere Pro on your Mac with optimum performance.

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Part 2. How to transcode Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files for use in Adobe Premiere on Windows?

Step 1: Import Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files. Start up Video Converter for Windows and click "Add File" to load Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S videos that you need to convert into this program. This converter supports batch conversion, so you can import a bundle of Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S files into it to do conversion at a time.

Step 2: Click "Profile" to select output format. For Windows based Premiere, we would recommend choosing "Avid Media Composer" > "Avid DNxHD 1080p(*.mov)" as output format.

Tips: 1.This converter only outputs DNxHD files up to 1080p. If your source video is 4K and you want to keep its original quality, you can select "4K Video" > "4K H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Video (*.mp4)" as target format for use in Premiere. To select 4K H.264 as output, please make sure your computer has enough power to handle 4K H.264.

2.If necessary, you can click "Settings" button to modify video and audio parameters like encoder, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, aspect ratio, sample rate, and audio channels. You can also "Enable 3D Settings" to add 3D effect to your source media.

Step 3: Start file conversion. Click "Convert" to start transcoding Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S media for Premiere on Windows. As soon as the conversion is complete, click "Open Folder" to get the generated files for editing in Premiere Pro on your Windows PC with optimum performance. That's all. Hope this post will help those who are having issues working with Sony Alpha a7R II XAVC-S footage in Adobe Premiere Pro.