Summary: Adobe Premiere Elements 8  (9/2009)
    Enhancements and Visual Tour

    by Douglas Dixon

About the New Elements 8
New / Enhanced Features - Summary
Elements Organizer - Interface & Visual Tour
Premiere Elements - Interface & Visual Tour
   Organize Tab - Acquire, organize media
   Edit Tab - Assemble, edit, enhance media
   Disc Menus Tab - Create interactive menus for DVD / Blu-ray discs
   Share Tab - Save, export, upload

A summary of the new Adobe Premiere Elements 8 -- 
    Key new features and enhancements, with a visual tour of the interface and functions.

New Features

• Elements Organizer for photos and video: 
      Auto-Analyzer, Full-screen view, Sync media on multiple computers
• SmartFix, Smart Trim, SmartMix
• Motion tracking
• Clip art library
• New visual effects, movie themes, transitions
• Online Albums
• Support for Windows 7

Adobe Consumer Photo and Video Products - www.adobe.com/digitalimag/consumer
Adobe Premiere Elements - www.adobe.com/products/premiereel
Adobe Press Release 9/09

See article - Adobe Premiere Elements 8 Reviewed (Videomaker Magazine)
See earlier article on Adobe Premiere Elements 7
Find related Adobe articles in the Manifest Tech Blog

Find Adobe Premiere Elements 8 on Amazon.com
Find Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Premiere Elements 8 bundle on Amazon

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About the New Elements 8

The most visible change in version 8 of the Elements applications is a more-integrated Elements Organizer, now a separate application for importing, organizing, and tagging both photos and video. This is part of Adobe's larger focus on metadata, information associated with media files to help organize and edit them (like the speech recognition in Adobe Soundbooth (see previous article). In the Elements Organizer, you can can drag and drop to group and apply albums and tags, and there's a new Keyword Tag Cloud view, with the tags larger if they are more frequently used.

The next major theme of this release is automated analysis. As you import media in the Elements Organizer, it can apply the Auto-Analyzer to determine the video quality. After detecting scene changes, it detects and tags clips based on video features, audio characteristics, and video content. And for photos, it not only finds multiple faces in images, but then does people recognition -- prompting you to enter the names of different people, and then finding additional matches to those faces.

Of course, this analysis requires significant processing time, so the Organizer will crunch away in the background as you import new collections of media (and, by default, will continue running even if you close the application). This is similar to the background processing in Premiere Elements for conforming the audio and rendering the timeline.

The pay-off for this automated analysis, and all your work in organizing albums and manually tagging clips, is not just a warm and fuzzy feeling. Given all this information about your clips, Premiere Elements then can be much more intelligent in performing a new level of automated editing, including creating a polished movie using a theme, plus new automated trimming, stabilization and lighitng fixes, and audio balancing. Plus, the new motion tracking adds graphics overlays that automatically move with subjects in footage. These assists can be fully automated, or customized by selecting specific options and modifying the results.

The third theme in the new Elements application is even stronger support for online backup and sharing though Photoshop.com (using your Adobe ID). Your media catalog can be automatically backed up online, organized in albums that can be private or shared. New online albums use Adobe Flash animated themes to create dynamic online presentations. And the online catalog can be used to sync media across multiple computers running Elements.

Adobe describes Premiere Elements as the #1 selling consumer video-editing software, and Photoshop Elements as the #1 selling consumer photo-editing software. However, the Elements applications are not for beginners. These tools actually provide a surprising depth of the power of Adobe's Premiere Pro CS4 and Photoshop CS4 professional Creative Suite applications, including video timelines with keyframed effects, and images with layers and effects.

Yes, these tools add a friendlier interface with extensive tips and tutorials, and simplified editing modes like the video storyboard and one-click photo quick fixes. But the interface is not overly simplified to just big fat buttons -- the depth is still visible in the many smaller controls and icons. Similarly, Premiere Elements requires that you define the project format before you start editing (standard-def DV, widescreen AVCHD), unlike other consumer software that doesn't bother you with such details.

The bottom line is that Adobe has designed the Elements tools for motivated enthusiasts who want to do more than a quick occasional edit. If you're the type who is organized about shooting and managing your footage, and willing to put in the effort to tag and analyze it, then Premiere Elements 8 will help you do more, doing guided edits with the new automated assists, and then moving on to more sophisticated work with the depth from the Adobe CS pedigree.

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New / Enhanced Features 

Combined Elements Organizer for Video and Photos

• Fully featured Elements Organizer - Easy to use media management hub
      Find, view, and protect your video clips and photos in one convenient place
      Protect with automatic online backup and 2 GB of free storage (20 GB with Plus)
      Access and share from anywhere
• Auto-Analyzer - Find your best video clips, or clips that meet a particular set of criteria
      Automatically tags footage and photos for quality and interest
      Smart search options
• New - Automatic syncing - See the same video clips and photos on every computer
      Media added or edited on one computer is automatically be synced to another (U.S. only)
• New - Full-screen previews - See your full video clips and photos 
• New - Windows 7 support - Including hands-on capabilities of Windows Touch technology.

Automated Moviemaking Assistance

• Smart, automated options - Make interesting movies with less effort 
• SmartFix - Automatically fix imperfections
      Fix shaky footage and color and lighting problems
• New - Smart Trim - Automatically cut bad footage, or recommend cuts
      Remove least interesting, lowest quality footage; fit desired duration
• New - SmartMix - Automatically balance audio elements 
      Add music and sound effects without overpowering dialogue or background audio
• InstantMovie - Automatically create a polished movie, using creative techniques from Hollywood directors,
      Edits best clips together with coordinated music, titles, effects, and transitions
      Choice of movie themes, new customization options (Ongoing delivery of themes with Plus)

Use Photos and Videos Together in Creative Ways

• Do more with individual video frames - Capture a single video frame; add text, graphics, other enhancements; then put the frame back in the movie for a fun or dramatic freeze-frame effect. Or use to create a personalized disc cover
• Add cinematic flair to photo slide shows - Create traditional photo slide show, then use InstantMovie to automatically add video-style effects, transitions, motion graphics. Preview the slide show in full screen, burn to disc or upload to share 
• Share photos and videos on the web - Showcase in Online Albums, Share via Photoshop.com

Enhance with Professional Styles

• Enhance movies with fun, stylish motion graphics, effects, transitions, themes, titles, and disc menus.
• New - Motion-tracking - Add graphics, text, effects that automatically move with the subjects in your scene
      Add thought bubbles or hats above people’s heads
• New - Artwork library - Fun frames, objects, and animations
• New - Movie video effects - Motion blur, cartoon effects
      Apply effect to a specific area of a scene and keep it locked on the action with motion tracking
• Play around with visual effects - Browse effects by visual thumbnails
      Drag and drop to apply to video, modify using easy slider controls
      New effects include Duochrome, Dreamglow, Film Look (Ongoing delivery of effects with Plus)
• Movie themes for cinematic flair 
      Coordinated music, transitions, effects, disc menus, title screens (Ongoing delivery of themes with Plus)
• Hundreds of TV-style transitions for visual interest 
      New transitions include Color Melt, Oil, Mosaic. Create your own transitions
• Tutorials appear when you need them for creative inspiration (Ongoing delivery of tutorials with Plus)

Share Everywhere

• Share movies - via DVD, Blu-ray Disc, mobile devices, Photoshop.com, YouTube, and more
• New - Online Albums - Share videos on the web with dynamic, animated templates
      Viewers can interact with videos using Adobe Flash (Ongoing delivery of templates with Plus)
      Share via public or private galleries on Photoshop.com, no registration required 

Existing Features

• SmartSound - Add soundtrack, Automatically adjust to match the length of movie 
      Automatically detects music tempo and syncs the beginning and end of each scene to beats
• Videomerge effect - Extract moving subject from solid color (green-screen) backgrounds 
          overlay into a new background setting
• Video Stabilizer effect - Restore shaky footage

Online Backup and Sharing - Photoshop.com

• Share interactive photo albums and videos online
• Access photos and movies online from any web-enabled computer using online Organizer
• Automatic backup to online storage: Basic 5 2 GB, Plus 20 GB
• Regular inspiration updates (Plus): Download new creative project elements on regular basis
      Tutorials, themes, templates, artwork into Elements applications
• Photoshop.com Mobile: Upload, view, and share photos on the go
      View online photos on mobile phone. Upload directly to online Organizer, 
      then automatically sync to desktop Organizer. Runs on Windows Mobile smartphones
          http://mobile.photoshop.com
• Basic level free, Plus level $69.99 per year for 20 GB of storage space, $129.99 for 100 GB
• www.adobe.com/products/psprelements/membership

Minimum System Requirements include 

• 2 GHz (was 1.8) processor with SSE2 support; 3 GHz processor required for HDV or Blu-ray; 
      dual-core processor required for AVCHD
• Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Windows Media Center, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
• For Windows XP: 512MB of RAM (2GB required for HD editing including HDV, AVCHD, or Blu-ray)
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7: 1GB of RAM (2GB required for HD editing including HDV, AVCHD, or Blu-ray)
• 4.5GB of available hard-disk space
• Color monitor with 16-bit color video card
• 1,024 x 768 monitor resolution at 96dpi or less
• Microsoft DirectX 9 or 10 compatible sound and display driver
• DVD-ROM drive (compatible DVD burner required to burn DVDs; 
      compatible Blu-ray burner required to burn Blu-ray Discs)
• DV/i.LINK/FireWire/IEEE 1394 interface to connect a Digital 8, DV or HDV camcorder, 
      or a USB2 interface to connect a DV-via-USB compatible DV camcorder 
      (other video devices supported via the Media Downloader)
• QuickTime 7 software

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Elements Organizer Interface and Features -- Visual Tour

Fully featured Organizer - Easy to use media management hub
    Find, view, and protect video clips and photos in one convenient place
    Protect with automatic online backup and 2 GB of free storage (20 GB with Plus)
    Access and share from anywhere

    Elements Organizer
       - Thumbnails of media clips on left
       - Attributes on right: Albums, Keyword Tags, Smart Tags, Star Ratings

Organizer Workflow

• Get photos and videos from camera or card, scanner, folders, by searching; Watch folders
• View, organize, edit as thumbnail, or full-screen (side by side photos)
• Organize / share in multiple catalogs, Backup / restore catalog from optical or hard drive
• Organize in smart Albums, apply Keyword Tags, Run Auto-Analyzer to smart tag files
• Search by media attributes, date, history
• Burn data disc, Copy to removable disk
• Apply photo fixes directly, make photo creations
• Share directly, burn to disc, upload and share online
• Launch Photoshop Elements or Premiere Elements for more advanced editing and sharing

Organize Tab

• Preview clips as thumbnails, full window
      Full Screen view (F11): Film Strip thumbnails on side panel, Slide Show
          Side by Side View (Above and Below) to compare two clips
          Quick Organize: Albums and Tags
          Quick Edit: Photo Rotate, Edit (Auto adjustments), Delete, Mark for Print
• Assign Star Ratings - 1 to 5
• Organize in Albums
      Organize in nested Albums
      Control sharing via Photoshop.com
      Create Smart Albums that automatically collect media based on defined criteria.
• Assign Tags
      Apply Keyword Tags (People, Places, Events), with sub-categories
      Smart Tags - Split scenes and identify the most interesting, highest-quality clips
          Scene detection - automatically split footage into individual scenes
          High/Low Quality, Focus/Blurred, Too Bright/Dark, High/Low Contrast, Shaky
              Audio (dialog, music, volume), No Objects, Single Object
              Faces (single / two, group, closeup / long), Motion (pan / tilt / zoom, direction)
      Keyword Tag Cloud icon - Video tag list as cloud, larger if more frequently used
• Assign multiple: Select clips and click or type to apply albums and tags, or drag and drop multiple tags
• Tag & rating information then used for automated tools: InstantMovie, SmartFix, SmartTrim

Fix Tab

• Photo Fix Options - Auto Smart Fix, etc.
• Edit Photos - Quick Photo Edit, Guided Photo Edit, Full Photo Edit (Photoshop Elements)
• Edit Videos (Premiere Elements)

Create Tab

• Photo creations - Photo Book, Calendar, Greeting Card, Prints, Collage, Slide Show)
• Video creations - Instant Movie, DVD with Menu (Premiere Elements)
• More Options - PhotoStamps, CD / DVD Jacket, CD/DVD Label, VCD with Manu, Flipbook)

Share Tab

• Online Album - To Photoshop.com with animated template
      Export to CD/DVD, FTP, Hard Disk
• E-mail Attachments, Photo Mail
• Disc - Burn Video DVD / Blu-ray (Premiere Elements)
      Burn data CD / DVD
• Online Video Sharing (Premiere Elements)
• Mobile Phones and Players (Premiere Elements)
• More options - PDF Slide Show, Share via Kodak Easyshare, SmugMug, CEIVA Digital Photo Frame, Flickr

Automatic Analysis

• Smart Tagging works automatically on import, clicks already analyzed
      Auto-Analyzer button at bottom of window shows status
• Auto-Analyzer: Process footage for characteristics and quality, set Smart Tags
      Preferences to automatically analyze all media in catalog
      Runs in background, even after exiting application. Optionally runs on start-up
      Filters: Audio, Brightness and Contrast, Motion, Shake, Blur, Face, Object Motion
      Icon below thumbnail window to show status, enable / disable
• Recognize People: Find faces, tag with names
      Optionally search and tag faces automatically, San photos and prompt to identify faces

Online Backup / Synchronization

• Backup to Photoshop.com account (though Adobe ID) to protect files
• Sharing options for each Album (not Smart Albums) - Personal URL at Photoshop.com
      Share, Display in My Gallery, E-mail notifications, Permissions to download and order prints
• Sync from online to multiple computers
      Media added or edited on one computer is automatically be synced to another (U.S. only)
• Preferences to globally enable/disable Backup/Sync
      New albums Backup/Sync automatically, Ask before deleting, Resolve conflicts, File types
• Icon below thumbnail window to show status, enable / disable, resolve conflicts
      View files backed up, not backed up, pending

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Visual Tour -- Premiere Elements Interface and Features

    A visual tour of Premiere Elements 8 interface elements and associated features.

Interface Design

• Intuitive interface, clean, easy-to-use workspace
      Still has darker appearance, Color-coded tabs, so images pop out from gray background
      Edit > Preferences > General tab - User Interface Brightness
• Common Organizer for media management shared with Photoshop Elements
      Common database accessible from either application
• Visually tag video clips and photos to categorize by people, places, or events.
• View, search, sort assets in a variety of ways - file name, tag, date, time

   Premiere Elements 8 interface - Edit tab - Motion Tracking
      - Monitor panel (top left)
      - Tasks panel (top right) - Edit panel - Video Effects
      - Project panel (bottom) - Sceneline (storyboard)

Interface Elements

• Monitor panel (top left) - Display clips
• Tasks panel (top right - Color-coded tabs: Organize, Edit, Disc Menus, Share
• Project panel (bottom) - Sceneline / Timeline
• Floating panels, hidden by default:
  - Info panel - Information about selected item
  - History panel - Undo list
  - Events panel - Errors / messages
  - Audio Meters, Audio Mixer
• Drag and drop to move / resize / dock (hold down Ctrl)
      Use Window > Show Docking Headers to see names of panels
• Tutorials for creative inspiration
      Message Pod with light bulb icon and text appears at bottom right of window 
          suggests helpful tutorials for current actions
      Click to show Inspiration Pod mini-window with tutorial descriptions
      Click Learn How to display Inspiration Browser to review all tutorials, video and PDF

Tasks panel - Workflow tabs

• Organize tab (blue) - Get, review media, InstantMovie, Projects
• Edit (orange) - Edit clips into movie: Effects, Transitions, Titles, Themes, Clip Art
• Disc Menus (purple) - Create interactive DVD / Blu-ray disc menus
• Share (green) - Export / upload movie: Online, portable devices

Monitor panel - Edit and preview

• Preview and edit clips, apply effects, create titles, position overlay images and text
• Trim and split clips, drop filters and effects on a frame
• Create picture-in-picture effects, type titles and text on screen
• Shows Text tools when editing titles: Type, shapes, lines, colors
• Becomes Disc Layout panel for Disc Menus workspace

Project panel - Sceneline / Timeline

• Sceneline (storyboard) - Arrange clips, apply titles, transitions, effects
      Drag and drop, copy and paste thumbnails of clips
• Timeline - Trim, layer, ands synchronize multiple tracks of media
      View starting and ending point of each event to synchronize multiple events
      Up to 99 audio and video tracks

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Organize Tab: Acquire, organize media

    Organize  tab - Organize - Sceneline
        - Monitor panel (top left)
        - Tasks panel (top right) - Organize tab showing Media clips
        - Project panel (bottom) - Sceneline with thumbnails of clips

• Get Media tab - Import or capture video, still, audio
      DV Camcorder, HDV Camcorder
      DVD (Camcorder or PC drive)
      AVCHD or other hard drive / memory camcorder
      Digital Still Camera
      Mobile Phone and Players
      Webcam or WDM video device
      PC Files and Folders
• Media tab - Find media files
      Filter by media type, album, tags, ratings
• Organizer tab - Switch to Elements Organizer to categorize and tag
• InstantMovie tab - Automatically create movie from clips using theme (Edit)
• Project tab - View project media files

Import / Export Formats include:

• ASF (import only), AVI, AVCHD (import only), SWF (import only), Blu-ray Disc (export only), DV, DVD, Dolby Digital Stereo,
      H.264, HDV, JPEG, PNG (import only), PSD (import only), MOD and TOD (JVC Everio, import only),
      MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, WAV, QuickTime, Windows Media, WMA (import only), 3GP
• Import/export of 3GP, 3GP2, MOV, MPEG-4, and QuickTime requires QuickTime software
• Import/export of some formats, including AVCHD, DVD, Blu-ray, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and H.264,
      may require activation or download of components via an Internet connection

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Edit Tab: Assemble, edit, enhance media

Edit and preview directly in large Monitor window
        Trim and split clips, drop filters and effects on the frame
            create fun picture-in-picture effects, type titles and text directly on the screen
    Assemble production on Sceneline (storyboard) or Timeline
    Browse and apply elements by visual thumbnails, drag and drop to apply to video
        Customize with slider controls
        Select and click Edit Effects / Transitions to edit - Properties
    Use Organize tab to review media elements (Project) and add new clips (Media)

    Edit tab - Effects - Timeline (created by Instant Movie)
       - Monitor panel (top left)
       - Tasks panel (top right) - Edit tab showing Effects
       - Project panel (bottom) - Multi-track Timeline with video and audio clips

• Effects - Apply video and audio effects and presets
      Adjust, Blur & Sharpen, Distort, Image Enhancement, Keying, Stylize, etc.
      New - Duochrome, Dreamglow, Film Tools
      Video Stabilizer - Restore shaky footage
      Videomerge - Extract moving subject from solid color (green-screen) backgrounds 
          overlay into a new background setting
• Transitions - Apply video and audio transitions
      Dissolve, Wipe, Slide, etc.
• Titles - Apply preformatted titles with event and design themes
      Title, frame, scrolling credits, lower third designs
      Edit and align type
      Customize style with shadows, glows, effects
      Animate to fade, bounce, spin, zoom, scroll
• Themes - Apply automated movie themes
      Add professional touches to clips: title, effects, transitions
      Event-based - including Wedding, Birthday, Travel
      Style-based - including Comic Book, Music Video
      Slideshow: Pan and Zoom, Wedding Doves
• Clip Art - Frames, objects, and animations  to add to video
      Baby, Food, Home, Nature, Sports, Speech Bubbles, Fire, Clouds, etc.
      Some HD, some animated artwork

   Edit tab - Motion Tracking
       - Monitor panel with rectangle outlining tracked subject (top left)
       - Tasks panel (top right) - Edit tab showing Clip Art graphics

Smart Tools for Automated Editing

• Use Auto-Analyze Smart Tags to indicate quality and interest of sections of footage
      Content intelligence: Positive and negative characteristics of footage
• InstantMovie - Automatically create movie from clips using theme
      Edits best clips together with coordinated music, titles, effects, and transitions
      Choice of movie themes, using creative techniques from Hollywood directors
      Selects and trims clips, determines order and timing, based on quality tags and ratings
      Adds music, titles, effects, and transitions based on themes (styles and events)
      Customization options to control Speed and Intensity (number of cuts)
      Advanced users can further edit the result
      Use Pan and Zoom slideshow theme for cinematic slide show imported from Photoshop Elements
• Smart Trim - Automatically cut bad footage, or recommend cuts
      Remove least interesting, lowest quality footage; fit desired duration
      Automatic, or manual - mark suggested trims with blue diagonal lines
      Customize: Set Quality and Interest Level
      Icon above Timeline/Sceneline
• SmartFix - Automatically fix imperfections
      Fix shaky footage and color and lighting problems (Shadow / Highlight)
      Automatically offers to fix when drag to Sceneline
• SmartMix - Automatically balance audio elements 
      Add music and sound effects without overpowering dialog or background audio
      Mixer Options to assign specific tracks as foreground, background, disabled
• Motion Tracking - Add graphics, text, effects that automatically move with subjects in footage
      Select clip in Timeline/Sceneline, click Motion Tracking icon above, Runs Auto analyze
      Play clip to preview tracking with yellow rectangle in Motion Tracking mode
      Drag artwork to object's tracking rectangle to apply and track (Motion keyframes)
      Drag effects to object's tracking rectangle, adjust size, to apply and track (Mask)

Audio Tools

    Tools in Project panel, to apply in Sceneline / Timeline

• SmartMix - Automatically balance audio elements 
      Add music and sound effects without overpowering dialog or background audio
• Audio Mix - Easy audio mixing and refinement
      Audio Mixer window works like a mixing board in a recording studio
          Adjust relative volumes with sliders: dialog, background music, sound effects
      Smart Mixer by foreground / background
• Add Narration - Record voice narration (from sound card)
• Detect Beats - Create slide shows and movies that move to the music
      Automatically detects tempo of musical soundtrack
      Syncs beginning and end of each scene with the beats
• Add Narration - Record voice narration track
• SmartSound - Add soundtrack 
      Automatically adjust to match the length of movie 
      Automatically detects music tempo and syncs the beginning and end of each scene to beats

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Disc Menus Tab: Create interactive menus for DVD / Blu-ray discs

   Disc Menus tab - Main menu - Design DVD
       - Monitor panel (top left) - Main menu template, edit to customize
       - Tasks panel (top right) - Templates for main and scene menus

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Share Tab: Export  /  Upload

    Share to computer files, DVD / Blu-ray disc, online, portable devices

   Share Menus tab - Sharing options

• Disc - Burn DVD disc, and HD to Blu-ray disc
      Use Disc Menus tab to create main and scene menus
• Online - Direct upload to video sharing websites
      Photoshop.com, YouTube, Podbean podcasts, FTP to other websites
      Presets for Adobe Flash video
• Personal Computer - Export files for viewing on PCs
      Adobe Flash Video - for posting online
      MPEG - for PC playback or DVD
      AVI - for editing in Premiere Elements, including DV
      Windows Media - for Windows playback
      QuickTime - for Mac playback
• Mobile Phones and Players - Export for mobile devices
      Apple iPod and iPhone - i.e., H.264 640x480
      Audio Podcast - H.264 / MP3
      Creative Zen - WMV 320x240
      Microsoft Zune - WMV 320x240
      Pocket PC - WMV 240x176
      Smartphone - WMV 224x128 landscape, 176x144 portrait
      Sony PSP - H.264  320x240
      Mobile Phone - 3GP - MPEG4 176x144, 320x240, 352x288 H.263
• Tape - Record to DV or HDV camcorder
• QuickShare - Save preset options

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