CS3 Presets to CS5?

Question

Hi,
Is there anyway to import presets from Media Encoder CS3 to CS5?

Answer 1

Hi John,
I should have put a caveat on my original message - presets from older versions of AME will work only if the internal data structure of the format in question hasn't changed.  That's the short way of saying that in every version of AME there's a risk that our software developers will need to change how a format represents its settings internally, and the data in presets from earlier versions won't match up.
That's my fault for not noting that requirement, and I apologize.
In the case of QuickTime presets specifically, this is very true. In my simple tests, QuickTime presets from CS3 will not open in CS5.  (Your original post did not specify a format; I didn't do a very good job with my initial tests before replying to your message.)  Here's why:
Because Premiere Pro and After Effects are now 64-bit applications, and there is no 64-bit version of QuickTime available, the Adobe CS5 applications needed a new method to write QuickTime files.  AME, After Effects, and Premiere Pro now handle all of the QuickTime settings internally, instead of calling on the QuickTime API as was done in CS4 and earlier versions.  Then they call a 32-bit service called Adobe QT 32 Server, which talks to QuickTime and writes the file.
The fallout of the changes in CS5 have impacted you in two different ways.
1. The data structure for QuickTime presets is now very, very different.  Presets from earlier versions won't work in CS5.
2. The appearance and arrangement of the settings for QuickTime is different.  You have noticed this.
Let's tackle some of the specific changes you've mentioned about the available QuickTime options:
> For example, the Quicktime DVCPRO-NTSC settings availble in CS3 is not available in CS5.
Correct, this specific codec doesn't exist in CS5.  Use instead the DV25 NTSC or DV50 NTSC codec.  Probably DV25, unless you have a specific need for DV50.
> In addition, a number of Options (field orders, etc) are greyed out in AME CS5
Some codecs, including the DV formats, are implicit to a format that defines certain parameters of the video.  For example, DV NTSC is ALWAYS 720x480, 0.9 or 1.21 PAR, 29.97fps, Lower Field First.  When a codec pre-defines parameters, AME CS5 doesn't allow you to change them.  If you change the codec to one that allows more control, for example None or PNG, you will see these options become available again.
(As a comparison, choose the DVCPRO HD 1080i60 codec, and you'll see that it locks the parameters to 1280x1080, 1.5 PAR, 29.97fps, Upper Filed First.)
Earlier versions of AME did not impose this type of restriction for QuickTime because it was using the QuickTime API, and that dictated what settings were possible.  QuickTime is actually kind of lazy about complying with format restrictions.  You could stuff just about any frame rate/frame size/field order/etc. of video into most QuickTime codecs and it would not only accept it, but QuickTime Player could play it back.  But you'd get unpredictable results if you tried to use that QuickTime file with a system that ahderes to strict format compliance.
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Now, QuickTime aside, I assure you that my previous post wasn't in error.  Some presets from CS3 will work in CS5.  I've tested the MPEG2, H.264, and FLV formats on Windows and verified that they work.  I did see some problems; for example the frame rate for H.264 and FLV wasn't correct when the preset was loaded into CS5.  So if you do transfer a preset from earlier versions to CS5, you should inspect the preset after loading to make sure that it is correct.
Note that when you save a preset, you are not given the option to choose where the preset is saved.  The file is always saved in the default location.
CS3: <drive>\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Premiere Pro\3.0\MediaIO\Presets
CS5: <drive>\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\AME\5.0
You can copy the preset files to a different location if you want, but simply copying them into the folder for CS5 won't automatically load them into AME CS5.  You need to use the Import Preset function inside AME to add them to your list of presets.
Also, do not rename the .vpr files from CS3 to .epr.  I don't understand why, but this causes them to fail to load.  But because CS5 only looks for .epr files in the Import dialog, you need to use a little trickery to make it find them.
Here are the steps to take:
In AME CS5, select the format you are going to add the preset to.  For example, if you want to add a preset for FLV, don't leave the Format selection on MPEG2.  Change it to FLV or you'll get an error.
Click the Import Preset button (the folder icon).
Navigate to the folder where the preset is located.
In the File Name field, type the name of the preset file, including the .vpr extension.  You could also copy/paste the name, or usually if you just start typing the name then Windows will display a drop-down menu with the list of file names in that folder that match what you've typed.  For example, if the preset file name is "FLV 640x480 30fps.vpr", if you type "FLV 6", you should see a list of files that start with that name.  Click on the file name to load the whole string into the File Name field.
Click Open.
The preset will be loaded, and you'll be shown a dialog asking you to name it.  Yes, this is a little bit redundant.
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I hope that clears up the situation for you.  Please reply with further questions if not.
To wrap this all up, I need to give you a caveat that is bigger than the one before: the workflow of transferring presets between versions of AME was not explicitly designed to work.
That is to say that when AME was designed, this workflow was either not considered, or wasn't included due to time or budget constraints.  (I couldn't tell you which since I wasn't working on the AME project when those decisions were made.)  Keep in mind what I posted above about how data structures can change from version to version; that means the ability to transfer presets from version to version would require specific engineering and testing work; it's not a given.
One reason why the work may not have been considered is that not enough people asked for it.  That's where you can help us.  If this is something you'd like to see in a future release, I encourage you to fill out a feature request for it.
And all of the above said, Presets is one area of AME that we know needs to be improved, and we are working on improvements for future releases.  But don't let that stop you from filing feature requests if you have ideas about how you'd like AME to work, or for any other change you'd like to see in an Adobe product.
-=TimK
-=Adobe Media Encoder and After Effects QE