TechNote (Archived)

Unable to capture via USB in Premiere Elements 2.0

Issue

When you attempt to capture digital video from a video camera via USB, Adobe Premiere Elements shows the camera as "offline."

Solutions

Your camera likely does not use the USB Video Class 1.0 driver (also called USB 2.0) which is required to support DV over USB. We suggest the following workarounds in order to capture your footage for use in Premiere Elements 2.0:

Solution 1: Make sure you have installed the driver for your camera.

For installation instructions, refer to the CD or other media accompanying your camera. For further assistance, please contact your camera's manufacturer.

Solution 2: Make sure your camera is plugged into the USB 2 port.

Premiere Elements 2.0 can only capture from USB video sources via a USB 2.0 port. Follow these steps to confirm that you are connected through the correct port:

1. Right-click My Computer and choose Properties > Hardware > Device Manager.

2. Click the plus sign (+) next to USB Controller and check for USB 2.0 (sometimes called "Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller").

Solution 3: Capture using the FireWire port on the camera.

Many cameras have both USB and FireWire ports. If your computer supports FireWire, use it for capture directly into Premiere Elements 2.0.

Solution 4: Capture using Windows Movie Maker.

Windows Movie Maker supports capture via USB. You can then import these WMV files into Premiere Elements 2.0. However, depending on the capture settings, you may notice a loss of quality with WMV files.

Background information

USB Streaming technology does not support the USB video class 1.0 driver. If your device supports USB Streaming, then USB capture is not compatible with Premiere Elements 2.0 and you should capture with your FireWire port. USB Streaming is intended for webcasting and uses MPEG1 format.