If you’re an editor, you’ve probably had someone ask you to edit their video and then hand you a DVD disc. While it may seem impossible to edit a DVD, Premiere Pro can accept the native files right off of a DVD. However, you need to move the files from the disc onto your computer before editing.
It’s important to note that the files on a DVD are extremely compressed and were never meant to be edited. They’re dot VOB files and are meant to be played back from a DVD player. This means that the slower your computer is, the harder it will be to decompress these files and edit them. But it can be done!
To get started, avoid auto-launching the DVD into a DVD player. Instead, move the files from the DVD onto your computer. On Windows, right-click on the disc and choose Explorer, then copy the files over. On a Mac, you might be able to do that on the desktop.
Once the files are on your computer, open the Video TS folder to find the native dot VOB files. Not all VOB files on the disc are real videos, some are menus, chapters, or files that were only meant to be played back from a DVD player. Look for the larger files as those are the video files.
To import the files into Premiere Pro, simply drag and drop them into the timeline. You don’t need to change the format, and you can start editing right away.
It’s worth noting that you cannot edit a protected disc, and this method does not work for Blu-ray. However, if you follow these steps, next time someone asks you to edit their DVD, you can confidently say “absolutely!”
In conclusion, although it may be tricky to edit a DVD movie, it’s not impossible. With the right tools and knowledge, you can easily move the files onto your computer and start editing with Premiere Pro.