Video does not import smoothly (+ sound)

Peter-Werts wrote on 2/25/2025, 9:04 AM

Greetings,

I recently bought a new smartphone (Samsung). When I import a video that I filmed with my smartphone into a story, the video does not play smoothly (the image repeatedly freezes for a moment). When I put music under the video, the music freezes as well in the same spots.

The problem occurs both in Magix photostory deluxe 2025 and Magix photostory premium VR.

The video is recorded in Mp4 format, Ultra HD, 60 frames per second.

When I tried to import videos filmed with my old photocamera, I never had this problem, so I assume that my new smartphone films in a newer and more high-end version of Mp4, that somehow causes problems within photostory.

Needless to say, when I play the videos in mediaplayer on my pc they play fine, so there is nothing wrong with the videos in itself.

I am no expert in video formats and editing. Has anyone else encountered this problem ? And, more importantly, does anyone have a solution ?

Thanks in advance,

Peter.

P.S. I got a message instructing me to buy a new codec when I tried to import the videos in photostory premium vr, which I purchased from the Magix website, but since the previous videos from my camera imported fine, that tells me that the smartphone uses a different codec.

Comments

emmrecs wrote on 2/25/2025, 9:49 AM

@Peter-Werts

Welcome to the Magix users forums!

As you have found, not all smartphones are "equal"!

One of the most common problems created by them for video editing programs is that video files are frequently created using Variable Frame Rate. In order to establish, first, whether this is the problem you are seeing, please follow this tutorial to analyse the actual content of at least one of your files. Please copy and paste the results from the Text view to your next reply.

Once we can see this data we should be able to offer you advice on what to do next!

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

johnebaker wrote on 2/25/2025, 11:32 AM

@Peter-Werts

In addition to @emmrecs comment, we need more information to help diagnose the issue(s) you are having:

The specification of your computer system including Windows version, see this topic for what is required, and please quote processor and graphics card make/model in full, and also what monitor/screen resolution(s) you are working with if this is a laptop.

John EB
Forum Moderator

Peter-Werts wrote on 2/25/2025, 3:10 PM

This is the media-info data for one of the videos I have added to the photostory :

General
Complete name                            : C:\Users\icebo\Documents\__Data\Magix Photostory Deluxe 2025\Beekse Bergen Light festival 2025\Movies\20250221_190004.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID                                 : mp42 (isom/mp42)
File size                                : 75.9 MiB
Duration                                 : 12 s 361 ms
Overall bit rate                         : 51.5 Mb/s
Frame rate                               : 59.621 FPS
Performer                                : Galaxy S25 Ultra
Encoded date                             : 2025-02-21 18:00:18 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2025-02-21 18:00:18 UTC
xyz                                      : +51.5226+005.1150/
com.android.version                      : 15
com.android.video.temporal_layers_count : Unknown kind of value!
com.samsung.android.utc_offset           : +0100

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : HEVC
Format/Info                              : High Efficiency Video Coding
Format profile                           : Main 10@L5.1@High
Codec ID                                 : hvc1
Codec ID/Info                            : High Efficiency Video Coding
Duration                                 : 12 s 361 ms
Bit rate                                 : 51.2 Mb/s
Width                                    : 3 840 pixels
Height                                   : 2 160 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Rotation                                 : 90°
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 59.621 FPS
Minimum frame rate                       : 30.010 FPS
Maximum frame rate                       : 60.080 FPS
Real frame rate                          : 60.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 10 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.104
Stream size                              : 75.5 MiB (99%)
Title                                    : VideoHandle
Language                                 : English
Encoded date                             : 2025-02-21 18:00:18 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2025-02-21 18:00:18 UTC
Color range                              : Limited
Color primaries                          : BT.2020
Transfer characteristics                 : HLG
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.2020 non-constant
Codec configuration box                  : hvcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 12 s 355 ms
Source duration                          : 12 s 352 ms
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 256 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 386 KiB (0%)
Source stream size                       : 386 KiB (0%)
Title                                    : SoundHandle
Language                                 : English
Encoded date                             : 2025-02-21 18:00:18 UTC
Tagged date                              : 2025-02-21 18:00:18 UTC
mdhd_Duration                            : 12355

Peter-Werts wrote on 2/25/2025, 3:23 PM

The characteristics of my desktop PC that I use to work with photostory are :

Desktop PC

Windows 11 Home Version 24H2 Build 26100.3194 / 64-Bit

Processor : 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11700 @ 2.50GHz 2.50 GHz

Ram memory : 32 GB

Monitor resolution : 3840 X 2160

Graphics card : Intel(R) UHD Graphics 750 / Vram memory 128 MB / Total memory 16.411 MB

johnebaker wrote on 2/26/2025, 2:54 AM

@Peter-Werts

Thanks for the MediaInfo data and computer spec.

From mediaInfo:

Format                                   : HEVC
Bit rate                                 : 51.2 Mb/s
Width                                    : 3 840 pixels
Height                                   : 2 160 pixels
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 59.621 FPS
Minimum frame rate                       : 30.010 FPS
Maximum frame rate                       : 60.080 FPS
Real frame rate                          : 60.000 FPS

IMHO this combination of video format is causing the issues you are having.

HEVC is a highly compressed video format, add in the video is a 4K UHD resolution, and it is variable frame rate (VFR) with a very wide range, during playback the program has to regenerate the missing frames when they drop below the target of 60 fps.

Try using a video converter such as Handbrake or AviDemux to convert the video to Constant Frame Rate (CFR), there are tutorials for Handbrake here, and AviDemux here.

Conversion may help with playback however, depending on the action in the video you the conversion may introduce jerkiness into the video where the frame rate drops to low values.

If the Samsung phone is capable, changing the following would help:

frame rate mode from Variable to Constant
If you do not need 4K UHD resolution, change to FullHD 1920 x 1080
In Photostory check the option shown below for the Preview monitor is set, click the 3 dots icon bottom right of the preview monitor.

HTH

John EB

Peter-Werts wrote on 2/26/2025, 1:08 PM

Hi, thanks for the info.

I converted the videos to a constant frame rate of 30 using Handbrake and when I import the converted videos into my photostory, everything works fine as it did in the past. Both the videos and the audio play smoothly without hesitations.

I will try and experiment with my smartphone settings to record the videos in a different format in the future, but for now my problem is solved and I have been able to finish my photostory.

Many thanks for your help and suggestions, I greatly appreciate that.

Best regards,

Peter.

johnebaker wrote on 2/26/2025, 1:44 PM

@Peter-Werts

Hi Peter

Thanks for the feedback.

Pleased to hear that the video is OK after conversion, the extreme range of frame rate can cause issues, however the high average frame rate was not too far off the target frame rate, which would suggest the frequency of dropping to 30 fps was 'minimal'.

John EB