Convert VFR Video to CFR to Address Premiere Pro Audio out of Sync Issue

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3 Methods to Fix Audio out of Sync Issue after Importing Video into Adobe Premiere Pro

Updated on Jan 26, 2024

I was once sent an email concerning the audio sync drift issue when using Adobe Premiere Pro for video post-editing. Apparently, quite a lot of people have the exact same problem on various forums and even on Adobe's community. Actually, the probmen is caused by VFR videos. So, next, you'll find out how to solve Premiere Pro audio out of sync problem.

To simply fix audio not syncing with video in PR, just convert VFR video to CFR using this handy video transcoder:

https://www.videoconverterfactory.com/download/hd-video-converter-pro.exe hd-video-converter-pro.exe

Premiere Pro + VFR Video = Audio Desync

There is a very common and weird problem when editing video using Adobe Premiere Pro：A vid gets out of sync in the Source Monitor after importing it to Premiere Pro but plays fine in any media player. Well, the crucial reason of this issue is that the footage was supposed to be recorded in Variable Frame Rate (VFR) by default with some smartphones, cameras, webcams, recording programs, etc. Indeed, VFR is an efficient recording method that allows you to maintain a balance between video file size and quality performance, however, it's not suitable for video post-production. At least, as you can see, it causes A/V out of sync issue in PR. But don't worry, I have organized 3 methods to help you solve Premiere Pro audio out of sync issue.

Method 1 - Rename Video File Extension

Rename VFR Video Extension

The Premiere Pro audio out of sync problem can be fixed by simply renaming video file extension, which has been confirmed by some people on Windows and MacOS.

Step 1. Install Apple's QuickTime: https://support.apple.com/downloads/quicktime

Step 2. Right click on a video file > Rename > change the video extension to .dif. If the file extension is hidden by default, please:

For Windows 8/10/11, open File Explorer: View Ribbon > Show/Hide section > enable File name extensions.

For Windows 7, open Windows Explorer: go to Organize button on the top left > Folder and Search Options > View tab > disable "Hide extensions for known file types" > OK.

For Mac, go to Finder > Preferences > Advanced > Select "Show all filename extensions".

Step 3. Import the .dif file to Adobe Premiere Pro and see if it fixes the audio out of sync issue.

If it doesn't work somehow due to different systems, software versions or video files, please go ahead.

Method 2 - Address Audio and Video out of Sync in Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro Audio and Video out of Sync

Starting from Premiere Pro CC 2018 (12.0.1) and later versions, it provides Preserve Audio Sync feature to accommodate the Adobe Premiere audio out of sync problem. Here are the steps below.

Step 1. Run Adobe Premiere Pro > Create a Project > Load the VFR video to Project panel.

Step 2. Open this VFR clip in the Source Monitor and switch to the Effect Controls panel. Under MPEG Source Settings, you're able to toggle between Preserve Audio Sync and Smooth Video Motion for Variable Frame Rate Mode.

- Preserve Audio Sync: it is the default option for all VFR video. The decoder will add or drop video frames to keep audio and video in sync, but it may lead to less smooth motion in the video.

- Smooth Video Motion: it decodes all the available frames in video but don't make any effort to keep A/V in sync.

Step 3. Just go ahead with your editing work.

Note: The Preserve Audio Sync feature sometimes may not work as expected due to the overloads of the minimum and maximum frame rates for some VFR videos.

Method 3 - Convert VFR to CFR

If the 2 methods above don't work for you, you have to convert/transcode VFR video to Constant Frame Rate (CFR) mode which is favored by video editing programs while VFR is more suitable for media players. To achieve this purpose, WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is highly recommended owing to its simple GUI and straightforward operations. To your surprise, not just a video/audio converter, it's also equipped with online video download, screen recording, GIF making and more practical features. Anyway, free downloadfree download this program and let's see how it converts VFR to CFR easily and quickly.

Easily Fix Premiere Pro Audio out of Sync Issue

1. Convert VFR Video to constant frame rate (CFR) handily.
2. Fix any video or audio codec not supported problem.
3. 500+ configured presets available for fast conversion.
4. Compress large videos with minimal quality loss.
5. Modify video parameters like resolution, bitrate, etc at will.
6. Trim, merge, flip, crop, rotate, watermark video easily.
7. Download HD/FHD/UHD videos from 1000+ websites.
8. Record live streams, gameplay, video call, etc. with ease.
9. Add/extract subtitles, make animated GIFs and more...

Free Download

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Windows, 100% Clean!

Simple Steps to Convert VFR Video to CFR

Before start, please free download free download the software.

Step 1 - Load VFR Video Files

Launch HD Video Converter Factory Pro and open Converter module, import VFR video files via Add Files/Add Video Folder button, or directly drag and drop them into the program.

Step 2 - Switch to CFR Mode

Open and expand the Output Format list on the right side, then select your desired profile from 500+ preset formats and devices. Next, click on Parameter settings below the format profile. On the Settings window, you are able to select a common fps in drop-down list of video frame rate as well as to customize it to a certain value as you wish. After that, press OK and go back to the main interface.

Tips: you can also modify other settings based on your need, such as change video resolution, adjust bitrate, deinterlace video, etc.

Fix Audio and Video out of Sync Premiere Issue

Step 3 - Start the Conversion

On the bottom of the program, press the inverted triangle icon to specify an output fold to save the converted video file. Lastly, hit the Run button to convert VFR video to CFR with GPU acceleration. After the conversion is complete, the CFR video is supposed to be imported into Premiere Pro smoothly, and you'll find the Adobe Premiere audio out of sync issue has been solved perfectly.

Related Reading: VBR vs CBR | 60FPS Converter | VLC Audio Sync | HandBrake Audio Sync Issue

At last...

When you run into Adobe Premiere Pro audio out of sync issue like HEVC footage not working in PR, just take full advantage of the 3 solutions above to settle it successively. Feel free to contact me if you have much easier method, I will update this post immediately.

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