Well, it looks like I've solved most of my Premiere Elements problems this morning.
The default setting for projects was HDV 1080i 25 fps (PAL). I could find no way to change this setting to the 29.97 fps for NTSC video. Today I noticed a small button on the screen called "SETUP" and clicked on it. It allowed me to change the default setting to NTSC. I can't figure out why Adobe chose not to allow the user to change it from the Edit/Project Settings menu option, etc.
All my video archived back to tape is in the 25fps format... no wonder I can't play it back on my TV's. Fortunately I also export all the best footage in MPEG format at 29.97 fps, and that is what I use for editing my DVD's and TV show.
This also explains the undesirable gaps in the clips I edited in the preview window. The original footage is NTSC (29.97 fps) but the timespace on the timeline is PAL (25 fps). My clips were selected in an NTSC space and the timeline was at the other frame rate. The difference between the two was responsible for creating the unwanted gaps.
NOTE: My copy of Premiere Elements 3.0 did not come with a manual (just a "Quick Start" booklet) and the help section gave me no information about how to change the default setting for all projects. I still can't figure out why it would not allow me to set the project settings to NTSC (overriding the PAL default setting) when I began a new project.
The default setting for projects was HDV 1080i 25 fps (PAL). I could find no way to change this setting to the 29.97 fps for NTSC video. Today I noticed a small button on the screen called "SETUP" and clicked on it. It allowed me to change the default setting to NTSC. I can't figure out why Adobe chose not to allow the user to change it from the Edit/Project Settings menu option, etc.
All my video archived back to tape is in the 25fps format... no wonder I can't play it back on my TV's. Fortunately I also export all the best footage in MPEG format at 29.97 fps, and that is what I use for editing my DVD's and TV show.
This also explains the undesirable gaps in the clips I edited in the preview window. The original footage is NTSC (29.97 fps) but the timespace on the timeline is PAL (25 fps). My clips were selected in an NTSC space and the timeline was at the other frame rate. The difference between the two was responsible for creating the unwanted gaps.
NOTE: My copy of Premiere Elements 3.0 did not come with a manual (just a "Quick Start" booklet) and the help section gave me no information about how to change the default setting for all projects. I still can't figure out why it would not allow me to set the project settings to NTSC (overriding the PAL default setting) when I began a new project.