Premiere Pro – Exporting AAF for Pro Tools

After your picture is locked, it’s time to export your project for mixing in Pro Tools. You might do this work yourself or you may be sending it out to be done by a professional.  In either case, you’ll be exporting an AAF or an OMF. Both these formats create a new file with trimmed audio and all the metadata from your project so when you import into ProTools everything is exactly where it should be.

Exporting an AAF

Exporting an AAF is very similar to exporting an OMF and it creates a similar file. Some audio engineers may ask for it depending on their software or workflow.

Set your in and out points for the length of your project. Be sure to note start and end timecode.

Go to File > Export > AAF 

The AAF dialog box will open.

  • Uncheck the “Mixdown Video” box. We will export a smaller H.264 video later.
  • “Sample Rate” and “Bits per Sample (Bit Depth)” should match the project settings.
  • “Files” should be set to “Separate Audio.” This ensures that each clip is exported as its own file.
  • “Format” is “Broadcast Wave “ and select “Trim Audio Files”.
  • Since we are exporting trimmed files, set “Handle Frames” to 60 frames. We do this so the audio engineer can drag out the clips if they needed.

 

Next, choose a location for the export. It’s a good idea to make a folder in the main project tree called “AAF.” This allows the project to stay organized. Click “Create” and “Save”, then “OK.”

The last step to to export your video. You will want to export your video as a 1080p H.264 file. Be sure to uncheck the “Export Audio” box as you don’t need that track in ProTools. For more information on exporting from Premiere Pro, check out “Premiere Pro – Exporting Media” page here.