Category: Troubleshooting / Premiere Pro

You drag a video file into Premiere Pro, ready to edit, and—bonk. You get the dreaded error message:

"The file has an unsupported compression type."

Or maybe it imports, but the audio is out of sync, or the screen is green, or it crashes the software every time you scrub the timeline.

If you are coming from apps like CapCut or editing footage from your iPhone, Zoom, or OBS, this is the most common wall you will hit. The good news? Your file isn't broken. Premiere just hates the way it was packed.

Here is why this happens and the free tool you need to fix it in 30 seconds.

The Problem: Variable Frame Rate (VFR)

Premiere Pro is a professional "Constant Frame Rate" (CFR) editor. It expects every second of video to have the exact same number of frames (e.g., 24, 30, or 60).

But smartphones and screen recorders are lazy. To save battery and space, they use Variable Frame Rate (VFR). If you are filming a wall and nothing moves, your phone might drop the frame rate to 10fps. If you start running, it spikes to 30fps.

When you feed this "stretchy" time into Premiere, it freaks out. It can’t calculate where the cuts should go, so it throws an error or glitches out.

The Solution: Shutter Encoder

Many people suggest changing the file extension from .mp4 to .mov. Do not do this. It is like labeling a jar of peanut butter "mayonnaise"—it doesn't change what’s inside, and it will just confuse the software more.

You need to transcode (rewrite) the file to a constant frame rate. The best tool for this is Shutter Encoder (it’s free and donation-based).

Step 1: Download Shutter Encoder Go to the official site and download it. It is safer and more powerful than online converters.

Step 2: Drop in Your Files Open Shutter Encoder and drag your "broken" video files into the list.

Step 3: Choose Your Function You have two main choices here:

• The "Pro" Choice (Apple ProRes 422): Choose this if you have plenty of hard drive space. It creates a massive, buttery-smooth file that Premiere loves. It will edit like a dream.

• The "Space Saver" Choice (H.264): Choose this if you are low on space. It creates a standard MP4.

  • Important: If you choose H.264, go to "Advanced Features" and check the box that says Conform by. Set it to your target frame rate (e.g., 30fps or 60fps). This forces the file to be Constant Frame Rate.

Step 4: Hit Start Function Wait for the bar to finish. You will get a new file (e.g., MyVideo_ProRes.mov).

Step 5: Import the New File Drag this new file into Premiere Pro. It will import instantly, the audio will stay in sync, and you can get back to editing.

Summary

If Premiere refuses to read your file, don't fight it. It’s usually a VFR issue. Run it through Shutter Encoder to "iron out" the frame rate, and you’ll never see that error message again.