Pinnacle Systems DS User Manual

Avid

High-Resolution and Color

Workflow Guide

Legal Notices

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Avid products or portions thereof are protected by one or more of the following European Patents: 0506870; 0635188; 0674414; 0752174; 0857293; 0976108; 0988756; 1068734; 1111910; 1173850; 1629675. Other patents are pending.

Avid products or portions thereof are protected by one or more of the following United States Patents: 5,267,351; 5,309,528; 5,355,450; 5,396,594; 5,440,348; 5,467,288; 5,513,375; 5,528,310; 5,557,423; 5,577,190; 5,584,006; 5,640,601; 5,644,364; 5,654,737; 5,724,605; 5,726,717; 5,745,637; 5,752,029; 5,754,851; 5,799,150; 5,812,216; 5,828,678; 5,842,014; 5,852,435; 5,986,584; 5,999,406; 6,038,573; 6,061,758; 6,069,668; 6,141,007; 6,211,869; 6,532,043; 6,546,190; 6,596,031; 6,636,869; 6,747,705; 6,763,523; 6,766,357; 6,813,622; 6,847,373; 7,081,900; RE40,107; 7,403,561; 7,433,519; 7,671,871; 7,684,096; D352,278; D372,478; D373,778; D392,267; D392,268; D392,269; D395,291; D396,853; D398,912. Other patents are pending.

Avid products or portions thereof are protected by one or more of the following European Patents: 0506870; 0635188; 0674414; 0752174; 1111910; 1629675. Other patents are pending.

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Footage

Arri — Courtesy of Arri/Fauer — John Fauer, Inc. Bell South “Anticipation” — Courtesy of Two Headed Monster — Tucker/Wayne Atlanta/GMS. Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior. Eco Challenge British Columbia — Courtesy of Eco Challenge Lifestyles, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Eco Challenge Morocco — Courtesy of Discovery Communications, Inc. It’s Shuttletime — Courtesy of BCP & Canadian Airlines. Nestlé Coffee Crisp — Courtesy of MacLaren McCann Canada. Saturn “Calvin Egg” — Courtesy of Cossette Communications. “Tigers: Tracking a Legend” — Courtesy of www.wildlifeworlds.com, Carol Amore, Executive Producer. "The Big Swell" — Courtesy of Swell Pictures, Inc. Windhorse — Courtesy of Paul Wagner Productions.

Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc., Editor/Producer Bryan Foote. Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior. Ice Island — Courtesy of Kurtis Productions, Ltd. Tornados + Belle Isle footage — Courtesy of KWTV News 9. WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA. Women in Sports – Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.

Avid High-Resolution Workflow and Color Guide • June 2010

Contents

Chapter 1 Digital FilmMaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 2 Film Workflows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Film Workflows: Editing Footage from Film Reel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Checklist: Editing Film Reel Footage in Media Composer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Checklist: Editing and Finishing Film Reel Footage in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Film Workflows: Editing Footage from Digital Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Checklist: Editing Digital Film Footage in Media Composer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Checklist: Editing and Finishing Digital Film Footage in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Transferring Film to Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Creating a Film-Based Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Editing with High-Resolution Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Modifying the Reformat Attribute for a Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Working with RED Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Known Limitations for Linking RED Files via AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Copying RED Files to a FireWire or Network Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Linking Media with AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Editing with Low-Res RED Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Color Management with RED Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Adjusting RED Source Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Applying a Source Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Adjusting the Source Settings Histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Preparing your RED Clip for Transcode, Mixdown, or Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Linking Back to MXF Media on the Avid Offline Editing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Exporting the AFE File to Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Chapter 3 Managing Shared Storage for Avid Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Setting up a Workgroup with Shared Projects and Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Creating New Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Mounting and Unmounting Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Chapter 4 Setting up Storage and Media for High-Res Projects on Avid DS. . . . . 79

Checklist: Configuring Avid DS on Avid Unity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Placing High-Resolution Media on the Storage Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Installing and Configuring the ARRI Plug-in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Opening the Media Storage Configuration Tool outside Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Defining your Storage Areas within the Media Indexing Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Chapter 5 Editing Film-based Projects in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Opening a Film-based Project in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Conforming a Film Sequence using an AFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Conforming a Film Sequence using an EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Linking to High-Resolution Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Capturing High Resolution Media from Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Capturing Film-based Media from File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Viewing High-Resolution Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Film Proxy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Outputting Film Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Chapter 6 Color Management in Avid DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Lookup Tables (LUTs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

The Avid DS Color Management Pipeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Chapter 7 Using Lookup Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Customizing LUTs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Importing External LUTs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Saving and Exporting a LUT File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Enabling a LUT to the Avid DS Viewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Applying a LUT Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Generating 3D LUTs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Chapter 8 Using Avid MetaFuze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Film and High-Resolution Workflows using MetaFuze. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Opening a Project in MetaFuze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Customizing the MetaFuze Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Scanning your Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Transcoding your Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Configuring the MetaFuze Transcoder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Using LUTs in MetaFuze. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Transcoding your Files in a Batch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Exporting an ALE from MetaFuze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Importing MXF Files into Avid Media Composer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Chapter 9 Avid MetaFuze Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Scan Folders Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Group View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Detail View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Details of a group... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Details of a file... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Details of a transcode job.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Details of a stereoscopic group or transcode job... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Details of R3D groups or transcode jobs... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Create XML Batch Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Burn-in Editor Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Transcode Configuration Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

1 Digital FilmMaking

Avid DS

TELECINE

SCANNER

HD 4:4:4

3 4

ACQUISITION HIGH-RES EFFECTS

& FINISHING

OUTPUT &

DISTRIBUTION

DPX

2K+

FILM DELIVERABLES

VIDEO DELIVERABLES (HD, SD, DVD, BLU-RAY)

AFE

Avid Media Composer

EDITING

Avid MetaFuze (optional)

MXF

Link to R3D files

TIF

Avid Unity

The oldest, most common, worldwide format in the industry—24-fps film, has been the highest resolution master for film production. During the post production process, this film reel footage can be scanned to DPX files to preserve the 2K or 4K film resolution, or transferred to tape in HD 4:4:4 format.

Modern advances in cinematography, like the digital film cameras from RED are starting to have an impact on the film-creation industry. They allow you to bypass the film lab conversion process, and load your footage directly onto your online editing system. As a result, films can now be produced digitally from start to end using an all-digital format.

Avid provides an easy and cost-effective way to manipulate high-resolution digital motion picture images during the finishing and mastering stages of post production. You can capture and edit material directly from file, or perform the offline editing as film-to-tape. Using the original high-res media, you can then finish as file-based for the mastering and delivery requirements to film (2K+), HD or SD formats.

The following illustration shows the key steps for editing and finishing footage that originates either from digital files or from a film reel.

and Arri® ,

1 Digital FilmMaking

Step 1: Acquisition

If the footage comes from a traditional film reel, it needs to be scanned to DPX files, or transferred through Telecine onto tape in a digital HD format. If the footage is already in digital file format (originating from digital video cameras, film scanning processes, or CGI applications e.g. R3D, ARI, DPX, TIF), the media can be accessed directly by the editing system. All source material in digitized form can either be in 2K, 4K, or HD-RGB 4:4:4 format, which all provide superior image quality.

This document refers to DPX (Digital Picture eXchange) as it is a common file format used

to store a single motion picture frame to a file. Other formats such as Cineon are also supported.

Step 2: Editing in HD

If you need to work with high-res file formats that cannot be read by Media Composer (such as DPX/ARI), start by using Avid MetaFuze to transcode these files into MXF files with an HD resolution. MetaFuze merges consecutive single-frame files (with metadata contained as part of the format) into an MXF file that can be read by Avid Media Composer

Media Composer can link to and output RED footage in HD RGB 4:2:2 or 4:4:4. However, if you need to output at a higher resolution, then you should transcode the RED files using MetaFuze and do the offline edit using MXF files. When you conform your Media Composer sequence in Avid DS, you will be able to link to the original RED footage to do the finishing and output.

Step 3: High-Resolution Effects & Finishing

The effects and finishing workflow for high-resolution files can be conducted in either of the following ways:

• Doing the offline edit using HD or lower resolution MXF proxies in Avid Media Composer, and conforming to Avid DS for finishing and output at high-resolution (2K+). To conform in Avid DS, simply import the AFE and connect to the original DPX/R3D/TIF files.

• Doing all the editing and finishing of the project directly in Avid DS by linking to the high-resolution media.

When working with high-resolution media, Avid DS handles the complicated task of preserving color settings during the transfer and storage of the media. This is known as color management and it is achieved by applying lookup table files (LUTs). For more information see “Color Management in Avid DS” on page 121.

Step 4: Output and Distribution

Universal Mastering in Avid editing applications give you the ability to output the film-based sequence to any SD or HD format. In cases where you need a film out, you can

™

use Avid DS to easily output to a series of DPX or Cineon

images (with an appropriate

LUT) for recording to film.

1 Digital FilmMaking

2 Film Workflows

When using Avid applications, there are two main ways in which you can work with high-resolution media.

• If you are editing footage that originated on film reel and was transferred to HD tape for editing, then refer to “Film Workflows: Editing Footage from Film Reel” on page 15.

• If you are editing high-resolution files generated from digital cameras, film-scanning facilities, or CGI applications (e.g. R3D, ARI, DPX, TIF), then refer to “Film

Workflows: Editing Footage from Digital Files” on page 21.

In addition, you may also want to share media and projects between Avid editing applications. If so, make sure that you set up your storage and workstations accordingly.

• If your workstations are sharing projects and media on an Avid Unity, see “Managing

Shared Storage for Avid Editors” on page 65.

• If your workstations are sharing projects and media in an Avid Interplay environment using Avid Unity, then refer to the Avid Editors on Interplay Workflow Guide.

Film Workflows: Editing Footage from Film Reel

When footage is shot on film, it can be digitized in one of two ways. It can be scanned to DPX files to preserve the 2K or 4K film resolution, or it can be transferred to tape in HD 4:4:4 format. Through a telecine transfer to HD digital videotape, Avid editing applications capture and store film frames as 24-fps progressive media, or 24p. An important aspect of the 24p format is that it lets you output either HD, NTSC or PAL video from the same project. Also, since the footage is transferred to videotape, you can retain all the advantages of shooting and editing film without incurring the costs of transferring to 2K scans until the final finishing and delivery stages.

The scenario below describes how to edit your film projects as efficiently as possible for multiple delivery formats.

2 Film Workflows

Avid Media Composer

SD/HD/BWF

HD RGB 4:4:4

ALE

2K +

AFE/ALE

Avid DS

OMFI/AAF

Avid Pro Tools

Step 1: Transfer of film to video

The telecine process is the most common practice used for transferring the film dailies to videotape. For the offline editing, you may transfer to either SD or HD format. If your final delivery is intended for HD or film, it is best to transfer the dailies as 16:9 anamorphic so that the conform process will not only be frame-accurate, but also pixel-accurate in the sense that the effects will match the same aspect ratio (titles, shapes, etc.).

During the telecine process, you can take the original sound recordings from the audio tape, and synchronize the transfer of both to videotape. For more details on the telecine transfer process, see “Transferring Film to Tape” on page 27.

The next phase of the process is to import the film transfer files (FLEx, Evertz, Aaton, ALE) into Media Composer project bins and batch capture the footage from the dailies. If the audio was not transferred during the telecine process, it can be captured directly from the BWF file-based recorder, and synced during the editing process.

Checklist: Editing Film Reel Footage in Media Composer

Step 2: Retransfer of film to HD video

Once the editing process is complete, you can easily generate a pull list with handles using Avid FilmScribe. The pull list provides a concise list of footage to be transferred or scanned, thus allowing for an efficient final conform process that minimizes costs in the telecine or scanner room. If you are editing on an Avid Media Composer or Symphony, the original footage can be transferred to HD format in 4:4:2 YCrCB or RGB 4:4:4. The source timecodes and tape name are easily matched using the common denominator which is the KeyKode information of the original camera negative. Once the bins are relinked, the sequence will point to the newly transferred sources, tape, timecode, etc. From here, the video master can easily be output to SD or HD.

Step 3: Retransfer of film to 2K+ files

If you are conforming and finishing on an Avid DS system for HD or film delivery, you can scan or telecine the final footage to HD or higher-resolution (2K +) files, and conform the offlined sequence into Avid DS using the AFE.

If you are linking to DPX files, necessary information such as KeyKode (key number) and timecode is inserted as metadata into each DPX file during the scanning process. If the DPX files do not contain the timecode information, an ALE is required in order to make the necessary correspondence to the associated DPX files. The ALE is usually supplied by the film-scanning facility or output by MetaFuze or Media Composer.

Final output can be SD, HD or in the case of film out, you can output a series of DPX or Cineon images with the proper LUT (look-up table) for the film recorder.

Checklist: Editing Film Reel Footage in Media Composer

A 24p or 25p project is one that uses 24p or 25p media, which is created and stored in your Avid editing application. In most cases, the source footage is film shot at 23.976 fps, 24 fps (for 24p) or 25 fps (for 25p), however new technology is introducing 24p and 25p videotape formats, both for cameras and VTRs.

Progressive media is composed of single frames, each of which is vertically scanned as one pass. Avid editing applications create 24p media by combining (deinterlacing) two video fields into a single full, reconstructed frame. For NTSC film-to-tape transfers, Avid editing applications create 24p media by removing the extra fields inserted by the 2:3 pulldown process and by creating progressive frames.

2 Film Workflows

The 25p format is primarily for use in countries where PAL video is standard. When you transfer 25-fps film footage to 25-fps PAL video, no modifications are necessary due to matching frame rates.

This section outlines the workflows for 24/25-fps film source. Certain steps will have differences based on the project format and source footage you are using. Follow these steps in the order that they are listed, and return to this checklist each time you complete a step.

Step Refer to this section



The telecine process syncs picture and sound to create the videotape. The process also creates a shot log that will be used during the capture process.

Transfer the 24-fps film to NTSC or PAL.

Convert the shot log file with Avid Log Exchange (ALE), then import the shot log file into Media Composer to create a bin or bins.

Open a project with the appropriate settings.

If you are outputting for NTSC HDTV

broadcast, create a 23.976p SD project.

Use the ALE to batch capture the footage in an offline resolution.

Use the low-res media to edit at 24/25/23.976 fps. “Viewing Video Dailies” on page 35.

If a retransfer is needed, use Avid FilmScribe to create an OCN (original camera negative) pull list for another telecine process, of the footage used in the final edit.

Perform the offline edit to produce the final sequence. “Editing with High-Resolution Media”

“Transferring Film to Tape” on page 27.

“Creating a Film-Based Project” on page 37.

“Selecting a Project Format during Capture” on page 39.

“Displaying 24p and 25p Media” on page 41.

on page 41.



(Option) Export an OMFI or AAF file to a Pro Tools digital audio workstation to create a final audio mix.

The telecine process uses the pull list and full color-corrected transfer to create HD, NTSC or PAL videotape with selects from the original negative (picture only). The process also creates a new shot log file. Convert the new shot log with ALE and import it into the online system.

“Transferring Audio Files” in the Help for the Media Composer family.

Checklist: Editing Film Reel Footage in Media Composer

Step Refer to this section



Pack the project information for transfer to the Avid Symphony or Avid DS online system.

If you will be finishing on an Avid DS system,



then export an AFE of your final project or sequence from Media Composer. (You should first make a copy of the sequence, decompose it, and then export the bin.)

Finishing on Avid Symphony:

Transfer the project information to the Symphony system.

If you are using an Avid Unity shared storage system, the project links to the existing media. If you are not using Avid Unity, transfer the media for reference.

(Option) For HD projects being output at 1080p, you should open the 24p project and change its format to 1080p/23.976.

Review the offline sequence, then modify the format of the sequence to create a new 1080p/23.976 sequence.

Batch capture in the desired resolution, based on the new ALE shot log file.

“Exporting the AFE File to Avid DS” on page 64.

“Changing the Project Format” on page 43.

“Changing the Sequence Format” on page 44.



Relink by KeyKode: relink the sequence and clips by key numbers (FTFT) and complete any other finishing. If necessary, batch capture clips as HD media, using an HD resolution.

Complete any other finishing, using the original offline sequence for reference.

(Option) Import the final audio mix.

Generate multiple formats. “Selecting a Project Format during

Output” on page 40.

2 Film Workflows

Checklist: Editing and Finishing Film Reel Footage in Avid DS

The following checklist guides you through the process of editing and finishing high-resolution footage from film reels. Follow these steps in the order that they are listed, and return to this checklist each time you complete a step.

Step Refer to this section



Learn how to set up your workgroup so that you can share media between workstations.

If you are working with high-resolution media, make sure the files reside on a high-capacity storage.

Make sure that your storage has been configured to have read/write access for your high-resolution files.

Open a new film or HD project. “Creating a Film-Based Project”

If you are conforming a sequence from Avid Media Composer, then open the AFE or EDL, and link to the original high-resolution files.

If you are using DPX files and they do not contain

the timecode information, then you will also need the ALE (either from the film house, MetaFuze or Avid Media Composer) to make the necessary correspondence to the associated DPX files.

If you are starting your project directly in Avid DS, then link to your clips and start building your sequence.

“Sharing Media” in the Help for Avid DS.

“Placing High-Resolution Media on the Storage Device” on page 82.

“Opening the Media Storage Configuration Tool outside Avid DS” on page 83.

on page 37.

“Conforming a Film Sequence using an AFE” on page 92, or “Conforming a Film Sequence using an EDL” on page 94.

“Linking to High-Resolution Files during the Conform Session” on page 98.

“Linking to High-Resolution Files” on page 96.



If you are working with media from tape, capture your HD 4:4:4 footage into Avid DS.

Perform the necessary editing of your sequence using low-res proxies of your media.

Add special effects and do the necessary color correction. Refer to the appropriate sections

“Capturing High Resolution Media from Tape” on page 103.

“Film Proxy Mode” on page 112.

in the Avid DS Help.

Film Workflows: Editing Footage from Digital Files

Avid Media Composer

Avid DS

AFE

Avid MetaFuze

R3D

HD 4:4:4 HD 4:2:2 NTSC PAL QuickTime

DPX CINEON (2K, 4K)

TIF

DPX

MXF

ARI

Step Refer to this section



Process your sequence. Refer to the Processing section

in the Avid DS Help.



Output your final sequence to tape or file. “Outputting Film Sequences” on

page 114.

Film Workflows: Editing Footage from Digital Files

High-resolution media files could originate from digital film cameras, film-scanning facilities, or CGI applications. The files include R3D, ARI, DPX, or TIF. The following workflow shows you how to edit and finish projects with footage that is already in digital file format.

If you will be delivering the final master in HD format, you can do all your work in Avid Media Composer/Symphony. If you need to output to film, you can do your offline editing in Avid Media Composer using HD resolution, and then do the finishing at high-resolution with Avid DS.

Step 1: Offline editing with low-res media

If you need to work with high-res file formats that cannot be read by Media Composer (such as DPX/ARI), start by using Avid MetaFuze to transcode these files to a lower SD or HD resolution. MetaFuze merges consecutive single-frame files into an MXF file that can be read by Avid Media Composer included; or for non-metadata formats like TIF, metadata can be added.)

. (Any metadata originally contained in the file will also be

2 Film Workflows

Media Composer can link to and output RED footage in HD RGB 4:2:2 or 4:4:4. However, if you need to output at a higher resolution than HD, you should transcode the RED files using MetaFuze and do the offline edit using MXF files. When you conform your Media Composer sequence in Avid DS, you will be able to link to the original RED footage to do the finishing and output.

MetaFuze also reads other file types supported third-party parsers.

Step 2: Edit sequence by linking to HD or high-res media

Link directly to your source media (such as RED) to edit your sequence on an Avid Media Composer. From here, you can output directly to HD or SD. If you are doing the offline in Media Composer and need to finish in Symphony or Avid DS, export the sequence as an AFE.

Step 3: Conform AFE for high-res finishing in Avid DS

On Avid DS, you can conform the AFE and connect to the original DPX/R3D/TIF files.

In the case of DPX files, necessary information such as KeyKode timecode is inserted as metadata into the DPX file during the scanning process. If the DPX files do not contain the timecode information, an ALE is required to make the necessary correspondence to the associated DPX files. The ALE is usually supplied by the film-scanning facility or output by Avid MetaFuze.

™

(key number) and

The transcoded MXF file used in Media Composer is not required for the finishing process

but it could be imported onto a separate video track in Avid DS and used as part of the conform check process.

Depending on your system configuration, many high-resolution formats are playable in real time—for a specific list of these formats, see the Avid DS support web at www.avid.com. When editing high-resolution projects where real-time playback is not achievable, you can use the proxy mode to apply effects and view the results in HD 4:2:2 or HD 4:4:4.

Step 4: Output to tape or file

In Media Composer, you can output any SD or HD formats as required.

In Avid DS, for a film out, you can output the final sequence to master as a series of DPX or Cineon

™

images (with an appropriate LUT) for recording to film.

Checklist: Editing Digital Film Footage in Media Composer

The following checklist explains how to link and edit high-resolution RED media in Media Composer. Follow these steps in the order that they are listed, and return to this checklist each time you complete a step.

Step Refer to this section



Create a project. “Creating a Film-Based Project” on

page 37.

Begin editing your sequence. “Editing with High-Resolution Media”

on page 41

If you are working with media of varying frame sizes in your project, then you need to set the formatting options on each clip that is of a different frame size than the project.

If you are editing with RED media, you can link to the files via Avid AMA.

Connect your RED drive to your system.



(Optional) Place your RED media on a shared



storage device such as Avid Unity.

To get realtime playback of this media

from your shared storage, you will require a 10GB ethernet connection. For a list of performance expectations refer to the Readme document for your Avid editing application.

“Modifying the Reformat Attribute for a Clip” on page 47.

“Working with RED Media” on page 48.

This guide contains general procedures on editing RED media. For the full set of documentation on using AMA, refer to the Help for the Media Composer family.

“Copying RED Files to a FireWire or Network Drive” on page 50.

Link to the source files. “Linking Media with AMA” on page 50.



Linking to RED files via AMA is both



processor and storage intensive. If you require better performance, you may want to transcode your RED media and work with low-res proxies.

“Editing with Low-Res RED Media” on page 53.

2 Film Workflows

Step Refer to this section



You may need to change the color values



(color balance, exposure, and contrast) on your RED media.

If you need to finish your sequence in another editing system such as Symphony or Avid DS, export an AFE of your final project or sequence from Media Composer.

If your high-resolution media is on a shared storage device where Avid DS also has access, Avid DS automatically relinks to the files.

AMA-linked RED clips are not yet supported

for the conform and relinking process. Refer to the checklist below for an alternate workflow.

You should first make a copy of the sequence,



move it to its own bin, decompose it (with handles as desired), select ALL master clips, and export as ALE with appropriate columns visible in the bin.

If you are working with high-res files,

do not use the option to extend handles beyond the master clip edges.

“Color Management with RED Media” on page 56.

“Adjusting RED Source Settings” on page 56.

“Adjusting the Source Settings Histogram” on page 61.

“Exporting the AFE File to Avid DS” on page 64.



Render the effects in your final sequence. “Step 9: Render Effects as Needed” in

the Help for the Media Composer family.

If you are using RED media, you should render all your clips to the final HD quality that you require for output.

Output the final sequence. “Selecting a Project Format during

“Preparing your RED Clip for Transcode, Mixdown, or Render” on page 62.

Output” on page 40.

The following checklist explains how to edit high-resolution files that cannot be read directly by Media Composer.

Checklist: Editing and Finishing Digital Film Footage in Avid DS

Step Refer to this section



Install and use Avid MetaFuze to transcode your high-resolution media into MXF files.

If you are working with ARRI media, you must

install the ARRI plug-in on the same system where MetaFuze is installed.

Open Avid MetaFuze, scan your folders, and



set the necessary options for transcoding the files.

If you have multiple MXF files, export an edit



list of all these clips via an ALE.

Import the MXF file(s) into Avid Media



Composer.

Edit the sequence. “Editing with High-Resolution Media”

If you need to finish your sequence in another editing system such as Symphony or Avid DS, export an AFE of your final project or sequence from Media Composer.

If your high-resolution media is on a shared storage device where Avid DS also has access, Avid DS automatically relinks to the files.

Refer to the Avid website for more information.

“Scanning your Folders” on page 143

and “Transcoding your Files” on

page 145.

“Exporting an ALE from MetaFuze” on page 161.

“Importing MXF Files into Avid Media Composer” on page 162.

on page 41.

“Exporting the AFE File to Avid DS” on page 64.

For the workflow on finishing high-resolution files in Avid DS, see

“Checklist: Editing and Finishing Digital Film Footage in Avid DS” on page 25.

You should first make a copy of the sequence,



move it to its own bin, decompose it (with handles as desired), select ALL master clips, and export as ALE with appropriate columns visible in the bin.

Checklist: Editing and Finishing Digital Film Footage in Avid DS

The following checklist details all the steps required to edit digital film files in Avid DS. Follow these steps in the order that they are listed, and return to this checklist each time you complete a step.

2 Film Workflows

Step Refer to this section



Learn how to set up your workgroup so that you can share media between workstations.

If the footage originated on a film reel, the film transfer facility will use the film pull list to scan the necessary footage to DPX files.

Make sure all the high-resolution files reside on a high-capacity storage.

If you are working with different types of high-resolution media (e.g. R3D, ARI,

DPX, TIF), make sure that they are each placed in different folders.

If you are using ARRI media, you must install the ARRI plug-in.

Make sure that your storage has been configured to have read/write access for your high-resolution files.

Open a new project for film or HD. “Opening a Film-based Project in Avid

If you are starting your project directly in Avid DS, build your sequence by linking to your clips.

“Defining your Storage Areas within the Media Indexing Service” on page 83.

“Placing High-Resolution Media on the Storage Device” on page 82.

“Installing and Configuring the ARRI Plug-in” on page 82.

“Opening the Media Storage Configuration Tool outside Avid DS” on page 83.

DS” on page 89.

“Linking to High-Resolution Files” on page 96.



If you are conforming a sequence from Avid Media Composer, then open the AFE or EDL.

If you are linking to DPX files and they do not contain the timecode information,

then you will also need the ALE (either from the film house, MetaFuze or Avid Media Composer) to make the necessary correspondence to the associated DPX files.

Perform the necessary editing of your sequence using low-res proxies of your media.

Add special effects and do the necessary color correction.

Process your sequence. Refer to the Processing section in the

“Conforming a Film Sequence using an AFE” on page 92, or “Conforming a Film Sequence using an EDL” on page 94.

“Film Proxy Mode” on page 112.

Refer to the appropriate sections in the Avid DS Help.

Avid DS Help.

Transferring Film to Tape

Step Refer to this section



Output your sequence to tape or file. “Outputting Film Sequences” on

page 114.

Transferring Film to Tape

You have your film rolls from the day’s shooting, and you’re ready to edit on your Avid system. To capture that footage into the system, you first need to transfer the film to videotape. This process uses a special film projector called a telecine, which is usually part of a production system that includes audiotape recorders, a controller, and other equipment. The steps in the process will differ, depending on whether you include audio and whether the transfer produces NTSC or PAL videotapes.

This section provides some guidelines to ensure that the film shoot and transfer process is well-planned for the Avid editing session.

Film Shoot Specifications

Use the guidelines in the following table to help you plan for film shoots that will be edited on an Avid.

Element Supported Formats Notes

Film type 16mm Use Standard 16mm or Super 16mm.

Super 16’s aspect ratio closely matches 16:9.

35mm: 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12 perf

65mm: 5, 8, 10, and 15 perf

Film wind B-wind Always use camera rolls with key numbers in

Audio media BWF file-based recorders Use to record digital audio.

Audio timecodes 30-fps drop-frame or non-drop-frame Use for NTSC transfer projects, and for generating

25-fps timecode Use for PAL transfer projects, and for generating

16mm, 35mm 4 perf, and 35mm 3 perf are supported as projects in the Avid system. The remaining formats are supported through ink numbers and auxiliary ink numbers. For more information, see “Film and 24P Settings” in the Help for the Media Composer family.

ascending order.

audio EDLs.

audio EDLs in the PAL format.

2 Film Workflows

Element Supported Formats Notes

Sync methods Clapsticks Use for manual syncing of sound with

picture.

Electronic slate (smart slate) Use for semiautomatic syncing.

In-camera timecode, with audio sync Use for automatic, “slateless” syncing in the

telecine.

Slate information Camera roll, scene and take, shoot

date, sound-roll ID

Sound-roll cues Sound-roll ID, date, start and end

time-of-day timecode

Film-to-Tape Transfer Guidelines

Observe the following general guidelines when transferring film to tape:

• Instruct the telecine facility to record timecode on the address track.

• Instruct the facility to use only a telecine transfer process when transferring to NTSC videotape. Do not use a film chain or any other transfer device.

• PAL transfers do not require pulldown, so you can use either a telecine or a film chain. However, quality is much better on a telecine.

• Transfer all of the project’s source film footage to disk or tape by using either the NTSC or PAL method.

- For NTSC projects, you can mix footage transferred at 24 fps (23.976 fps) or 30 fps

(29.97 fps), and mix sound transferred at 1.0 or 0.99. Do not mix 24-fps and 30-fps transfers on the same transfer tape.

- For PAL projects, you cannot mix audio that has been transferred at 4.1 percent

speedup (PAL Method 1) with audio that has not been sped up (PAL Method 2).

Mark sound-roll ID as a backup.

Include verbal time-of-day cues as a backup.

PAL film-to-tape transfers that use pulldown are not currently supported in Avid editing

applications.

Project Format Source footage During the telecine process

SD 24 fps To create ITU-R 601 video, the telecine process adds 2:3

pulldown to film footage to create an NTSC videotape, or uses

4.1% speedup for PAL videotape.

Transferring Film to Tape

Project Format Source footage During the telecine process

25 fps The telecine process transfers 25-fps film footage at 1:1 (no

pulldown).

The sound recording can be synchronized as part of the telecine transfer.

For NTSC output, this method slows the audio by 4

percent. If you plan to output to both NTSC and PAL, you might want to shoot at 24 fps and use 24p instead of 25p.

23.976 fps The telecine process syncs audio and transfers film footage at 1:1 (no pulldown).

HD 24 fps The telecine process transfers 24-fps film footage at 1:1 (no

pulldown).

It can also transfer the footage at HD 1080p/23.976 video at 1:1. This lets you create the project at 24p and later change it to 1080p without having to create a new project and sequence. In addition, you can keep both offline SD material and online HD material available in the same project.

23.976 fps The telecine process syncs audio and transfers film footage at HD 1080p/23.976 video at 1:1 (no pulldown).

25 fps For PAL broadcast, transfer film at 1080p/25, edit offline in a 25p

PAL project, and edit online in a 1080p/25 project.

Film-to-Tape Transfer Quality Options and Production Aids

The quality of the film-to-tape transfers depends upon several options for the telecine transfer. The following table describes common transfer-quality options available from a telecine facility:

Option Description

One-light This transfer involves a single setting of color correction values, resulting in the

simplest, fastest, and least-costly type of transfer. One-light transfers are often used during offline stages of editing.

Best-light This transfer involves optimum settings of the color-grade controls, but without

scene-by-scene color correction. Best-light transfers are an intermediate level in terms of both quality and cost.

2 Film Workflows

Option Description

Timed (scene-by-scene)

This transfer involves color correcting each scene or shot during transfer. Timed transfers are the most expensive and time consuming. This option sets up the proper black and white levels so that you can perform a tape-to-tape color correction from the source tapes, if needed.

You can use the film-tape-film-tape feature to perform two separate telecine processes for a project:

• Perform a one-light or best-light transfer to obtain the most material for the initial edits.

• After editing is complete, perform a timed, fully color-corrected transfer of the clips that will be used in the final cut.

For more information on the film-tape-film option, see “Relinking Clips by Key Number” in

the Help for the Media Composer family.

After you perform the final telecine operation, you can capture at a finishing resolution, such as 1:1 (uncompressed).

The transfer facility might have available one or more of the production aids described in the following table, which you can include in your film-to-tape transfer:

Aid Description

Automatic logging Whenever possible, you should instruct the facility to log tracking information directly

into a computer database program. Logs generated automatically are more accurate than manual logs and can be imported easily into the Avid editing system. A log file typically indicates the relative timecode, key numbers, and pullin (“A” frames) for each clip that will be captured.

A keypunch at the head of each camera roll

Burn-in code If the transfer facility is equipped with a timecode or film-code character generator,

Ask the lab or transfer house to keypunch the head of each camera roll at the zero frame and give you a list of the corresponding key numbers. After you have captured, you can match this list with your captured material to check for potential transfer errors.

you can instruct the facility to display or “burn-in” tracking codes on the videotape transfer. Burn-in code provides visual feedback for logging and tracking footage.

Burn-in code cannot be removed from the image and should be used only

for the offline stage of a project.

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