Pinnacle Systems DS Nitris - 7.0 Reference Manual

Avid® DS Nitris

Reference

Version 7.0

™

make manage move | media

™

Avid

®

Copyright and Disclaimer

Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part
of Avid Technology, Inc.

The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of
that license by visiting Avid's Web site at www.avid.com. The terms of that license are also available in the
product in the same directory as the software. The software may not be reverse assembled and may be
used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the
software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement.

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission
of Avid Technology, Inc.

Copyright © 2003 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.

The Avid|DS application uses JScript and Visual Basic Scripting Edition from Microsoft Corporation.

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial
computer software” or “commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or
documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with
respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant to
FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks

888 I/O, Adrenaline, AirPlay, AirSPACE, AirSPACE HD, AniMatte, AudioSuite, AudioVision, AutoSync, Avid,
Avid DNA, AVIDdrive, AVIDdrive Towers, AvidNet, AvidNetwork, AVIDstripe, Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid
Xpress, AVoption, AVX, CamCutter, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, DAE, D-Fi, D-fx, Digidesign, Digidesign
Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DigiDrive, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator,
DigiTranslator, DINR, D-Verb, Equinox, ExpertRender, FieldPak, Film Composer, FilmScribe, FluidMotion,
HIIP, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, IllusionFX, Image Independence, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23,
iS36, Lo-Fi, Magic Mask, make manage move | media, Marquee, Matador, Maxim, MCXpress, Media
Composer, MediaDock, MediaDock Shuttle, Media Fusion, Media Illusion, MediaLog, Media Reader, Media
Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaShare, Meridien, MetaSync, NaturalMatch, Nearchive, NetReview,
NewsCutter, Nitris, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management,
ProEncode, Pro Tools, QuietDrive, Recti-Fi, RetroLoop, rS9, rS18, Sci-Fi, Softimage, Sound Designer II,
SPACE, SPACEShift, Symphony, the Avid|DS logo, Trilligent, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video Slave Driver,
VideoSPACE, Xdeck, and XSI are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in
the United States and/or other countries.

All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

GOT FOOTAGE?

Editors — Filmmakers — Special Effects Artists — Game Developers — Animators — Educators —
Broadcasters — Content creators of every genre — Just finished an incredible project and want to
share it with the world?

Send us your reels and we may use your footage in our show reel or demo!*

For a copy of our release and Avid’s mailing address, go to www.avid.com/footage.

*Note: Avid cannot guarantee the use of materials submitted.

Avid DS Nitris Reference • 0130-05584-01 • September 2003

2

Contents

Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Who Should Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Using the Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Customizing the Pen or Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

If You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Accessing the Online Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

If You Have Documentation Comments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Avid Educational Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Avid DS Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

E-mail Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Web Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

FTP Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Mailing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Chapter 1 Desktop Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Property Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Global Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Recycling, Locking, and Focusing Property Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Entering Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Layout Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

User Preferences Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Animation Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Editing Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Titling Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

3

Effects Tree Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Capture Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Data Management Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Level Meters Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Scripting/Logging Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Avid Explorer Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Time Display Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Favorites Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Closing Toolbars Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Changing the Size and Look of Toolbar Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Toolbar Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Taskbar Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Command Mapping Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Using Templates for Command Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Customizing the Command Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Viewing the Mapped Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Checking to See if a Key is Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Load Preset Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Save Preset Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Viewer Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Display Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Guides Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Image Grabber Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Onion Skinning Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Edit Layout Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Preference Management Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Export Preferences Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Import Preferences Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Splitter Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

View Switcher Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Chapter 2 Capture and Output Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

AAF/AFE View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

4

AAF/AFE Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

AAF/AFE List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

ALE (Avid Log Exchange) Import View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

ALE Import Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

ALE List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

ALE Create Logs Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Audio Input Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Audio Output Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Capture Error Log Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Capture List Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Capture Settings View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Video Capture Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Audio Capture Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Media Capture Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Conform Error Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Capture Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Transport Controls (Capture and Output Tools) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Video Input Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Capture File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Deck Configuration View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Deck Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

EDL View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

EDL Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Edit List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Ripple Sources Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

EDL Conform Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

EDL Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Print EDL Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

EDL Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Explorer Recapture Options Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Export Preferences Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Export to File Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

External Controller Setup View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Import Preferences Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Insert Tape Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

5

MediaManager Setup View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

MediaManager View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

MediaManager Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

OMF (Open Media Framework) View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

OMF Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

OMF Conform Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Export Composition Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Output Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Output Tool (Output to Tape) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Output Tool (Output to File) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Output Tool (Output to Reference). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Output Tool (Output to ProEncode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Video Output Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Converted Output Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Output File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

DPX Export Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Script Editor View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Script Editor Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Tape Library View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Tapes Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Add New Tape Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Timeline Recapture Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Chapter 3 Editing Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Animation Controls (Global in Status Bar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Animation Key Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Animation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Animation Editor Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

File Menu (Animation Editor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Edit Menu (Animation Editor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

View Menu (Animation Editor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Keys Menu (Animation Editor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Curves Menu (Animation Editor). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Animation Editor Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Editor Property Page (Animation Editor Preferences) . . . . . . . . . . 198

6

Keys Property Page (Animation Editor Preferences). . . . . . . . . . . 199

Curve Processing (Animation Editor Preferences) . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Paste Options (Animation Editor Preferences) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Animation Graph Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Animation Tree Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Edit Animation Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Audio Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

3 Band Tone Control Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

4 Band Parametric EQ Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

10 Band Graphic EQ Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Dynamics Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Dynamics Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Fade Property Editor (Audio Effect). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Gain Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Parametric EQ Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Reverb Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Timewarp (audio) Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Timewarp (audio timezone) Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

VST Host Property Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Avid Explorer Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Avid Explorer Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Bin Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Bin Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Blend Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Timing Property Page (Blend) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Cache List View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Clip Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Clip Activeness Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Clip Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

General Property Page (Clip). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Source Property Page (Clip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Position Property Page (Clip). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Clip Transition Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

CmdLine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Container Clip Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

7

Image Transition Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Dissolve Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Crossfade Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Wipe Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Locator Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Locator Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

General Property Page (Locator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Position Property Page (Locator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Locator View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Media Storage Configuration Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Media Storage Information Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Media Options (1/2) Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Media Options (2/2) Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Media Properties Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Media Property Page (Media Properties) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

General Property Page (Media Properties) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

File Info Property Page (Media Properties) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Track Patching Property Page (Media Properties) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Mixer: Standard View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Mixer: Routing View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Mixer Configuration Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Mixer Input Strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Mixer Output Strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Navigation Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

NLE Tools Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Project Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Archive Property Page (Project Manager) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Restore Property Page (Project Manager) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

Delete Property Page (Project Manager) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Media Property Page (Project Manager) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Slip/Slide Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Surround Panner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Test Pattern. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Time Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

8

3:2 Contract Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

3:2 Expand Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Deinterlace Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Interlace Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296

Timewarp (video) Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Overview Area of the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Timeline Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Ruler Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Timeline Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Track Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Track Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Track Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Timeline Navigation Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Track Effect Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Effect Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Timeline Effect Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Timeline Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Timeline Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Timeline to Clip Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Transport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Position Bar Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Timecode Boxes (Transport Controls). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Timecode Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Customizing the Transport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

Trim Mode Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Video Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Fade Property Editor (Video Effect). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Warp Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Viewers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Source and Record Viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Viewer Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Viewer Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Reconnect Viewer Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Configure Viewer Display Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

9

Creating Media Archive Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

New Project Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Open Sequence Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

New Sequence Preferences Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Open Project Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Processing Options Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

Purge Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Sample Rate Conversion Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Save Sequence Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Save Snapshot Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Sequence Preferences Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Video Property Page (Sequence Preferences). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Audio Property Page (Sequence Preferences). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

Sequence View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Throttle Manager Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

Cache Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Cache Node Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Data Management Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Edit View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Swift Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

Avid DS RP Project List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400

Web Viewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

Avid Event Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402

Avid Event Log Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Event Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Avid Event Log Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Avid DS RP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Avid DS RP Project List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406

10

Chapter 4 Paint & Titling Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Graphics Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

The Graphics Combo View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Graphics Property Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Navigating the Graphics Property Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Using the Pop-up Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Paint Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Graphics Combo View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412

Graphics Object View (GOV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Changing the Time Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Viewing Graphics Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Manipulating Graphics Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

Graphics Bar Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Graphics Object View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

Save Raster Paint Log Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

Graphics Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

General (graphics) Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

General 2 Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

Tools Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428

Bas Relief Brush. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

Chrome Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438

Clip Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

Clone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

Color Blend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

Type Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

Cutout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444

Dodge and Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445

Main Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445

Range Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446

Edit Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

Tracker Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Edit Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Ellipse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Erase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

Freehand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455

Glass Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456

11

Graphics Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456

Raster Mode Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Options Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460

Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462

Magic Wand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Paper Grain Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

Paint Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

Polyline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

Reshaper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470

Reshaper Tool Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470

Reshaper Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471

Reshaping a Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472

Reveal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476

Smear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

Special Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

Stack Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

Textured Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

Time Span (Graphics) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Titling Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

Titling Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485

Transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487

Color Editor Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

Mini Color Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492

Import Image Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

12

Chapter 5 3D DVE and 3D Titling Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

3D DVE Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498

3D DVE Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

3D DVE Layers Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504

3D DVE Property Editors Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505

3D DVE Combo View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

3D DVE Object View (3D OV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508

Selecting and Deselecting Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Hiding and Showing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Changing an Object’s Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

Collapsing and Expanding Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

Zooming and Panning in the 3D DVE Object View . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

3D DVE Layers Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

3D DVE Object View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

3D DVE Page Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

3D DVE Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514

Creating and Deleting 3D DVE Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

Reordering 3D DVE Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516

Showing and Hiding 3D DVE Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516

Changing a 3D DVE Layer’s Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517

Renaming 3D DVE Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517

Manipulating Objects in 3D DVE Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518

Viewing a 3D DVE Layer from Different Sides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520

3D DVE Page (Viewer) Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521

Light Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521

Rotate Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522

Shape Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523

Text Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524

Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526

Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526

Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527

Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527

Paragraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

Surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532

Time Span (3D DVE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

3D DVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538

3D DVE/Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541

13

Camera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546

Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547

Transform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548

Chapter 6 Image Effects Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

3D Warp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550

Timing Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553

Generic Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554

Source Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555

Accented Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556

Accented Edges Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556

Angled Strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557

Angled Strokes Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557

Bas Relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558

Bas Relief Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558

Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

Bubble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561

Chalk and Charcoal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

Chalk and Charcoal Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

Channel Switcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

Charcoal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

Charcoal Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

Chrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566

Chrome Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566

Clouds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

Color Gradient. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568

Color Gradient Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568

Color Space Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570

Colored Pencil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

Colored Pencil Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

14

Conte Crayon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572

Conte Crayon Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572

Craquelure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574

Craquelure Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574

Crop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574

Crosshatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575

Crosshatch Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575

Custom Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576

Cutout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577

Cutout Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577

Dark Strokes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578

Dark Strokes Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578

Defield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579

Deflicker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580

Black Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580

White Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

Depth of Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582

Depth of Field Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582

External Data Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

Deterministic Noise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584

Deterministic Noise Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584

Diffuse Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586

Diffuse Glow Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586

Dip to Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

Timing Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

Drop Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589

Dry Brush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590

Dry Brush Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590

Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591

Emboss Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592

Emboss Image Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592

15

Field Invert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

RGB Curves Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595

Film Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595

Film Grain Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596

Fog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596

Fog Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596

External Data Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597

Fractal Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598

Settings Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598

Transform Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599

Colors Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601

Frame Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 602

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603

Fresco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604

Fresco Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604

Glass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605

Glass Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605

Glowing Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606

Glowing Edges Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606

Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607

Grain Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607

Granite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608

Graphic Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 609

Graphic Pen Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 609

Halftone Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610

Halftone Screen Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610

Impressionist Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611

Brush Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611

Plot Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616

Size Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617

Color Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620

Paper Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622

16

Ink Outlines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623

Ink Outlines Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623

Linear Gradient. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624

Properties Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624

Marble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627

Morph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628

Shapes Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628

Render Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630

Mosaic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632

Mosaic Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632

Motion Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633

Motion Blur Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633

Negative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635

Neon Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635

Neon Glow Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635

Noise/Grain Remover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637

Note Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639

Note Paper Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639

Optical Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640

Black Diffusion Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641

White Diffusion Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642

Outsource. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644

Paint Daubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645

Paint Daubs Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646

Palette Knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646

Palette Knife Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647

Patchwork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648

Patchwork Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648

Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649

Photocopy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650

Photocopy Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650

Picture-in-Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651

17

Plaster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652

Plaster Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652

Plastic Wrap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653

Plastic Wrap Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653

Creating Altered Polaroid Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653

Polar Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654

Poster Edges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654

Poster Edges Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655

Posterize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656

Premultiplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657

Radial Blur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658

Radial Blur Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658

Radial Gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660

Properties Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660

Reticulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663

Reticulation Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663

Ripple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664

Ripple Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664

RGB-YUV Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665

Rough Pastels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665

Rough Pastels Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666

Scatter Noise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667

Scatter Noise Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667

Sharpen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669

Smudge Stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670

Smudge Stick Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670

Solarize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671

Solid Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672

Spatter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672

Spatter Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673

Special Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673

18

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 673

Spherize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674

Spherize Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674

Spill Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675

Spill Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675

Sponge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676

Sponge Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676

Sprayed Strokes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677

Sprayed Strokes Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677

Stained Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678

Stained Glass Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678

Stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680

Stamp Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680

Sumi-e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681

Sumi-e Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681

Texturizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681

Texturizer Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681

Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683

General Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683

Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684

Timecode Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684

Torn Edges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686

Torn Edges Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686

Tracker/Stabilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 687

Input1/Input2/Output Property Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688

Advanced Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689

DVE Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691

Quality Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 693

Twirl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696

Twirl Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696

Underpainting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697

Underpainting Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697

Watercolor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698

Watercolor Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699

Waterpaper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699

19

Waterpaper Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700

Wood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701

Chapter 7 Compositing Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703

Layers View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704

Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704

Layer Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705

Matte Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708

Result Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709

Compositing Tools Toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710

Result Area Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711

Layer Effect Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712

Layer Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713

Matte Controls Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714

Interlayer Alpha Menu and Interlayer RGB Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716

External Matte Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722

Effects Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724

Effects Node Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724

Input Node Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728

Output Node Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729

Effects Tree Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730

Compositing Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731

AVX Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731

Blue-Green Keyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733

Chroma Keyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735

Color Correction Classic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737

Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741

Difference Keyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748

DVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751

Effects Tree Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753

Flicker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753

HSL Keyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755

Key Combiner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

Linear Luma Keyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

Luma Keyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

20

Matte Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 762

Matte Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763

Motion Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765

Motion Path Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769

Over Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769

Premultiplication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 770

Spill Correction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 771

Tracker/Stabilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 772

Transform Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 778

Global DVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780

Chapter 8 Color Correction Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 783

Color Correction Property Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784

HSL Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784

Channels Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 792

Levels Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794

Curves Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795

Chapter 9 Common Property Pages Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801

Alpha Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 802

Border Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 804

Color Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805

Color Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 806

Colors Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810

Crop Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811

DVE Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812

External Data Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815

General Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816

Key Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819

Key Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821

Key Values Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823

Masking Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825

Matte Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828

Matte Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831

Options Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833

21

Shapes Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 835

Source Property Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837

Spill Matte 2 Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838

Spill Replace Property P age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840

R1–R4 and L1–L4 Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841

Tracker Property Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847

22

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of an Avid DS Nitris system. You can
use your system to create broadcast-quality output incorporating every
possible production element from full-speed, high-resolution footage, to
multimedia artwork and animation, to computer-generated effects and
titling.

n

The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models.
Therefore, your system might not contain certain features and hardware
that are covered in the documentation.

Who Should Use This Guide

This guide is intended for all Avid DS Nitris users, from beginning to
advanced. It includes information about supported file formats, dialog box
options, menus, and other reference material. Use this guide as a
supplement to the other guides in the Avid DS Nitris documentation set.

Using This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

Unless noted otherwise, the material in this document applies to the
Windows XP operating system.

Avid DS Nitris documentation uses the following symbols and
conventions:

Symbol or
Convention

Meaning or Action

n

c

w

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands)

t

Margin tips In the margin, you will find tips that help you perform tasks

Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate

Courier Bold
font

A note provides important related information, reminders,
recommendations, and strong suggestions.

A caution means that a specific action you take could cause
harm to your computer or cause you to lose data.

A warning describes an action that could cause you physical
harm. Follow the guidelines in this document or on the unit
itself when handling electrical equipment.

in the order you select them. For example, File > Import
means to open the File menu and then select the Import
command.

This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple
arrows in a list indicate that you perform one of the actions
listed.

more easily and efficiently.

variables.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

24

Bold font Bold indicates a user interaction.

Using the Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard

In Avid DS Nitris, you can use a two-button mouse (with wheel) or a pen
and tablet. The left and right mouse buttons perform different operations.
Unless otherwise stated, use the left mouse button.

The mouse and pen operate slightly differently. All the procedures in this
guide are documented for the mouse. You can, however, easily use a pen
or the keyboard. The following table shows the terms relating to the
mouse, pen, and keyboard.

This Term Means This with a Mouse Means This with a Pen

Symbols and Conventions

Click Quickly click and release the

left mouse button. Always
use the left mouse button
unless otherwise stated.

Double-click Click the left mouse button

twice rapidly.

Right-click Quickly click and release the

right mouse button.

Drag Click and hold the left mouse

button or the wheel while you
move the mouse.

Alt+key,
Ctrl+key,
Shift+key,

etc.

Press and hold the first key while you press the second key. For
example, “Press Alt+F1” means to press and hold the Alt key
while you press the F1 key.

Tap the tablet once with the tip of
the pen, or touch the pen to the
tablet with enough pressure to
click.

Quickly tap the tablet twice in the
same screen pixel or press the F5
key to go from single to double­click.

Press the top portion of the switch
on the side of the pen or press the
F6 key to go from left to right­click.

Press the pen to the tablet while
moving the pen.

25

Using This Guide

Customizing the Pen or Mouse

By customizing the pen, you can adjust the click pressure, switch
functions, and other features. For information on customizing the pen,
refer to the documentation provided with your Avid DS Nitris system.

You can also customize the mouse. For example, you can select left­handed configuration or change the double-click speed. For information on
customizing the mouse, refer to the Windows online Help.

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using Avid DS Nitris:

1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task
in this guide. It is especially important to check each step of your
workflow.

2. Check for the latest information that might have become available
after the documentation was published in one of two locations:

- If release notes are available, they ship with your application.

- If ReadMe files are available, they are supplied in your Avid

application folder. ReadMe files are also available from Help.

3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or
your hardware for maintenance or hardware-related issues.

4. See “Avid DS Customer Support” on page 28.

5. For Technical Support, please call 800-800-AVID (800-800-2843).
For international enquiries and support services, contact your local

Avid Reseller. Support offerings may vary per location.

Accessing the Online Documentation

The online library contains all the Avid DS Nitris documentation in PDF
format. If it was installed on your workstation, you can access it from the
Help menu in Avid DS Nitris.

26

If You Need Help

n

You will need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® installed to view the
documentation online.

To access the online library, do one of the following:

t In Avid DS Nitris, select Help > Online Library.
t Insert the Drivers CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive, and select

Online Library from the main menu.

To install Adobe Acrobat Reader:

1. Insert the Drivers CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.

2. Under the Various section, select Utilities.

If You Have Documentation Comments

We’d appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have about the
Avid DS Nitris documentation.

Please e-mail your documentation comments to:

[e-mail]

Include the title of the document, its part number, and the specific section
you are commenting on in all correspondence.

How to Order Documentation

To order additional copies of this documentation from within the
United States, call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843). If you
are placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local
Avid representative.

Avid Educational Services

For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications,
courseware, and books, please visit www.avid.com/training or call
Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).

27

Using This Guide

Avid DS Customer Support

The following sections describe various Avid DS Customer Support
options.

E-mail Support

The e-mail address for Avid DS Customer Support is:
[e-mail].

You can use it for sending bug reports, usability questions, and avidds.cab
audit reports for system analysis. All e-mails are logged in the support
database and assigned a case number. Send one support request per e-mail.

n

Web Support

FTP Support

It is mandatory that you include your SID number in the body of your
e-mail message for verification of your maintenance contract and case
logging, otherwise, response will be delayed.

The Avid DS Customer Support and Download sections at
http://www.softimage.com/avidds provide quick access to a wide range
of resources from the Avid DS teams and user community. Downloads,
including presets, drivers, and Quick Fix Engineering (QFE), provide the
latest solutions for use with your Avid DS Nitris system. Online
documentation, tutorials, and Knowledge Base articles ensure that you get
the most out of your work with Avid DS Nitris. It's like having a dedicated
Avid DS Customer Support engineer sitting at your desk!

For troubleshooting purposes, an FTP server is available for uploading
large files for Avid DS Customer Support personnel to examine. You can
upload a project's archive, media files, or other large piece of data. Simply
zip the files to upload and use a short name for easy retrieval, such as
archive.zip or Case274877.zip. You can use a Windows Command Prompt
or an FTP application to upload files to our server.

28

Avid DS Customer Support

Command Prompt Commands

Command Description

Site access ftp ftp.softimage.com [Enter]

Folder access cd incoming [Enter]

User name anonymous [Enter]

Password “your e-mail address” [Enter]

Transfer mode bin [Enter]

Upload command Put “path:\file name” [Enter]

Once the file upload is complete, send an e-mail to [e-mail]
to inform Avid DS Customer Support as there is no automatic notification
when a file is uploaded on the FTP server. Please provide the complete and
exact file name (case sensitive) to retrieve.

Mailing List

Although the Avid DS mailing list is frequently monitored by Avid
employees, it is not part of the official support channels. You are invited to
send your support requests to any of the above channels when required.

If you have an e-mail account, you can join the worldwide network of Avid
DS users exchanging ideas. The mailing list has proven to be quite useful
for users, with a constant stream of new subscribers.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to [e-mail] with the
following text in the body of your message: subscribe ds. You can get
further information on using the automated list server by e-mailing
[e-mail] with “help” as your message.

You can also go to http://www.avid.com/support/forms.html, which is a
great source of information, available on the Avid web site for Avid DS.

29

Using This Guide

30

Chapter 1

Desktop Reference

This chapter contains reference information about the desktop.

• Property Editors

• Help

• Layout Menu

• User Preferences Dialog Box

• Tool ba rs

• Taskbar Menu

• Command Mapping Dialog Box

• Load Preset Dialog Box

• Save Preset Dialog Box

• Viewer Properties

• Edit Layout Dialog Box

• Preference Management Dialog Box

• Splitter Menu

• View Menu

• View Switcher Menu

Desktop Reference

Property Editors

Property editors display the properties of a selected object or tool. You can
adjust the values of properties using the text boxes, lists, options, and
sliders, as well as set animation keyframes. Any values that you change are
immediately applied to the object.

Property editors contain global controls for loading, saving, and viewing
presets, processing, animating properties, selecting effects, and previewing
clips. Different property editors have different global controls.

Property editors come in two sizes: default and large. Most of the time, you
will see the default-sized property editors. But if you’re in the Effects
layout, you’ll see the large ones.

n

Global Controls

Unlike the default-sized property editors, the large ones do not recycle.
Instead, they display what is currently selected.

Tip: If you have used a Color Correction effect and you are not in the
Effects layout, you can open its property editor in two different sizes:
default or large. Press Ctrl+Shift to open a default size property editor and
press Ctrl to open a large property editor.

To open a property editor, do one of the following:

t Right-click an object and select Properties.
t Double-click an object.

The global controls let you determine how parameters are displayed in a
property editor window, create animation, process effects, save and load
presets, specify transitions, track DVEs, and set animation keyframes.
These controls are displayed on most property editors.

32

Title bar controls
Global controls

Property Editors

Title Bar Controls

The title bar controls let you focus, recycle, lock, and close property
editors as you select different objects.

Title bar
controls

33

Desktop Reference

Option Description

Focus In Focus mode, a property editor displays only one

specific type of property, regardless of which object is
selected.

For example, if you open the Brush FX property editor
in the Graphics layout and set it to Focus mode, the Fill
FX properties will appear in the same property editor
window, but the Time Span properties will open in a
new property editor window.

Recycle In Recycle mode, the same property editor is reused

whenever you select an object that has an associated
property editor.

For example, if you open a video effect’s property
editor, then select an audio effect, the audio clip’s
properties replace the video clip’s properties in the
same property editor window.

Lock In Lock mode, the property editor always displays the

properties of the object on which it’s locked.

34

For example, if you open a video effect’s property
editor, set it to Lock mode, and then select an audio
effect, the audio effect’s properties will be displayed in
a new property editor window.

Close Closes the property editor

Tab Controls

Property Editors

The tab controls let you view additional tabs on a property editor. This is
useful for property editors that contains many property pages, such as the
keyers.

Tab controls

Option Description

Display Previous Tab Displays previous tab(s) on this property page

Display Next Tab Displays next tab(s) on this property page

Animation Controls

The animation controls let you turn auto animation on or off, move
between keyframes, and set keyframes.

Animation controls

35

Desktop Reference

Option Description

Auto Automatically creates a keyframe when you make any

< (previous key) Moves the position indicator to the previous keyframe

> (next key) Moves the position indicator to the next keyframe

Animation Key Sets a keyframe at the current frame with the current

Animating Parameters

In the property editors, an animation button appears beside numeric
parameters that you can animate. This lets you set keyframes after you
adjust the parameter’s value. Also, you can easily access the animation
editor from the Animation pop-up menu.

adjustments to properties. That is, you do not have to
click the Animation Key button each time you change a
property.

property settings. Right-click this button to display the
Animation Key menu—see Animation Key Menu.

36

Animation button

Property Editors

Animation Menu

To animate a parameter:

t Click the Animation button beside the parameter you want to animate.

The Animation button turns red to indicate that a keyframe was set.

To reset an animated parameter:

t Right-click an Animation button and select Remove Animation.

To access the Animation menu:

t Right-click an Animation button—see Animation Menu.

The Animation pop-up menu lets you open the animation editor, locate and
remove keyframes, and set keyframes automatically for the selected
parameter.

37

Desktop Reference

To access the Animation pop-up menu:

t Right-click the Animation button in any property editor.

Option Description

Animation Editor Displays the animation editor—see “Understanding

the Animation Editor” in the Help.

Remove Key Removes keyframes for the parameter at the current

position indicator location

Remove Animation Removes all keyframes for the parameter in the

function curve

First Key Moves the position indicator to the first keyframe set

for the parameter in the function curve

Last Key Moves the position indicator to the last keyframe set

for the parameter in the function curve

38

Previous Key Moves the position indicator to the previous keyframe

set for the parameter

Next Key Moves the position indicator to the next keyframe set

for the parameter

Autokey Turns Autokey mode on or off. Automatically creates

keyframes as you adjust the settings.

Tip: You can activate this mode by clicking the

n

Autokey button at the bottom-right of the
desktop.

Constant Changes the function curve to a constant curve. This

option has no effect on a motion path.

Linear Changes the function curve to a linear curve

Bézier Changes the function curve to a Bézier curve

Effect Controls

Property Editors

The effect controls let you preview effects, limit processing to a selected
region in the viewer, bypass effects, crop function curves in the animation
editor, and select effects.

Preview

Effect controls

Select Effect

Option Description

Preview Plays the output of the current effect in the viewer

Activate Switches the context to the interactive tool of the effect

associated with the property editor. For example, when
switching between effects, such as a DVE and a
Tracker, you must activate the tool before you can use
the interactive tools in the viewer.

Subregion Limits processing to a specified region in the viewer.

Drag a rectangular area to specify the region.

Bypass Turns off the effect. When you use multiple input

effects, such as a Composite effect, the first input is
passed through directly as the output.

Crop Curves Crops the selected effect’s function curve in the

animation editor when the effect is resized on the
timeline

39

Desktop Reference

Option Description

Select Effect Selects the current effect on the timeline, in an Effects

tree or in the Layers view, and displays its property
editor.

This is most useful if you are using many effects and
want to quickly identify property editors with their
corresponding clips. Open a property editor, lock it, and
click the Select Effect button to highlight the clip in the
timeline, Effects Tree, or Layers view.

Not available in the Graphics and 3D DVE

n

layouts.

Effects Tree Controls

Previous Effect/Next
Effect

Selects the previous/next effect on the timeline, Effects
Tree, or Layers view, and displays its property editor.

The display of effects depends on the effect type. If you
are using multiple, different types of effects, such as
four Color Correction and two Channel Switcher
(image effect) effects, then the current effect type is
sequentially displayed each time you click the Previous
Effect or Next Effect button.

To display other effect types used on the timeline, press
Ctrl to display them.

For more information, see

Not available in the Graphics and 3D DVE

n

layouts.

The Effects Library.

The Effects Tree controls let you view or bypass an effect, expand an
Effects Tree, or display another effect’s property editor.

40

Effects Tree controls

Effects list

Property Editors

n

Depending on which effect you apply, these controls may be arranged
differently on the property page.

Option Description

View Displays the output of the current effect in the viewer.

When you want to change an effect and you’ve

n

added more effects after it, you can view the
effect if you want to focus only on the current
effect.

You can only view one node at a time. If several

n

nodes are selected, the V key and the toolbar
button are not available.

Tip: On the Shape and Paint trackers, it’s useful

n

to select both the View and Bypass options to
improve tracking speed.

Expand Expands the current Effects Tree. For example, if you

apply a Selective Color Correction effect in an Effects
Tree and click Expand, the tree expands to display the
effects that comprise this effect.

This option is only applicable when you use

n

Effects Tree effects, such as the Selective Color
Correction effect or if you fold nodes.

41

Desktop Reference

Process Controls

Option Description

Effects List Lets you choose the effect to display in the current

property editor. This is useful when you have many
effects in an Effects Tree and want to quickly switch to
display the properties of another effect.

Only effects on which the Expose command is

n

selected are displayed in this list.

The process controls let you choose what to process and how it will be
processed.

Process controls

42

Option Description

Frame Processes effects in the current frame and creates a

cache file. Makes the effect viewable on the selected
frame.

Auto-process Turns the Frame option on or off. When selected, each

time you change a parameter, the frame is automatically
reprocessed.

All Processes all frames with the applied effect and creates

a cache file. Makes the effect playable in real time.

Preview For real-time playable effects, plays back the current

effect. For unprocessed non-real-time playable effects,
plays back a lower quality preview version of the effect,
with dropped frames, in Loop mode.

DVE-Tracker Controls

Available only in the 2D DVE property editor, the tracker controls let you
set specific options for tracking images using the 2D DVE.

Property Editors

Tracker controls

Option Description

Global Applies a transformation (scale, rotation, or translation)

to participating layers in the composite. The DVE
property editor for each layer must also have its Global
DVE option activated.

SRT Turns on/off any DVE transformation (scaling, rotation,

or translation) that has been applied to the current layer

Track Turns on/off any motion tracking that has been applied

to the current layer. Clicking the Tracker button opens
the Motion Tracker property editor.

Activate When you are using more than one interactive tool at

the same time (in the Compositing layout), such as a
Luma keyer and DVE, clicking the Activate button
gives priority to the property editor on which this
button was pressed. For example, if you scaled an
image using the DVE, and then click the Activate
button in the Luma keyer property editor, the image
appears in full size to let you concentrate on areas in the
image that you want to key out.

43

Desktop Reference

Preset Controls

The preset controls let you save and load presets. A thumbnail of the
current effect is displayed with the preset controls.

Preset controls

Option Description

Transition Controls

Save Preset

Saves presets by opening the Save Preset dialog box,
where you can save the current parameter settings as a
preset. You can choose the folder to save it in or create
a new folder in which to store your customized presets.

Load Preset

Loads and displays presets by opening the Load Preset
dialog box, where you can select a preset file to load
into the property editor.

Displays the thumbnail of the selected effect

Thumbnail

The transition controls let you specify the type and duration of a transition.

Transition controls

44

Option Description

Dur (duration) Specifies the duration, in frames, of a transition

Select Transition Lets you choose between the Dissolve, DVE, and Wipe

transitions

Transition location Specifies whether the selected edit point is the start,

center, or end of the transition

Recycling, Locking, and Focusing Property Editors

The title bar buttons let you recycle, lock, and focus property editors. By
default, most property editors are set to Recycle mode when you first
display them. When you select an object that does not have any properties
or select a new type of object, the property editor is hidden from view, but
not closed.

Property Editors

The recycle, lock, and focus modes let you work more efficiently with
property editors. They let you display the same property editor, compare
the parameter values of two different objects by locking and displaying
their property editors, and view several different property editors for the
same object simultaneously. This is especially useful when you are
working with graphics because many graphics objects have similar
properties.

Using the Recycle Mode

In the Recycle mode, the same property editor window is reused whenever
you select an object. For example, if you open a generated clip’s property
editor, and then select an audio effect, the properties of the generated clip
are replaced by the properties of the audio effect.

To use the Recycle mode:

1. In the Graphics layout, select an object and open its property editor.

2. In the title bar of the property editor, click the Recycle button.

By default, most property editors are set to the Recycle mode.

45

Desktop Reference

Property editor
displays
properties of
selected clip

Property editor
in Recycle
mode

46

3. Select a different object.
The same property editor window updates to display the properties of

the newly selected object.

Property Editors

Property editor
in Recycle
mode

Same property editor
window is reused and
updated to display
properties of the newly
selected object

Using the Lock Mode

n

In the Lock mode, the property editor continues to display the properties of
the object on which it is locked. You can, for example, lock the property
editor of one graphics object and open another property editor for a
different graphics object. This lets you compare the parameter values
between the two graphics objects.

Property editors accessed from the Layers view are automatically set to
Focus mode instead of the default Recycle mode.

To use the Lock mode:

1. Select an object and open its property editor.

2. In the title bar of the property editor, click the Lock button.

The property editor is locked to the selected object.

47

Desktop Reference

Selected
object

Property editor
in Lock mode

48

3. If desired, select another object and open its property editor.
A second property editor (in Recycle mode) opens on top of the first

property editor.

Second selected
object and its
property editor in
Recycle mode

Property Editors

Property
editor in
Recycle mode

4. Drag the second property editor to another location to view both
property editors, so that you can compare the values of both graphics
objects.

Property editor of second selected

object in recycle mode.

Viewing the two property editors side-by-side lets you

compare and adjust values.

Property editor of first selected

object in lock mode.

49

Desktop Reference

Using the Focus Mode

In the Focus mode, a property editor displays the properties of a specific
type of property. The Focus and Lock modes differ in that the Lock mode
links a property editor with a specific object, such as a stroke or text body,
whereas the Focus mode links a property editor with a type of property,
such as brush or fill. Property editors in Focus mode will continue to
update as the selection changes—as long as the type of object doesn’t
change. Property editors in Lock mode ignore selection changes.

This mode is most useful in the Graphics layout, where there are many
different types of properties, such as the brush or fill properties of a stroke,
or the face, edge, or shadow properties of a title. Setting a property editor
to Focus mode ensures that a property editor of a particular type, such as
brush properties, is always available in a layout.

To use the Focus mode:

1. Select an object and open its property editor.
The graphics property tree displays the properties of the selected

object.

50

2. From the graphics property tree, click a property button.
The property editor is in the default Recycle mode.

3. In the title bar of the property editor, click the Focus button.
The property editor is focused on the specific type of property you

selected.

Selected object and
its property editor in
Focus mode

Property Editors

Property editor
in Focus mode

4. From the graphics property tree, click a different property button.
t If the property you selected was the same type as the first, then the

same property editor window is used to display its properties.

t If the property is of a different type than the first, then a second

property editor (in Recycle mode) is opened to display its
properties. The first property editor continues to display the
properties of the object on which it is focused.

5. Drag the second property editor to another location to view both
property editors at the same time.

51

Desktop Reference

Entering Values

Brush stroke properties of selected object

Property editors of both selected property buttons

Brush Fx properties of selected object

There are several ways to enter numerical values and timecode information
in Avid DS Nitris . You can choose the method that is the most convenient
for you. There are also keyboard shortcuts available that let you quickly
enter values and timecodes.

Using Text Boxes

52

Text boxes are located beside or below a property name in a dialog box or
property editor. To increase or decrease values in a text box, you can enter
new values directly in the box, drag the sliders to the right or left, or use a
number of different keyboard and mouse operations.

Text box

Drag clockwise or counterclockwise to
increase or decrease values

Slider

Property Editors

To enter and adjust values in a text box:

1. Click in a text box.
The contents of the text box is selected and an insertion point (flashing

vertical bar) appears.

2. Do one of the following:

t Type in the numerical values and press Enter.
t Use any of the following shortcuts.

To enter value Do this

Increase value by 1/10
of a unit

Decrease value by 1/10
of a unit

Increase value by 1 unit Press ] or roll the mouse wheel forward

Decrease value by 1 unit Press [ or roll the mouse wheel backward

Increase value by 10
units

• Press Shift+]

• Hold down the Shift key and drag clockwise around
the text box

• Hold down the Shift key and roll the mouse wheel
forward

• Press Shift+[

• Hold down the Shift key and drag counterclockwise
around the text box

• Hold down the Shift key and roll the mouse wheel
backward

• Press Ctrl+]

• Hold down the Ctrl key and drag clockwise around
the text box

• Hold down the Ctrl key and roll the mouse wheel
forward

53

Desktop Reference

To enter value Do this

Decrease value by 10
units

Cancel command and
close dialog box

Set value to minimum Press Ctrl+Home

Set value to maximum Press Ctrl+End

To replace the contents of a text box:

• Press Ctrl+[

• Hold down the Ctrl key and drag counterclockwise
around the text box

• Hold down the Ctrl key and roll the mouse wheel
backward

Press Esc

1. Click in a text box.
The contents of the text box is highlighted in blue.

2. Type in new values and press Enter.

To adjust values using the slider:

t Drag the slider to the right to increase values or to the left to decrease

them

54

t Press Shift and drag the slider to adjust values slowly.
t Press Ctrl and drag the slider to adjust values quickly.

Drag right or left to increase
or decrease values

To enter values using the calculator:

1. Click the Calculator button next to the slider.
The calculator is displayed.

2. Do one of the following:

t Use the keyboard to enter numbers.
t Use your pointer to select numbers on the calculator.

3. If you performed mathematical operations, click the Equal button.

4. Click OK.

The calculator closes and the value is added to the text box.

Using the Pop-up Menus in Numerical Text Boxes

By right-clicking in a text box, you can open a pop-up menu, containing
commands for cutting, copying, pasting, deleting, undoing, and selecting
all values.

Property Editors

Using Timecode Boxes

There are SMPTE timecode boxes in several places in the Avid DS Nitris
interface, such as in the status bar, on the transport controls, and in
property editors.

55

Desktop Reference

Entering values in timecode boxes is similar to entering values in text
boxes except that you can also use absolute or relative input methods. The
absolute input method replaces the current value with the value you enter.
The relative input method offsets the current timecode by the value you
specify.

The following table summarizes the various means of entering values in
timecode boxes assuming that the current timecode is 01:12:34:00.

You en t e r NTSC result PAL result Description

Absolute Input Method

5223 00:00:52:23 00:00:52:23 Replaces the current

timecode

/5223 01:12:52:23 01:12:52:23 Replaces the rightmost

portion of current
timecode

56

.40 00:00:01:10 00:00:01:15 Replaces the current

timecode with this many
frames (direct frame
entry)

10:00.40 00:10:01:10 00:10:01:15 Combines timecode

value with direct frame
entry

3:::1 03:00:00:01 03:00:00:01 Skip fields by entering

colons (:)

Relative Input Method

110+
110-

.110+
.110-

01:12:35:10
01:12:32:20

01:12:37:20
01:12:30:10

01:12:35:10
01:12:32:15

01:12:38:10
01:12:29:15

Increases or decreases
the current timecode by
the value entered

Increases or decreases
the current timecode by
the number of frames
entered

You en t e r NTSC result PAL result Description

Help

Help

1.10+

1.10-

] or [ 01:12:34:01

Shift+] or Shift+[ 01:12:34:01

1:12:35:10
1:12:32:20

01:12:33:29

01:12:33:20

1:12:35:10
1:12:32:15

01:12:34:01
01:12:33:24

01:12:34:10
01:12:33:15

Use the period (.) to
separate seconds and
frames.

Nudges the current
timecode up or down by
1 frame

Nudges the current
timecode up or down by
10 frames

The Help menu lets you access the Avid DS Nitris help system to quickly
retrieve reference information. You can also access the Avid web site,
where you can find product-related information and tutorials as well as the
Avid DS Nitris support center.

To access the Help menu:

t Select Help.

Option Description

Contents and Index Opens the contents window of the online help, which

displays help topics by category

Keyboard Shortcuts Opens a PDF file which displays all the keyboards

shortcuts

Documentation Library If installed on your system, opens the Documentation

Library for online viewing of the Avid DS Nitris
documentation.

New Features Tour If installed, starts the New Features Tour multimedia

application

57

Desktop Reference

Option Description

Download Lets you download various utilities and tools

Web Tutorials Lets you access the latest Avid DS Nitris tutorials

Knowledge Base Lets you access and search the Avid DS Nitris

Knowledge Base for useful information

Customer Service Loads the Avid DS Nitris Customer Service home

page

Avid DS Nitris Home

Loads the Avid DS Nitris home page

Page

About Avid DS Nitris Displays the program’s build number and version

along with the product serial number

58

Layout Menu

Layout Menu

The Layout menu lets you customize the views in the current layout, or
create your own layouts.

To access the Layout menu:

t Select Layout.

Option Description

Editing Displays the Editing layout

Graphics Displays the Graphics layout

Compositing Displays the Compositing layout

3D DVE Displays the 3D DVE layout

Media Input/Output Displays the Media Input/Output layout

Classic Layouts Displays the default layouts

Xtra Layouts Displays alternate layouts

New Layout Lets you create a custom layout. When a layout is

created, a new layout button is added to the taskbar.

Blank Lets you name and create a custom layout from

scratch. Creates an empty layout to which you add the
various layout components that you want to work
with. To build your layout, use the components under
New Layout > Copy Layout.

Copy Current Layout Creates a custom layout based on the current layout

Copy Layout Lets you create a custom layout based on a copy of an

existing layout

59

Desktop Reference

Option Description

Edit Layout Turns edit mode on or off. In this mode, all the

windows and views in the current layout are
highlighted so that you can move or resize them.
When you turn off the edit mode, your changes are
automatically saved for the current session.

Save Layouts Saves all edits made to your custom layout

Restore Default Layout Restores the default configuration of the current layout

New Combo View Creates a new combo view and puts you in Edit

Combo View mode

Edit Combo View Lets you customize a combo view

Delete Combo View Deletes the currently active combo view

New Toolbar Displays the toolbar dialog box in which you enter a

name to create a custom toolbar.

Customize Toolbars Displays the Customize Toolbars window, where you

select from a category of tools to display their
associated commands. These commands can be
dragged to your custom toolbar for easy access while
working.

Import/Export
Preferences

Displays the Preference Management dialog box

User Preferences Dialog Box

The User Preferences dialog box lets you adjust the settings that affect the
way you work with Avid DS Nitris . For example, you can set preferences,
such as automatic saves, number of undo levels, animation preferences,
and the number of type of tracks to display when you open a new
sequence. You can also set editing preferences, such as pre-roll and post­roll frames.

60

User Preferences Dialog Box

After setting the preferences, they become part of your user profile under
your user name. The next time you start Avid DS Nitris , these preferences
are used.

n

Do not customize the fonts, windows scheme, or taskbar properties on the
Windows 2000 desktop or Avid DS Nitris may not function properly.

Click on the links above for information on each of the property pages.

To open the User Preferences dialog box:

t Select File > User Preferences.

General Property Page

The General property page lets you set preferences, such as automating the
loading of the current sequence, setting the number of undo levels, and
autosaving preferences.

For example, if you know that you will be working on the same sequence
for several sessions, you can set Avid DS Nitris to automatically open that
sequence each time you start the application. You can also set Avid DS
Nitris to automatically save your work at regular intervals.

61

Desktop Reference

Option Description

Window Management Sets preferences for window management

Highlight the Window
with Focus

Give Windows Focus

Shows you which view has focus by displaying
small red brackets at the view’s corners

Gives focus to an area by rolling the mouse over it
When the Mouse Enters
Them

Update Default Window
Size/Position

Lets you choose the default window size and

position based on the last resized window, the last

closed window, or the last moved window.

On Resizing Sets the default window size and position based

on the last resized window

On Closing Sets the default window size and position based

on the last closed window

On Moving Sets the default window size and position based

on the last moved window

Autosave Sets autosave preferences

Save Automatically Every
X Minutes

Saves the current sequence at regular intervals.

This option can protect you from losing work in

the event of a power failure or system failure.

62

Miscellaneous Sets user preferences, such as number of undo

levels and loading last sequence at startup

Load Last Sequence at
Startup

Loads the last saved sequence each time you start.

Tip: If you need to override this setting, hold

down the Shift key when you double-click the

Avid DS Nitris

icon when starting the

application. This is useful when you want to start

a new sequence.

Single Click on Container
Icon Opens Container

Opens a container clip with a single click.

Usually, you have to double-click on the container

clip to open it.

User Preferences Dialog Box

Option Description

Number of Undo Levels Sets the number of commands or actions that you

can undo and redo. The default number is 50;
maximum is 1000.

The higher the number of levels you set, the more
memory is required (which can slow down
performance), but the further you can backtrack.

Tip: You can access the Undo and Redo

n

commands from the Edit menu. The
keyboard shortcuts are Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y,
respectively.

Scrubbing Sets scrubbing preferences

Play Audio When
Scrubbing

Animation Property Page

The Animation property page lets you set preferences, such as the default
interpolation and slope mode for inserted keys.

If you frequently animate objects or parameters, you can set Avid DS
Nitris to automatically set keyframes as you adjust an object’s properties
or a parameter’s values. Instead of clicking the Animation Key button each
time you want to add a keyframe, the Autokey mode automatically records
any adjustments that you make.

Option Description

Default Interpolation for
Inserted Keys

Automatic (From
Neighboring Keys)

When selected, lets you hear the audio tracks
when scrubbing on the timeline

Sets the default interpolation type for inserted
keys

Repeats the value of a key point. The movement is
characterized by sudden changes at keyframes
and static positions between keyframes.

63

Desktop Reference

Option Description

Constant Repeats the value of a key point until the next one.

The movement is characterized by sudden
changes at keyframes and static positions between
keyframes.

Linear Connects key points by straight line segments.

The movement is characterized by sudden
changes at each keyframe.

Spline Results in a smooth transition. When selected,

spline interpolation accelerates and decelerates to
ease into and out of each keyframe. The degree of
acceleration and deceleration before and after the
keyframe is determined by the key point’s tangent
handles.

Default Slope Constraint for

Sets the default slope type for inserted keys

Inserted Keys

None (DS - Use
Neighboring Slopes)

Sets the slope of an inserted key automatically
using the slopes of neighboring keys. This mode
does not affect the slope of these neighboring
keys.

Automatic (3D - Use &
Affect Neighboring
Slopes)

Plateau (Horizontal for
Local Min & Max)

Sets the slope of an inserted key automatically to
the slopes of neighboring keys. This mode affects
the slope of neighboring keys.

Sets the slope of an inserted key automatically to
zero if the next key has the same value, or if that
key is a local minima or maxima.

A local minima/maxima is a key point where both
previous and next keys have either smaller
(minima) or larger (maxima) values. This is
useful for holding key point values to prevent the
automatic interpolation from going above or
below your keyframed values.

Zero (All Horizontal) Constrains the slope of key points to zero. The

tangent handles remain horizontal, so that only
the slope tension can be modified.

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User Preferences Dialog Box

Option Description

Autokey Toggles the Autokey button on or off

Set Keys When Changing
Values (Autokey)

Editing Property Page

The Editing property page lets you change various default settings, such as
the preferred track type, transition duration, still image duration, and the
number of pre-roll and post-roll frames.

Option Description

Extra Material Lets you change the number of pre-roll and

Pre-roll (frames) Specifies the default number of pre-roll

Automatically sets keyframes as you adjust an
object’s properties or a parameter’s values.
Instead of clicking the Animation Key each time
you want to add a keyframe, the Autokey button
automatically records any adjustment that you
make.

post-roll frames

frames before a transition (or timeline
selection). When you play back the processed
frames, the pre-roll frames are added to the
in-point.

Post-roll (frames) Specifies the default number of post-roll

frames after a transition (or timeline
selection). When you play back the processed
frames, the post-roll frames are added to the
out-point.

Selectable Objects (J-K-L keys) Lets you select the type of object that moves

on the timeline when you use the J-K-L keys

Edit Points and Clip Handles Lets you to move these objects with the J-K-

L keys

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Desktop Reference

Option Description

Clips Lets you move clips with the J-K-L keys

Effect bars Lets you move effect bars with the J-K-L

keys

Activeness Lets you move activeness bars with the J-K-L

keys

Markers and Locators Lets you move locators, in-points, and out-

points with the
J-K-L keys

Preferred video track type Lets you select the type of track when you

create new tracks inside of a sequence

Transitions Lets you specify default values for transition

duration and position

Default Duration (frames) Specifies the default length, in frames, of

transitions

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Default Position Specifies the default position of a transition

with respect to the selected edit point.

Start: The transition begins at the edit point
Center: The transition is centered over the

edit point

End: The transition ends at the edit point

Default Still Image Duration
(frames)

Show Overlays in Viewer Displays locators (global, local/clip), in/out-

Always update clips in source
viewer

Specifies the number of frames you want to
be created when you capture a still image

points, start/end of clip, and start/end of
available material

Automatically updates the clip in the bin
when the in-point or out-point of a clip in the
source viewer is changed

Titling Property Page

The Titling property page lets you set preferences that allow you to see or
hide text outside the output area, as well as control the way text is selected.

Option Description

User Preferences Dialog Box

Disable Text
Overlay

Selection
Criteria
(Ctrl+mouse)

Titling Font
Only

Titling Style
Only

Both Lets you select all text characters when you hold down the Ctrl

Allows you to see text existing outside the output area

Controls the way text is selected when you hold down the Ctrl
key and drag

Lets you select text characters with like fonts when you hold
down the Ctrl key and drag

Lets you select text characters with like style attributes, such as
bold, italic, etc., when you hold down the Ctrl key and drag

key and drag

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Desktop Reference

Effects Tree Property Page

The Effects Tree property page lets you set preferences that affect how
nodes in the Effects Tree are connected and disconnected, how tooltips are
displayed, the speed in which the Effects Tree pans, how names are
displayed on nodes and ports, and how new nodes are place in Effects
Trees.

Option Description

Interaction Sets preferences for connecting and disconnecting

Enable Enhanced Interaction Enables enhanced features such as “kissing”,

nodes in the Effects Tree

“ripping”, “twanging” and sticky connections.

Connecting Nodes
(1=slow, 10=fast)

Disconnecting Nodes
(1=slow, 10=fast)

Minimum Node Drag for
Interaction (in pixels)

Lets you increase or decrease the response time

when connecting nodes. For example, a value of 1

means that when you drag a node to touch another

node (“kissing”), you have to hold it there for a

longer period of time before a connection is made.

Lets you increase or decrease the response when

disconnecting nodes. For example, a value of 1

means that you can easily “rip” a node away from

another node to disconnect it.

Lets you set the distance in which you must drag a

node (in pixels) before interaction will take place.

For example, the default setting of 20 means that

you must drag a node at least 20 pixels before it

will be connected (twangs) to another node. Values

range from 0 to 500. If this option is set to 0, then

automatic connection twanging will take place if

you click or double-click a node.

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Option Description

User Preferences Dialog Box

Allow Connection
Replacement

Pan Speed (0=None,
10=Fast)

Node Attract/Repel Spacing
(1=Small, 10=Large)

Auto-expand Collapsed
Nodes

Lets you turn connection replacement on or off.
When selected, you can replace a connection using
enhanced interactivity such as “kissing” or
“twanging”.

When this option is deselected, a node will only
twang to a connection if there is currently nothing
attached to its input port.

Lets you set the speed at which the Effects Tree
pans when you drag nodes around. Values range
from 0 (no panning) to 10 (fastest).

Let you set the spacing in which nodes are
pushed/pulled towards or away from each other.
Values range from 1 to 10. A larger value
attracts/repels nodes a larger distance.

Lets you automatically expand a collapsed node
when you position the pointer over it. When you
move the pointer away from the node, it
automatically collapses again.

Tip: If you want a node to remain expanded

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while this option is selected, deselect
Collapse from the menu when you right click
on a node.

Tooltip Settings Sets preferences for tooltips. This is helpful, for

example, when you zoom out an Effects Tree and
it’s difficult to see a node’s name. You can display
tooltips on nodes, node inputs, and connectors,
and specify the speed at which the tooltips are
displayed.

Enable Tooltips on Nodes Displays tooltips on nodes

Enable Tooltips on Node
Inputs

Enable Tooltips on
Connectors

Displays tooltips on node inputs

Displays tooltips on connectors between nodes

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Desktop Reference

Option Description

Tooltip Delay (in
milliseconds)

New Nodes Lets you set how new nodes are displayed in an

Collapse Automatically collapses all new nodes that you

Use Input Names Lets you append the input port’s name with the

Lets you specify how quickly (in milliseconds)

tooltips are displayed when you position the cursor

over a node, node input, or connector.

Effects Tree.

add to an Effects Tree. This feature is useful to

conserve space in your Effects Tree.

Tip: You can also select the Auto-expand

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Collapsed Nodes option so that nodes will
automatically expand when you position the
cursor over them.

input’s name instead of just Input 1, Input 2, etc.

Node names are only displayed on nodes when

this option is selected or if you choose “Use Input

Names” from the menu when you right-click a

node.

For example, if a Blue Green keyer is connected to

Input 1 of a Composite node, then the Composite

node’s input port name will be displayed as “Input

1- Blue Green Keyer” when you select this option

from the Composite node. All input port names

will update to reflect the input’s name.

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Mouse Zoom

x Steps (1=Small, 10=Large)

Lets you set the distance at which the Effects Tree

zooms in or out when you use the commands

Alt+Z (zoom in) and Alt+X (zoom out). A larger

value increases the amount of the zoom.

Capture Property Page

The Capture property page lets you set options for controlling a deck
during the capture process.

Option Description

Batch Capture

User Preferences Dialog Box

Rewind the tape after
capture

Eject the tape after
capture

No interaction when
inserting new tape

Display recapture
list

Stop the deck after
capture

After all clips from a single tape are recaptured, sends a
signal to the deck to rewind the tape.

After all clips from a single tape are recaptured, sends a
signal to the deck to eject the tape.

Prevents Avid DS Nitris from displaying dialog boxes
that would interrupt a batch capture. If you select this
option and “Eject the tape after capture,” and you know
the order of tapes, you can batch capture without
interacting with the Avid DS Nitris application—see

Batch Capturing Without Interaction.

Displays a list of clips to be recaptured, which you can
sort and select clips to be recaptured—see Capture List

Dialog Box.

After capturing from tape, puts the deck into stop
mode, rather than stand-by mode.

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Desktop Reference

Data Management Property Page

The Data Management property page lets you delete the unreferenced
media of the current project when you quit Avid DS Nitris . You can also
specify the number of frames that separate each clip that is archived to tape
as well as the padding for generated subclip names. You can also specify
your SMTP server so that you can receive email when your processing jobs
are complete.

Option Description

Archive Lets you set a gap between clips on your archive

tape.

Gap between Clips in
Archive (Frames)

Padding for Generated
Subclip Names

No padding to subclip
suffix

Padded suffix Specifies that you want padding or zeroes added to

Maximum number of
zeroes to use

Email Notification Lets you specify your SMTP server so that email

SMTP Server Lets you enter the name of your SMTP (Simple

Specifies the number of frames that separate each
clip that is archived to tape. The number must be an
integer value between 1 and 50.

The gap between your archived clips must be

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at least one frame to make sure that the whole
archive is performed correctly and
accurately.

Lets you specify whether you want padding or
zeroes added to subclip names.

Specifies that no padding or no zeroes will be added
to subclip names.

subclip names.

Specifies the number of zeroes to add to subclip
names.

messages can be sent.

Mail Internet Protocol) email server, which lets
Avid DS Nitris send an email message when a
processing job is complete.

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Level Meters Property Page

The Level Meters property page lets you adjust the settings for the Mixer,
the Audio Input Monitor, and the Audio Output Monitor meters.

Option Description

Peak Specifies the level that you expect to be the maximum.

Minimum Specifies the minimum level displayed on the Level meter.

HeadRoom Specifies the expected dynamic range. Range: 0 to 24 dB

Alignment Specifies the level of the visual alignment indicator.

Graduations Specifies the space, in decibels, between the markings on the

User Preferences Dialog Box

Range: 0 to -24 dB

Range: -144.5 to -24 dB

Range: 0 to 24 dB less than the headroom level

level meter. Range: 1 to 24 dB. A value of 0 turns off the level
meter markings.

Peak Hold Indicates whether the decibel level went above that of the

specified peak level at any time during playback

Max Hold Indicates the maximum decibel level achieved during playback

Scale Waveform
Display to Peak
Level (Mixer
only)

Scales the waveform display on the timeline so that the edge of
the display represents the peak level specified above. Any audio
above the peak level is clipped.

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Desktop Reference

Scripting/Logging Property Page

The Scripting/Logging property page lets you determine the scripting
language for your scripts, the command log size, and whether a log file is
created.

Option Description

Scripting Language Determines the scripting language used to create and run

scripts

Command Log Size Determines the number of command lines retained in the

History pane of the Script Editor

Lines Specifies the maximum number of command lines

retained in the History pane of the Script Editor

Unlimited Specifies that there is no limit to the number of command

lines retained in the History pane of the Script Editor

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Log File Lets you create a command log file for each Avid DS

Nitris session

Log Commands to
File

File Name Specifies the location where the log file is saved and its

... Displays the Log File Path dialog box

Creates a command log file for each Avid DS Nitris
session

name

Avid Explorer Property Page

The Avid Explorer property page lets you set options for how paths are
displayed in a bin and whether to keep the Views menu open.

Option Description

Group files as frame Sets the Avid DS Nitris group folder to interpret

Expand Views folder Keeps the Views folder open whenever you view it in

User Preferences Dialog Box

sequential file names as frames. Deselect this option to
interpret sequential file names as fields—see “Grouping

Files as Frames or Fields” in the Help.

an Avid Explorer pane.The Views folder includes the
Avid Event Log, Deck Configuration, Tape Library, and
other views.

Display the full path in
the address bar

Display the full path in
the title bar

Shows the complete system path in the address bar of
any folder displayed through Avid Explorer. If this
option is not selected, only the folder name is
displayed.

Shows the complete system path in the address bar of
any folder displayed through Avid Explorer. If this
option is not selected, only the folder name is
displayed.

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Desktop Reference

Time Display Property Page

The Time Display property page lets you specify how time is displayed on
the timeline.

Option Description

Time Display Format Specifies which format is used to display time on

Use Default Format Uses SMPTE NTSC drop frame for NTSC

Use (other) Specifies whether to use the audio sample rate

the timecode scale. The available choices vary,
depending on whether you are working on a PAL
or NTSC sequence.

sequences, and EBU PAL (25 fps) for PAL
sequences

(NTSC and PAL) or SMPTE NTSC non-drop
frame (NTSC only)

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Display as Frames Displays time in terms of frames only, as opposed

to hours:minutes:seconds:frames

Time Base Specifies which timecode scale is displayed on the

timeline

Show Time in Top Time (Container clips only) Displays the timecode scale

of the top timeline.

Show Time in Parent
Time

Show Time in Sequence
Time

(Container clips only) Displays the timecode scale
of the parent timeline.

Displays the timecode scale of the current
sequence

Favorites Property Page

The Favorites property page lets you set the paths or locations where
presets for various groups are saved. You can also determine the folder in
which preset families are classified.

Option Description

User Path The location where your own personal presets are saved

Workgroup Path The location where presets for the group of people with

Factory Path Displays the default location of the original presets shipped

Project Path Displays the default location of the current project’s presets

Toolbars

whom you work are saved

with Avid DS Nitris

Toolbars

Preset Family
Locations

Path Displays the folder in which you can find the selected

Family Displays the family name of the presets

Displays the folder in which preset families are located

preset family

The toolbars contain commonly used tools, as well as presets which are
specially customized effects, transitions, or tools. Toolbar buttons let you
activate tools or commands and apply presets. For example, you can save a
color correction preset and then apply it to other clips in a sequence. Or
you can save a titling style as a preset and use it to quickly create new
titles.

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Desktop Reference

Closing Toolbars Automatically

Automatic closing of a toolbar lets you execute commands from any
floating toolbar and then automatically closes the toolbar. This streamlines
your desktop.

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You can only auto-close floating toolbars. The default toolbars that are
fixed on the desktop cannot be auto-closed.

To automatically close a toolbar:

1. Right-click a floating toolbar and select Auto-Close Toolbar.

The toolbar automatically closes after you execute a command.

2. Click a button on the toolbar.
The command is executed and the toolbar is automatically closed.

3. To reopen the floating toolbar, select it from View > Default Toolbar
or User Toolbars, or use its keyboard shortcut.

Tip: For quick access to a floating toolbar, assign a keyboard shortcut to it
in the Command Mapping dialog box.

Changing the Size and Look of Toolbar Buttons

You can easily customize the size and look of toolbar buttons. To save
space on the desktop, you can display them as long, thin buttons or display
them larger for better visibility. You can also display the buttons in icon or
text form, as well as choose from eight different “themes”.

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To change the size of toolbar buttons:

t Right-click a toolbar button and select Button Size > size.

To change the look of toolbar buttons:

1. Right-click a toolbar button and select Button Mode > mode.

2. Right-click a toolbar button again and select Button Theme > theme.

Toolbar Menu

Toolbars

The Toolbar pop-up menu lets you create new toolbars, delete and copy
toolbars, display toolbar buttons as text or icons, show or hide the toolbars’
title bars, customize existing toolbars, and more.

To access the Toolbar menu:

t Right-click a button on a toolbar.

Option Description

Customize Menu
Button

Toolbar Group
Separator

Remove Item from
Toolbar

Customize Toolbars Displays the Customize Toolbars window, which lets you

Show Hidden Items Displays the space separators (in red) which are usually

New Toolbar Creates a new toolbar

For menus, lets you rename the button on the toolbar and
reorder the commands and presets in the list.

For preset list buttons, lets you rename the button on the
toolbar, set the path to the preset folder, and turn on/off
the display of submenus.

Changes the name of the group

Deletes a selected item

add buttons for the following to a selected toolbar:
commands, menus, property editors, floating toolbars,
transports controls (viewer area only), timecode boxes,
and more.

invisible in the toolbar, such as the vertical and
horizontal spacing between buttons, line breaks, and
empty lines. This is very useful when customizing
toolbars.

from the toolbar

Copy Toolbar Copies the current toolbar and displays it on the desktop

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Desktop Reference

Option Description

Delete Toolbar Deletes the selected floating toolbar.

Note: You cannot delete the fixed, default toolbars.

Display Titlebar Displays the title bar of a selected toolbar. Does not

apply to the floating toolbars.

Auto-Close Toolbar Automatically closes a floating toolbar after executing a

command

Button Theme Lets you select a different style for the look of the

buttons on the toolbar. There are eight themes: 3rdFloor,
Alpha, Alumina, Carboneum, Evo (default), Evo1,
Lamellae, and Pane.

Button Mode Lets you display buttons as icons or text

Button Size Lets you display buttons in various sizes: thin, default, or

large

Taskbar Menu

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The Taskbar pop-up menu lets you add, remove, copy, and rename layouts.

To access the Taskbar menu:

t Right-click a layout button in the taskbar.

Option Description

New Layout Creates an empty layout. You will be prompted to

name the new layout.

Copy Layout Copies the selected layout. You will be prompted to

name the new layout.

Rename Layout Displays the Rename Layout dialog box, where you

can specify a new name for the selected layout

Command Mapping Dialog Box

Option Description

Remove Layout Removes the selected layout from the taskbar

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Default layouts cannot be renamed or removed. These commands are not
available when you right-click on a default layout’s button, in the taskbar.

Command Mapping Dialog Box

The Command Mapping dialog box lets you associate commands with
keys or key combinations that, when pressed, provide quick access to the
commands, tools, views, or property editors you most frequently use. You
can choose one of several default command maps, or create your own.

When you select a

group, a list of

commands is displayed

in the Command list.

Templates let you save a set of

command maps. Default templates

include the Avid DS Nitris default

keys. You can also create your own

template.

If a command is
mapped to a modifier
key, the Ctrl, Shift, or Alt
options will be selected
when you select a
command from the list.

The keymap shows the keys that are

mapped to the current group, the currently

selected command, and global keys,
which exist in all contexts and views.

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Desktop Reference

To access the Command Mapping dialog box:

t Select File > Command Mapping.

Option Description

Template Lists the available templates

New Adds a new template

Remove Removes currently selected template

View in Explorer Lets you view the command maps in the current

template in Internet Explorer

Group Lists the available groups which contain tools and

views

Command Lists the commands under the currently selected group

and the key to which they are mapped

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Description Shows a description of the currently selected

command, and the key to which it is bound.

Clear Removes the binding between the selected key and its

command

You cannot clear bindings in a default template.

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Context Defines a collection of tools, key mappings, and views

dedicated to a type of work

View Lists the views with which you may be working. When

selected, this option will show if conflicts exist
between command maps within the current context.

Modifier Keys Changes the command normally associated with a key,

if held down when the command key is pressed.
Modifier keys include Ctrl, Shift, and Alt.

Ctrl Shows the command maps controlled by the Ctrl

modifier

Option Description

Shift Shows the command maps controlled by the Shift

modifier

Alt Shows the command maps controlled by the Alt

modifier

Using Templates for Command Maps

Templates allow you to save a set of command maps. Default templates
include the Avid DS Nitris default keys, as well as templates based on
other popular, standard keyboard templates. You can use a default template
or customize one. Default templates cannot be edited.

To use an existing template:

t From the Template list, select a template.

A list of default and custom keyboard templates is displayed.

Command Mapping Dialog Box

To create a new template:

t Click the New button and Enter a name for the new template.

To remove a template:

t Click the Remove button.

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You cannot delete a default template or any of its commands.

Customizing the Command Map

To map and define your own keys, you must create a new template, since
the default shortcuts are read-only. Before assigning a key to a command,
you can check to see where that key is used in other contexts.

A context is a collection of tools, key mappings, and views dedicated to a
type of work. To know if a given key is currently unassigned, you need to
specify the context and the view you will be working in.

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Desktop Reference

For example, if you are working in the Graphics layout, which is also
considered the graphics context, and you open the animation editor. The
animation editor now takes priority. Therefore, if you press A, the Add
Keys command from the animation editor would take priority instead of
the Select tool, which also has its shortcut mapped to A in the Graphics
layout.

You can map commands using specific keys of your preference. It may be
useful for you to choose an existing template to work with and customize
the key commands you use most.

To create a new template:

1. In the Command Mapping dialog box, click the New button.

2. Enter a name for the new template.
A copy of the existing template is created and saved under another

name. You can customize it to optimize your work.

To assign a key to a command:

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1. In the Command Mapping dialog box, select a template from the
Template list.

2. Select a group from the Group list.

3. Drag a command from the Command list to a key on the keyboard
displayed in the Command Mapping dialog box.

The key mapped to this command is shown in red on the on-screen keyboard,
and its associated key binding appears in the Current Binding box.

For combination keys, such as Alt+key, Ctrl+key, Shift+key, Alt+Shift+key,
drag a command to a key on the keyboard while pressing the modifier keys.

If you map a command to key that is already assigned, it will take priority.
The command that was previously mapped to that key will no longer be
mapped to any key; it will be unassigned.

Viewing the Mapped Commands

You can use command maps as a reference for keyboard shortcuts during
your work sessions, or to check whether a key has already been mapped to
another command. Viewing command maps in a browser window gives
you a printable list that you can use as an offline reference.

To view the mapped commands:

1. Select a template from the Template list.
A list of groups associated with this template is displayed.

2. From the Group list, select a group.
A list of commands in this group is displayed in the Command list, and

the keys that are mapped to the current group are shown in a tan color
on the keyboard. Commands that are global and exist in all contexts
are shown in beige.

3. From the Command list, select a command.
The key mapped to this command is displayed in red on the keyboard.

Command Mapping Dialog Box

If a command is mapped to a modifier key, then the Ctrl, Shift, and/or
Alt options are selected when you choose the command in the list.

To view the mapped commands in a browser:

1. Select a template from the Template list.

2. Click the View in Explorer button.

Checking to See if a Key is Free

To know if a given key is currently unassigned, you must specify the
context and the view you will be working in. A context is a collection of
tools, key mappings, and views dedicated to a type of work.

Specifying the context and view will reveal any conflicts with commands
mapped to the same key, but in different contexts. These conflicts are
shown in dark brown.

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Desktop Reference

For example, suppose you’re working in the Graphics layout, which is also
considered the graphics context, and you open the animation editor. If you
press A, the Add Keys command from the animation editor would take
priority and you would not be able to activate the command that you would
usually get in the Graphics layout, which is the Select tool

To see if the key is used in another context:

1. Select a template from the Template list.

2. From the Context list, select the context that most closely reflects the
work you will be doing.

3. From the View list, select the view in which you will be working.

By selecting and deselecting the View option, you can see if a conflict exists
between two commands when you are working in the chosen context and view.
These conflicts are indicated by displaying a dark brown key. This information
will help you to create your own custom command map or template.

Key color Description

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White Keys that are free and not mapped to any command in

the current context or view

Beige Keys that are global and exist in all contexts and views

Tan Keys that are mapped to commands grouped under the

currently selected group

Red Key that is currently selected in the command list

Dark Brown Keys that are also being used currently by another view

or context that are of higher priority. The keys will
continue to work as expected within the group until you
enter a view or context with a higher priority.

Load Preset Dialog Box

The Load Preset dialog box lets you load a preset into a property page.

Option Description

Avid Explorer Tools Lets you navigate through and manage the contents of

Bin Tools Changes the way the contents of the bin are displayed.

File Name Lets you enter a name for your preset.

File Types Lets you select a file type for your preset.

Save Preset Dialog Box

Load Preset Dialog Box

your bins.

These tools appear for all bin contents.

The Save Preset dialog box lets you save the settings of your property
editor as a preset in a desired location.

Option Description

Avid Explorer Tools Lets you navigate through and manage the contents of

your bins.

Bin Tools Changes the way the contents of the bin are displayed.

These tools appear for all bin contents.

File Name Lets you enter a name for your preset.

File Types Lets you select a file type for your preset.

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Desktop Reference

Viewer Properties

The Viewer property editor lets you control all aspects of the viewer. You
can save presets of your viewer settings to a toolbar and use them to
quickly and easily switch between display resolutions, zoom levels, alpha
levels, and the display of guidelines. You can also perform onion-skinning
in the viewer, which allows you to blend the current frame with preceding
and/or successive frames at a certain percentage.

To open the Viewer Properties:

t Right-click on a viewer and select Viewer Properties.

Display Property Page

The Display property page lets you change the viewer display mode.

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Option Description

Channels Displays specified combination of image’s red, green,

and blue channels

Resolution Specifies display resolution (full, half, or quarter) of

viewer image

Fields Specifies which field (first, second, or both) is shown in

viewer

Alpha Controls display of image’s alpha channel

Display Turns display of image’s alpha channel on or off

Full, 25%, 75% Specifies level of intensity at which image’s alpha

channel is displayed

Zoom & Pan Controls size and position of image in viewer. You can

scale image from 1% to 10,000%.

Only the view of the image is affected, not its

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actual size.

Viewer Properties

Option Description

Zoom Level Specifies size of image in viewer

X and Y Pan Specifies location of image in viewer

Reset Resets X/Y Pan and Zoom Level to the default values

Quick/Mouse Zoom Specifies zoom level of image

Steps Specifies number of times to press Alt+Z to reach

Quick Zoom Level

Quick Zoom Level Specifies size of image in viewer.

Tip: Press Alt+Q to switch between zooming the

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viewer to the Quick Zoom Level and the previous
zoom level.

Press Alt+Z to zoom to the Quick Zoom Level.

Use Current Zoom Sets Quick Zoom Level to value set in Zoom Level

Auto Automatically pans and/or zooms the viewer when

using these interactive tools: graphics/paint tools,
Shape tool in the Matte and Keyer effects, DVE tool,
and Tracker tool.

Pan Automatically pans the viewer

Zoom Automatically zooms the viewer

Zone Defines the area around the pointer. A small zone

means that the pointer must be close to the edge of the
viewer before an auto-pan occurs. A large zone causes
an auto-pan when the pointer is farther away from the
edge of the viewer. Default zone is 1. Values: 0 to 30.

Speed Determines the speed at which an auto-zoom or auto-

pan occurs. A speed of 0 turns off auto-pan and auto­zoom. Default speed is 4. Values: 0 to 10.

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Option Description

Indicate if Viewer is
Scaled

Square pixels Turns display of square pixels on or off. Since the

Guides Property Page

The Guides property page lets you control the display and use of
guidelines and grids in the viewer.

Displays an exclamation mark (!) when the viewer
scales the image in a way that may introduce unwanted
artifacts in the image. This warns you when the
correspondence between source and display pixels is
not 1:1.

ITU-R 601 standard specifies a higher horizontal than
vertical resolution (or a 0.9 ratio), the image appears
stretched horizontally when displayed on a computer
monitor (which has square pixels).

When selected, this command displays the image in
square pixels as it would appear on a computer monitor.
When deselected, this command displays the image in
non-square pixels as it would appear on a video
monitor.

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Option Description

Grid Controls display of grid

Display Turns display of grid on or off

Horizontal spacing Specifies horizontal distance, in pixels, between points

on grid

Vertical spacing Specifies vertical distance, in pixels, between points on

grid

X offset Adjusts positioning of grid along X axis

Y offset Adjusts positioning of grid along Y axis

Option Description

Viewer Properties

Display outside

Displays grid outside viewable area

output area

Snap Aligns graphics objects to grid

Guidelines Controls display of guidelines

Display Turns display of guidelines on or off

Lock Locks guidelines in place, so you don’t accidentally

move while aligning graphics objects

Snap Aligns graphics/paint objects to guidelines

Safe Action/Title Displays safe action and safe title guides in viewer

Display Turns display of safe action/title guides on or off

Aspect Ratio Displays guide for 4x3 or 16x9 aspect ratios

Action Displays safe action guide

Title Displays safe titles guide

Crosshair Turns display of crosshair on or off

Outside Displays guides outside viewable area

Display Pixel Info Displays location (X,Y) coordinates and RGB color

information on the pixel in the viewer that the cursor is
hovering over

Guide Color Specifies color used to display guidelines and grid

Color swatch Displays selected or default color. Click the color

swatch to display the Mini Color Editor.

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Desktop Reference

Image Grabber Property Page

The Image Grabber property page lets you control the comparison buffer.

Option Description

Use Compare Buffer Turns comparison buffer on or off

Opacity Level Controls transparency of color. Values: 0 (completely

Grab Compare Image Takes snapshot of image currently displayed in viewer

Reset Compare Crop Resets crop marks to display entire image

Reset Compare Position Resets comparison image to its original position

Onion Skinning Property Page

transparent) to 100 (completely opaque).

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The Onion Skinning property page lets you blend the current frame with
preceding and/or successive frames at a certain percentage. This is useful
for rotoscopy work.

Option Description

Use Onion Skinning Enables onion skinning in viewer

Frames Before Sets the frames visible before the current frame

Number of Frames Sets opacity of first onion skin frame before current

frame

Step Specifies frame interval between current and previous

frames

Starting Opacity Sets opacity of first onion skin frame before current

frame

Viewer Properties

Option Description

Opacity Fade Sets opacity percentage in which blending decreases

between each frame

Position Defines position of onion skin in viewer

Above Places onion skin on top of current frame

Below Places onion skin under current frame

Current Frame Controls parameters for current frame

Opacity Defines opacity of current frame

Frames After Sets the frames visible after the current frame

Number of Frames Sets opacity of first onion skin frame after current

frame

Step Specifies frame interval between current frame and the

frames after

Starting Opacity Sets opacity of first onion skin frame after current

frame

Opacity Fade Sets opacity percentage in which blending decreases

between each frame

Position Defines position of onion skin in viewer

Above Places onion skin on top of current frame

Below Places onion skin underneath current frame

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Desktop Reference

Edit Layout Dialog Box

The Edit Layout dialog box lets you specify whether changes that you
make to layouts are saved for future sessions, or used for the current
session only. If you do not save your edits, they will be lost when you close
Avid DS Nitris .

Option Description

Layouts Lists the Avid DS Nitris layouts.Layouts that you

Save Saves changes to selected layouts for future sessions

Don’t Save Applies changes to edited layouts for the current

edited are automatically selected. Deselect layouts if
you do not want to save the edits that you made.

session without saving them for future sessions

Preference Management Dialog Box

The Preference Management dialog box lets you import and export
preference sets. A preference set is a collection of Avid DS Nitris layouts,
toolbars, combo views, and/or key maps. Importing and exporting
preference sets lets you share customized controls with other users.

When you import or export a preference set, its internal hierarchy is
preserved. For example, if you export an entire layout, any toolbars
contained in the layout are automatically exported with it.

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Preference sets with the same name are appended with a number to
differentiate them.

To access the Preference Management dialog box:

t Select Layout > Import/Export Preferences.

Export Preferences Property Page

The Export Preferences property page lists all of the components of the
current preference set (layouts, toolbars, combo view, and keymaps), and
lets you export some or all of them as a new preference set.

Option Description

Preference Set to Export Lets you select specific components of the current

preference set to export as a new preference set

Type Specifies whether you are exporting entire layouts,

toolbars, combo views, or keymaps

Select All Selects all available components

Select None Deselects all available components

Export Displays the Export Preferences dialog box

Preference Management Dialog Box

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When you export existing layout to a new preference set, its components
are automatically exported as well.

When you export a preference set, you can only include the layouts and
keymaps you customized. You can export any toolbar.

To export a preference set:

1. In the Preference Management dialog box, select the Export
Preferences tab.

2. Select the controls that you want to export. Use the Type list to switch
between the layouts, toolbars, and keymaps in the preference sets.

3. Click the Select All button to select all controls.

4. Click Export to export the selected controls.

5. Do one of the following:
t In the File Name text box, enter the path to the folder in which you

want to save the preference sets.

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t Click Paths to select a default or project path.
t Use the Avid Explorer to navigate to the folder in which you want

to save the preference sets.

6. Enter a name for the preference set in the File Name text box and click

OK.

Import Preferences Property Page

The Import Preferences property page lets you select a preference set from
which import components (layouts, toolbars, combo views, and keymaps).
For example, you can import a custom layout that another user has
designed and exported.

Option Description

Filename Specifies the name of the preference set from which

you are importing components

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Browse... Displays the Import Preferences dialog box, where you

can select a preference set to import

Preference Set to Import Lets you select specific components from the

preference set

Type Specifies whether you are importing entire layouts,

toolbars, combo views, or keymaps

Select All Selects all of the components in the preference set

Select None Deselects all of the components in the preference set

Import Imports all of the selected components from the

preference set

When you import an entire layout from an existing preference set, its
components are automatically imported as well. Some types of layouts are
unsupported and can not be imported.

Preference Management Dialog Box

When you import a preference set, you can import all of the controls in the
set, or you can select only the controls that you need.

To import a preference set:

1. In the Preference Management dialog box, select the Import
Preferences tab.

2. Do one of the following:
t In the File Name text box, enter the name and location of the

preference sets that you want to import.

t Click Browse.
The Import Preferences dialog box is displayed.

3. Locate the preference sets that you want to import and click OK.

4. Select the controls that you want to import. Use the Type list to switch
between the layouts, toolbars, combo views, and keymaps preference
sets.

5. Click the Select All button to select all controls.

6. Click the Import button to import the selected controls.
You will be prompted to restart Avid DS Nitris when the import is

complete.
If you imported a layout, additional layout buttons appear in the

taskbar.

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Desktop Reference

Splitter Menu

View Menu

The Splitter pop-up menu lets you remove horizontal and vertical splitter
bars from a layout in Edit Layout mode. Removing splitter bars allows you
to reduce the number of available views.

To access the Splitter menu:

1. Select Layout > Edit Layout.

2. Position the pointer over a splitter bar, until you see the directional
arrow, and right-click the splitter bar.

Option Description

Remove Splitter Bar Removes the selected splitter bar from the layout

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The View menu lets you customize your toolbars and select views. If you
select a view that is not accessible from a view switcher in the current
layout, the view is displayed in a new window, which you can resize and
position.

To access the View menu:

t Select View.

Option Description

Single-Instance Views Displays the views that you can only once in a layout

or view

Multi-Instance Views Displays the views that you can use more than once

in a layout or view

Default Combo Views Displays the default combo views

Option Description

User Combo Views Displays the combo views that you have created

Default Toolbars Displays the default toolbars

User Toolbars Displays the toolbars you created

Taskbar Shows or hides the taskbar at the far left of the

View Switcher Menu

The View Switcher menu lets you add, remove and manipulate views from
the view switcher, manipulate and hide the view switcher, and display the
buttons as text, small, or large buttons.

To access the View Switcher menu:

View Switcher Menu

desktop

1. Select Layout > Edit Layout.

2. Right-click the view switcher.

3. When you’re done, select Layout > Edit Layout again.

Option Description

Add View Adds a placeholder for a view

Remove View Removes the selected view

Icon Lets you select an icon for the view

Position: Top Moves the view switcher to the top of the view

Position: Right Moves the view switcher to the right of the view and

displays it vertically

Position: Bottom Moves the view switcher to the bottom of the view

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Option Description

Position: Left Moves the view switcher to the left of the view and

displays it vertically

Alignment: Left Left aligns the buttons in the view switcher

Alignment: Center Centers all the buttons in the view switcher

Alignment: Right Right aligns the buttons in the view switcher

Text Buttons Displays text on the buttons

Small Buttons Displays small buttons

Big Buttons Displays large buttons

Hide Hides the view switcher

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