Pinnacle Systems DS Nitris - 7.0 User Manual

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Avid® DS Nitris

Version 7.0

Capture and Output Guide

make manage move | media

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Avid

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.

The Avid DS Nitris 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 Capture and Output Guide • 0130-05574-01 • September 2003

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Who Should Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Using the Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Customizing the Pen or Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

If You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Accessing the Online Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

If You Have Documentation Comments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Avid Educational Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Avid DS Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

E-mail Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Web Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

FTP Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Mailing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Chapter 1 Capturing Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Workflow: Capturing Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Preparing to Capture Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Configuring the External Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Opening the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Selecting the Capture Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Selecting the Capture Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Specifying the Capture Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Specifying Audio Input Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Specifying Video Input Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Previewing Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Monitoring Audio Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Logging and Capturing Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Performing a Live Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Logging and Capturing Clips from Tape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Capturing Clips On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Capturing Material from File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Capturing from File by Dragging to a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Capturing from Layered Adobe Photoshop Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Capturing from DPX Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Importing Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Creating Linked Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Relinking a Clip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Batch Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Recapturing at a Different Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Capturing Clips from the Avid Explorer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Capturing Clips from the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Creating a Batch Capture List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Batch Capturing Without Interaction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Using Scripts to Capture Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Creating a Script for Capturing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Running a Script for Capturing Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Importing from SOFTIMAGE|XSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Importing .gen Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Importing a Composite Tree through AAF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Managing Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Adding a New Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Renaming a Tape and Changing the Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Purging Media from Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Recapturing from Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Deleting a Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Workflow: Conforming AAF and AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Conforming AAF and AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Exporting AAF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Exporting AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Transferring Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Importing AAF and AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Creating a Sequence and Master Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Recapturing Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Transferring Audio Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Completing the Conformed Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Creating Real-Time Graphics from Conformed Titles . . . . . . . . . . 101

Conforming AAF Sequences with MediaManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Setting Up MediaManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Checking a Sequence into MediaManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Conforming a Sequence with MediaManager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Chapter 3 Conforming OMF, EDL, and ALE Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Workflow: Conforming OMF, EDL, and ALE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Conforming OMF Compositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Opening an OMF File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Conforming an OMF File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Exporting an OMF File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Conforming EDLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Avid EDL Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Opening an EDL File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Setting EDL Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Conforming an EDL File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Modifying an EDL File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Exporting an EDL File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Printing an EDL File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Proofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Conforming ALE Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Importing an ALE File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Logging Clips from an ALE File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Chapter 4 Outputting Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Workflow: Outputting Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Preparing for Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Processing Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Selecting an Area to Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Monitoring Audio Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Configuring the External Device for Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Calibrating Video Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Specifying Downconvert Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Specifying the Sync Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Outputting Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Outputting to Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Outputting to File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Exporting AVI or QuickTime Reference Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Exporting Reference Movies to ProEncode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

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.

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, who need to capture, conform, or output material. It provides comprehensive, task-oriented instructions for:

• Capturing material from external devices and files

• Conforming projects transferred from other systems through AFE, AAF, OMF

• Outputting material to external devices and files

, EDL, and ALE files

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

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands)

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.

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.

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 12.

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.

If You Need Help

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. Select the appropriate workstation and 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:

dsdocs@avid.com

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).

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: dssupport@avid.com.

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.

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.

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 dssupport@avid.com 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 majordomo@softimage.com 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 majordomo@softimage.com 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.

Using This Guide

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

This chapter describes how to prepare to capture material, specify the capture quality, and capture and log material so that you can edit it in Avid DS Nitris. This chapter includes the following topics:

• Workflow: Capturing Material

• Preparing to Capture Material

• Logging and Capturing Material

• Capturing Material from File

• Creating Linked Clips

• Batch Capturing

• Using Scripts to Capture Media

• Importing from SOFTIMAGE|XSI

• Managing Tapes

Workflow: Capturing Material

You can capture material for your project from different sources, such as tape or file. The following illustration shows you the process of capturing material:

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Configure inputs and quality settings.

Configure the VTR or other external device.

Preview material.

Preview video material.

Log or capture material from...

File

Tape

If required, batch capture from the timeline or Avid Explorer.

AFE, AAF, OMF

, EDL, or ALE file.

Select video/audio input, quality, and storage.

Adjust level of incoming audio signal.

Preparing to Capture Material

Before capturing media, you must configure settings for your workstation. Configuration includes specifying the external device and the input signals coming from the external device, selecting the capture quality, storage location for the captured media, and other settings, and monitoring audio levels.

Use this checklist to help you prepare to capture.

Preparing to capture

❏ Configure the external device ❏ Select the capture mode ❏ Select the capture target

❏ Specify the capture quality

Preparing to Capture Material

❏ Specify audio input settings ❏ Specify video input settings ❏ Preview material

These tasks are described in the following sections.

Avid DS Nitris requires that the deck and the Avid Nitris DNA be genlocked to the same timing source when capturing. If you’re capturing a format that allows either tri-level or black burst sync (such as 1080i 59.94), you can use either sync source, so long as it is supported by the deck.

If you are capturing material from file, configure the capture settings in advance through the Capture Settings view and capture through the Avid Explorer. For more information, see “Capturing Material from File” on

page 43.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Configuring the External Device

Before capturing from an external device, such as a deck, you need to set options for the device.The first time you work with a new device, you need to set parameters in the Deck Configuration view. The Deck Configuration view lets you save your settings as a preset. You can then select the preset in the Deck Configuration view or select it from the Device pop-up menu in the Capture Tool.

To configure an external device:

1. Connect the external device to your Avid DS system, as described in the setup guide for your system.

2. Open the Deck Configuration view by doing one of the following:

t Select View > Multi-Instance Views > Deck Configuration. t In an Avid Explorer panel, open the Views folder and click Deck

Configuration.

The Deck Configuration view opens.

Deck presets list

Fast Menu button

Preparing to Capture Material

For information about options in the Deck Configuration view, click the Help button in the Avid Explorer toolbar.

3. Do one of the following:

t In the Deck Configuration view, click the Fast Menu button and

select Add New Deck Preset.

t In the Avid Explorer toolbar, click the New button. An icon named Deck Preset is added to the Deck Presets list. The

name is selected and ready to be renamed.

4. Type a name for the preset.

5. From the Manufacturer list, select the name of the manufacturer of the external device.

6. From the Model list, select the model number.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

7. From the COM Port list, select the COM port that connects the serial

8. From the TC Mode list, select the type of timecode you want to use for

Some models include a frame rate (23, 24, and so on). Make sure the template matches the playback rate of your deck.

cable from the external device to your system. The serial cable should be connected to either COM1 or COM2.

input: Auto, LT C, or VITC. Auto lets the external device determine which timecode to read.

If your external device cannot find a timecode when previewing material, your TC Mode setting may be incorrect.

9. When outputting to tape, you must specify the edit mode by selecting

Auto or Assemble from the Edit Mode list.

10. From the Edit Field list, select the field on which the output starts. Deck Settings uses the Edit Field setting that is set on the external

device.

11. In the Preroll text box, enter the amount of time that you want the external device to play before Avid DS Nitris starts to capture or output.

12. If you’re experiencing an offset between the external device and your system, you can compensate by adding or subtracting frames in the Play Bias and Record Bias text boxes. The Play Bias option offsets the timeline whereas the Record Bias option offsets the VCR timecode entry point.

When you first connect the external device to your system, you should perform several capture and output tests to verify that the timecodes are accurate.

13. Make a selection from the Input and Priority lists. The input you select will depend on the audio hardware connected to

your system.

14. Use the Audio Physical Patching matrix to assign the audio outputs from the external device to the audio inputs on your workstation—see

“Using the Physical Patching Matrix” on page 22.

Preparing to Capture Material

The Input, Priority, and Audio Physical Patching settings are all saved with the device preset.

15. Click the Check button.

If the communication between the external device and your system is operating properly, nothing happens. If there is a problem, a message box appears, stating the possible cause of the problem.

You can also verify that the external device is operating within normal parameters by checking the five items in the External Device Status area, located beneath the transport controls.

16. Right-click the new preset and select Save or click the Save button.

17. (Optional) Select the preset as the currently active external device—see “Activating a Device Preset” on page 23.

If you’re using a deck that can be addressed in a format different from its recording speed, four bin columns provide you with a quick way to find your clips on the source tape:

• Avid DS Nitris Physical In

• Avid DS Nitris Physical Out

• Avid DS Nitris Physical Start

• Avid DS Nitris Physical Stop

These columns show timecodes in the same format as the deck faceplate.

Templates for output devices are located by default in the following folder: C:\Program Files\Avid\DS_v7.0\Edm\Supporting Files\Machine_Templates.

The Supporting Files folder also contains the Backup_Machine_Templates folder, which holds older templates. To access additional templates in the Deck Configuration view, copy template files to the Machine_Templates folder.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Using the Physical Patching Matrix

The Physical Patching matrix lets you assign the audio outputs from the external device to the audio inputs on your workstation.

If the material you want to capture has more audio tracks than the number of physical inputs on your workstation, you can capture the audio tracks in different passes. For each pass, you can re-assign the audio physical patching to capture the tracks you need.

For example, assume you only have two physical inputs (I1 and I2), but have four tracks of audio to capture (A1, A2, A3, and A4). On the first pass, you can capture tracks A1 and A2.

On the second pass, you can change the audio physical patching to A3 and A4, which lets you capture audio tracks 3 and 4.

You can also use the patching to:

• Rearrange the track destination

• Import specific tracks from a device

• Remove unwanted tracks

Since the Audio Physical Patching is saved with the device preset, each device can have its own specific audio patching.

Editing and Deleting External Device Presets

You can save the settings for your external device as a preset, so that you don’t have to reconfigure the device each time you use it for capture or output.

To edit a preset:

1. Right-click the preset.

2. Select the options you want to change.

3. Click the Save button.

To delete a preset from the device list, do one of the following:

t Right-click the preset and select Delete. t In the Avid Explorer toolbar, click the Delete button.

Preparing to Capture Material

Activating a Device Preset

You cannot delete the active preset.

You can select one of your presets as the currently active external device. The device you choose will be the default device for capture, recapture, and output.

You can choose a different device preset in the Capture Tool and Output view.

To activate a device preset, do one of the following:

t In the top part of the Deck Configuration view, right-click the preset

and select Activate.

t Double-click the preset.

A green check mark appears on the preset’s icon.

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Exporting and Importing Device Presets

You can share presets with other Avid DS Nitris systems by exporting and importing deck presets.

To export deck presets:

1. In the Bin tools section of the Deck Configuration view, click the Fast Menu button and select Export Deck Presets.

The Select Deck Presets Export Folder dialog box opens.

2. Select the folder into which you want to export the presets.

3. Click the Select button. All presets are exported to the folder you selected.

To import deck presets:

1. In the Bin tools section of the Deck Configuration view, click the Fast Menu button and select Import Deck Presets.

The Select Deck Presets Import Folder dialog box opens.

2. Select the folder from which you want to import the presets.

3. Click the Select button.

All presets in the selected folder are imported to your system.

Opening the Capture Tool

The Capture Tool lets you configure the settings you need to capture media from an external device and perform the capture.

To open the Capture Tool:

t Select View > Single-Instance Views > Capture Tool.

Live

Tape

On-the-Fly

Timeline/Deck Control

Log/Capture Mode

Preparing to Capture Material

Start Capture

Video/Audio Capture Settings

Input Monitor

Deck Configuration Audio Parameters

Selecting the Capture Mode

You can choose one of three different capture modes in the Capture Tool:

• Live: Lets you specify settings for capturing material by simply

starting and stopping the capture—see “Performing a Live Capture” on

page 36.

• Ta pe : Lets you specify settings for capturing material between in and

out-points or for logging empty master clips—see “Logging and

Capturing Clips from Tape” on page 37.

• On-the-fly: Lets you specify settings for capturing material between in

and out-points that you set as the tape plays—see “Capturing Clips

On-the-Fly” on page 41.

Expand/Collapse

Video Input Parameters

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Selecting the Capture Target

You can choose one of several capture targets in the Capture Tool.

To select a capture target, do one of the following:

t Click the Target list button and select:

- Project Root: Creates master clips in the folder with the project

name (the project folder).

- Auto-Source: Creates master clips in a folder with the same name

as the tape name.

- Main Explorer Location: Creates master clips in a bin you

selected in the Avid Explorer. The most recently activated bin within the project root becomes

the capture target. An icon in the title bar marks a bin as the capture target.

t Click the Target button. Avid DS Nitris creates master clips in a folder

you select. You cannot create master clips outside the current project, so

Avid DS Nitris checks the path to make sure the folder is within the project folder.

Specifying the Capture Quality

You set the video and audio capture quality when you create your project or sequence. You can keep these default settings or adjust them for the material you are going to capture or recapture.

For your video material, you can change the resolution, bit depth, compression, and storage device. For your audio material, you can change the sample rate, bit depth, and storage device.

Specifying the Video Capture Quality

Video capture settings let you define the resolution, bit depth, and compression ratio at which images are captured.

Preparing to Capture Material

You can save space on your disk array by capturing video material in compressed format. Typically, compressed material is used for a rough cut, where you capture large amounts of material at a lower quality. After that, you can recapture the edited material uncompressed before proceeding with a more detailed edit.

You can also set the video capture quality in the Capture Settings view. For more information, see “Capturing Material from File” on page 43.

To specify video capture quality:

1. Select View > Single-Instance Views > Capture Tool.

2. Click the Video/Audio Capture Settings button.

The video and audio capture settings are displayed.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

For information about video capture options, click the Help button.

3. In the Video panel, select a resolution from the Resolution list. Options depend on your hardware.

4. From the Bit Depth list, select a bit depth: 8-bit or 10-bit, depending on your hardware.

5. From the Compression list, select a compression or Uncompressed.

6. From the Capture To list, select the storage device on which your video media will be stored.

The status of the storage device you selected is displayed. If the storage device is accessible in real time, the status marker is green. If the storage device is not accessible in real time, the status marker is red.

The Time Available box indicates how much video material you can successfully capture based on your quality settings. If you have insufficient storage space, consider deleting any unused media on your disk array. For more information, see “Purging Media” on page 443.

Specifying the Audio Capture Quality

The audio capture settings let you define the quality at which your audio material is captured. These settings depend on the audio hardware connected to your workstation.

When you’re capturing material from a digital input, the audio input sample rate and protocol settings are set according to the input signal detected by your hardware.

Preparing to Capture Material

With digital input, such as AES/EBU or S/PDIF, the sample rate is determined and set by the external device (CD player, DAT, etc.). If the digital input cannot be detected (for example, the external device is turned off), the default sampling rate is set to 48 kHz.

You can also set the audio capture quality in the Capture Settings view. See

“Capturing Material from File” on page 43.

To specify audio capture quality:

1. Select View > Single-Instance Views > Capture Tool.

2. Click the Video/Audio Capture Settings button. For information about audio capture options, click the Help button.

3. In the Audio panel, select a sample rate from the Sample Rate list. The higher the sample rate, the more accurate the capture process will be.

4. From the Bit Depth list, select a bit depth. The higher the value, the more precise the audio will be.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

5. From the Capture To list, select the disk array on which your audio material will be stored.

The status of the storage device you select is displayed. If the storage device is accessible in real time, the status marker is green. If the storage device is not accessible in real time, the status marker is red.

The Time Available box indicates how much audio material you can successfully capture based on your quality settings. If you have insufficient storage space, consider deleting any unused media on your disk array. For more information, see “Purging Media” on page 443.

Specifying Audio Input Settings

You can specify two types of audio input settings in the Capture Tool:

• Settings for the external device

• Audio format and channel routing

Setting the Audio Format

Your choices for audio format and available channels depend on the installed audio hardware.

To set the audio format and assign audio channels:

1. In the Capture Tool, click the Input Monitor button.

2. Select the audio format from the Audio Format list. For information about audio formats, click the Help button.

3. Use the channel routing matrix to assign the incoming audio tracks to the desired audio channels of the clip.

Click in the appropriate boxes to make the assignments. The number of available channels depends on the installed audio hardware and the selected audio format. You should know, in advance, to which tracks the audio has been recorded on the tape.

If you click on a square in the matrix and an empty circle appears, that particular assignment is not available due to limitations of the audio hardware.

Preparing to Capture Material

For example, to switch the settings for track A1 and A2 so that track A1 is assigned to Right (R) and track A2 is assigned to Left (L), click the R square in column A1 and the L square in column A2. Notice that you can have only one track assigned to one audio channel.

Old assignment

Specifying Audio Settings for the External Device

Settings for the external device are determined by the selection you make from the device list. This list includes presets that you create in the Deck Configuration view. For more information, see “Configuring the External

Device” on page 18. You can change the audio settings for the preset in the

Capture Tool, but they are not saved with the preset.

To specify audio parameters for the external device:

1. In the Capture Tool, click the Deck Configuration Audio Parameters

button.

2. Select the type of audio input from the Input list.

3. Select the priority for the audio input from the Priority list.

4. Specify the audio output assignments in the physical patching matrix—see “Using the Physical Patching Matrix” on page 22.

Specifying Video Input Settings

New assignment

If your system includes an Avid Nitris DNA, you must select the type of video input signal: Serial Digital, component, composite, or S-Video (Serial Digital is required for HD). For component, composite, and S-Video, you can calibrate video input by adjusting the video parameters.

You cannot adjust input parameters for Serial Digital.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

To select video input:

1. In the Capture Tool, click the Video Input Parameters button.

2. Select the input source from the Input Selection list.

To adjust video input parameters:

1. Connect a waveform monitor, vectorscope, or other equipment for calibrating video input, depending on your production environment.

2. In the Capture Tool, click the Video Input Parameters button.

3. Select the input source from the Input Selection list.

4. Select Professional or Consumer, depending on the type of deck that is connected.

5. Using color bars or a test pattern, adjust one or more video parameters by dragging the slider or by clicking the minus (-) or plus (+) button.

For information about video parameters, click the Help button.

6. To save your settings, click the Save Parameters button. You can save one set of parameters for each type of video input.

7. To restore the default settings for all video inputs, click the Factory Settings button.

Previewing Material

Before capturing video or audio material from a tape or live capture session, you can preview it to decide how much pre-roll or post-roll to add, or to monitor the audio levels (see “Specifying Video Input Settings” on

page 31). When you preview audio material, you can use the Audio Input

monitor to set incoming audio levels, depending on your hardware.

To preview video or audio material:

1. In the Capture Tool, click either the Live button, the Ta pe button, or the On-the-Fly button.

2. Click the Play button on the transport controls.

Preparing to Capture Material

Play button

Monitoring Audio Input

You can monitor your incoming audio in a panel in the Capture Tool or in the Audio Input Monitor view.

Each input strip in the input monitor corresponds to channels that are recorded from the source device. You can use the fader on the input strip to lower the incoming signal (depending on your system’s hardware). Once you set the audio levels on the input monitor, they’re saved with the audio clip.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Input monitor with mono tracks

Fader

Peak indicator

Strip name

Input strips

Level meter

When you later recapture this material, Avid DS Nitris uses the levels that you set when you originally captured the material.

To adjust the audio input levels:

1. In the Capture Tool, click the Live button, Tape button, or On-the-Fly

button.

2. Open the audio monitor in one of the following ways:

t In the Capture Tool, click the Input Monitor button. t Select View > Multi-Instance Views > Audio Input Monitor.

3. Set the audio format and assign the incoming audio tracks to the desired audio channels of your clip—see “Setting the Audio Format”

on page 30.

4. On the transport controls, click the Play button.

5. If necessary, drag the fader controls to adjust the gain while the audio is playing.

You cannot boost the signal through the Audio Input Monitor, but you can lower it. Use your external device to boost the incoming signal.

The ability to adjust volume depends on your Avid DS Nitris system hardware.

Logging and Capturing Material

Depending on the source from which you are capturing material, you can:

• Log the material and batch capture it later

• Log and capture the material at the same time

• Log a clip that is linked to material on a network

If you’re capturing material from a tape or other external device, you can log the clips needed for your sequence and then batch capture them later. Logging lets you specify the in and out-points for material on tape without actually capturing the material.

After you log or capture your material, master clips are created in a bin in the Avid Explorer. These clips contain information about the original media on tape or file, as well as the source in and source out timecodes.

Logging and Capturing Material

The source timecodes are not available for material that was recorded from file.

You can also create logged clips from the following sources:

• AAF files (Advanced Authoring Format)

• AFE files (Avid Log Exchange)

• OMF files (Open Media Framework

• EDLs (Edit Decision Lists)

• ALEs (Avid Log Exchange)

For more information on logging clips from these sources, see

“Conforming AAF and AFE Files” on page 81 and “Conforming OMF, EDL, and ALE Files” on page 109.

)

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Performing a Live Capture

You can perform a live capture of audio and video material as the tape is playing from a variety of external devices.

A live capture is essentially the same as a capture from tape except that you control the capture as the tape or other device is playing (without any preroll). If there is a proper SMPTE or AES/EBU timecode signal, the material is assigned the incoming timecode. If no timecode signal is present, Avid DS Nitris assigns an arbitrary timecode to the clip, starting at 00:00:00:00. Even if the material is assigned its appropriate timecode, the timecode may not be completely accurate.

Material captured using this option is considered live material and cannot be recaptured at a later time.

To perform a live capture:

1. Select View > Single-Instance Views > Capture Tool.

2. Configure the external device, specify the capture quality, and perform other tasks listed in “Preparing to Capture Material” on page 17.

3. Click the Live button.

4. From the device list, select a deck preset.

5. Click the Check button. If the communication between the external device and your system is

operating properly, nothing happens. If there is a problem, a message box appears, stating the possible cause of the problem.

You can also verify that the external device is operating within normal parameters by checking the five items in the External Device Status area, located beneath the transport controls.

6. Make sure the Timeline/Deck Control button is set for Deck.

7. Make sure the Log/Capture Mode button is set for Capture.

8. In the Clip Name text box, enter a name to prefix all captured clips.

Logging and Capturing Material

9. From the source name list, select the tape’s name.

If the tape is new, click the New Tape button and enter a name for the tape.

It is very important to assign a unique name to every tape because Avid DS Nitris uses it to identify the captured media.

10. From the Target list, select a location to hold the clips—see “Selecting

the Capture Target” on page 26.

11. Click the Video button to capture the video channel of the material.

12. Click the Audio button to capture one or more audio channels of the material.

13. Click the Start Capture button. The capture begins and the progress bar displays the number of

seconds of material captured. This value updates while the capture is in progress.

If you encounter problems capturing material from tape, you should deactivate the viewer using the Viewer button in the status bar and try capturing again. When capturing full resolution HD material at 29.97 and 30 frames per second, the viewer is automatically deactivated.

14. When you want to stop capturing, click the Stop button on the progress bar.

The captured material is represented by a clip in the folder you selected. Click Capture again to resume capturing.

Logging and Capturing Clips from Tape

When capturing material from tape, you can capture the media between selected in and out-points or log empty master clips.

The captured clips are displayed in a bin. Logged video clips display the Avid DS Nitris clapboard icon in the Thumbnails and Script view. Icons for the audio and video clips without media are red.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

You can place logged clips on the timeline to create a sequence and then edit them like any other master clip, even though they do not include media. Later, you can capture the media at any time directly from the timeline.

In the Thumbnails view of a bin, video and audio clips without media are displayed with red icons.

In the Details view of a bin, video and audio clips without media are preceded by a red icon.

To log and capture clips from a tape:

1. Select View > Single-Instance Views > Capture Tool.

2. Configure the external device, specify the capture quality, and other perform other tasks listed in “Preparing to Capture Material” on

page 17.

3. Click the Ta pe button.

4. From the device list, select a deck preset.

5. Click the Check button. If the communication between the external device and your system is

operating properly, nothing happens. If there is a problem, a message box appears, stating the possible cause of the problem.

You can also verify that the external device is operating within normal parameters by checking the five items in the External Device Status area, located beneath the transport controls.

6. Make sure the Timeline/Deck Control button is set for Deck.

7. Click the Log/Capture Mode button to either capture or log material.

Logging and Capturing Material

8. In the Clip Name text box, enter a name to prefix all captured clips.

9. From the source name list, select the tape’s name.

If the tape is new, click the New Tape button and enter a name for the tape. The tape name is added to the Tape Library—see “Managing

Tapes” on page 77.

Tip: It is very important to assign a unique name to every tape because Avid DS Nitris uses it to identify the captured media.

10. From the Target list, select a location to hold the clips—see “Selecting

the Capture Target” on page 26.

11. Click the Video button to capture the video channel of the material.

12. Click the Audio button to capture one or more audio channels of the material.

13. To record additional material before the in-point and after the outpoint, type the appropriate number of frames in the Heads and Tails text boxes.

14. On the transport controls, click the Play button to play the source material.

15. While the clip is playing, click the Mark In button at the point where you want to start the capture.

The timecode of the in-point you selected is displayed in the In timecode box.

Mark In

Mark Out

In timecode box

Out timecode box

16. Play or shuttle the tape to advance to the point where you want to end the capture and click the Mark Out button.

The out-point is displayed in the Out timecode box. The Duration timecode box displays the length of material to be captured.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Tip: If you already know the in and out timecodes, you can type them directly in the In or Out timecode boxes. You can also enter a value for the duration and Avid DS Nitris will calculate the out-point.

You can use the numeric keypad to enter in-points and out-points. Begin typing the timecode and an entry box is displayed. When you finish typing, press the I key to set an in-point or the O key to set an out-point. You can also type a duration and press the D key.

17. Click the Start Capture button.

As the material is logged, or logged and captured, clips appear in the Avid Explorer according to the in and out points that you specified.

If Avid DS Nitris is unable to capture the material on the first attempt, it will try again. If it fails again, Avid DS Nitris will attempt the capture a third time with an additional pre-roll of five seconds. If the capture fails again, an error message is displayed with a possible explanation for the problem.

Logged video clips appear with an image of the Avid DS Nitris clapboard icon, since they do not have any media. Both video and audio clip icons are also red to show that no media has been captured. You can later capture these clips in one batch directly from the Avid Explorer.

If any frames are skipped during the capture, the capture stops, and an error message is displayed. Clips are created for the material that was captured up to the point at which frames were dropped.

If Avid DS Nitris detects any problems during capture, the Capture Error Log is displayed. The Capture Error Log dialog box displays the clip that could not be captured, including tape source name, in, and out-point. It also gives you a brief description of the type of error that occurred.

Logging and Capturing Material

a. To save this log as an .html file, click the Save As button. b. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to an appropriate folder, type a

name for the log and click the Save button.

The log is saved as an .html file and can be viewed in any HTML browser.

Avid DS Nitris stops a capture session if it detects any timecode breaks on the source tape. It creates a master clip from the in-point to the timecode break. The capture session may stop a frame or two after the actual timecode break. If this happens, you may have to cut or trim some of the unusable frames from your clip.

To resume capture, enter new in and out-points in the In/Out timecode boxes and click Capture.

If there is insufficient material for the deck to pre-roll before capturing, you will not be able to capture the material. In this case, use the Live capture option to capture the material.

Capturing Clips On-the-Fly

You can capture material from tape as it plays. All you have to do is start the tape, and then set in and out-points for the material you want to capture.

Once the tape finishes, clips are created in the Avid Explorer based on the various in and out-points you set during playback.

Unlike the Live capture option, the On-the-fly option records the accurate timecode of the source material, letting you recapture the material at any time. This option also lets you create several clips by setting multiple in and out-points without having to start and stop playback.

To log and capture clips on-the-fly:

1. Select View > Single-Instance Views > Capture Tool.

2. Configure the external device, specify the capture quality, and other perform other tasks listed in “Preparing to Capture Material” on

page 17.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

3. Click the On-the-Fly button.

4. From the device list, select a deck preset.

5. Click the Check button.

6. Make sure the Timeline/Deck Control button is set for Deck.

7. Make sure the Log/Capture Mode button to set to Capture.

8. In the Clip Name text box, enter a name to prefix all captured clips.

9. From the source name list, select the tape’s name.

If the communication between the external device and your system is operating properly, nothing happens. If there is a problem, a message box appears, stating the possible cause of the problem.

You can also verify that the external device is operating within normal parameters by checking the five items in the External Device Status area, located beneath the transport controls.

If the tape is new, click the New Tape button and enter a name for the tape. The tape name is added to the Tape Library—see “Managing

Tapes” on page 77.

Tip: It is very important to assign a unique name to every tape because Avid DS Nitris uses it to identify the captured media.

10. From the Target list, select a location to hold the clips—see “Selecting

the Capture Target” on page 26.

11. Click the Video button to capture the video channel of the material.

12. Click the Audio button to capture one or more audio channels of the material.

13. Click the Start Capture button. The tape begins playback.

14. Click in the viewer to set an in-point, and then right-click in the viewer to set an out-point.

A clip is created for each of the in and out-points that you set. Continue to set in and out-points on the material you want to capture.

15. To finish the capture session, click the Cancel button in the progress bar.

Capturing Material from File

Clips appear in the folder you selected for each of the in and out-points that you set. The clips are named as follows: BaseClipName, BaseClipName-001, and so on. Each clip’s timecode matches that on the tape, making it possible for you to recapture the material at a different compression rate or resolution.

If you encounter problems capturing material from tape, you should turn off the viewer by deselecting the Viewer button in the status bar and try capturing again. When capturing full resolution HD material at 29.97 and 30 frames per second, the viewer is automatically deactivated.

Capturing Material from File

When capturing material from file, you can do any of the following:

• Capture media from selected files

• Log the selection as clips without capturing the media

• Create linked clips, which act as pointers to source media located on a local disk or anywhere on the network

You can capture material from video, audio, and image files. For a list of supported file types, see “Capture File Formats” in the Help.

When you capture material from file, it’s important to select the correct media conversion mode, pixel ratio, and premultiplication setting. The media conversion modes let you determine how media of differing formats are converted when captured into Avid DS Nitris. Files coming from different formats, such as NTSC, PAL, and computer graphics, all have different file pixel ratios. If the pixel ratio of the source file is different than that of the current sequence, then the file’s pixels are scaled to match those of the current sequence. When you select the correct premultiplication setting, you can avoid incorrect compositing results.

If you’re capturing still images, you can specify their duration on the Editing property page of the User Preferences dialog box. By default, the duration of captured still images is set to 30 frames.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Show/Hide Panel

You can capture from a single file or a series of files at the same time.

To log and capture clips from file:

1. In the Avid Explorer, click one of the Show/Hide Panel buttons to display a panel. Then click the arrow next to the button and select My System.

2. In the tree, click My Computer or My Network Places and navigate to the folder where the files that you want to capture are located.

The files are displayed in a bin.

3. In the bin, select the file or files that you want to capture. To select a series of files, click the first file, hold down the Shift key,

and click the last file. To select multiple files, hold down the Ctrl key and click each file name.

If you select a sequential list of still files of the same type, such as all .jpg or all .bmp, during capture you are given the choice of combining the files into one master clip or creating individual clips.

4. Right-click a file and select Capture Settings.

The Capture Settings dialog box opens.

Capturing Material from File

Help button

For information about options in the Capture Settings dialog box, click the Help button.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

5. In the Media Capture panel of the Capture Settings dialog box, select a

6. From the Media Conversion list, select one of the following modes:

Mode To

location to hold the clips—see “Selecting the Capture Target” on

page 26. If you select Auto-Source, master clips are created in a folder

named File Source.

Center, Keep Original Size

Scale to Fit Scale the media in both the X and Y axes to fit the

Scale, Keep Aspect Ratio

Keep Original Size and Position

Center the media in the viewer along both the X and Y axes. Any portion of the image falling outside the viewer is cropped. This option does not modify the original size of the media.

sequence settings. This option may reduce image clarity.

Scale the media in both the X and Y axes to fit the image settings, but retain the ratio between width and height.

Display the media in the viewer without modifying its original size or position.

The following illustrations show a 540x304 image captured using various media conversion modes.

Capturing Material from File

Center, Keep Original Size Scale to Fit

Keep Original Size and PositionScale, Keep Aspect Ratio

7. If the source image contains an alpha channel that you want to capture

with the clip, select the Keep Alpha option. Only image formats that support alpha channels are applicable. For example, .bmp images do not support alpha channels.

8. Depending on whether your source file was premultiplied, select or

deselect the Premultiplied Alpha option.

9. If you want to convert the frame rate of the file you are capturing to the

same frame rate used by the sequence, select the Convert Video Frame Rate option.

This option does not apply to still images or audio files.

When you capture from an audio file with a sample rate different from than that currently set in the Audio Sample Rate list, a message box opens, asking you if you want to convert the audio file to the selected rate.

10. If you want to adjust the colors of the captured file to remove banding,

select Auto-Dither.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

11. To set the File Pixel Ratio, select one of the following options:

12. From the Field Dominance box, select the field dominance.

13. From the Input Levels box, select one of the following options:

14. Close the Capture Settings dialog box to save your settings.

15. Right-click on the selected files and select one of the following:

Option Description

- Standard to capture from a file that has a standard file pixel ratio.

- Custom to capture from a file that has a non-standard file pixel

ratio.

- Graphics for most images that were created in a graphics

program.

- Video for images that include superblack or superwhite values.

- Auto to import at the level used by the sequence.

Capture Creates master clips and captures the media. This

option takes substantially longer because the media must be digitized.

Log Creates master clips without capturing the media.

Logged clips appear with the message

“Media Not Available” when they are placed in the viewer or timeline. You can later capture these clips in one batch directly from the Avid Explorer or the timeline.

Link Creates linked clips, which act as pointers to

source media located on a local disk or anywhere on the network—see “Creating Linked Clips” on

page 56.

As the material is logged or captured, clips appear in the target bin.

Capturing Material from File

You can cancel the capture session at any time by clicking Cancel in the progress bar. A message box opens, asking you if you want to keep the material that was captured so far. If you click Yes, clips are created for the material that was captured until you clicked Cancel.

Capturing from File by Dragging to a Bin

You can capture media from file by right-clicking the source file and dragging it to the bin where you in which to create the master clip.

To capture from file by dragging to a bin:

1. Check the Capture Settings view to make sure your settings are correct—see “Capturing Material from File” on page 43.

You don’t need to specify the capture target.

2. Right-click the file or files you want to capture.

3. Drag the files to the bin in which you want to create the master clips.

4. Release the mouse button, and select Capture Here. As the files are captured, master clips appear in the target bin.

You can also use the menu to open the Capture Settings view, create a linked clip, or create a logged clip. Other options let you copy or move files and create shortcuts.

Capturing from Layered Adobe Photoshop Files

There are two ways to capture from Adobe Photoshop files into Avid DS Nitris:

• Select the file or files in a bin, right-click and select Capture.

• On the Editing toolbar, click Generate > Import Photoshop.

The first option captures only the flattened Photoshop image as a still. If you want to preserve all the layer information, you should use the second option.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

When you capture from a layered Photoshop image into Avid DS Nitris using the Import Photoshop command, a Targa image file is created for each Photoshop layer. A sequence with one composite container clip is created in a new bin in the Avid Explorer, along with a master clip for each layer. These master clips are linked to the Targa files. Each layer in the Photoshop file is recreated in the composite container clip as a layer and corresponding clip on a composite track. Each layer is composited in the same order as the original Photoshop file.

DVEs are applied to each clip to position them appropriately, and the opacity of each layer is adjusted to match the opacity levels in the original Photoshop file. An additional folder is created called Linked layers, which contains the source Targa files to which the master clips are linked. Having access to these source files makes it easier for you to delete them, if needed.

The Photoshop images must be 8 bit RGBA or grayscale files. Only normal blending information is supported, and text and shape information are rasterized when captured.

Example

Every time you capture from a layered Photoshop file, a new bin is created in the Avid Explorer. The bin is named after the Photoshop file you captured. The sequence, master clips, and Linked layers folder are all stored in this new folder. The master clips are named after the layer they represent followed by the name of the Photoshop file in parentheses.

For example, if you capture from a Photoshop file called Poster.psd that contains the following layers:

•Sky

•Sea

•Boat

Capturing Material from File

A new bin called “Poster” is created in the Avid Explorer. Within that bin, a new sequence called “Poster” is created, a folder called “Linked layers” is created, as well as the following master clips:

• Sky (Poster)

• Sea (Poster)

• Boat (Poster)

The \Linked layers folder contains the following files:

• Sky (Poster).tga

• Sea (Poster).tga

• Boat (Poster).tga

To capture from layered Photoshop files:

1. In the Avid Explorer, select the folder in which you want the new folder to be created.

2. In the Editing toolbar, click Generate > Import Photoshop. The Import Adobe Photoshop dialog box opens.

3. Select the Photoshop file and click OK. A message is displayed telling you that the clip was successfully

saved.

4. Click OK. A new folder is created in the Avid Explorer and named after the

Photoshop file. Within that folder, a folder called Linked layers is created that contains the source Targa files. A sequence file with one composite container clip is also created, along with a master clip for each layer. In the composite container clip, each layer in the Photoshop file is recreated as a layer and corresponding clip on a composite track. The lower-left corner of the final composited image is placed in the lower-left corner of the viewer.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Linked layers folder contains Targa files.

New file created in Avid Explorer.

A sequence file is created along with a master clip for each layer.

Since the master clips are linked to the Targa files, the images maintain their original size. To view images that are larger than the sequence resolution, right-click in the result area of the layer view to turn off the Output Frame Size option.

The lower-left corner of the final composited image is place in the lower-left corner of the viewer.

All layers are visible. DVE applied to each clip.

For more information, see “Working with Layered Photoshop Images” on

page 59 of the Avid DS Nitris Compositing and Graphics Guide.

Capturing from DPX Files

DPX (Digital Picture eXchange) is an industry-standard, SMPTE file format that is used to transfer film-originated images to a series of digital files (also called scanned image files). This format is sometimes referred to as 2K because the pixel size of a file is typically 2048 x 1556. The Cineon image file format is a subset of the DPX format. Avid DS Nitris provides the same options and controls for both formats to convert pixel values from a log-based to a linear representation and vice-versa.

Capturing Material from File

Before you import or export the files, you need to determine what look-up table (LUT) should be used to convert the pixel values from a log to a linear representation. You can import an LUT specific to the files or use a standard LUT. If you use a standard LUT, you can choose either a linear representation or a log-to-linear representation.

The Linear option preserves the log-based representation during import. Within Avid DS Nitris these log-based images can be used for many actions where linearizing (conversion from log to linear) may not be important, such as cuts-only editing or some basic effects. For applying complicated effects and combining the media with other non-log representation images, Avid recommends linearizing the pixel values by applying one of the following:

• an LUT created by the Log>Linear option

• an LUT modified by the controls in the DPX Import dialog box

• an LUT imported from file

You can export DPX or Cineon files through similar controls. When exporting, you can convert from linear to log or invert the file used for import. For more information, click the Help button in the DPX Export dialog box.

To capture from Cineon or DPX files:

1. Use the standard procedure for capturing from file (see “Capturing

Material from File” on page 43) or linking to file (see “Creating Linked Clips” on page 56). The scanned image files, which are

consecutively numbered, should be included by default in one or more Avid DS Nitris Group folders.

2. After you select Capture, the DPX Import dialog box appears. The first file (first frame of the transfer) is displayed in the viewer.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

3. Indicate the type of look-up table the capture requires.

- If the capture requires a file, select LUT from file. A dialog box opens. Select the .lut file, and click Open. The name of the file appears in the box beneath the LUT from file option. To change the file, click the filename.

- If the transfer uses a standard look-up table, select Standard LUT. Then select Linear (to preserve log values) or Log > Linear (to convert from log to linear) from the LUT list.

4. If you are using a standard look-up table, you can adjust the color values.

a. By default, R, G, and B values are equivalent, even if you adjust

one. If you want to adjust an individual R, G, or B value, clear the box in the Lock column for the parameter.

b. Type the new values or use the sliders. The result of the new values

are shown in the viewer and the waveform display.

For a linear LUT, you can adjust only the White Point and the Black Point. For a log LUT converted to linear, you can also adjust Gamma, Film Gamma, and Softclip.

To return to the default values, click the Reset button. To save your values in a file, click the Export LUT button. A dialog

box opens for you to name and save your file.

5. When you are satisfied with your settings, click OK.

A message box asks if you want to combine multiple files into a single master clip. Click Ye s.

The files are captured as master clips in the bin.

Importing Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) Files

You can import EPS files into Avid DS Nitris, but they are treated differently than other file imports. EPS files are imported from within the Graphics layout and no master clips are created for the EPS file. Instead, the EPS information is imported directly into your current graphics session. in the EPS file is a separate stroke in Avid DS Nitris.

The color information in the EPS files is retained and each shape

Capturing Material from File

You can import solid colors, but not gradients.

Avid DS Nitris can import files created with Adobe Illustrator 8.0 or earlier versions. To work with Illustrator 9.0 files, save it as a version 8.0 file.

You can also import EPS files as brush strokes. For more information, see

“Creating Custom Brushes” on page 268 of the Avid DS Nitris

Compositing and Graphics Guide.

To import an EPS file:

1. With the position indicator over a clip in the timeline, switch to the Graphics layout.

2. From the Tools toolbar, click Import > EPS File. The Open dialog box opens.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

3. Select an EPS file and click the Open button.

The EPS file is imported into your graphics session.

Creating Linked Clips

By creating links to media files that are not stored on your disk array, you can work with media files without having to capture them to your disk. These files, called linked clips, can reside on a local disk or anywhere on the network until you’re ready to output your sequence.

Some projects may require you to work with images at varying resolutions. When you capture these files, you must convert the material to the working resolution of the current sequence. By linking to the material instead, you can keep the material at its original resolution regardless of the sequence’s frame size. Once you’ve completed your edits, you can process the linked material, which creates a cache file of the image area that is visible in the viewer.

Linking clips can also be useful when more than one person needs access to the same file. You can capture the file as a linked clip, drop it into your sequence, and continue to use it as a reference while another person continues to work on the source media file. Changes made to the original file automatically appear in the linked clip, both in the Avid Explorer and on the timeline.

If another person tries to modify a file that’s linked to a clip in an open project, they will not be able to save that file due to a sharing violation. You must close the project that contains the linked clip for them to be able to save the original file.

Once you’re ready to output the sequence, you can either capture the source file or simply process the clip on the timeline. If you process the material, a cache file is created. Once a cache is created, Avid DS Nitris no longer refers to the source media file, but uses this cache file during playback. Any further changes to the source file do not appear in the linked clip on the timeline. Like any other cache however, the cache for the linked

Creating Linked Clips

clip can be purged, which relinks the clip to the source file. For more information, see “Purging Caches” on page 446 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Linked clips appear in the Avid Explorer as regular clips, but their file type icons are underlined in red, indicating that no actual media has been captured. As a result, you cannot play them back in real time until you have processed them.

If the “Media Not Found” message appears in the viewer when using linked clips, it’s possible that Avid DS Nitris has lost the connection to the linked file. All you have to do is re-establish the link. For more information, see “Relinking a Clip” on page 58.

To create a linked clip:

1. In the Avid Explorer, open a bin and select the file (s) that you want to capture as linked clips. To select a series of files, click the first file, hold down the Shift key, and click the last file. To select multiple files, hold down the Ctrl key and click each file name.

If you select a sequential list of still files of the same type (such as all .jpg or all .bmp), you are given the choice of combining the files into one master clip or capturing individual clips.

2. Right-click a file and select Capture Settings. The Capture Settings dialog box opens.

3. Select the settings that apply to the files that you want to capture—see

“Capturing Material from File” on page 43.

Since linked files are brought into Avid DS Nitris at their original resolutions, there is no need to convert them to the current sequence’s resolution. As a result, the Media Conversion modes are not applicable when the Link option is selected.

4. Close the Capture Parameters dialog box.

5. Right-click the selected files and select Link.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Relinking a Clip

If you move the media of a linked clip to a new location, you need to reestablish the link. Avid DS Nitris lets you relink more than one clip at a time.

To relink a clip through the Media Properties dialog box:

1. Right-click the linked clip in a bin and select Properties.

2. Select the File Info tab.

3. Click the Relink File button.

As the material is linked, clips appear in the selected bin. The clip icons are underlined in red to indicate that no media has actually been captured.

The Clip Properties dialog box opens.

In the Status text box, the following message is displayed: “File is missing from expected location”.

4. In the Relink File dialog box, navigate to the new location of the media

file, select it, and click OK.

5. Close the Clip Properties dialog box by clicking OK.

The link is re-established.

If you go back into the Clip Properties dialog box, you will see that the status of the linked file has changed to “File is Present.”

To relink one or more clips through the Avid Explorer:

1. Right-click one or more linked clips and select Relink.

Avid DS Nitris tries to relink by using the most recent path used in a relink operation. If the media file is not found in that path, the Relink dialog box opens.

2. In the Relink dialog box, navigate to the location of the media file,

select it, and click OK. The link is re-established. If multiple clips are linked to media files in

the same folder, all links are re-established.

Batch Capturing

In an offline/online workflow, you first create an offline sequence by using logged clips or compressed media. To create the final, online sequence, you need to capture media for the logged clips or recapture compressed media in uncompressed format. You can efficiently capture a group of clips from the Avid Explorer or timeline in one pass. This is called batch capturing.

Recapturing at a Different Quality

If you have already captured clips with media, you can recapture media at a different quality. You can initially capture clips at a lower quality to save disk space and increase processing time, and then recapture at a higher quality for the final output. You can also recapture media for clips that have been partially or completely purged.

If you recapture media at a different quality, Avid DS Nitris lets you keep the original media. In this case, the master clip represents two (or more) media files of different qualities.

Batch Capturing

To see if a clip has more than one capture quality, right-click the clip in a bin and select Properties. In the property dialog box, select the Media property page.

When you place the clip in a sequence, Avid DS Nitris automatically uses the media which has the same resolution as the sequence.You can set a preference to display media that doesn’t exactly match the sequence settings. For more information, see “Understanding Video Quality

Matching” on page 76 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

You can purge the original media at any time. For more information, see

“Purging Media” on page 443.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Capturing Clips from the Avid Explorer

When you log material, empty master clips (without media) are created in a bin in the Avid Explorer. You can then capture source material from tape or file. The master clips hold information about the in and out-points of material from tape or about the location of an original file.

Avid DS Nitris stops the deck, rewinds and then pre-rolls before capturing material. If, however, it detects two or more clips on the same tape and they are separated by less than 5 seconds, it will skip the pre-roll and capture both pieces of media in one pass. This feature, known as streaming capture, can reduce the time to recapture media especially if your clips are lined up one right after the other on a single tape.

To capture clips from Avid Explorer:

1. (Optional) If you want to view a list of clips to be captured, set a user preference—see “Creating a Batch Capture List” on page 67.

2. Select View > Multi-Instance Views > Deck Configuration and activate the deck preset for the connected deck.

3. In a bin, select the master clips that you want to recapture.

4. (Optional) To delete media associated with the clips, right-click the selected clips and select Purge Media—see “Purging Media” on

page 443 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

5. Right-click the selected clips and select Capture Settings to specify the video quality and audio quality settings.

6. Right-click the selected clips and select one of the following:

- Recapture with Options to open a dialog box that lets you select

the video and audio tracks you want to recapture.You can choose not to recapture tracks that you originally captured, but you cannot capture new tracks. For example, if you created a clip by capturing video only, you cannot recapture the clip with video and audio.

- Recapture to begin the recapture process, using the settings

specified in the Recapture with Options dialog box.

7. If you selected Recapture with Options, the Explorer Recapture Options dialog box opens.

Batch Capturing

a. Click the Video button to recapture the video portion of your

media.

b. Click the Audio button to recapture the audio portion of your

media.

c. Click the audio tracks (A1, A2, and so on) that you want to

recapture.

d. If you want the capture to begin immediately, leave the Time

Delay option deselected. If you want to capture certain files at a specific time in the future, select the Time Delay option.

For more information about options in the Explorer Recapture Options dialog box, click the Help button.

e. Click the Recapture button.

8. If you selected the Display Capture List option, the Batch Capture list

is displayed. If you are satisfied with the list, click OK. If you’re capturing from a tape that is currently in the VTR, then

capture starts automatically. As the clips are captured, the progress bar updates.

If Avid DS Nitris is unable to capture the material on the first attempt, it will try again. If it fails again, Avid DS Nitris will attempt the capture a third time with an additional pre-roll of five seconds. If the capture fails again, the error is displayed in the Capture Error Log, with the possible cause of the problem.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

If you encounter problems recapturing material from tape, you should deactivate the viewer using the Viewer button in the status bar and try capturing again. When recapturing full resolution HD material at 29.97 and 30 frames per second, the viewer is automatically deactivated.

9. If the tape is not in the VTR, the Insert Tape dialog box opens.

Batch Capturing

For information about options in the Insert Tape dialog box, click the Help button.

a. Insert the specified tape. Click the Skip Tape button to bypass

capturing all the clips with this tape’s source name.

b. (Optional) Change the external device by selecting a deck preset

from the device list. To create a deck preset, see “Configuring the External Device” on

page 18.

c. Use the transport controls in the dialog box to cue the tape, if

necessary. For example, in the case of repeated timecode, cue the tape so that the recapture starts at the correct position.

d. Click OK.

The capture begins. If you selected the Time Delay option, the Start Capture At dialog

box opens. Enter the date and time at which you want the capture to begin and click OK. The progress bar appears with the current date and time, as well as the capture start date and time you specified.

10. If any problems are detected during recapture, the Capture Error Log dialog box is displayed.

The Capture Error Log dialog box lists all the clips, including tape source name, in, and out-points, that could not be recaptured. It also gives you a brief description of the type of error that occurred.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

11. To save this log as an .html file, click the Save As button.

12. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to an appropriate folder, enter a

name for the log, and click the Save button. The log is saved as an .html file and can be viewed in any Web

browser.

Capturing Clips from the Timeline

When you log clips from a tape or file, or conform using an ALE file, AAF file, OMF file, ALE file, or EDL, master clips without media are created in a bin, in the timeline, or in both. You can edit these clips into the timeline, and edit their in and out-points before capturing the media.

You can also capture media from clips on the timeline when the clips have media and you want to use a different audio or video quality.

When you capture clips from the timeline, the new clips retain the audio and video tracks used in the original clip.

When you capture from the timeline, all the frames in a clip are recaptured unless otherwise specified.

To recapture clips from the timeline:

1. (Optional) To view a list of clips to be captured, you need to set a user preference—see “Creating a Batch Capture List” on page 67.

2. Select View > Multi-Instance Views > Deck Configuration and activate the deck preset for the connected deck.

3. Select View > Multi-Instance Views > Capture Settings and specify the video quality and audio quality settings.

Batch Capturing

4. (Optional) To delete media associated with the sequence, select Data Management > Purge Media—see “Purging Media” on page 443 of

the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

5. If you do not want to recapture the entire sequence, select the tracks, clips, or time span that you want to recapture.

6. On the Editing toolbar, click the Media I/O button and select one of the following:

- Recapture Entire Timeline with Options to open a dialog box

that lets you change the heads and tails of the clip (handles) and set other options.

- Recapture Entire Timeline to begin the recapture process, using

the settings specified in the Recapture Entire Timeline with Options dialog box.

- Recapture Selection with Options to open a dialog box that lets

you set options.

- Recapture Selection to begin the recapture process, using the

settings specified in the Recapture Selection with Options dialog box.

7. If your selection lets you set options, Timeline Recapture Options dialog box opens.

a. To record additional material before the in-point and after the out-

point, enter the appropriate number of frames in the Heads and Tails text boxes.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

You can only add heads and tails to the clip on the timeline up to the length of the original master clip. You cannot extend the clip beyond what was originally captured.

b. To capture only the active frames of clips on the timeline, select

the Recapture Only Active Material option.

When you select this option, clips with time effects (Timewarp, Interlace, Deinterlace, 3:2 Expand, or 3:2 Contract) are recaptured in their entirety regardless of the active areas. For all other types of container clips, only the active portions of the container clips are recaptured.

c. If you want the capture to begin immediately, leave the Time

Delay option deselected. If you want to capture certain files at a

specific time in the future, select the Time Delay option. For more information about options in the Explorer Recapture

Options dialog box, click the Help button.

d. Click the Recapture button.

8. If you selected the Display Capture List option, the Batch Capture list

is displayed. If you are satisfied with the list, click OK. If you’re capturing from a tape that is currently in the VTR, then

capture starts automatically. As the clips are captured, the progress bar updates.

If Avid DS Nitris is unable to capture the material on the first attempt, it tries again. If it fails again, Avid DS Nitris will attempt the capture a third time with an additional pre-roll of five seconds. If the capture fails again, the error is displayed in the Capture Error Log, with the possible cause of the problem.

9. If the tape is not in the VTR, the Insert Tape dialog box opens.

a. Insert the specified tape. Click the Skip Tape button to bypass

capturing all the clips with this tape’s source name.

Batch Capturing

b. (Optional) Change the external device by selecting a deck preset

from the device list. To create a deck preset, see “Configuring the

External Device” on page 18.

c. Use the transport controls in the dialog box to cue the tape, if

necessary. For example, in the case of repeated timecode, cue the tape so that the recapture starts at the correct position.

d. Click OK.

The capture begins. If you selected the Time Delay option, the Start Capture At dialog

For information about options in the Insert Tape dialog box, click the Help button.

10. If any problems are detected during recapture, the Capture Error Log is displayed.

a. To save this log as an .html file, click the Save As button. b. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to an appropriate folder, enter

a name for the log, and click the Save button.

The log is saved as an .html file and can be viewed in any Web browser.

Creating a Batch Capture List

When you have many clips to recapture, you might want to generate a list to review what you’re recapturing. The capture list in Avid DS Nitris not only lets you review what you’re capturing, but also lets you prioritize items, as well as remove items from the list.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

To create a batch capture list:

1. Select File > User Preferences.

2. Select the Capture tab.

3. Select Display recapture list.

4. Follow the recapture process described in “Capturing Clips from the

Avid Explorer” on page 60 or “Capturing Clips from the Timeline” on page 64. Before the recapture process begins, the Capture List dialog

box opens.

Clips with check marks beside them are part of the list and will be recaptured

5. Double-click an entry in the list to remove it from the list of clips to be recaptured. Double-click it again to add it back to the list.

6. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to prioritize the capture list. Clips at the top of the list are captured first.

7. Click the Source Name or Clips column heading to sort the list according to the source name or the clip name.

8. Click OK to begin capturing.

If you are capturing from a tape that is currently in the VTR, then capture starts automatically. As the clips are captured, the progress bar updates.

If the tape is not in the VTR, the Insert Tape dialog box opens. For more information, see “Capturing Clips from the Avid Explorer” on

page 60 or “Capturing Clips from the Timeline” on page 64.

Batch Capturing Without Interaction

You can set your user preferences so that a batch capture proceeds without your needing to interact with the application for each tape.

To perform a batch capture without interacting with the application:

1. Select File > User Preferences and select the Capture tab.

2. Select the following options:

- Eject the tape after digitize

Batch Capturing

- No interaction when inserting new tape

- Display recapture list.

3. Click OK.

4. When you are ready to start the batch capture, follow the recapture process described in “Capturing Clips from the Avid Explorer” on

page 60 or “Capturing Clips from the Timeline” on page 64. Before

the recapture process begins, the Capture List dialog box opens.

5. Note the order of the recapture, and arrange the physical tapes in the same order.

6. Click OK to begin recapturing. The Insert Tape dialog box opens and asks for the first tape.

7. Insert the first tape in the capture list. When all clips have been recaptured from the tape, the deck ejects it.

8. Insert the next tape.

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Avid DS Nitris cannot distinguish between tapes so make sure you insert them in the same order that is used in the capture list.

Using Scripts to Capture Media

Avid DS Nitris lets you create scripts to automate the capture process. Instead of defining the capture properties each time you capture media, you can do it once, create a script based on what you did, and then run that script the next time you capture. Creating a script can be as simple as copying the contents of the History pane to the Editing pane of the Script Editor and then saving it.

You can use scripts to capture media from file only.

A script is a set of commands that can be executed in sequence as if they were a single command. Simple scripts are a set of native Avid DS Nitris commands. More advanced scripts use a third-party scripting language as the glue that holds the commands together. With a scripting language, your scripts can use variables, constants, conditional statements, loops, and procedures. You can change the default scripting language in the User Preferences dialog box (Scripting/Logging property page). For more information, see “Choosing a Scripting Language” on page 27 of the

Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Tip: When using a script to capture media, make sure that the Start Capture command appears only once at the end of your script. If your script contains more than one Start Capture command, it will not work.

Creating a Script for Capturing Media

To create a script for capturing media:

1. Select View > Single-Instance Views > Script Editor. The Script Editor view opens.

Menu bar

History pane

Editing pane

Using Scripts to Capture Media

2. Select View > Multi-Instance Views > Capture Settings.

3. Configure the video and audio input. Each command that you set is logged in the History pane of the

Script Editor.

4. In the Avid Explorer, select a file, right-click, and select Capture, Log, or Link.

5. Once the capture is complete, select the contents of the History pane in the Script Editor.

6. From the menu bar, click Copy or press Ctrl+C.

7. Click in the Editing pane and then click Paste or press Ctrl+V. The contents of the History pane are displayed in the Editing pane.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Copy contents from History pane to Editing pane to create a script.

8. Click the Save button.

The Save As dialog box opens.

9. Type a name for your script in the File name text box and click the

Save button. By default, all scripts are saved in the DSScripts folder.

Running a Script for Capturing Media

To run a script for capturing media:

1. From the Script Editor, select File > Open.

The Open dialog box opens.

2. Browse through the folders to locate the script you want to run. Select

the file and click the Open button. The contents of the script appear in the Editing pane of the Script

Editor.

3. If you want to make changes to the script, you can modify the contents of the script by cutting, copying, or typing directly into the Editing pane.

Using Scripts to Capture Media

4. Click the Run button.

The script runs through each line and performs the associated commands.

Once a script is running, the only way to terminate it is to exit Avid DS Nitris. Never test your script by running it on valuable unsaved data.

To create a toolbar button for a script file:

1. Create a media input script and save it in the \DSScripts folder.

2. In the Avid Explorer, open the \DSScripts folder.

3. Select the script file you created, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag the file to a toolbar.

The Add Script Command dialog box opens.

You can also create a toolbar button from one or more lines in the History or Editing pane of the Script Editor. Select the contents of the script and then drag them onto a toolbar. A toolbar button is created with the name Scriptnumber.

4. In the Command Name text box, enter a name for the toolbar button. By default, the Command Name is the name of the saved script file.

5. Specify a Command Name for Scripting. This is the name that is logged to the command history when you click the toolbar button. You can also use this name to invoke this script from within another script. The command name for scripting cannot use spaces or punctuation.

6. If necessary, select the scripting language from the Language list. The list contains the supported languages that are installed on your computer.

If you dragged lines from the Script Editor onto the toolbar, then the default language is the one specified in your preferences—see

“Scripting/Logging Property Page” in the Help.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Scripting language File extension

JScript .js

PerlScript .pls

Python Active X Scripting Engine .pys

VB Script Language .vbs

7. Do one of the following:

If you dragged a saved file, the default language is based on the file name extension:

t If your script does not contain any procedures, there is nothing

more to do. Click OK to close the Add Script Command dialog box and add the button to your toolbar.

t If your script does contain procedures, continue with the

following:

8. Click the Parse Script button.

The script is parsed and the procedures and arguments are “found”.

Parsing a script may execute global code, that is, any code that is not within a defined procedure. In such cases, it will also run procedures that are called from global code.

9. If your script contains procedures, you can specify which one to execute when the button is clicked. Select a procedure from the Script Procedure box. If you do not specify a procedure, only global code will be executed, as well as any procedures that are called from global code.

Even when a procedure is specified, global code may be executed before the procedure is called. This is a side-effect of parsing the script with some scripting engines. To be certain that your script behaves predictably in all situations, do not mix global code and procedures.

Importing from SOFTIMAGE|XSI

10. If the selected procedure contains arguments, they are listed under Parameters. For each argument, specify the value to use when the script is run by doing one of the following:

t Enter a value in the corresponding Value box. This value will be

used whenever you click the button to run the script.

t Click twice in the Value box, and select Prompt On Run from the

list. With this option, when you click the button to run the script, a dialog box prompts you to enter a value.

11. Click OK. The Add Script Command dialog box closes and the new button is

added to the toolbar.

If you want to go back and edit the script, right-click on the toolbar button and select Edit Script. A dialog box opens and you are prompted to save your script. Click No. The contents of your script are displayed in the Editing pane of the Script Editor and are ready for editing.

Importing from SOFTIMAGE|XSI

If you work with 3D elements produced in SOFTIMAGE®|XSI®, you can import information in two ways:

• You can import a sequence of rendered images as a .gen file

• You can import a simple composite tree using the AAF utility

Importing .gen Files

You can preview render passes in Avid DS Nitris. From a .gen file rendered in SOFTIMAGE|XSI, you can create a master clip in Avid DS Nitris and then play it back in real time.

For information on how to render a .gen file, see the SOFTIMAGE|XSI documentation.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

To create a master clip from a rendered .gen file:

1. In the Avid Explorer, browse to the location of the .gen file.

2. Right-click the file and click Link.

A new master clip appears in a bin.

The .gen files should be in a valid VideoStorage directory.

The name of the master clip created will be the same as the name of the selected .gen file. You can now drag the clip to the timeline. For the clip to be real-time playable, the project and .gen file types must match (either RGB or YUV). If not, you must first process the clip to convert the type.

Tip: Once the master clip has been created, you can re-render your scene and then play it back in Avid DS Nitris without having to create another master clip or recapture your media.

Importing a Composite Tree through AAF

You can import a composite tree that includes render passes from SOFTIMAGE|XSI directly into Avid DS Nitris. First, export and convert your XSI file through the AAF utility, then open it in Avid DS Nitris. Any render passes that are present in the Fx tree (as FileInput nodes) become master clips in Avid DS Nitris.

In addition, XSI media can be stored on a shared media storage so that any change made to the XSI media is available in real-time within your Avid DS Nitris sequence.

This utility is offered as a plug-in for SOFTIMAGE|XSI. Refer to the Softimage website www.softimage.com for details on availability.

Managing Tapes

The Tape Library view lets you add tapes to a project and manage the tapes associated with a project.

To access the Tape Library view:

t In an Avid Explorer panel, open the Views folder and click Ta pe

Library.

Tapes list

Bin tools

Managing Tapes

Clips and sequences list

Bin tools

The Tape Library view consists of two sections. The top section lists the tapes in your project, and the bottom section lists the master clips and sequences that are associated with one or more selected tapes.

If you import clips or sequences from another project, the associated tape is added to the Tape Library. The name of the original project appears in parentheses.

You can use Bin tools to change how tapes or clips and sequences are displayed. You can right-click on a tape, clip, or sequence to perform various tasks.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

Adding a New Tape

You can use the Tape Library view to add a new tape.

To add a new tape:

1. Do one of the following:

t In the Bin tools section of the Tapes list, click the Fast Menu

button.

t In the Avid Explorer toolbar, click the New button. The Add New Tape dialog box opens.

You can also add a new tape by clicking the New Tape button in the Capture Tool.

2. Enter a name for the tape. A tape name must be less than 32 characters and cannot contain the

following characters: / \ : ; * ? “ < > | . ^ #

3. (Optional) Enter a comment. To display a comment, select the Details or Script view.

4. If the tape from which you are capturing material contains timecode that appears more than once, select the Manual Reel option.

This option deactivates the streaming capture functionality, and allows you to manually cue the tape to the appropriate timecode. You can use this option for any type of problem that requires user interaction, such as short timecode breaks or other problem sections in a tape. You can also select or deselect this option by right-clicking a tape icon.

Managing Tapes

If you have flagged a tape with the Manual Reel option during capture, don’t deactivate it during recapture because it may cause recapture errors.

5. Click OK.

The new tape appears in the top section of the Tape Library view.

Renaming a Tape and Changing the Comment

After adding a tape to a project, you can rename it or change the comment.

If you rename a tape that is shared between projects, the name is changed only in the current project.

To rename a tape:

1. Right-click a tape and select Rename.

The Set Tape Name dialog box opens.

2. Enter a new name. A tape name must be less than 32 characters and cannot contain the

following characters: / \ : ; * ? “ < > | . ^ #

3. Click OK.

To change a comment:

1. Right-click the tape and select Change Comment. The Set Tape Comment dialog box opens.

2. Enter a new comment.

3. Click OK.

Purging Media from Tape

You can purge media associated with a selected tape or tapes. Purging media retains the master clips and sequences, so that you can later recapture the media.

Chapter 1 Capturing Material

To purge media from tape:

t Select a tape or tapes, right-click, and select Purge.

Recapturing from Tape

If you have purged media for a tape, you can use the Tape Library view to recapture all master clips associated with the tape.

To recapture all master clips associated with a tape:

t Select a tape or tapes, right-click, and select Recapture.

You can also recapture master clips from the Clips and Sequences List section of the Tape Library view. You cannot recapture sequences by selecting a tape. You must recapture from the bottom section of the Tape Library view, from a bin, or from the timeline. For more information, see

“Batch Capturing” on page 59.

Deleting a Tape

You can delete one or more tapes from the Tape Library view.

Deleting a tape will delete all media, master clips, and sequences associated with that tape.

Master clips and sequences shared with other projects are preserved, but their media is deleted.

To delete a tape and its associated media, clips, and sequences:

1. Select one or more tapes, right-click, and select Delete.

A dialog box displays the media, clips, and sequences to be deleted and asks for conformation.

2. Click OK.

Chapter 2

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Conforming is the process of bringing a project from an offline environment into Avid DS Nitris, so you can continue the editing process. This chapter describes how to load an Avid File Exchange (AFE) or Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) file into Avid DS Nitris and recreate a sequence on which you can apply further edits and effects.

This chapter includes the following topics:

• Workflow: Conforming AAF and AFE Files

• Conforming AAF and AFE Files

• Conforming AAF Sequences with MediaManager

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Workflow: Conforming AAF and AFE Files

The following illustration shows the basic steps in the conform process using AAF or AFE files.

Export the AAF or AFE file.

Open the AAF or

AFE file in an Avid Explorer bin.

Create a sequence

and master clips.

Link to or recapture

media.

Export an AAF file directly from the Avid editing system.

Export an AFE file from the Avid editing system or through Avid MediaLog.

Link to a removable drive or Avid MediaNetwork.

Recapture media

from tape or file.

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Avid DS Nitris cannot directly open bins or projects from Media Composer sequence must first be converted to an intermediate format that Avid DS Nitris can read. Two different file formats are available: AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) and AFE (Avid File Exchange).

AAF and AFE files are both efficient ways to transfer project information from an Avid editing system to an Avid DS Nitris system. Both file formats are part of a similar workflow. AAF files can contain information about only a single clip or sequence; AFE files can contain information about all bins, master clips, and sequences in a project.

Before You Begin

Before you begin the conform process, review the following information.

Conforming Effects

• For the latest information on the conform process, such as which

or other Avid editing systems. The bin, project, or final

versions of Avid editing products are supported and the level of support for effects and titles, refer to the Help or the Avid DS Nitris Conform Guide. This guide is available on the Avid DS Nitris Customer Support website or the Avid Knowledge Center. Also, refer to the Avid DS Nitris release notes.

• Be aware that not every effect in the original sequence will be completely conformed. For specific information, refer to the Help or the Avid DS Nitris Conform Guide. Also, during the conform process, you can view a log which lists any effects and parameters that are not supported.

• Place titles in the sequence before you create the AFE file. You cannot drag a title from an AFE bin to a sequence in the timeline.

• If the offline sequence includes graphics that use video levels (ITU-R 601 levels, which include “superblack” and “superwhite”), Avid DS Nitris preserves information about the video levels when

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

creating master clips (conforming AAF or AFE files only). When you recapture the graphics, Avid DS Nitris automatically recaptures them at the original levels.

• Layered Photoshop graphics that have been imported as layers in the original sequence are not conformed correctly. You need to import the original layered graphic into Avid DS Nitris using the Generate > Import Photoshop command.

• Sequential file formats with alpha channels that have been imported into the original sequence do not conform. You need to import the files into Avid DS Nitris and re-edit them into the sequence.

• QuickTime movies with alpha do not conform correctly. You need to manually invert the alpha channel in Avid DS Nitris.

• Audio pan, Audio EQ, and AudioSuite plug-ins do not conform. In the original sequence, you can mix down the areas that contain these adjustments or effects and then output an audio mix—see

“Transferring Audio Media” on page 98.

Sharing and Transferring Files

• If you need to share AVX® plug-ins, make sure the same plug-ins are installed on both systems. On the Avid DS Nitris system, the default path is drive:\Program Files\Avid\AVX_Plug-ins. Avid DS Nitris currently supports only AVX 1.0 plug-ins.

• To make it easier to move files between products and across platforms, use the following guidelines when naming files:

- Do not use the following characters in project, bin, or other file

names: / \ : * ? ” < > | The Windows system does not recognize these characters in file

names and will substitute other characters, possibly making the file name unrecognizable or causing other problems.

- Do not add spaces at the beginning or end of a file name. The

Windows system will display such files, but might be unable to open them.

- Do not use a period at the end of a file name. The windows system

will display such files, but might be unable to open them.

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

- On Avid Macintosh systems, you can enable a setting that prevents you from using Windows restricted characters in file names and automatically adds the correct file name extensions to files for your project. When you select the Use Windows Compatible File Names setting, the file name extension .avp is added to project files and .avb is added to bin files when they are saved. These file name extensions are attached to existing files as well.

• If the project includes titles and you are moving between Macintosh and Windows systems, make sure you have the same font with exactly the same name (preferably from the same manufacturer) on both the Macintosh and Windows systems. Check the font carefully because the same font can have slightly different names. For example, Times New Roman on the Macintosh system is named Times New Roman Regular on the Windows system.

For best results, use TrueType or PostScript fonts. Bitmap fonts can cause scaling problems.

• If you are copying project files from a CD-ROM, the files will be marked as read-only and cannot be edited. After you have copied the files, right-click the file icon, select Properties, and clear the Readonly attribute.

Conforming HD Projects

To conform an HDTV (high-definition TV) project that was offlined on an Avid editing system, it is critical that the offline sequence be edited at the proper frame rate. The following table lists the required Avid editing project types for different HD frame rates.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

HD format/Frame rate Avid editing project type

1080i or 1080PsF/30 fps or 29.97 fps 30i NTSC

1080i or 1080PsF/25 fps 25i PAL

1080PsF/24 fps 24p NSTSC or 24p PAL

1080PsF/23.97 fps 24p NTSC

720p/60 fps or 59.94 fps 30i NTSC

a. Requires Symphony 4.5 or later, Media Composer or

Film Composer 11.5 or later, or Avid Xpress 5.5 or later.

For information on working with audio, see “Using Audio from an Avid

Editing System” on page 99.

23.976p NTSC

To conform an HD project, follow this basic workflow:

1. Downconvert the HD source tapes to SDTV (standard-definition TV) tapes, using the 16x9 anamorphic aspect ratio.

™

2. Create a Symphony

Avid X pres s

, or Avid Xpress DV project with the proper frame rate.

, Media Composer, Film Composer®,

3. Digitize the SDTV source tapes into the Avid editing system using an offline resolution.

4. Edit the sequence.

5. Export an AFE or AAF file to recreate the project or sequence on the Avid DS Nitris system. For AFE files, export directly from an Avid editing system or export through MediaLog

™

, depending on the

version of your Avid editing application.

6. Recapture the HD media on the Avid DS Nitris system.

7. Finish and output the project.

Sharing Compressed and Uncompressed Media

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Avid DS Nitris can share compressed and uncompressed OMFI media with Symphony, Media Composer, and Avid Xpress (Meridien can share media by using Avid Unity

™

MediaNetwork shared storage or by

™

) systems. You

transferring media files.

You must process compressed media before you can play it in real time.

Avid DS Nitris does not relink to OMFI media files of the following resolutions, created by other Avid editing products: NTSC 24p, PAL 25p, DV, MPEG (IMX) or AVR.

To share compressed or uncompressed media:

1. Do one of the following, depending on how you are sharing media: t If you are sharing media on a MediaNetwork (formerly known as

MediaNet) workspace, make sure that both the offline and the online systems have access to the workspace.

t If you are transferring files on a removable drive, make sure that

you can correctly transfer the drive. For information on connecting and disconnecting an external media drive, refer to your system setup guide.

t If you are copying files to a local drive (one already attached to

your Avid DS Nitris system) or a drive you can access through the Media Indexer, locate or create a folder named OMFI MediaFiles on the drive.

This folder name must use the correct uppercase and lowercase letters and include a space between OMFI and MediaFiles.

2. Configure media storage for Avid OMFI files, as described in “Main

Topics: Managing Your Storage Areas” in the Avid DS Nitris

Installation and Administration Guide. If you are transferring files on a removable drive, you need to configure media storage after you have connected the drive to the Avid DS Nitris system.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Exporting AAF Files

AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) is a cross-platform, multimedia file format that allows interchange of media and composition information between AAF-compliant applications.

There are two general types of data that can be included in an AAF file:

• Composition information, which provides the instructions needed to combine and modify the media portions of the AAF file. Composition information consists of either a sequence and its associated master clips or a single master clip.

• Audio and video media.

If you are transferring information from an offline Avid editing system to Avid DS Nitris, export an AAF file as composition only.

You cannot export an AAF file from Avid DS Nitris.

To export an AAF file:

1. On the Avid editing system, select the sequence you want to conform and export it as an AAF file.

The exact steps for exporting an AAF file vary, depending on the Avid editing product and its version. For any product or version, create a composition with linked media. Do not create a composition with embedded media.

Avid editing systems give you the option of consolidating or copying media to a selected media drive at the same time you create an AAF file.

2. Transfer the AAF file to a location that you can access from the Avid DS Nitris workstation.

You can use removable media, a network server, or an Avid Unity shared storage system.

Exporting AFE Files

AFE files are based on AAF technology. AFE files, however, are designed for sharing project information among Avid applications. AFE files let you transfer one or more bins, their contents, and information about the contents, including master clips, subclips, titles, and sequences.

You can create AFE files from the following products:

• Symphony 4.5 or later (Windows version only)

• Media Composer 11.5 or later (Windows version only)

• Avid Xpress 5.5 or later (Windows version only)

• Avid MediaLog11.1 or later (Windows version only). You can use MediaLog on either the Avid editing system or the Avid DS Nitris system.

To create an AFE file from an Avid editing product running on a Macintosh system, copy the project folder from the Macintosh system to the Avid DS Nitris system. Then use MediaLog on the Avid DS Nitris system to create the AFE file.

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Exporting AFE Files from an Avid Editing System

MediaLog is shipped with your Avid DS Nitris system. For complete information about MediaLog, see the MediaLog Help or the Avid MediaLog User’s Guide (available in Adobe Acrobat format on the MediaLog CD). MediaLog is also available on the Avid DS Nitris Customer Support web site.

To export an AFE file from an Avid editing system:

1. Open a project.

2. Do one of the following: t To create a file that includes all bins in a project, click the project

window and select File > Export. The Export Project As dialog box opens. Select a location, name the file, and click the Save button.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

t To create a file that includes the contents of a single bin, open the

bin, click the bin, and select File > Export. The Export Bin As dialog box appears. Select Avid File Exchange (*.afe) from the “Export Bin As” list. Choose a location, name the file, and click the Save button.

AFE export to a network drive takes much longer than export to a local drive. Avid recommends that you export to a local drive and then copy the exported file to a network location.

3. Transfer the AFE file to a location that you can access from the Avid DS Nitris workstation.

You can use removable media, a network server, or an Avid Unity shared storage system.

Exporting AFE Files from MediaLog

To export an AFE file from MediaLog:

1. If you are running MediaLog on an Avid editing system, close the Avid editing application.

2. If you plan to run MediaLog on an Avid DS Nitris system, transfer the Avid editing project folder to the \MediaLog\Avid Projects folder on the Avid DS Nitris workstation or use Avid Unity shared storage.

3. Open MediaLog. The Select Project and User dialog box opens.

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Directory list

4. Create a new user by clicking the New User button.

Do not share user settings between MediaLog and the Avid editing system. The settings might become corrupted.

5. Use the Directory list to navigate to the project you want to transfer. Select the project and click OK.

The project opens.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Project window

6. Do one of the following:

- (MediaLog 11.1) To create a file that includes all bins in a project,

click the project window and select File > Save Project Copy As. The Save Project Copy As dialog box opens. Select a location, name the file, and click the Save button.

- (MediaLog 11.5 or later) To create a file that includes all bins in a

project, click the project window and select File > Export. The Export Project As dialog box opens. Select a location, name the file, and click the Save button.

- (MediaLog 11.1) To create a file that includes the contents of a

single bin, open the bin, select the bin, and select File > Save Bin

Copy As. The Save bin name As dialog box opens. Select Av id File Exchange (*.afe) from the Save as type file list. Select a location, name the file, and click the Save button.

Bins

- (MediaLog 11.5 or later) To create a file that includes the contents

of a single bin, open the bin, click the bin, and select File >

Export. The Export Bin As dialog box appears. Select Avid File Exchange (*.afe) from the “Export Bin As” list. Choose a

location, name the file, and click the Save button.

MediaLog creates an AFE file.

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Make sure to close MediaLog before opening Avid DS Nitris. If MediaLog and Avid DS Nitris are open at the same time, Avid DS Nitris performance is seriously affected.

AFE export to a network drive takes much longer than export to a local drive. Avid recommends that you export to a local drive and then copy the exported file to a network location.

7. If you are running MediaLog on an Avid editing system, make sure the

If you open a project in an Avid editing system after you have created an AFE file from the project, the following message might appear: An incompatible (or damaged) setting has been skipped. The original project should not be affected.

Transferring Media

AFE file is in a location that you can access from the Avid DS Nitris workstation.

You can use removable media, a network server, or an Avid Unity shared storage system.

If you are using a removable drive to share media, disconnect the drive from the offline system and connect it to the Avid DS Nitris system. For information on connecting and disconnecting an external media drive, refer to your system setup guide and “Sharing Compressed and

Uncompressed Media” on page 87.

Importing AAF and AFE Files

After you have determined the location of the transferred file, you can import it into Avid DS Nitris.

To import an AAF or AFE file:

1. Use the Avid Explorer to select the folder that holds the AAF or AFE file.

The file opens in a bin.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

2. Double-click the file. For AAF files, the sequence and its associated master clips appear in

the bin. For AFE files, the imported bins appear. The same settings appear for either type of file.

AAF/AFE settings

AAF sequence and master clips

Imported bins

3. For AFE files, double-click an imported bin to display its contents. The contents can include master clips, subclips, titles, and sequences.

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Bin and sequence information from the Avid editing system is transferred to the Avid DS Nitris system. For bins transferred through AFE files, the columns initially displayed match the columns displayed when the AFE file was created. You can show additional columns or hide selected columns, as described in “Customizing the

Details and Script Views” on page 410 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing

Guide.

Columns and information from AAF and AFE files are not associated with new Avid DS Nitris master clips.

For more information about options in the AAF/AFE View, click the Help button in the Avid Explorer toolbar.

Creating a Sequence and Master Clips

After you have imported the AAF or AFE file, you can drag a sequence onto the timeline and create master clips that are associated with the sequence. You can also create master clips by dragging an imported clip or sequence to a bin.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

To create a sequence and master clips:

1. In the bin, select the Create Associated Clips option. Select this option if you want to create master clips by dragging an

imported clip or sequence to the timeline or by dragging an imported clip or sequence to a bin.

Deselect this option if you have already created master clips and you want to avoid creating a duplicate set. Duplicate clips are marked by the addition of the word “new”.

2. To append the AAF or AFE project name to the master clip source names, select the Force Creation of External Tape Sources option. This option distinguishes between clips that are created from tapes associated with the conform and clips that are not.

3. Specify the path for the folder in which you want to create the master clips after you drag a clip or sequence to the timeline. Click the browse (...) button to navigate to the folder.

Avid DS Nitris checks the path to make sure the folder is within the project folder.

4. To keep the same folder for any new master clips you create, select the Lock Path option. Deselect this option to create master clips in folders that match the names of the imported bins (AFE files only). Deselecting this option keeps the original project structure when you conform with AFE files.

5. Open a new sequence in your project.

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

6. Drag the sequence from the bin onto the timeline. To match the timecode of the imported sequence to the timecode of the sequence in the timeline, hold down the U key while you drag the sequence to the timeline.

The conform process begins. Depending on the length of the sequence, a progress bar is displayed.

When the conform is complete, the sequence, its clips, titles, and supported effects are recreated on the timeline. Associated master clips are created in the location you specified.

If you are sharing media, the clips are automatically linked. If you are recapturing media, empty master clips are created in the

folder that you have specified. When you open the folder in a bin, the clip icons are red since no media has been captured yet.

A message box displays a summary of the information contained in the AAF/AFE Conform Log and asks if you want to view the log.

7. To view the AAF/AFE Conform Log, click Yes . The AAF/AFE Conform Log window displays information about how

the effects and parameters were supported. Use this information to finish the final sequence.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

8. To save the log as an .html file, click the Save button.

The Save As dialog box opens.

9. Navigate to an appropriate folder, type in a name for the log, and click

the Save button. Click OK to close the log window.

10. Save the sequence.

Recapturing Media

If you are not sharing media, you need to recapture media for the empty master clips. For more information, see “Batch Capturing” on page 59.

Transferring Audio Media

Instead of recapturing and editing audio media, you can capture or import an audio mix.

Possible workflows are:

• Recapturing audio media, exporting audio media from Avid DS Nitris to Pro Tools

“Conforming OMF Compositions” on page 111.

• Creating a digital cut of the final audio mix in Media Composer (or other Avid editing system) and capturing the audio in Avid DS Nitris.

• Exporting an OMF file with embedded audio media from an Avid editing system and importing it into Avid DS Nitris.

, and importing it back after it has been processed—see

• Exporting an OMF file with embedded audio media from an Avid editing system to Pro Tools, and then importing it to Avid DS Nitris.

Using Audio from an Avid Editing System

If you want to use audio from Media Composer (or another Avid editing system) in the final sequence, make sure the frame rates match the frame rates on the Avid DS Nitris system. To transfer the audio, you can perform a digital cut and capture audio from tape or, in most cases, you can use OMF. Refer to the following table for more specific information:

Avid editor project

Digital cut output format

OK to use OMF?

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Avid DS Nitris format

30i NTSC (29.97

Standard NTSC Yes NTSC (29.97 fps)

fps frame rate)

25i PAL (25 fps

Standard PAL Yes PAL (25 fps)

frame rate)

24p NTSC (24 fps frame rate)

24 (NTSC) Destination TC

Yes 1080 PsF, 24 fps

rate depends on output device.

24p NTSC (24 fps

23.976 (NTSC) No

1080 PsF, 23.97 fps

frame rate)

23.976p NTSC

23.976 (NTSC) Yes 1080 PsF, 23.97

24p PAL 24 (PAL) Yes 1080 PsF, 24 fps

a. See the article “How to Reduce the Audio Play Rate from 24 fps to

23.976 fps” in the Avid DS Nitris Customer Support Knowledge Base.

b. Requires Symphony 4.5 or later, Media Composer or

Film Composer 11.5 or later, or Avid Xpress 5.5 or later.

Chapter 2 Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Exporting and Importing OMF Audio

The following procedure outlines the workflow for exporting audio as an OMF file from an offline Avid editing system, transferring the audio to Avid DS Nitris or Pro Tools, and importing the audio to Avid DS Nitris.

To export and import audio as an OMF file:

1. Make sure the project frame rates match—see “Using Audio from an

Avid Editing System” on page 99.

2. On Media Composer or another Avid editing system: t Export the sequence as an AAF file or export a project and bins as

an AFE file

t Export the audio track as an OMF file (composition and audio

media)

If you are transferring the audio to media and export it as OMF 2.0.

If you are transferring the audio to Pro Tools, embed the audio media and export the file as OMF 2.0. Depending on the version of your Avid editing system, you can link to consolidated media.

Use Link to Consolidated Media only for audio you are exporting to Pro Tools. Avid DS Nitris does not support this type of OMF file.

For more information on creating an OMF file, see the Help or the documentation for the Avid editing system.

3. Do one of the following: t Transfer the OMF file to the Pro Tools workstation, sweeten the

audio, export from the ProTools workstation, and import into

Avid DS Nitris.

t Transfer the OMF file to the Avid DS Nitris workstation and

import.

For more information, see “Conforming an OMF File” on page 112.

4. Create a new sequence and conform the OMF file.

Avid DS Nitris, embed the audio

100

Pinnacle Systems DS Nitris - 7.0 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Using This Guide

Who Should Use This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

Using the Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard

Customizing the Pen or Mouse

If You Need Help

Accessing the Online Documentation

If You Have Documentation Comments

How to Order Documentation

Avid Educational Services

Avid DS Customer Support

E-mail Support

Web Support

FTP Support

Mailing List

Workflow: Capturing Material

Preparing to Capture Material

Configuring the External Device

Using the Physical Patching Matrix

Editing and Deleting External Device Presets

Activating a Device Preset

Exporting and Importing Device Presets

Opening the Capture Tool

Selecting the Capture Mode

Selecting the Capture Target

Specifying the Capture Quality

Specifying the Video Capture Quality

Specifying the Audio Capture Quality

Specifying Audio Input Settings

Setting the Audio Format

Specifying Audio Settings for the External Device

Specifying Video Input Settings

Previewing Material

Monitoring Audio Input

Logging and Capturing Material

Performing a Live Capture

Logging and Capturing Clips from Tape

Capturing Clips On-the-Fly

Capturing Material from File

Capturing from File by Dragging to a Bin

Capturing from Layered Adobe Photoshop Files

Capturing from DPX Files

Importing Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) Files

Creating Linked Clips

Relinking a Clip

Batch Capturing

Recapturing at a Different Quality

Capturing Clips from the Avid Explorer

Capturing Clips from the Timeline

Creating a Batch Capture List

Batch Capturing Without Interaction

Using Scripts to Capture Media

Creating a Script for Capturing Media

Running a Script for Capturing Media

Importing from SOFTIMAGE|XSI

Importing .gen Files

Importing a Composite Tree through AAF

Managing Tapes

Adding a New Tape

Renaming a Tape and Changing the Comment

Purging Media from Tape

Recapturing from Tape

Deleting a Tape

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Workflow: Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Conforming AAF and AFE Files

Before You Begin

Conforming HD Projects

Sharing Compressed and Uncompressed Media

Exporting AAF Files

Exporting AFE Files

Exporting AFE Files from an Avid Editing System

Exporting AFE Files from MediaLog

Transferring Media

Importing AAF and AFE Files