Pinnacle Systems DS Nitris - 7.0.1 User Manual

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Avid® DS Nitris

Getting Started Guide

Version 7.01

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 and 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 Getting Started Guide • 0130-05573-01 • October 2003 • Rev B.

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Who Should Use This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Using the Mouse, Pen, and Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Customizing the Pen or Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

If You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Accessing the Online Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

If You Have Documentation Comments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Avid Educational Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Avid DS Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

E-mail Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Web Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

FTP Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Mailing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 1 Main Topics: Starting a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The Digital Post-Production Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Logging on to Your Workstation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Starting Avid DS Nitris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Working with Project Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Creating a New Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 2 Main Topics: Capturing Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Capturing Source Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

The Avid Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Creating Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Configuring the External Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Capturing from Tape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Capturing from File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Changing Bin Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Identifying File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Logging and Capturing from File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter 3 Main Topics: Conforming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Methods for Conforming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Conforming with AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Creating AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Importing AFE Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Re-creating the Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 4 Main Topics: Getting Ready to Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Editing Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Previewing Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Using J-K-L Keys for Three-Button Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Using the Transport Controls for Previewing Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Marking In and Out-Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Creating Subclips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 5 Main Topics: Creating a First Cut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

The Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Navigating in the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Using the Scale Bar and Scroll Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Selecting Objects on the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Marking In and Out-Points on the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Placing Clips on the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Dragging and Dropping Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Inserting Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Overwriting Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Replacing Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Chapter 6 Main Topics: Refining the Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Rearranging Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Removing Clips from the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Copying Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Trimming Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Using Trim Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Using Ripple Mode When Trimming Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 7 Main Topics: Working with Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

The Effects Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Effect Bar Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Applying Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Applying Effects to Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Applying Effects to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Applying Effects to the Timeline Effect Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Applying Transition Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Creating Clips with Source Generator Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Applying Effects to the Effects Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Applying Audio Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

The Effects Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Using the Viewers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Editing Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Selecting Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Adjusting Effect Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Moving Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Copying Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Reordering Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Viewing Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Bypassing Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Trimming Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Adjusting Effect Lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Loading Other Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Saving Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Replacing Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Deleting Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Animating Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Mix Parameter for Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Mixing Effects to the Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Mixing Effects to Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Chapter 8 Main Topics: Processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

How Do I Process?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter 9 Main Topics: Adding Graphics and 2D Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Starting a Graphics Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

The Graphics Combo View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

The Graphics Layout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Using the Graphics Object View (GOV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Using the Graphics Property Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Setting the Drawing Tool Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Displaying the Safe/Action Title Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Defining Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Creating Graphics and Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Changing the Properties of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Finishing a Graphics Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Chapter 10 Main Topics: Compositing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Choosing a Compositing Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Simple Track-based Compositing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Compositing with Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Chapter 11 Main Topics: Outputting a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Outputting to Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Outputting to File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Appendix A Main Topics: Working on the Desktop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Accessing the Default Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Accessing the Alternate Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Creating a New Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Copying Layouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Saving Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Editing Existing Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Restoring Default Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Importing a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Title Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Using the Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Undoing and Redoing Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Using the Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

View Switcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Splitting Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Using the Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Customizing Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Creating and Deleting Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Property Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Dialog Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Entering Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

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 users who are new to Avid DS Nitris. This guide provides basic information on how to create a project from start to finish. You’ll learn how to capture media, edit clips and sequences, add titles, composite clips, add effects, and process the project for output.

Using This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

Avid DS Nitris documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and

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

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

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.

subcommands) 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.

tasks more easily and efficiently.

indicate variables.

Courier Bold font

Bold font Bold indicates a user interaction.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

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 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:

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 16.

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 documentation in PDF format. If it was installed on your workstation, you can access it from the Help menu in Avid DS.

If You Need Help

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

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

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

and select Online Library from the main menu.

To install Adobe Acrobat Reader:

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

2. Select the required workstation and choose Utilities.

If You Have Documentation Comments

We’d appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have about the Avid DS 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 system. Online documentation, tutorials, and Knowledge Base articles ensure that you get the most out of your work with Avid DS. 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/forums.html, which is another great source of info on the Avid web site for Avid DS.

Using This Guide

Chapter 1

Starting a Project

This chapter introduces you to the Avid DS Nitris post-production process. You will learn how to start Avid DS Nitris and create a new project.

Starting a Project

The Digital Post-Production Process

Since Avid DS Nitris is a digital, nonlinear, post-production environment, you no longer have to mount, shuttle through, and cue tapes every time you want to access parts of the footage.

Once you’ve converted the footage into a digital format and stored it on a storage disk, Avid DS Nitris gives you complete, random access to the media with instantaneous retrieval of clips and sequences. You also have quick, nonlinear access to any part of your sequence, and the ability to apply a wide variety of digital effects at any stage of your production.

Each post-production facility has its own way of doing things, and every post-production job is unique. You can use different tools and techniques to accomplish your jobs—import sequences “offlined” on other systems and proceed with your finishing in Avid DS Nitris, or build a full editorial from start to end directly in Avid DS Nitris, using full resolution, uncompressed media!

After your job is complete, you can neatly package all of its media and files, making space for your next job. If you need to, you can always restore the job at any time.

In Avid DS Nitris, everything that you do to your clips is non-destructive, and can be edited and reconstructed at any time. This is because of the way Avid DS Nitris was designed; its integrated environment allow a seamless workflow between editing, compositing, graphics design, and audio.

The following illustration shows you the complete Avid DS Nitris production cycle, and how Avid DS Nitris adds flexibility and creative independence to the post-production process.

“Offline” edit

Create a rough cut of key clips and decide timing of cuts and transitions.

If offlined externally, load AAF, AFE, OMF files or EDLs, and digitize material from file, tape, or audio.

The Digital Post-Production Process

Redigitize source material in full, uncompressed resolution from file or tape.

Capture material

Digitize source material at low resolution directly from file or tape.

Archive the project

- Archive project and/or media to tape.

- Project and media can be restored at any time.

Output media

Output sequence to tape or file, such as .avi.

Fine-tune edit

Fine-tune timing of cuts, transitions, and other effects.

Apply effects

- Create composites.

- Add 2D and 3D effects.

- Mix and sweeten audio.

- Add titles and graphics.

- Perform dust/scratch removal and color correction.

Continuous process

Process

Process all effects applied to clips and create new media files (source media remains untouched).

Starting a Project

Logging on to Your Workstation

Before you start Avid DS Nitris, you must log on to your workstation with your Windows user identification (ID) and password. This provides security, as well as your personal preference settings.

Since many users can work on the same workstation at different times, the Windows ID gives you a unique profile, so as not to conflict with the settings of other users. When you run Avid DS Nitris, you are accessing an environment that can be customized to your needs. If you set any personal or project preferences while logged on, Avid DS Nitris saves them to your user profile. The next time you log on to that workstation, it recalls your previous settings.

To log on to your workstation:

1. When the Welcome to Windows dialog box is displayed, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

2. In the Log On to Windows dialog box, enter your user name and password.

3. Click OK. Once you have logged on to Windows, you can access your

applications and files.

Starting Avid DS Nitris

To start Avid DS Nitris, do one of the following:

t Double-click the Avid DS Nitris v7.x icon on the Windows desktop. t Select Start > Programs > Avid Products > Avid DS Nitris v7.x >

Avid DS Nitris v7.x. The Open Project dialog box opens. You can now open an existing

project and sequence or create a new one.

To exit Avid DS Nitris, do one of the following:

t Select File > Exit. t Click the X (close) button at the top-right corner of the title bar. t Press Alt+F4.

When you exit Avid DS Nitris, any changes that you made to the desktop layout or user preferences are saved with your user profile and recalled the next time you log on to the workstation.

Working with Project Files

A project is the all encompassing structure for your work; it links and tracks the master clips and sequences with their associated media, making your file management tasks easier.

Projects contain master clips, sequences, and any special presets and/or scripts you create.

Working with Project Files

Sequence files contain information about your edit decisions, composites, and any effects you’ve applied to your clips.

When working with several digitized video and audio files, it is important to understand how Avid DS Nitris handles your data, so that you can work efficiently.

Master clips are representations of the digitized media stored on your disk array.

Master clips can be shared between sequences within the same project.

Starting a Project

When you capture material, the media is stored on the disk array, and the master files (known as master clips) representing this media are stored in the project folder on your workstation’s local disk drive. You can see these clips in the Avid Explorer. Master clips contain information about the location and source timecodes of the corresponding media on the disk array.

When you place clips on the timeline to build your sequence, they maintain pointers to the source media on your storage disk. Any edits or effects that you apply to the clips are noted in the sequence file. Clips, sequences, and presets are all considered project files, which should be stored in the project folder. That way, you can archive, restore, and/or purge all files related to a project when required.

When you archive your project, a copy of the media is saved to tape or external disk and the project files are saved in another location. With the archived project files and associated media, you can reconstruct everything in your project when necessary.

Creating a New Project

As soon as you start Avid DS Nitris, you are prompted to open or create a project and sequence.

When you create a project, you define the format for all your sequences. Once you set them, they’re applied to each sequence you create in the current project. These preferences can later be changed for each sequence.

You can also change your video and audio quality settings during the course of your work according to the amount of storage space that you have. For example, if you want to conserve disk space, you can do your rough cut on material captured at low resolution or in compressed form. When your sequence is ready for finishing, you can redigitize a specific clip, so that you can work at the quality at which you will be outputting.

Choose a video format.

The frame details are usually set automatically.

Creating a New Project

To create a new project:

Do one of the following: t If the Open Project dialog box is open, click the New Project button.

The New Project dialog box displays for you to set your project preferences.

t If you are in another project or sequence, select File > Open >

Project.

Type in your project name.

Set the resolution, bit depth, and compression for your video media.

Set the sample rate and bit depth for your audio media.

Save project

preferences.

Click here for more

information on setting all the preferences in this dialog.

After saving your preferences, a new sequence is opened and the Editing layout is displayed for you to start building your sequence.

Starting a Project

Chapter 2

Capturing Material

Capturing material is the process of creating media files from video or audio source material. Avid DS Nitris can capture material from a variety of different sources, such as videotape, audiotape, and file.

Capturing Material

Capturing Source Material

Source material is the original, unaltered material from videotapes or digital recordings. This source material comes from a variety of sources, such as video, audio, animated sequences, graphics, and still images. When you capture material with Avid DS Nitris, you are digitally transferring audio or video material from an external device to a disk array on your workstation.

During capture, Avid DS Nitris creates media files, based on the parameters you have set, such as in-points, out-points, and compression. These media files are displayed as master clips in an Avid Explorer bin. Master clips contain information such as the location of the media on your disk array, the source data’s tape name, and original in and out timecodes. With this information, you can recapture the material at any time. Master clips also include information about the video format, resolution, compression, audio format, and so on.

The Avid Explorer

The Avid Explorer lets you view and organize clips, sequences, and effects within a hierarchy of folders. Avid Explorer folders are displayed as bins. The master clips you capture and the sequences you create appear in bins.

To access the Avid Explorer:

t From the view switcher, click the Avid Explorer (Main) button.

Avid Explorer tools let you control the content and arrangement of the Explorer window and bins. They also let you perform tasks for bins and views.

Panels display the contents of your system in a tree structure. A panel can display one of three views: My System, Project, or Shortcuts.

Capturing Source Material

Bins display clips, sequences and the contents of folders.

Bin views include large icons, list,

details, thumbnail, and script views.

View Switcher

Avid Explorer button.

Bins contain source clips and other objects for use in your sequence. The Avid Explorer tools let you navigate through and manage the contents of your bins.

The tools that appear on the top toolbar let you navigate to different bins and change the display of information within the bin.

Capturing Material

Show/Hide Panel 1

Show/Hide Panel 2

Cascade

Capture Settings

Paste

Path

Tile

Creating Bins

Back

Forward

Copy

Cut

Delete

Settings

Sifting

Locate

Bin

For more information, click the Help button.

Before you start capturing material, create subfolders (bins) in your project folder to hold your master clips. You may want to create separate folders for your video clips, audio clips, still images, and even one for your custom presets. You’ll find that creating subfolders helps organize your project, so that you can locate files quickly and easily.

HelpAddress Bar

To create a folder:

1. In the Project view, select your project folder. The contents of the folder are displayed on the right in a bin.

2. Right-click and empty area fo the bin and select New > Folder.

Capturing Source Material

The new folder is displayed in the bin with the name New Folder highlighted.

3. Type in a new name and press Enter.

4. Continue adding as many folders as you need. You can create subfolders under your new folders. Simply click the new folder in the Project view and then right-click the bin to add a new folder.

To delete a folder:

t In the Project view or bin, right-click a folder and select Delete.

Capturing Material

Configuring the External Device

You’ll probably capture most of your material from videotape or audiotape. Before you capture material from tape, you need to configure the device from which you will be capturing, and then select options in the Capture Tool.

The Deck Configuration view lets you specify settings for an external device, such as a videotape recorder (VTR) or deck. Avid DS Nitris includes templates for many different types of devices. You can use the settings in the templates, or you can adjust them to your own requirements.

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

To configure an external device:

1. Do one of the following:

t Select View > Multi-Instance Views > Deck Configuration.

t In an Avid Explorer panel, open the Views folder and double-click

Deck Configuration.

The Deck Configuration view opens.

Click the Fast

Menu button and select Add New Deck Preset. Give the new preset a name.

Set options for

the external device.

Configuring the External Device

Click the Save button.

For more information on these settings, see “Configuring the External

Device” in the Help.

Capturing Material

Capturing from Tape

The Capture Tool lets you capture media from a videotape deck. There are several ways to capture from tape. The following describes how to log and capture clips, so that you can later recapture using frame-accurate timecode.

To log and capture clips:

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

Click the Tape

button.

Select the

external device and click the Check button.

Select a tape

or name a new one.

Select a target

bin to hold the captured clips.

Set the Timeline/Deck

button to Deck.

Enter frames to record additional material

before the in-point and after the out-point.

Select the channels you want to capture:

video, audio, or both.

Set the Capture/Log

button to Capture.

Enter a base clip name to prefix all captured clips.

Click each of these buttons to specify audio and video settings: format, quality, and input signals.

Capturing from Tape

12. On the transport controls in the Capture Tool, click the Play button to play the source material.

Play

Mark Out

Position indicator timecode

In timecode

Mark In

Duration timecode

Out timecode

13. Click the Mark In button at the point at which you want to start the capture.

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

14. Play or shuttle the tape to advance to the point at which 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.

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.

15. Click the Start Capture button. As the material is captured, clips appear in the selected bin according

to the in and out times that you specified.

16. If any problems are detected during capture, the Capture Error Log is displayed.

For more information, see “Logging and Capturing Material” and “Capture

Tool” in the Help.

Capturing Material

Capturing from File

Avid DS Nitris lets you capture many kinds of material from file. You can capture still graphics files, animated graphics files, audio files, and more. To capture from file, you use the Avid Explorer.

Changing Bin Views

There are several bin views to help you locate clips for your sequence. The tools at the bottom of the bin let you change the way the contents of the bin are displayed.

Details view displays

clips as a list with details.

Large Icons view displays clips as large icons.

List view displays clips as a list without details.

Bin list lets you select

a customized view.

Script view displays both pictorial icons and clip information.

For more information, see “Working with Bins” on page 39 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Identifying File Types

Each file in a bin is identified by an icon. Because a bin displays the same files as your workstation, you see the same icons that appear in your Windows Explorer.

Files that are specific to Avid DS Nitris display a generic icon when viewed in the Windows Explorer.

Thumbnail view displays clips with pictorial icons.

Capturing from File

Avid DS Nitris media files have their own icons, which appear on or beside clips in a bin. When an icon is highlighted in red, it means that Avid DS Nitris could not find any media associated with a clip. This clip must be recaptured before you can work with it.

Icon File Type Icon File Type

Audio clip Background or composite

container clip

Video clip Sequence

Combined audio and video clip Still image

Audio container clip Linked still image

Capturing Material

Logging and Capturing from File

As with capturing material from tape, you can log the material without capturing, or log and capture at the same time. Before you capture the files, you need to specify the capture settings.

To log and capture from file:

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

Set the video quality at

which you will capture your material. By default, these settings match the sequence preferences.

Click the Help button

for more information on the settings.

Select the storage

folder for the media.

Now use Avid Explorer to capture the files.

Set the audio quality.

Select the storage

folder for the audio media.

Select a bin to hold the

master clips.

Specify settings for

capture from graphics files (still images, mattes, etc.).

Click each button to show

both panels.

Right-click and set the view

of the first panel to My System and the second

panel to MyProject.

Capturing from File

In the Avid

Explorer, navigate to the folder where the files you want to capture are located.

Double-click the

folder to display the files in a bin.

Select the files that you want to capture.

Right-click a selected file and

select Capture.

As the files are captured, clips appear in the target bin.

Capturing Material

Chapter 3

Conforming

Avid DS Nitris provides you with the tools you need to finish projects that were created on other Avid editing systems, such as Media Composer You can use one of several file formats to transfer the sequence or project, and create logged clips. Then you can recapture the clips in uncompressed or HD format and you’re ready to add the final touches to complete the project.

Conforming

Methods for Conforming

Conforming is the process of bringing a project from an offline environment into Avid DS Nitris, so you can continue the editing process. Avid DS Nitris supports a variety of conforming file formats, from EDLs to AFEs.

Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) have long been the standard for conforming an offline session. An EDL is a detailed list of the edits contained in a sequence, including all the timecode and supported effects information. EDLs work well, but they are limited to the amount of effects information that can be transferred.

Open Media Framework

(OMF) was developed to allow users to

transfer edit information, as well as many effects from the offline to the online session. Although OMF is more powerful than EDLs, it still has some limitations.

As a result, a new format was developed called Advanced Authoring Format (AAF). AAF was built on the strengths of the OMF format and was designed to avoid a lot of the current limitations. Avid DS Nitris supports the AAF format for conforming single clips or sequences. Avid File Exchange (AFE) files expand AAF technology to let you recreate complete projects with edit information, effects information, bin information, and the possibility of linking directly to the media captured during the offline session.

For the latest information on the conform process, such as which versions of Avid editing products are supported and the level of support for effects and titles, see “Main Topics: Conforming AAF and AFE Files” or “Main

Topics: Conforming OMF, EDL, and ALE Files” in the Help or the

Avid DS Nitris Conform Guide. The Avid DS Nitris Conform Guide is available on the Avid DS Nitris Customer Support website and the Avid Knowledge Center.

Conforming with AFE Files

Projects offlined on an Avid editing system, such as Media Composer, can be totally recreated in Avid DS Nitris using the AFE file format. After exporting your Media Composer project as an AFE file, you can drag the clips or sequences directly onto the Avid DS Nitris timeline. AFEs bring over a wide variety of effects. If your original media is stored on a shared storage device, such as an Avid Unity Avid DS Nitris links directly to the media, so that you have immediate real-time playback.

Conforming with AFE Files

™

MediaNetwork system,

Avid DS Nitris can only link to the source media in the original project. Any clips with effects will have to be processed again.

Creating AFE Files

The first step is creating an AFE file. You can create AFE files directly from some, but not all, Avid editing products. An alternative approach is to use Avid MediaLog

To transfer a project and create an AFE file:

1. On the Avid editing system, copy the project folder to a diskette, a CD-

2. Copy the project folder to the \Program Files\MediaLog\Avid Projects

3. Open MediaLog.

™

, which is shipped with your Avid DS Nitris system.

ROM, or a network location.

folder on your Avid DS Nitris system. The exact location of the folder depends on how MediaLog was

installed.

The Select Project and User dialog box opens.

Conforming

Directory list

4. If your user name is not listed, create a new user by clicking the New User button. Enter the name of the user and click OK.

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

The project opens.

Project window

Bins

6. To create a file that includes all bins in a project, click the Project window and select File > Export.

Conforming with AFE Files

The Export Project As dialog box opens.

7. Select a location, name the file, and click the Save button.

MediaLog creates an AFE file.

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.

Importing AFE Files

The next step is to import the AFE file.

To import an AFE file:

1. Use the Avid Explorer to navigate to the AFE file. The AFE file appears in a bin.

2. Double-click the AFE file. The imported bins are displayed in the AAF/AFE view.

Conforming

AAF/AFE settings

Imported bins

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

Avid master clip

Avid sequence

For more information, see “Exporting AFE Files” and “AAF/AFE View” in the Help.

Re-creating the Sequence

The next step is to re-create the offline sequence in Avid DS Nitris by dragging it to the timeline. You have the option of creating master clips at the same time.

Conforming with AFE Files

To re-create a sequence and master clips:

1. (Option) In the AAF/AFE view, select the Create Associated Clips

option and select the folder in which you want to create the clips. Deselect this option if you have already created master clips and you

want to avoid creating a duplicate set. Duplicate clips are indicated by 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. (Option) To create linked clips, select Create Linked Clips for File Sources.

4. Open a project and create a new sequence.

5. Drag the Avid sequence from the AAF/AFE view 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. 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.

6. To view the AAF/AFE conform log, click Ye s . The AAF/AFE Conform Log window displays information about how

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

When the conform is complete, the sequence, its clips, titles, and supported effects are re-created on the timeline. If you chose to create associated master clips, they are created in the location you specified.

If you are sharing media, the clips are automatically linked. If you need to recapture media, you can recapture from the

timeline—see “Batch Capturing” in the Help. If you chose to create associated master clips, empty master clips are created in the folder that you specified. You can then recapture media from Avid Explorer.

Conforming

After recapturing the media, you can prepare your sequence for final output by refining edits, performing color correction, adding special effects, and so on.

Chapter 4

Getting Ready to Edit

Before starting an editing session, you need to understand how to organize and manipulate your clips.

Chapter 4 Getting Ready to Edit

Editing Layout

The Editing layout is where you perform most editing tasks. Once you place clips on the timeline, you can apply transitions and effects, trim, move, slide, slip, and synchronize clips.

The Editing layout consists of the Source and Record viewers, transport controls, and timeline. The buttons in the view switcher let you access the Avid Explorer and the Mixer, Animation Editor, and Sequence views.

To access the Editing layout:

t If you are not in the Editing layout, click the Editing button in the

taskbar.

Taskbar lets you switch between layouts.

Avid Explorer is a management tool that lets you explore and organize clips, sequences, and custom effects.

NLE Tools toolbar lets you perform general editing tasks, apply transitions and effects, find and add locators, navigate the timeline, work with container clips and reference clips, and process and purge material from the timeline.

Editing Layout

Source Viewer displays the current source clip.

Timeline navigation bar lets you pan the timeline, zoom in and out on the timeline, step into and out of container clips, switch between the Source and Record timelines, select Source/Record, Color Correction, Trim, or Slip/Slide modes.

Record Viewer displays the frame of the sequence at the current location of the position indicator.

Transport controls let you mark in/out-points, add locators, and control playback of sequences.

Timeline lets you build and edit a sequence.

Status bar displays the timecode of selected objects on the timeline and provides status, warning, error, toolbar, and active command information, as well as the global animation controls.

Chapter 4 Getting Ready to Edit

Previewing Clips

The Source viewer lets you view and mark source clips before including them in your sequence. With a clip loaded in the Source viewer, you can review the clip to find and mark the footage you want to use in your sequence. You can move through the clip using the navigation keys on the keyboard or using the transport controls below the Source viewer.

To preview clips:

1. Drag a source clip from a bin to the Source viewer.

2. Press the space bar to begin playing the clip.

3. To stop playback, press the space bar again.

Tip: Go to the start of the clip or sequence by pressing the Home key.

Using J-K-L Keys for Three-Button Play

The J-K-L keys on the keyboard let you play, step, and shuttle through footage at varying speeds. This feature, also referred to as three-button or variable-speed play, lets you use three fingers to manipulate the speed of playback for greater control.

To shuttle through the footage using the J-K-L keys on the keyboard:

1. Do one of the following:

t Load a clip or sequence into the Source viewer. t Select a clip in a bin in Large Icons view.

2. Use the following keys to shuttle at varying speeds: t Press the L key to move forward through the footage at normal

speed.

Press the L key To play footage at NTSC rate PAL rate 24p rate

2 times 2x normal speed 60 fps 50 fps 48 fps

Press the L key To play footage at NTSC rate PAL rate 24p rate

3 times 3x normal speed 90 fps 75 fps 72 fps

4 times 5x normal speed 150 fps 125 fps 120 fps

5 times 8x normal speed 240 fps 200 fps 192 fps

t Press the J key to move backward at the same shuttle speed

increments.

t Hold down the K+L keys for slow forward. t Hold down the K+J keys for slow backward.

3. To pause the shuttling, press the K key or press the space bar.

Using the Transport Controls for Previewing Clips

You can use the Step buttons under the viewer to play the clip backward or forward in 1-frame or 10-frame increments.

Previewing Clips

1 frame backward

10 frames backward

1 frame forward

10 frames forward

You can also use the Home, End, and arrow keys on the keyboard to move through footage when a clip is loaded in a viewer.

• The Home key takes you to the beginning of a clip or sequence.

• The End key takes you to the end of a sequence.

• The Left Arrow key moves the footage one frame backward.

• The Right Arrow key moves the footage one frame forward.

For more information, see “Transport Controls” in the Help.

Chapter 4 Getting Ready to Edit

Marking In and Out-Points

You can mark in and out-points for your clips in advance, which provides several advantages:

• You can quickly build a sequence by splicing the marked clips into place one after another.

• You can use the process of rough-cut or storyboard editing, which allows you to instantly splice several prepared clips into a sequence—see “Placing Multiple Clips on the Timeline” on page 112 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

• You can play back and mark clips in the bin before loading a single clip, saving several steps.

Even if your marks are not accurate now, the Avid system allows you to trim the edit points and fine-tune the sequence later without re-editing the material.

Position bar

In-point

In timecode

To mark a clip for use in your sequence:

Out-point

Mark In

Mark Out

Position indicator (green)

Position timecodeDuration timecodeOut timecode

1. Drag a clip from a bin to the Source viewer.

2. Move the position indicator to the desired in-point.

3. Click the Mark In button.

4. Move the position indicator to the desired out-point by entering the timecode in the P (position) box.

5. Click the Mark Out button.

Creating Subclips

When you mark footage with in-points and out-points, you can either save the entire clip along with the new marks, or you can create subclips based on the marks you set. Subclips break up longer master clips into smaller segments of selected footage.

Unlike master clips, subclips do not directly reference the original media. Subclips remain linked to the master clips from which they were created, and the master clips, in turn, reference the digitized media files located on your storage drives. As a result, none of the original footage is lost.

Instead of placing the marked clip on the timeline, you can first create a subclip from it. This leaves the original clip untouched, while a copy of the original clip with new in and out-points is saved in a bin.

Previewing Clips

An in-point and out-point appear in the position bar. If you need to adjust these points, drag them to a new location.

Subclips are usually saved in the project’s root folder, but you can change the location.

Update Thumbnail

Create Subclip

To create a subclip:

Tip: Before creating a subclip, you may want to place the subclip you’re about to create in a different bin. To do this, click the Capture Settings button in the Avid Explorer toolbar. In the Capture Settings dialog box that opens, change the Capture Target (Media Capture section) settings.

Chapter 4 Getting Ready to Edit

1. After you have previewed a clip in the Source viewer and marked the in and out-points, click the Create Subclip button.

2. In the Create Subclip dialog box, type a name for the subclip.

You can use the default name, which is the parent clip name appended with a number, such as RealClip - 001.

3. Click OK. The new clip is created and saved in the bin specified in the Capture

Target setting.

The source clip maintains its original in and out-points.

For more information, see “Media Capture Settings” in the Help.

To change the thumbnail frame of the subclip displayed in the bin:

1. Drag the subclip to the Source viewer.

2. Move the position indicator to the frame you want to display as the thumbnail frame.

3. Click the Update Thumbnail button to change the thumbnail frame of the subclip.

Chapter 5

Creating a First Cut

There are several ways to build a sequence. This chapter describes how to drag clips to the timeline to create a sequence.

Chapter 5 Creating a First Cut

The Timeline

The timeline is where you place and edit clips to build your sequence. The timeline displays all the elements that make up your sequence, such as video and audio clips, transitions and effects.

For descriptions of the various timeline components, see “Timeline” in the Help.

Tra cks contain the components of the

sequence.

In-point indicates the

starting point when adding

source clips to a sequence.

Out-point indicates the

ending point when adding

source clips to a sequence.

Position indicator

shows your place in the sequence.

Clip indicates the location of a clip in the sequence.

Edit point lets you trim the end of a clip.

Activeness bar indicates the

sections of the clip that can be

used in the final output.

Navigating in the Timeline

The timeline provides various controls for quickly moving through a sequence and adjusting your view of details displayed in the tracks while editing.

The position indicator (the vertical blue line) in the timeline marks your place in the sequence. It also determines how some of your commands are interpreted. For example, when you perform an edit, the system takes the location of the position indicator as the in-point in the absence of established marks.

The Record viewer displays the frame of the sequence on which the position indicator is located.

Using the Scale Bar and Scroll Bar

Depending on the length of your sequence, you might not be able to see the entire sequence on your timeline. You can pan the timeline, or zoom in and out to view the entire timeline.

Selecting Objects on the Timeline

Scale bar lets you zoom in and out around the position indicator on the timeline.

Timeline scroll bar functions like any standard scroll bar. Click the arrows or drag the scroll bar to pan back and forth along the timeline.

Selecting Objects on the Timeline

By selecting objects on the timeline, you can move clips to different tracks, view the properties of a clip, and select a region of a track. The objects you can select include: clips, effect bars, edit points, regions, markers, and more.

Before you can select anything from the timeline, you must be in Selection mode.

To turn on the Selection mode:

t On the timeline navigation bar, click the Selection Mode button.

The button is highlighted to indicate that you’re in Selection mode.

Chapter 5 Creating a First Cut

Marking In and Out-Points on the Timeline

In-points and out-points let you mark points on the timeline, where you can insert clips, or replace or overwrite existing clips.

When you create a new sequence, an in-point is automatically placed at the beginning of the timeline. If you want to place the clip at a specific timecode, you can mark the in-point on the timeline where you want to place the clip. After you place a clip at this in-point, the in-point moves to the last frame of the clip, ready for you to place the next clip in the sequence.

You can change the position of the in-point or out-point by dragging it along the timeline ribbon. For more information, see “Timeline Ribbon” in the Help.

To mark an in-point or out-point on the timeline:

1. Move the position indicator to the frame on which you want to place an in-point or an out-point.

2. Click the Mark In or Mark Out button below the Record viewer. The position indicator moves to the location where you want to place

the in-point or out-point. An in-point or out-point marker is displayed on the timeline ribbon and in the position bar below the viewer.

Placing Clips on the Timeline

You can build a rough cut of your sequence by dragging source clips on the timeline. As you place clips on the timeline, the tracks stretch to accommodate the clips. However, if you activate Ripple mode on the timeline, then clips are inserted at the timecode where they are dropped. Existing clips move down the timeline to accommodate the inserted clip.

You can only place video clips on video or background tracks, and audio clips on audio tracks.

For more information, see “Creating Sequences” on page 96 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Dragging and Dropping Clips

An easy way to place clips on the timeline is to simply drag one or more clips from the Avid Explorer and drop them on a track in the timeline.

To drag and drop a clip to the timeline:

1. From the Avid Explorer, select a clip. To select additional clips, press Ctrl and click the clips you want to select.

2. Drag the clip(s) to a track on the timeline and drop the clips in place.

Name of clip

Placing Clips on the Timeline

Clips placed on the timeline

Inserting Clips

Activeness bar

Edit point

After you’ve previewed and edited your source clip in the Source viewer, you can insert it on the timeline between other clips.

To insert a clip:

1. Mark an in-point at the timecode where you want to place your clip.

2. Click the Insert Clip button to place the clip at the in-point. The clip is inserted on the timeline at the in-point that you set.

Chapter 5 Creating a First Cut

Inserted clip

Subsequent clip moves forward to accomodate the inserted clip.

Tip: To undo an insert or any other operation on the timeline, press Ctrl+Z.

The main Ripple button is deactivated by default. For more information, see “Rippling Clips” on page 201 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Overwriting Clips

Overwriting is a way to place clips on the timeline and overwrite a portion of an existing clip on the timeline.

To overwrite a clip on the timeline:

1. Mark an in-point at the timecode where you want to place your clip.

2. Click the Overwrite Clip to place the clip at the in-point and

overwrite any existing clips over the section that it covers.

Inserted clip overwrites subsequent section of the clip.

Replacing Clips

Placing Clips on the Timeline

Replacing is a way to place a clip on the timeline and delete a selected clip at the same time.

To replace a clip on the timeline:

1. On the timeline navigation bar, make sure you’re in the Selection mode. The Selection mode button on the timeline navigation bar should be highlighted.

2. Select a clip on the timeline.

3. Click the Replace Clip button to overwrite the selected clip with the one that is currently in the Source viewer.

Chapter 5 Creating a First Cut

Chapter 6

Refining the Edit

After you create a rough sequence in the timeline, you can refine your edits. Refining edits sharpens the look of your sequence and improves the relationship between pictures and sound. This chapter describes how you can rearrange, overwrite, and remove selected material in the sequence. You can also trim the edit points between clips to fine-tune transitions.

Chapter 6 Refining the Edit

Rearranging Clips

You can select and move clips on the timeline, as well as move clips separately or together, on one track or across tracks.

You can select several clips in a sequence before you move or remove them.

Select a track.

Select a clip.

A red border surrounds the clip.

Click the Selection Mode button to

select objects on the timeline.

Ctrl-click other clips you

want to select.

Drag the clip to a new position.

You can drag clips along the same track to move them to a different point in time.

You can also drag clips from one track to another. When you move a clip to a new location, blank space or silence remains in the previous position. If Ripple mode is active on the track before you move the clip, then the selected clip is removed from its previous position and the gap is closed.

Synchronized video and audio clips always move together. If you need to move them independently, you must unlock them first. For more information, see “Synchronizing Clips” on page 206 in the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Removing Clips from the Timeline

You can remove any clip on the timeline. The master clip in the bin and its media are not affected.

To remove a clip:

t Select one or more clips and press Delete.

The clip(s) are removed from the timeline.

Copying Clips

You can easily copy clips on the timeline. When you copy a clip, you do not duplicate the media stored on disk. Both clips refer to the original media.

Rearranging Clips

You can use the standard cut (Ctrl+X), copy (Ctrl+C), and paste (Ctrl+V) shortcuts in Avid DS Nitris.

To copy a clip:

1. On the timeline navigation bar, click the Selection Mode button.

2. Select one or more clips to copy.

3. Right-click one of the selected clips and select Copy Clip.

4. Right-click anywhere on the track and select Paste Clip. A copy of the clip appears at the selected point. The name of the copy

is prefixed by “Copy of...”.

Tip: If you want to copy it to a different track, click the Track button.

Chapter 6 Refining the Edit

Trimming Clips

Trimming is the process of fine-tuning the move from one clip to another. Each clip has elements that you can select and edit: the trim handles and the edit points. Edit points are located at the ends of the activeness bar of a clip, or where it transitions to another clip.

There are two ways to trim clips: by directly manipulating the clips on the timeline or by using the Trim mode.

To trim on the timeline:

t Click an edit point on the timeline, and drag left or right.

Using Trim Mode

Trim mode provides a close-up view of a clip, so that you can trim the clip on a frame-by-frame basis. The results are the same as if you were dragging the clip’s trim handles or edit points on the timeline, except that you are given more tools to work with in the Trim mode.

Trim-out handle

Changes the outgoing

frame on clip A

Trim-in handle

Changes the incoming frame on clip B

Activeness bar

Edit points

Changes edit time without moving clips

Trimming Clips

To enter Trim mode:

1. From the timeline navigation bar, click the Trim Mode button. The Source/Record viewers are replaced with the Trim mode and trim

controls. If you did not select an edit point before entering Trim mode, the transition nearest the position indicator is selected for trimming.

Trim Mode

Trim Nudge buttons

Outgoing frame

Transition buttons

Transition Alignment

Frame Offset Counters

Transition Duration Timecode box

Incoming frame

Transport controls

2. To exit the Trim mode, click the Trim Mode button.

To select a transition for trimming, do one of the following:

t Click the Incoming or Outgoing frame in a viewer. t Click between the incoming and outgoing views to trim an edit point.

A red border around the viewer indicates that it is active.

To review the most recent trim edit or play the selected transition:

t Click the Play Preview button.

A playback loop begins playing in the Incoming Frames viewer. This loop begins at a preroll point before the transition and ends at a postroll point, pausing briefly before beginning playback again.

Chapter 6 Refining the Edit

For more information, see “Understanding Trim Mode” on page 225 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Using Ripple Mode When Trimming Clips

The Ripple mode lets you change the recording timecode when trimming clips. However, when trimming a clip with the trim handles, you may want to preserve the integrity of edit points on other clips. To do this, you must deactivate the Ripple mode on the timeline.

Click the Ripple button to

active the Ripple mode.

Drag the trim handle

to the right or left to trim the clip.

Select the edit point on

the clip that you want to trim.

The trim handle can only be moved as far as there is extra material available on the clip.

The following illustrations show how clips are affected when you trim an in-point with and without the Ripple mode.

Trimming an in-point to the left

Ripple mode on

Before

Trimming Clips

Trimming to the left

After

Ripple mode off

Before

After

The following clip(s) ripple

Trimming to the left

Edit point remains fixed on timeline

For more information, see “Rippling Clips” on page 201 and “Trimming

with the Trim Handles” on page 239 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Chapter 6 Refining the Edit

Chapter 7

Working with Effects

Avid DS Nitris offers a wide variety of effects that you can apply to your media. This chapter describes the Effects layout, the effects library, and the different tools used to apply effects.

Working with Effects

The Effects Library

The term effect refers to a range of filters, DVEs, keyers, and transitions. Each effect has several properties that allow for unlimited variations. You can save custom property settings as presets and use them on other projects.

The 3D DVE and tree effects are not available in Avid DS Nitris Editor.

The effects are grouped into these categories:

Effect categories Description

3D DVE Effects that let you create 2D and 3D titles, as well

as 3D DVEs. You can apply these effects to clips, tracks, or trees.

Audio Effects that let you adjust the output signal of your

audio clip. You can apply these effects to audio clips, tracks, or mixer strips.

DVE Effects that are either a transition from one clip to

another clip, or a 3D transformation between layers in a composite. You can apply these effects to clips, tracks, layers, or trees.

Image filters Effects with single inputs that encompass a wide

variety of effects that you can apply to video clips, tracks, layers, and trees. These include blur, fadein, fade-out, and noise, to name a few.

Image transition Effects with two inputs that let you transition from

one clip to another. For example dissolve, wipe, fade, DVE, or crossfade effect. You can apply these effects between two clips or to trees.

Effect Bar Colors

When you apply an effect, an effect bar appears on the timeline in various colors depending on the type of effect. This makes it easy to identify the different types of effects on the timeline.

Color Effect

Blue Keyer

Green Edge and Blur

Light blue Fade

Gray Default Color Correction

Light green Color Correction

Orange AVX Host

The Effects Library

Purple Graphics

Red Image and audio

Yellow DVE and Picture-in-Picture

Working with Effects

Applying Effects

Avid DS Nitris provides tools for applying a variety of image and audio effects. You can apply effects on clips, tracks, or the timeline, as well as on layers in the Compositing layout.

All effects applied on the timeline are based on what you’ve currently selected. They are represented by an effect bar over the affected element. There are five types of effects: clip, track, timeline, transitions, and source generators.

Timeline effect

Clip effectsSource generated Transition effect

Clip effects

In some cases, you must process an effect to play it in real time. When the Process button on the timeline turns red, it means that one or more effects on a section of the timeline require processing. The region that requires processing is also highlighted on the timeline ribbon. For more information, see “Processing” on page 118.

Another way to apply effects is by switching to the Effects layout to start an Effects session. Before you can do this, you must have material on the timeline to access the Effects layout. For more information, see “The

Effects Layout” on page 87.

Track effect

Before you can apply effects on the timeline, you must be in Selection mode. On the timeline navigation bar, click the Selection Mode button.

Applying Effects to Clips

Effects applied to individual clips are called clip effects. They are attached to the clip so when you move or edit it, the effects travel with it. For

example, you can apply a color correction (as a clip effect) to a shot of an actor as he walks outdoors, matching the colors between the shots.

A clip effect is useful when you want to apply the effect only on the one clip on the timeline.

You can apply an unlimited number of clip effects to a clip; this is called a stack of effects. It lets you build complex effects by editing and stacking

simple effects. As effects are added, effect bars are placed on top of one another. The effect at the bottom is processed first, followed by each effect directly above it.

To apply a clip effect:

1. From the timeline, select a clip. To select additional clips, hold down the Ctrl key and select more clips.

Applying Effects

2. Do one of the following:

t From the toolbar, click Video Effects > effect. t Drag an effect from a toolbar to the selected clip(s). t Drag an effect from the Avid Explorer to the selected clip(s). t Right-click one of the selected clips and select Add Clip Effect. In

the Load Preset dialog box, browse through the folders and select an effect.

The effect is applied to each clip and a colored effect bar is displayed over the entire length of each clip. The effect’s property editor is displayed for you to make any adjustments.

Working with Effects

Applying Effects to Tracks

Effects applied to tracks such as the timeline, background, video and audio tracks are known as track effects. You can apply track effects to one or

more tracks or to a selected region which can be empty or contain one or more clips. Track effects are useful when you want to apply the same effect

to several clips on the same track.

Similar to clip effects, you can apply an unlimited number of track effects to a track or a stack of effects, which lets you build complex effects.

To apply a track effect to a region:

1. On a track, drag to select a region.

2. Do one of the following:

t From the toolbar, click Video Effects > effect. t Drag an effect from a toolbar to the selected region. t Drag an effect from the Avid Explorer to the selected region.

t Right-click the upper area of the track and select Add Track

Effect.

In the Load Preset dialog box, browse through the folders and select an effect.

Upper area of track

The effect is applied to the selected region, a colored effect bar appears in the selected region, and the effect’s property editor is displayed for you to make any adjustments.

Applying Effects to the Timeline Effect Track

The timeline effect track is a track on which you can only apply track effects. When you apply an effect to the timeline effect track, it modifies the clips on all the tracks below it. This lets you, for example, place a graphics effect (such as a title) on the timeline effect track, so that it will be displayed over the resulting video sequence.

To apply an effect on the timeline effect track:

1. On the timeline effect track, drag to select a region.

Region highlighted for effect

Timeline effect track

Applying Effects

2. Do one of the following:

t From the toolbar, click Video Effects > effect. t Drag an effect from a toolbar to the selected region. t Drag an effect from the Avid Explorer to the selected region. t Right-click the timeline effect track and select Add Timeline

Effect. In the Load Preset dialog box, browse through the folders and select an effect.

The effect is applied to the selected region. The effect’s property editor is displayed for you to make any adjustments.

Working with Effects

Effect bar

Tip: If you want the effect to move with the clips below it, click the Ripple button on the timeline effect track. For more information, see “Rippling

Clips” on page 201 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

Applying Transition Effects

Transitions effects include dissolves, wipes, fades, DVEs, or cuts that you can apply to or between clips on the timeline. You can apply transitions to the beginning or end of a single clip, or between two clips. For more information, see “Applying Transitions” on page 262 of the Avid DS Nitris Editing Guide.

To apply transition effects between clips:

1. On the timeline navigation bar, click the Selection Mode button.

2. Select the edit point between the two clips.

3. From the toolbar, select Transition Effects > Dissolve/Crossfade, Wipe, or DVE.

The transition’s property editor opens.

Applying Effects

The edit point can be set at the start, end, or center of the transition. You can also change the type of transition that you’ve applied. All these options are available in the property editor.

After a transition is applied between two clips, it is automatically shown as a gradient on the activeness bar.

Creating Clips with Source Generator Effects

You can create new clips based on a selected region of a track. When you create a new clip, you can choose from a list of effects (called source generator effects), such as the Solid Color or Wood Grain effect, to use as the background. These types of clip are useful as the background for a compositing session or to create a fade-to-color transition.

To create a clip with effects:

1. On a track, drag to select a region.

2. From the toolbar, click Generate > Source Generator Clip.

3. Browse through the folders and select an effect.

Working with Effects

A clip is created on the track and given the name of the effect, which is appended with the term “Generated”. The effect’s property editor is displayed for you to make any adjustments.

Applying Audio Effects

You can apply audio effects on clips or tracks on the timeline, or on the mixer input strips.

The results of any effects applied to the audio clips on the timeline are fed into the mixer strips, where you can add additional effects on the input strips before the signals are mixed for output.

To apply an audio effect:

A clip created using the Marble effect

1. Select a clip, track, or a region of a track.

2. Do one of the following:

t From the toolbar, click Audio Effects > effect. t Drag an effect from a toolbar to the selected region, clip, or track. t Drag an effect from the Avid Explorer to the selected region, clip,

or track.

The effect is applied to the selected region, clip, or track, a colored effect bar appears in the selected region, clip, or track and the effect’s property editor is displayed for you to make any adjustments.

You can also apply audio time effects and audio transition effects using the same method. In the Avid Explorer, open the Audio Time Effects and Audio Transition Effects folders for a list of available effects.

Applying a Strip Effect

When you add an effect to a mixer input strip, the effect is applied to an entire audio track. There are two ways to apply an effect to a mixer input strip. You can use the Load Preset dialog box to browse through folders, or you can drag and drop effects from a toolbar.

To add an effect to a mixer input strip using the Load Preset dialog box:

1. From the view switcher, click the Mixer button.

2. Right-click the effects box and select Add Effect.

Applying Effects

Effects box

The Load Preset dialog box is displayed.

3. Browse through the folders and select an effect. The effect is applied to the strip and displayed in the effects box.

To add an effect to a mixer input strip using a toolbar:

1. From the view switcher, click the Mixer button.

2. From a toolbar, drag and drop an audio effect or preset to the mixer effects box.

The effect is applied to the strip and displayed in the effects box.

Working with Effects

The Effects Layout

The Effects layout provides an efficient way of working with video effects, such as the color correction effects. The Effects layout consists of the viewers, the large property editor for the effect, and the timeline.

Taskbar

Avid Explorer lets you explore and organize clips, sequences, and custom effects within a hierarchy of folders.

View switchers let you access different toolsets or views.

Effects button

By default, Viewers display three consecutive clips on the timeline at the location of the position indicator.

The Effects Layout

Large property editor lets you adjust the properties of the selected effect.

Timeline is where you place, edit, and apply effects.

Working with Effects

To access the Effects layout:

t From the taskbar, click the Effects button.

By default, the Color Correction effect with its large property editor is displayed.

A gray effect bar on the timeline indicates that although the Color Correction effect’s property editor is loaded, the effect bar is inactive. When you edit the values on the property editor, the effect bar automatically changes to light green (active).

Gray effect bar indicating that the color correction effect is inactive

Green effect bar indicating that the color correction effect’s properties have been adjusted

Tip: To open a specific effect’s property editor, make sure that you choose the effect bar on the timeline before switching to the Effects layout.

Using the Viewers

By default, the three viewers in the Effects layout let you view up to three consecutive clips on the timeline, making it easy to make a clip-by-clip comparison.

The Effects Layout

1 Frame Backward

10 Frames Backward

10 Frames Forward

1 Frame Forward

The transport controls beneath the viewers let you preview your media in the viewer and play back the clips that you have color corrected.

Source menu

Position indicator

Next Clip Previous Clip Loop

Play

For more information, see “Transport Controls” in the Help.

Configuring the Viewers

By default, the viewer displays images from three adjacent clips on the timeline. The Current monitor displays the clip that the position indicator is on in the timeline. The following illustration shows the default viewer behavior.

Working with Effects

When you move the position indicator to a new clip on the timeline, the Current monitor updates, displaying the clip on which your position indicator is located. The other monitors also update to maintain the relationship between the displayed clips.

The Current viewer refreshes to display the Inside_Cave clip. The Previous viewer now displays the preceding clip, Cave_Call while the Next viewer displays the clip next on the timeline, which in this case is Agent_CloseUp.

You can use the Source menu to configure each monitor to display the clips that you want to see.

To configure the display in a viewer:

t Click the monitor’s Source menu and select an option.

For more information, see the “Configure Viewer Display Menu” in the Help.

Editing Effects

Once you apply an effect to a clip or track, you can manipulate it in many ways. You can copy, move, delete, and trim effects. You can also edit the properties of an effect, save the property settings as a preset or load another effect preset through the effect’s property editor, or apply the effect to certain pixels or channels.

Selecting Effects

After applying effects, you can select the effect bar to edit the effects properties. You can select multiple effect bars on the timeline to simultaneously perform, such functions as trim, cut, copy, paste, or delete.

To select effect bars:

1. Click an effect bar.

Editing Effects

The selected effect becomes highlighted.

2. To select additional effect bar, hold down the Ctrl key and click the effect bars (if an effect was already selected, it becomes deselected).

The selected effect becomes highlighted.

Adjusting Effect Properties

After you’ve applied an effect to a clip or track on the timeline, or on the input strips in the mixer, you can adjust its properties using the effect’s property editor. For more information, see “Property Editors” in the Help.

To edit the properties of a clip, track, or strip effect:

1. Do one of the following:

t On the timeline, right-click an effect and select Effect Properties. t On the mixer strip, double-click an effect in the effects box.

The effect’s property editor is displayed.

2. Adjust the property values as necessary. The adjustments you make are immediately applied to the effect.

Working with Effects

Click the Help button for detailed information on the property pages.

To edit the properties of a generated clip:

Right-click a generated clip and select one of the following:

t Clip Properties to get information on the clip. You can also change

the name of the clip, adjust the level of detail, and add comments.

t <name of effect> Properties to adjust the properties of the effect.

Viewing Effects

You can choose to output selected effects in the viewer. This is particularly useful for seeing how different effects affect the output at different stages of production.

To view effects:

1. Click the Reconnect Viewer button above the Record viewer to turn on the view mode.

The Reconnect Viewer button has a highlight in the background when it is on.

2. Right-click the Reconnect Viewer button and select the output mode. As an example, choose Current Selection from the menu.

3. Place the position indicator at the frame that you want to view.

Editing Effects

4. Select an effect bar above the clip that you are viewing. The viewer displays the results of the effect and any other effects

below it in the stack.

position indicator

selected effect

5. Select another effect in the stack to see a different result.

6. Click the Reconnect Viewer button again to turn off the view mode.

You are not limited to viewing the result of the current timeline in the viewer. When working in containers, you can also select other levels of the timeline and display their output in the viewer. The Reconnect Viewer also allows you to view the output of the parent timeline or top timeline—see

“Reconnect Viewer Menu” in the Help.

Bypassing Effects

At times, you may want to see what your clips look or sound like without some of the effects you’ve applied to it. When you use the reconnect viewer and select an effect in a stack, you also see the results of any effects applied in the stack below. You can choose to bypass any effects under the selected effect.

To bypass a clip or track effect:

t On the timeline, right-click a clip or track effect bar, and select

Before you process your effects, make sure the Bypass option is deselected.

Bypass. The effect bar turns orange, and the effect is ignored when you play the

track.

Working with Effects

Loading Other Effects

After you apply an effect, you can load a default or preset effect from:

t The thumbnail of an effect property editor to the Avid Explorer and

vice versa,

t A toolbar to the Avid Explorer, or t A toolbar to the thumbnail of an effect property editor.

A preset is a customized set of properties for an effect, transition, graphics tool, or attribute. Presets are useful because they save you from having to repeatedly create the same effects or transitions. You can also share presets with your colleagues by e-mailing them.

For example, when you apply an image effect to your clip, such as a blur, its property editor is displayed. From the property editor, you can load a custom blur effect or modify any of its properties, and then save it as a new preset.

Tip: You must load a similar family of effects through the selected effect’s property editor. For example, if you apply a keyer effect to a layer and decide to load another effect through the Blue-Green Keyer property editor, you can only load another type of keyer effect.

To load a preset from an effect’s property editor:

1. On the timeline, apply an effect to your media.

2. From the effect’s property editor, click the Load Preset button.

The Load Preset dialog box is displayed.

3. Browse through the folders and select a preset. The preset is applied to your media, and property editor displays the

settings of the effect.

To load a preset from the Avid Explorer:

1. On the timeline, select a clip or region.

If you do not select a clip or region, the preset will be applied to the length of track on which you place the preset.

Editing Effects

2. In the Avid Explorer, browse through the folders and select a preset.

3. Drag the preset to the timeline. The preset to applied to the clip or region you selected.

To load a preset from a toolbar:

1. On the timeline, select a region.

Saving Effects

You do not need to select a clip in order to apply a preset to it.

2. From the toolbar that contains your preset, drag the preset to a clip on the timeline or the selected region.

The preset is applied to the clip or region.

You can customize the default settings of any Avid DS Nitris effect and save it as your own effect. For example, if you apply a blur effect to a clip, you can change any of the effect’s properties, such as the radius or amount, and then save the new settings. You can save effects in a property editor or to a toolbar.

There are a few different ways to save your favorite effects:

• By saving through an effect property page, using the Save Preset dialog box or

• By dragging the thumbnail from an effect property page to a toolbar or to the Avid Explorer.

To save an effect through the Save Preset dialog box:

1. On the timeline, apply a clip or track effect to your media.

2. From the property editor, click the Save Preset button. The Save Preset dialog box is displayed.

3. Select the folder in which to store this effect.

Tip: You can store the effect in the existing folder or create a folder for your effects.

4. In the File name text box, enter a name for your effect and click OK.

Working with Effects

The new effect is added to the folder.

To save an effect to the Avid Explorer:

1. In the Avid Explorer, open the folder in which you want to save a preset.

2. On the timeline, apply a clip or track effect to your media.

3. From the property editor, drag the effect’s thumbnail to the bin in the Avid Explorer.

Effect’s thumbnail is dragged to a bin.

4. In the Save Preset dialog box, give the preset a name, add some comments, and click OK.

The new effect is added to the folder.

Editing Effects

Tip: You can store the effect in an existing folder or create a folder for your effects.

Saving Effects to a Toolbar

Saving an effect to a toolbar lets you quickly access any effects you use frequently. For more information, see “Using the Toolbars” in the Help.

To save an effect to a toolbar:

1. On the timeline, double-click an effect bar. The effect’s property editor is displayed.

2. Drag the effect’s thumbnail to a toolbar.

Effect’s thumbnail is dragged to a toolbar

3. In the Save Preset As box, enter a preset name and description in the corresponding text boxes.

A toolbar button that represents your preset is created in the toolbar.

Working with Effects

Animating Effects

The ability to animate the properties of an effect lets you control how the properties change over time. From an effect’s property editor, you can animate an effect and access the animation editor, which provides you with precise controls for modifying any animation you create. You can also animate a property of an effect in the property editor.

The animation editor displays an animation graph from which you can add, delete, or modify the function curves of animated properties. Once the animation is created, you can process the clip to view the animated frames in real time. You can adjust the animated properties or remove the animation at any time.

To animate an effect:

1. Use the transport controls to move to the frame on which you want the animation to begin.

2. In the effect’s property editor, adjust the properties to obtain the desired effect.

3. Do one of the following:

- Click the Animation Key button of the property editor to set a

keyframe.

- Click the Animation button of a specific parameter on the property

editor.

Animation

buttons for

each

parameter

Animating Effects

4. Advance the clip to the next frame, make some more adjustments to the effect’s property editor, and set another keyframe.

Tip: Depending on the accuracy you need, you can move frame by frame or set larger intervals between animated points.

5. Continue adding as many keyframes as you need.

6. Right-click the Animation Key button and select Animation Editor. The animation editor displays a function curve for each of the effect’s

animated properties.

Working with Effects

Mix Parameter for Effects

The Mix parameter gives you the ability to blend the result of the effect with the original input or with a color. As the Mix parameter is fully animatable, you can use the animation editor to precisely control or modify the blend.

Mixing Effects to the Input

With mix to input you can control the intensity of the effect. It ranges from 100 (the effect is fully applied) to 0 (the effect is disabled).

Tip: You can avoid processing effects for certain time regions by setting the minimum value to 0 for those areas.

To mix an effect to the input:

1. Apply an effect to a clip.

2. Use the effect’s property editor to edit the clip properties as necessary.

3. On the Masking property page, select Input in the Mix To box.

4. Using the slider, adjust the Amount.

5. If desired, animate the mix by adjusting the curve on the Timing property page.

6. Process the mix.

Mixing Effects to Color

Mixing effects to color lets you fade the result of the effect to any color. It ranges from 100 (only the effect is visible) to 0 (only the color is visible).

To mix an effect to a color:

1. Apply an effect to a clip on the timeline.

2. Use the effect’s property editor to edit the clip properties as necessary.

3. On the Masking property page, select Color from the Mix To box.

4. Click the color swatch.

Mix Parameter for Effects

Color swatch

5. Use the Color Picker and click anywhere on your screen to select a color.

6. If desired, animate the mix.

7. Process the mix.

Working with Effects

100

Pinnacle Systems DS Nitris - 7.0.1 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Getting Started Guide

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

Starting a Project

The Digital Post-Production Process

Logging on to Your Workstation

Starting Avid DS Nitris

Working with Project Files

Creating a New Project

Capturing Material

Capturing Source Material

The Avid Explorer

Creating Bins

Configuring the External Device

Capturing from Tape

Capturing from File

Changing Bin Views

Identifying File Types

Logging and Capturing from File

Conforming

Methods for Conforming

Conforming with AFE Files

Creating AFE Files

Importing AFE Files

Re-creating the Sequence

Getting Ready to Edit

Editing Layout

Previewing Clips

Using J-K-L Keys for Three-Button Play

Using the Transport Controls for Previewing Clips

Marking In and Out-Points

Creating Subclips

Creating a First Cut

The Timeline

Navigating in the Timeline

Using the Scale Bar and Scroll Bar

Selecting Objects on the Timeline

Marking In and Out-Points on the Timeline

Placing Clips on the Timeline

Dragging and Dropping Clips

Inserting Clips

Overwriting Clips

Replacing Clips

Refining the Edit

Rearranging Clips

Removing Clips from the Timeline

Copying Clips

Trimming Clips

Using Trim Mode

Using Ripple Mode When Trimming Clips

Working with Effects

The Effects Library

Effect Bar Colors

Applying Effects

Applying Effects to Clips

Applying Effects to Tracks

Applying Effects to the Timeline Effect Track

Applying Transition Effects

Creating Clips with Source Generator Effects

Applying Audio Effects

The Effects Layout

Using the Viewers