Pinnacle Systems Media Composer Adrenaline HD - 1.0 User’s Guide

Avid® Media Composer

Adrenaline™HD

Input and Output Guide

®

1

Copyright and Disclaimer

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Copyright © 2004 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
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APPLE COMPUTER, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
REGARDING THIS PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ITS
MERCHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE EXCLUSION OF
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OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.

The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of
their TIFF library:

Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler
Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its
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WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED
OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN
CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

Portions of this software are based on work of the Independent JPEG Group.

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

2

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to
derive a source code equivalent of “Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray
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consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use
reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data,
even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such
damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product,
including warranties with respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0
products developed by Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties
under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of
applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win
software and Sample Source Code:

©1993–1998 Altura Software, Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from Ultimatte
Corporation and are subject to copyright protection.

The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:

Certain waveform and vector monitoring capabilities are provided under a license from 3Prong.com Inc.

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
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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, AirSpeed, AniMatte, AudioSuite, AudioVision,
AutoSync, Avid, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, AVIDdrive, AVIDdrive Towers, Avid Mojo, AvidNet,
AvidNetwork, AVIDstripe, 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,
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Image Independence, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, LaunchPad, 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, MissionControl, 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, SpectraMatte, SpectraGraph, Symphony, Trilligent, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video Slave Driver,
VideoSPACE, and Xdeck are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the
United States and/or other countries.

iNEWS, iNEWS ControlAir, and Media Browse are trademarks of iNews, LLC.

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

3

Footage

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

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 Media Composer Adrenaline HD Input and Output Guide• 0130-06754-01 • December
2004

4

Contents

Using This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Who Should Use This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Accessing the Online Library and Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Avid Educational Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 1 Planning a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Types of Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Project Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Working with Mixed-Resolution Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Video and Film Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chapter 2 Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Preparing Log Files for Import. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Converting Log Files with Avid Log Exchange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Using Drag-and-Drop Conversion for Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Compatible Log Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Creating Avid Logs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Applications for Creating Avid Logs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Required Information for Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Creating an Avid Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Transferring Bins from MediaLog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Transferring Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Associating the Bin with Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

5

Double-Checking the Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Importing Shot Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Setting the Pulldown Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Logging Directly into a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Tips for Logging Preroll, Logging Timecode, and Naming Tapes . . . . . 44

Logging with an Avid-Controlled Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Pausing the Deck While Logging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Using a Memory Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Logging with Non-Avid-Controlled Decks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Logging Film Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Displaying Film Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Entering Pulldown Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Determining the Pulldown Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Modifying the Pulldown Phase Before Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Entering Frames-per-Second Rates for PAL Transfers. . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Entering Key Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Entering Additional Timecodes (Option) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Entering the Ink Number (Option) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Entering Additional Film Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Modifying Clip Information Before Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Exporting Shot Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chapter 3 Preparing to Capture Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Preparing the Hardware for Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Getting Information About Striped Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Selecting Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Media Creation Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Setting Drive Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Selecting a Video Resolution and Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Capture Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Capture Settings: General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

6

Selecting the Preroll Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Capturing Across Timecode Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Capture Settings: Media Files Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Capturing to Multiple Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

General Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Transfer Settings for Film Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Configuring Decks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Deck Settings Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Deleting Deck Configuration Elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Setting Deck Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Understanding Drop-Frame Timecode and Non-Drop-Frame Timecode . . . 87

Entering Capture Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Setting Up the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Selecting a Deck in the Capture Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Selecting a Source Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Selecting Source Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Detecting Valid or Locked Capture Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Setting the Video and Audio Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Setting the Pulldown Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Film Project Pulldown and Transfer Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Selecting a Resolution in the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Selecting a Draft Resolution for DV Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Selecting a Format in the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Selecting a Target Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Selecting the Target Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Targeting a Single Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Targeting Separate Drives for Audio and Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Targeting a Drive Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Using the Console Window to Access Network Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Interpreting the Time-Remaining Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

7

Selecting a Custom Preroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Preparing for Audio Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Adjusting Audio Project Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Saving the Audio Project Settings as Site Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Selecting the Audio File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Using the Audio Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Adjusting Audio Input Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Creating Tone Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Using the Passthrough Mix Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Resizing the Passthrough Mix Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Monitoring Audio with the Passthrough Mix Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Changing an Audio Level in the Passthrough Mix Tool . . . . . . . . 111

Adjusting Pan Values in the Passthrough Mix Tool . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Calibrating Input Channels for the Audio I/O Device . . . . . . . . . . 111

Calibrating Output Channels for the Audio I/O Device . . . . . . . . . 112

Using the Console Window to Check Audio Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Preparing for Video Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Using the Factory Preset Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Calibrating Video Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Limitation When Using Consumer Decks or Decks Without

Time-Base Correctors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Saving Video Input Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Saving a Custom Default Setting for the Video Input Tool . . . . . . . . . 123

Adjusting Video Levels for Tapes Without Color Bars. . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Capture Preparations Check List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Chapter 4 Capturing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Before You Begin Capturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Function Keys Available When Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Special Capture Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Logging Errors to the Console Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

8

Creating Subclips While Capturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Adding Locators On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Adding Clip Names and Comments On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Controlling Decks from the Keyboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Mapping the Record Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Capturing DV50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly from a DV Device . . . . 135

Delaying Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Capturing and Logging at the Same Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Capturing from a Mark IN to a Mark OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Setting Both Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Setting Only One Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Capturing On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Autocapturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Capturing from a Non-Avid-Controlled Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Capturing with Time-of-Day Timecode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Live Capture with External Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Capturing to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Patching When Capturing to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Capturing Video Without Pulldown into a 24p NTSC Project . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Batch Capturing from Logged Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Preparing to Batch Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Resizing the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Preparing Settings for Unattended Batch Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Capture Settings: Batch Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Batch Capturing Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Changing Function Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Recapturing Your Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Recapturing Master Clips and Subclips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Recapturing Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Saving Two Versions of a Sequence When Recapturing . . . . . . . 158

9

Using Decompose When Recapturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Recapturing the Sequence Without Using Decompose . . . . . . . . 160

Relinking Clips by Key Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Modifying the Pulldown Phase After Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

DV Scene Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Setting Up DV Scene Extraction Before Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Setting Up DV Scene Extraction After Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Chapter 5 Importing Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Preparing to Import Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Creating and Using Import Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Creating a New Import Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Modifying an Existing Import Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Importing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Using the Drag-and-Drop Method to Import Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Importing Photoshop Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Importing Single-Layer Photoshop Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Importing Multilayered Photoshop Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

10

Understanding Multilayered Graphics Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Importing Multilayered Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Importing Editcam Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Reimporting Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Batch Import Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Starting the Reimport Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Chapter 6 Generating Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Preparing for Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Establishing Sync for Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Selecting Sync for HD Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Using LTC Timecode for Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Video Output Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Calibrating for Video Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Using the Factory Preset Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Basic Video Output Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Advanced Video Output Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Calibrating the System with Passthrough Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Preparing for Audio Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Setting the Calibration Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Calibrating Global Output Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Adjusting Audio Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Preparing Record Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Frame-Accurate Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Recording Bars and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Enabling Assemble-Edit Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Using the Digital Cut Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Selecting a Deck in the Digital Cut Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Using ExpertRender to Prepare Effects for a Digital Cut . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Previewing a Digital Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Remote Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Crash Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Output Mode Resolution Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Output Mode Resolutions with Progressive Projects. . . . . . . . . . . 222

Outputting DV50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly to a DV Device . . 224

Selecting Output and Timecode Formats for 23.976p, 24p, and 25p

Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Selecting Output Formats for 24p and 25p Projects . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Selecting Output Formats for 23.976p Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Selecting the Timecode Format for Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Outputting Drop-Frame and Non-Drop-Frame Timecode

Simultaneously for Downstream Encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Indicating the Destination Timecode Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

11

Performing an Insert Edit with Pulldown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Digital Cuts and Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Changing the Default Pulldown Phase for Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Using DV Digital Cut Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Using EDL Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Using the Matchback Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

How Matchback Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Matchback Limitations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Using FilmScribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Preserving Information in the Vertical Blanking Interval. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Line Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Preserving Vertical Blanking Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Displaying VBI Information and Preserving VBI

Information on Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Editing a Sequence with VBI Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Effects of Preserving Vertical Blanking Information on

Compressed Video Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Comparison with VBI on Meridien Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

12

Chapter 7 Exporting Frames, Clips, or Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Understanding Export. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Preparing to Export a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Exporting Frames, Clips, or Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Using the Drag-and-Drop Method to Export Frames, Clips, or

Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Customizing Export Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Preset Export Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Creating a New Export Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Exporting OMFI and AAF Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Exporting Through OMF Interchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Exporting Through AAF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Selecting an OMFI or an AAF Transfer Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Exporting As an OMFI or an AAF File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Improving Workflow Using Send To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Send To Digidesign Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Send To DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Send To Sorenson Squeeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Send To Avid | DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Send To Third-Party Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Exporting Video in DV Stream Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Exporting QuickTime Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Exporting As a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Selecting QuickTime Movie Format Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Exporting As a QuickTime Reference Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Using Avid Codecs for QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Exporting with Avid QuickTime Codecs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Exporting As an AVI File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

AVI Settings Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Installing the Avid Codecs for QuickTime on Other Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Copying the Avid Codecs for QuickTime to Another

Windows System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Exporting from a Third-Party QuickTime or AVI Application . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Exporting as Windows Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Exporting Using an Avid Supplied Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Exporting Using an Existing Windows Media Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Exporting Using a Custom Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Creating a Custom Video Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Creating a Custom Audio Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Exporting Tracks As Audio Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Exporting As a Graphic File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Appendix A Working with HD Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

High-Definition Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

13

HDTV Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Film-Based Television Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Video-Based Television Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Broadcast Graphics Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Starting an HD Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Capturing HD Video and Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

HD Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

HD Video and Audio Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Video Input Tool for HD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

True 24 FPS Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Playback Modes for HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Video Color Space for HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Changing the Project Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Editing in HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Modifying the Format of a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Mixing SD and HD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

Displaying Formats in a Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

14

Displaying 16:9 HD Video in Monitors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Editing at 60 fps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Transcoding HD Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Video Effects for HD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Setting Video Output for HD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Output Menu (HD Tab) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

HD Crossconvert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

SD Downconvert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Test Patterns for HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

OutputLock for HD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Recording a Digital Cut for HD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Video Import and Export for HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

Tables

Supported Resolutions and Hardware Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Compatible Log Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Film Project Pulldown and Transfer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Audio Tool Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Video Input Tool Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Luminance Settings for Video Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Function Keys Available When Capturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

J-K-L Functions for Deck Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Support for Photoshop Layer Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Support for Photoshop Special Layer Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Output Sync Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Video Format Output Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Luminance Settings for Video Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Output Mode Resolution Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Progressive Project Output Mode Resolution Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

DV50 and DVCPRO HD Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

24p and 25p Project Output Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Audio Play Rates for 24p and 25p Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Audio Play Rates for 23.976p Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Selecting a QuickTime Export Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Supported HDTV Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

HD Online Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

HD Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Avid HD Formats and Other HD Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Offline Formats for HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Choices for Modifying Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Output Sync Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

15

16

Using This Guide

The Avid® Media Composer® Adrenaline™ HD Input and Output Guide
presents information to help you bring material into your Avid system and
send material out. Material for input includes video footage, film footage
transferred to video, graphic images, audio, and other elements you use to
create a sequence. Material for output includes sequences, clips, individual
frames, and audio, either as a work in progress or as a finished piece.

This guide includes information on planning projects, logging information
into bins, capturing footage, and generating output. It also includes
information on importing files, exporting files, and exchanging projects
between systems.

n

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

Who Should Use This Guide

This guide is intended for editors at all levels of experience, particularly video
editors who are unfamiliar with film-originated projects and editors
responsible for the input and output stages of a project.

About This Guide

The Contents lists all topics included in the book. They are presented with the
following overall structure:

• Chapters 1 presents conceptual information to help you plan a project and

understand the film-to-tape transfer process.

Using This Guide

• Chapters 2 through 7 include conceptual information and step-by-step
procedures for all aspects of input and output.

• Appendix A includes information on working with HD media.

• An index at the end of this manual helps you locate the information you
need.

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

n

c

w

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and

t

k This symbol represents the Apple or Command key.

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.

Press and hold the Command key and another key to
perform a keyboard shortcut.

tasks more easily and efficiently.

indicate variables.

18

Courier Bold font

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

Click Quickly press and release the left mouse button

Double-click Click the left mouse button (Windows) or the mouse

Right-click Quickly press and release the right mouse button

Drag Press and hold the left mouse button (Windows) or the

Ctrl+key Press and hold the first key while you press the second

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using your system:

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.

If You Need Help

(Windows) or the mouse button (Macintosh).

button (Macintosh) twice rapidly.

(Windows only).

mouse button (Macintosh) while you move the mouse.

key.

2. Check the ReadMe supplied with your Avid application for the latest
information that might have become available after the hardcopy
documentation was printed. You can access the ReadMe from the Help
menu.

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

4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/onlinesupport. Online
services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Search this
online Knowledge Center to find answers, to view error messages, to
access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read/join online
message-board discussions.

5. For Technical Support, please call 800-800-AVID (800-800-2843).
For Broadcast On-Air Sites and Call Letter Stations, call

800-NEWSDNG (800-639-7364).

19

Using This Guide

Accessing the Online Library and Tutorial

The Avid Media Composer Adrenaline HD Online Library and Tutorial
CD-ROM contains a multimedia tutorial and all the product documentation in

PDF format. Avid recommends the multimedia tutorial as your first resource
for learning how to use your application. You can access the tutorial and the
library from the Online Library and Tutorial CD-ROM or from the Help menu.

The Online Library includes a Master Glossary of all specialized terminology
used in the documentation for Avid products.

n

n

You need Adobe® Reader® installed to view the documentation online. You can
download the latest version of Adobe Reader from the Adobe Web site. The
effects reference guide requires Apple’s QuickTime
QuickTime movies. You can download the latest version of QuickTime from the

®

Web site.To access the online library and tutorial from the CD-ROM:

Apple

1. Insert the Avid Media Composer Adrenaline HD Online Library and
Tutorial CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.

2. Double-click the Mainmenu file.

To access the online library and tutorial from the Help:

1. Insert the Avid Media Composer Adrenaline HD Online Library and
Tutorial CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.

2. In your Avid application, select Help > Online Library & Tutorial.

For the latest product information, see the Avid Knowledge Base:

www.avid.com/onlinesupport

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.

®

application to view the

20

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).

Avid Educational Services

21

Using This Guide

22

Chapter 1

Planning a Project

This chapter gives a brief description of video formats and resolutions
supported by your Avid editing system and other information that can help you
plan your project. This chapter includes the following topics:

• Types of Projects

• Project Resolutions

• Working with Mixed-Resolution Projects

• Video and Film Projects

Types of Projects

When you start a project on your Avid system, you need to decide on a project
type. Select your project type based on your source footage. You can select
one of the following options from the New Project dialog box:

• 24p NTSC: For film-originated footage or other 24-fps footage,

transferred to NTSC videotape

• 23.976p NTSC: For film-originated or other 24-fps footage in which you

want to use digital audio, or for footage which has been shot at 23.976

• 30i NTSC: For NTSC video-originated footage (30 fps)

• 24p PAL: For film-originated footage or other 24-fps footage, transferred

to PAL videotape

• 25i PAL: For PAL video-originated footage (25 fps)

In these options, 23.976p, 24p, and 25p designate 23.976-fps, 24-fps, and 25-
fps progressive media. For these projects, your source footage is captured and
stored as 23.976, 24, or 25 full, discrete frames per second. In the 30i NTSC

Chapter 1 Planning a Project

and 25i PAL options, the i represents interlaced frames played at 30 fps or 25
fps. An interlaced frame consists of two fields, each of which contains one­half the scan lines of the frame. Interlaced frames are standard for NTSC and
PAL video media.

For information on Film Projects, see “Planning a Film Project” in the Help.

Project Resolutions

You must capture media to begin a project. Connect your media device to the
Avid Adrenaline Digital Nonlinear Accelerator (DNA). The Using the Avid
Adrenaline information in the Help identifies all of the connectors on your
Avid Adrenaline DNA. You can use a Media Station XL system or an Avid

™

Xdeck
more information about these products, contact your Avid representative, or
visit the Avid Web site.

Project formats are described as follows:

• An Avid video projects capture and store 30i-fps NTSC or 25i-fps PAL

in an Avid Unity™ MediaNetwork environment to capture media. For

media as digital video that conforms to the ITU-R 601 standard (SDTV or
standard-definition TV).

24

n

• Film projects capture and store 23.976p-fps NTSC or 25p-fps PAL media.
You do your offline editing on an Avid editing system and finishing on a
Symphony

You cannot create 24p or 25p media or multiple output formats from video
footage shot at 30 fps (NTSC) or 25 fps (PAL). The source must be film or HD
(high-definition).

• Digital video (DV) is an international standard created by a consortium of
10 companies to serve as a consumer digital video format. Avid editing
systems support two DV resolutions: DV25 and DV50.

• MPEG 30, MPEG 40, and MPEG 50 are resolutions specifically intended
to support the SMPTE Type D-10 bit stream produced and recorded by
devices such as Sony

or Avid|DS system.

®

MPEG IMX™ VTRs. It uses 4:2:2 sampling.

Project Resolutions

n

With the Media Composer application, there are two ways to capture and
playback. You can capture and playback through the Adrenaline hardware or
you can capture and playback through a separate 1394 card. For additional
information see “Capturing DV50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly from a

DV Device” on page 135.

• 10-bit resolutions are available for Render, Import, Capture,
Consolidate/Transcode, and Video Mixdown.You must be connected to
Adrenaline hardware to capture and play back 10-bit, high quality video.
10-bit is available for both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition
(HD) projects.When working with an HD project, the 10-bit resolution
options depend on the project format.

When working with an SD project, the 10-bit resolution appears as
1:1 10b MXF. The 10-bit resolutions are available in MXF format, not
OMF format.

Resolutions are selectable in the Media Creation dialog box (Capturing, Titles,
Import, Mixdown, Motion Effects, and Render tabs).

Avid editing systems allow you to capture, edit, and play back in the resolution
listed in the following table, except where noted.

Supported Resolutions and Hardware Configurations

Resolution Hardware Configuration

DV25 411 Avid Adrenaline or separate 1394 card

DV25p 411 Avid Adrenaline or separate 1394 card

DV25 420 Avid Adrenaline or separate 1394 card

DV25p 420 Avid Adrenaline or separate 1394 card

DV50 422 Separate 1394 card

DVCPRO HD Separate 1394 card

MPEG 30 (editing and playback only)

MPEG 40 (editing and playback only)

MPEG 50 (editing and playback only)

35:1 Avid Adrenaline

25

Chapter 1 Planning a Project

Supported Resolutions and Hardware Configurations

Resolution Hardware Configuration

28:1 Avid Adrenaline or separate 1394 card

20:1 Avid Adrenaline

14:1 Avid Adrenaline

10:1 Avid Adrenaline

3:1 Avid Adrenaline

2:1 Avid Adrenaline

1:1 (Uncompressed) Avid Adrenaline

10:1m Avid Adrenaline

8:1m Avid Adrenaline

4:1m Avid Adrenaline

3:1m Avid Adrenaline

26

35:1p Avid Adrenaline

28:1p Avid Adrenaline

14:1p Avid Adrenaline

3:1p Avid Adrenaline

2:1p Avid Adrenaline

1:1p Avid Adrenaline

15:1s Avid Adrenaline or separate 1394 card

4:1s Avid Adrenaline

2:1s Avid Adrenaline

1:1 10b MXF Avid Adrenaline

DNxHD 220X - (10 bit)
DNxHD 220 - (8 bit)
DNxHD 145 - (8 bit)

Avid Adrenaline

Working with Mixed-Resolution Projects

Supported Resolutions and Hardware Configurations

Resolution Hardware Configuration

DNxHD 185X - (10 bit)
DNxHD 185 - (8 bit)

DNxHD 175X - (10 bit)
DNxHD 175 - (8 bit)

Avid Adrenaline

Avid Adrenaline

These resolutions appear, along with other Avid resolutions, wherever a list of
resolutions appears (for example, in the Video Resolution pop-up menu of the
Media Creation dialog box). The exact list depends on the project format
(NTSC or a PAL).

For information about input and output, see the following sections:

• “Configuring Decks” on page 80

• “Setting Up the Capture Tool” on page 89

• “Using the Digital Cut Tool” on page 209

Working with Mixed-Resolution Projects

The Avid Media Composer Adrenaline system allows you to work with mixed
resolutions in the same sequence. However, you cannot mix NTSC with PAL.

Avid recommends you do not mix interlaced resolutions with progressive
resolutions. Mixing interlaced resolutions with progressive resolutions might
result in problems with scrolling titles, exporting, and performing Digital
Cuts.

For more information on mixing resolutions, see “Resolutions and Storage” in
the Help.

27

Chapter 1 Planning a Project

Video and Film Projects

Avid systems offer you a flexible approach to finishing your project, whether
it originates as video or film.

For video projects, you can use the offline capabilities of the Avid editing
system and the Total Conform capabilities of the Symphony system to produce
the highest quality, uncompressed broadcast masters.

For film and 24-fps or 25-fps HDTV (high-definition television) projects, you
can use the Avid editing system’s Universal Offline Editing capabilities to
capture footage at 24 fps or 25 fps and edit the content in its native frame rate.
Then use the Symphony system’s film-tape-film-tape (FTFT) and Total
Conform capabilities to finish and deliver uncompressed NTSC, PAL, 4:3,
16:9, and letterbox formats, as well as frame-accurate film cut lists and edit
decision lists (EDLs), all from the same 24p (24-fps progressive) or 25p
media.

28

Chapter 2

Logging

When you import shot log files or log directly into a bin, you provide the Avid
system with frame-accurate clip information used to capture the source
footage. The logs you create form the foundation for organizing, tracking,
storing, retrieving, and generating lists of edit information throughout your
project. The following sections provide techniques for preparing log
information before capturing:

• Preparing Log Files for Import

• Importing Shot Log Files

• Setting the Pulldown Phase

• Logging Directly into a Bin

• Logging Film Information

• Modifying Clip Information Before Capturing

• Exporting Shot Log Files

Preparing Log Files for Import

You can use the ALE utility included with your system to quickly convert shot
log files created by other sources:

The ALE utility allows you to:

• Modify the text in a log file. (Windows only.)

• Convert log files of different formats to ALE files (see “Compatible Log

Formats” on page 35).

• Convert an ALE file to either an ATN or FLX file.

Chapter 2 Logging

Any options you set in the ALE utility are saved each time you close the ALE
utility.

When you are converting an ATN file that contains multiple sections to an
ALE file, multiple ALE files are created. The Avid Log Exchange window
displays only the first ALE file created. The succeeding ALE files are given
the same file name with incremental numbering. For example, the file
Nations1.atn is converted to Nations001.ale, Nations002.ale, Nations003.ale,
and so on. The converted output files are stored in the folder containing the
original input file.

Converting Log Files with Avid Log Exchange

To convert a log file to an ALE file:

1. Click the Start button, and select All Programs >Avid > Avid Log
Exchange.

The Avid Log Exchange window opens.

30

2. Perform one of the following:
t If the log file is a Final Cut Pro, Cinema Tools, or a Tabbed shot log

file, select File > Import and then choose the file type.

t If the log file is another file type, such as .flx or .atn, select File >

Open.

The Open dialog box opens.

3. Double-click the file you want to convert.
The Import Header options box appears.