Pinnacle Systems MediaLog User’s Guide

Avid® MediaLog

User’s Guide

Release 8.0

for the Macintosh® Operating System

a

tools for storytellers™

™

© 1994-1996, 1998-1999 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA.
Avid MediaLog User’s Guide • Part 0130-04038-01 Rev. A • May 1999

2

Contents

Chapter 1 Understanding MediaLog

What Is MediaLog? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How Does MediaLog Work?
What Are the Basic Logging Steps?

Chapter 2 Getting Started

Setting Up the Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Turning On the Hardware
Installing MediaLog Software
Starting the System
About Project Files and Folders

Working with Project Files and Folder s
Creating a New User
Creating a New Project
Choosing Matchback Options
Selecting an Existing Project
Using the Project Window

Displaying Project Bins
Displaying Project Settings
Displaying Project Information
Closing a Project

Working with Bins

Creating a Bin
Closing a Bin
Reopening a Bin

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

3

Removing Bin Names from the Current Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Opening Bins from Other Projects
Retrieving Bin Files from the Attic Folder

Saving Your Work

Saving a Bin
Saving All Bins
Saving a Copy of a Bin
Setting Auto-Save Bin Preferences

Shutting Down

Quitting the MediaLog Application
Backing Up Files
Turning Off the Hardware

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter 3 Logging Source Material

Understanding Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Configuring Decks

Automatic Deck Configuration
Manual Deck Configuration

Deck Configuration Settings
Deleting Deck Configurations
Deck Preferences

Preparing to Log Material

Using the Logging Tool

Naming Your Tapes
Inserting Source Tapes
Selecting Active Tracks
Selecting the Target Bin
Selecting the Source Deck
Identifying the Source Tape

Using the Compression Tool

Logging

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Logging from a Source Tape

Marking and Logging

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

4

Logging While Marking OUT or Marking IN . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Using Go To Buttons
Logging On-the-Fly
Logging with the Deck Offline

Creating Avid Logs
Importing Logs

Importing Standard Log Files
Compatible Logs
Importing Logs to MediaLog Bins
Transferring Bins from Another MediaLog System

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Chapter 4 Working with Clips and Bins

Organizing Clips and Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Viewing Clips in a Bin
Customizing Bin Views

Moving and Rearranging Columns
Aligning Bin Columns
Showing and Hiding Columns
Deleting a Column
Duplicating a Column
Adding Customized Columns to a Bin
Changing a Custom Column Heading
Saving a Custom View
Setting the Bin Font

Renaming Clips
Selecting Clips
Deleting Clips and Sequences
Duplicating Clips
Copying Timecode Information
Displaying Specific Clip Types
Sorting and Sifting Clips and Sequences

Sorting Clips

Sorting a Column

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

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5

Reversing the Sort Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Sorting on Multiple Levels
Sifting Clips

Using Sift Criteria

Showing Sifted and Unsifted Views

Moving or Copying Clips to Other Bins
Modifying Clip Data

Understanding Procedures for Modifying Clips
Using the Modify Command
Modifying Data Directly

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Chapter 5 Creating MediaLog Output

Printing Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Exporting Bins
Transferring Bins to an Avid Editing System

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Appendix A Avid Log Specifications

Global Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Column Headings
Clip Data
Sample Avid Log

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

. . . . . . . . . . . . 92

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Appendix B Regulatory and Safety Notices

FCC Notice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Canadian ICES-003
European Union Notice
Australia and New Zealand EMC Regulations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Index

6

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Tables

Table 2-1 Project Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Table 2-2
Table 2-3
Table 3-1
Table 3-2
Table 4-1
Table 4-2
Table 4-3
Table 4-4
Table A-1
Table A-2
Table A-3

Project Settings Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Project Info Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Deck Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Deck Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Bin Column Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Sample of Sifted Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Bin Columns That Can Be Modified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Modify Command Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Global Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Column Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Clip Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

7

CHAPTER 1

Understanding MediaLog

This chapter explains the MediaLog application and covers the follow­ing topics:

• What Is MediaLog?

• How Does MediaLog Work?

• What Are the Basic Logging Steps?

8

What Is MediaLog?

MediaLog is a tool that helps you select a nd log footage before your
edit session. Although you can log footage with Avid editing system
products, using MediaLog can free up your Avid editing system for
editing rather than for logging footage. After logging shots, you can
use your Avid editing system to digitize and edit the footage. In addi­tion, you can transfer film to National Television Standards Committee
(NTSC) or Phase Alternating Line (PAL) video, use MediaLog to log
the material, and then transfer the logged shots to an Avid video­based editing system for digitizing and editing at 24 frames per second
(fps).

MediaLog is portable; you can install it on a laptop and on most desk­top computers that are running the Macintosh
log clips from a source tape, your computer must be connected to a
deck that uses Sony
control the deck while viewing your source tapes and selecting the
shots for your log. You can also log without a deck and enter the log­ging information by hand.

For each shot that you log, MediaLog saves the start and end time­codes, duration, tracks selected, and tape name.

MediaLog also lets you add new categories of information to your log,
so you can record the sce ne, take, location, o r any other comments that
can help you to identify the footage.

Once you have created a log, the MediaLog Sort command or ders your
shots according to criteria you specify. The Sif t command uses your
criteria to pick out specific footage, such as all the product shots or all
shots from a certain location.

®

serial deck protocol. MediaLog allows you to

®

operating system. To

9

How Does MediaLog Work?

The MediaLog system uses clips, bins, and projects to organize your
work.

MediaLog clips and bins are a lot like their film counterparts. Just as
film editors pull clips from their raw footage and store the clips in bins
for the editing session, MediaLog lets you select shots from your tapes
and store information about the shots in electronic bins.

A clip corresponds to a shot you select from a tape. Clips contain infor­mation about your footage such as the start and end timecodes and the
number of video and audio tracks. Clips are stored in electronic bins,
which have built-in database capabilities to help yo u easily find a spe­cific shot.

Each time you log clips, you open a bin and use Logging tool controls
to play your tapes, mark the shots, and add the clips to the open bin.

Deck and log controls are in the Logging Tool window.

Deck controls

Log controls

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A bin is open while you log clips to it.

Sample bin

If you have a log sheet, you can log clips with out using a deck. You
type the start and end timecodes for each clip, and then add them to
the bin.

MediaLog uses a project file to organize all the work you do on a sin­gle job. You must always create a new project or open an existing
project before you can open a bin and log your shots.

As you work on a project, MediaLog remembers the name of each bin
you open and displays a list of bin nam es in the Project window. The
list is useful for helping you quickly access bins.

Bin names

Sample Project
window

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What Are the Basic Logging Steps?

In each logging session, you should:

1. Start your computer and the MediaLog program.

2. Create a new project or open an existing project.

3. Create a new bin or open an existing bin.

4. Prepare to log:
a. Select video format.
b. Enter Logging mode.
c. Select a source name.

5. Select the tracks you want to log from the tape.

6. Log the clips .

7. Save and organize the bin.

8. Qu it from the MediaLog application and shut down the computer.

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CHAPTER 2

Getting Started

This chapter describes how to set up the hardware and run MediaLog
sessions. This chapter covers the following topics:

• Setting Up the Hardware

• Turning On the Hardware

• Installing MediaLog Software

• Starting the System

• About Project Files and Folders

• Working with Bins

• Saving Your Work

• Shutting Down

n

For information on installing the MediaLog software, see the current
MediaLog release notes.

13

Setting Up the Hardware

This section assumes that your computer is already set up and that it
meets the following requirements:

• Macintosh computer with a monitor and running System 7.0 (or
later) version of the operating system

• At least 4 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM) must
be available to run the application (8 MB or more is preferred
when working with large bins)

n

w

Most Macintosh laptop computers contain significantly less built-in RAM
than Macintosh desktop computers. In addition to the RAM you have allo­cated to the MediaLog application, make sure you have enough RAM to run
the Macintosh operatin g system. For example, if your system contains 8 MB
of RAM, allocating 6 MB to the MediaLog application might not allow the
operating system to function properly.

MediaLog can control a deck with Sony serial deck protocol and a
timecode reader. For the most recent list of compatible videotape
recorders (VTRs), see the Open Me Firs t box supplied with MediaLog
or the Avid Web site, http://www.avid.com. MediaLog controls the
deck through a direct RS-422 serial connection to the modem or printer
port. MediaLog can also control a deck via V-LAN

tions.

Y ou might need a 1/8 -inch flathead scr ewdriver to co nnect the cable to
the deck.

The computer and the deck must be turned off when you are con­necting the serial cable.

To connect the computer and the deck with an RS-422 serial cable:

®

VLXi® connec-

1. Turn off the computer and t he deck.

2. Plug end A of the direct deck control cable into the modem or
serial port at the back of the Macintosh computer.

14

3. Plug end B of the direct deck control cable into the deck’s serial
remote connector; then tighten the connector screws.

Deck

End B to serial
remote connector

Direct deck control cable

Turning On the Hardware

Begin your logging session by turning on the hardware. To avoid dam­age and so that all the attached hardware is detected, turn on the hard­ware in the following order:

1. If you are running MediaLog on a Macintosh with media drives,
turn on each drive.

The green drive lights flicker on, followed by the amber drive
lights. Wait 1 5 to 30 seconds for the drives to spin up before you
turn on the Macintosh system; otherwise, the co mputer will not
communicate with the storage devices successfully.

Macintosh computer

End A to modem
or serial port
connector

w

2. If you will be logging clips by using a deck, turn on th e deck.
Set the REMOTE/LOCAL switch on the deck to REMOTE.

3. Turn on the computer.

Do not disconnect or turn off individual drives while the
computer is on.

You can now install the MediaLog software.

15

Installing MediaLog Software

To install the software:

1. Insert the MediaLog CD-ROM into your computer’s CD-ROM

drive.
The MediaLog Installer CD-ROM window opens.

2. Do uble-click the MediaLog Installer icon.
A splash screen introduces the installer.

3. Select “Click here to continue” or press Return to exit the splash
screen.

The MediaLog Install window opens.

c

c

When you install the MediaLog application on an Avid editing sys­tem, you must install the a pplication on the Avid disk. Do not install
the MediaLog application on any disks where you sto re media.

4. Drag the MediaLog icon to the Avi d drive icon or system disk.
The system creates a MediaLog folder on the top level of the

selected disk, and then copies the MediaLog application and its
supporting files into the folder.

If you install MediaLog on an Avid editing system, keep the
MediaLog application in a folder separate from the Avid editing
application. Each application will have its own preference settings.

16

Starting the System

After you install the MediaLog software according to the instructions
in the MediaLog release notes, you are ready to start the MediaLog
application. To start MediaLog:

1. Turn on the video deck.

2. Set the deck’s REMOTE/LOCAL switch to REMOTE.

3. Turn on the computer.

c

Do not start any other Avid editing application on the computer at
the same time as the MediaLog application. The two applications
will conflict with each other.

4. Double-click the MediaLog folder to open it.

5. Double-click the MediaLog application icon to start MediaLog.
The Open Project dialog box appears.

MediaLog project
folders are stored
in the Avid Projects
folder.

Project foldersUser folders

6. Select a new or existing project, and a new or existing user.

17

About Project Files and Folders

Each time you start the MediaLog application or close your current
project, the Open Project dialog box appears. The first thing you do in
the dialog box is select an existing user and project or create new ones.

When you start a new project, the system creates a folder for the
project on the Avid disk. The system stores this project folder inside
the main Avid Projects folder. Your project folder holds the bins that
contain all the material you use in the project.

You choose the project’s video format when you create the project.
Use the project ma nagement tools to organize your bins, which con­tain the material you are editing, and to adjust the project settings such
as auto-save preferences or keyboard command layout.

Only one project can be open at a time. To switch projects, you must
close the current project before opening another project.

MediaLog saves the video format, settings, and bin selection with the
project, so you can stop working on a project and return to it at any
time.

Working with Project Files and Folders

A project file, for storing information related to the project, is saved in
a project folder. The project folder has the same name as the project
(for example, Epic Fil m is stored in the Epic Film folder).

The project folder is saved in the Avid Projects folder on the Avid disk.
Backups of the project folder bins are created and stored in the Attic
folder. The project folder contains bins, project files, settings file, and
Statistics and Trash folders.

18

Open project folder
on desktop

Project file

Project Settings file

Project bin

Statistics folder

Trash folder

Table 2-1 describes the files and folders in the project.

Table 2-1 Project Files and Folders

File or Fold er Description

Project file Stores the information used by the MediaLog

application that makes up the project.

Project Settings file Stores the settings for the project, including any

custom views you create.

Project bins Bins you create in the Project window are stor ed in

the project folder .

Trash folder Stores files and folders you delete in the Project

window.

Statistics folder For internal MediaLog application use only; this

folder is normally empty.

19

Creating a New User

To create a new user:

1. From the pop-up menu, select the folder where you want the new
user folder to be created.

The default folder is Avid Users.

Current user folder
(pop-up menu)

2. Click New User in the Open Project dialog box.
The New User dialog box appears.

3. Ent er your name in the Name text box.

4. Click OK.
The Open Project dialog box reappears with the new us er name.

20

Creating a New Project

To create a new project:

1. From the pop-up menu, select the folder where you want the new
project folder to be created.

The default is Avid Projects.

Current project folder
(pop-up menu)

2. Click New Project in the Open Project dialog box.
The New Project dialog box appears.

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3. Enter a name for the project in the Project Name text box.
If you plan to transfer your work to an Avid Composer system,

assign the same name to MediaLog projects and Avid Composer
projects.

c

Make sure you do not already have a project by that name on your
Avid Composer system, or the MediaLog project will overwrite the
one on the Avid Composer system.

If you transfer your MediaLog bins to a project with a different
name, the name of the source project is included in the tape
names. For example, if you use MediaLog to log cli ps from Tape1
in Project X, the Avid Composer system lists the source of the clips
as Project X:Tape1.

4. Choose NTSC or PAL from the Format pop-up menu.

Choosing Matchback Options

If you are working with film material in a video project, but need to
generate film pull lists or cut lists in addition to EDLs, you must
establish the film format for matching back from your video EDL to a
film list.

To establish matchback settings:

1. Select Matchback Options in the New Project dialog box.
A pop-up menu for key number tracking appears.

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Pop-up menu

2. Select the film tracking format to be used in the matchback
process.

3. Click OK.

The system creates the new project files and fol der and returns you to
the Open Project dialog box, where the project name is highlighted in
the Avid Projects list.

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Selecting an Existing Project

To open an existing project when you start MediaLog:

1. In the Open Project dialog box, select an Avid user and project you
want to open.

2. Double-click the project folder name.

Using the Project Windo w

When you select a project, the Project window opens on the monitor.
The Bins button displays a list of bins that are in the project. Click the
Settings button to see the settings for the project; click the Info butto n
to see information about the format of the project (for example, film,
PAL, or NTSC).

Project folders

Default folder for
MediaLog projects

The New Bin button creates a new bin in the project. See “Creating a

Bin” on page 30 for instructions.

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Displaying Project Bins

Folders in the Project window help to organize the projects. You can
create folders in the Project window by using the Fast Menu button at
the bottom of the window. Bins in the project can then be dragged into
your custom folder.

Bin

Other Bins folder

Trash icon

Fast Menu button

25

When you open bins from other projects, the Project window creates
an Other Bins folder . Use the Other Bins fo lder for quick access links to
other bins you have opened outside the current project. Bins in the
Other Bins folder appear in italics and cannot be moved out of the
Other Bins folder.

The Trash icon in the Project window holds your deleted bins and
folders in case you change your mind. These bins stay in the folder
until you choose Empty Trash from the Fast menu. You can drag bins
from the Trash back into the project.

Displaying Project Settings

The Settings scroll list can be displayed in different ways, depending
on what you need to view.

To change a Project Settings display:

1. Click the Settings button in the Project window.
The Settings scroll list appears.

Settings button

Settings scroll list

Fast Menu button

Settings menu

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2. Choose a settings display from the Settings menu, or click the Fast
Menu button.

Table 2-2

describes the Project Settings options.

Table 2-2 Project Settings Options

Option Description

All Settings Displays all settings available in the

Avid Composer system.

Base Settings Displays Project settings only; no views are

displayed.

Bin Views Displays all the Bin View settings you created.

Timeline Views Displays all the Timeline View settings you

created.

Title Styles Displays all the templates you created for the Title

tool.

Video Tool Settings Displays all the Video Tool settings.

Import Settings Displays all the import settings.

Export Settings Displays all the export settings.

Workspaces Displays all the Workspace settings you created.

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Displaying Project Information

The Project window includes an Info button that opens the Info win­dow. Click the Fast Menu button at the bottom of the Info window to
display the menu items: Profile, Usage, and Memory.

To change a Project Info display:

1. Click the Info button in the Project window.
The Info window opens.

2. Choose Profile, Usage, or Memory from the Fast menu.

Fast Menu button

Table 2-3

describes the Project Info options.

Table 2-3 Project Info Options

Option Description

Profile Displays the basic project information, such as the

video format (NTSC or PAL) or frame rate (24 fps
for film projects).

Usage Gathers and reports information on the system

usage by project. The file information is formatted
so you can use it as input to software programs
such as analysis applications, spreadsheets, or
report generators.

Memory Displays the Memory window, which shows the

amount of system memory used by the project.

28

Closing a Project

close box

To close a project:

1. Click the Project window to activate it.

2. Do one of the following steps to close the Project window:

• Choose Close from the File menu, or press

• Click the close box in the upper left corner of the window.
The application automatically saves and closes the project. The

Open Project dialog box appears.

3. Create a new project or select an existing project, or click Quit to
quit the MediaLog application.

Working with Bins

The Project window displays a list of bins. Bins store your clips and
the sequences you create. Anytime after you select a project, you can
make a new bin. You can also open bins created for other projects.

To view the bins in the project, click the Bins button in the Project win­dow. After closing a bin, you can reopen it by double-clicking its icon
beside the name in the Project window. You can rename the bin by
double-clicking the bin name and typing the new name.

k+W.

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close box
Bins button

Bin icon.
Double-click
to open.

Bin name.
Double-click
to rename.

Fast menu
button

Creating a Bin

New Bin button.

Avid bins function most efficiently when they contain no more than
100 clips. If you work with a lot of source material, you can create a
number of bins, each named according to the type of shots it will con­tain. Then you can log an optimal number of clips into each bin.

If multiple windows are open on your desktop, you must make the
Project window active before you can create a bin.

To create a new bin:

1. Do one of the following steps to activate the Project window.

• Click the Project window.

• Choose Project from the Tools menu, or press

k+9.

2. Click the Bins button.

3. Do one of the following steps to create the bin:

• Choose New Bin from the File menu, or press

k+N.

• Choose New Bin from the Fast menu.

• Click the New Bin button in the Project window.

30