Pinnacle Systems MetaFuze - 2.1 User’s Guide

Avid® MetaFuze™ v2.1

User’s Guide

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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 MetaFuze User’s Guide v2.1 • November 2009

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

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Accessing the Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 1 Using Avid MetaFuze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Film and High-Resolution Workflows using MetaFuze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Opening a Project in MetaFuze. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Customizing the MetaFuze Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Scanning your Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Transcoding your Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Transcoding Files for Stereoscopic Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Burning-in Information on the Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Configuring the MetaFuze Transcoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Using LUTs in MetaFuze. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Setting a LUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Importing a LUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Modifying LUTs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Exporting a LUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Importing Other Image Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Transcoding your Files in a Batch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Creating an XML Batch File to Transcode Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Running a Transcode Batch File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

XML Batch File Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Exporting an ALE from MetaFuze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Importing MXF Files into Avid Media Composer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Importing MXF Files via an ALE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Importing MXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Exporting the AFE File from Avid Media Composer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 2 Avid MetaFuze Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Scan Folders Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Group View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Detail View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Details of a group... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Details of a file.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Details of a transcode job... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Details of a stereoscopic group or transcode job... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Details of R3D groups or transcode jobs.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Create XML Batch Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Burn-in Editor Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Transcode Configuration Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Using This Guide

This manual is intended for Avid® MetaFuze™ users from beginning to advanced levels.

Unless noted otherwise, the material in this document applies to the Windows Macintosh to all operating systems. Therefore, depending on the hardware model that you have purchased, your system may or may not contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the documentation.

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

operating systems. It covers the features and hardware of all models and applies

, Linux® and

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the

(Windows), (Windows only), (Macintosh), or (Macintosh only)

Bold font Bold font is primarily used in task instructions to identify user interface

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

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.

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.

This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified operating system, either Windows or Macintosh

items and keyboard sequences.

OS X.

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

Courier Bold font

Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using your Avid product:

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 the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was published:

- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as printed release notes,

they ship with your application and are also available online.

If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as a ReadMe file, it is supplied on your Avid installation CD or DVD as a PDF document (README_product.pdf) and is also available online.

You should always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe because the online version is updated whenever new information becomes available. To view these online versions, select ReadMe from the Help menu, or visit

the Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/readme.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

mouse action. For example, Command+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.

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 Base to find answers, to view error messages, to access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read or join online message-board discussions.

Accessing the Documentation

The Avid MetaFuze product documentation is installed along with the application and available in PDF format in the folder where the product was installed.

You will need Adobe® Reader® to view the PDF documentation online. You can download

the latest version from the Adobe web site.

Avid Training Services

Avid makes lifelong learning, career advancement, and personal development easy and convenient. Avid understands that the knowledge you need to differentiate yourself is always changing, and Avid continually updates course content and offers new training delivery methods that accommodate your pressured and competitive work environment.

To learn about Avid's new online learning environment, Avid Learning Excellerator™ (ALEX), visit http://learn.avid.com.

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 Training Services

1 Using Avid MetaFuze

Avid ® Metafuze™ provides a complete offline-to-finish file-based workflow when used in conjunction with Avid Media Composer MXF media from DPX, R3D, TIF, JPG, AVI and QuickTime files, which can be offlined in Avid Media Composer, and conformed for finishing in Avid DS.

and Avid DS. Metafuze allows the generation of

Film and High-Resolution Workflows using MetaFuze

Single-frame files generated from digital video cameras, film scanning processes or CGI applications, need to be converted to playable media so that they can be read by an Avid editing application like Avid DS or Avid Media Composer. Avid MetaFuze merges consecutive single-frame files (with metadata contained as part of the format) and raw data files from a digital camera into an MXF file.

Avid MetaFuze supports different files including R3D, DPX, TIF, and JPG. It can also transcode QuickTime and AVI sequences into MXF files.

Any file type supported by Avid DS or third-party parsers can be read by Avid MetaFuze.

Still-file parsers can be written for both MetaFuze and Avid DS using the parser SDK which is available as part of the Avid DS SDK.

The illustration below shows a typical example of a file-based workflow for editing film footage on an Avid Media Composer or Avid DS.

1 Using Avid MetaFuze

Scan or transfer

to DPX

Edit and produce final AFE

Avid Media Composer

OFFLINE EDITING

(OPTIONAL)

HIGH-RES EFFECTS &

FINISHING

FILM

Avid DS

DPX

Group highres files into MXF files

Conform AFE

Avid MetaFuze

TIF

Link or capture

original files

Import

MXF

ACQUISITION

Export TIF files

Output High-res

files

R3D

DIGITAL CAMERA

EDL

FILE

HD 4:4:4 HD 4:2:2 NTSC PAL QuickTime

DPX CINEON (2K, 4K)

OUTPUT

& DISTRIBUTION

TAPE

Output to tape or file

RECORDER

FILM

This workflow shows you how to carry out editing and finishing on footage that is already in digital file format. High-resolution digital files could originate from digital cameras, film-scanning facilities, or CGI applications. The files include R3D, DPX, or TIF.

Step 1: Group high-res files into MXF files

If you want to offline in Avid Media Composer, start by using MetaFuze to convert the DPX/R3D/TIF files into MXF playable media in an HD resolution. Import this MXF into Avid Media Composer for offline editing.

Step 2: Edit and produce final AFE

After editing the sequence on an Avid Media Composer, export the sequence as an AFE for the finishing on Avid DS.

When exporting your sequence for conform, there are some details to be considered. We recommend that you read the following whitepapers available on www.avid.com:

• Using HD-RGB with Film in HD-based DI Workflows

• Avid/RED Workflow Guide

Step 3: Conform AFE

On Avid DS, you can conform the AFE and connect to the original DPX/R3D/TIF files.

In the case of DPX files, necessary information such as KeyKode™ (key number) and timecode is inserted as metadata into the DPX file during the scanning process. If the DPX files do not contain the timecode information, the ALE is required in order to make the necessary correspondence to the associated DPX files. The ALE is usually supplied by the film-scanning facility or output by MetaFuze/Avid Media Composer.

The MXF file is not required for the finishing process but it could be imported onto a

separate video track in Avid DS and used as part of the conform check process.

Depending on your system configuration, many high-resolution formats are playable in real time—for a specific list of these formats, see the Avid DS support web at www.avid.com. When editing high-resolution projects where real-time playback is not achievable, you can use the proxy mode to apply effects and view the results in HD 4:2:2 or HD 4:4:4.

Step 4: Output to tape or file

You can output the final sequence to master as a series of DPX or Cineon™ images (with an appropriate LUT) for a film recorder. You can also output any other SD or HD formats as required.

Opening a Project in MetaFuze

When you start the MetaFuze application, it automatically opens a new empty project. A project in MetaFuze organizes and displays all the elements that are related to the project such as, source file folders, the groups of files created from scanned folders, and the information required to create MXF media files.

If you are starting a new project, you can proceed to “Scanning your Folders” on page 15.

To open an existing project:

1. Select File > Open Project.

2. Select the name of the project that you want to open.

The selected project opens and displays the project components.

Customizing the MetaFuze Window

The views and toolbars within MetaFuze can be moved to a different position within the window, or can be “torn off” and dragged outside of the main window.

In addition, the columns in the Groups view can be rearranged or removed as necessary.

1 Using Avid MetaFuze

Select an existing preset view (if any).

Click on the extreme left to select a toolbar.

Click and drag a view by its title bar.

Click to save your column settings to a preset.

Shaded blue area will appear to indicate where the view can be dropped.

To move a view within the main window:

1. Select a view or toolbar that you want to move.

To select a view, click its title bar. To select a toolbar, click the extreme left where you see the vertical dotted line.

2. Drag the view to any position within the window where you would like to place it.

The cursor position determines the destination. If another view exists in that location, it will automatically move over, and a shaded blue area will appear to indicate where your selection can be placed. Release your mouse to drop the selection into place.

Some views can be undocked from the main window by clicking and dragging their title bar

outside the main window. Doing this creates a new window that you can stretch out if you need to see the values more clearly. It also allows you more viewing space for the other views in the main window.

The changes that you make to the window display are automatically saved and reloaded each time you open MetaFuze.

To change column headings in the Group view:

t Select a column heading and drag it left or right to a new position. Release your mouse

button to drop the selected column into place.

t Click the Add/Remove Columns button.

Select/deselect any columns that you want to display, and click OK.

Any changes that you make to the column display can be saved by clicking the Save Preset button. You can save your settings under a new preset file name or modify an existing one.

Scanning your Folders

MetaFuze is designed to scan specified folders and create groups of files based on similar file types found in these folders. The scan process groups together any files that have consecutive filenames, key numbers, or timecodes. The image resolution (same width and height), is also taken into account.

Once the groups have been formed, they can be selected for transcoding.

To scan your folders:

1. Select Actions > Scan Folders.

2. Browse to the folder where your files are located.

The folders can be on your local workstation or on remote storage. (To locate folders on a remote storage, you might need to use the full pathname, for example, \\<machine_name>\<folder_name>.)

3. In the list of available folders, select a folder name, and click the Add Folder button to add the folder to the Selected paths list.

1 Using Avid MetaFuze

Add folder button

Select a path in the list and then click this button t refocus your Available folders view to this path.

Remove folder button

4. Select and add as many folders as you want.

5. Option. You can reorder the selected paths using the Up and Down Arrow keys.

6. Option. To remove a folder from the list of selected paths, select the path and click the X button.

7. Click the Options button, and specify the criteria by which you want to group your scanned files—see “Scan Folders Dialog Box” on page 35.

8. By default, the Filename is always considered as one of the criteria. Select the Timecode and/or Key number options if you’d like to use this data as well.

9. You can change the priority order of the criteria by clicking the Up or Down Arrow keys.

10. If you want to specify the type of files to search for, then click the File Types button.

Select only the file types that you need. This filters out any unwanted file types and makes the scanning process much faster.

11. Select the other options as necessary.

+ 36 hidden pages

Pinnacle Systems MetaFuze - 2.1 User’s Guide

Contents

Using This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

If You Need Help

Accessing the Documentation

Avid Training Services

1 Using Avid MetaFuze

Film and High-Resolution Workflows using MetaFuze

Opening a Project in MetaFuze

Customizing the MetaFuze Window

Scanning your Folders