Pinnacle Systems NewsCutter - 7.5 Advanced Guide

Avid® NewsCutter
Advanced Guide
®
Avid
®
Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of that license by visiting Avid's Web site at www.avid.com. The terms of that license are also available in the product in the same directory as the software. The software may not be reverse assembled and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement.
Avid products or portions thereof are protected by one or more of the following United States Patents: 4,970,663; 5,267,351; 5,309,528; 5,355,450; 5,396,594; 5,440,348; 5,467,288; 5,513,375; 5,528,310; 5,557,423; 5,577,190; 5,584,006; 5,640,601; 5,644,364; 5,654,737; 5,715,018; 5,719,570; 5,724,605; 5,726,717; 5,729,673; 5,745,637; 5,752,029; 5,754,851; 5,799,150; 5,812,216; 5,828,678; 5,842,014; 5,852,435; 5,999,406; 6,038,573; 6,061,758; 6,141,007; 6,211,869; 6,532,043; 6,546,190; 6,596,031; 6,636,869; 6,747,705; 6,763,523; 6,766,357; 6,813,622; 6,847,373; 7,081,900; RE40,107; 7,403,561; 7,433,519; D352,278; D372,478; D373,778; D392,267; D392,268; D392,269; D395,291; D396,853; D398,912. Other patents are pending.
This document is protected under copyright law. An authorized licensee of NewsCuttermay reproduce this publication for the licensee’s own use in learning how to use the software. This document may not be reproduced or distributed, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this document or providing support or educational services to others. This document is supplied as a guide for NewsCutter and NewsCutter XP. Reasonable care has been taken in preparing the information it contains. However, this document may contain omissions, technical inaccuracies, or typographical errors. Avid Technology, Inc. does not accept responsibility of any kind for customers’ losses due to the use of this document. Product specifications are subject to change without notice.
Copyright © 2009 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The following disclaimer is required by Apple Computer, Inc.:
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 IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. THERE MAY BE 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 documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES 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:
This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
This Software may contain components licensed under the following conditions:
Copyright (c) 1989 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
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Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such distribution and use acknowledge that the software was developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The name of the University may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 by Jef Poskanzer.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Copyright 1995, Trinity College Computing Center. Written by David Chappell.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Copyright 1996 Daniel Dardailler.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and that the name of Daniel Dardailler not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission. Daniel Dardailler makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Modifications Copyright 1999 Matt Koss, under the same license as above.
Copyright (c) 1991 by AT&T.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that this entire notice is included in all copies of any software which is or includes a copy or modification of this software and in all copies of the supporting documentation for such software.
THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. IN PARTICULAR, NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR AT&T MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE MERCHANTABILITY OF THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.
The following disclaimer is required by Nexidia Inc.:
© 2006 Nexidia. All rights reserved.
Manufactured under license from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, U.S.A. Patent Pending.
The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:
Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.
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 Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages resulting from reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or 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.”
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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.
The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:
The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid products.
This product includes portions of the Alloy Look & Feel software from Incors GmbH.
This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
© DevelopMentor
This product may include the JCifs library, for which the following notice applies:
JCifs © Copyright 2004, The JCIFS Project, is licensed under LGPL (http://jcifs.samba.org/). See the LGPL.txt file in the Third Party Software directory on the installation CD.
Avid Interplay contains components licensed from LavanTech. These components may only be used as part of and in connection with Avid Interplay.
Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.
Trademarks
003, 192 Digital I/O, 192XD I/O, 888 I/O, Adrenaline, AirPlay, AirSPACE, AirSPACE HD, AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, AniMatte, AudioMarket, AudioPages, AudioSuite, AudioVision, AutoSync, Avid, Avid Advanced Response, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, AVIDdrive, Avid DS Assist Station, Avid EditStar, Avid Learning Excellerator, Avid Liquid, Avid Liquid Chrome Xe, Avid MEDIArray, Avid Mojo, AvidNet, AvidNetwork, Avid NewStar, Avid Remote Response, AVIDstripe, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid VideoRAID, Avid Xpress, AVoption, AVX, Beauty Without The Bandwidth, Blacktooth, Boom, C|24, CamCutter, CaptureManager, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, Command|24, Conectiv, CountDown, DAE, Dazzle, Dazzle Digital Video Creator, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DigiDrive, DigiLink, DigiMeter, DigiSerial, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTranslator, DINR, DNxchange, do more, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven, Equinox, EveryPhase, ExpertRender, Fastbreak, Fast Track, FieldPak, Film Composer, FilmScribe, Flexevent, FluidMotion, FXDeko, G7, G-Rack, HD Core, HD Process, HDPack, Hollywood DV-Bridge, Hybrid, HyperControl, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, IllusionFX, Image Independence, iNEWS, iNEWS Assign, iNEWS ControlAir, Instantwrite, Instinct, Intelli-sat Broadcasting Recording Manager, Intelli-Sat, InterFX, Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, KeyRig, KeyStudio, LaunchPad, LeaderPlus, Lightning, ListSync, Lo-Fi, Magic Mask, Make Anything Hollywood, make manage move | media, Marquee, M-Audio, M-Audio Micro, Maxim, Mbox, MCXpress, Media Browse, Media Composer, MediaDock, MediaDock Shuttle, Media Fusion, Media Illusion, MediaLog, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaShare, MediaStream, Media Suite, Meridien, MetaFuze, MetaSync, MicroTrack, Midiman, MissionControl, Mix Rack, MixLab, Moviebox, Moviestar, NaturalMatch, Nearchive, NetReview, NewsCutter, Nitris, NRV-10 interFX, Octane, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, OnDVD, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, Palladium, Pinnacle, Pinnacle DistanTV, Pinnacle Geniebox, Pinnacle HomeMusic, Pinnacle MediaSuite, Pinnacle Mobile Media, Pinnacle PCTV, Pinnacle PCTV HD Ultimate Stick, Pinnacle PCTV Nano Stick, Pinnacle PCTV To Go, Pinnacle Scorefitter, Pinnacle Studio, Pinnacle Studio MovieBoard, Pinnacle Systems, Pinnacle VideoSpin, ProEncode, ProServices, ProSessions, Pro Tools, QuietDrive, Recti-Fi, Reel Tape Delay, Reel Tape Flanger, Reel Tape Saturation, RetroLoop, rS9, rS18, Salesview, Sci-Fi, Scorch, Scorefitter, ScriptSync, SecureProductionEnvironment, Session, Show Center, Sibelius, SIDON, Soft SampleCell, Soft-Clip Limiter, Sound Designer II, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, Starplay, SteadyGlide, Streamfactory, Streamgenie, StreamRAID, Strike, Structure, Studiophile, SubCap, Sundance Digital, Sundance, Symphony, SYNC HD, SynchroScience,
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SynchroScope, Syntax, Targa, TDM FlexCable, Thunder, Titan, Titansync, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, Torq, Torq Xponent, Transfuser, Trigger Finger, Trillium Lane Labs, TruTouch, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Velvet, Venom, VideoRAID, Video Slave Driver, VideoSPACE, VideoSpin, Vortx, Xdeck, X-Form, Xmon, Xponent, X-Session, and X-Session Pro are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
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. "The Big Swell" — Courtesy of Swell Pictures, Inc. Windhorse — Courtesy of Paul Wagner Productions.
Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc., Editor/Producer Bryan Foote. Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior. Ice Island — Courtesy of Kurtis Productions, Ltd. Tornados + Belle Isle footage — Courtesy of KWTV News 9. WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA. Women in Sports – Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.
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 NewsCutter Advanced Guide • 0130-07986-01 • February 2009 • This document is distributed by Avid in online (electronic) form only, and is not available for purchase in printed form.
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Contents

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Accessing the Online Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Accessing the Goodies Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Chapter 1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
User Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Managing User Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Folders and Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Guidelines for Project Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Creating a Folder in a Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Managing Bins and Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Saving Bins Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Adjusting Automatic Saves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Using the Info Display to View Memory Information and Access
the Hardware Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Customizing the Avid User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Changing Interface Component Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Changing Button and Toolbar Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Using Interface Appearance Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Changing Font and Point Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
User-Customized Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Creating a New Workspace Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Linking User Settings and Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Switching Between Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Deleting a Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Assigning a Workspace Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Understanding Avid Unity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Sharing Only Bins in Avid Unity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sharing Bins and Projects in Avid Unity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Opening a Shared Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Locks and Shared Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Working with Locks and Shared Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Restrictions and Limitations for Locked Bins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Suggestions for Improving Performance When Working with Shared Bins. . . . 63
Shared Bin and Project Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Shared Bin Lock Icon Limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Drive Filtering in Networked Workflows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chapter 2 Using Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Using the Tools Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Using a Deck Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Deck Controller Window Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
The Command Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Understanding Button Mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Mapping User-Selectable Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
The Blank Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Modifier Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Mapping Menu Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Activating Commands from the Command Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Using the Avid Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
The Console Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Displaying System Information in the Console Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Reviewing a Log of Errors in the Console Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Getting Information with the Console Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Using the Console Window to Access Network Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Using the Hardware Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
External Controllers as Editing Control Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
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Chapter 3 Logging: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Using Avid Log Exchange to Prepare Log Files for Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Converting Log Files with Avid Log Exchange (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Using Drag-and-Drop Conversion for Log Files (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Converting Log Files with Avid Log Exchange (Macintosh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Using Drag-and-Drop Conversion for Log Files (Macintosh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Avid Log Exchange Stores ASC Color Decision List (CDL) Parameters . . . . . . 86
Log Formats Compatible with Avid Log Exchange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Avid Log Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Global Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Column Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Data Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Sample Avid Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Creating an Avid Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Double-Checking Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Logging Directly into a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Tips for Logging Preroll, Logging Timecode, and Naming Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Logging with Avid-Controlled Decks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Pausing the Deck While Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Using a Memory Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Logging with Non-Avid-Controlled Decks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Understanding the Pulldown Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Setting the Pulldown Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 4 Capturing Media: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Advanced Capture Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Selecting Settings for Capturing Across Timecode Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Selecting the Preroll Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Preroll Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Capturing to Multiple Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
General Settings for Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Settings for Film and 24p Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Disabling Video Resolutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Understanding Drop-Frame and Non-Drop-Frame Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
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Preparing for Audio Input: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Creating Tone Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Using the Passthrough Mix Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Resizing the Passthrough Mix Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Monitoring Audio with the Passthrough Mix Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Changing an Audio Level in the Passthrough Mix Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Adjusting Pan Values in the Passthrough Mix Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Changing Audio Hardware Calibration Settings for Avid Adrenaline . . . . . . . 125
Calibrating Audio Input Channels for Avid Adrenaline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Calibrating Audio Output Channels for Avid Adrenaline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Audio Hardware Calibration for Avid Nitris DX and Avid Mojo DX . . . . . . . . . 127
Using the Default Audio Calibration for Avid Nitris DX or Avid Mojo DX . . . . . 127
Using a Tone Generator to Calibrate Audio Input Channels for
Avid Nitris DX or Avid Mojo DX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Using an External Meter to Calibrate Audio Output Channels for
Avid Nitris DX and Avid Mojo DX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Using the Console Window to Check Audio Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Preparing for Video Input: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Limitations When Using Consumer Decks or Decks Without
Time-Base Correctors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Saving Video Input Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Saving Calibration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Saving a Custom Default Setting for the Video Input Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Adjusting Video Levels for Tapes Without Color Bars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Using Capture Function Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Special Capture Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Logging Errors to the Console Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Opening the Console Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Considerations for Creating Subclips While Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Creating Subclips While Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Creating Timed Subclips While Capturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Understanding Locators On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Adding Locators On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Naming a New Tape from the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
10
Controlling Decks from the Keyboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Working in Quick Record Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Quick Record Condition Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Adding Extra Text Fields in the Capture Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Mapping the Record Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Ejecting Tapes with a Button or Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Returning to the Previous Place in the Select Tape Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Understanding DV Capture Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
RS-422 Controlling a DV Device Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
FireWire Configuration Without Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
FireWire Configuration with Encoded Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Capture with No Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Capturing DV Material with Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Delaying Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Capturing in Satellite Mode or No Device Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Preparing to Capture with External Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Timed Captures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Setting a Timed Capture Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Capturing to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Patching When Capturing to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Capturing Video Without Pulldown into a 24p NTSC Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Remote Play, Capture, and Punch-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Selecting Remote Play and Capture Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Enabling Remote Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Enabling Remote Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Setting up Your System for Remote Punch-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Using Serial Drivers with Remote Play and Capture (Windows Only) . . . . . . . 165
Modifying the Pulldown Phase After Capturing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
DV and HDV Scene Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Setting Up DV and HDV Scene Extraction Before Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Setting Up DV Scene Extraction After Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Using the Panasonic VariCam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
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Chapter 5 Importing Files: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Photoshop Graphics Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Importing Single-Layer Photoshop Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Importing Multilayered Photoshop Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Example of Multilayered Photoshop Graphics Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Support for Multilayered Photoshop Graphics Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Preserving Layer Effects in Multilayered Photoshop Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Importing Multilayered Photoshop Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Importing Editcam Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Restrictions on Importing Editcam Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Importing Sequences from Pro Tools through Interplay (Windows Only) . . . . . . . 181
Chapter 6 Working with Bins: Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Advanced Bin Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Displaying Custom Bin Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Customizing Bin Views in Text View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Saving a Custom Bin View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Assigning Colors to Bin Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Sifting Clips and Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Sequence and Clip Information Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Creating a Summary of Effects and Source Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Understanding Sifting Timecodes or Keycode Ranges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Sifting Timecodes or Keycode Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Locking and Unlocking Items in a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Selecting Offline Items in a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Selecting Media Relatives for an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Selecting Unreferenced Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Text View: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Manipulating Bin Columns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Duplicating Bin Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Adding Customized Columns to a Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Changing a Custom Bin Column Heading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Managing Clip Information in Text View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Moving Within Column Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
12
Modifying Clip Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Modifiable Bin Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Modifying Data Directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Using the Modify Command to Modify Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Modifying Data with the Modify Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Copying Information Between Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Copying Information from Another Cell in a Custom Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Selecting a Film Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Tracking 3-Perf Counts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Selecting an Edgecode Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Sorting Clips in Text View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Displaying Timecodes in a 24p or 25p Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Frame Counting for Timecodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Adding Timecode Columns to a Bin or the Media Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Adding Timecode Values to the Timecode Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Bin Column Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Restricted Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Displaying or Outputting Restricted Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Editing with Restricted Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Disassociating Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Viewing Restriction Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Changing Restriction Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Searching the Database for Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Printing Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Digital Bars and Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Importing Color Bars and Other Test Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Creating Video Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Creating Audio Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
13
Chapter 7 File Based Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Sony XDCAM Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Sony XDCAM EX Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
XDCAM and XDCAM EX Formats and Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Working with XDCAM HD Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Connecting the XDCAM or XDCAM EX Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Ejecting an XDCAM EX Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Panasonic P2 Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Panasonic P2 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
P2 Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Installing the Panasonic P2 Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Preparing to Mount P2 Cards as Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Setting up a P2 Card Reader (Windows only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Mounting P2 Cards as Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Copying P2 Files to a FireWire or Network Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Changing P2 Cards in the Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Sharing P2 Clips and Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Deleting Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Working with Spanned Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
The Avid Media Access (AMA) Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Selecting the AMA Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Viewing Installed AMA Plug-ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Understanding Linking with AMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Linking Media with AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Using Virtual Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Workflow for Editing XDCAM and XDCAM EX Clips with AMA. . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Working with Essence Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Workflow for Editing P2 Clips with AMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
The Import and Export Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Setting XDCAM Import Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Importing XDCAM Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Importing XDCAM EX Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Automatically Importing Proxy Media from an XDCAM Device. . . . . . . . . . . . 248
14
Importing Proxy Media from an XDCAM Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Copying XDCAM Proxy Media to a Local Drive or a Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Manually Importing XDCAM Media from the XDCAM Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Importing Essence Marks as Locators in XDCAM Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Editing XDCAM Proxy Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Batch Importing High-Resolution XDCAM Media from the XDCAM Disk. . . . . 253
Editing and Finishing High-Resolution XDCAM Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Exporting Media to XDCAM Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Exporting to XDCAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Workflow for Editing with P2 Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Changing P2 Cards in the Card Reader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Importing P2 Clips and Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Dragging P2 Master Clips from the Media Tool to a Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Exporting Your Clip or Sequence to a P2 Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Chapter 8 Managing Media Files: Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Finding a Related Media File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Relinking Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Relink Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Relinking and New Project Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Relinking Clips to a New Project Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Relinking by Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Relinking to Selected Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Relinking Consolidated Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Relinking Moved Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Unlinking Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Videotapes for Archiving and Restoring Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Archiving Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Archive to Videotape Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Restoring an Archive from Videotape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Sequence and Clip Information Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
15
Chapter 9 Script-Based Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Lined Script Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Lined Script Symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Lining in the Digital Realm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Script Integration Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Using Script Integration in Video Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Script Window Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Script Settings Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Importing a Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Selecting Text Encoding for Scripts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Opening, Closing, and Saving the Script Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Displaying Clip and Sequence Information in a Script Window. . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Exploring the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Adjusting the Script Margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Working with Script Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Changing the Font Used in Script Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Selecting Text in the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Script Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Removing Script Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Searching Through Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Using Page and Scene Numbers in the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Conducting a Text Search in the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Linking Clips to the Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Interpolating Position for Script Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Working with Slates in the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Selecting Slates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Resizing Slates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Holding Slates On Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Hiding Slate Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Showing One Take Per Slate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Moving a Slate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Deleting a Slate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
16
Working with Takes in the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Selecting Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Adding Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Deleting Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Displaying Take Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Changing the Representative Frame for a Take . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Loading Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Playing Takes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Adjusting Take Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Indicating Off-Screen Dialog in a Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Using Color Indicators in the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Script Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Placing Script Marks Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Using Real-Time Screening and Marking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Marking with ScriptSync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Loading and Playing Marked Segments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Moving a Script Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Deleting a Script Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Finding Clips and Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Finding Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Finding Clips and Bins from the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Editing From the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Assembling a Rough Cut From the Script Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Splicing a Script Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Revising the Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Interactive Screenings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Chapter 10 Viewing and Marking Footage: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Using the Info Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Using the Timecode Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Adjusting the Play Delay Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Using the Tool Palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Playing Selected Clips in a Loop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
17
Using Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Suggested Uses for Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Adding Locators While Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Adding Locators On-the-Fly while Playing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Finding Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Editing Locator Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Marking an Area Using Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Moving to the Previous or Next Locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Deleting Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Using the Locators Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Viewing Locators in the Locators Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Working in the Locators Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Exporting and Importing Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Creating a Locator Text (.txt) File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Copying and Pasting Locators Using the Locators Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Printing the Contents of the Locators Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Disabling the Locator Edit Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Sequence and Clip Information Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Creating a Summary of Effects and Source Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Chapter 11 Creating and Editing Sequences: Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Phantom Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Enabling Phantom Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Adding Comments to Sequence Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Playback Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Playing a Limited Duration of a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Autosyncing Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Understanding Autosyncing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Creating an Autosynced Subclip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Managing Sync with Multiple Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Understanding Sync Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Syncing with Tail Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Syncing with Locators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Using Add Edit When Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
18
Ganging Footage in Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Using MetaSync to Synchronize Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Chapter 12 Using the Timeline: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Timeline Views: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Displaying the Timeline Top Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Displaying Timecode Tracks in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Assigning Local Colors to Clips in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Displaying Local and Source Colors in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Changing the Timeline Background or Track Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Showing Locators in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Setting the Scroll Option for the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Navigating in the Timeline: Advanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Using the Full-Screen Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Displaying Source Material in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
IN to OUT Highlighting in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Advanced Timeline Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Bin Editing into the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Bin Editing Directly into a Sequence Using the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Editing with the Film Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
Editing in Heads or Heads Tails View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Performing a Quick Edit Using the Top and Tail Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
Add Edit (Match Frame) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
Adding a Match-Frame Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Adding Edits to Filler Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Removing Match-Frame Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Dupe Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Activating Dupe Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Methods for Changing Handle Length in Dupe Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Adjusting Handle Length in Dupe Detection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Finding Black Holes and Flash Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Printing the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
19
Chapter 13 Working in Trim Mode: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Creating Overlap Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Extending an Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Maintaining Sync While Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Adding Black When Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Trimming with Sync-Locked Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Slipping or Sliding Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Selecting Segments for Slip or Slide Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Slipping or Sliding Segments in a Four-Frame Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Performing a Slip or Slide Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Chapter 14 Working with Audio: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Audio Gain Staging and an Audio Editing Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Rendering and Unrendering Order for Audio Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Viewing Clip Gain and Automation Gain Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Bypassing Existing Volume Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Adjusting Volume While Playing a Clip Gain Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Improving Response Time When Adjusting Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Using External Fader Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Adjusting the Volume of Individual Keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Adjusting the Pan of Individual Keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Using an External Fader Controller or Mixer to Record Automation Gain. . . . 395
Using the Digi 002 and the Command|8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
Using the Digi 002 with Avid Input/Output Hardware (Windows Only) . . . . . . 397
Using the Command|8 with Your Avid Editing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Configuring the Digi 002 or Command|8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Mapping Buttons and Menu Commands for the Digi 002 or Command|8. . . . 400
Button Layouts on the Digi 002 and Command|8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Viewing Different Controller Button Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Mapping Controller Menu Commands for the Digi 002 or Command|8. . . . . . 403
Using Digi 002 or Command|8 Buttons to Change Focus in the
Avid Editing Application Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Using a Foot Pedal as a Foot Switch with the Digi 002 or Command|8 . . . . . 405
Switching Between the Digi 002 and Command|8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
20
Using a Digi 002 or Command|8 to Record Automation Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
Using the Latch Mode Feature on the Digi 002 and Command|8 . . . . . . . . . . 406
Configuring USB-to-MIDI Software for External Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Installing USB-to-MIDI Software (Windows). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Installing USB-to-MIDI Software (Macintosh). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Testing External Fader Controller Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Switching Between MIDI Connections on the USB-to-MIDI Converter . . . . . . 410
Troubleshooting MIDI Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Using the FaderMaster Pro and MCS-3000X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
MCS-3000X Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Using the Snap Mode Feature on the MCS-3000X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
Ganging Faders on the FaderMaster Pro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
Using the Yamaha 01V/96 or the Yamaha 01V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Initializing the Yamaha 01V/96 or Yamaha 01V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Configuring the Yamaha 01V/96 or Yamaha 01V to Recognize
Control Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Starting the Avid System with the Yamaha 01V/96 or the
Yamaha 01V Attached . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Switching Between Audio Mixing and Gain Recording with the
Yamaha 01V/96 and Yamaha 01V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Operating the Yamaha 01V/96 and Yamaha 01V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Soloing Avid System Channels with the Yamaha 01V/96 and
Yamaha 01V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Using the Audio EQ Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Audio EQ Tool Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
EQ-Specific Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
Applying Audio EQ Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
Saving Audio EQ Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Removing Audio EQ Effects with the Fast Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Removing Audio EQ Effects with the Remove Effect Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Audio EQ Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Low Shelf Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Small Octave Range Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Using Audio EQ Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
21
Applying an EQ Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Creating Your Own Audio EQ Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
Adding an EQ Template to the Audio EQ Tool Fast Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
Adjusting EQ While Playing an Audio Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Recording Voice-Over Narration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Connecting Voice-Over Recording Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Recording Voice-Over Narration Using the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Understanding the Audio Punch-In Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Audio Punch-in Tool Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Audio Punch-in Tool Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
Recording Voice-Over Narration Using Audio Punch-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
Monitoring Previously Recorded Tracks While Recording
Voice-Over Narration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Using Peak Hold While Recording Voice-Over Narration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Using a GPI Device with the Audio Punch-In Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Understanding GPI Trigger Signals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
GPI Signal Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Example of Linking GPI Actions to Trigger Signals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Connecting a V-LAN VLXi Controller and GPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Configuring a V-LAN VLXi Controller and GPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Working with GPI Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Creating a GPI Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
GPI Settings Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Editing a GPI Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
Deleting a GPI Setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Displaying Audio Formats in Bins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Using Automatic Voice-Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Chapter 15 Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Understanding Digidesign AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
AudioSuite Plug-Ins Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Using Digidesign AudioSuite Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Applying an AudioSuite Plug-in to a Clip in the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Using an AudioSuite Plug-In Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
22
AudioSuite Fast Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Rendering AudioSuite Plug-in Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Creating New Master Clips with AudioSuite Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
AudioSuite Controls for Creating New Master Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Mono, Stereo, and Multichannel Processing in AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . 461
Using AudioSuite Plug-ins to Create New Master Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
Using AudioSuite Effect Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins in Stereo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
AudioSuite Plug-in Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
Troubleshooting AudioSuite Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
BF Essential Clip Remover AudioSuite Plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Bomb Factory BF76 AudioSuite Plug-in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Chorus AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
D-Verb AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
Compressor AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
Limiter AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
Expander-Gate AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Gate AudioSuite Plug-In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
DeEsser AudioSuite Plug-In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
Compressor/Limiter III (Dynamics III) AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
Expander/Gate III (Dynamics III) AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
DeEsser III (Dynamics III) AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
EQ AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
Flanger AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
Funk Logic Mastererizer AudioSuite Plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
Invert AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
Duplicate AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
Delay AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
Multi-Tap Delay AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
Normalize AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Gain AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Ping-Pong Delay AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
23
Reverse AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
DC Offset Removal AudioSuite Plug-In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Signal Generator AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Time Compression Expansion AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Pitch Shift AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Time Shift AudioSuite Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
Non-Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
Chapter 16 Exporting Frames, Clips, or Sequences and Transferring
Material: Advanced 507
Exporting With the Send To Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
Exporting Using Send To DigiDelivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
Exporting Using Send To Digidesign Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Exporting Using Send to DVD Authoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514
Exporting Using Send to DVD One Step. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
Exporting Using Send to Sorenson Squeeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Exporting Using Send To Avid DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
Creating a Custom Send To Template for Exporting to
Third-Party Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
Exporting OMFI and AAF Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
Exporting Through OMF Interchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
Exporting Through AAF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Selecting an OMFI or an AAF Transfer Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Exporting As an OMFI or an AAF File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
Guidelines for Exporting AAF Files to Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
Exporting Projects and Bins Using AFE Files (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530
Exporting Video in DV Stream Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
Exporting QuickTime Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534
Exporting As a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Exporting As a QuickTime Reference Movie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
Using Avid Codecs for QuickTime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539
Exporting As an AVI File (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Installing or Copying the Avid Codecs for QuickTime on Other Systems . . . . . . . 544
Exporting from a Third-Party QuickTime or AVI Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546
24
Exporting as Windows Media (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546
Exporting as Windows Media Using an Avid Supplied
Template (Windows Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546
Exporting as Windows Media Using an Existing Windows Media
Profile (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
Creating a Custom Video Profile for Windows Media
Export (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549
Creating a Custom Audio Profile for Windows Media
Export (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551
Exporting as Windows Media Using a VC1 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
Exporting Tracks As Audio Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
Exporting Frames As Graphic Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556
Chapter 17 Generating Output: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
Advanced Video Output Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
Using Test Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
Calibrating the System with Passthrough Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560
Using an XLR Adapter for Consumer-Level Analog Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
Using the Digital Cut Tool: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Output Mode Resolution Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562
Outputting DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly to a DV Device . . . . . . . . 564
Selecting Output and Timecode Formats for 23.976p and 25p Projects . . . . . 565
Selecting Output Formats for 23.976p and 25p Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
Output Format Reference for 23.976p and 25p Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
Selecting the Timecode Format for Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568
Outputting Drop-Frame and Non-Drop-Frame Timecode Simultaneously
for Downstream Encoding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569
Indicating the Destination Timecode Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
Selecting the Video Pulldown Cadence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570
Digital Cuts and Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571
Changing the Default Pulldown Phase for Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
Understanding DV Digital Cut Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572
Delaying the Sequence for a Digital Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573
Using EDL Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
25
Vertical Blanking Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574
Vertical Blanking Interval Line Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
Displaying and Preserving Vertical Blanking Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
Editing a Sequence with Vertical Blanking Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577
Effects of Preserving Vertical Blanking Information on Compressed
Video Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577
Comparison with Vertical Blanking Information on Meridien Systems . . . . . . 578
Preserving HD Closed Captioning and Ancillary Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579
Chapter 18 MultiCamera Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Understanding Grouping and Multigrouping Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Creating Group Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Creating Multigroup Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585
MultiCamera Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586
Full-Monitor Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587
Quad Split Source View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588
Nine Split Source View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
MultiCamera Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Real-time Playback in MultiCamera Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
Limitations on Playback of MultiCamera Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592
MultiCamera Editing Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592
Switching Clips with the Arrow Keys During Multicamera Editing . . . . . . . . . . 593
Using the Add Edit Button During Multicamera Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
Understanding the Group Menu for Multicamera Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
Using the Group Menu for Multicamera Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
Using the Multi-angle View Menus During Multicamera Editing . . . . . . . . . . . 595
Using Match Frame in MultiCamera Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595
Selective Camera Cutting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
Chapter 19 Using Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597
Using the Settings List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
Understanding Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
Defining Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Viewing Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604
26
Displaying Project Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604
Working with Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605
AMA Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612
AMA Settings: Bins Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612
AMA Settings: Volume Mounting Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612
Audio Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
Audio Project Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
Audio Projects Settings: Main Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
Audio Project Settings: Input Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
Audio Project Settings: Output Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
Audio Project Settings: Hardware Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
Audio Project Settings: Effects Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
Bin Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Capture Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
Capture Settings: General Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
Capture Settings: Batch Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
Capture Settings: Edit Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625
Capture Settings: OMF Media Files Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625
Capture Settings: MXF Media Files Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626
Capture Settings: DV & HDV Options Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627
Capture Settings: Keys Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Communication (Serial) Ports Tool Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Controller Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Correction Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Correction Settings: Features Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Correction Settings: AutoCorrect Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630
Deck Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631
Deck Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631
Deck Preferences Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633
Dynamic Relink Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634
Effect Editor Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637
27
Export Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
Export Settings Dialog Box Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
Export Settings: QuickTime Reference Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640
Export Settings: QuickTime Movie Export Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
Export Settings: QuickTime Movie Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
Export Settings: QuickTime Compression Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646
Export Settings: HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
Export Settings: DV Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
Export Settings: OMFI, AAF, and AFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
Export Settings: AVI (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651
Export Settings: AVI Video Compression (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653
Export Settings: Windows Media Export Options (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . 654
Windows Media Legacy Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654
Existing Windows Media Custom Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655
Windows Media Options Video Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655
Custom Profile Audio Settings for Windows Media Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657
Export Settings: Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658
Export Settings: Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660
Export Settings: Graphic Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 661
P2 Export Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664
Export Settings: XDCAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665
Full Screen Playback Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666
General Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668
Grid Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
Grid Settings: Coordinates Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669
Grid Settings: Display Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670
Import Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Import Settings: Image Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Import Settings: OMFI/AAF Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674
Import Settings: Shot Log Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674
Import Settings: Audio Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675
Import Settings: XDCAM Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676
28
Interface Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677
Interface Settings: General Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 677
Interface Settings: Appearance Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678
Interplay Folder Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 679
Interplay Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680
Interplay User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680
Keyboard Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681
Marquee Title Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682
Media Creation Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683
Media Creation Settings: Drive Filtering & Indexing Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683
Media Creation Settings: Capture, Titles, Import, and
Mixdown & Transcode Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684
Media Creation Settings: Motion Effects Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684
Media Creation Settings: Render Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684
Media Creation Settings: Media Type Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685
Media Services Settings (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686
Mouse Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686
NRCS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 687
NRCS Settings: NRCS Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 687
NRCS Settings: iNEWS Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 688
NRCS Settings: ENPS Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689
NRCS Settings: Post to Web Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689
PortServer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690
Remote Play and Capture Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690
Render Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691
Safe Colors Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 694
Script Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 695
Sound Card Configuration Settings
(Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696
Timeline Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696
Timeline Settings: Display Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696
Timeline Settings: Edit Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697
29
Trim Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698
Trim Settings: Play Loop Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698
Trim Settings: Features Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698
Video Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 699
Video Input Tool Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
Video Output Tool Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
Video Output Tool Settings: Options Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
Video Output Tool Settings: SD Cal Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703
Video Output Tool Settings: HD Cal Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
Workspace Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
Chapter 20 File Format Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
Specifications for Graphics (Image) Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709
Supported Graphics (Image) File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710
Import Specifications for Supported Graphics File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711
Preparing Graphics Files for Import. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
Frame Size for Imported Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716
Specifications for Animation Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Specifications for Audio File Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719
Understanding MXF Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719
Specifications for Importing OMFI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
Working with BWF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721
BWF Information Displayed in Bins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Preparing Custom BWF Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722
Importing, Syncing, and Reimporting BWF Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723
Importing Multi-Channel Broadcast Wave (BWF) Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 725
Field Ordering in Graphic Imports and Exports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
Chapter 21 Resolutions and Storage Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729
Compression and Avid Editing Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729
Monitor Display Resolutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
Compression and Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
Resolution Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
Resolution Specifications: HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
Resolution Specifications: JFIF Interlaced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734
30
Resolution Specifications: JFIF Progressive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Resolution Specifications: Multicam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Resolution Specifications: Digital Video (DV). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736
Resolution Specifications: MPEG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Resolution Specifications: VC1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Resolution Specifications: AVC-Intra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740
Support for Uncompressed HD Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740
Mixing Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741
Resolution Groups and Image Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742
Storage Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742
Estimating Drive Space Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742
Estimated Storage Requirements: HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743
Estimated Storage Requirements: JFIF Interlaced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745
Estimated Storage Requirements: JFIF Progressive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748
Estimated Storage Requirements: DV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751
Estimated Storage Requirements: MPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751
Maximizing Drive Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Managing Storage to Improve Playback Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Chapter 22 Film-to-Tape Transfer Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
Understanding the Film-to-Tape Transfer Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
Transfer of 24-fps Film to NTSC Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754
Stage 1: Transferring Film to Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754
Frames Versus Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754
Stage 2: Capturing at 24 fps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757
Transfer of 24-fps Film to PAL Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758
PAL Method 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758
PAL Method 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759
How Avid Editing Applications Store and Display 24p and 25p Media . . . . . . . . . . 760
Film-to-Tape Transfer Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 762
Film-to-Tape Transfer Quality Options and Production Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 762
31
Chapter 23 Working with Stereoscopic Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765
Acquiring Stereoscopic Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765
Setting Up Your System For Viewing Stereoscopic Material in
Three Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 766
Displaying Stereoscopic Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 767
Considerations When Working with Stereoscopic Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769
Chapter 24 Working with HD Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 771
High-Definition Television. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 772
HDTV Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773
HD Workflow: Film-Based Television Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773
Offline Workflow: 24-fps Film Source for HDTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775
Online Workflow: 24-fps Film Source for HDTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 776
HD Workflow: Video-Based Television Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777
HD Workflow: Broadcast Graphics Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779
Editing in HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780
Understanding Options for Changing the Project Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780
Changing the Project Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 781
Understanding Options for Modifying the Sequence Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 782
Modifying the Format of a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784
Converting a 23.976p NTSC Sequence to 720p/23.976 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784
Mixing SD and HD Material in a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785
Displaying Formats in a Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 786
Editing at 60 fps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 786
Working with True 24 FPS Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Transcoding HD Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Video Color Space for HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Working with HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Understanding HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 788
HDV Basic Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 789
Capturing and Importing HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790
Capturing HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790
Importing HDV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
Mixing SD and HD Resolutions with HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
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Playing Back HDV Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
Rendering and Transcoding HDV Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 792
Outputting HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Long-GOP Splicing for HDV Encoding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Exporting to an HDV Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Outputting HDV through Avid Input/Output Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794
Exporting an HDV Transport Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795
Exporting HDV as Windows Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795
Finishing HDV on DS Nitris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 797
HDV Compatibility Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798
Chapter 25 International Character Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799
Using a Local Language Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799
Choosing a Locale on an English Language Operating System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800
Non-English Character Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800
Using Foreign Keyboard Mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 804
Recommendations and Restrictions for International Character Support . . . . . . . . 805
Avid Supports English Plus One Locale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805
Entering ASCII Characters in Double-Byte Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805
Characters to Avoid When Naming Avid Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805
EDL Manager Does Not Save Diacritical Marks or Chinese Characters . . . . . 806
Traditional Chinese Big 5 Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807
Rebuilding the asifont.map File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807
Tips and Limitations for International Character Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807
Creating Vertical Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 808
Additional Tips and Limitations for Working with International Characters . . . 808
Chapter 26 Using the MCS3 Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811
Configuring the MCS3 Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811
Using the Default Button Mappings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812
Mapping MCS3 Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813
Configuring a Shifted Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
Customizing the Maximum Jog Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
Customizing the Maximum Shuttle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816
Creating Multiple Controller Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816
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Moving Through Footage with the MCS3 Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817
Using the MCS3 for Editing Footage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818
Troubleshooting the MCS3 Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821
34

Using This Guide

This guide contains all the advanced task-oriented instructions and conceptual information you need to use the capture, editing, and output features of your Avid editing application, as well as information about file format specifications, and other supplementary information. The Basics Guide for your Avid editing application is a companion to this Advanced Guide. It contains all the basic task-oriented instructions and conceptual information you need to get started using the product. The contents of this guide and of the Basics guide are also available in the Help.
This guide is intended for all users, from beginning to advanced.
Unless noted otherwise, the material in this document applies to the Windows Windows Vista document were captured on a Windows system, but the information applies to both Windows and Mac OS X systems. Where differences exist, both Windows and Mac OS X screen shots are shown.
The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models and applies to both
n
the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. Your system might not contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the documentation, and might not be available on both Windows and Mac OS X.
®
, and Mac OS® X operating systems.The majority of screen shots in this
®
XP,

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:
Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action
n
c
w
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.
Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action
> This symbol indicates menu commands (and 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.
(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.
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.
This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified operating system, either Windows or Macintosh OS X.
items and keyboard sequences.
Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.
mouse action. For example, Command+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.
36
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.
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 Online Library

The Online Library for your Avid editing application contains all the product documentation in PDF format, including a Master Glossary of all specialized terminology used in the documentation for Avid products.
The Online Library for your Avid editing application is installed along with the application itself.
You will need Adobe® Reader® to view the PDF documentation online. You can download
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the latest version from the Adobe web site.
To access the Online Library, do one of the following:
t From your Avid editing application, select Help > Online Library
t (Windows only) From the Windows desktop, select Start > All Programs > Avid > Avid
editing application > Online Library
Accessing the Online Library
t Browse to the Online Library folder, and then double-click the MainMenu file.
The Online Library folder is in the same location as the application itself, for example:
(Windows) C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid editing application\Online Library
(Macintosh) MacintoshHD/Applications/Avid editing application/Online Library

Accessing the Goodies Folder

Avid supplies a Goodies folder located on the editing application DVD. Access the Goodies folder by browsing the DVD. This folder contains programs and files you might find useful when trying to perform functions beyond the scope of your Avid editing application.
The information in the Goodies folder is provided solely for your reference and as suggestions for you to decide if any of these products fit into your process. Avid is not responsible for the manufacture, support, or sales of these products. Avid is also not responsible for any loss of data or time, or any other adverse results related to the use of these products. All risks of using such products or accessing such Web sites are entirely your own. The Web sites listed in the Goodies folder are not under the control of Avid, and Avid
37
is not responsible for their content, any changes or updates to them, or the collection of any personal data or information by the operators of such Web sites. All information and product availability is subject to change without notice.

How to Order Documentation

To order additional copies of this documentation from within the United States, call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843). If you are placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local Avid representative.

Avid 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.
38
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).
1 Working with the Project Window:
Advanced
The Project window provides controls for structuring and viewing important information about your current project. You can also modify User, Project, and Site settings from the Project window and display a list of effects.
The following topics describe advanced features of the Project window:
User Profiles
Managing User Profiles
Folders and Bins
Using the Info Display to View Memory Information and Access the Hardware Tool
Customizing the Avid User Interface
User-Customized Workspaces
Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment
For basic information about the project window, see “Working with the Project Window: Basics” in the Help or the Basics Guide for your Avid editing application.

User Profiles

You can establish different profiles for a single user. User profiles allow you to switch between settings without having to log out of your system and log back in under a different user name.
User profiles allow you to establish separate settings for different editing functions. User “Jane,” for example, can have separate profiles for “Audio editor,” “Film editor,” or for “Assistant 1,” “Assistant 2,” and so on.
1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
Each user profile is stored in settings files within a folder, as described in “Understanding the Avid Projects and Avid Users Folders” in the Help. User profile folders are kept in the following folder:
(Windows XP) drive:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\Avid editing application\Avid Users\UserName
(Windows Vista) drive:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Avid editing application\Avid Users\UserName
(Macintosh) /Users/Shared/Avid editing application/Avid Users/UserName
You can work with user profiles in the following ways (for step-by-step procedures, see
“Managing User Profiles” on page 41):
Create new user profiles
Switch between user profiles
Return to the original user profile
Import settings from another user or user profile
Create a user profile on one system, export it to a server, and then import the same user profile from another system to the new system.
When you export a user profile, you can select either a Personal or Group profile.
40
- When you select Personal, the user profile performs an auto-load and an auto-save
every time you open a project. Every time the user profile is updated, it saves the new profile information. For example, you can create the user profile Jennie on one system, export it to another location (a server), and then import it to a different system. Any time you change the Jennie user profile, it updates to the server and when you open the Jennie user profile on either system, it uses the most updated Jennie user profile.
- When you select Group, the user profile auto-loads but it does not auto-save.
Changes made to the user profile only affect the system on which the changes were made. The changes do not update to the server.
When exporting User Profiles in an Avid Unity™ environment, make sure the workspace
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containing the user profile has the same drive letter on all systems.
Cross-platform (Macintosh to Windows or Windows to Macintosh) user profiles can not be
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shared.
Update a user profile with the Update User Profile option, which lets you add user settings, such as the Send To settings options, to an existing Settings list.
For example, if you are upgrading to a version of your application that contains the Send To option from a version that did not have that option, you can choose the Update User Profile option to make sure the Send To settings templates appear in your Settings list.

Managing User Profiles

To create a user profile:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
Managing User Profiles
Project window title bar
User Profile Selection menu
2. Click the User Profile Selection menu, and select Create User Profile.
The Create User Profile dialog box opens.
3. Type a name in the Profile Name text box, and then click OK.
The new user profile appears selected in the menu, and the user profile name appears in the Project window title bar.
To import user settings from another user or user profile:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
2. Click the User Profile Selection menu, and select another user profile.
3. The new user profile name appears in the Project window title bar.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
To return to the original user profile:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
2. Click the User Profile Selection menu, and select the default user profile.
If you are using a user profile other than the default and you change to another project, the
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default user settings are loaded, even though the Project window still displays your non-default user profile name. You must reselect the user profile you want to have active.
To import user settings from another user or user profile:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
2. Click the User Profile Selection menu, and select Import User or User Profile.
3. Navigate to the user or user profile you want to import.
To export user settings to another user or user profile:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
2. Click the User Profile Selection menu, and select Export User or User Profile.
3. Select Personal or Group.
4. Navigate to the location where you want to place the user or user profile.
5. Click OK.
To update user profiles:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
2. Click the User Profile Selection menu, and select Update User Profiles.
Any settings that have been added to the upgraded version of the application now appear in the Settings list.
To delete a user profile from your desktop:
1. Navigate to the Avid Users folder, and then select the user folder you want to delete.
For information about the location of the Avid folders, see “Using the Avid Projects and the Avid Users Folders” in the Help.
2. Do one of the following:
t (Windows) Press the Delete key, then click OK in the dialog box that appears.
t (Macintosh) Drag the folder to the Trash.
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3. Empty the Recycle Bin (Windows) or the Trash (Macintosh) to remove the files from the system.
4. Close the windows, and restart your Avid editing application.
The deleted user no longer appears in the Select Project dialog box.

Folders and Bins

You can use the Project window to create hierarchies of folders and bins that reflect the specific workflow of the current project. This structure provides both simplicity and backup security. You can also manage system memory usage, and specify how often your Avid editing application saves bins automatically.

Guidelines for Project Organization

Although the specifics can vary depending on your production needs and habits, the basic principles of project management are as follows:
Limit the number of sequences you create in each project. For instance, consider creating one new project for each show, episode, spot, or scene.
Folders and Bins
Limit the number and complexity of clips in each bin by creating and organizing bins in three groups, as follows:
- Create a set of bins for the capture stage.
For example, you can create one bin for each source tape or each day’s worth of dailies transfers to be captured to avoid slowing the system with large bins and causing confusion between tapes.
- Create a second set of bins for organizing your project.
For example, you can create a separate bin for each segment of a video project or each scene of a 24p project, depending on the preferences of the editor.
- Create a third set of bins for the editing stage, including:
A current cut bin for storing each work in progress (sequence)
An archive bin for keeping the original version of each cut (sequence)
A selects or storyboard bin for screening selected clips or cuts gathered from the source bins
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
A format cuts bin for storing the final cuts with added format elements such as segment breaks, color bars and tone, slate, or countdown
(Option) Create additional folders at the desktop level for better organization. For example, you can create one folder for each capture bin and show cut bin, or a folder to contain all shot logs to be imported.
Save these files as templates for future productions of a similar nature.
A sample template of bins for a project is shown below.
Project folder
Folders containing bin files
Bin files
Settings file Project file
This hierarchy allows you to have one set of bins available in the Project window during capture and organizing, and another set of bins available during editing to reduce clutter.

Creating a Folder in a Project

To create a folder in a project:
1. Click the Bins tab in the Project window.
2. Click the Fast Menu button, and select New Folder.
A new untitled folder appears.
3. Click the untitled folder name in the Bins list and rename it.
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Managing Bins and Memory

System memory usage increases depending on how many bins you have open, the number of sequences in a bin, the number of tools that are open, and the size of a sequence. Using more memory can slow system performance.
In the Bin tab of the Project window, a memory usage indicator increases and updates as you open and close bins. Avid recommends that you keep memory usage below 80-85%. If you exceed the recommended usage, a dialog box opens informing you that your memory usage is high and recommending that you should close some bins and save your project.
If your system is running low on memory and you need to free up memory, you can either close your bins or use the Clear Memory button. If you close your bins, some of your memory remains unavailable until you exit the application because the online master clips remain in memory. The Clear Memory button, however, closes and saves all of your open bins and clears out any cached data of the online master clips.
Bins containing sequences use more memory than bins containing master clips. For bins that contain a large number of sequences, you can free up memory and still keep your old sequences. Create an archive bin and move older sequences that you do not use anymore to the archive bin. Keep the archive bin closed.
Folders and Bins
To free up memory:
1. Click the Info tab of the Project window.
2. Click the Clear Memory button.
A dialog box opens asking if you want to close and save all opened bins.
3. Click OK.
This operation deletes cached data for the online master clips only. Memory might also be used by other parts of the application and will not be reduced by using the Clear Memory button.

Saving Bins Automatically

Your Avid editing application automatically saves changes to your work on a regular basis during each session. You can modify the frequency of the automatic backups by using the Bin settings in the Project window Settings list.
When you are working with bins, an asterisk (Windows) or a diamond (Macintosh) appears before the bin name in the bin’s title bar. The asterisk (Windows) or diamond (Macintosh) indicates that the changes to the bin have not been saved. After you save the bin, the asterisk (Windows) or diamond (Macintosh) is removed.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
When autosave occurs:
Any open bins are updated with changes made since the last autosave.
Copies of these bins are placed in the project’s backup bin folder:
- (Windows XP) drive:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\Avid
editing application\Avid Attic folder
- (Windows Vista) drive:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Avid editing
application\Avid Attic folder
- (Macintosh) /Users/Shared/Avid Attic folder
The system automatically saves copies of all bins into the Avid Attic folder at regular intervals for backup. When your work is lost, or when you want to recover an earlier version of a bin or sequence, you can retrieve files from the Avid Attic folder. The procedure for recovering bin files from the Avid Attic folder is described in “Retrieving Files from the Attic Folder” in the Help.
For added security, you can save bins manually — for example, immediately after an important edit. For more information, see “Saving Bins Manually” in the Help.

Adjusting Automatic Saves

To adjust the frequency of automatic saves:
1. In the Project window, click the Settings tab, and then double-click Bin.
The Bin Settings dialog box opens.
2. Type a number in the Auto-Save interval text box.
3. Click OK.
Setting to zero the maximum number of files stored in the Avid Attic folder as well as the
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maximum number of versions of a bin deletes existing files in the project folder in the Avid Attic folder and prevents any backup bins from being saved. For more information about backup options, click the Bin Settings dialog box and press F1(Windows) or the Help key (Macintosh), or see “Bin Settings” on page 621.

Using the Info Display to View Memory Information and Access the Hardware Tool

The Info display in the Project window allows you to view system memory information and access the Hardware tool. The items listed in this display are for information only and cannot be changed. The Hardware tool gives a visual representation of usage for each drive and provides operating system information.
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Using the Info Display to View Memory Information and Access the Hardware Tool
(Windows only) You can view additional memory information through the Windows Task Manager and Performance Monitor tools. You can view information about system activities, such as driver messages, through the Windows Event Viewer. For information on these tools, see the Windows Help.
To open the Info display:
t Click the Info tab in the Project window.
Info tab
To display system memory information:
t Click the Info tab in the Project window, and then click the Memory button.
The Memory window opens.
The following table describes the information your Avid editing application displays in the Memory window:
Item Description
Objects The total number of memory handles currently used by your Avid
editing application. Objects include memory requirements of the application, such as windows, as well as clips, sequences, and other items associated with a project.
You can improve the performance of large projects by reducing the number of objects. To do this, close
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unused bins, unmount unneeded media drives, consolidate finished elements, eliminate old material from the project, or divide the project into separate projects. Then quit and restart your Avid editing application. If performance is still slow, restart your system.
Total physical memory (Windows) or Total Mem (Macintosh)
Available physical memory (Windows) or Free Mem (Macintosh)
Total page file The total number of bytes stored in the paging file. The paging file is
Available page file The total number of bytes available in the paging files.
Working set (minimum and maximum) The set of memory pages currently available to the application in RAM.
The total number of bytes of RAM (random-access memory).
The amount of RAM available for allocation by the Windows or Macintosh system.
used as virtual memory by the Windows system.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
To open the Hardware tool, do one of the following:
t Click the Info tab in the Project window, and then click the Hardware button.
t Select Tools > Hardware.
The Hardware tool opens.
For more information about the Hardware tool, see “Using the Hardware Tool” on page 77.
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Customizing the Avid User Interface

The Appearance tab in the Interface Settings dialog box provides you with controls for customizing the colors and button style of the Avid user interface. You can also change the font and point size of the type in the various windows. For complete reference information on the Interface Settings dialog box, see “Interface Settings” on page 677.
The following topics provide more information on customizing the appearance of the user interface:
Changing Interface Component Colors
Changing Button and Toolbar Styles
Using Interface Appearance Templates
Changing Font and Point Size

Changing Interface Component Colors

You can use a color selection grid to change the color of interface components.
The Settings list has several Interface templates with predefined color schemes. For
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information about using the Interface templates, see “Using Interface Appearance
Templates” on page 51.
To set the color of an interface component:
1. In the Project window, click the Settings tab, and then double-click Interface.
The Interface dialog box opens.
2. Click the Appearance tab.
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Check box
Color boxes
Customizing the Avid User Interface
The Interface components whose colors you can change are listed in the top half of the Appearance tab, as shown in the following illustration.
Interface component list
3. Click in the color box next to the interface component that you want to customize.
A color selection grid opens.
4. Click the color to which you want to set your interface component.
The color selection grid disappears. The color you selected appears in the color box. A check mark appears in the check box to show that you want your new color attribute for this component to take effect.
If you deselect an interface component by clicking the check box, the color you specify in the color selection grid does not take effect. The color of the interface component reverts to its default value.
5. Do one of the following:
t Click Apply to apply the changes you selected.
If you click Cancel after you click Apply, interface components retain the colors you applied.
t Click OK to close the dialog box and put the new setting into effect.
t Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
The changes you selected but did not apply do not take effect.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced

Changing Button and Toolbar Styles

You can control the shading style and depth of buttons and toolbars. You can also change the shape of buttons and the way buttons are spaced in Monitors and in the Timeline.
To set the style of buttons and toolbars:
1. In the Project window, click the Settings tab, and then double-click Interface.
The Interface dialog box opens.
2. Click the Appearance tab.
3. Select from one or more of the menus, as described in the table following this procedure.
4. Do one of the following:
t Click Apply to apply the changes you selected.
If you click Cancel after you click Apply, your editing application retains the selections you applied.
t Click OK to close the dialog box and put the new setting into effect.
t Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
The changes you selected but did not apply do not take effect.
Control Description Options Examples
Shading Style Controls the graphic style
used to shade buttons and toolbars.
Shading Depth Controls the
three-dimensional “rounding” of the buttons and toolbars
Convex
Dim Radial
Convex Radial
Bright Radial
Percentage values
Shading depth 5% Shading depth 50%
Convex
Dim Radial
Convex Radial
Bright Radial
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Customizing the Avid User Interface
Control Description Options Examples
Monitor Button Separation
Timeline Button Separation
Button Style Controls the shape of
Controls the spacing between the Monitor buttons and between the Timeline buttons
buttons.
Maximum
Moderate
None
Oval
Octagonal
Rounded
Square
Swoosh
Antique

Using Interface Appearance Templates

There are several interface appearance templates available for the Avid user interface that have preset background and button colors.
To use an interface appearance template:
Maximum button separation
Moderate button separation
No button separation
Oval
Rounded
SquareOctagonal
Swoosh
Antique
t Click to the left of one of the named Interface settings in the Settings list in the Project
window.
The look of your Avid user interface changes.
To return to the default interface:
t Click to the left of the unnamed Interface setting.
For information on how to change the appearance of particular components of your Avid
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user interface, see “Customizing the Avid User Interface” on page 48.

Changing Font and Point Size

You can change the default font and point sizes of the Project, Bin, ComposerSource/Record monitor, Script, and Timeline windows. You can vary the fonts and point sizes across these windows. For example, you can set the Project window to Helvetica, 13 pt.; set one Bin window to Times Roman, 11 pt.; and set another Bin window to Arial, 12 pt.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
The following table describes the windows you can change, and where these changes are saved.
Window Location of Changes
Project Changes the font and point size of the text in the Project window; saved as a Project
setting.
Bin Changes the font and point size of the text in the Bin window; saved as a Bin setting
(not a Bin View setting).
Source/Record monitor
Script Changes the font and point size of the text in the Script window; saved as a Script
Timeline Changes the font and point size of clip text; saved as a Timeline View setting.
To change the font displayed in the Project, Bin, ComposerSource/Record monitor, Script, or Timeline window:
1. Click the Project, Bin, ComposerSource/Record monitor, Script, or Timeline window to make it active.
2. Select Edit > Set Font.
The Set Font dialog box opens.
3. Click the Font menu, and select a font.
Any font installed on the Avid system appears in the list. For information on adding fonts to
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your system, see the documentation for your operating system.
4. Type another point size for the font in the Size text box.
5. Click OK.
The new font and point size appear in the active window.
Changes the font and point size of the sequence or source clip name text; saved as a Composer setting.
setting.
When you close the window, the last font and point size applied are saved with the window.

User-Customized Workspaces

A workspace is the arrangement and size of tool windows displayed in your Avid editing application. If you are accustomed to working with a particular group of windows arranged and sized in a particular setup, you can assign them to a workspace setting that you can then recall with a workspace button.
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User-Customized Workspaces
For example, during capture you might want to display the Capture tool and Video Input tool in specific locations. During effects editing, you might want to display the Effect Palette and Effect Editor in particular locations and sizes. For information on switching between workspaces, see “Switching Between Workspaces” on page 56.
While in a workspace, you can move tool windows or open and close tool windows. The next time you select that workspace, the tool windows appear with either:
The arrangement from the last time you left the workspace
The arrangement you set for the workspace, regardless of any changes you made
You can select your preference in the Workspace Settings dialog box. For more information, see “Creating a New Workspace Setting” on page 53.
You can assign up to eight buttons that allow you to switch between user-customized workspaces. This is useful if there is more than one user accessing the same Avid system. Each user can assign up to eight workspaces by using the workspace buttons. The buttons are assigned to the workspaces in the Settings list in the Project window in the order that they appear. For example, the W1 button is assigned to the first workspace that appears in the Settings list; W2 is assigned to the second workspace that appears in the Settings list; and so forth. For more information, see “Assigning a Workspace Button” on page 57.
You cannot assign certain tool windows to a workspace, such as the Hardware tool, the
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Communication (Serial) Ports tool, and the Media tool.
In addition, see the following topics for more information on customizing your workspace:
Linking User Settings and Workspaces
Deleting a Workspace

Creating a New Workspace Setting

To create a new workspace setting:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
The Settings list appears.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings list, and select Workspace.
3. Select Edit > Duplicate.
A new workspace setting appears in the Settings list.
If you are duplicating a previously named workspace setting, a .1 appears at the end of the
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new name.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
4. Click to the left of the new workspace you want to set.
A check mark appears next to the workspace.
5. Assign a custom name to the new workspace:
a. In the column between Workspace and User, click until you see a text cursor and
box. Make sure you click the Custom name column and not the Setting name.
New workspace
Custom name column
b. Type a name for the new custom workspace; (for example, Logging).
c. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
d. Open the windows and tools with which you want to associate the workspace.
Resize and move the windows to the location you want them to appear on the monitors.
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6. Double-click the custom workspace setting.
The Workspace Settings dialog box opens.
7. Select or deselect the following options, depending on your preference for the behavior of the workspace:
Option Description
Activate Settings Linked by Name
Continually Update This Workspace
Manually Update This Workspace
This setting allows you to link other settings to the workspace. For more information, see “Linking User Settings and Workspaces” on
page 55.
This setting automatically preserves the workspace in its most recent arrangement. Future changes to the arrangement of the tool windows are saved.
This setting saves the workspace in its current arrangement when you click Save Workspace Now. Future changes to the arrangement of the tool windows are disregarded.
8. Click OK.

Linking User Settings and Workspaces

User settings can be linked to a workspace. You can create a customized workspace, set up specific options in any Settings dialog box, and link them together by name.
For example, you can create an Audio workspace that opens the Audio Mixer tool and Audio tool. This workspace can also open a customized Timeline (with enlarged audio tracks and rubberbanding displays). You can also link this workspace to a Settings dialog box with customized options selected. You do this by creating a setting and giving it the same name in the Settings list in the Project window as the name of the workspace.
To link user settings and a workspace:
1. Create a new workspace setting.
For more information, see “Creating a New Workspace Setting” on page 53.
2. Give the workspace a custom name.
3. Click a setting in the Settings list that you want to link to the new workspace. For example, click Timeline View. Adjust the Timeline to how you want it displayed (enlarged tracks, audio waveform, and so forth).
4. Give this Timeline View setting the same name you gave the workspace in step 2.
User-Customized Workspaces
5. Double-click another setting, (for example, Audio). Select the new options, (for
6. Give this setting the same name you gave the workspace in step 2.
Linked setting
Linked setting
Linked workspace
For information on naming a Timeline view, see “Managing Customized Timeline Views” in the Help.
example, Default Pan), and close the dialog box.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
7. Double-click the workspace you just created.
The Workspace Settings dialog box opens.
8. Click Activate Settings Linked By Name.
9. Click OK.
All the settings and the new workspace you created are activated.

Switching Between Workspaces

To switch from one workspace to another:
1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
The Settings list appears.
2. Click to the left of the workspace setting you want to use.
A check mark appears next to the workspace.
You can also switch between workspaces by using the workspace buttons. To assign workspace buttons, see “Assigning a Workspace Button” on page 57.

Deleting a Workspace

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To delete a workspace:
1. Select the workspace you want to delete from the Settings list in the Project window.
The workspace is highlighted.
Make sure a check mark does not appear next to the workspace you want to delete. You cannot delete an active workspace.
2. Press the Delete key.
The selected workspace is removed from the Settings list.

Assigning a Workspace Button

To assign a workspace button:
1. If you want to assign a workspace button to a palette (for example, the Tool palette from the Fast menu) or the Keyboard, open the palette or Keyboard setting.
2. Select Tools > Command Palette.
User-Customized Workspaces
W1 button
More tab
3. Click the More tab.
4. Select Button to Button Reassignment.
5. Click a workspace button (W1 – W8), and drag the button to a location on another palette (for example, the Tool palette) or the Keyboard setting.
The workspace button appears in the new location.
The buttons are assigned to the workspaces in the Settings list in the Project window in the order that they appear. For example, the W1 button is assigned to the first workspace that appears in the Settings list; W2 is assigned to the second workspace that appears in the Settings list; and so forth.
Your Avid editing application sorts the workspaces alphabetically. The workspace button assignments might change if you add workspaces. To keep a designated order, name the workspaces with a number preceding the first letter (for example, 2editing).
6. Click the W1 button to display the first workspace that appears in the Settings list.
When you open the windows associated with the first workspace, they open in the assigned locations.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced

Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment

The following topics describe how to work in an Avid Unity environment that does not use an asset manager or Avid Interplay Transfer. If you are using an asset manager or Avid Interplay Transfer, see the Avid Interplay Engine and Avid Interplay Archive Engine Administration Guide and the Avid Interplay Transfer Setup and User’s Guide.
The following topics provide more information on sharing bins and projects in an Avid Unity environment:
Understanding Avid Unity
Sharing Only Bins in Avid Unity
Sharing Bins and Projects in Avid Unity
Opening a Shared Project
Locks and Shared Bins
Working with Locks and Shared Bins
Restrictions and Limitations for Locked Bins
Suggestions for Improving Performance When Working with Shared Bins
Shared Bin and Project Limitations
Shared Bin Lock Icon Limitation
Drive Filtering in Networked Workflows

Understanding Avid Unity

Avid Unity MediaNetwork and Avid Unity ISIS allow you to share bins and projects across the network. When you place your bins and projects on Avid Unity workspaces (drive volumes), several users can work on the same project at the same time.
For example, an editor can create sequences in one bin while an assistant recaptures media in another bin. At the same time, other users can add audio effects or titles to other bins in the project.
Each user can perform tasks from his or her own computer. Your Avid editing application provides a locking mechanism to help you keep track of who is currently working in a bin. The method allows one user to write to a bin; multiple users can read the files in that bin.
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The lock does not prevent you from deleting the media in a locked bin if you have write access to the workspace. It ensures only that you don’t overwrite changes to the bin.
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In an Avid Unity environment, your Avid editing application creates and stores projects and bins on the client’s internal drive. If a user moves or saves these projects and bins to the workspace, only one client can work on the project at a time. If two or more users are working simultaneously on the same project, only one user can update the files. Other users can open and play sequences but cannot make any changes to them.
For information on managing workspaces, see the clients’ Quick Start cards. For details on Avid Unity, see the Avid Unity MediaNetwork Management Guide or the Avid Unity ISIS Administration Guide.

Sharing Only Bins in Avid Unity

When you use shared bins, you store the project on your local computer and store bins and media files on the shared workspace. This method allows users in a shared environment to share only selected bins with other users. The system identifies the shared bins as follows:
Stores the bin in a Unity Bins folder in the Project window. This folder is similar to the Other Bins folder.
Displays a second column of information for the bin that identifies the computer that currently has the bin locked.
Uses bold text to identify bins that are locked by another user.
Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment

Sharing Bins and Projects in Avid Unity

If you share bins and projects, you create and store the project folder and bins on the shared workspace (or copy an existing project, bins, and the related media files). Your Avid editing application identifies information from each computer using the shared workspace as follows:
Creates a project folder for each computer that accesses the project. Your Avid editing application adds the computer’s name to the folder name to create a unique name and stores any project-specific information in the folder. This mechanism prevents users from overwriting the project-specific data for other users.
The folder is similar to the folder created when you select New Folder from the Project Window Fast menu. For more information, see “Folders and Bins” on page 43.
Displays an extra column in the Project window that identifies the computer that has the bin locked.
Uses bold text to identify bins that are locked by other users.
Creates a folder at the top level of the shared workspace called Unity Attic. This folder contains backup files for each project on the shared volume.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
Depending on the number of users sharing a workspace, you might want to increase the
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number of files that your Avid editing application stores in the Unity Attic folder (using the Bin Settings dialog box).
The following illustration shows the Project window for a shared project.
Bold bins are locked for editing but can be viewed.
Project folders for each user

Opening a Shared Project

To open an existing project on the shared volume:
Computer that currently has the bin locked
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1. Start your Avid editing application.
2. In the Select Project dialog box, navigate to the project on Avid Unity.
The Project window opens. For a description of the elements specific to Avid Unity in the Project window, see “Sharing Only Bins in Avid Unity” on page 59 and “Sharing
Bins and Projects in Avid Unity” on page 59.
3. Open one of the bins by double-clicking the Bin icon.
The bin appears with a Bin Lock Status button. You can click the red (locked) or green (unlocked) Bin Lock Status button to view a history file that shows which computers and users have modified the bin and the date and time of the modifications.
The following illustration shows locked and unlocked bins.
Unlocked bin
Locked bin
When a bin is unlocked, you have permission to make changes. You should not make changes to a locked bin. See “Restrictions and Limitations for Locked Bins” on page 62.
The Bin Lock Status button does not appear if the bin is not on Avid Unity.
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Locks and Shared Bins

Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment
Your Avid editing application uses a locking mechanism to help you keep track of who is currently working in a shared bin. This allows one user to write to a bin; multiple users can read the files in that bin.
The user who opens the bin first gets the lock and obtains write access to the bin. Your Avid editing application uses bold text in the Project window to identify bins that are locked by another user. When the person who owns the lock closes the bin, it becomes available for another user to open and take the lock.
If one user has the lock and another user has the same bin open, when the first user closes the bin, the second user must close and reopen the bin to get the lock.
You can instruct your Avid editing application to keep a bin locked even after you close it.
You can click the red or green Bin Lock Status button in the bin to view a history file that shows which computers and users have modified the bin.

Working with Locks and Shared Bins

To open a bin without taking the lock:
t Alt+double-click (Windows) or Option+double-click (Macintosh) the bin in the Project
window.
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
To permanently lock a bin:
1. Select one or more bins in the Project window.
2. Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl+Shift+click (Macintosh) the Bin icon, and select Lock Project Bin.
An asterisk (Windows) or diamond (Macintosh) appears next to the user name in the Project window. In this case, the bin remains locked even after you close it.
To unlock the bin:
t Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl+Shift+click (Macintosh) the bin in the Project window,
and select Unlock Project Bin.
The Lock Project Bin and Unlock Project Bin commands are also available from the Clip
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menu.

Restrictions and Limitations for Locked Bins

The following restrictions apply to bins that are locked by another user:
You cannot select a locked bin for operations such as capture, title creation, and importing. This helps to minimize the problems of modifying a locked bin.
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You cannot drag an item to a locked bin.
If you drag an item from a locked bin to a writable bin, the Avid system creates a duplicate (not a copy) of the selection in the writable bin. The original item is not removed from the locked bin. This operation is the equivalent of duplicating a selection and then dragging the duplicate to another bin.
You cannot move a bin that is locked by another user.
If you modify a locked bin, your Avid editing application does not let you save the bin to the same name, but it allows you to save the bin to another name. However, this causes duplicate bin IDs and might cause system-level conflicts with the contents of the two bins. The application sees the duplicate contents of these bins and resolves the conflicts by newest modifications (this might not be desirable behavior).
Try to avoid creating duplicate bins by modifying a locked bin. If you do create a duplicate bin in this way, you should manually merge the changes into the original bin and delete the duplicate bin.
The lock does not prevent you from deleting the media in a locked bin if you have write access to the workspace. It ensures only that you don’t overwrite changes to the bin.
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Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment

Suggestions for Improving Performance When Working with Shared Bins

The following information is provided to improve performance when working with shared bins in an Avid Unity environment.
Do not use the same name for your editing system machine name and your user name. In fact, do not use the same name for security objects such as machine names, user names, group names, and domain names. If any two security objects have the same name, Windows might become confused and sharing might not work properly.
Do not use the same prefix for machine names in a shared environment. No full name can be a prefix of another name. If one of the systems has a machine name that is the full name, and others in the environment have the prefix as part of their machine name, problems can occur. For example, if an editing system has a machine name ABC and additional editing systems in the shared environment have machine names ABCnn, ABCxx, the following problems could occur:
- When the system with the machine name ABC is writing to a directory, the systems
whose machine names have the same prefix (ABCnn and ABCxx) might not be able to access the directory.
- When the system with the machine name ABC is rendering, systems whose
machine names have the same prefix (ABCnn and ABCxx) might be unable to launch.
Avid recommends that you do not use a common prefix for machine names. If you must use a common prefix, make sure all the names are the same length (ABC01, ABC02, ABC03, etc.).
Avoid using Windows Explorer to examine, copy, or manipulate shared bin files or shared project folders or their contents when editors are using those files or folders. If you do, editors attempting to access those shared bins or projects may experience delays accompanied by a progress dialog that says, “Filesystem busy, retrying (MESSAGE),” where MESSAGE is replaced by a specific message identifying the action that is being retried.
If the busy condition persists, and the retries are exhausted, a failure message appears. When that happens, ensure that Windows Explorer is not being used on the shared bins you are trying to access, and then try the operation again.
When you have an environment where more than five users are sharing bins on Avid Unity, Avid recommends using an Avid Interplay server in the workgroup environment.
When an Avid Interplay server is available in an Avid Unity system in the workgroup environment, Avid does not recommend sharing bins or projects. Use the Avid Interplay server and the Interplay Window to share media. All editing systems in a workgroup
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
environment that includes an Avid Interplay server must have the Avid Unity client software installed. The Media Tool might become unreliable if an editor in the Avid Unity workgroup environment does not have the Avid Unity client software installed.

Shared Bin and Project Limitations

If an editor other than the creator deletes a media file, other editors cannot see that media file go offline immediately. If an editor tries to play that file, “media file not found” messages might appear in a monitor window, and access violation errors might occur.
Each editing application maintains a PMR file in its machine name folder inside the OMFI MediaFiles folder or the Avid MediaFiles folder. The PMR file lists all the online media files. Every editing application consults all the PMR files in all the machine name folders to find out which media files are online. Whenever a media file is created, its name is immediately added to the creating editor application's PMR file, and whenever a media file is deleted by its creator, its name is immediately removed from the PMR file.
However, if an editing application other than the creator deletes a media file, the PMR file that contains the deleted file is NOT updated immediately. Once the creating editor encounters an event that causes its PMR to be updated, then all editing systems know that the deleted media file has gone offline.
There are several ways to force an editing application to update its PMR. The simplest is to switch to the desktop and back.
Avid recommends that you institute policies where media files are deleted by the editor who created them, or if necessary, the deleting editors notify the editor who created the media files that a deletion has occurred. This editor can then switch to the desktop and back, and all other editors can see the deleted file go offline.

Shared Bin Lock Icon Limitation

Occasionally, when two editors attempt to open a shared bin at the same time, both editors get the green lock icon. However, only one editor really has the lock, and that editor's machine name appears beside the bin name in both Project windows.
Both editors can modify their copies of the bin, but only the editor that holds the lock, as indicated in the Project window, can save that bin. The other editor is warned that the bin is locked but is allowed to save a copy of the changed bin.
Avid recommends that you use the “Save Bin Copy As...” button and continue working.
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Working with Bins and Projects in an Avid Unity Environment

Drive Filtering in Networked Workflows

The Drive Filtering and Indexing tab of the Media Creation Settings dialog box includes three options:
Filter by Resolution
Filter by System Drive
Filter by Launch Drive
For Symphony products and for current versions of Avid Media Composer and Avid NewsCutter Avid Media Composer and Avid NewsCutter enabled, Filter by System Drive disabled, Filter by Launch Drive disabled. This caused breakages with the networked workflows as media in new projects were being created on the C: drive instead of the shared storage when using the default Media Creation Settings. To fix this, all three drive filtering options are enabled by default.
Avid Xpress products and Avid Free DV default to Filtering off because these products might not have additional drives available, especially if you are working on a laptop.
Any project brought into a networked workflow that was created with any of the filtering
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selections off might have problems with networked media creation, such as “Audio and/or Video Mixdown” and “SendToPlayback,” because their Media Creation Settings are still configured for standalone usage.
There are several ways for you to work around this issue. First, adjust the drive filtering settings when switching environments, either by opening the Media Creation Setting and switching the drive filtering settings or by creating multiple Media Creation Settings and switching the active setting whenever you shift environments. If you always work in an environment that differs from the defaults (for example, an Avid Xpress product always connected to shared storage), you can create a Media Creation setting that fits your workflow and add it to your Site Settings so new projects are created with the desired defaults. For more information, see “Using Site Settings” on page 609.
®
products, these three options are selected by default. Some older versions of
®
products shipped with Filter by Resolution
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1 Working with the Project Window: Advanced
The default values for Filter by Resolution, Filter by System Drive, and Filter by Launch Drive are as follows:
Product Filter By Resolution
Filter by System Drive
Filter by Launch Drive
Symphony products Yes Yes Yes
Media Composer
Ye s Yes Ye s
products
NewsCutter products Yes Yes Yes
Media Station PT Yes Yes Yes
Avi d Xpr ess Pro No No No
Avid Xpress DV No No No
Free DV No No No
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2 Using Tools

The Tools menu in your Avid editing application provides quick access to essential tools that you can use in your projects. In addition to the tools available from the Tools menu, you can also add a controller to your system that you can use as an alternative to your keyboard and mouse for editing footage. These tools are described in the following sections:
Using the Tools Menu
Using a Deck Controller
Deck Controller Window Reference
The Command Palette
Using the Avid Calculator
The Console Window
Using the Hardware Tool
External Controllers as Editing Control Surfaces

Using the Tools Menu

You can open any of the most frequently used system tools from the Tools menu.
To open a tool:
t Select Tools > tool name.

Using a Deck Controller

A deck controller provides direct serial or VLXi® V-LA N® control of an Avid-compatible tape deck at any time during editing. You can cue and screen footage from source tapes in various edit modes, or when recording a digital cut, without opening the Capture tool.
To open a deck controller:
t Select Tools > New Deck Controller.
The Avid Deck Manager program is initialized, and a new Deck Controller window opens.
2 Using Tools

Deck Controller Window Reference

Timecode display
Deck controls
Deck Selection menu
Tape Name button
Timecode indicator
Eject
Logging controls
Mark IN
Mark OUT
Go To Memory button
Close button Timecode display
Delete Mark IN
Delete Mark OUT
Clear Memory button
Each deck controller includes the following elements:
The Timecode display provides information about the control status of the tape deck, as follows:
- If the deck is properly connected and power is on, the deck controller displays
timecode when a tape is mounted.
- If a deck is not properly connected to the system or power is off when you open the
controller, the indicator displays the message “NO DECK.”
- If you turn the deck power off with the deck controller already open, the indicator
displays the message “Power Off.”
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- If you switch the deck control to Local on the VTR, the indicator displays the
message “Local.”
Information on connecting decks and cabling varies depending on the Avid input/output
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hardware device you use. For more information, see “Connecting Cameras, Decks, and Monitors” in the Help.
The Timecode indicator flashes green during playback or capture to indicate that the system is receiving valid timecode from the source tape. If the indicator remains unlit, the system is not receiving timecode.
The deck controls provide a standard range of playback capabilities, including fast forward and rewind, stop and play, step backward and step forward, pause, and eject.
The Deck Selection menu allows you to specify a deck with deck control parameters that you can customize in the Deck Settings dialog box. For more information, see
“Deck Configuration Settings” on page 631.
The deck controller allows you to associate a tape name with the controller by clicking the Tape Name button and selecting a tape in the Select Tape dialog box. For more information, see “Selecting a Source Tape” in the Help.
Logging controls allow you to log IN and OUT marks while cueing your tape.
For more information on logging, see “Logging Directly into a Bin” on page 97.
Marks you set with the deck controller are temporary and allow you to return to timecode locations entered in the window while screening and cueing a tape. If the Capture tool is open, however, timecodes logged in the deck controller also appear in the Capture tool and can be entered into an open bin.

The Command Palette

The Command palette provides a central location for all user-selectable buttons that you can map to various locations for ease of use. User-selectable buttons allow you to perform a wide range of commands with a single click of the mouse.
The Command palette organizes buttons by editing function. Tabs are displayed for each editing function and the buttons that perform those functions are displayed in each tab. The functions are Move, Play, Edit, Trim, FX (Effects), 3D, CC (Color Correction), MCam (MultiCamera), Other, and More.
The Command Palette
You can use the Command palette to:
Map buttons to any Tool palette or the keyboard. See “Mapping User-Selectable
Buttons” on page 71.
Map menu commands to various buttons and keys. See “Mapping Menu Commands” on
page 72.
Directly activate a command. See “Activating Commands from the Command Palette”
on page 73.
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2 Using Tools
For information about each button in the Command palette, right-click (Windows) or
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Ctrl+Shift+click (Macintosh) a button and select What’s This? from the menu.
For more information on logging with the Capture tool, see “Logging Directly into a Bin”
on page 97.

Understanding Button Mapping

Mapping user-selectable buttons allows you to reconfigure Tool palettes, toolbars, or the keyboard in various combinations to suit different editing needs.
When you map buttons to the keyboard, the mapping might be specific to the current editing
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mode. For example, buttons mapped to the Page Up key or the Page Down key revert to the default key functions when you enter Effect mode. After you exit Effect mode, the keys return to the mapped function.
The following are a few examples of mapping buttons:
Subcataloging clips: You can map the Make Subclip button and other clip management buttons.
Make Subclip Find Bin Add Locator
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Complex layering and effects editing: You can map buttons such as Motion Effect, Remove Effect, Fade Effect, Render Effect, Cycle Picture/Sound, Quick Transition, and Grid (which displays Safe Title overlays).
Motion Effect Remove Effect Grid
Fade Effect Render Effect Cycle
Picture/Sound
Quick Transition
MultiCamera editing: You can map the Quad Split, Swap Cam Bank, and Gang buttons.
Quad Split Swap Cam Bank Gang
When you remap buttons or commands, the system immediately saves your new configuration in one of the default settings that you can open from the Project window. You can also save, rename, and recall multiple versions of any of these settings to serve various purposes.
For more information on multiple settings, see “Working with Multiple Settings” on page
606.
Your Avid editing application saves button configurations as follows:
Changes to the Keyboard palette are saved in the Keyboard settings.
Changes to the Tool palette are saved in the Interface settings.
You can change the appearance of the buttons in the Tool palette by using the Interface settings from the Settings list in the Project window. For more information, see
“Customizing the Avid User Interface” on page 48. You can choose to identify a button’s
function with only an icon or with an icon and letters. For more information, see “Interface
Settings” on page 677.

Mapping User-Selectable Buttons

To map buttons or keys on the keyboard by using the Command palette:
1. Open a window that has a user-selectable button palette by doing one of the following:
t Activate the Playback, Source, or Record monitor in the Composer window.
t Click a button, and drag the Tool palette to open it.
The Command Palette
t Activate the Source/Record monitor or the pop-up monitor, click the Fast Menu
button, and drag to tear off the Tool palette.
t Open a clip in a pop-up monitor.
t Enter Trim mode in the Composer window.
t Open the Keyboard palette from the Settings list in the Project window.
2. Select Tools > Command Palette.
The Command palette opens.
3. Select Button to Button Reassignment at the bottom of the Command palette.
4. Click the tab from which you want to select a user-selectable button.
5. Drag the button from the Command palette to a button location on the other palette.

The Blank Button

The button in the Other tab of the Command palette allows you to replace a defined button with an undefined button. If you do not need a specific button on the Tool palette, you can replace this button with a Blank button.
For more information on mapping the Blank button to a new location, see “Mapping
User-Selectable Buttons” on page 71.
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2 Using Tools

Modifier Keys

You can add modifier keys to functions already associated with keys and buttons. The Other tab in the Command palette contains the following modifier key buttons:
Button Description
For example, on a Windows system, if you map the Add Alt Key button to the Mark IN key (I key), the function of the I key changes to Go to IN Point (which is equivalent to pressing Alt+I). For a list of other functions that use modifier keys, select Help > Shortcuts.
After you modify a key or button with a modifier key button, you can use the default function
n
of the key or button by pressing and holding the appropriate modifier key while pressing the key, or by pressing and holding the modifier key while clicking the button.
(Windows) Add Alt Key button
(Macintosh) Add Control Key button
(Macintosh) Add Option Key button

Mapping Menu Commands

You can map menu commands displayed in the menus in your Avid editing application menu bar directly onto any mappable button location or onto the keyboard. In some cases, you can avoid using the menus altogether.
Before you can map some commands, you must first establish the condition that enables the
n
command. For example, before you can map the Render In/Out command from the Clip menu, you must first mark IN and OUT points in the Timeline so that the menu command appears.
To map menu commands:
1. Open a window that has user-selectable buttons by doing one of the following:
t Activate the Source/Record monitor or the pop-up monitor, click the Fast Menu
button, and drag to tear off the Tool palette.
t Open the Keyboard palette from the Settings list in the Project window.
2. Select Tools > Command Palette.
The Command palette opens.
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3. Select Menu to Button Reassignment.
4. Click a target button on the Keyboard palette or the Tool palette.
The pointer changes to a small white menu.
5. Select the menu command you want to map to the target button.
The initials for the menu command appear on the target button.
Menu command mapped to a button

Activating Commands from the Command Palette

You can perform a command function directly from the Command palette. For example, you can click the Play button in the Command palette to play the material in the Source monitor.
To activate a command from the Command palette:
1. Select Tools > Command Palette.

Using the Avid Calculator

The Command palette opens.
2. Select Active Palette at the bottom of the Command palette.
3. Click the tab from which you want to select a command function.
4. Click the button in the Command palette for the function you want to perform.
Using the Avid Calculator
The Avid Calculator helps you calculate video and film durations, and convert timecode and film key numbers to different formats.
For example, you can:
Convert drop-frame to non-drop-frame timecode values.
Convert timecode durations between 30-fps and 25-fps projects.
Convert a duration in video to the corresponding length in footage and frames for measuring 35mm film.
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2 Using Tools
To use the Avid Calculator:
1. Select Tools > Calculator.
The Avid Calculator opens.
2. Click the Format menu, and select a format.
3. Make calculations in one of the following ways:
t Click numbers and functions in the Avid Calculator.
t Enter numbers and functions using the numeric keypad.
t Enter numbers and functions using the top row of numbers on the keyboard.
You do not need to enter leading zeros, colons, or semicolons for timecode.
To convert your totals at any time to another format:
t Click the Format menu, and select a different frame code or key number format.
If drop-frame timecode is entered into the calculator while non-drop-frame timecode is selected in the format menu, the calculator converts the entered timecode to a non-drop-frame equivalent (and vice-versa).

The Console Window

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c
The Console window provides a number of features, including:
Current system information, including your system ID number
A log of error messages
Detailed information about sequence segments in the Timeline or about objects in a bin
A command to display networked drives for use as media drives
Information after you capture or import
Do not use the programming features of the Console without guidance from Avid professionals. Contact your Avid Reseller with specific questions. (In North America, you can contact Avid Customer Support.)

Displaying System Information in the Console Window

To display current system information:
1. Select Tools > Console.
The Console window opens.
2. Scroll in the Console window to view your system information and ID.
The Console Window
Your system ID is on a line beginning
This feature is especially useful for finding the system ID when you need to contact your Avid Reseller or Avid Customer Support.
System ID:

Reviewing a Log of Errors in the Console Window

To review errors logged to the Console window:
1. When an error occurs, close the message box and select Tools > Console.
2. Scroll through the Console window to find a log of the error to use when you contact your Avid Reseller or Avid Customer Support.

Getting Information with the Console Window

The Console window provides quick access to bin information such as total duration of selected clips or total items in a bin including hidden items. You can also use the Console window to display information about a clip, segment, or sequence in the Timeline.
To get information with the Console window:
1. Select Tools > Console.
The Console window opens.
2. Select the item about which you want information, for example:
t In the Timeline, move the position indicator to the selected clip or segment.
t In the bin, select an object or Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh)
multiple objects.
3. Select File > Get Bin Info or File > Get Position Info.
Information about the clip appears in the Console window.
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2 Using Tools

Using the Console Window to Access Network Drives

Your Avid editing application can access network drives that you have mapped to your Avid editing system. Once your network drives are mapped, typing the appropriate console command displays the mapped drive letter in the appropriate tools in the Avid editing application.
For information about mapping dives to your computer, see your Windows or Macintosh
n
documentation.
You do not need to use this feature to access Avid Unity shared network drives.
When the feature is turned on, the mapped drive letter appears in the Target Drive menu. When you turn the feature off, the mapped drive letter is dimmed. If you quit and restart your application, the mapped drive letter does not appear in the Target Drive menu.
To make your mapped network drives available:
1. Open the Console window by selecting Tools > Console.
2. In the Console command line, type:
alldrives 1
3. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
Network drives are now visible in your Avid editing application.
Typing
alldrives 2
By default, network drives are filtered by resolution when the option Filter Network Drives Based on Resolution option is selected in the Media Creation settings. For more information, see “Media Creation Settings” on page 683.
alldrives
in the Console window turns this feature on and off. Typing
restores the default behavior where only media drives are available.
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Using the Hardware Tool

The Hardware tool provides the following information about the system’s hardware configuration:
The Drives tab lists each online drive. The shaded portion of the bar graph to the right of each drive shows the amount of storage space currently filled. The number in the bar graph indicates the amount of available drive storage space for each drive.
If your system is connected to an Avid Unity network, you see two drives tabs, Local Drives
n
and Avid Unity Drives.
(Windows) The System tab lists the operating system, its version, service pack, and build, and the physical memory.
(Macintosh) The System tab lists the operating system, its version, and the physical memory.
To check the hardware configuration of your Avid system, do one of the following:
t Select Tools > Hardware.
t Click the Info tab in the Project window, and then click Hardware.
Using the Hardware Tool
The Hardware tool opens.

External Controllers as Editing Control Surfaces

Adding a controller to your Avid system provides an alternative to using the keyboard and mouse for editing footage. Avid supports the following controllers for this purpose:
Digidesign Command|8™
Digidesign Digi 002
For information about connecting these controllers, see “Connecting Serial and MIDI Port Devices” in the Help.
For information about configuring these controllers and using them as editing control surfaces, see “Using the Digi 002 and the Command|8” on page 396.
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2 Using Tools
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3 Logging: Advanced

When you import shot log files or log directly into a bin, you provide your Avid editing application 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 topics provide advanced information for preparing log information:
Using Avid Log Exchange to Prepare Log Files for Import
Avid Log Specifications
Creating an Avid Log
Double-Checking Log Files
Logging Directly into a Bin
Understanding the Pulldown Phase
Setting the Pulldown Phase
For more information, see “Importing Shot Log Files” in the Help or the Basics Guide for your Avid editing application.

Using Avid Log Exchange to Prepare Log Files for Import

Log files need to conform to the Avid Log Exchange (ALE) format to be imported into your Avid editing application. You can use the ALE utility included with your system to quickly convert shot log files.
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 “Log Formats Compatible with
Avid Log Exchange” on page 87.
Convert an ALE file to either an ATN or FLX file.
Any options you set in the ALE utility are saved each time you close the ALE utility.
3 Logging: Advanced
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 (Windows)

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.
2. Do 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 > 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 dialog box opens.
4. Select the information you want to appear in the global settings of the .ale file.
The global settings appear at the top of the .ale file.
5. Click OK.
6. Depending on the type of file you are opening, one of the following occurs:
- If the file type is recognized by the ALE utility, the file appears in the Avid Log Exchange window.
- If the file type is not recognized, the Select File Type dialog box opens. Select the type of file you are converting and click OK.
- If the file does not contain the Windows line-ending format, then the Line Endings dialog box opens. Select an option from the following table.
Option Description
Display & Save Opens the file in the Avid Log Exchange window and changes the file to the
Windows format.
Display Only Opens the file in the Avid Log Exchange window, but does not change the file.
Ignore Displays the file as is without changes.
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Using Avid Log Exchange to Prepare Log Files for Import
The file appears in the Avid Log Exchange window.
For specific information on the various file types, see “Log Formats Compatible with
Avid Log Exchange” on page 87.
7. Use the Options menu to select the tracks to include in the Tracks column of the log.
The default track selections are Log V, Log A1, and Log A2.
After you import the log into an Avid bin, the system captures all tracks shown in this column when batch capturing.
The Track selection only works on non-ALE files being converted to ALE format. When ALE is the incoming format, Track selection does not work.
8. Select Options > Clean if you want ALE to clean the ALE output file to eliminate overlapping timecodes for clips.
By default, Clean is selected.
When you select Clean, the utility changes the end timecode of a previous event to be less than that of the following event.
9. If you selected Clean, you can also select Options > Relaxed to prevent the deleting of events that come earlier in the transfer. Relaxed is not set by default.
For example, if you transfer film footage with a timecode of 2:00:00:00 and then add some clips at the end with a timecode of 1:00:00:00, Relaxed prevents the deleting of events that come earlier in the transfer. This occurs when you shoot footage across the midnight hour, the first half of the film has 24 hours, and the second half has 0 hours.
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3 Logging: Advanced
10. Select Convert > ALE.
The default output selection is the ALE format. This is the required format for import into an Avid bin.
The Avid Log Exchange window displays the converted ALE file. The converted file has the same file name as the original file, except the file name extension matches the converted file format.
11. (Option) Select the original file from the Window menu if you want to convert the file again using different options.
12. Select File > Close.
If you made changes in the editor, a message box opens.
13. Click Yes.
The converted file is stored in the same folder as the original log file.

Using Drag-and-Drop Conversion for Log Files (Windows)

Use this shortcut to convert files into an ALE file.
If the log file is a Final Cut Pro, Cinema Tools, or a Tabbed shot log file, you cannot use
n
drag-and-drop conversion. Use the procedure in “Converting Log Files with Avid Log
Exchange (Windows)” on page 80 to convert files of this type.
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Using Avid Log Exchange to Prepare Log Files for Import
To convert a log file by using drag-and-drop conversion:
1. Check the options that are set in the ALE utility.
See “Converting Log Files with Avid Log Exchange (Windows)” on page 80. The current options are used when you perform drag-and-drop conversion.
2. Create a shortcut for the ALE utility.
3. Open the folder that contains the files you want to convert, positioning the folder so the Shortcut icon for the ALE utility is visible.
4. Select the files you want to convert.
5. Drag the selected files to the Shortcut icon for the ALE utility, and release the mouse button.
6. Depending on the type of files you are converting, one of the following occurs:
- If the file type is recognized by the ALE utility, a message box opens, indicating the
conversion was successful.
- If the file type is not recognized, the Select File Type dialog box opens. Select the
type of file you are converting and click OK.
- If the file type is an ALE file, the ALE Convert Type dialog box opens. Select a file
type for the converted output file and click OK.
A message box opens, indicating the conversion was successful.
7. Click OK to close the message box.
The converted files have the same file names as the original files, except the file name extension matches the converted file format.
For example, the .ale file name extension is added to the new file names for the Avid format. The converted files are stored in the folder containing the original log files.
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3 Logging: Advanced

Converting Log Files with Avid Log Exchange (Macintosh)

You can use the ALE utility included with your system to quickly convert shot logs that are created during a film-to-tape transfer.
To convert a log file to an ALE file:
1. Select Go > Applications, open the ALE folder, and double-click the ALE icon.
The Avid Log Exchange dialog box opens.
Files you can convert Files you can generate
Clean option
Track selection
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Global Settings Information
Convert button Quit button
Convert button
2. Select the type of file you want to convert from the Input list.
If you are not sure of the type of file, select the Automatic option. ALE will determine the type of file based on the file name.
For a list of supported file types, see Log Formats Compatible with Avid Log Exchange.
3. Select the type of file you want to create from the Output list.
The default output selection is the Avid Log Exchange (.ale) format. This is the required format for import into an Avid bin.
Using Avid Log Exchange to Prepare Log Files for Import
4. Select the tracks to include in the Tracks column of the log.
After you import the log into an Avid bin, the system captures all tracks shown in this column when batch capturing.
The Track selection only works on non ALE files being converted to ALE format. When ALE is the incoming format, Track selection does not work.
5. Select the option if you want ALE to clean the ALE output file to eliminate overlapping timecodes for clips.
When you select Clean, the utility changes the end timecode of a previous event to be less than the following event.
6. If you selected the Clean option, you can also select the Relaxed option to prevent the deleting of events that come earlier in the transfer.
Relaxed is not set by default. For example, if you transfer film footage with a timecode of 2:00:00:00 and then add some clips at the end with a timecode of 1:00:00:00, Relaxed prevents the deleting of events that come earlier in the transfer. This occurs when you shoot footage across the midnight hour and the first half of the film has 24 hours and the second half has 0 hours.
7. Select the global settings information, for example, NTSC or PAL, that you want to appear in the ALE file.
Global settings appear at the top of the .ale file.
8. Click the Convert button to open the Select File To Convert dialog box.
9. Open the drive and folder that contain the files you want to convert.
10. Double-click the input file name.
If you selected a file type, ALE converts the file immediately.
If you selected the Automatic option, a message box opens and asks you to confirm the file type.
11. Click the button for the selected file type.
A message box opens.
12. Do one of the following:
t Click the This File Only button to convert only the file you selected to the format
you selected.
t Click the All Files button to convert all files you select in this session to the format
you selected. If you click All Files, the message boxes will not open the next time you double-click a file.
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3 Logging: Advanced
ALE stores the converted file in the same folder as the original input file.
The original file name extension is replaced by the extension for the new format. The .ale files can be imported only into Avid products.

Using Drag-and-Drop Conversion for Log Files (Macintosh)

Use this shortcut to convert files into an ALE file.
If the log file is a Final Cut Pro, Cinema Tools, or a Tab Delimited shot log file, you cannot
n
use drag-and-drop conversion. Use the procedure in “Converting Log Files with Avid Log
Exchange (Macintosh)” on page 84) to convert files of this type.
To convert a log file by using drag-and-drop conversion:
1. Check the options that are set in the ALE utility.
See “Converting Log Files with Avid Log Exchange (Macintosh)” on page 84. The current options are used when you perform drag-and-drop conversion.
2. Navigate to and then open the folder that contains the Avid Log Exchange icon.
3. Open the folder that contains the files you want to convert, positioning the folder so the Avid Log Exchange icon is visible.
4. Select the files you want to convert.
5. Drag the selected files to the Avid Log Exchange icon, and release the mouse button.
The system converts the files to Avid format, adding the .ale file name extension to the new file names.

Avid Log Exchange Stores ASC Color Decision List (CDL) Parameters

Avid Log Exchange can now store ASC_SOP (American Society of Cinematographers Slope, Offset and Power) and ASC_SAT (American Society of Cinematographers Saturation) parameters.
To view the ASC_SOP and ASC_SAT parameters in the Avid editing application:
1. In the editing application, with a bin in Text view, select Bin > Headings.
2. Click to select ASC_SOP and ASC_SAT.
3. Import the ALE file.
The ASC_SOP and ASC_SAT information appears in the appropriate bin column.
To view the ASC_SOP and ASC_SAT parameters in the EDL application:
1. With the sequence loaded in the Avid editing system, select Output > EDL.
2. In EDL Manager, select Windows > Options.
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Using Avid Log Exchange to Prepare Log Files for Import
3. Select the Comments tab.
4. Enable the Color Decision List option.
5. Select File > Get Current Sequence.
The ASC_SOP and ASC_SAT information appears as part of the edit event.

Log Formats Compatible with Avid Log Exchange

The following table lists the log formats that can be imported directly or converted for import using Avid Log Exchange (ALE).
Log Format Requirements File Name Extension
AatonBase Conversion required .atn or .atl
Avid Log Import directly .ale
Cinema Tools Conversion required .txt
CMX EDL Conversion required .cmx
Evertz
®
Conversion required .ftl
Excalibur Conversion required .ale or .flx
Final Cut Pro Conversion required .txt
FLEx™ Conversion required .flx
Keyscope Conversion required .ksl
Log Producer™ Conversion required .llp
Log right Import directly .ale
®
OSC/R (Macintosh
OLE (Windows only) Conversion required .odb
Shotlister Import directly .ale
Tab Delimited Conversion required .txt
only) Conversion required .asc
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3 Logging: Advanced

Avid Log Specifications

You can prepare an Avid log on any Windows or Macintosh computer by using a word processing application or a text editor. You can use the file name extension .txt, but it is not required.
To ensure accuracy, you must follow the Avid log specifications described in this section.
An Avid log is composed of three sections, in this order:
Global Titles
Standard and custom column Titles
Data Titles
The following topics contain tables that show how to enter Titles and data in these sections to create an Avid log.
When you create an Avid log, you must follow the order precisely. The tables in these topics follow this order.
The tables use the following conventions:
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A Title appears in the first column, without angled brackets or square brackets. For example, FIELD_DELIM is the first global Title.
A <supported value> is surrounded by angled brackets. <Alternative supported values> appear underneath, also in angled brackets. You must enter one of these values. For example, <29.97> is one of the supported values for the FPS Title; to specify that value,
29.97
type
A <variable data value> is also surrounded by angled brackets, but it is italicized. For example, <timecode> is the data entry for the Start Title; type the correct timecode, in the format
[Tab] and [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (Macintosh) keys are surrounded by standard brackets.
A column contains the word “Required” if the Title must be included in the log.
The final column contains notes about the Title or values.
You can decide not to display a defined Title (including a required Title), except for Name. Name must always be displayed.
The maximum number of combined global, standard, and custom Titles in a log file is 64.
For an example of a simple log file, see “Sample Avid Log” on page 95.
.
08:19:10:00
(or
08;19;10;00
, for drop-frame timecode).
Avid Log Specifications

Global Titles

The global Titles must come first in an Avid log file, and you must enter one value for each Title.
The following table shows the format for the global Titles and the supported values for each Title.
GLOBAL Titles: Global Titles are case sensitive and must be spelled exactly as shown. Include all required Titles. Other Titles are optional but might be necessary for your project. The maximum number of combined global, standard, and custom Titles in a log file is 64.
Title [Enter] or
[Return]
FIELD_DELIM [Tab] <TABS> [Enter] or
[Return]
VIDEO_FORMAT [Tab] <NTSC>
<PAL>
FILM_FORMAT [Tab] <16mm>
<35mm,3perf> <35mm,4perf>
AUDIO_FORMAT [Tab] <22kHz>
<24kHz> <44kHz> <48kHz>
TA PE [ Tab ] <tape name> [Enter] or
FPS [Tab] <23.98>
<24> <25> <29.97>
[Enter] or [Return]
[Enter] or [Return]
[Enter] or [Return]
[Return]
[Enter] or [Return]
Required This marks the start of the global
Titles.
Required Enter TABS to show that the file is
Tab delimited.
Required
Audio sampling rate for digitizing. You can override this for individual clips.
Required Name of the videotape reel you
are logging. If you omit this Title, the file name becomes the global tape name. You can override this for individual clips.
Required Capture rate is 23.98 fps
(23.978 fps) for NTSC, 24 fps for NTSC or PAL, 25 fps for PAL, or
29.97 fps for NTSC.
[Enter] or [Return]
Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) a second time after entering the FPS value. This marks the end of the global Titles.
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3 Logging: Advanced

Column Titles

The standard column Titles appear after the global Titles in the Avid log file.
You do not enter the data for a column Title along with the Title. You enter the data later, in a separate data section.
You must include the five required standard column Titles; they are listed first in the following table.
You can create your own custom column Titles. Enter them after the standard Titles (see the last Title in the following table). To create a custom Title, substitute the custom Title name for <Your_Title>. You can create several custom Titles, as long as the total of global, standard, and custom Titles does not exceed 64.
COLUMN Titles: Column Titles are case sensitive and must be spelled exactly as shown. Note that the first five Titles are required. Other Titles are optional but might be necessary for your project. This table lists only the column Titles that are relevant to shot log files. Some data, such as Creation Date, is gathered by the system. The following table does not include Titles for such data. The maximum number of combined global, standard, and custom Titles in a log file is 64.
Column [Enter] or [Return] Required Indicates the start of the column Titles.
Name [Tab] Required Title for clip name.
Tracks [Tab] Required Title for tracks you select for digitizing.
Start [Tab] Required Title for video timecode of sync point — the
timecode IN for clip. From address track of video.
End [Tab] Required Title for timecode OUT for clip. From
address track of video.
Audio [Tab] Title for the audio resolution (sample rate). If
omitted, the global entry for AUDIO_FORMAT applies.
Auxiliary Ink [Tab] Title for a second ink number used for the
clip.
Auxiliary TC1 [Tab] Title for auxiliary timecode.
Auxiliary TC2 [Tab] Title for auxiliary timecode.
Auxiliary TC3 [Tab] Title for auxiliary timecode.
Auxiliary TC4 [Tab] Title for auxiliary timecode.
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Avid Log Specifications
Auxiliary TC5 [Tab] Title for auxiliary timecode.
Camera [Tab] Title for the camera used to film this clip.
This feature is used in multicamera shoots.
Camroll [Tab] Title for the camera roll ID containing this
clip.
Duration [Tab] Title for timecode Start to timecode End, the
length of the video clip.
FPS [Tab] Title for video frames per second rate for
digitizing the individual clip. If omitted, the global entry applies.
Film TC [Tab] Title for the timecode used on the film.
Ink Number [Tab] Title for the ink number used for the clip.
KN Duration [Tab] Title for the length of the clip, expressed in
feet and frames.
KN End [Tab] Title for the ending key number for the clip.
KN Start [Tab] Title for the starting key number for the clip.
Labroll [Tab] Title for the lab roll ID for the clip. Lab rolls
are a combination of several camera rolls.
Perf [Tab] Title for the film-edge perforations format
used for 3-perf projects.
Pullin [Tab] Title for the telecine pulldown of the first
frame of the clip (pulldown phase). Pullin can have the values A, B, C, or D.
Pullout [Tab] Title for the telecine pulldown of the last
frame of the clip (pulldown phase). Pullout can have the values A, B, C, or D.
Reel # [Tab] Title for the source reel number.
Scene [Tab] Title for the scene number of the clip.
Shoot date [Tab] Title for the date the footage was shot.
Sound TC [Tab] Title for Nagra timecode, Arri code, and so
on, at the sync point. Syncs with the Start timecode. Required if tracking the sync sound. Capture rate can be 25 or 30 fps.
Soundroll [Tab] Title for sound roll ID for clip.
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3 Logging: Advanced
TC 24 [Tab] Title for 24-fps timecode.
TC 25P [Tab] Title for 25-fps timecode with pulldown.
TC 25 [Tab] Title for 25-fps timecode.
TC 30 [Tab] Title for 30-fps timecode.
Take [Tab] Title for take ID for clip.
Tape [Tab] Title for source tape ID for the individual clip.
If omitted, the global entry applies.
DESCRIPT [Tab] Title for description of clip.
COMMENTS [Tab] Title for comments about clip.
<Your_Title> [Tab] Add any category of information you want.
Add as many Titles as you want, but do not use more than a total of 64 global and column Titles in the file. Press the Tab key between each Title. Do not press the Tab key after the last Title.
[Enter] or [Return] [Enter] or [Return] Press [Enter] (Windows) or [Return]
(Macintosh) twice (do not press Tab) after the last Title.

Data Entries

The data entries come after the Custom column Titles. The following table shows the format for entering data. Enter a line of data in this format for every clip. Be sure to start the data
Data
section for each clip with the word
DATA Titles: The word Data marks the start of the data for each clip.
Data [Enter] or
[Return]
DATA FOR EACH CLIP: Enter a line of data for each clip. Enter the data so it aligns with its column Title. (The data that goes with the ninth column Title must be the ninth data entry.) Be sure to enter data for all the required values. To leave a data position unfilled, press the Tab key instead of typing data. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) at the end of each line. Your Avid system supports up to four audio tracks in imported and exported logs.
<clip name> [Tab] Required Under Name Title. Enter a clip identifier (32 characters
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Required Enter the word Data to mark the start of the logged clip entries.
maximum).
[Enter] (Windows) or
Data
[Return] (Macintosh).
Avid Log Specifications
<V> <VA1>
[Tab] Required Under Tracks Title. Enter the tracks you want captured for the clip.
Enter V for MOS takes. Enter A1, A2, or A1A2 for wild sound. <VA2> <VA1A2> <A1A2> <A1> <A2>
<timecode> [Tab] Required Under Start Title. Enter the video timecode for the sync point, the
first frame of the clip. Use colons for non-drop-frame (for
example, 01:00:12:20). Use one or more semicolons for
drop-frame (for example, 01;18;00;02).
<timecode> [Tab] Required Under End Title. Enter the video timecode for the last frame of the
clip.
<22kHz> <24kHz>
[Tab] Under Audio Title. Enter the audio sampling rate for this clip only.
If omitted, global entry applies. <44kHz> <48kHz>
<inknumber> [Tab] Under Auxiliary Ink Number Title. Identify a second ink number
for the start of the clip.
<timecode> [Tab] Under Auxiliary TC Title. Enter a Nagra timecode, Arri code, and
so on, for the sync point. Syncs with the Start timecode.
<camera ID> [Tab] Under Camera Title. Identify the camera, using letters or numbers.
For multicamera shoots.
<camera roll ID> [Tab] Under Camroll Title. Identify the camera roll, using letters and
numbers.
<timecode> [Tab] Under Duration Title. Enter the length of the video clip, Start to
End.
<23.98> <24> <25> <29.97>
[Tab] Under FPS Title. Enter the video capture rate for this clip only. If
omitted, the global entry applies. Use 23.98 fps (23.978 fps) for
NTSC, 24 fps for NTSC or PAL, 25 fps for PAL, or 29.97 fps for
NTSC.
<timecode> [Tab] Under Film TC Title. Identify the timecode used for the film,
usually at 24 fps.
<inknumber> [Tab] Under Ink Number Title. Identify the ink number for the start of
the clip.
<keynumber> [Tab] Under KN Start Title. Identify the complete key number for the
start of the clip, for example, KU 31 2636-8903&12.
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<keynumber> [Tab] Under KN End Title. Identify the key number for the end of the
clip. You need to identify only feet and frames, for example, 0342&07.
<keynumber> [Tab] Under KN Duration Title. Identify the length of the clip, in feet
and frames.
<lab roll ID> [Tab] Under Labroll Title. Identify the lab roll, using letters and
numbers.
<1>
[Tab] Under Perf Title. Edit the perf for this clip only. <2> <3>
<A> <B>
[Tab] Under Pullin Title. Identify the telecine pulldown of the first frame
of the clip (pulldown phase). NTSC only. <X> (matchback only) <C> <D>
<A> <B>
[Tab] Under Pullout Title. Identify the telecine pulldown of the last
frame of the clip. NTSC only. <X> (matchback only) <C> <D>
<reel ID> [Tab] Under Reel # Title. Identify the reel, using numbers.
<scene ID> [Tab] Under Scene Title. Identify the scene, using letters and numbers.
<shoot date> [Tab] Under Shoot Date Title. Identify the date the footage was shot, in
numbers or in letters and numbers.
<timecode> [Tab] Under Sound TC Title. Identify the sound timecode at the sync
point. Syncs with the Start timecode.
<sound roll ID> [Tab] Under Soundroll Title. Identify the sound roll, using letters and
numbers.
<timecode> [Tab] Under TC 24 Title. Identify the start of the clip for 24p timecode.
<timecode> [Tab] Under TC 25p Title. Identify the start of the clip for 25p timecode
(PAL pulldown).
<timecode> [Tab] Under TC 25 Title. Identify the start of the clip for 25-fps timecode
(PAL).
<timecode> [Tab] Under TC 30 Title. Identify the start of the clip for 30-fps
timecode.
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Avid Log Specifications
<take ID> [Tab] Under Take Title. Identify the take, using letters and numbers.
<source tape ID> [Tab] Under Tape Title. Enter the source videotape ID for this clip only.
<clip description> [Tab] Under DESCRIPT Title. Describe the clip.
<clip comments> [Tab] Under COMMENTS Title. Comment on the clip.
<information> [Tab] Under the Titles you created yourself, type the appropriate
information.
[Enter] or [Return] Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) after the last entry
for the clip.
Do not press Tab after the last entry for the clip.
Enter an additional line of data for each remaining clip.

Sample Avid Log

This topic contains a sample Avid log for an NTSC video project.
Formatting keys (such as [Tab] and [Enter] (Windows) or [Return] (Macintosh)) are shown in brackets.
Heading [Enter]
FIELD_DELIM [Tab] TABS [Enter]
VIDEO_FORMAT [Tab] NTSC [Enter]
AUDIO_FORMAT [Tab] 44kHz [Enter]
TAPE [Tab] 001 [Enter]
FPS [Tab] 29.97 [Enter]
[Enter]
Column [Enter]
Name [Tab] Tracks [Tab] Start [Tab] End [Enter]
[Enter]
Data [Enter]
CU Josh & Mary [Tab] V [Tab] 01:00:00:00 [Tab] 01:15:05:00 [Enter]
CU Josh [Tab] VA1 [Tab] 01:15:06:00 [Tab] 01:20:00:00 [Enter]
Windows
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Heading [Return]
FIELD_DELIM [Tab] TABS [Return]
VIDEO_FORMAT [Tab] NTSC [Return]
AUDIO_FORMAT [Tab] 44kHz [Return]
TAPE [Tab] 001 [Return]
FPS [Tab] 29.97 [Return]
[Return]
Column [Return]
Name [Tab] Tracks [Tab] Start [Tab] End [Return]
[Return]
Data [Return]
CU Josh & Mary [Tab] V [Tab] 01:00:00:00 [Tab] 01:15:05:00 [Return]
CU Josh [Tab] VA1 [Tab] 01:15:06:00 [Tab] 01:20:00:00 [Return]

Creating an Avid Log

You can use any word processing application or text editor to create Avid logs. However, you must save the file as a text document (ASCII format).
Macintosh
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When logging manually, you should do the following:
Identify the source tape for each shot.
Document each clip’s name, start timecode, and end timecode.
This is the minimum information required to capture successfully. You can also add other information such as comments or auxiliary timecodes. You can make a separate log file for each videotape, or log clips from several different videotapes in one log.
Windows systems ship with a text editor called WordPad.
To open WordPad:
t Click the Start button, and select All Programs > Accessories > WordPad.
®
Mac OS
To open Text Edit:
X systems ship with a text editor called TextEdit.
t Select Go > Applications, and double-click TextEdit.

Double-Checking Log Files

To create a text document in TextEdit:
t Select Format > Make Plain Text.
To create an Avid Log by using a word processor or text editor:
1. Enter shot log information according to the specifications described in “Avid Log
Specifications” on page 88.
2. Save your file as a text file in the Save As dialog box.
You can use the file name extension .txt, but it is not required.
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The Avid editing application only accepts text files (ASCII format).
After you double-check the log, import it into your Avid editing application. For more information, see “Importing Shot Log Files” in the Help.
Double-Checking Log Files
When importing shot logs for video, your Avid editing application compares the video duration to the video out minus the video in. When importing film shot logs, the system compares the key number out minus the key number in.
If the system detects a discrepancy, it reports the error to the Console and does not bring the clip into the bin. The best way to ensure that clips are not discarded on import is to double-check the logs for discrepancies in duration and marks.
Open the Console by selecting Tools > Console. For more information, see “The Console
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Window” on page 74.

Logging Directly into a Bin

You can log clips directly into a bin by using the Capture tool in one of two ways described in this section:
Log directly into a bin with an Avid-controlled deck for semiautomated data entry.
Log manually during or after viewing of footage offline with a non-Avid-controlled deck or other source.
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Tips for Logging Preroll, Logging Timecode, and Naming Tapes

Observe the following important guidelines for preroll, timecode formats, and naming of tapes when logging prior to capturing.
Logging Preroll
Be sure to leave adequate preroll with continuous timecode prior to IN points when logging your tapes. The recommended minimum preroll is 2 seconds for Betacam® playback, 5 seconds for 3/4-inch U-matic® playback, and 6 seconds for DV playback.
You set the default preroll for tape playback by using the Preroll menu in the Deck Settings
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dialog box. For more information, see “Deck Settings” on page 631.
Logging Timecode
Within an NTSC project, check the timecode format of each tape (drop-frame versus non-drop-frame timecode) when you are logging without a tape in the deck. Log drop-frame timecode by using semicolons (;) between the hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. Log non-drop-frame timecode with colons (:). You can set the timecode format to use in the Deck Preferences Settings dialog box. For more information, see “Deck Preferences Settings” on
page 633.
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To change the logged timecode format, select Clip > Modify. For more information, see
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“Modifying Clip Information” on page 203.
Naming Tapes
When entering tape names in the Capture tool, consider the following:
Tape names must be alphanumeric characters (A to Z, 0 to 9). They can include uppercase and lowercase characters. The maximum length of a name is 32 characters.
It is possible to have a single tape listed as several different tapes if you alter the case of the letters. For example, if you type a single name as TAPE, Tape, and tape on three different occasions, all three names appear. This can cause significant problems in keeping track of clips when batch capturing, recapturing, and generating an EDL. Select a case convention and maintain it throughout a project.
Logging Directly into a Bin
If you want your Avid system to consider master clips as coming from the exact same tape,
n
you should try to select that tape name from the Select Tape dialog box. If you do not see the tape you are looking for, but know you have online media from that tape, you should click the Scan for Tapes button. For more information, see “Logging with Avid-Controlled Decks” on
page 99.
It is important that you devise a naming scheme for your tapes. For example, tapes with similar names can be easily sorted and viewed together in a bin. However, it can be difficult to distinguish among numerous tapes with similar names when trying to locate a specific tape quickly. Name tapes based upon the amount and complexity of your source material.
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Modifying tape names and timecodes affect any key numbers entered for the selected clips.
If you are planning to generate an edit decision list (EDL) for import into an edit controller for online editing, double-check the controller’s specifications beforehand. Some edit controllers truncate source tape names to as few as six characters, while others eliminate characters and truncate to three numbers. Alterations like these at the EDL stage might cause the system to identify different source tapes with similar names in the same way, causing you to lose track of source material.

Logging with Avid-Controlled Decks

When you log with a compatible tape deck controlled from within your Avid editing application, you can automate part of the logging process by using buttons to enter frame-accurate timecode information from the deck. This method is more accurate than manual entry because timecodes are transferred directly from tape to the bin.
.For information about connecting a compatible deck to your system, see “Connecting
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Cameras, Decks, and Monitors” in the Help.
To log clips directly into a bin from an Avid-controlled deck:
1. Make sure the deck is properly connected and turned on.
2. Open the bin where you want to store the clips.
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3. Select Tools > Capture.
The Capture tool opens. Playback from the deck is displayed in the Client monitor.
Mark IN button
Channel Selection buttons
Deck Selection pop-up menu
Capture/Log Mode button
Source Tape Display button
If you forget to connect and turn on the power to the deck before opening the Capture tool, you can reinitialize deck control after turning it on by clicking the Deck Selection menu, and selecting Check Decks.
4. If the Capture tool is not currently in Log mode, click the Capture/Log Mode button until the LOG icon appears.
5. Click the Deck Selection menu, and select a deck.
For more information, see “Selecting a Deck in the Capture Tool” in the Help.
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