Pinnacle Systems Thunder - 7.1 User’s Guide
Avid® Thunder® Products
User’s Guide
make manage move | media
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Avid
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Copyright and Disclaimer
Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology,
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Copyright © 2006 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
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Avid Thunder Products User’s Guide • 0130-07656-01B • November 2006
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Contents
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Accessing the Online Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 1 Fundamentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Starting Thunder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using Thunder Hybrid Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Opening a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Network Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Browse Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Picons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Selecting Picons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Picon Sizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Copy and Replace Still Picons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Show Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Clip Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
MiniMonitor Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Hardware Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Software Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Function Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Preview Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Dockable Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Selecting Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Copying Clips, Stills, and Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Copying Clips and Stills Between Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Status Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Background Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Numeric Keypad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 2 File Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Copying Clips and Stills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Deleting Clips and Stills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Importing Clips and Stills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Importing Images into the Thunder Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Dragging and Dropping an Image into the Thunder Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Copying an Image to the Clipboard and then to the Thunder Database . . . . . . 47
Import/Export Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Overwriting Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Default Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Modifying Image File Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Renumbering Clips and Stills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chapter 3 Working with Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Recording a Clip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Clip Recording Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Bad Frames. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Recording a Clip from a VTR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Creating Subclips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Inserting a Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Clips with Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Editing Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Using the Item Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Using the Preview Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Playing Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Clip Playback and Encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Cueing Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Previewing Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
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Playing in Program Channel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Directed Play in a Database Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Directed Play in a Sequence Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Clip Picons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Changing a Clip’s Picon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Playing Clips and Stills Together (Compound Playout) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Playing Clips in a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Selecting Multiple Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Adding Clips into the Middle of a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Adding Clips to the End of a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Sequence Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Item Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Chapter 4 Working with Stills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Capturing Stills With the Air Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Using the Air Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Playing Bugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Using Animated Logos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Unloading Bug Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Playing Stills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Cueing a Still . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Previewing a Still . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Item Properties Dialog Box for Still Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Adding Titles to Stills with PostDeko. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Accessing PostDeko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Saving an Image File and Title in PostDeko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Closing a File in PostDeko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Editing a Title in PostDeko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Exporting a Title File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 5 Working with Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Creating Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Inserting an Image File or Clip into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Selecting Multiple Clips or Still Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Adding Clips or Stills into the Middle of a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
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Adding Clips or Stills to the End of a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Default Item Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Editing Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Making Changes to an Event within a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Item Properties — Sequence Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Playing Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Moving the Play Box to Another Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Using the Play Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Previewing Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Playing Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Using the General Purpose Interface (GPI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
GPI Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Chapter 6 Working with Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Connecting to a Lightning or another Thunder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Connecting to an ENPS Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Creating a New Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Setting the Default Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Setting Database Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Removing All Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Restoring the Full Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Showing Properties for a Database File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Searching the Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Search Syntax Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Security Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Network Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Workspace Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Database Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Workspace Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Search Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Chapter 7 Working with Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Using Layouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Creating Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Changing the Placement of an Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
8
Changing the Size of an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Cropping an Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Chapter 8 Working with DNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Creating DNA Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Browse a ClipDeko Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Connecting to a Quantel Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Connecting to an FTP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Connecting to a Chyron Product. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Appendix A File Formats and Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Image File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Supported Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Unsupported Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Software Application Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Adding Options to Thunder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Hints and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Appendix B Thunder Toolbars and Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Main Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Air Toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Sequence Toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
VTR Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
MiniMonitor Window — MiniMonitor Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
MiniMonitor Window — Control Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Contexts and Controllers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Title Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Move. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Minimize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Maximize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
9
Next Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Scroll Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Right-Click Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
File > New Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
File > Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
File > Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
File > Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
File > Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
File > Lock Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
File > Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
File > Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
File > Print Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
File > Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
File > Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
File > Advanced Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Edit > Cut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Edit > Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Edit > Paste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Edit > Paste Master Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Edit > Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Edit > Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Edit > Select All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Edit > Renumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Edit > Edit Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Edit > Edit Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
View > Show Main Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
View > Show Air Toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
View > Show MiniMonitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
View > Show Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
10
View > Show VTR Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
View > Show Status Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
View > Text Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
View > Select Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
View > Large, Small, or Tiny Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
View > Sort Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
View > Key Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
View > Workspace/Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
View > Refresh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
View > Independent Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Air Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Air > Take. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Air > Freeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Air > Filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Air > Save Still . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Air > Quick Save Still . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Window > New Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Window > Cascade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Window > Tile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Window > Arrange Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Window > Toolbar Layouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Window > 1, 2... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Help Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Help > Tip Of The Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Help > Help Topics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Help > Display Input Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Help > About... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Appendix C Using ODBC on Thunder and Browse Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Enabling the ODBC Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Setting Up an ODBC Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
11
12
Using This Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of an Avid® broadcast database server. You can use your
application to create broadcast-quality output incorporating every possible production
element from full-speed, high-resolution footage, to multimedia artwork and animation, to
computer-generated effects and titling.
This guide contains all the task-oriented instructions, conceptual information, and reference
material you need to use the effects and titling features of your Avid broadcast database
server.
®
This guide is intended for all Thunder
advanced. When Thunder is mentioned, it applies to Thunder Browse as well.
Thunder Browse is a software-only version of Thunder that allows remote users from any
PC to connect to any Thunder database. Thunder Browse provides remote content browsing
and management and enables users to perform such tasks as browsing media, previewing
stills and clips, trimming clips, deleting and copying files, and creating sequences. Remote
control also includes complete record and playback capability, allowing a Thunder channel
to be controlled from a separate control room.
and Thunder Browse users, from beginning to
n
The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models. Therefore, your
system might not contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the
documentation.
Symbols and Conventions
Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:
Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action
n
c
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.
Using This Guide
Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action
w
> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the
t
Margin tips
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 Thunder:
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.
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.
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.
In the margin, you will find tips that help you perform tasks more
easily and efficiently.
Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.
mouse action. For example, Ctrl+drag.
14
2. Check for the latest information that might have become available after the
documentation was published:
- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as printed release notes,
they ship with your application and are also available online.
- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as a ReadMe file, it is
supplied in your Avid application folder as a PDF document (ReadMe.pdf) and is
also available online.
You should always check online for the most up-to-date ReadMe because the
online version is updated whenever new information becomes available. To
view the online ReadMe, 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 Thunder Online Library CD-ROM contains all the product documentation in PDF
format. You can access the library from the Online Library CD-ROM or from the Help
menu.
Accessing the Online Library
n
You will need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® to view the documentation online. You can
download the latest version from the Adobe web site.
To access the online library from the Online Library CD-ROM:
1. Insert the Online Library CD-ROM into the drive.
2. Double-click the Mainmenu file.
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.
™
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).
15
Using This Guide
16
Chapter 1
Fundamentals
This chapter describes an overview of the various components of the Thunder application.
The following sections are included:
• Starting Thunder
• Using Thunder Hybrid Systems
• Opening a Database
• User Interface
• Network Tree
• Browse Window
• Picons
• MiniMonitor Window
• Preview Dialog Box
• Dockable Items
• Selecting Images
• Workspaces
• Status Bar
• Numeric Keypad
Chapter 1 Fundamentals
Starting Thunder
During the installation process, a shortcut to Thunder was installed on your
computer’s desktop.
1. Log into Windows
2. Double-click on the shortcut to launch Thunder.
If a security database has been set up, Thunder will prompt you to enter your ID name
and Password in the Login dialog box. In case you need administrator privileges for this
system, the default administrators’s password is “avid”.
3. Type the appropriate information and click the OK box or press Enter.
®
XP.
18
Thunder will then give you access to the database. If no security database exists, you can
skip this stage.
4. After reading the tip of the day, you can choose to receive tips every time you start
Thunder, to see another tip, or just close the “Tip of the day” window.
Using Thunder Hybrid Systems
If your system is a Thunder Hybrid (HY), you can work with both standard-definition (SD)
and high-definition (HD) formats on the same system. Therefore, you will need to know how
to switch between SD and HD formats.
To switch from one format to another:
1. Select File > Preferences > Channel Configuration.
2. Select the desired SD or HD video standard from the Video Standard list.
3. Click OK.
4. Restart the system.
The system launches in the selected video standard.
Opening a Database
A database in Thunder is a collection of clips and stills, represented by thumbnail images
called picons, and associated data. This data includes the name of the clip or image file,
notes about its content, the dates captured, and so on. If the Thunder system has multiple
databases installed, or if you have many machines networked together, there can be several
folders in the Network Tree. Thunder Browse can also have its own databases, which show
up in this location.
Using Thunder Hybrid Systems
19
Chapter 1 Fundamentals
1. Double-click on a folder. The contents of the folder display in the Network Tree. A
folder named DNA (Dynamic Network Access) is a folder containing the DNA
connections available to this machine. This is optional software and might not be
present on your system.
2. Double-click on the icon for the .pff file (.pff is extension for an image database in
Thunder). The database opens. The network tree shows all of the databases that your
system is aware of. If no folders are shown, there are no databases currently selected on
your system.
3. If you know a database exists somewhere on your system, select File > Open, and
navigate to the location of the database.
4. If there are no other databases on your system, create one by selecting File > Advanced
> Create New Database. For more information, see “Creating a New Database” on
page 122.
User Interface
Thunder has a graphic user interface incorporating windows, toolbars and menus similar to
other Windows-based applications. The following illustration identifies the key elements of
the Thunder user interface. The function and use of these elements is discussed in this
chapter and throughout this guide.
20
Network Tree
Control
section
MiniMonitor Bug
window
Main
toolbar
Air
toolbar
Sequence
window
Network
tree
VRT
toolbar
Network Tree
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+T
Use the keyboard shortcut to show or hide the Network Tree.
Sequence
toolbar
Database
window
Picon
of a clip
Status
bar
21
Chapter 1 Fundamentals
The Network Tree shows each Thunder or Lightning workstation with its associated files.
Each system is represented as a folder. To open a folder, click on the + sign to the left of the
folder or double-click on the folder title. Once open, a list of databases on that system
appears, followed by a list of sequences.
22
A database is identified by the blue Thunder icon and a .pff file extension. A sequence
associated with a database is listed directly below the database and has a .seq extension. To
open a database or sequence, double-click the left mouse button on the icon or name.
The lowest system shown in the example is labeled DNA (Dynamic Network Access) and is
neither Lightning nor Thunder. Rather, it is a folder containing the DNA connections
available to this machine. DNA is a software option; consequently your system might not
show this network.
The Tree can be shown or hidden by using the Tree View command in the View Menu. A
check mark next to the menu item indicates the Tree is visible. For more information, see
“Network Tree” on page 135.
Browse Window
The Browse Window, shown in the illustration below, is a picon view of a sequence (top) or
a database (bottom) and has several modes and sort orders. The blue title bar indicates that
this sequence window is active, while the gray indicates that the database window is
not active.
Browse Window
If you want to change the order and quantity of fields for the database and sequence
windows, click View > Select Details. See “View > Select Details” on page 257.
Picons might have additional symbols on them to identify the files they represent. For
information on these symbols, see “Picons” on page 24.
23
Chapter 1 Fundamentals
To change the sort order of the clips and image files in a database view:
1. Click View > Details or press
2. Click on the criteria to sort by at the top of the window (Title, Category, User, and so
Picons
Ctrl+F2
on). Alternatively, you can use a shortcut button on the Main Toolbar to access the
Details view.
.
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The term “Picon” is an abbreviation for Picture Icon, and refers to individual image files and
clips used in Thunder’s database and sequence windows. Picons might have additional
symbols on them to identify the kinds of files they represent. The following is an example of
a picon representing a still image. Picons represent image files and clip files that Thunder
stores and manages.
Picons
Green film icon upper right corner: This image is a clip residing on Thunder or another clip
server. When the film icon turns RED, the clip will not play. For help in correcting the
problem, see “Clip Picons” on page 77.
Green film icon with shortcut arrow: This image is a sub-clip of the original. It contains
instructions to play a portion of the original clip as edited.
Yellow key icon upper left corner: This still image file has an associated Key that will be
played back along with the video when placed on a hardware channel. Clips might also have
keys associated with them.
Yellow rectangle lower left corner: This picon represents a 16x9 image. Thunder displays
anamorphic saved images.
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Chapter 1 Fundamentals
When you first save a clip in Thunder, you have a choice of picons. You can specify an
all-black picon and select a representative frame for the picon later. For more information,
see “Recording a Clip” on page 55.
The following topics provide more information about picons:
• “Selecting Picons” on page 26
• “Picon Sizes” on page 27
• “Copy and Replace Still Picons” on page 28
• “Show Picture” on page 28
• “Clip Numbers” on page 29
Selecting Picons
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Select picons by clicking, Shift+clicking, and Ctrl+clicking on them using standard
Windows techniques.
For more information, see “Selecting Images” on page 34.
Picon Sizes
There are several methods to change Picon size in Thunder. Picon size can be changed
among large, small and tiny images.
To change the Picon size, do one of the following:
t Click View and select the size you want (Tiny, Small, or Large).
Picons
t Click the Picon size icon you want in the Main Toolbar.
t Right-click on the database window (not on a picon) and select the size you want (Tiny,
Small, or Large).
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Chapter 1 Fundamentals
Copy and Replace Still Picons
To copy a still image file:
t Right-click on a picon and drag the mouse over another picon.
The Copy and Replace popup menu appears. Some functions only pertain to clips. For
more information on these shortcuts, see “Right-Click Menus” on page 181.
Show Picture
The clip or image file’s picon can be enlarged, allowing you to examine the details more
closely. Depending on the size of your SVGA monitor, you might have to rearrange toolbars
or temporarily hide the MiniMonitors or Database window to make room for the Show
Picture window.
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If you find imperfections in a still image that you want to touch-up, close the Show Picture
window and start Windows Paint or another graphic application.
To enlarge a picon’s image:
t Right-click on the picon and select Show Picture from the menu.
The picon opens in a separate window at 400%.
Picons
To close the Show Picture window and return to your previous Thunder window, do
one of the following:
t Double-click on the Avid icon represented by a red P in the upper left corner of the
window.
t Click the Close button in the Window.
Clip Numbers
Each clip has an individual number, and where applicable, a workspace number and a
database number. In this example, clip number 41 from Workspace 5 in Database 2, is
identified by this number: 2.5.41.
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Chapter 1 Fundamentals
If you are working in only one database, the clips reflect just the workspace and individual
numbers, such as: 5.41.
When only Workspace 0 is open, the clips have only their individual numbers. For example,
the clip above would have only the number 41.
Clips will play individually from any workspace and any database that is accessible from the
Thunder. The same clips can be placed in a sequence and played as long as they all belong to
the same database.
MiniMonitor Window
This window has two major areas: the Control section to the left and the MiniMonitor
section to the right. The MiniMonitor window might be hidden and revealed using the View
menu, or by selecting Ctrl+M. A check mark in the View menu indicates that the
MiniMonitor window is currently visible.
Control section MiniMonitor section
The Control section contains the following selections:
• Tra nsiti on — The transition is used for takes
• Duration — The duration of the transition in hours, minutes, seconds and frames
• Input — The input source used for live video
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