Pinnacle Systems Xpress Quick Start Guide

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Avid

Xpress

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for Macintosh

Getting Started Guide

Release 2.0

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tools for storytellers™

Chapter 1 Introduction

Using this Guide Using the Tutorial What You Need Turning on Your Equipment Installing the Avid Xpress Tutorial Files Launching the Avid Xpress Application Electronic Licensing How to Proceed Using Online Help

Finding Topics with the Index Searching with the Find Feature

Using Online Documentation

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Chapter 2 About Avid Xpress

Video Editing with Avid Xpress Avid Xpress Essentials

Media Files Clips Subclips Sequences Your Program Bins

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Your Project The Attic Folder

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The Avid Xpress File System

Chapter 3 Starting a Project

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About Composer Projects and Avid Users Folders Using the Bins Display Using the Settings Display

About Settings Reviewing Basic Settings

Using the Info Display

About Projects and Memory

Viewing Memory Tutorial: Starting a Project Starting the Application Opening a Project

Creating a User

Selecting a Project

Chapter 4 Digitizing

Selecting Settings About the Digitize Tool About the Audio Tool About the Video Input Tool Digitize Preparations Check List Digitizing

Digitizing and Logging at the Same Time

Batch Digitizing

Redigitizing

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Chapter 5 Getting Ready to Edit

About Bin Display Modes Controlling Playback

Using Position Bars and Position Indicators

Using Buttons

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Play, Fast Forward, and Rewind Buttons

Step Buttons Using the Tear-Off Palette Using the Keyboard

J-K-L Keys (Three-Button Play)

Home, End, and Arrow Keys

Marking IN and OUT Points Creating Subclips Tutorial: Getting Ready to Edit Viewing Clips

Viewing in Text Mode Viewing in Frame Mode

Playing Clips

Playing Clips in the Source Pop-up Monitor Controlling Playback

Marking Edit Points

Marking the Marking the Marking the Using Timecode to Find a Frame Using Frame Offset

Subclipping

Clearing IN Points and OUT Points Closing the Project Ending the Session

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planing ms

ducks

draw knife cu

Clip

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Clip

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Clip

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Chapter 6 Editing a Rough Cut

Viewing Methods Navigating in the Timeline

Using the Position Indicator Using the Scroll Bar

Displaying More or Less Detail Using the Track Selector Panel

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Selecting Tracks Monitoring Tracks Monitoring Video

Tutorial: Rough Cut Making the First Edit

Using Digital Audio Scrub Splicing an Audio Clip Playing a Sequence ConÞrming the Duration

Splicing Video into the Sequence

Splicing the Playing IN to OUT Using the Go to OUT Key Moving to the Head and Tail of a Shot Using the Splice-In Button Splicing a Shot into the Middle of a Sequence Undoing an Edit

Using the I/O (IN Point / OUT Point) Tracking Display . . . . . . 92

ducks

Chapter 7 Refining the Edit

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clip

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Using Segment Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Editing in Segment Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Distinguishing Two Types of Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Basic Trim Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Entering Trim Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Exiting Trim Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Selecting Between Trim Sides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Performing a Basic Trim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Audio Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Tutorial: ReÞning Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Overwriting Shots into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Storyboarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Marking Clips for Storyboarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

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Storyboard Editing the Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Rearranging Shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Overwriting with the Three-Point Edit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Rearranging Footage with Extract/Splice-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Removing Footage from a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Removing Footage with Extract/Splice-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Removing Footage with Lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Dual-Roller Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Using Dual Rollers to Trim the Outgoing Shot. . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Trimming the pan lumber Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Single-Roller Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Adding Synced Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Working with Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Adjusting Audio Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Adjusting Audio Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Chapter 8 Adding Effects

Effects Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Displaying the Effect Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Effect Categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Effect Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Transition Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Segment Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Applying Effects to a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Working in Effect Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Rendering an Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Tutorial: Adding Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Adding Transition Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Adding Fade In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Dissolving Between Shots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Creating a Series of Dissolves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Creating Audio Dissolves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

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Adding a Fade Within the Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Adding a Picture-in-Picture Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Using the Second Video Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Creating the Picture-in-Picture Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Repositioning the Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Adjusting a Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Adding Key Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Adding Background Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Rendering the Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Screening the Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Chapter 9 Creating Titles

Creating New Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Understanding the Title Tool Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Text Formatting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Choosing Colors and Setting Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Adjusting the Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Saving Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Editing a Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Tutorial: Creating Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Adding a Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Creating a New Title. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Repositioning Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Changing Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Adding a Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Saving a Title. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Closing the Title Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Editing the Title into the Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Adding Rolling Credits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Editing the Title. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Adding Video Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Viewing the Creation Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Splicing the Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Deleting Excess Footage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Exiting the Title Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Chapter 10 Output

Output Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Preparing for Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Digital Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Supported File Types for Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Preparing to Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Tutorial: Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Recording a Digital Cut to Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Chapter 11 Backing Up

About Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Media Objects and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Media Relationships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Basic Media Tool Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Freeing Storage Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Consolidating Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Backing Up Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Backing Up Project Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Tutorial: Backing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Consolidating the Boat Shop Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Saving Your Work on a Disk or Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Restoring from a Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Quitting and Shutting Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Index

Tables

Table 6-1 Starting the Tutorial: Rough Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Table 7-1 Starting the Tutorial: Refining Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Table 7-2 Mark Points for Boat Shop Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Table 8-1 Starting the Tutorial: Adding Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Table 9-1 Starting the Tutorial: Creating Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Table 10-1 Starting the Tutorial: Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Table 11-1 Media Objects and Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Table 11-2 Starting the Tutorial: Backing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

This chapter sets you up to use this guide and work through the tutorial sections that teach you the basics of your Avid Xpress system. This chapter contains the following sections:

¥ Using this Guide

¥ Using the Tutorial

¥ What You Need

¥ Turning on Your Equipment

¥ Installing the Avid Xpress Tutorial Files

¥ Launching the Avid Xpress Application

¥ Electronic Licensing

¥ How to Proceed

¥ Using Online Help

¥ Using Online Documentation

Using this Guide

This guide introduces you to Avid Xpress. It presents the essential features of the system; most chapters also contain hands-on tutorial sections so you can practice what you learn.

Using the Tutorial

The self-paced tutorial sections included in this guide are designed as guided Avid edit sessions using the basic features of the Avid Xpress system. In the tutorial sections, youÕre going to edit a one-minute sequence about a company in Amesbury, Massachusetts that makes small Þshing boats called dories.

The footage for the sequence is on the Tutorial CD-ROMs that came with your system. They contain digitized media that is ready for you to use.

The instructions in this tutorial take you through each step of the edit process:

¥ Starting a project (in Chapter 3

¥ Getting ready to edit (in Chapter 5)

¥ Editing a rough draft (in Chapter 6)

¥ ReÞning the edit (in Chapter 7)

¥ Adding effects, titles, and other Þnishing touches to the sequence

(in Chapter 8 and Chapter 9)

¥ Preparing output (in Chapter 10)

¥ Backing up (in Chapter 11)

This tutorial assumes a basic familiarity with the Macintosh¨ computer. If you have never used a Macintosh system, please refer to the Macintosh Getting Started tutorial.

)

You donÕt need any previous experience with the Avid Xpress system. The terms and techniques needed for each tutorial section are in each chapter. However, it will help to read Chapter 2 of this manual before starting any of the tutorial sections. You can also use the Avid Xpress Help (see ÒUsing Online HelpÓ on page 21) and online books (see

ÒUsing Online DocumentationÓ on page 23) for more information.

This tutorial takes approximately four hours. Before you begin, you need:

¥ An installed Avid Xpress system

See the Avid Media Composer Products Setup Guide if you have not yet set up your Avid Xpress system. See the Avid Xpress Release 2.0 Release Notes if you need to install the Avid Xpress software.

¥ The Boat Shop media and project Þles on the Avid Xpress CD-

ROM.

Depending on your level of expertise in editing on Avid systems, you may choose to go through the tutorial in either of two ways.

¥ If you have no experience with Avid Xpress or other Avid sys-

tems, you should go through the entire tutorial.

¥ If you have used other Avid systems, you may want to read cer-

tain lessons to understand the speciÞc features of Avid Xpress, and complete the tutorials for other lessons.

You can do this tutorial in one or several sessions. Each section is selfcontained.

What Y ou Need

The CD-ROMs packaged with your Avid Xpress system include all Þles necessary to do this tutorial:

¥ Read Me First Þle Ñ contains the installation instructions for each

of the Þles on the CD-ROMs. These instructions also appear in

ÒInstalling the Avid Xpress Tutorial FilesÓ on page 17.

¥ MediaFiles folder Ñ contains the digitized Þles you need for the

tutorial. You need to copy these Þles onto your external media drive.

¥ Composer Projects folder Ñ contains the project and bins you

need for the tutorial. You need to copy these Þles onto your Avid drive.

Turning on Your Equipment

Begin your edit session by turning on the various components of your Avid Xpress system. If any part of your system fails to turn on, make sure its electrical cord is plugged snugly into an appropriate electrical outlet or power strip. See the Avid Media Composer Products Setup Guide for information on setting up your system.

If you fail to follow the proper sequence for starting up your system, you could damage your Macintosh computer and/or storage drives.

Always turn on the devices as follows:

1. Fixed-storage drives: Turn on Þxed-storage drives before starting the computer. Allow 10 to 15 seconds for the drives to spin up to speed before starting the Macintosh.

2. Other peripheral hardware: Turn on all other peripheral units except the Macintosh. This includes:

¥ Monitors and speakers.

¥ Tape decks and/or additional autoassembly conÞgurations

(switcher, time-base corrector, and so on) if you plan to digitize or conduct an autoassembly.

¥ Digidesign¨ audio interface hardware, if your system

includes these. Turn on the Digidesign hardware and black burst generator in order to maintain proper sync between audio and video while digitizing and editing.

For information on Macintosh features, such as the desktop and icons, see your Macintosh documentation.

The black burst generator that accompanies the Digidesign hardware should already be turned on if it is connected to an active power strip.

3. The Macintosh: Press the Power On key located at the upper right corner of the keyboard.

When you start the Macintosh:

¥ You hear a tone that means the hardware is operational.

¥ The computer goes through a self-check routine. If the

Macintosh passes all of its internal logic tests, the smiling Macintosh icon appears.

¥ The Avid startup screen appears and the initialization process

begins.

¥ The Macintosh desktop appears.

To avoid damage, do not disconnect or turn off hard disks or individual disk drives while the Macintosh is on.

Installing the Avid Xpress Tutorial Files

The Avid Media Composer Products CD-ROM contains all of the Þles you need for the tutorial sections of this guide. It takes about 30 minutes to copy the media Þles from the CD-ROM to the external hard drive. You need to have approximately 970 MB of free space on your external hard drive to accommodate the media.

The CD-ROMs contain several versions of the tutorial media Þles digitized at different Avid Video Resolutions (AVRs). You need to use AVR 70 for Avid Xpress. You also need to have approximately 110 MB of

free space on your external hard drive to accommodate the media. The tutorial Þles for AVR 70 require two CD-ROMs for NTSC and two for PAL. The procedure is the same for installing either type.

To install the tutorial Þles for AVR 70:

1. Insert the CD-ROM labeled Avid Media Composer Products Online Tutorial (PAL) Disk 1 or Avid Media Composer Products Online Tutorial (NTSC) Disk 1 and double-click its icon.

2. Double-click the folder at the top level.

You should see two folders labeled Composer Projects and OMFI MediaFiles.

3. Do one of the following:

¥ If there is an existing OMFI MediaFiles folder on the external

media drive, open the OMFI MediaFiles folder on the CDROM, choose Select All from the Edit menu, and drag the contents to the OMFI MediaFiles folder on the external media drive.

¥ If there is no existing OMFI MediaFiles folder on the external

media drive, drag the OMFI MediaFiles folder from the CDROM to the external media drive.

The Þles are loaded on the drive.

4. Do one of the following:

¥ If there is an existing Composer Projects folder on the Avid

drive, open the Composer Projects folder on the CD-ROM and

drag the Boat Shop folder to the Composer Projects folder on the Avid drive.

¥ If there is no existing Composer Projects folder on the Avid

drive, copy the Composer Projects folder on the CD-ROM to the Avid drive.

5. Eject the CD-ROM in the drive.

6. Insert the CD-ROM labeled Avid Media Composer Products Online Tutorial Disk 2 and double-click its icon.

7. Double-click the top folder.

You should see a folder labeled OMFI MediaFiles-2.

8. Choose Select All from the Edit menu, and drag the contents to the OMFI MediaFiles folder on the external media drive.

Launching the Avid Xpress Application

The Avid Xpress application icon is located in the Avid Xpress folder on the Avid drive. For most users, the desktop or the Apple menu is a more convenient location for launching the application.

For more information on making an alias and using the Apple menu, see your Macintosh documentation.

The application will not launch properly if the icon is moved out of the Avid Xpress folder. To launch the application from a convenient location, Avid recommends that you create an alias and place it in a convenient location.

To launch the application, double-click the application icon or alias, or choose it from the Apple menu.

The Avid splash screen returns, then the License Agreement dialog box appears.

Electronic Licensing

To accept your Avid Xpress product license electronically:

1. Read the License Agreement, then click the Accept button or the Decline button at the bottom of the screen.

The agreement appears the Þrst several times you launch the application. After several launches, a new button appears at the bottom of the screen.

2. If you do not want to see the license agreement again, click the Accept and DonÕt Show Again button.

A dialog box appears.

3. Enter the name of your organization in the dialog box, and click OK.

After the application starts, the Project Selection dialog box appears, as described in ÒOpening a ProjectÓ on page 41.

How to Proceed

The following are a few tips for taking full advantage of the Avid Xpress documentation and other resources:

¥ Complete the tutorial sections in this book before starting a

¥ Begin learning about basic procedures by using the default set-

¥ Keep the Avid Xpress Quick Reference on hand during sessions to

¥ Make a habit of reading AvidÕs newsletters, mailings, and other

¥ Make use of additional training resources provided by Avid when-

¥ Check the Avid web site at www.avid.com/services/training/

project.

tings. As your conÞdence builds, begin to explore additional procedures and settings.

speed the use of functions, shortcuts, keyboard commands, menus, and icons.

trade publications.

ever possible, such as classes and instructional videotapes. For more information, contact Avid at 800-867-2843.

training.html for listings of courses, schedules, and locations.

Using Online Help

This release supports online help for your Avid Xpress system. The online help is automatically installed with the application.

You can access online help in two ways:

¥ From the question mark menu in the upper right corner of your

screen, choose Composer Help.

¥ As context-sensitive help:

a. Position the cursor on the window for which you want help.

b. Make sure your Avid Xpress system is active.

c. Press the Help key on the keyboard.

A window appears representing the tool or feature for which you wanted help.

d. Click on different aspects of the tool or feature to see pop-up

help.

If no speciÞc help for the window exists, the Topics window appears.

Procedures are displayed in yellow How To windows; background information and illustrations are displayed in white Reference windows.

To Þnd a topic in Help:

1. Open the Topics window.

2. Do one of the following:

¥ Click the Contents tab to view lists of topics in the main help

window.

¥ Click the Index tab to open the Index window and view a list

of index entries.

¥ Click the Find tab to search for words or phrases that may be

contained in a help topic.

Finding Topics with the Index

To Þnd topics using keywords in the Index:

1. Click the Index tab to display the Index panel.

2. In the text box, type the keyword youÕre interested in or choose a topic from the list.

3. Click the Display button to view the topic or double-click the topic name in the Index scrolling list.

Searching with the Find Feature

To search for words in a help Þle:

1. Click the Find tab to display the Find panel.

2. In the text box, type a word you want to Þnd. Use the pop-up menus to change the way in which you search for words.

3. If youÕd like to search for additional words, click the More Choices button.

4. Click the Search button. Topics that are found are displayed in the list.

5. Choose a topic in the list (if any were found) and click the Display button.

DonÕt type quotes or asterisks in the text boxes.

See ÒOnline help:overviewÓ in the online help index for more information about using the help system.

Using Online Documentation

The Avid Xpress Online Publications are a collection of books on CDROM. They include:

¥ Avid Xpress Effects Guide

¥ Avid Media Composer Products Reference

¥ Avid Xpress Getting Started Guide (this book)

The books are in PDF format. You can read them on the screen or print out all or part of them.

CHAPTER 2

About Avid Xpress

Welcome to the world of nonlinear digital video editing, in which you can create professional-quality video programs from your desktop. Avid Xpress allows you to change any part of your video program at any time, until you create your Þnal program on tape. With Avid Xpress, you can be as ßexible and as creative as possible when editing your video programs.

This chapter explains the basic concepts and terminology that you need to be familiar with to edit video with Avid Xpress.

Video Editing with Avid Xpress

In traditional video editing, you electronically copy video from a source tape to an edit master tape. The process is tedious, and changes are difÞcult to make.

By contrast, when you edit with Avid Xpress, you donÕt have to dub footage onto a master videotape. Instead, you manipulate Avid Xpress ÒclipsÓ that reference your digitized audio and video material. This allows you to experiment with every edit you make through multiple generations. You can trim, move, delete, duplicate, or modify individual frames or entire segments, and immediately see the results.

When you play back your work, the system accesses and plays the appropriate portions of the digitized video and audio.

The following is a summary of the Avid Xpress editing process:

1. Collect source material for your project

Collect your source video and audio. You can start with any video format Ñ Beta SP, 3/4 inch, 8mm, Hi 8, VHS, S-VHS, or any other. You can also incorporate still images or other computer-generated Þles, including computer graphics, still-image Þles, animations,

sound effects, or QuickTime¨ movies.

2. Digitize your source material

Play your source videotapes on a video deck, and digitize them right onto your hard disk. Import computer-generated Þles into your project Ñ graphics, still images, animations, sound effects, synthesized music, QuickTime movies, and special effects.

3. Create a rough cut of your video

Play your digitized source material in Avid Xpress. Organize your sources, and lay out a storyboard using representative clip frames. Mark sections of your digitized sources, and edit them together. Reorder your material, cut and paste sections, and trim the transitions between shots. Immediately view each change you make. Save the changes that you like; easily undo the changes that you donÕt like. Experiment!

4. ReÞne your edits

Use Avid Xpress to enhance your program with special effects, such as dissolves, wipes, Þlters, and video overlays. Add graphics and animations, CD-quality sound, and a voice-over. Incorporate titles and credits.

5. Record your Þnished program

Record your Þnal program from Avid Xpress onto videotape. Save a copy of your program in QuickTime format for CD-ROM or network distribution. Modify and record a new version of your program at any time.

Avid Xpress Essentials

This section explains the terms and concepts that you will need to know in order to understand the Avid Xpress editing process.

Media Files

Material is stored in media Þles.

Clips

When you digitize source material from a video or audio deck, or when you import computer graphic Þles into your Avid Xpress project, the material is saved in media Þles on your systemÕs external hard disk. One media Þle is created for each track of video or audio. Three media Þles Ñ for one track of video and two tracks of audio Ñ are created for a video with a stereo sound track.

PowerPC

Video deck

OMFI MediaFiles

Media drive

Master clips

Clips point to media Þles.

You do not manipulate media Þles directly. Avid Xpress creates another Þle, called a master clip, on your systemÕs internal disk when you digitize media. The master clip is simply a pointer into its corresponding media Þle.

Subclips

While editing your video, you create other clips, such as graphic clips and effects clips. You make your edits by modifying clips Ñ the corresponding media Þles remain unchanged. This allows you to easily create and undo edits without destroying your original material.

Because you work with clips instead of media Þles, you can create virtually unlimited versions of a program without creating multiple copies of the extremely large source material.

Subclips are sections that you mark within clips.

Sequences

Subclips are speciÞc sections of clips that you want to use in your program. You create a subclip by marking IN and OUT points in a clip and then dragging this material to the bin. The subclip is composed of the material between the IN and OUT points.

Clip

Subclip

A subclip points to a media ÞleÕs master clip. You must not delete the master clip from which a subclip was created. If you delete the master clip, you will lose the information in the subclip.

A sequence is a program created from one or more clips and subclips.

You can join different clips and subclips to create a sequence. A sequence can include edited material from source clips and subclips, new clips created when you add effects during the editing process,

and material from other sequences. Your Þnal program will be composed of one or more sequences, depending on how itÕs most convenient for you to work.

Clip

Subclip

Sequence

Sequence in Timeline

Invisible frame

Visible frames

A sequence is composed of marked material from clips, subclips, and other sequences. The material outside the IN and OUT points is invisible in the sequence. This invisible material is very important, because you need it to trim cuts and create transition effects between segments. See ÒTrimmingÓ on page 110 for more information about trimming cuts. See the Avid Xpress Effects Guide for information about creating transition effects.

Like a clip, a sequence contains pointers to media Þles. If you delete one of the clips used to create a sequence, the sequence still works, because the sequence contains its own pointers to the media Þles.

Sequence

Clip

Your Program

The program is your Þnal video creation.

Bins

You organize your footage in bins.

Subclip

OMFI MediaFiles

A program consists of one or more sequences. You use clips, subclips, and sequences to build a program. Your program is represented by the Timeline. A program is your Þnal creation; you can output your program to tape when you are Þnished.

Even though your media Þles contain the actual source material for the program, you never manipulate the media Þles directly. Instead, you move, copy, and edit clips, subclips, and sequences.

Clips, subclips, and sequences are organized and stored in bins. Traditionally, a bin is a place where Þlm editors store reels of Þlm. In Avid Xpress, bins are tools for organizing the material for a project.

Your Project

You edit within a project. A project consists of one or more bins, normally containing footage for a speciÞc program.

You gather the material you need to create a program in a project. Each project contains information about bins, clips, subclips, sequences, and the program in the Timeline. You may have several projects on your system, but you can only work on one project at a time.

The Attic Folder

Avid Xpress saves copies of your current project and its bins at a regular interval and whenever you save or close a project or bin. These auto-save Þles are stored in the Attic folder in the Avid Xpress application folder. If at any time you lose work due to a power outage or system error, open the Attic folder and look for a project or bin of the same name with the sufÞx .bakxx, where xx is the version number. For example, the Þrst backup Þle for the bin Skaters would be named Skaters.bak01. Later versions would be named Skaters.bak02, Skaters.bak03, and so on.

The Avid Xpress File System

The following illustration shows the different kinds of Avid Xpress Þles and where they are stored. Media Þles must be stored on an Avidapproved media drive, which is guaranteed to be fast enough to support real-time video.

The Avid Xpress application folder can be stored either on your computerÕs internal drive or on an external drive. It is common practice to install it on the internal drive, as it is shown in the following illustration. The Composer Projects folder is stored on the same disk as the Avid Xpress application folder.

Attic

PowerPC

Avid Xpress

(application folder)

Avid XpressSettings

Supporting Files

Media drive

OMFI MediaFiles

Composer Projects

Project sub-folder

Project

Bin BBin A

CHAPTER 3

Starting a Project

The Project window provides controls in three different display modes for structuring and viewing important information about your current project. These include a display of bins and folders associated with the project, a list of all settings, and basic information about the format of the project and use of system memory.

The overview topics are described in the following sections:

¥ About Composer Projects and Avid Users Folders

¥ Using the Bins Display

¥ Using the Settings Display

¥ Using the Info Display

Tutorial: Starting a Project contains the following sections:

¥ Starting the Application

¥ Opening a Project

About Composer Projects and Avid Users Folders

Composer Projects and Avid Users folders allow you to move whole projects or selected project and/or user settings between systems by copying and moving Þles on your desktop.

When you create a new project or user, the system creates the following Þles and folders:

¥ When you create a new user, the system creates three items: a user

proÞle Þle, a User settings Þle, and a user folder containing the two. Each item is given the user name you provide. This new folder is stored in the Avid Users folder on the Avid drive.

¥ When you create a new project, the system creates three items: a

project Þle, a Project settings Þle, and a folder containing the two, each of which is given the project name you provide. This new folder is stored in the Composer Projects folder on the Avid drive.

Your settings are initially set to the default values. As you work, the Þles maintain current settings, while the project folder Þlls with bin Þles.

Using the Bins Display

Bins are windows that storetitles, Òthumbnails,Ó and information about the materials you digitize. These editable Þles are called master clips. They refer to the actual media Þles created when you digitize source material. While the physical media are stored on external hard drives, the master clips that refer to that media reside in the bin. Bins also store the sequences, subclips, group clips, and effect clips that you create during a project. The Project window allows you to make a new bin, close it, reopen it, and move clips among these bins. You can also open bins created for different projects.

After you select a user and project in the Project Selection dialog box, the Project window opens. To view a complete list of bins associated with the project, click the Bins button in the Project window. A scrolling list appears.

Bins button

Open bin

From the Bins list you can examine the number, names, size, and location of bins, and you can also open bins. Dotted bin icons next to bin names indicate bins that are currently open; solid icons indicate closed bins.

Using the Settings Display

From the Settings display you can view, select, open, and alter various User, Project, and Site settings, as described in this section.

To view the Settings display, click the Settings button in the Project window.

Settings button

Settings type

About Settings

Three types of settings are displayed in the Settings scroll list, as indicated in the third column of information: User, Project, and Site settings.

¥ User settings are speciÞc to a particular editor. In general, User

settings reßect individual preferences for adjusting the way you view Avid Xpress. Individual User settings are stored in each user folder within the Avid Users folder on the Avid hard drive.

¥ Project settings are directly related to individual projects. When a

Project setting is changed, it affects all editors working on the project. SpeciÞc Project settings are stored in each project folder within the Composer Projects folder on the Avid hard drive.

¥ Site settings establish default parameters for all new users and

projects on a particular system. These can apply to particular conÞgurations of equipment installed at the site, for example, spec and node settings for an external switcher. They can also include other user or project settings that you copy into the Site Settings window. Site settings are stored in a separate Settings folder in the Avid Xpress folder on the Avid hard drive.

Reviewing Basic Settings

For a complete description of all settings and their options, see the

Avid Media Composer Products Reference.

The following list describes basic system settings to review at the start of your project:

¥ Bin settings

¥ General settings

¥ Interface settings

Double-click each setting in the Settings scroll list of the Project window to view the following dialog boxes:

¥ Bin settings deÞne general system functions related to bins,

including:

- Parameters of the Auto-save function

- Maximum number of bin backup Þles stored in the Attic

folder

¥ General settings deÞne fundamental system defaults, including:

- Starting timecode for sequences edited in Avid Xpress

- Setup default for either American NTSC or Japanese NTSC

video input (affects calibration)

- Whether the system uses the drive-Þltering function to auto-

matically target only the fastest drives when digitizing highresolution media

¥ Interface settings determine the level of basic information dis-

played in the interface, including whether written labels are displayed beneath icons in the various command palettes.

Using the Info Display

The Info display in the Project window allows you to view basic project information, such as the video format (NTSC, for example) or frame rate.

To activate the Info display, click the Info button in the Project window.

Info button

Fast Menu button

The items listed in this view are for information only and cannot be changed from the Info list.

To see additional information:

1. Click the Fast Menu button at the bottom of the Info window.

A pop-up menu appears.

2. Choose one of the options from the pop-up menu. See ÒInfo display of project informationÓ in the online help index for more information about these options.

About Projects and Memory

The way a project uses memory has a direct effect on performance. As a project develops, the number of media objects in use (clips, effects, and other bin items) increases. Because the system keeps track of them in RAM, they can be played back faster, but the memory requirements can slow down the system in other ways.

The Avid Xpress Release 2.0 Release Notes provide information about system requirements for RAM. Occasionally you might need to adjust the way your Macintosh uses its RAM in order to work efÞciently. There are two factors that can affect the performance of your system:

¥ If you opened and quit several applications during a session, or if

you opened and closed various Avid Xpress tools repeatedly, your computerÕs memory may become fragmented. As a result your system may be sluggish. To solve this problem, close all applications and restart your Macintosh.

¥ If you need to open more or larger Þles within Avid Xpress, you

might want to increase the amount of memory allocated to the application from the desktop.

To check and adjust the allocation of system memory (RAM), consult your Macintosh documentation.

Viewing Memory

To view how Avid Xpress is using the system memory, choose Memory from the Info window Fast menu. Also see the Avid Xpress Release Notes for information about memory requirements.

If the memory in use is already near the limit of the total memory, you might want to consolidate Þnished elements and eliminate old material from the project, or break the project up into separate, segmented projects. For more information on consolidating, see ÒConsolidatingÓ in the online help index.

Tutorial: Starting a Project

In this tutorial, you start Avid Xpress and select a user and a project. Before starting this procedure, make sure you have installed the Tutorial Þles (see ÒInstalling the Avid Xpress Tutorial FilesÓ on page 17).

Starting the Application

1. Double-click the desktop alias of the Avid Xpress folder icon to open the folder.

2. Double-click the Avid Xpress application icon to launch the program.

After a few moments, the Project Selection dialog box appears.

For this tutorial, you will use the Boat Shop project (along with its settings Þle) that you copied into the Composer Projects folder in

Chapter 1.

Opening a Project

To open a project, you create a new user and select an existing project.

Creating a User

To create a new user:

1. Click the New User button.

A dialog box appears.

2. Type your name and click OK.

The Project Selection dialog box reappears with your name highlighted in the list of users.

Selecting a Project

To select a project:

1. Select Boat Shop from the Composer Projects list and click OK.

The Project window opens. It lists the bins, or storage areas, created to hold the clips and sequences you will need for this tutorial.

2. Double-click the icon to the left of Getting Ready to Edit to open the bin.

This bin contains the clips of the source footage you will use to begin to build the Boat Shop sequence.

YouÕve Þnished this tutorial. Go on to Tutorial: Getting Ready to Edit on page 62.

CHAPTER 4

Digitizing

This chapter surveys the digitize process and related tools. Topics covered include:

¥ Selecting Settings

¥ About the Digitize Tool

¥ About the Audio Tool

¥ About the Video Input Tool

¥ Digitize Preparations Check List

¥ Digitizing

Selecting Settings

A number of settings have a direct bearing on the digitizing process. Before digitizing, review the following options for General settings, Deck settings, and Digitize settings.

¥ Drive Filtering Based on Resolution causes the system to dim all

drives for which speed capabilities are unknown or untested in a particular Avid Video Resolution (AVR). This setting is selected by default in the General Settings dialog box.

The Avid Xpress system does not prevent you from using non-Avid drives, but their reliability cannot be assured.

¥ Deck settings include various options for source deck, sync mode,

preroll, drop/non-drop-frame preference, and deck control.

¥ Digitize settings include essential options for digitizing and

batch-digitizing, including general parameters for capture of the source material, and special conditions such as digitizing across timecode breaks or capturing a single video frame.

¥ Deck ConÞguration settings allow you to establish deck control

parameters for a single deck or for multiple decks. You can manually conÞgure the deck or use the AutoconÞgure option.

About the Digitize Tool

The Digitize Tool provides controls for digitizing your footage.

To open the Digitize Tool, choose Digitize from the Tools menu. The Digitize Tool window opens.

Track Selection

Digitize/Log mode

One/Two Disk mode

Target drive Message bar

Deck controls

Deck selection

Source tape

ResolutionBin

Video Input Tool

Digitize indicato

Record

Disk Time Availab le

Trash/ Abort

Toggle Source

Audio Input Tool

The Digitize Tool has the following characteristics:

¥ Track Selection panel lets you choose which audio tracks you

want to digitize from the source tape, whether you want to digitize video, and whether you want to record timecode.

¥ Bin pop-up menu lets you choose a target bin as the destination

for the master clips created when you digitize on-the-ßy. You can also choose a target bin containing the logged clips you will use to batch-digitize your media.

¥ Resolution pop-up menu next to the Bin pop-up menu lets you

choose an Avid Video Resolution (AVR).

¥ Digitize indicator ßashes on and off while you are digitizing.

¥ Red Record button begins the digitizing process.

¥ Digitize/Log mode button lets you switch between digitize mode

and log mode.

¥ One/Two Disk Mode button lets you target a single or separate

media drive volumes for digitizing the audio and video for each clip.

¥ Target Drive pop-up menu lets you choose the target drive

volumes.

¥ Disk Time Available is displayed after you select an AVR and

target a drive or drives for the digitized media.

¥ Trash/Abort button stops the digitizing process and deletes the

digitized media.

¥ Status bar displays information on the current status of the tool.

¥ Toggle Source button toggles the deck ofßine or online. When the

deck is ofßine, the software ceases to recognize it.

¥ Deck controls operate the deck.

¥ Deck Selection pop-up menu lets you choose the deck you want

to play from. It also lets you check and reset serial port connection to decks.

¥ Source Tape display shows the name of the source tape.

About the Audio Tool

The Audio Tool controls parameters for incoming audio.

To open the Audio Tool, choose Audio Tool from the Tools menu or click the Audio Tool icon in the Digitize Tool window. The Audio Tool window opens.

Input volume

In/Out toggle

Reset Peak

Output Setup

Meters

Analog VU scaleDigital VU scale

Peak/Hold

Output Display

Setup Display

The Audio Tool has the following options:

¥ Input Volume button lets you adjust the input level if you have a

microphone attached to your system.

Channel Selectors

¥ Output button displays a panel that contains a single slider con-

trol for raising or lowering global audio output.

¥ Setup button displays a panel that contains information and con-

trols for adjusting audio output.

¥ Reset Peak button resets the current maximum peak measure-

ments. It also stops the playback of the internal calibration tone.

¥ In/Out buttons toggle the meter displays for each channel

between input levels from a source device and output levels to the speakers and record devices. I indicates input, and O indicates Output.

¥ Peak Hold pop-up menu allows you to choose options for cus-

tomizing the meter displays, and setting and playing back the internal calibration tone.

¥ Digital Volume Unit (VU) scale to the left of the meters displays a

Þxed range of values from 0 to -90 decibels (dB), according to common digital peak meter standards.

¥ Analog VU scale to the right of the meters displays a Þxed range

of values that you can conform to the headroom parameters of your source audio.

¥ Meters dynamically track audio levels for each channel as

follows:

- Meters show green below the target reference level (the

default reference level is -14 on the digital scale).

- Meters show yellow for the normal headroom range, above

the reference level to approximately -3 dB.

- Meters show red for peaks approaching overload, between -3

dB and 0 (zero) dB.

- Thin green lines at the bottom indicate signals below the dis-

play range.

¥ Channel Selector pop-up menus let you map tracks in the

sequence to output channels.

About the Video Input Tool

The Video Input Tool controls parameters for incoming video.

To open the Video Input Tool, choose Video Input Tool from the Tools menu or click the Video Input Tool icon in the Digitize Tool window. The Video Input Tool window opens.

Input

Settings

Slider

Internal Waveform Monitor button

Vectorscope Vectorscope button

Preset buttons

Internal Waveform monitor

Click the Internal Waveform Monitor button to bring up the waveform monitor. Click the Vectorscope button to bring up the Vectorscope.

The Video Input Tool has the following options:

¥ Input pop-up menu lets you choose either a Composite or Com-

ponent video input source.

¥ Sliders let you change the value for each setting.

¥ Preset buttons are highlighted when the factory preset levels are

displayed. When you click a lit Preset button, it turns gray and the slider returns to the most recent manual level setting.

¥Settings pop-up menu lets you save the settings for an individual

tape each time you calibrate bars.

¥ Internal Waveform monitor lets you adjust luminance values.

¥ Vectorscope monitor lets you adjust hue and saturation.

Digitize Preparations Check List

1. Check your hardware conÞgurations: power switches, cable connections, pull-down switch on the Video Slave Driver, and remote switch on the source deck for deck control (see the Avid Media Composer Products Setup Guide for hardware conÞgurations).

2. In the Project Settings scolling list, make sure you have the desired options selected in the General Settings, Deck Settings, Deck Preferences, Deck ConÞguration, and Digitize Settings dialog boxes.

3. Consider striping your drives in advance according to the AVIDdrive Utility UserÕs Guide if you are working on a complex project with multiple streams of video and high-resolution images.

4. Insert a tape into the deck and set up the Digitize Tool for track selection, target bin, target drives, source tape, and source deck.

5. Set up the Compression Tool for resolution (AVR) and color compression (see ÒCompression ToolÓ in the online help index).

6. Use the Audio Tool to set the audio input levels.

7. Use the Video Input Tool to set the video input levels; save your video settings for future use.

Digitizing

You can digitize your source material in one of the following ways:

¥ Digitize and log at the same time

¥ Batch digitize

¥ Redigitize

¥ Use Avid MediaLog and import shot logs

Digitizing and Logging at the Same Time

When you digitize without entering log information in a bin ahead of time, the system creates clips and associated media Þles while you digitize. Digitizing in this manner involves manually cueing source footage with an Avid-controlled deck using the deck controls in the Digitize Tool.

See ÒDigitizingÓ in the online help index.

There are several ways to digitize and log at the same time:

¥ Digitizing from a mark IN to a mark OUT. This method lets you

specify the exact timecode location to begin and end digitizing. You can also specify only a mark IN or mark OUT, and enter the other mark on-the-ßy.

¥ Digitizing on-the-ßy. This method is easier than setting marks,

but it is more imprecise. It involves using the deck controls in the lower left corner of the Digitize Tool to cue, play, and stop the source footage manually while digitizing.

¥ Autodigitizing. This method requires the least amount of supervi-

sion and effort, but usually calls for more digitizing time and disk storage space. It involves playing each source tape from a cue point near the beginning and letting the system digitize the entire tape, automatically naming and entering each long clip into the bin.

Batch Digitizing

Redigitizing

Once you have imported a log or manually logged a group of clips into a bin, you can automate the digitize process by using the Avid Xpress batch digitizing capabilities. In order to batch digitize, source tapes must have timecode. For more information and procedures, see ÒBatch digitizingÓ in the online help index.

Redigitizing is the process of capturing previously digitized source footage based on existing clips and sequences. Redigitizing uses the batch digitize process and does not require extra logging time because the clip information for such things as source tracks, timecodes, and compression settings already exists in the bin. For more information and procedures, see ÒRedigitizingÓ in the online help index.

CHAPTER 5

Getting Ready to Edit

To get ready to edit, you need to understand how to organize your clips and manipulate them. The overview is in the following sections:

¥ About Bin Display Modes

¥ Controlling Playback

¥ Marking IN and OUT Points

¥ Creating Subclips

Tutorial: Getting Ready to Edit contains the following sections:

¥ Viewing Clips

¥ Playing Clips

¥ Marking Edit Points

¥ Subclipping

About Bin Display Modes

You can use two display modes for viewing and working with clips in a bin: Text mode and Frame mode.

The Bin Fast menu displays the same menu as the Bin menu on the toolbar along the top of your screen.

Column headings

Object icons

Bin Fast menu

Frame mode

¥ In Text mode, clips are displayed in a database text format using

columns and rows, with icons representing the various objects. You can save various arrangements of columns, text, and objects as customized views by using the Bins settings in the Project window and the Bin Fast menu.

Text mode

To enter Text mode, click the Text Mode button (labeled T) in the lower left portion of the bin.

¥ In Frame mode, each clip is represented by a single picture frame,

with the name of the clip. You can play back the footage in each frame, change the size of frames, and rearrange frames in any order within the bin.

To enter Frame mode, click the Frame Mode button (labeled F) in the lower left border of the bin.

Controlling Playback

There are several ways to play, view, and cue clips:

¥ Instantly access frames or move through footage by using the posi-

tion indicator within the position bar under the Source pop-up or Composer monitors

¥ Play, step (jog), or shuttle through footage by using buttons

¥ Play, step, or shuttle by using keyboard equivalents

Using Position Bars and Position Indicators

You can quickly access frames within a clip thatÕs been loaded into a monitor or move through the footage by using the position indicators that appear in the position bars under the Composer or Source pop-up monitors, and in the Timeline when you are viewing a sequence.

¥ You can move the position indicator within the position bar under

the Composer or Source pop-up monitors by clicking anywhere in

Position bar

Position indicator

¥ In the Timeline, the position indicator shows your position within

the position bar, or by dragging the position indicator to the left or right. The speed with which you drag the position indicator determines the speed at which you move through the footage.

the sequence. It is always in the same position as the position indicator in the Composer monitorÕs position bar, and works in the same way: you can click anywhere in the Timeline to relocate the position indicator, or you can drag the position indicator through footage at varying speeds.

Position indicator in Timeline

Using Buttons

¥ You can go directly to the beginning or end of a clip or sequence

by clicking at the far left or far right of the clip or sequence.

You can use the buttons that appear below the Composer and Source pop-up monitors to play and step through your footage. You can also use the keyboard to manipulate footage.

Play, Fast Forward, and Rewind Buttons

The Play, Fast Forward, and Rewind buttons work much like the buttons on any conventional VCR. With a clip loaded in a monitor, the Play button plays your footage at a normal rate. The Fast Forward and Rewind buttons instantly cue you to the beginning or the end of the clip.

The Play button appears by default in the buttons below the Composer and Source pop-up monitors. The Rewind and Fast Forward buttons appear in the Tear-off palette.

Video Monitor buttons

Audio Monitor buttons

Step Buttons

During playback, the Play button also acts as a Stop button.

When viewing sequences in the Composer monitor, you can play only video and audio tracks that are currently monitored in the Track Selector panel.

Track Selector panel

For more information, see the online help index.

You can also use the Step buttons under either monitor to jog or play the clip backward or forward in 1-frame increments.

If you press and hold the Option key while clicking either button, you can advance ten frames forward and ten frames backward.

Using the Tear-Off Palette

The Tear-off palette provides additional buttons for editing and navigating.

You can view the Tear-off palette by pulling down the Fast menu under the Composer monitor. Hold the mouse and drag the palette to any other location on the screen for handy access.

Using the Keyboard

The default keyboard contains all of the buttons discussed so far.

Step buttons

Play button

Stop button

J-K-L Keys (Three-Button Play)

The J-K-L keys on the keyboard allow you to play, step, and shuttle through footage at varying speeds. This feature, also referred to as

Play/Step/Shuttle buttons

Home key End key

three-button or variable-speed play, allows you to use three Þngers to manipulate the speed of playback for greater control.

To shuttle through the footage using the J-K-L keys on the keyboard:

1. Load a clip or sequence into the Source pop-up or Composer monitors.

2. Use the following keys to shuttle at varying speeds:

¥ Press the L key to move forward through the footage at nor-

¥ Press the J key to move backward at the same shuttle speed

¥ Press and hold the K and L keys together for slow forward.

¥ Press and hold the K and J keys together for slow backward.

3. To pause the shuttling, press the K key.

4. To stop shuttling, press the space bar.

Home, End, and Arrow Keys

mal speed. Press once to increase the forward speed 2 times, twice to increase it 4 times, and 3 times to increase it 8 times normal speed, as desired.

increments.

You can also use the Home, End, and arrow keys on the keyboard to move through footage when a clip is loaded in a monitor.

¥ The Home key takes you to the beginning of a clip or sequence.

¥ The End key takes you to the end of a sequence.

¥ The Left Arrow key moves the footage one frame forward.

¥ The Right Arrow key moves the footage one frame backward.

Marking IN and OUT Points

You can mark IN and OUT points for your clips in advance, which provides several advantages:

¥ You can quickly build a sequence by splicing the marked clips into

place one after another.

¥ You can use the process of rough-cut or storyboard editing, which

allows you to instantly splice several prepared clips into a sequence (see ÒStoryboardingÓ on page 102).

¥ You can play back and mark clips in the bin before loading a single

clip, saving several steps.

Even if your marks are not accurate now, Avid Xpress allows you to trim the edit points and Þne-tune the sequence later without reediting the material.

Creating Subclips

When you mark footage with IN and OUT points, you can either save the entire clip along with the new marks, or you can create subclips based on the marks you set to break up longer master clips into smaller segments of selected footage.

You can also create subclips while digitizing, as described in ÒSubclips:creating on-theßyÓ in the online help.

This is similar to creating selects of all your best footage before editing. Unlike selects, however, subclips do not directly reference the original media. Subclips remain linked to the master clips from which they are created, and the master clips in turn reference the digitized media Þles located on your storage drives. As a result, none of the original footage is lost.

You can create subclips directly from the marked section of material in the monitors by using one of the following methods:

¥ Option key: Press and hold the Option key, then drag the picture

from the monitor to the bin in which you want to store the subclip.

¥ Subclip button: Click the Subclip button located on the Tear-off

palette to create the subclip and place it into the active bin by default. If you press the Option key while you click the Subclip button, a dialog box allows you to choose the destination bin for the subclip.

The new subclip is listed in the bin, preceded by a subclip icon and identiÞed with a numbered .Sub sufÞx, as shown in the following illustration.

For more information on trimming, see ÒTrim editsÓ in the online help index.

Subclips do not limit your access to the original, digitized master clip material when trimming. Therefore, if you must trim beyond the marked IN to OUT boundaries of the subclip to make it longer or shorter, your system does accommodate the boundary adjustments during the trim.

Tutorial: Getting Ready to Edit

The following tutorial steps correspond to the clips and sequence in the bin titled Getting Ready to Edit.

Viewing Clips

Be sure to read Chapter 2 and the preceding overview sections of this chapter before you start the tutorial.

1. If Avid Xpress is not already running, launch it by double-clicking the application icon.

2. From the Boat Shop Project window, double-click the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

The clips associated with the lesson are displayed in the bin.

The information in a bin can be viewed in several ways.

¥ Text mode displays columns of information about your clips.

¥ Frame mode displays each clip as a single representative image.

Text mode

Name heading

Text Mode buttonFrame Mode button

Viewing in Text Mode

LetÕs look at Text mode.

Frame mode

1. Click the Text Mode button (T) in the lower left corner of the bin to view information about clips in the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

If the button is dark, you are already in Text mode.

You can rearrange the clips in the bin by sorting on a particular column. LetÕs sort by clip name so we can easily locate any clip.

2. Click the Name heading in the bin.

3. Choose Sort from the Bin menu along the top of the screen.

The clip names are rearranged in alphabetical and numerical order.

Viewing in Frame Mode

Now letÕs look at Frame mode.

1. Click the Frame Mode button (F) to see a pictorial representation of each clip in the bin.

The sorted order of clips does not carry over to Frame mode.

2. Choose Reduce Frame or Enlarge Frame from the Edit menu.

To change frame size at the keyboard, you can also press k-K (Reduce Frame) and k-L (Enlarge Frame).

If some clips are now off screen, do one of the following:

¥ Click the zoom box in the upper right corner of the bin

window.

¥ Choose Fill Window from the Bin menu.

¥ Drag the size box in the lower right corner of the bin window.

3. Click the zoom box in the upper right corner of the bin window labeled Getting Ready to Edit.

The bin zooms out to enclose all the clips. However, they might be scattered randomly in the bin window. LetÕs Þx that.

4. Choose Fill Window from the Bin menu.

The clips are arranged in neat rows and columns in the bin.

Now you can adjust frame size so the clips are ÒreadableÓ but not so large that they wonÕt Þt in the bin window.

Playing Clips

Your Avid Xpress system offers a variety of ways to play clips. The more you practice the various methods, the more control you will have over the editing process.

Playing Clips in the Source Pop-up Monitor

The Source pop-up monitor is a window in which you can play clips.

1. In the Getting Ready to Edit bin, select the clip named bridge by double-clicking anywhere in the frame.

The bridge clip appears in the Source pop-up monitor.

2. Press the Play (5) key on the keyboard to play the clip at normal speed.

3. Press the Play (5) key again (or press the space bar on the keyboard) to stop playback at any point.

4. Press the Home key (between the main keyboard and the numeric keypad) to go to the start of the clip.

The End key, just below the Home key, moves the position indicator to the end of the clip.

5. Press the L key (Play) on the keyboard to play the clip forward at normal speed. Press the key repeatedly to play the clip at 60, 90, 150, and 240 frames per second (fps).

6. Press the J key (Reverse Play) to play the clip backward at normal speed. Press the key repeatedly to play the clip backward at 30, 60, 90, 150, and 240 frames per second (fps).

7. Press the K key to stop playback.

8. To move forward or backward at slow speed, press and hold the K key while you press and hold the L or J key.

9. Use the 4, 3, 2, and 1 keys to step through the footage forward or backward in 1-frame or 10-frame increments.

Step Ten Frames Backward

Controlling Playback

In the Source pop-up monitor, you can use:

¥ Playback control keys

¥ Equivalent buttons below the Source pop-up monitor

¥ Blue position indicator to go to a speciÞc position or scroll (move)

through a clip

Step Backward

Step Ten Frames Forward

Step Forward

Position indicator

Position bar

You can press the 5 key on the keyboard for the same purpose.

To step several frames forward, click just to the right of the position indicator.

Press the End key or click the Fast Forward key (U) to go the end of the clip.

Step Step Forward Backward

Play

1. Double-click the tools clip in the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

The clip appears in the Source pop-up monitor.

2. Click the Play button.

3. Click the Play button again (or press the space bar on the keyboard) to stop playback at any point.

4. Step through the footage forward or backward in 1-frame increments using the Step Forward and Step Backward buttons under the Source pop-up monitor. You can also use the 4, 3, 2, and 1 keys on your keyboard.

5. Locate the vertical blue position indicator in the position bar in the Source pop-up monitor.

6. Click to the left of the position indicator to step several frames back in the clip.

7. Press the Home key or click the Rewind (Y) key to go to the beginning of the clip.

8. Step through the clip by clicking different spots in the position bar.

9. Drag the position indicator to the left, then to the right, to scroll through the clip.

Marking Edit Points

Before making your Þrst edit, you can mark the segments of the clips you want to use in your sequence. You can mark clips in the Source pop-up monitor.

In this section, you will:

¥ Mark IN and OUT points in the Source pop-up monitor

¥ Locate IN and OUT points by timecode in the Source pop-up

monitor

Marking the

planing ms

LetÕs Þrst display clips in the Source pop-up monitor, and then mark a couple of clips you will use when you edit the sequence.

1. Activate the Getting Ready to Edit bin by clicking anywhere in it or by choosing Getting Ready to Edit from the Windows menu.

The bar above the active window turns purple.

2. Double-click the planing ms clip to activate it.

The clip name turns pink and the clip appears in the Source popup monitor.

3. Play the clip from the head by pressing Home and then the Play (5) key, and Þnd the approximate place where the boatbuilder begins to plane. Then use the Step Forward and Step Backward (3 and 4) keys to locate the frame where he starts the Þrst planing stroke.

4. Mark an IN point by pressing the Mark IN (I) key.

Clip

A white sawtooth pattern appears on the left edge of the Mark IN frame.

5. Step forward two full strokes of the plane.

6. Mark an OUT point by pressing the Mark OUT (O) key.

Avid Xpress remembers your IN and OUT points until you change them.

Marking the

ducks

Clip

Now mark the IN and OUT points for the ducks clip. This time, instead of using the 5 key, use the J-K-L keys to play the clip.

1. Double-click the ducks clip to activate it.

2. Locate the frame where the second duck enters the right edge of the frame behind the duck swimming in the foreground.

Use the 3 and 4 keys to locate the precise frame.

3. Mark an IN point by pressing the I key.

A white sawtooth pattern appears on the left edge of the Mark IN frame.

4. Step forward to locate the Þrst frame where the same duck ßies beyond the left edge of the screen.

5. Mark an OUT point by pressing the O key.

A white sawtooth pattern appears on the right edge of the Mark OUT frame.

Marking the

draw knife cu

LetÕs mark another clip weÕll use in the sequence.

1. Display the draw knife cu in the Source pop-up monitor by double-clicking it in the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

When you edit the sequence, you want to show just three strokes of the knife.

2. Place the position indicator around the midpoint of the clip, and play forward until just after the Þrst fairly large wood chip falls off.

Use the Play button (or J-K-L keys) to get close to the frame, and then use the Step buttons to locate the frame you want to use as your IN point.

3. Mark an IN point by clicking the Mark IN button under the monitor.

A white sawtooth pattern appears on the left edge of the Mark IN frame.

4. Step forward, and locate a frame just after three strokes of the knife.

Clip

5. Mark an OUT point by clicking the Mark OUT button under the monitor.

A white sawtooth appears on the right edge of the Mark OUT frame.

Using Timecode to Find a Frame

You can mark IN and OUT points by using timecode as your reference point. If you know the timecode for the frame you want to mark, you can go to that frame instantly by typing it on the numeric keypad.

In this section, you will use visual cues to mark an IN point, and then locate a speciÞc timecode. First, you need to display the appropriate timecode information.

1. Double-click the chiseling clip to open it.

2. Place the cursor in the gray title bar area over the timecode information displayed above the Source pop-up monitor.

3. When the cursor changes to a downward arrow, click to display the pop-up menu, then choose TC, V1 (timecode for track V1) from the menu. A checkmark means it is already selected.

Timecode shows the following: Hours Minutes Seconds Frames

One second holds 29 frames.

The timecode references the frame displayed in the Source popup monitor.

4. Use the Play and Step buttons to locate the frame where the boatbuilder begins one of the Þrst strokes of the chisel.

5. Click the Mark IN button.

6. Read the timecode in the Timecode display at the IN point. Add 15 frames (13 frames PAL) to the timecode number. (Remember, there are 29 frames in a second.)

For example, if the timecode is 04:11:34:15, adding 15 frames gives you a result of 04:11:35:00.

7. Type the resulting number on the numeric keypad and press Enter on the numeric keypad. The system inserts the colons for you.

As you start typing, a window opens in the middle of the Source pop-up monitor, showing the numbers you type. When you press Enter, the position indicator locates the speciÞed frame.

The Timecode window displays the current number.

To locate frames using the numeric keypad, you must show the appropriate timecode in the Timecode display. For example, the timecode display must show track V1 to go to a speciÞc frame on the V1 track.

Timecode display

Timecode entered

8. Click the Mark OUT button.

Using Frame Offset

Whenever you use the numeric keypad, you must press Enter after typing the number.

When using frame offset, type one frame less than the number of frames you want to advance.

You can also use the numeric keypad to move the position indicator forward or backward a speciÞed number of frames, with the frame offset feature. LetÕs mark an IN point for the planing cu clip and then use frame offset to locate the OUT point.

1. Double-click the planing cu clip to open it.

2. Click in the Source pop-up monitor to activate it.

3. Use the Play and Step buttons to locate the frame where the boatbuilder begins making the Þrst stroke of the plane.

4. Click the Mark IN button.

5. To advance two seconds, type +129 (+124 PAL) in the numeric keypad and press Enter.

Since Avid Xpress counts the frame it is parked on, you type one frame less than two seconds.

If you want to move back a certain number of frames, type a minus sign (Ð) instead of a plus sign (+) in front of the number.

6. Mark that frame as the OUT point.

Subclipping

Now you will copy portions of one clip into shorter clips, called subclips. Subclipping is a great tool for organizing your footage into manageable units.

1. Double-click the tools clip in the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

2. Press the Home key to go to the start of the clip.

3. Scroll through the clip by pressing the Play button or dragging the blue position indicator, and notice there are two separate actions that can be copied into separate subclips.

4. Mark an IN point when the boatbuilder begins turning the auger drill.

5. Mark an OUT point 14 seconds later by typing +1400 in the numeric keypad and pressing Enter.

Actually, you have marked an OUT after 14 seconds and 1 frame, but thatÕs okay because you need not be so precise here.

6. Press and hold the Option key, and drag the picture from the monitor to the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

As you begin dragging, the pointer changes to a hand attached to a small box.

A new item called tools.Sub.01 appears in the Getting Ready to

Edit bin. The subclip has the name of the original clip, followed by Sub.n, where n is the number of times the master clip has been

cataloged to that bin. The name is highlighted.

7. Type drilling and press Return (or Enter on the numeric keypad) to name the subclip.

Clearing IN Points and OUT Points

1. With the tools clip in the Source pop-up Monitor, click the Clear Both Marks button in the Tear-off palette to clear IN and OUT points.

2. Mark an IN point in the clip when the boatbuilder begins hammering, after he takes a few practice swings.

3. Mark an OUT point at the end of the clip.

4. Press and hold the Option key and drag the clip from the Source pop-up monitor to the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

The clip name is highlighted in the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

5. Type hammering and press Return (or Enter on the numeric keypad).

YouÕve Þnished this lesson. You can go on to Tutorial: Rough Cut on

page 84, or end the session.

Closing the Project

To close the project:

1. Choose Close Bin from the File menu.

The bin closes.

2. Choose Close from the File menu.

The system saves and closes the project. A dialog box appears.

3. Do one of the following:

¥ Select an existing project.

¥ Create a new one.

¥ Click Quit.

Ending the Session

To end the session:

1. Choose Save Bin or Save All Bins from the File menu.

2. Click the Project window labeled Boat Shop.

3. Choose Save All from the File menu.

4. Do one of the following:

¥ Go to the next lesson.

¥ If you are ready to take a break, choose Quit from the File

menu to leave Avid Xpress, then click OK in the Quit dialog box.

The system returns to the desktop.

CHAPTER 6

Editing a Rough Cut

Beginning to edit involves moving around in Avid Xpress. This is described in the following sections:

¥ Viewing Methods

¥ Navigating in the Timeline

¥ Displaying More or Less Detail

¥ Using the Track Selector Panel

Tutorial: Rough Cut contains the following sections:

¥ Making the First Edit

¥ Splicing Video into the Sequence

Viewing Methods

You can work with clips and sequences in several different ways, depending upon your needs and preferences. Each method has its own uses and advantages, as follows.

¥ Viewing in bins: Frame mode shows you pictorial images of the

clips in your bins; Text mode shows you the clips listed by name.

¥ Viewing in the Source pop-up monitor: You can load clips and

sequences into the Source pop-up monitor to view and mark or subcatalog shots for use in a sequence that you build in the Composer monitor.

¥ Viewing in the Composer monitor: You can load a sequence into

the Composer monitor to view, mark, or modify an existing sequence. You can Option-drag a clip or group of clips into the Composer monitor to create a sequence.

¥ Viewing in the Timeline: Use the Timeline to view individual

tracks for either a sequence or a source clip.

Navigating in the Timeline

The Timeline window provides various controls for quickly moving through a sequence and adjusting your view of details displayed in the tracks while editing. You can change Timeline views by using the Timline fast menu.

Using the Position Indicator

The position indicator (the vertical blue line) in the Timeline marks your place in the sequence. It also determines how some of your commands are interpreted. For example, when you perform an edit, the

system takes the location of the position indicator as the Mark IN in the absence of established marks.

When you move the position indicator in the Timeline, the smaller position indicator within the Composer monitorÕs position bar also moves.

Using the Scroll Bar

The scroll bar functions like any standard Macintosh scroll bar. Click the arrows or drag the scroll box to scroll left or right.

Scroll box

Scroll bar

Displaying More or Less Detail

The scale box in the scale bar stretches and contracts the Timeline area centered around the blue position bar, allowing you either to zoom in, focusing on a speciÞc area of your sequence, or to zoom out to see your whole sequence. This is especially useful when you have a lengthy sequence with many edits.

Scale bar

The Timeline always expands or contracts proportionally on both sides of the position indicator.

¥ To see more detail, click and drag the scale box to the right.

Scale box

As Timeline expands , a shadow position indicator appears

As the Timeline expands, a second ÒshadowÓ position indicator appears next to the blue position indicator showing the end of a single frame, and the two continue to move apart as you expand the Timeline.

The position indicator and its shadow mark the beginning and end of each frame. The solid bar is the mark or edit point. You can click on either the bar or the shadow to move exactly one frame forward or backward.

¥ To contract an expanded Timeline to see less detail but more of the

sequence, click and drag the scale box to the left.

Using the Track Selector Panel

The Track Selector panel provides numerous controls for working effectively with multiple tracks. With this one resource you can select, delete, monitor, enlarge, reduce, lock, patch, and move any video or audio track.

The Track Selector panel also provides a quick display of track information. You can see which tracks (on the source or record side) are available, active, patched, monitored, or locked. The conÞguration shown below is just one example. The Track Selector panel may look very different depending on the nature of the source material or the work underway in the sequence.

Source track monitors Source tracks

Track lock indicators

Record tracks Record track monitors

Timecode track

The source side (left side) of the panel displays only those tracks available for the clip currently loaded and displayed in the Source pop-up monitor. For instance, a clip that has audio digitized for track A1 only does not display an A2 track in the Track Selector panel.

The record side of the panel displays only those tracks currently in use for the sequence and displayed in the Composer monitor. However, if you edit source material with a track selected that does not yet exist on the record side (A3 or V2, in the previous example), by default the track appears on the record side after the edit takes place.

Selecting T racks

You can select tracks on either the record side or the source side as follows:

¥ You can edit selected tracks on the source side directly into the

sequence, assuming you have selected parallel tracks on the record side.

¥ You cannot edit deselected tracks on the source side into the

sequence, regardless of record track selections.

¥ You cannot edit deselected tracks on the record side, regardless of

source track selections.

There are three methods for selecting tracks:

¥ Click any deactivated Track Selector button to select it. Click any

activated Track Selector button to deselect it.

¥ Drag a lasso around multiple Track Selector buttons to select them

at once.

¥ With the Timeline window active, choose Select All Tracks from

the Edit menu to select all tracks on the record and source side.

For example, you might select the source and record tracks for V1, A1, and A2 to edit video and audio from the source clip into the sequence. Select only V1 source and record tracks to edit the video without sound. Or select only A1 and A2 to edit the sound without the video.

There are also keyboard equivalents for selecting tracks. Check your keyboard or the Keyboard settings in the Project window Settings scroll list.

Monitoring T racks

You determine the monitoring of tracks by clicking the monitor column of either the source- or record-side tracks to activate or deactivate the monitor icons.

Audio track monitor

Monitoring Video

The video track monitor determines whether you see video during playback. You can turn it off at any time to monitor only audio during editing. When there are multiple video tracks, all tracks below the monitored track are active during playback.

Video track monitors

Audio track monitor

When you edit with multiple tracks, you can activate the monitor on a lower track to monitor only the video on that track. This is especially useful when you have multiple layers of video effects and need to see one track without the additional layers.

If you reposition the video monitor, be sure to return it to the topmost track to view, render, or record all the tracks together. Unmonitored tracks are not included in playback.

Tutorial: Rough Cut

In this tutorial you will begin editing the Boat Shop sequence. This section corresponds to the clips and sequence in the bin titled Rough Cut.

this tutorial.

Table 6-1 Starting the Tutorial: Rough Cut

If you have worked on the previous tutorial and Avid Xpress is still running:

1. Double-click the Rough Cut bin to open it.

2. Press the Option key and drag the sequence you were working on from the previous tutorial into the Rough Cut bin. Close the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

3. Drag the sequence you were working on from the Rough Cut bin into the Composer monitor.

Be sure to read the preceding overview sections of this chapter before you start

If you have worked on the previous tutorial but have quit the Avid Xpress system:

1. Launch Avid Xpress by double-clicking the application icon.

2. From the Boat Shop Project window double-click the Get-

ting Ready to Edit bin and the Rough Cut bin to open them.

3. Press the Option key and drag the sequence you were working on from the previous tutorial into the Rough Cut bin. Close the Getting Ready to Edit bin.

If you are just starting out with this tutorial and havenÕt completed the previous tutorials:

1. Launch Avid Xpress by double-clicking the application icon.

2. Click and drag the Rough Cut Sequence clip into the Composer monitor to begin the tutorial.

4. Drag the sequence you were working on from the Rough Cut bin into the Composer monitor.

Making the First Edit

In this section, you lay down the audio clip, which contains the sequenceÕs music and narration. You learn how to mark exactly one minute of the clip, which will be the duration of your Þnished sequence. First, you play the clip.

1. Double-click the Audio Track clip and play the clip in the Source pop-up monitor.

The clip displays as black because itÕs audio only.

2. Go to the head of the clip by pressing the Home key on your keyboard.

Using Digital Audio Scrub

Use digital audio scrub to locate a speciÞc frame of audio. Use it now to locate the Þrst frame of music in the audio clip.

1. Press the Caps Lock key to activate digital audio scrub.

2. Play the clip again and click the Play button to stop at the approximate place where the music begins.

3. Press the Step (jog) keys (1, 2, 3, 4 on the keyboard) to locate the Þrst frame of the music and click the Mark IN button.

When you use the Step keys, a frame of music or speech sounds scratchy or buzzlike. You might want to increase the volume of your speakers to hear the Þrst frame of music.

4. Press the End key on the keyboard.

5. Press the Step Backward key to Þnd the last frame of music.

6. Mark that frame as the OUT point.

7. Press the Caps Lock key again to exit digital audio scrub.

Splicing an Audio Clip

Yellow

Click the yellow Splice-in button on the Tear-off palette to copy the clip into the Composer monitor.

If no points are selected, the entire clip is edited into the Timeline.

The clip is edited onto track A1 of the Timeline. The Þrst frame is the IN point you marked in the clip; the last frame is the OUT point you marked in the clip.

The audio track appears in the Timeline. The sequence also appears in the Composer monitor.

Playing a Sequence

The Rough Cut bin contains your newly created sequence. By default, Avid Xpress names it Untitled Sequence.01. LetÕs change this name.

1. Click the name Untitled Sequence.01 to select it; do not click the sequence icon.

The name highlights in black and has a box around it.

2. Type Boat Shop Cut and press Return.

Audio Monitor button

3. Click the position bar beneath the Composer monitor or anywhere near the left side of the Timeline, then click the Play button to play the audio.

The Audio Monitor button appears when a speaker is activated.

This audio track should run the length of the sequence, and its duration should be approximately one minute.

Conﬁrming the Duration

The next steps explain how to conÞrm the duration by displaying the master timecode, which is the timecode of your sequence.

1. If Master timecode is not displayed, click and pull down the Timecode display from the gray area above the Composer monitor and select Mas (Master) timecode.

The master timecode displays the location of the position indicator in your sequence.

2. Move the position indicator in the Timeline or the Composer monitor to the last frame of the sequence.

The master timecode should read approximately 01:01:00:00.

Splicing Video into the Sequence

Play the whole clip through once Þrst to get a sense of the material.

Now weÕll start laying some video over the audio. For the opening shot in the sequence, use the bridge clip.

1. From the Rough Cut bin, double-click the bridge clip to display it in the Source pop-up monitor.

2. Mark an IN point midway through the clip, about 2 seconds after the camera begins to pan left. Watch the timecode at the top of the Source pop-up monitor to determine 2 seconds after the camera pans left.

3. Mark an OUT point 3 seconds and 6 frames (5 frames PAL) later, at approximately 01:13:43:23.

Yellow

When you want to bring an open bin or monitor to the foreground, you can click anywhere in it or choose its name from the Windows menu.

If you do not mark an IN point and OUT point, the entire clip will be edited into the sequence.

4. Move the position indicator in the Timeline or Composer monitor to the head of the sequence.

5. Deselect record track A1.

A track changes color when it is selected; it is gray when it is deselected.

6. Press the Splice-in (V) key on the keyboard or click the yellow Splice-in button on the Tear-off palette.

The bridge clip is edited into the V1 track in the Timeline and is displayed in the Composer monitor. The position indicator rests on the Þrst frame of black following the splice.

7. Click anywhere in the Composer monitor to activate it.

8. Do one of the following to move to the head of the sequence:

¥ Press the Home key.

¥ Click the beginning of the Timeline.

9. Click the Play button to play the shot in the sequence.

Splicing the

10. Choose Clear Monitor from the clip name pop-up menu above the Source pop-up monitor to close the clip.

ducks

clip

Previously, you entered IN and OUT points, but we need to create different ones. ItÕs not necessary to clear the IN and OUT points. When you create a new IN point and OUT point, the system automatically clears previously set points.

1. From the bin, double-click the ducks clip.

2. Locate a frame in the Source pop-up monitor just after the clipÕs

3. Mark an OUT point in the Þrst frame after the duck leaves the

Playing IN to OUT

Now you can take a look at the marked portion of the clip to make sure it is what you want.

1. Click the Play IN to OUT button or press the 6 key on the key-

2. Play the rest of the clip to see if there are several frames of water

midway point where the duck that has been sitting in the water is about to take off. Mark an IN point Þve frames before the duck begins to move its wings to ßy.

monitor to the left.

board.

The clip plays from the IN point to the OUT point.

If possible, it would be nice to provide a little Òbreathing spaceÓ before the next shot.

after the duck leaves the shot.

Using the Go to OUT Key

You can snap the position indicator to an OUT (or IN) point.

Go to IN

Whenever you use the numeric keypad, you must press Enter after typing the number.

Go to

OUT

1. Press the Go to OUT (W) key on the keyboard.

The Go to IN (Q) key places the position indicator at the IN point.

2. Type +6 in the numeric keypad and press Enter to add 7 frames to the shot.

3. Mark that frame as the OUT point.

The OUT point automatically moves to the new position.

You can also press the Option key and the Mark IN button to go to the IN mark. Press the Option key and the Mark OUT button to go to the OUT mark.

Moving to the Head and Tail of a Shot

Before splicing in the next shot, make sure the position indicator is on the Þrst frame of black after the bridge edit. To do this:

1. Move the position indicator anywhere to the right of the bridge clip in the Timeline.

To snap the position indicator to the last frame of a shot, press OptionÐk instead of k and click the mouse between the ending transition and the position indicator.

2. While pressing the k (Command) key, click the mouse between the transition and the position indicator. The position indicator snaps to the Þrst frame of the shot.

3. Select source and record tracks V1 in the Timeline.

The selected tracks appear bright, not gray.

Using the Splice-In Button

Yellow

To splice a shot:

1. Click the yellow Splice-in button under the Source pop-up monitor.

The second shot is now edited into the sequence.

2. Go to the head of the sequence and play through the Þrst two shots.

Splicing a Shot into the Middle of a Sequence

With nonlinear editing, you can splice a shot anywhere in your sequence.

1. From the Rough Cut bin, open the kids rowing clip.

2. Mark IN and OUT points to mark 4 seconds of the camera panning from the girl to the boy.

LetÕs see what this shot looks like between the Þrst and second shots.

3. Click in the middle of the ducks clip, between the position indicator and the bridge clip.

4. Press and hold k and click the mouse within the ducks clip in the Timeline to place the position indicator on the Þrst frame of the ducks clip.

5. Press the Splice-in (V) key on the keyboard.

Wherever you splice a shot into the middle of a sequence, the rest of the sequence moves down. Splicing lengthens the material on the track.

6. Play the sequence so far to see what you have done.

Undoing an Edit

The kids rowing shot doesnÕt seem to Þt here. So letÕs undo the last step.

Choose Undo Splice-in from the Edit menu or press k-Z.

Use the Undo feature whenever you feel you have made a mistake or want to go back a step. You can undo or redo up to 32 previous actions listed in the Edit menu.

Using the I/O (IN Point / OUT Point) Tracking Display

Now, you will add two more shots to the sequence.

1. Open the kids in shadow clip.

2. Click the Clear Both Marks button on the Tear-off palette.

3. Mark an IN point in the Þrst half of the clip, one frame before the second boat enters screen left.

4. Mark an OUT point 3 seconds and 17 frames later (PAL: 3 seconds and 14 frames) by doing the following:

a. Choose I/O from the Tracking Information pop-up menu in

the gray area above the Source pop-up monitor.

The I/O option displays the duration from the IN to OUT points. If you only mark the IN point, the I/O displays the duration from the IN point to the position indicator.

b. Step forward until the I/O display reaches 3:17, and mark the

OUT point.

5. Move the position indicator to the Þrst black frame.

6. Press the V key on the keyboard to splice the clip into the Timeline as the third shot.

7. Open the rowing forward clip and mark an IN point a little less than halfway through the clip, when the dory is evenly centered between the right and left edges of the frame.

8. Mark an OUT point 5 seconds later.

9. Splice the clip into the Timeline as the fourth shot.

10. Choose Save All Bins from the File menu.

YouÕve Þnished this tutorial. You can go on to Tutorial: ReÞning Edits on page 100, or exit Avid Xpress.

CHAPTER 7

ReÞning the Edit

ReÞning edits tightens and improves the relationship between pictures and sound. This is described in the following sections:

¥ Using Segment Mode

¥ Basic Trim Procedures

¥ Audio Editing

Tutorial: ReÞning Edits contains the following sections:

¥ Overwriting Shots into a Sequence

¥ Storyboarding

¥ Rearranging Shots

¥ Removing Footage from a Sequence

¥ Trimming

¥ Working with Audio

Using Segment Mode

Segment mode provides editing controls for moving, deleting, marking, and editing entire segments in the Timeline. A segment is a portion of the sequence that includes two or more transitions. There are two modes for editing segments or adding shots: Extract/Splice-in, indicated by a yellow arrow, and Lift/Overwrite, indicated by a red arrow.

Unlike traditional editing, Segment mode allows you to instantly reposition entire segments using visual controls as though you were physically ÒdraggingÓ portions of your sequence around on a tape. You can move shots separately or together, on one track or across tracks.

Editing in Segment Mode

Observe the following guidelines when editing in Segment mode:

¥ Transition effects on either side of a moved selection are deleted.

Transition effects inside the selection are preserved.

¥ You can track the audio while moving segments by pressing the

Caps Lock key to enable audio scrub.

¥ When you are Þnished, Segment mode continues to affect your

editing unless you click the active Segment Mode button to deactivate it.

Distinguishing T wo Types of Buttons

In Chapter 6, you used the Splice-in button. The Splice-in button and the Overwrite button (see ÒOverwriting Shots into a SequenceÓ on

page 101) take clips from the Source pop-up monitor and put them

into the Timeline. The Segment Mode buttons, Extract/Splice-in and Lift/Overwrite, move segments around within the Timeline. The names are similar but you use them for different purposes.

Basic T rim Procedures

For illustrations of the various types of trim edits you can perform in Trim mode, see the

Avid Xpress Quick Reference.

You can enter Trim mode in several different ways, depending on the type of trim you expect to perform. Once in Trim mode you can:

¥ Select additional tracks

¥ Toggle between trim sides

¥ Perform and play back the trim

Entering T rim Mode

There are three methods for entering Trim mode:

¥ Clicking the Trim Mode button in the Tear-off palette. By default

the system enters Trim mode and selects the tracks nearest the position indicator for dual-roller trimming. This method is useful for selecting straight-cut transitions on one track or across video and audio tracks.

Transition selected for trimming

When you deselect one or more tracks in the Track Selector panel, by default only the transitions in the highlighted tracks are selected for trimming. If the transitions are not straight cuts (overlap cuts or L-edits), the system highlights the topmost track nearest the position indicator.

¥ Lassoing the transitions in the Timeline. Draw the lasso by click-

ing at a point above the top track in the Timeline and dragging to surround the transitions. This method is useful when you need to select multiple transitions staggered across parallel tracks (overlap cuts) for simultaneous trimming.

Lasso drawn across three tracks

Transitions are selected for dual-roller trim

You can drag from right to left, or left to right, and you can lasso single transitions across several contiguous tracks. However, avoid lassoing more than one transition on a single track, because this activates Segment mode.

To select transitions located below several track layers, draw a lasso within the Timeline by pressing the Control key while you drag.

¥ Pressing the Go to Previous Edit or Go to Next Edit keys

(A or S). By default the system selects the nearest transition in

either direction of the selected track for dual-roller trimming.

If the transition is a straight cut, the system selects all edited tracks. If the transition is an overlap edit with staggered transition points, the system selects the topmost track.

Exiting T rim Mode

You can exit Trim mode at any time in one of several ways:

¥ Click the Effect Mode button.

¥ Press the Escape key on the keyboard.

esc

¥ Click a speciÞc location in the Timecode (TC1) track at the bottom

of the Timeline to exit Trim mode. The position indicator moves to that location.

Click in the TC track at a selected location

Selecting Between Trim Sides

A-side B-side

A and B

To select sides of a transition to trim, click the outgoing (A-side) or incoming (B-side) monitor to deÞne which side of the transition to trim. Notice that the pointer changes to a single-roller A-side, singleroller B-side, or double-roller icon depending on position.

The system exits Trim mode and relocates the position indicator

A-side B-side

Highlight indicates

active sides

The selected parts of the transition are highlighted, and the corresponding rollers appear in the Timeline. Also, one or both of the frame counter indicators below the monitors are highlighted to reßect the active trim sides: A-side, B-side, or both. The number indicates how many frames have been added or subtracted (-) from the transition.

Performing a Basic Trim

With your transitions and trim sides selected, you can perform a basic trim using one of the following procedures:

¥ Use the Trim buttons to trim forward or backward by one- or ten-

frame increments.

1 frame

10 frames

¥ Use the numeric keypad at the right side of the keyboard, as fol-

lows:

- To move the transition a speciÞc number of frames, type a

plus sign (+) or minus sign (Ð) and the number of frames (from 1 to 99) you want to move forward or backward. Then press Enter. If the number of frames is larger than 99, type an F after the number to indicate frame count. For example, to enter 200 frames, type 200F and press Enter.

- To move the transition to an exact timecode, type a timecode

number larger than 99, including frames. For example, type 102 to enter 1 second and 2 frames.

¥ Use controls in the Timeline by clicking a roller at the selected

transition and dragging forward or backward in the sequence.

Click and drag a transition in the Timeline

¥ For greater control:

- Press the Option key as you drag to move one frame at a time.

- Press the Command key to snap to other transition points.

As you trim, all selected transitions in the Timeline move in unison. The Frame counter displays the frame count backward or forward for one or both trim sides, and the monitors display the new incoming or outgoing frames.

Audio Editing

To trim successfully, the clips must have available frames on either side of the IN and OUT points. These frames must be more or the same in number as frames you are going to trim.

The Avid Xpress system provides audio scrub features and waveform plots speciÞcally designed for frame-accurate cueing, marking, and editing of audio. You can use these features any time during editing or while making adjustments with the audio tools.

You can use the Audio Mix Tool to adjust volume (level) and balance (pan).

Pan adjustment

Level adjustment

Tutorial: Reﬁning Edits

In this tutorial you will reÞne and trim edits and adjust audio levels. This section corresponds to the clips and sequence in the bin titled ReÞning Edits.

this tutorial.

Table 7-1 Starting the Tutorial: Reﬁning Edits

If you have worked on the previous tutorial and Avid Xpress is still running:

1. Double-click the ReÞning Edits bin to open it.

2. Press the Option key and drag the sequence you were working on from the previous tutorial into the ReÞning

Edits bin. Close the Rough Cut bin.

3. Drag the sequence you were working on from the ReÞning Edits bin into the Composer monitor.

Be sure to read the preceding overview sections of this chapter before you start

If you have worked on the previous tutorial but have quit the Avid Xpress system:

1. Launch Avid Xpress by double-clicking the application icon.

2. From the Boat Shop Project window double-click the Rough Cut bin and the ReÞning Edits bin to open them.

3. Press the Option key and drag the sequence you were working on from the previous tutorial into the ReÞning Edits bin. Close the Rough Cut bin.

If you are just starting out with this tutorial and havenÕt completed the previous tutorials:

1. Launch Avid Xpress by double-clicking the application icon.

2. Click and drag the ReÞning Edits Sequence clip into the Composer monitor to begin the tutorial.

4. Drag the sequence you were working on from the ReÞning Edits bin into the Composer monitor.

100

Overwriting Shots into a Sequence

In addition to splicing, you can overwrite shots into a sequence. An overwrite edit replaces a section of a sequence with other source footage. An overwrite edit does not affect the length of the sequence.

The rowing forward shot is too long. In this section you will edit the next shot into the sequence before the end of the rowing forward clip.

1. Make sure the Composer monitor is active.

2. Place the position indicator in the Timeline on the Þrst frame of rowing forward.

3. Advance 3 seconds by entering +229 (+224 PAL) in the numeric keypad, then pressing Enter.

4. Mark an IN point.

5. Open the dories passing clip.

6. Mark an IN point in the Þrst half of the clip, 18 frames (15 frames PAL) after the tips of the two boats seem to touch in the middle of the screen.

7. Mark an OUT point a few frames less than 7 seconds later, when the girlÕs oars are both out of the water, and her left oar just catches the light.

Red on the monitor

8. Click the Overwrite button on the Tear-off palette or press the B key on the keyboard.

The shot overwrites the end of the rowing forward clip and extends beyond it, thus lengthening the video portion of the sequence.

You should now be at about 19:20 into the sequence, with Þve video clips in it.

101

Pinnacle Systems Xpress Quick Start Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Tables

Introduction

Using this Guide

Using the Tutorial

What Y ou Need

Turning on Your Equipment

Installing the Avid Xpress Tutorial Files

Launching the Avid Xpress Application

Electronic Licensing

How to Proceed

Using Online Help

Finding Topics with the Index

Searching with the Find Feature

Using Online Documentation

About Avid Xpress

Video Editing with Avid Xpress

Avid Xpress Essentials

Media Files

Clips

Subclips

Sequences

Your Program

Bins

Your Project

The Attic Folder

The Avid Xpress File System

Starting a Project

About Composer Projects and Avid Users Folders

Using the Bins Display

Using the Settings Display

About Settings

Reviewing Basic Settings

Using the Info Display

About Projects and Memory

Viewing Memory

Tutorial: Starting a Project

Starting the Application

Opening a Project

Creating a User

Selecting a Project

Digitizing

Selecting Settings

About the Digitize Tool

About the Audio Tool

About the Video Input Tool

Digitize Preparations Check List

Digitizing

Digitizing and Logging at the Same Time

Batch Digitizing

Redigitizing

Getting Ready to Edit

About Bin Display Modes

Controlling Playback

Using Position Bars and Position Indicators

Using Buttons

Play, Fast Forward, and Rewind Buttons

Step Buttons

Using the Tear-Off Palette

Using the Keyboard

J-K-L Keys (Three-Button Play)

Home, End, and Arrow Keys

Marking IN and OUT Points

Creating Subclips

Tutorial: Getting Ready to Edit

Viewing Clips

Viewing in Text Mode

Viewing in Frame Mode

Playing Clips

Playing Clips in the Source Pop-up Monitor

Controlling Playback

Marking Edit Points

Using Timecode to Find a Frame

Using Frame Offset

Subclipping

Clearing IN Points and OUT Points