Pinnacle Systems Xpress Pro - 5.5 User Manual

Avid Xpress® Pro

Basics Guide

make manage move | media

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Avid

Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.

The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of that license by visiting Avid's Web site at www.avid.com. The terms of that license are also available in the product in the same directory as the software. The software may not be reverse assembled and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement.

Avid products or portions thereof are protected by one or more of the following United States Patents: 4,746,994; 4,970,663; 5,045,940; 5,267,351; 5,309,528; 5,355,450; 5,396,594; 5,440,348; 5,452,378; 5,467,288; 5,513,375; 5,528,310; 5,557,423; 5,568,275; 5,577,190; 5,584,006; 5,640,601; 5,644,364; 5,654,737; 5,715,018; 5,724,605; 5,726,717; 5,729,673; 5,745,637; 5,752,029; 5,754,851; 5,799,150; 5,812,216; 5,852,435; 5,584,006; 5,905,841; 5,929,836; 5,930,445; 5,946,445; 5,987,501; 6,016,152; 6,018,337; 6,023,531; 6,058,236; 6,061,758; 6,091,778; 6,105,083; 6,118,444; 6,128,001; 6,134,607; 6,137,919; 6,141,691; 6,198,477; 6,201,531; 6,223,211; 6,249,280; 6,269,195; 6,317,158; 6,317,515; 6,330,369; 6,351,557; 6,353,862; 6,357,047; 6,392,710; 6,404,435; 6,407,775; 6,417,891; 6,426,778; 6,477,271; 6,489,969; 6,512,522; 6,532,043; 6,546,190; 6,552,731; 6,553,142; 6,570,624; 6,571,255; 6,583,824; 6,618,547; 6,636,869; 6,665,450; 6,678,461; 6,687,407; 6,704,445; 6,747,705; 6,763,134; 6,766,063; 6,791,556; 6,810,157; 6,813,622; 6,847,373; 6,871,003; 6,871,161; 6,901,211; 6,907,191; 6,928,187; 6,933,948; 6,961,801; 7,043,058; D392,269; D396,853; D398,912. Other patents are pending.

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of Avid Technology, Inc.

APPLE COMPUTER, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THIS PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ITS MERCHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. THERE MAY BE OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.

The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of their TIFF library:

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

Portions of this software are based on work of the Independent JPEG Group.

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code equivalent of “Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages resulting from reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample Source Code:

The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from Ultimatte Corporation and are subject to copyright protection.

The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:

Certain waveform and vector monitoring capabilities are provided under a license from 3Prong.com Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:

The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid products.

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks

888 I/O, Adrenaline, AirPlay, AirSPACE, AirSPACE HD, AirSpeed, AniMatte, AudioSuite, AudioVision, AutoSync, Avid, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, AVIDdrive, AVIDdrive Towers, Avid DS Assist Station, Avid ISIS, Avid Learning Excellerator, Avid Liquid, Avid Mojo, AvidNet, AvidNetwork, Avid Remote Response, AVIDstripe, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Xpress, AVoption, AVX, CamCutter, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, DAE, Dazzle, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DigiDrive, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTranslator, DINR, DNxchange, do more, D-Verb, Equinox, ExpertRender, Face Robot, FieldPak, Film Composer, FilmScribe, FluidMotion, HIIP, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, IllusionFX, Image Independence, iNEWS, iNEWS ControlAir, Instinct, Interplay, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, LaunchPad, Lightning, Lo-Fi, Magic Mask, make manage move | media, Marquee, Matador, Maxim, MCXpress, Media Browse, Media Composer, MediaDock, MediaDock Shuttle, Media Fusion, Media Illusion, MediaLog, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaShare, MediaStream, Meridien, MetaSync, MissionControl, NaturalMatch, Nearchive, NetReview, NewsCutter, Nitris, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, PCTV, Pinnacle MediaSuite, Pinnacle Studio, Pinnacle Systems, ProEncode, Pro Tools, QuietDrive, Recti-Fi, RetroLoop, rS9, rS18, Sci-Fi, ScriptSync, SecureProductionEnvironment, Show Center, Softimage, Sound Designer II, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Symphony, TARGA, Thunder, Trilligent, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video RAID, Video Slave Driver, VideoSPACE, and Xdeck are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Adobe and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Apple and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Footage

Arri — Courtesy of Arri/Fauer — John Fauer, Inc. Bell South “Anticipation” — Courtesy of Two Headed Monster — Tucker/Wayne Atlanta/GMS. Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior. Eco Challenge British Columbia — Courtesy of Eco Challenge Lifestyles, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Eco Challenge Morocco — Courtesy of Discovery Communications, Inc. It’s Shuttletime — Courtesy of BCP & Canadian Airlines. Nestlé Coffee Crisp — Courtesy of MacLaren McCann Canada. Saturn “Calvin Egg” — Courtesy of Cossette Communications. "The Big Swell" — Courtesy of Swell Pictures, Inc.

“Tigers: Tracking a Legend” — Courtesy of www.wildlifeworlds.com, Carol Amore, Executive Producer. Windhorse — Courtesy of Paul Wagner Productions.

GOT FOOTAGE?

Editors — Filmmakers — Special Effects Artists — Game Developers — Animators — Educators — Broadcasters — Content creators of every genre — Just finished an incredible project and want to share it with the world?

Send us your reels and we may use your footage in our show reel or demo!*

For a copy of our release and Avid’s mailing address, go to www.avid.com/footage.

*Note: Avid cannot guarantee the use of materials submitted.

Avid Xpress Pro Basics Guide • 0130-07601-01 Rev A • June 2006

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Accessing the Online Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 1 Planning and Starting a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Starting the Avid Application (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Starting the Avid Application (Macintosh) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Creating a New Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Opening a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Opening the Startup Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Selecting a Project Format and Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Sample Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Managing the Avid Projects and Avid Users Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Ending an Edit Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Quitting the Avid Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Turning Off Your Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 2 Working with the Project Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Understanding the Project Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Using the Bins Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Viewing a List of Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Creating a New Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Opening and Closing a Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Deleting a Bin or Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Saving Bins Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Using the Settings List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Using the Format Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Using Toolsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Opening Toolsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Basic Toolset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Color Correction Toolset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Source/Record Editing Toolset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Effects Editing Toolset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Audio Editing Toolset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Capture Toolset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Using the Mouse Scroll Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Setting up the Mouse Scroll Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the Mouse Scroll Wheel in the Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 3 Capturing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Importing Shot Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Selecting Settings for Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Setting Media Creation Resolutions and Selecting Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Selecting a Video Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Selecting Drives in the Media Creation Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Configuring Decks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Setting Deck Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Setting Up the Capture Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Changing the Power Scheme (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Opening the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Selecting a Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Selecting Audio and Video Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Selecting a Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Selecting Source Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Detecting Valid or Locked Capture Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Selecting a Resolution in the Capture Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Selecting a Target Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Selecting the Target Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Targeting a Single Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Targeting Separate Drives for Video and Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Interpreting the Time-Remaining Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Preparing for Audio Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Adjusting Audio Project Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Selecting an Audio Input Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Selecting the Audio File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Using the Audio Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Adjusting Audio Input Levels (Software-Only Systems). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Establishing Sync for Audio-Only Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Before You Begin Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Monitoring Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Capturing and Logging at the Same Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Capturing from One Point to Another. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Setting Both Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Setting Only One Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Capturing On-the-Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Capturing with Time-of-Day Timecode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

DV Scene Extraction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Setting Up DV Scene Extraction Before Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Setting Up DV Scene Extraction After Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Capturing DV Media Directly from a DV Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Connecting and Selecting a DV Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Capturing DV 25 Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Capturing DV 50, DVCPRO HD, or HDV Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Chapter 4 Importing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Preparing to Import Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Working with Mixed-Resolution Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Creating and Using Import Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Importing Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Importing Audio Files from a Music CD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Using the Drag-and-Drop Method to Import Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Chapter 5 Organizing with Bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Manipulating Clips in the Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Using Text View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Showing and Hiding Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Understanding Bin Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Using Brief View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Using Frame View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Using Script View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Changing the Bin Background Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Conserving Screen Real Estate with the SuperBin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Enabling the SuperBin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Opening Bins in the SuperBin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Closing the SuperBin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Moving Bins into and out of the SuperBin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Moving Clips and Sequences into and out of the SuperBin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Copying Clips and Sequences into and out of the SuperBin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Deleting a Bin with the SuperBin Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Chapter 6 Viewing and Marking Footage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Viewing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Understanding the Monitor Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Using Dual Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Playing Video to a Full-Screen Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Using the 16:9 Display Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Loading and Clearing Footage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Loading Footage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Using the Clip Name Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Playing Back to a DV Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Optimizing Your Playback Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Understanding Video Quality for Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Setting the Video Quality for Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Controlling Playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Using Position Bars and Position Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Using Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Shuttling with J-K-L Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Navigating with Home, End, and Arrow Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Using the Command Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Understanding Button Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Mapping User-Selectable Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Using the Tool Palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Marking and Subcataloging Footage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Marking IN and OUT Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Clearing a Mark and Setting a New One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Dragging IN and OUT Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Marking an Entire Clip or Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Using the Timeline Top Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Creating Subclips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Finding Frames and Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Using Frame Offset Timecode to Cue a Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Using Timecode to Find a Frame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter 7 First Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Setting Up a New Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Creating a New Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Changing Sequence Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Changing the Start Timecode for Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Setting Up Tracks for the New Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Making the First Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Beginning to Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Creating an Instant Rough Cut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Undoing or Redoing Edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Monitoring Audio While Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Editing Additional Clips into the Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Lifting, Extracting, and Copying Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Lifting Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Extracting Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Playing the New Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Proceeding with Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Chapter 8 Using the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Using the Track Selector Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Selecting Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Monitoring Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Monitoring Video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Monitoring Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Monitoring a Solo Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Patching Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Sync Locking Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Adding Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Deleting Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Navigating in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Using the Position Indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Focusing the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Using the Timeline Scroll Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Viewing Video Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Editing in the Timeline: Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Performing Segment Mode Edits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Selecting Segments with the Segment Mode Pointer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Lassoing One or More Segments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Deselecting Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Understanding the Four-Frame Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Extracting/Splicing-in Segments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Lifting/Overwriting Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Deleting Segments with Segment Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Adding Filler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Setting the Duration for Filler at the Start of a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Cutting, Copying, and Pasting in the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Chapter 9 Working in Trim Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Entering Trim Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Exiting Trim Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Trim Mode Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Selecting Trim Sides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Selecting Additional Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Performing a Basic Trim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Trimming On-the-Fly with J-K-L Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Trimming On-the-Fly with Mark IN and Mark OUT Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Trimming Video Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Chapter 10 Working with Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

About Audio Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Accessing Audio Effect Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Audio Editing Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Soloing Audio Tracks in the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Adjusting Pan Defaults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Displaying Waveform Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Adjusting Volume Control (Software-Only Systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Controlling Host Audio Devices (Software-Only Systems). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Using the Audio Mixer Tool to Adjust Volume and Pan in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . 168

Using the Audio Mixer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Resizing the Audio Mixer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Selecting Tracks in the Audio Mixer Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Using the Track Solo and Track Mute Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Adjusting One Audio Track at a Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Changing an Audio Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Adjusting Pan Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Changing the Sample Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Chapter 11 Managing Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Using the Media Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Basic Media Tool Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Opening the Media Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Deleting Media Files with the Media Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Consolidating and Transcoding Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Understanding the Consolidate Feature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Using the Consolidate Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Consolidate Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Using the Transcode Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Transcode Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Refreshing Media Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Chapter 12 Working with Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Types of Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Real-Time Effects and Non-Real-Time Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

AVX Plug-In Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Using the Effect Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Applying Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Applying Effects From the Effect Palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Sizing Effects to Fit the Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Using the Quick Transition Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Adjusting Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Entering Effect Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Understanding Effect Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Making Basic Effect Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Moving Through an Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Using the Fade Effect Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Working with Keyframes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Playing an Effect in Effect Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Playback of Video Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Understanding Real-Time Effects Processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Playing Back at Different Video Qualities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Understanding Real-Time Playback Information in the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . 211

Basics of Effects Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Understanding Effects Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

ExpertRender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Understanding ExpertRender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Using ExpertRender in Preparation for Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Using the ExpertRender Command Without Timeline Playback

Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Using the ExpertRender Command After a Real-Time

Playback Attempt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Modifying ExpertRender Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Considerations When Using ExpertRender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Rerendering Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Chapter 13 Avid Color Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

How Avid Color Correction Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Reasons for Making Color Corrections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Color Correction Mode Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Entering and Leaving Color Correction Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Composer Window Monitors in Color Correction Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Composer Window Buttons in Color Correction Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

The Client Monitor in Color Correction Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Color Correction Tool Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Making Basic Color Corrections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Correcting Color Automatically Using the Color Correction Effect . . . . . . . . . . 231

Correcting Color Automatically in the Hue Offsets Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Color Match Corrections in the Curves Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Safe Color Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Managing Safe Color Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Safe Color Warnings in the Composer Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Chapter 14 Working with Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Opening the Title Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Using Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Understanding the Title Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Using the Selection and Text Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Setting Up the Drawing Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Previewing Titles with Anti-Aliasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Displaying Safe Title and Safe Action Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Selecting a Background for Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Creating Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Sizing and Positioning Text Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Editing a Text String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Basic Text Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Setting Default Text Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Selecting a Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Changing Point Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Making Text Bold or Italic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Creating Graphic Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Modifying and Manipulating Title Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Adding Shadows to Title Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Saving Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Matching Resolutions When Saving Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Saving a Title and Exiting the Title Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Saving Multiple Titles in a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Using a Keyboard Shortcut to Save a Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Using the Fast Save Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Revising a Title in a Bin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Editing with Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Title Effect Clips in the Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Editing a Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Setting Marks in a Rolling Title or a Crawling Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Splicing or Overwriting a Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Dragging a Marked Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Dragging an Unmarked Title into a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Trimming the Duration of Rolling and Crawling Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Chapter 15 Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Preparing for Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Selecting the Device for Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Selecting Video Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Establishing Sync for Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Preparing for Audio Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Audio Sample Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Setting the Calibration Tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Calibrating Global Output Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Adjusting Audio Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Preparing Record Tapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Frame-Accurate Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Manual Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Recording Bars and Tone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Enabling Assemble-Edit Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Using the Digital Cut Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Selecting a Deck in the Digital Cut Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Remote Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Output Mode Resolution Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Output Mode Resolutions with Progressive Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

Outputting DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly to a DV Device . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Crash Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Chapter 16 Exporting and Exchanging Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Exporting as a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Selecting QuickTime Codecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Sending Clips or Sequences to Other Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Chapter 17 Settings Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Using the Settings List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Understanding the Settings List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Understanding Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Defining Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Transfer Settings for Film Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Displaying Project Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

Changing the Settings List Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Working with Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Selecting Another User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Modifying Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Working with Multiple Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Duplicating Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Naming Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Selecting Among Multiple Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Deleting Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Copying Settings Between Settings Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Moving Settings Between Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Using Site Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Audio Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Audio Project Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Audio Project Settings: Main Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Audio Project Settings: Input Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Audio Project Settings: Output Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Audio Project Settings: Hardware Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Audio Project Settings: Effects Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Bin Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Capture Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Capture Settings: General Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Capture Settings: Batch Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Capture Settings: Edit Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Capture Settings: OMF Media Files Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Capture Settings: MXF Media Files Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Capture Settings: DV Options Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Capture Settings: Keys Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Communication (Serial) Ports Tool Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Controller Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Correction Mode Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Correction Mode Settings: Features Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Correction Mode Settings: AutoCorrect Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Deck Configuration Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Deck Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Deck Preferences Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Export Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Export Settings Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Export Settings: Quick Time Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Export Settings: HDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Export Settings: QuickTime Movie Export. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Export Settings: QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Export Settings: QuickTime Compression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Export Settings: DV Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Export Settings: AAF, OMFI, and AFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Export Settings: AVI (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Export Settings: AVI Video Compression (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Export Settings: Windows Media Export Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Windows Media Legacy Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Existing Windows Media Custom Profile Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Windows Media Options Video Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Windows Media Options Audio Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

Export Settings: Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Export Settings: Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

Export Settings: Graphic Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Film and 24p Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Film Settings: Edit Play Rate Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Full Screen Playback Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

Grid Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Grid Settings: Coordinates Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Grid Settings: Display Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

Import Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Import Settings: Image Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Import Settings: OMFI Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

Import Settings: Shot Log Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

Import Settings: Audio Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Interface Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

Interface Settings: General Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

Interface Settings: Appearance Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

Keyboard Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Marquee Title Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

Media Creation Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Media Creation Settings: Drive Filtering Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Media Creation Settings: Capture, Titles, Import, and

Mixdown & Transcode Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Media Creation Settings: Motion Effects Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Media Creation Settings: Render Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Media Creation Settings: Media Type Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Mouse Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

PortServer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Remote Play and Capture Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Render Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

Safe Colors Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

Script Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

Sound Card Configuration Settings (Windows Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

Timeline Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Timeline Settings: Display Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Timeline Settings: Edit Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Trim Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

Trim Settings: Play Loop Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

Trim Settings: Features Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Video Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Video Input Tool Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Video Output Tool Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

Workspace Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of an Avid Xpress® Pro editing application. You can use your application to create broadcast-quality output incorporating every possible production element from full-speed, high-resolution footage, to multimedia artwork and animation, to computer-generated effects and titling.

This guide contains the basic task-oriented instructions and conceptual information you need to use the capture, editing, and output features of your Avid options. The Avid Xpress Pro Advanced Guide and the Avid Xpress Pro Advanced Effects Guide are companions to this Basics Guide. They contain additional information about capture, editing, output, effects, and titling, as well as file format specifications, and other supplementary information. The complete contents of these guides are available in the Help.

This guide is intended for beginning Avid Xpress Pro users.

Unless noted otherwise, the material in this document applies to the Windows Mac OS on a Windows XP system, but the information applies to both Windows XP and Mac OS X systems. Where differences exist, both Windows XP and Mac OS X screen shots are shown.

The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models. Therefore, your system might not contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the documentation.

X operating systems.The majority of screen shots in this document were captured

application, as well as settings

XP and

Using This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

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

k This symbol represents the Apple or Command key. Press and hold the

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

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

Courier Bold font

Ctrl+key or mouse action k+key or mouse action

A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations, and strong suggestions.

A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your computer or cause you to lose data.

you select them. For example, File > Import means to open the File menu and then select the Import command.

This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.

Command key and another key to perform a keyboard shortcut.

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

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the mouse action. For example, k+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.

OS X.

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using this Avid editing application:

1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in this guide. It is especially important to check each step of your workflow.

2. Check the ReadMe files for the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was published. ReadMe files are supplied in your Avid application folder.

If You Need Help

The latest ReadMe files are available on the Avid Knowledge Base.

3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or your hardware for maintenance or hardware-related issues.

4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/onlinesupport. Online services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Search this online Knowledge Base to find answers, to view error messages, to access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read/join online message-board discussions.

Accessing the Online Library

The Online Library for your Avid editing application contains all the product documentation in PDF format, including a Master Glossary of all specialized terminology used in the documentation for Avid products.

Most Avid online libraries also include multimedia content such as tutorials and feature presentations. This multimedia content is an excellent first resource for learning how to use your application or for helping you understand a particular feature or workflow.

The Online Library for your Avid editing application is installed along with the application itself.

You will need Adobe® Reader® to view the PDF documentation online. You can download the latest version from the Adobe web site.

To access the Online Library, do one of the following:

t From your Avid editing application, select Help > Online Library. t From the Windows desktop, select Start > Programs > Avid > Avid Xpress Pro

Online Library.

Using This Guide

t Browse to the Online Library folder, and then double-click the MainMenu file.

The Online Library folder is in the same location as the application itself, for example: C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Xpress Pro\Online Library Macintosh HD/Applications/Avid Xpress Pro/Online Library

How to Order Documentation

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

Avid Training Services

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

To learn about Avid's new online learning environment, Avid Learning Excellerator (ALEX), visit learn.avid.com. For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications, courseware, and books, please at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).

visit www.avid.com/training or call Avid Sales

™

Chapter 1

Planning and Starting a Project

Although most of your work is performed within the Avid application, you need to use a few basic desktop procedures.This chapter describes basic procedures involving the Windows or the Macintosh operating system and the Avid folders. The following topics also give a brief description of video formats and resolutions supported by your Avid editing system and other information that can help you plan your project. Your work in your Avid application begins when you turn on the system, start the application, and open an existing project or create a new project. See the following topics:

• Starting the Avid Application (Windows)

• Starting the Avid Application (Macintosh)

• Creating a New Project

• Opening a Project

• Opening the Startup Project

• Selecting a Project Format and Type

• Sample Workflow

• Managing the Avid Projects and Avid Users Folders

• Ending an Edit Session

For information on the Microsoft Windows operating system and terminology, see the Microsoft Windows Help. For information on the Macintosh operating system, see your Macintosh documentation. For information on turning on your system, see “Setting Up Your Software-Only Avid Editing System,” “Using the Avid Mojo,” or “Using the Avid Mojo SDI” in the Help.

(Windows only) This chapter refers to the default installation directory path for the various Avid folders. If you chose a different directory path during the installation, you must substitute that path when using this chapter.

For more information about planning and starting a project, see “Planning and Starting a Project: Advanced” in the Help.

Chapter 1 Planning and Starting a Project

Starting the Avid Application (Windows)

The Avid application is in the following location:

drive:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Xpress Pro

To start the Avid application:

t Do one of the following:

- Double-click the application icon on the desktop.

- Select Start > All Programs > Avid > Avid Xpress Pro. After a few moments, the Select Project dialog box opens.

If you install your Avid editing application on a laptop computer, a dialog box might open with a message about incompatible power management schemes. Avid recommends you use the “Always On” power scheme when working with Avid applications. Other power schemes might adversely affect performance of editing functions (for example, capture and digital cuts). For information on changing power schemes, see the Windows documentation.

Starting the Avid Application (Macintosh)

The Avid application is in the following location:

Macintosh HD/Applications/Avid Xpress Pro

For most users, the Dock is a more convenient location for starting the application.

The application does not start properly if the icon is moved out of the Avid Xpress Pro folder. You can create an alias and drag it to the desktop or onto the Dock.

For information on creating an alias or on using the Dock, see the Mac OS X documentation.

To start the Avid application, do one of the following:

t Double-click the application alias on the desktop. t Double-click the application alias on the Dock.

t Select Go > Applications, and then double-click the application icon.

After a few moments, the Select Project dialog box opens.

Creating a New Project

If you install your Avid editing application on a laptop computer, a dialog box might open with a message about the processor running at reduced speed. Avid recommends you disable reduced processor performance in the Energy Saver settings when working with Avid applications. Running at reduced speed might adversely affect performance of editing functions (for example, capture and digital cuts). For more information on disabling reduced processor performance, see the Macintosh documentation.

You might also see a message about disks spinning down while idle. Deselect “Hard Disk Sleep” in the Energy Saver settings for best system performance.

Creating a New Project

To create a new project:

1. Start the Avid application. The Select Project dialog box opens.

2. Select the Private or the Shared option in the Select a Project area.

For more information, see “Selecting a Project” in the Help.

3. Click New Project. The New Project dialog box opens.

Your New Project dialog box might have additional options. For more information, see “Setting Up a Matchback Project” and “Selecting Film Settings” in the Help.

4. Type a project name and select a format.

5. Click OK, and then click OK again. The Project window, the Composer monitor, and the Timeline open with the selected

User settings loaded.

For more information, see “Understanding Settings” on page 297.

Opening a Project

To open a project, do one of the following:

t Select a project in the Select Project dialog box, and then click OK. t Double-click a project name in the Projects list.

The Project window, the Composer monitor, and the Timeline open with the selected User settings loaded.

Chapter 1 Planning and Starting a Project

The title bar of the Project window contains the project name and user name you selected in the Select Project dialog box.

Project name User name

Opening the Startup Project

If you choose to install the sample startup project and media when you install your Avid editing application, you can open this project from the Select Project dialog box. The startup project, called Boston Project DV25, contains a complete sequence with rendered effects and titles, as well as all the video and audio clips used in the sequence.

The startup project is particularly useful if you want to start learning how to edit with your Avid editing application right away, before you capture any media of your own. You can explore the sequence in the Timeline to learn how it is assembled, and you can use the clips to practice the viewing and editing techniques described in this guide.

Close button

To open the startup project:

1. In the Select Project dialog box, click the Shared folder button.

2. Double-click Boston Project DV25 in the Project list. The Boston Project DV25 project opens.

3. Use the Bins tab of the Project window to open one or both of the bins in the project:

- Boston Seq DV25 contains a complete sequence

- Boston Project source contains all the video and audio clips in the project For more information on opening bins, see “Organizing with Bins” on page 87.

Selecting a Project Format and Type

To begin a project, you need to specify a format in which you capture media and select a project type. For additional information, see “Selecting a Project Format and Type: Advanced” in the Help.

Sample Workflow

Project formats are as follows:

• An Avid video NTSC project captures and stores 30i-fps media as digital video (SDTV or standard-definition TV).

• An Avid video PAL project captures and stores 25i-fps media as digital video (SDTV or standard-definition TV).

• Film projects or projects shot with a 24p-enabled camera with advanced pulldown capture and store 23.976p-fps NTSC media. You can do your offline editing on an Avid editing system and finishing on a Symphony

™

, Media Composer, or Avid DS system.

You cannot create 24p or 25p media or multiple output formats from video footage shot at 30 fps (NTSC) or 25 fps (PAL). The source must be film or HD (high-definition).

• Digital video (DV) is an international standard created by a consortium of 10 companies to serve as a consumer digital video format. Your Avid application supports several DV resolutions.

• HD projects store HD media as digital video that conforms to the ITU-R 709 standard. Avid Xpress Pro lets you capture and output DVCPRO render 8-bit DNxHD media, but you cannot use Avid Xpress Pro to capture or output DNxHD media. For more information, see “Working with HD Media” in the Help.

• HDV projects allow you to work with HD video that has been recorded onto standard DV videocassettes. You can capture or import HDV material, edit it, and output it back to the HDV device. For more information, see “Working with HDV” in the Help.

All resolutions are selectable in the Media Creation dialog box (on the Capture, Titles, Import, Mixdown & Transcode, Motion Effects, and Render tabs). The exact list depends on your Avid editing system model and whether you are working in an NTSC or PAL project. For detailed information about resolutions, see “Resolutions and Storage Requirements” in the Help.

You must capture media to begin a project. See “Setting Up Your Software-Only Avid Editing System,” “Using the Avid Mojo,” or “Using the Avid Mojo SDI” in the Help, and

“Capturing Media” on page 45. You can also import media from other Avid systems (see “Importing Files” on page 79).

HD media. You can play and

Sample Workflow

The following steps and illustration describe a possible workflow using a standalone configuration.

1. (Option) Import a log file to create a bin.

2. (Option) Connect your equipment to the Avid Mojo or the Avid Mojo SDI device.

Chapter 1 Planning and Starting a Project

3. Capture the media in an available resolution. If you imported a log file, batch capture. Otherwise, log and record or capture on-the-fly.

4. Perform edits and create a final sequence.

5. Output a master tape: DVCPRO HD, HDV, DV, analog, or component. Output NTSC or PAL, depending on your source footage.

(Step 1)

(Step 2)

(Step 3)

(Step 4)

(Step 5)

Log

DV camera or deck

1394 connection

Deck or device

Source footage: NTSC 30 fps or PAL 25 fps

Betacam, Digital Betacam, or other VTR

Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI device

Avid editing system

Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI device

Betacam, Digital Betacam, or other VTR

Betacam

25-fps or 30-fps master

Managing the Avid Projects and Avid Users Folders

Managing projects, user profiles, and settings involves moving, copying, or deleting files and folders, and changing project or user names. You use the desktop to move projects and user profiles between systems. For additional information, see “Managing the Avid Projects and Folders: Advanced” in the Help.

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

• When you create a new user, the system creates a user profile file, a User Settings file, and a user folder containing them. Each item is named with your operating system user login name. The new folder is stored in the Avid Users folder on the internal hard drive (Windows) or on Macintosh HD (Macintosh). When you create user profiles, the profiles settings are stored in the your user folder named. See “Using User Profiles” in the Help.

• When you create a new project, the system creates three items: a project file, a Project Settings file, and a project folder containing both. Each item is given the project name you provide. This new folder is stored in the Avid Projects folder on the internal hard drive (Windows) or on the Macintosh HD (Macintosh).

Avid Projects and Avid Users folders allow you to move entire projects or selected Project and User settings between systems by copying and moving files on your desktop.

Ending an Edit Session

To end an edit session:

1. Quit the application.

2. Turn off your equipment in the order described in this section.

Quitting the Avid Application

There are three ways to quit the Avid application.

To quit the Avid application and leave the application immediately:

t (Windows) Select File > Exit. t (Macintosh) Select Avid Xpress Pro > Quit.

The project closes, and the Avid application closes.

Chapter 1 Planning and Starting a Project

To quit the Avid application if you are between projects:

1. Click the Quit button in the Select Project dialog box. A message box opens.

2. Do one of the following:

t Click Leave to quit the Avid application. t Click Cancel to return to the Select Project dialog box and select another project.

If you want to turn off your system, see “Turning Off Your Equipment” on page 30.

To quit the Avid application from an open project:

1. Click the Close button. The Select Project dialog box opens.

2. Click the Quit button.

3. Click the Leave button.

Turning Off Your Equipment

To turn off your equipment without damaging your computer or media storage drives:

Quit the Avid application before turning off your equipment. See “Quitting the Avid

Application” on page 29.

1. Turn off the system:

t (Windows) Select Start > Shut Down. t (Macintosh) Select P menu > Shut Down. t Turn off your speakers and monitors.

Never remove drives from your Avid system while it is turned on.

2. Turn off each drive.

3. Turn off all other hardware.

+ 378 hidden pages

Pinnacle Systems Xpress Pro - 5.5 User Manual

Contents

Using This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

If You Need Help

Accessing the Online Library

How to Order Documentation

Avid Training Services

Planning and Starting a Project

Starting the Avid Application (Windows)

Starting the Avid Application (Macintosh)

Creating a New Project

Opening a Project

Opening the Startup Project

Selecting a Project Format and Type

Sample Workflow

Managing the Avid Projects and Avid Users Folders

Ending an Edit Session

Quitting the Avid Application

Turning Off Your Equipment