Avid Worldwide Training Tips and Tutorials

Playlength (PL) button console tricks

Richard Bentley — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:15:03 GMT

Hi all,

When you are working on long sequences, and I know you all like using lots of effects :-), sometimes (depending on the specs of your machine), it can take a second to play. This is because Media Composer prepares in memory a list of all media and effects, for the entire timeline for play.

The PL button (play tab, command palette) toggles between playing the entire sequence and one minute of the sequence. But you can alter this by a simple console command:

Type: playlength 'n' in the console where 'n' is the duration (in minutes) you want mapped to the PL button. The console will display this new duration.

Enjoy your work and thanks for posting everyone,

Richard.

How to View iNEWS on an iPad

Pam Gill — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:21:30 GMT

Hi,

I am Pam Gill. I handle marketing for newsroom products in broadcast. My colleague, Steve Wilcox, in our training group created this short video about how iNEWS enables users to view scripts and any other area of the iNEWS system on an iPad or other web-connected device. This will save customers from printing thousands of pages each day. It will also eliminate mistakes that can be made when there are last-minute changes. Check it out!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Just a Quick Paint Job - Fixing problematic shots using Media Composer's Paint effect

dvasquez — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:14:06 GMT

As editors, we are often called on to fix problems created in production. We all know the "fix it in post" cliché. That can be harder that the director may realize, or easy to do than we want them to know. Either way, Media Composer includes some powerful tools that can help. One of my go-to favorites is the Paint effect. A real-time, built-in effect, it's really a Swiss Army knife of useful tools that has often saved the shot -- and my butt in the process.

The Paint effect is an "intraframe effect" meaning it lets you manipulate pixels within each field. Effects are vector-based, and processed in 8-, 10- or 16-bits, depending on project settings. It contains no less than 28 different modes to work with, as well as integrated motion tracking on up to 8 points.

When you apply the Paint effect, you won't see any immediate change. It's a neutral effect, a blank canvas. In some ways, it's like an adjustment layer in Photoshop. All adjustments are made within shapes that you draw over the images. So, the first thing you need to do is draw a shape, using the various tools and brushes built into the effect.

Then you set the Mode, which dictates the changes made to the pixels within the shape. You can copy and paste shapes to save time. And, shapes can be layered to control their interaction.

Some notable modes worth calling out are:

Blur -- selectively blur the image to create artificial DOF, mask unwanted elements (e.g. logos), or soften HD images
Clone -- pixel-to-pixel remapping, used to conceal unwanted objects
Colorize -- recolor selected pixels, can be used to achieve some secondary color correction tasks (think: changing the color of a shirt, prop or grass)
Color Match -- match chroma and luma values to another shot or portion of the same shot; great for secondary corrections in mixed lighting situations
Erase -- use to remove the effect of another Mode on a given area; useful for protecting certain elements within the image or for punching a whole in a larger effect
Mosaic -- create a mosaic pattern to hide elements in the image; e.g. the "witness protection" effect

Let's go through three examples from a recent production that I worked on -- a promotional piece for an upscale, private academy in Atlanta.

EXAMPLE 1: Take out the Trash

Here's the first shot, a locked-down talking head:

Did you notice the blue bag right away? Me too. The Director didn't, neither on set nor when we first went through the footage, but as soon as I pointed it out, she couldn't look at the shot again without being bothered by it. Thankfully, it was pretty easy to clean up.

Step 1. Apply the effect and open the Effect Editor.

Step 2. Used the Polygon tool to draw several shapes near the bag to ensure consistent lighting and textures.

(This is made easier if you zoom in. The default mode is Solid and the color set to bright red. This works nicely to distinguish small shapes. If you need to verify a critical edge, use the Outline mode. )

Step 3. Shift-click on each shape to select them all, then change the mode to Clone.

Step 4. Reposition the shapes to cover the bag.

(On this one, I actually had to copy/paste shapes 2 and 3 to extend the coverage of the fence poles.)

That's it, the problem was solved, and it took all of about 2 minutes.

Check out the before and after:

A couple things that made it so easy was that it was a locked shot, nothing obstructed the view or the undesired object -- the bag -- during the entire soundbite. It's just as easy to clean up a shot with a boom mic that dips into the shot, but on which you don't want to scale it up and recompose. The real beauty of the Clone mode is that it performs real-time pixel-to-pixel remapping, so it works just as well on moving video as it appears in the stills above. When coupled with the built-in tracking tool, it's easy to keep both the source and target shapes over moving objects in the image.

Let's look at another example, one that utilized the tracking tool.

Example 2: Polish the Shot

Media Composer doesn't have "secondary color correction" per se, but in most cases, you can get the same job done with other tools. I often use the Paint effect for little touch ups, rotoscoping and secondary correction work.

Here's the original shot:

Notice that not only is the image flat, but the subject has very dark shadows around her eyes. A primary grade of the image improved the colors and contrast, but revealed other problems. The background was so bright, that the subject was getting lost in the frame. The shadows around the eyes were also still problematic, making it look like she hadn't slept in days. (Whether that was true or not, the client certainly didn't want that to be the image of the students portrayed in the piece.) I addressed both issues using a few shapes in the same Paint effect, which was layered on top of the Color Correction effect already in place. (To layer one effect over another, drag the effect onto the clip while holding Alt / Option.)

First, two rectangles set to Darken mode help separate her from the background. Notice that they've been rotated slightly and feathered to make the effect less obvious.

To address the dark circles around the eyes, a simple "mask" was used around the eyes, and set to a Lighten mode.

This student was very animated while she spoke, not only moving her head around, but also sitting up and leaning forward at times, leaning back at others. To keep the "mask" in the right place, I simply opened the tracking tool and set tracking points on her eyebrows. (She didn't raise/lower her eyebrows much, and I found that I was able to get a more consistent track off them than off her eyes themselves.)

Then simply assign the "mask" to use the tracking points for position data. By using two points, Media Composer automatically positions and rotates the shape to follow the movements of her head.

The final result is more polished than the primary grade. (Likewise, this one took about 4 minutes, start to finish.)

EXAMPLE 3: Focusing with Blurs

Similar to the previous examples, there are many times that a shot needs a little help to keep the viewer focused on the important details. Let's look at a couple ways that you can do that with the Blur mode. (Media Composer also contains a Blur effect. This is really just a subset of the Paint effect and works the same way.)

Here's the before and after shots:

The shot isn't bad, but it's a bit flat and monochromatic. To make matters worse, the splash of color is a background element that is as sharp as the speaker. By adding a blur, the eye is more naturally drawn to the speaker.

Here's how this one was built. A couple simple shapes with feathered edges. By extending the boundaries of the rectangle beyond

Notice the controls in the Blur mode -- you have controls for the degree of Horizontal and Vertical blur, as well as the amount to which that blur is mixed with the original image. Using this together allows you to create very subtle effects.

For example, the lighting and HD image produced a somewhat unflattering image for the school director. We don't want the viewer focused on the details of her skin, but rather the message she's conveying.

To improve the shot, we used the Blur mode of the Paint effect to create an effect similar a Pro-Mist filter.

This is super easy.

Step 1: Cover the entire frame with a single large rectangle. (Zoom out so you can work outside the frame, as seen above in previous examples.)

Step 2: Change the mode to Blur.

Step 3: Reduce the Horz and Vert values to something very low, about 2-4 each.

Step 4: Adjust the opacity to control set the amount the blur is mixed with the original image.

Creating an Effects Template

This "Pro-Mist Filter" effect is one that's worth saving as an effects template, especially if you're working in an HD project. To do that, just drag the effect icon to a bin.

You can then use the effect from the bin, just like any other effect. It will even show up in the Effect Palette when the bin is open.

Learn More!

Like this tutorial? There's much more to learn. Get in-depth training in Avid Effects by taking "MC205 -- Effects Tools and Techniques for Avid Media Composer", available at Avid Authorized Training Partners worldwide.

Noise Reduction in Avid Media Composer 5.5

dvasquez — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:38:58 GMT

All production audio has some unwanted sonic elements. In some cases, these elements may be acceptable and actually add character to a particular scene. More likely, the picture or sound editor will be tasked with minimizing or completely removing these unwanted elements.

Sound editors have a huge arsenal of tools at their disposal—from dedicated hardware units from CEDAR and other manufacturers, to the latest plug-in based technologies from CEDAR, Izotope, McDSP, Sonic Solutions, Sonnox, Waves and more.

But, what about the picture editor? It’s true that many of the plug-ins mentioned above can be used in today’s professional editing applications. But, not many picture editors can afford such a luxury with so many other priorities to consider. Fortunately, using the basic tools included in most editing applications, the picture editor can achieve a result that significantly reduces these unwanted sonic intruders.

Audio EQ Tool

The first method for reducing unwanted noise is to use the standard EQ tools that are included in every editing application. In Media Composer, this tool is known as the Audio Equalization Tool (or Audio EQ Tool for short). The Audio EQ Tool performs real-time, segment-based equalization on individual clips. It has a simple interface with low, mid, and high frequency band controls that can be used to adjust the sonic characteristics of an audio clip.

If all this talk about frequency band controls has your eyes glazed over, you’re not alone. Even the most beautiful plug-in interface cannot help the fact the audio equalization can seem extremely technical and counterintuitive. (See the EQIII interface design below for a good example.) Fortunately, the real strength of the Audio EQ Tools lies in its preset library. Like many EQ plug-ins optimized for audio post-production tasks, you’ll find a nice assortment of settings to aid in noise reduction, as well as several settings offering some creative processing options. Clicking on the Fast Menu in the Audio EQ Tool interface will bring up the preset library.

As you can see, there are several useful settings available, from telephone “futzes” to basic vocal and music enhancement presets. But, let’s get back to the task at hand. The two most useful settings for noise-reduction are definitely “NTSC Hum Buster” and “PAL Hum Buster.” These settings are designed to eliminate 60-cycle and 50-cycle hum (respectively), which is probably the most common narrow-band noise issue encountered in audio post-production. And these settings don’t just go after the obvious fundamental frequencies; they offer a series of additional filters that eliminate the naturally occurring overtones that can stretch for several octaves above the fundamental. This type of setting can take a lot of work to create from scratch!

Seek and Destroy

The Audio EQ Tool is great for recalling presets, but its interface design is focused on simplicity rather than power. If a preset isn’t going to do the job, it’s wise to move up to a more full-featured EQ plug-in such as Avid’s EQIII series. This plug-in is available in Media Composer in both clip-based form (known as AudioSuite), and real-time form (known as Real-Time AudioSuite or RTAS). In addition, there are 1-band, 4-band, and 7-band flavors of EQIII.

The 7-band EQIII has a beautiful interface that presents information in two different formats—the traditional knob-based interface with controls for frequency, gain and Q settings, and a large graph in the upper right corner with color-coded points that visually indicate the position of each EQ band.

For our purposes, the 1-band EQIII should suffice. Let’s imagine that we’ve got a nasty squeal in our production sound from a camera or other electronic device that was present in the original production location. The best way to tackle this type of annoyance is using the “Seek and Destroy” method of noise reduction. This is easy to accomplish with the 1-band EQIII.

The basic technique is simple. First, set a high Q setting so that the frequency band becomes very narrow. In EQIII this would be a setting of 8-10 but will vary with other plug-ins. Then increase the GAIN by a large amount, such as +12 dB. This will make any sonic element that falls within the band quite loud and easy to distinguish from the rest of the clip. Finally, sweep the frequency of the band up and down using the FREQ control. You should be able to home in on the offending squeal. Once you’ve located the sound, there are two steps additional steps to follow. First, invert the GAIN setting so that you’ve got a large amount of reduction, such as – 12dB. Then, gradually reduce the Q setting until the entire noise disappears. The trick is to widen the band just enough to remove the squeal without impacting the rest of the clip any more than necessary.

Broadband Noise Reduction

Some times a noise is masking such a huge frequency range that it cannot be eliminated using a standard EQ. This is generally referred to as “broadband noise.” Broadband noise includes natural sounds such as rain or running water, and artificial sounds such as room tone, air-conditioner rumble, and vehicle interiors.

There are many excellent plug-ins on the market that do a good job of reducing some types of broadband noise. However, it should be noted that broadband noise can generally only be reduced and not eliminated. The more stable the broadband noise the better it can be reduced. Some sounds, like wind or ocean waves, are virtually impossible to reduce. So it’s important to set realistic expectations with the producer or director before tackling broadband noise issues. It’s always good to remind them that this is why ADR was invented!

Let’s take a look at general broadband noise reduction techniques using the Avid Broadband Noise Reduction (or BNR) plug-in. This plug-in uses a technique that is probably the most common among BNR plug-ins. First, it analyzes a small portion of audio to create a “noise signature.” This audio must be selected from a portion of the clip where the noise exists but there is no dialog.

Next, the plug-in uses a complex series of EQ bands to create a “noise contour line” which will be used to reduce the broadband noise.

Simultaneously, the plug-in is creating a model of what the non-noise audio signal looks like. Then, BNR attempts to pull the noise contour line and non-noise model away from each other to reduce the broadband noise while attempting to minimize the impact on surrounding audio. BNR includes controls for NR (Noise Reduction) Amount, Response, Release, and Smoothing. The user can adjust these controls to achieve a balance between the desired amount of noise reduction and the negative impact on the dialog. This is definitely more art than science, and it is easily possible to go too far with the noise reduction and actually end up with a clip that sounds worse than before!

Finally, one of the psychoacoustic effects of noise reduction is that listeners perceive the loss of noise as a reduction in high frequencies. So, BNR offers a high-shelf EQ band that can be used to compensate for this perception.

Like EQ, BNR is a skill that is honed with practice. It takes experience to learn to recognize when BNR can have a positive impact on a clip, and when it’s a complete waste of time. But, operating the plug-in properly is something that anyone can do, so don’t hesitate to jump in and give it a try. And, always remember to save your BNR settings for use latter in a project. A particular broadband noise problem usually appears several times in the project and the BNR process can become very fast with proper settings management.

In Conclusion

As long people continue making films, there will be problematic production sound. There are a large variety of undesirable sound elements, and quite a few techniques that can be used to minimize them. Learning when to apply a basic EQ tool and when to bring out the heavy artillery can only be learned through experience. But with more picture editors being asked to handle the entire sound mix, it’s important to gain a basic level of knowledge to deal with noise. The good news is that most of the tools of the noise reduction trade are now available to picture editors. And almost all of the best plug-ins offer a time-limited demo mode. So get out there and check them out!

7 Quick Tips for More Efficient Editing

dvasquez — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:55:37 GMT

Editors are always being asked to do more in less time. But the answer isn’t to just work faster; we need to find ways to work more efficiently. Sure It helps us meet deadlines, but more importantly, working efficiently gives us more time for creative exploration.

Here are 7 quick tips to make you more efficient:

1 Get Organized

“A place for everything and everything in its place”, right? We’ve heard that since we were children, but like it or not, it’s true. Taking the steps to get, and stay, organized pays rich dividends. It certainly saves time, and perhaps more importantly, it’s easier to maintain your focus and flow if you’re not distracted trying to find that shot, or running constant searches.

In Media Composer, you’re forced to put everything into a bin. That’s a good start. Now take the next step to create more bins – lots of them! Name and fill them appropriately.

It’s best to establish a standard set of bins you use in every project: Sequences, Music, Sound Effects, Effects Templates, Graphics, Titles, Output Sequences

For your dailies (raw footage), create dedicated bins per source (card or tape), scene, actor, topic, location, etc. Not sure which bin to put a clip in? Put it in both. That way it’s easier to find. (See Tip #3)

Finally, organize bins of similar types into folders.

2 Good Names, Good Info

Having a good name is everything – well, at least when it comes to finding that clip you’re looking for. If you’re naming your own clips, establish a consistent naming convention. There are some common naming conventions – MS for Medium Shot, WS for wide-shot, etc. But what about the name of the interviewee, the location, keywords, etc – does all that go in the name?

For documentary-style productions, consider something like:

[Name of individual or b-roll] - [action or keyword] [SHOT LENGTH]

For example, an interview with Robert Gibbs on current events might result in clips named: Gibbs – Middle East MS; Gibbs – democracy CU; etc. The choice to place the action/keyword before the shot length ensures that, if sorted by Name, all the “Middle East” bites line up together, regardless of where they came up in the interview, or the shot length in the clip.

The Comments field is a good place to enter general log notes. Create custom columns to track additional info. To create a custom column, simply click in an empty space by the Column names in Text view, and start typing:

Useful custom columns include:

· Shot type
· Location
· Subject
· Keywords
· Good (Yes or No)
· Quality (rate with stars)

All these metadata entries become search tags for Media Composer’s powerful Find tool, so the more the better.

*Media Composer’s Find feature is a powerful search tool to search across all metadata in your bins, sequences, locators, scripts, and more.

To novices, this may seem like overkill. But experienced editors know it’s an investment that pays off well when they get deep into the edit. (Of course, it’s even better if you have an assistant who does this for you!)

3 Make lots of copies

In Media Composer, you can copy a master clip into more than one bin by holding Alt / Option when you drag a clip(s) from one bin to another. More than just a copy, though, it’s more of a “clone”. If you make changes to one of those copies in one bin, like adding additional info to Comments, the copies in other bins are automatically updated with this new info. This simple feature is really quite powerful. Make as many copies as you need for organization, confident that anytime you see that clip, you’re seeing all the information associated with it. Especially when you’re working with other editors in a shared project, this is huge.

You can’t make clones of sequences, but you should duplicate sequences often (Ctrl / Cmd + D). Every time you reach a creative fork in the road, dupe your sequence. This gives you an easy before/after comparison, or allows you to go back if the idea your exploring doesn’t work as well as you first thought. If nothing else, dupe your sequence each morning before you start to cut.

It’s not hard to keep these sequences organized. Personally, I use a bin named “$Current” for today’s work. (Using a symbol at the beginning of the name keeps it at the top of the bin list.) At the end of the day, I clean out the bin to contain only the current version of the sequence. All other sequences go into a general Sequences bin.

4 Treat files like tape

File-based formats have created some terrific efficiencies. In one way, however, they can be frustratingly less efficient. Many editors are used to being able to scrub through a master clip that represents an entire tape or film roll. File-based cameras, however, break the recording into separate files every time the camera is stopped. To see all the footage from the card, the editor now has to click through each clip individually.

To regain the efficiency of that single-clip-per-tape workflow, place the contents of each card in its own bin, and create a single sequence in that bin.

Sort the clips in the bin by TC, then drag all clips into the timeline. Media Composer will assemble the clips in the order they appear in the bin, chronologically in this case.

When it’s time to cut from that material, you can drag this assembly sequence from the bin to the Source monitor and edit from it, giving y

ou access to the entire card’s contents at the same time.

5 Cut in Isolation

I’m not suggesting you throw the Client or Director out of the cutting room, for as much as we’d all like to sometimes. Rather, as you get deeper into the edit and the timeline becomes more complex, it is often easier to pull a scene out and isolate it into a new sequence to make changes. Recut the scene in this temporary sequence, then cut it back into the master sequence. (See the article on using the “Magic Modifier” for detailed info on how to do this.)

For scripted projects, many editors will cut each scene individually in a dedicated sequence before assembling these into a completed master.

Media Composer doesn’t have “nested sequences” like Final Cut Pro. Once you cut one sequence into another, they are now distinct copies. Changes to one are not updated in the other. Depending on your point of view, this can be positive or negative, but it’s certainly something to be aware of if you’re new to Media Composer.

6 Build it once

Media Composer allows you to save effects templates to a bin. This is true for all effects, including transitions and plugins. This simple little feature can save you lots of time. While many effects are unique to the shot on which it is applied, many more can be reused. Even if it means tweaking the template after it’s been applied, if it saves you two or three adjustments it’s worth it.

Saved effects in a bin can be used directly from the bin, but any open bin that contains effects will also show up in the Effects Palette.

Effects that make great templates include:

· Custom transitions
· Color treatments and corrections
· Blowups (Resize)
· PIPs (Picture-in-Picture)
· Masks
· Pan-and-Zoom (for animating stills)
· Vignettes
· Blurs
· Chroma keys (from a particular set)
· Audio EQs

Like any bin, your “Custom FX” bin can be shared between projects, using the File > Open Bin command. This is a great way to create a long-term “custom effects library”. Keep this bin file separate from other project folders on the OS, but open it into each of your projects. Any effects templates you add to the bin will be visible in any other project.

The same principle applies to settings. Changing Timeline Views, Bin Views, Import and Export settings are common places that many editors waste time in repetition. Create the setting once, and save it. Timeline and Bin views can be saved through the corresponding menus; Import and Export settings can be duplicated and renamed. For example, create an array of Import settings for your most common formats, i.e. 5D Stills, AE FX shot, Logo-Bug animation, etc. Then it’s a one-click change to activate the right setting.

7 Finish faster with color

Colors can be used for a variety of ways to expedite your workflow. One way is to assign a particular color to clips from the same source as a way to flag them for later processing – either for color grading or audio effects, for example.

“Source Color”, the color assigned to the original master clip in the bin, can be displayed in the timeline.

Once enabled, the timeline immediately displays the colors assigned to the masterclips in the bin.

The idea here is that once you correct the first shot from an interview, for instance, you can immediately see by the colors the others shots that need the same correction. Save the template to the bin, then apply it to all the other clips with the same Source Color in the timeline. Each shot may need a bit of further tweaking, but you’ll be amazed at how quickly the process can go.

Learn More!

To learn more about these techniques, and other ways to speed up your workflow, sign up for the class MC201 – Editing Tools and Techniques, available worldwide from Avid Authorized Training Partners.

Finishing Touches: How to Create Real-Time Vignettes in Media Composer

bcastle — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:39:04 GMT

Media Composer includes a powerful set of color correction tools that you can use to dramatically improve the look of your footage. This tutorial assumes that you are familiar with the Media Composer color correction toolset. If not, there are excellent tutorials available online here and on YouTube.

Top editors and colorist have known for years that the secret final step in the color correction process, more accurately referred to as "color grading," is to add vignettes. A vignette is a soft gradient, typically oval-shaped gradient that darkens the edges of the frame:

Adding vignettes to shots gives them a polished look. They can be applied to almost any type of shot, including title cards. When kept subtle, they help direct the viewers eye to the most important parts of the image, while remaining completely invisible to the viewer.

Here are a couple examples of before and after images using vignettes.

See the difference? It can be subtle, but you should notice that your eye is more naturally drawn to the subject of the shot that contains the vignette.

Creating vignettes in Media Composer is quick and easy. Best of all, in Media Composer 5, they can be played back in real time. So, let's get started!

To create the vignette we're going to use the Paint effect. The Paint effect is found in the Image category of the Effect Palette:


1. Add the Paint effect to your color-corrected shot by holding the Alt (Windows) / Option (Mac) key, and dragging the Paint effect onto the clip in the timeline. (Note: It's important to hold the modifier key when you drag it over, otherwise you'll replace the color correction effect.)

2. Next, open the Effect editor.

Speaking broadly, the way the Paint effect is used, you first draw a shape over the image, then you change the look of the image inside the shape. For this effect, we'll create our vignette using two shapes: first, we'll darken the whole image; second, we'll "erase" the dark filter from the part of the image that we want to appear lighter.

3.    Use the zoom controls to zoom out so you can see the area outside the video frame.

4.    Use the rectangle tool (highlighted below in the screenshot) to draw a large box covering the entire frame.

By default, this will turn the whole image bright red -- don't worry, that's normal. At this point, you should see something like this:

5.    Use the drop-down menu to change the effect mode on the rectangle to Darken.

6.    (Optional) Depending on how strong you want the effect, you can use the slider to increase the amount of darkening. Remember, this will only be on the edges of the image.
7.    Click the Oval tool, and draw a large oval over the majority of the image.

8.    Change the mode again, this time to Erase.
⁃    Effectively, you are "erasing" that portion of the dark rectangle underneath, revealing the shot at its natural luminance values.

9.    Finally, soften the edges using the Feather parameters.
Note: "Bias" controls whether the feather is stronger inside the oval or outside. 

10. Exit the effect editor and admire your work!

Remember, you can easily save this effect as a template and apply it to other clips in your timeline. This will save you a lot of time. Then, you would only need to adjust the oval on each shot to center the vignette on the important element.

Unlocking New Functions with "the Magic Modifier" - Speed up your edit sessions with powerful shortcuts

bcastle — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 01:20:44 GMT

Training Level: Intermediate

"Arrggghh! Why can't I just _____________ ?" a frustrated student will ask me in class.

Fill in the blank with any number of questions, and many times my response often is, "Sure, just use your Magic Modifier."

The "Magic Modifier," as I call it in my classes, is the Alt key on Windows, Option key on Mac. It will do more for you to unlock hidden features and functionality in Media Composer than any other modifier. In this blog, I'll show you a few shortcuts using Option that I use all the time that can really help speed up your edit sessions.

(To keep it easy, I'll just refer to "Option" for the rest of this article. Everything works the same using Alt on Windows.)

1. Extract to Source

Whether you're cutting drama or documentary, you often reach a point in the edit when you're rearranging elements -- be them scenes, a series of b-roll shots or individual segments. If you're just swapping a couple shots that are right next to each other, it's easy to use the Smart Tool to move them around. But when you're talking entire scenes, or moving items a significant distance within the program, it can be a lot easier to just extract it from one location and edit it into another.

Use the Magic Modifier... Option + Extract

When you add Alt to Extract, Media Composer extracts the material you marked, but also loads it into the Source window for you to immediately edit back in somewhere else. The same is true when you add Alt to Lift or Copy, the material gets loaded into source for immediate editing -- say, copying a series of shots into a new sequence. This can be a huge time saver!

Let's do it step by step. For my example, I'll move a scene from one area of the timeline to another.

1. Mark the area you want to move with In and Out marks.

2. Press Option + Extract.

That section of the timeline -- complete with audio, effects, transitions -- is removed from the timeline and placed into the Source monitor.

3. (Optional) Toggle the timeline to show Source material.

Set marks and activate tracks to use a selected portion of this material, or all of it.

4. Navigate to the destination point in the timeline.

5. Mark In where you want to cut in the scene.

6. Now, with all tracks still enabled, splice in. The scene will sit in it's new location.

2. Make trimming multiple tracks easier

When trimming in a complicated sequence, managing sync relationships can be challenging. Let's say you need to tighten up an edit on V1, but further down the timeline you have material on multiple tracks of audio and video.

The easiest way to handle this is to add edits to all your tracks, including filler layers, and use these to trim. This works great, but the problem is that you have to be careful to change the track selection when adding the edits, or when setting up the trim rollers. Otherwise, you might end up cutting though a clip and trimming out frames that create a jump cut.

Use the Magic Modifier... Option + Add Edit

When you add Alt to the Add Edit command, Media Composer will automatically add edits to all tracks of filler, regardless of track selection. This saves you the time and hassle of fussing with track selectors when adding the edits.

When you enter trim, Media Composer will highlight the filler tracks.

Now select all tracks (Command+A) and select the A-side of the trim (P-key), and you're ready to trim -- confident that everything will stay in sync on all tracks.

3. Shortcut to find alternate shots

Last one. Find Bin is a useful command that most editors use all the time. From the Record window, it will find the bin containing the sequence (and highlight it). From the Source monitor, it will find and open the bin containing the master clip currently displayed.

We've all been there. You've completed the first cut of a scene, and when reviewing it with the director (or producer, or client), they want to see an alternative shot. Assuming that you've organized your project, those alternative shots are probably in the same bin.

To find it "quickly", many editors will Match Frame to bring up the master clip in Source, then use Find Bin from the Source window to get back to the bin with the other shots. There's a quicker way to do this.

Use the Magic Modifier... Option + Find Bin

When you add Option to Find Bin command, Media Composer will find the bin for the clip that your playhead is parked on in the timeline. Voila! The bin is open, the clip is highlighted and you can start browsing for alternative shots.

To be clear, Alt+Find Bind will find the bin for the clip on the upper-most active track. If you have multiple layers of video and you're looking for an alternative to the clip on V1, just deselect all tracks [Ctrl+Shift+A (Win) / Cmd+Shift+A (Mac)] and enable V1 (by pressing the 8 key).

These are just a few of the many shortcuts enabled by adding Alt / Option to a standard command. Here's a couple more to try on your own.

Command	Action
Option + drag	Reorder tracks in the timeline Resize an individual track in the timeline Move an audio or effect keyframe earlier or later in a shot
Command + Option + K / L	Enlarge or reduce the size of audio waveforms within the track
Option + J-K-L	Rachet playback speed up and back down
Option + Mark Clip	Sets marks at the nearest edit points, regardless of track selection

Learn More!

If you liked this article, you can learn more by taking the course MC201 - Editing Tools and Techniques from an Avid Authorized Training Partner.

Find your nearest AATP here:

http://www.avid.com/US/support/training/find-partner

Advance your Media Composer and Symphony skills with Training from the Pros

Mary Torgersen — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:25:49 GMT

Have you been thinking about taking your Media Composer and Symphony skills to the next level? Curious about how to use all the new 5.0 bells and whistles? Then now’s the perfect time to take an Avid class.

Avid Worldwide Training has recently updated several of our intermediate and advanced courses for version 5.0. Newly updated are MC201 Editing Tools and Techniques for Avid Media Composer, MC 205 Effects Tools and Techniques for Avid Media Composer, and SN 324 Finishing on Avid Symphony.

Come advance your skills and see what all the excitement is about with version 5.0. Take a class with Avid directly or with one of our many authorized training partners worldwide.

For more information, click here:

http://www.avid.com/US/support/training/find-course

Interplay Window Tips

The Road Warrior — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 21:36:38 GMT

The Interplay Window is a great tool to access content easily and efficiently in an Interplay environment. Many of you may use it in your daily edits to check-in and check-out items from your database, but do you actually personalize it like you do your keyboard or timeline? If not you should. As you will see below, the Interplay Window has many options you probably aren’t aware of.

First, what exactly are you looking for? Are you looking for a sequence? Maybe you’re looking for a recently digitized master clip? When you open specific folders in the Interplay Window you may see a lot of clutter that you aren’t used to in a normal editor bin. This can be easily fixed by changing the filter display. Right-click on the “Type” column and select, “Set Type Filter…”

A box will open allowing you to choose what Avid assets you wish to see and which ones you don’t. For instance, you may not want to see all the render files. Or, if an editor checked-in a bin with just a sequence in it, you would see all the master clips, subclips and renders associated in that timeline. To combat this, turn off “Show reference clips”. Customizing this display will make looking through the different folders much more manageable.

After you’ve configured you layout, be sure to save it. You can save as many layouts as you wish. The Interplay Window layout is different from the layout you save for your bins and timeline in the editor. Editor layouts are saved on the local drive of the editing workstation. The Interplay Window layout is tied to your Interplay login and stored in the Interplay database. As long as you log in as the same user on a different machine, the Interplay Window display will retain your custom settings.

The Interplay Window also offers great search capabilities throughout the entire database. Once you find your results you may be curious to know what project or bin is associated with an item you found in your search. It is very easy to find this out by selecting the clip, right-click and, “Open Enclosing Folder…”

This will open a window showing you every location you will find a copy of that clip. Use this to snap to the chosen location and review other items that may be found in the project.

Have you ever look at the headframe in the Interplay Window and wish you could change it to something else? Well, you can. Just drag a clip into your local editor bin. Change your view to the Frame tab. Play the clip in your bin and to find the frame of video you want to use.

Then, right click on the clip and select “Check in to Interplay”. Now when you refresh your view in the Interplay Window the headframe will be updated.

So go ahead, try it out!

Assigning Sends to New Tracks in Pro Tools 9

Eric Kuehnl — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:40:16 GMT

Assigning sends to new tracks is faster than ever with Avid Pro Tools 9. Users no longer have to create a bus, create a new track, and make I/O assignments in separate steps. Pro Tools 9 lets you create a new track directly from the Send output selector. The internal mix bus creation and I/O assignment are then handled automatically. Furthermore, the new track and bus can be given a shared name with no additional steps. This new command dramatically accelerates the creation of sends to reverb, delay, and other effects processors. Let's take a closer look at this new workflow.

To assign a Send to a new track:

1. On an existing track, click on an Output selector for a Send.

2. Select "new track..." from the pop-up menu. The New Track dialog will appear.

3. In the New Track dialog, set the Channel Width to Stereo, the Track Type to Aux Input, and type "Reverb" in the Name field. (You can leave the other settings at their default values.)

4. Click the Create button.

Pro Tools will automatically create a new Stereo Aux Input and name it "Reverb." Then Pro Tools creates a new stereo Internal Mix Bus and names it "Reverb" as well. Finally, Pro Tools assigns both the Send Output and the Input to the Aux Track to the new "Reverb" bus.

All that's left to do is assign your desired reverb plug-in on the new Aux Input.

Caching in Avid DS

jmaxwell — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:26:52 GMT

It’s the little things that add up. If you can save a few seconds here or there suddenly you are saving minutes which sum up to hours and before long you notice you have more time to be more creative. Caching is one of those features that saves you time. Caching allows the DS user to create a processed mediafile representing the effected clip. This improves performance and efficiency because only effects added after the processed cache has to be rendered. You can create caches at any points in your clip effect stack of effects hierarchy on the timeline, track, or clip. Cache bars are like effect bars; you can resize them and move them along the timeline.

Apply the cache in the timeline by right clicking on the clip and selecting add cache.

The color of the cache indicates the process status or the playable status of the effects that are below it. It is the same color as the process bar on the timeline.

In this example, the Color Correction and Edge effects have not yet been process and therefore not real-time playable.

It is best to add a cache after an effect that has a long processing time or after effects that you are sure will not be modified. This saves time as once the cache is created, you will not need to reprocess the entire stack each time a new effect is added on top of it.

You can also add caches in the Effects Tree in the form of nodes.

This effects tree contains a graphic with alpha channels applied to a red background then cached before being used as an input to a 3D DVE.

The results of the tree appears this way.

Now the client wants the image in blue.

We right click in the Effects tree to apply the Cache, placing it in the tree where desired.

By adding a color correction downstream from the Cache node, the color can be changed without reprocessing the graphic and the color correction is real time, only the 3D DVE and composite need to be reprocessed.

In fact if the cache had been placed after the 3D DVE it would not have needed processing either. With extremely complex trees, caches can save processing time by caching effects branches as precomposites.

Our results:

This is just one of many functions and techniques that when applied, streamlines the production process in Avid DS. It’s the little things that add up to save you time so start cashing in on caching.

MC5 tip: To step in or not to step in, that is the question!

Richard Bentley — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:18:22 GMT

Hi all,

Ever got the effects down in the wrong order? I know I have!

Try dragging a PIP to video on V2 then alt dragging (to auto-nest) the color effect and strip out the saturation. Both the foreground and background are black and white right? Oops, not what I wanted, I want to keep the BG in color!

Simply open the effect editor and DRAG the effects to change the order, without the need to step in:

(Just drag the Picture-In-Picture effect below the Color Effect, and the order will swap).

I hope someone finds that a nice tip. I haven't tried it with all effects, so have fun!

Have a great day and enjoy your editing folks!

Kind regards,

Richard.

Links to everything Avid! Thanks to Freddy, from Avid Sweden.

Richard Bentley — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:06:05 GMT

http://www.freddylinks.com/

"There is no charge for awesomeness" Kung Fu Panda (or Media Composer 5 'widgets').

Richard Bentley — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:38:19 GMT

Hi there,

My name is Richard Bentley. I'm a Master Instructor in Avid Media Composer and I also work for the Professional Services Team, designing and delivering Interplay workflows. I'm based in the UK, but cover Europe, The Middle East and Africa, and sometimes the USA. Awesome!

I recently delivered some training for a great Avid customer in Chicago, and it seemed like every second word was "awesome". Why? Well, I'd like to think it was my training style , but actually they were all reactions to what Media Composer 5 delivers. "Awesomeness".

I was deliving a '200 level' course on Avid Media Composer 5 and I'm going to share with you a few of the things that got an "awesome" comment. There were many more things we looked at, for example importing flat images into Marquee and creating 3D rotating globes with light sources, but that post is for next time!

Here are a few Media Composer widgets (some new to MC5, some not), which you may or may not be aware of, if not, then "awesome", but if you know these tips already, then share them with your friends and colleagues and help release the power of Media Composer 5 and the creativity and efficiency of those you share them with at the same time.

Tip 1

When you are using the new 'Smart Tool' in Media Composer 5, navigation in the timeline needs to be done using the timecode track.

A tip I like to employ is to move the timecode track up, between the video and audio tracks by selecting the track selector panel and holding down 'alt' and dragging the timecode track in between the video and audio tracks. At the same time I make the timecode track a little wider to give me some more ‘room to be flexible’ using ‘ctrl and L’.

So, using this existing functionality within Media Composer to move tracks up and down, you can really get flexible and creative with the Smart Tool. A word of warning though, be very cautious about moving video tracks around, as the order of compositing remains the same!

By the way, did you know that with the Smart Tool active, you can use Shift, A,S,D,F and G to toggle the tools on and off one at a time or in groups? Open your keyboard setting and hold down the Shift key - they are there by default.

Tip 2

By using the new track control panel in MC 5 you can now turn off waveforms on a track by track basis. Everyone I have shown this to thinks this is an awesome, time saving feature.

No need to wait for that 'redraw' of waveforms on long sequences with music (unless you were using 'other' techniques to stop the redraw, e.g. ctrl+period, or switching to a different workspace).

Tip 3

By coloring clips in your bin you can use the fast menu in the timeline to highlight where clips are placed in your sequence.

Go to the fast menu in the timeline and select 'Clip Color' and tick the ‘Source’ button. This gives you a really quick and easy way to see if you’ve used that shot, and where it is, and also a great way of highlighting cut away shots and interviews based on color!

How do you color those clips in the bin in the first place? By adding a new heading to your bin in 'Text' view, Bin menu > 'Choose Columns' - add the 'color' column and use drop downs in the bin. (You can still use 'Edit' > 'Set Clip Color' for those of you already doing this).

Tip 4

Media Composer 5 allows you to select a video or audio segment in either of the segment modes and it will automatically select the correspondingly ‘linked’ audio or video for you using the all new ‘Link Selection Toggle’!

No more 'shift clicking' to select the audio and then the video, or even the other way around. What a timesaver! Dare I say it? "Awesome".

Tip 5

Got a DSLR camera and you’d like to edit on Media Composer 5? No problem!

Avid Media Composer 5 supports H.264 format used on many DSLR cameras. And what’s even better, is that using Avid Media Access, or ‘AMA’, you can link directly to these files and edit with them without the need to transcode!

Hey, did I also mention R3D and QuickTime ProRes are supported too? Click here to find out more and to see which cameras and formats Media Composer 5 supports: http://www.avid.com/US/products/Avid-Media-Access

I know many of you out there are truly 'fluent' in Avid, but sometimes you don't know what you don't know. That's what's great about my job, I'm lucky enough to get first hand knowledge of these great new (and some existing) features, and share them with you, hopefully face to face during an Avid training session. Awesome, and thanks for stopping by!

Reformat directly in your MC5 bin, and refresh your sequence!

Richard Bentley — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:01:46 GMT

I know a few of you will have seen Matt Feury's recent video on MC5 tips, but here's a quick reminder of one of them, the ability to reformat in the bin.

Add the reformat column in your bin and use the drop down:

...and hey, if you've already used the shots on your timeline, you can also use this great workflow, right click on the sequence in you bin and...:

As we say here in the UK, 'Bob's your Uncle'!

Thanks for stopping by,

Richard.

Ever needed to load precomputes (rendered effects) into your source monitor?

Richard Bentley — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:15:36 GMT

Hi everyone,

Here's a little tip for the week.

Using console commands.

Syntax: 'Subsys monpane debug', after showing precomputes into your bin, will allow you to load them into your monitor for play and also editing.

Hope you all had a good weekend,

Richard.

Sh... (share) on the QT (Quick Tips)

Richard Bentley — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:47:55 GMT

Hello everyone,

I've just popped in here to share a quick tip with you. You may know it, you may not, but hey, I like to share. That's my job, that's my philosophy, that's how we build a better community right here.

I'll try and post a tip once a week or more... some may be on new things in Media Composer 5, some may be 'oldies but (forgotten) goodies'!

Did you know that as well as pressing 'H' (focus) on your Media Composer keyboard, you can also (using Mac and pc shortcuts - Mac shown for speed for me here :-):

A. Zoom in and out with cmd+[ and cmd+]

B. Type cmd+m to bring up something that looks like this: <[]> which allows you to lasso the area you want to zoom into and then press cmd+j to zoom back out.

C. You could also use 'menu to button' reassignment on the command palette to send cmd+m to 'H' and then cmd+j to 'shift' and H (both available from the timeline fast menu).

D. Use cmd+/ to show the entire sequence again.

See you soon,

Richard.

Media Composer - HP Z400: How to tell the difference between two generations of workstations

Sue Hove — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:26:58 GMT

HP Z400 Single CPU Workstation
Gen2 (6 memory DIMM) version vs. Gen1 (4 memory DIMM) version

H.P. has redesigned the Z400 motherboard. The Z400 system model name / part number will not change. We will refer to the original motherboard as Gen1 Z400 and the new motherboard as Gen2 Z400

The major differences are:

Gen 1 –

• Has only 4 memory DIMM slots
• No embedded Firewire
• Avid Z400 SKU for the Gen1 Z400 comes with add in 1394a PCI controller in slot #5 (HP NM980AV)

Gen 2 –

• Has 6 memory DIMM slots (2 were added)
• Has embedded Firewire

How to determine which version Z400 my system is:

Unfortunately there is no model number change or external identifier on the Z400 to help the end user determine which version they have.

There are three ways to identify Gen1 Z400 vs. Gen2 Z400:

1. Go into the BIOS - System Information page and look to see how many DIMM slots are available identified by DIMMs (D1 – D4) for Gen 1, (D1 – D6) for Gen 2 (See diagram below)

2. Obtain and install the HP Performance Advisor Utility available at the following link: http://h20331.www2.hp.com/hpsub/cache/285683-0-0-225-121.html Run the utility. Select “Your Computer” icon. Select the Block Diagram tab. See if the block diagram shows 6 DIMM slots (Gen2) or 4 DIMM slots (Gen1). (See diagram below)

3. Remove the cover and look at the motherboard layout label on the inside cover, or physically look at the motherboard to see how many DIMM slots exist (4 or 6). Realizing that removing the cover can be inconvenient or difficult for an end user there is option #1 and option #2.

Gen1 Z400 BIOS shows only 4 DIMM slots

DIMM count (D1, D2, D3, D4)

Gen2 Z400 BIOS shows 6 DIMM slots

DIMM count (D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6)

Via the HP Performance Advisor utility - Gen1 Z400 block diagram shows only 4 DIMM slots

Via the HP Performance Advisor utility – Gen2 Z400 block diagram shows 6 DIMM slots

Publishing Socially with iNEWS

Pam Gill — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:41:46 GMT

I’m Pam Gill and I handle broadcast product marketing. Steve Wilcox, my colleague from our training group, created this short video about how broadcasters can use iNEWS to publish news and promotions quickly and easily to social media sites. Since the content is written in the same application, this process can save a lot of time and effort. Check it out!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Avid Worldwide Training Tips and Tutorials

Playlength (PL) button console tricks

How to View iNEWS on an iPad

Just a Quick Paint Job - Fixing problematic shots using Media Composer's Paint effect

Noise Reduction in Avid Media Composer 5.5

Audio EQ Tool

Seek and Destroy

Broadband Noise Reduction

In Conclusion

7 Quick Tips for More Efficient Editing

Finishing Touches: How to Create Real-Time Vignettes in Media Composer

Unlocking New Functions with "the Magic Modifier" - Speed up your edit sessions with powerful shortcuts

1. Extract to Source

2. Make trimming multiple tracks easier

3. Shortcut to find alternate shots

Command

Action

Learn More!

Advance your Media Composer and Symphony skills with Training from the Pros

Interplay Window Tips

Assigning Sends to New Tracks in Pro Tools 9

Caching in Avid DS

MC5 tip: To step in or not to step in, that is the question!

Links to everything Avid! Thanks to Freddy, from Avid Sweden.

"There is no charge for awesomeness" Kung Fu Panda (or Media Composer 5 'widgets').

Reformat directly in your MC5 bin, and refresh your sequence!

Ever needed to load precomputes (rendered effects) into your source monitor?

Sh... (share) on the QT (Quick Tips)

Media Composer - HP Z400: How to tell the difference between two generations of workstations

Publishing Socially with iNEWS