With a little time, effort and fine tuning, toolsets and workspaces can be dynamic and powerful workflow assistants to boost your workflow.

 Hi, and thanks GBerge for posting this. From where I'm sitting (MCA 2.8.1) there are a limit of 8 workspaces mappable to the keyboard and 5 Toolsets. Is this correct?

I would love more than that. I'm currently using all 8 workspaces and could easilly use 6 more!

I also hear (http://community.avid.com/forums/t/62024.aspx) that Toolsets are more reloable than workspaces, but only having the 5 seen in the Toolsets pull-down is very limiting. Are more possible?

To give an idea of what I would need, here would be my ideal situation (based on my current workspaces:

Workspace 1: Source/Record (4x3 video)

Workspace 2: Source/Record (16x9 video)

Workspace 3: Script Editing (4x3 video)

Workspace 4: Script Editing (16x9 video)

Workspace 5: Capture (4x3 video)

Workspace 6: Capture (16x9 video)

Workspace 7: Audio without AudioSuite (4x3 video)

Workspace 8: Audio without AudioSuite (16x9 video)

Workspace 9: Audio with AudioSuite (4x3 video)

Workspace 10: Audio with AudioSuite (16x9 video)

Workspace 11: Color Correct (4x3 video)

Workspace 12: Color Correct (16x9 video)

Workspace 13: Rotoscoping (4x3 video)

Workspace 14: Rotoscoping (16x9 video)

Yes this might seem excessive to most, but screen real-estate is very valuable, as is fast switchability. In my work day, I jump into and out of 2-6 projects, some HD, some 4x3 letterbox, some are 2-hour documentaries and some are a stream of :30 spots. I need versatility.

Any advice?

You can link certain settings by name so that when you switch into a particular Toolset all the appropriate settings switch at the same time.

 The five toolset categories are all there is, unfortunately, but they cover the five most commonly used configurations for Avid workflow, and are fully customizable, including linking a particular timeline view to a particular toolset using "link to current". For your case, I would recommend customizing the toolsets based on either HD or SD, depending on which is your primary workflow, and dedicate the workspaces to the secondary workflow. That should help.

Combining Toolsets with Workspaces? It's so crazy, it just might work!

 Check out "Linking User Settings and Workspaces" in the Help.

 GBerge,

Thanks to a link in the latest "Avid in Focus" I found your tutorial.

Great stuff! An extremely well produced tutorial on one of the more puzzling aspects of MC for us newcomers.

Regards,

Douglas