XPro Basics Guide

®
Avid Xpress Pro

Basics Guide
m a k e m a n a g e m ove | m e d i a ™ Avid ®
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Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler
Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
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2
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©1993–1998 Altura Software, Inc.
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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,
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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
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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.
3
“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
4
Contents
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
6
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
7
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
8
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
9
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
10
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
11
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
12
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
13
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
14
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
15
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
16
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
17
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
18
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® application, as well as settings
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® XP and
Mac OS® X operating systems.The majority of screen shots in this document were captured
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.
n The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models. Therefore, your
system might not contain certain features and hardware that are covered in
the documentation.
Using This Guide
Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:
Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action
n A note provides important related information, reminders,

recommendations, and strong suggestions.
c A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your
computer or cause you to lose data.
> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the order
you select them. For example, File > Import means to open the File menu
and then select the Import command.
t This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list

indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.
k This symbol represents the Apple or Command key. Press and hold the
Command key and another key to perform a keyboard shortcut.
(Windows), (Windows only), This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified
(Macintosh), or (Macintosh only) operating system, either Windows XP or Macintosh® OS X.
Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate variables.
Courier Bold font Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.
Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the
k+key or mouse action mouse action. For example, k+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.
20
If You Need Help
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.
n 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.
n 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.
21
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 visit www.avid.com/training or call Avid Sales
at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).
22
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.
n (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.
n 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.
n 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.
24
Creating a New Project
n 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.
n 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.
n For more information, see “Selecting a Project” in the Help.
3. Click New Project.

The New Project dialog box opens.
n 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.
n 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.
25
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
Close button
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.
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.
26
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.
n 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® HD media. You can play and
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).
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.
27
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) Source footage:
DV
Log NTSC 30 fps or
PAL 25 fps
DV camera Betacam,
or deck Digital Betacam,
or other VTR
(Step 2)
Avid Mojo or
Avid Mojo SDI
(Step 3) 1394 connection device
Avid editing
system
(Step 4)
Avid Mojo or
Avid Mojo SDI
device
Deck or Betacam,
(Step 5) device Digital Betacam,
or other VTR
25-fps or
Beta-
30-fps master
DV
cam
28
Managing the Avid Projects and Avid Users Folders
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.
29
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.
n 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:
c 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.
c Never remove drives from your Avid system while it is turned on.
2. Turn off each drive.

3. Turn off all other hardware.
30
Chapter 2
Working with the Project Window
The Project window provides controls for structuring and viewing important information
about your current project. You can modify User, Project, and Site settings from the Project
window and display a list of effects. You can also use predesigned work environments, and
you can use the mouse scroll wheel to move about within the Avid editing application.
The following topics describe the basics of the Project window:

• Understanding the Project Window
• Using the Bins Display
• Using the Settings List
• Using the Format Display
• Using Toolsets
• Using the Mouse Scroll Wheel
n (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 working with the Project window, see “Working with the
Project Window: Advanced” in the Help.
Chapter 2 Working with the Project Window
Understanding the Project Window

The Project window has five tabs.
The following topics describe the functions of the tabs.

• “Using the Bins Display” on page 32
• “Using the Settings List” on page 37
• “Using the Effect Palette” on page 194
• “Using the Format Display” on page 38
• “Using the Info Display” in the Help
Using the Bins Display

When you create a project, the Avid application automatically creates a bin with the name of
the new project, which is displayed in the Bins tab of the Project window. The word bin is a
movie industry term referring to a container that holds pieces of film. In the Avid
application, bins contain the master clips that are created when you capture source material.
(The master clips are linked to the media files.) Bins also contain the sequences, subclips,
group clips, and effect clips that you create during a project. From the Project window, you
can view a list of bins associated with the project, and open, close, and create bins. You can
also open bins created for another project.
32
Viewing a List of Bins

To view a list of bins associated with the project:
t Click the Bins tab in the Project window.
Bins tab
The views for working with clips in a bin are Brief view, Text view, Frame view, and Script
view. See “Organizing with Bins” on page 87 and “Organizing with Bins: Advanced” in the
Help.
Creating a New Bin

To create a new bin from the Project window:
t Select File > New Bin.
t Click the New Bin button in the Project window.
Either one of these procedures opens a new (empty) bin that is given the name of the
project as displayed in the title bar of the Project window. The new bin appears in the
Bins list of the Project window. A corresponding file is placed in the project folder, and
a backup copy is placed in the Avid Attic folder. For more information about the Avid
Attic folder, see “Saving Bins Automatically” in the Help.
The new bin appears in the Project window with a default name highlighted.
2. Type the name of the new bin, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
To place a bin in a folder:

t Drag the bin to the folder icon.
33
Opening and Closing a Bin
n If you have the SuperBin enabled, see “Opening Bins in the SuperBin” on page 93.
To open a bin directly:

1. Click the Bins tab in the Project window.
2. Double-click the icon next to the bin name.
To open a bin from the File menu:

1. Select File > Open Bin.
The Open dialog box opens.
Windows
34
Macintosh
2. Navigate to the correct folder, if necessary, and select a bin.
c Never open a bin that is stored on a diskette; otherwise, the system cannot save your
work. Always copy the bin to a project folder on the internal hard drive (Windows) or
the Macintosh HD (Macintosh) before you open it.
3. Click the Open button.
To close a bin, do one of the following:

t Click the Close button.
t Select File > Close Bin.
Deleting a Bin or Folder

You can delete bins and folders along with their contents from the Bins list in the Project
window. Deleted bins and folders are moved to a Trash folder in the Bins list until you empty
the Trash. If you need a deleted bin or folder, you can retrieve it from the Trash. For more
information, see “Viewing Contents in the Trash” in the Help.
35
c Clips, subclips, and effects that are in a bin appear in the Trash after you delete the bin,
and can be recovered if you remove the bin from the Trash. However, if you select a
clip, subclip, or effect directly and press the Delete key, the item does not appear in the
Trash and you cannot recover it.
To delete a bin or folder within a project:
n If you have the Superbin enabled, see “Deleting a Bin with the SuperBin Enabled” on
page 95.
1. Select the bin or the folder you want to delete in the Bins list.
2. Press the Delete key.
A Trash icon appears in the Bins list in the Project window. It contains the deleted item.
The deleted item is stored in the Trash until you empty it.
n The Trash is not visible in the Project window until you select your first item
to delete.
Saving Bins Manually

Bins are saved automatically after a period of time that you can set in the Bin Settings dialog
box (see “Saving Bins Automatically” in the Help). For added security, you can save a bin
manually. You might want to do this immediately after performing an important edit. There
are three ways to save bins manually.
To save a specific bin:

1. Click the bin to activate it.
2. Select File > Save Bin.
n The Save Bin command appears dimmed if there have been no changes since the last time
the active bin was saved.
To save selected bins:

2. Click a Bin icon to select it. Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) any
additional bin icons.
36
Using the Settings List
3. Select File > Save All.

The system saves all the selected bins.
To save all the bins:

2. Select File > Save All.
The system saves all the bins for the project.
n The Save All command also saves all the user settings, and it also works with the Composer
window or the Timeline active.

From the Settings list of the Project window, you can view, select, open, and alter various
settings, as described in this section.
To view the Settings list, do one of the following:

t Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
t Select Edit > Preferences.
Settings tab
To open a setting:
t Double-click the setting in the Settings list.
To view Help for a setting:

t Open a setting and press F1.
37
Before working in your project, review the following basic system settings:
• Bin: Sets parameters for auto-save interval and other bin procedures. See “Bin Settings”
on page 315.
• Film and 24p: Sets parameters for edit play rate, ink number format, and transfer rate.
See “Film and 24p Settings” on page 359.
• General: Defines default values such as the default starting timecode. See “General
Settings” on page 362.
• Interface: Defines the appearance and function of the application’s windows and
buttons. See “Interface Settings” on page 372.
• Keyboard: Defines how commands are mapped to the keyboard. See “Keyboard
Using the Format Display

The Format display in the Project window allows you to view basic project information,
such as the video format (NTSC, for example). The displayed information lists the options
you selected in the New Project dialog box when you created the project.
The Project Type menu lets you change the format of the project to another format that
shares the same frame rate. For example, if you are working in a 1080i/59.94 HD project,
you can change the project format to 30i NTSC. For more information, see “Changing the
Project Format” in the Help.
n For 24p PAL projects, the Format display shows the audio transfer rate you selected when
you created the project. The actual audio transfer rate might be different from the display if
you used the Film Settings dialog box to change the audio transfer rate. For more
information, see “Transfer Settings for Film Projects” in the Help.
To open the Format display:

t Click the Format tab in the Project window.
38
Using Toolsets
Using Toolsets
You can use predesigned work environments that are suited to your most common Avid
tasks:
• Basic editing
• Color correction
• Source/Record editing
• Effects editing
• Audio editing
• Capture
The Toolset menu provides you with six environments, or special-purpose workspaces, that
include the following:
• Tools appropriate for the task
• A screen optimized for the task, screen resolution, and number of monitors
• A neatly organized workspace with non-overlapping windows
You can change the toolset workspace, restore it to the default arrangement, or link it to
other settings. For example, you might want each toolset to appear with a different color
scheme.
n You can open any of the most frequently used system tools by selecting Tools > tool.
For more information about toolsets, see “Customizing Toolsets” and Linking Toolsets to
Other Settings” in the Help.
39
Opening Toolsets
To open a toolset, do one of the following:
t Select Toolset > toolset.
t Press one of the following:
Press To view
Shift+F7 Basic toolset
Shift+F8 Color Correction toolset
Shift+F9 Source/Record Editing toolset
Shift+F10 Effects Editing toolset
Shift+F11 Audio Editing toolset
Shift+F12 Capture toolset
Any open tools close and the screen changes to display windows appropriate to the
toolset task.
40
Using Toolsets
Basic Toolset
The Basic toolset opens with the basic set of Avid windows.
Composer window
Bin
Project
window
Timeline window
You can customize the Basic toolset in any way you want. See “Customizing Toolsets” in the
Help.
Color Correction Toolset
The Color Correction toolset displays the Composer monitor as a three-monitor display and
opens the Color Correction tool. For more information about Color Correction, see “Avid
Color Correction” on page 225.
41
Source/Record Editing Toolset
The Source/Record Editing toolset displays the Composer monitor as dual monitors, with
the Source monitor on the left and the Record monitor on the right. You edit source clips in
the Source monitor and sequences in the Record monitor.
For more information about using dual monitors, see “Using Dual Monitors” in the Help.
Effects Editing Toolset
The Effects Editing toolset displays the Effect Editor, the Effect Palette in the Project
window (Effects tab), the bin, the Composer monitor, and the Timeline. For more
information about Effects, see “Working with Effects” on page 191.
Audio Editing Toolset
The Audio Editing toolset displays the Automation Gain tool, the Audio tool, the Project
window, the bin, the Composer monitor, and the Timeline. For more information about
working with audio, see “Working with Audio” on page 161.
n With screen resolutions set higher than 1024 x 768 or on two-monitor systems, additional
audio tools display.
Capture Toolset
The Capture toolset displays the Capture tool, the Project window, the bin, the Composer
monitor, and the Timeline. For more information about capturing media, see “Capturing
Media” on page 45.
42
Using the Mouse Scroll Wheel
Using the Mouse Scroll Wheel

The Mouse Settings dialog box allows you to set the speed of scrolling with the mouse
wheel within the editing application. You can also assign functions to 3 additional mouse
buttons.
If you use a mouse with a wheel or additional buttons, use the following procedures to set
the wheel speed and to assign functions to the additional mouse buttons.
n You cannot assign functions to the standard left and right mouse
buttons.
Setting up the Mouse Scroll Wheel

To set the mouse scroll speed:
1. Double-click Mouse in the Settings list of the Project window.
The Mouse Settings dialog box opens.
2. Select a speed from the Vertical Scroll Speed menu.

Normal is the default setting. Normal scrolls one item at a time. Moderate scrolls two
items at a time, and Fast scrolls 4 items at a time.
To assign functions to additional mouse buttons:

1. Double-click Mouse in the Settings list of the Project window.
The Mouse Settings dialog box opens.
2. Select Tools > Command Palette.
The Command palette opens.
3. Select Button to Button Reassignment at the bottom of the Command palette.
43
4. Click the tab from which you want to select a user-selectable button.
5. Click the mouse, and drag the button from the Command palette to a button location on
the Mouse Settings dialog box.
This is helpful if you want to assign certain functions to additional mouse buttons. For
example, mouse button 3 can have a button function assigned to it. The buttons pressed
along with the Shift, Ctrl, or Alt key can also have additional assigned functions.
n Be careful when mapping the mouse buttons. Make certain that the modifier key that you are
assigning to the button and command doesn't already have an alternate function.
Using the Mouse Scroll Wheel in the Editing Application

The mouse scroll wheel can be used in a number of ways within the application.
Scroll Wheel Functions
Using the Scroll Wheel

function Action Result
In any window or function area Press Ctrl + scroll wheel Scrolls through items.
with a vertical scroll bar, such
as a Bin
In the Timeline Press Ctrl + scroll wheel Moves the position bar one
frame at a time.
Press Ctrl + Alt + scroll Moves the position bar 10

wheel frames at a time
In a tool or window containing Press Ctrl + scroll wheel Moves the slider one unit at a
a slider (for example, the time.
Effect Editor).
n This does not apply to

pop-up sliders.
Press Ctrl + Alt + scroll Moves the slider 10 units at a

wheel time.
44
Chapter 3
Capturing Media
Capturing is the process of creating digital media from video or audio input. When you
capture, you convert source material into master clips that contain reference information.
You also create associated media files that contain the digital audio and video. The basic
procedures you need to capture media are described in the following topics:
• Importing Shot Log Files
• Selecting Settings for Capture
• Configuring Decks
• Setting Deck Preferences
• Setting Up the Capture Tool
• Preparing for Audio Input
• Before You Begin Capturing
• Monitoring Audio
• Capturing and Logging at the Same Time
• DV Scene Extraction
• Capturing DV Media Directly from a DV Device
Before capturing, see “Setting Up Your Software-Only Avid Editing System,” “Using the
Avid Mojo,” or “Using the Avid Mojo SDI” in the Help to ensure you have properly
connected your recording equipment such as a camera, deck, DV device, or an Avid Mojo.
For information on capturing HDV material, see “Capturing and Importing HDV” in the
Help.
For advanced information about logging and capturing media, see “Logging,” “Preparing to
Capture,” and “Capturing Media: Advanced” in the Help.
Chapter 3 Capturing Media
Importing Shot Log Files

You can import any log created or converted to meet Avid log specifications. You can also
combine or merge events while importing a log so that fewer master tapes require capturing.
For more information about logs, see “Avid Log Specifications” in the Help.
The system imports any additional information logged with each clip.
To import shot log files into a bin:

1. Open a bin, click anywhere in an open bin to select it, or create a new bin for the shot
log import.
2. Select File > Import.
The Select Files to Import dialog box opens.
Up One Level menu

Windows
Files of type
menu
Options button
46
Importing Shot Log Files
Macintosh
Show menu
From menu
Source file list
Options button

t If you are importing an .ale file, click the Files of Type menu and select Shot Log
(Windows), or click the Show menu and select Shot Log Documents (Macintosh).
The system displays file types that belong to the chosen category only.
t If you are importing a text file, click the Files of Type menu and select All Files
(Windows), or click the Show menu and select Any Document (Macintosh).
The system displays all files in a chosen folder, regardless of file type. Use this
option if you want to batch import multiple file types.
n When batch importing multiple files and file types, you should establish global Import
settings in advance. See “Creating and Using Import Settings” on page 80.
4. Click the Options button to open the Import Settings dialog box if you want to select
options for combining events on import from the Import settings.
5. Click the Shot Log tab. For more information about shot log options, see “Avid Log
Specifications” in the Help.
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6. After selecting the appropriate options, click OK to close the Import Settings dialog box
and to return to the Select Files to Import dialog box.
7. Click the Up One Level menu (Windows) or the From menu (Macintosh) to locate the
folder containing the source file.
8. Select the file.
9. Click Open.
When the system finishes importing the file, the clips appear in the selected bin.
10. Save the bin.
Selecting Settings for Capture

A number of settings have a direct effect on the capturing process. Before you capture,
review the following options:
• “General Settings” on page 362
• “Capture Settings” on page 316
• “Transfer Settings for Film Projects” in the Help
This section includes information on the Media Creation dialog box.
Setting Media Creation Resolutions and Selecting Drives

The Media Creation dialog box allows you to set the video resolution and media type, and to
select drives for capturing, creating titles, importing, performing audio and video mixdowns,
and creating motion effects. Because media is very large, you can also remove your system
and application drives from the list of storage locations so you store your media on other
drives with ample space.
n You can also choose a video resolution and select drives on which to save media in other
tools and dialog boxes in the Avid application.
Selecting a Video Resolution
To select a video resolution in the Media Creation dialog box:

1. Double-click Media Creation in the Settings list of the Project window.
The Media Creation dialog box opens. For information about options, see “Media
Creation Settings” on page 377.
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Selecting Settings for Capture
2. Click the Media Type tab, and select either OMF or MXF file format. For information
on OMF and MXF formats, see “File Format Specifications” in the Help.
If you select OMF, a tab in the Capture Settings dialog box is labelled OMF Media
Files. If you select MXF, the tab is labelled MXF Media Files.
n HD media must be MXF. Use OMF for compatibility with older Avid systems.
3. Click the Capture tab.
4. Click the Video Resolution menu, and select a video resolution.

The Video Resolution menu contains a list of the available resolutions. The list of
resolutions depends on the model of your Avid system and the type of project.
For HD projects, the list shows Avid DNxHD™ resolutions and DVCPRO HD,
depending on your video input. For more information, see “Capturing DV Media
Directly from a DV Device” on page 76.
For HDV projects, no video resolutions are available for capture, because the Avid
application automatically selects the correct resolution. For 720p HDV projects,
Avid DNxHD and DVCPRO HD resolutions are listed for other media creation. For
1080 HDV projects, DNxHD-TR resolutions are available for other media creation.
c If you are using Avid Unity LANshare, make sure to specify a supported resolution. For
information on supported resolutions, see the LANshare documentation.
n Clicking Apply to All sets your selected video resolution for the tabs that include video
resolution. Your settings are not saved until you click OK.
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5. Click OK to save your settings.
For detailed information about resolutions, see “Resolutions and Storage Requirements” in
the Help.
Selecting Drives in the Media Creation Dialog Box
To select drives in the Media Creation dialog box:

1. Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
The Settings list appears.
t Double-click Media Creation.
t Select Tools > Media Creation.
The Media Creation dialog box opens. For information about options, see “Media
Creation Settings” on page 377.
3. Click the Drive Filtering tab.
You can remove from the list of available drives the drive where your operating system
is located and the drive where the Avid application is located. This allows you to choose
to store media only on drives with sufficient space.
4. Select one of the following:
- Filter Based on Resolution: Removes as a storage choice the drives that cannot
support the selected resolution. This option causes the Avid editing system to utilize
only Avid MediaDrives.
- Filter Out System Drive: Removes as a storage choice the drive on which the
operating system resides.
- Filter Out Launch Drive: Removes as a storage choice the drive on which the
Avid application resides.
The drive or drives you select do not appear in the other Media Creation dialog box tabs
as possible locations where you can store media. They also do not appear in other drive
selection menus in the application except for the Import, Export, and Relink dialog
boxes.
n You may select none of the options.
5. Click the tab for the area in which you want to work.
6. Choose a video drive and an audio drive. To choose the same drive for both audio and
video, click the Single/Dual Drives Mode button until only a single drive menu appears.
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Configuring Decks
n The drive that appears in boldface type has the most available space.
7. (Option) If you are working with the Capture tab, you can select a drive group. Click the
bottom of the Video Drive or the Audio Drive menu, and select Change Group. For
more information on selecting a drive group, see “Capturing to Multiple Media Files” in
the Help.
n Because no audio is associated with titles or motion effects, you can select only a video drive
in the Titles and Motion Effects tabs.
8. To apply your drive selection to all the Media Creation dialog box tabs and the rest of
the application, click Apply to All.
This sets your chosen video and audio drives for all the Media Creation dialog box tabs.
It also sets them for any place in the application where you select drives.
9. Click OK to save your settings.
Configuring Decks
Deck Configuration settings allow you to establish deck control parameters for a single deck
or for multiple decks. As with all settings, you can create multiple versions, allowing you to
select among them for frequent changes in hardware configurations.
Deck Configuration settings and global deck control preferences appear as separate items in
the Settings list in the Project window.
Deck
control
settings
n You must manually configure the appropriate hardware connections before Deck
Configuration settings can take effect. For more information, see the documentation that
came with your hardware.
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To configure a deck or multiple decks:

2. Double-click Deck Configuration.
The Deck Configuration dialog box opens
If you are configuring your system for the first time, click the Add Channel button to
add a new channel box on the left side of the Deck Configuration dialog box and
automatically open a Channel dialog box.
3. Click the Channel Type menu, and select one of the following items, depending on your
system configuration:
- FireWire, if you are connecting a DV camera or deck by means of a FireWire
connection.
- Direct, if you are connecting a deck directly to the CPU serial port and using a
transcoder or an Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI to bring data into the system.
4. Click the Port menu, and select the port to which you are connecting the deck:
- (Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI systems) Avid DNA if you chose FireWire for the
channel.
- (Software-only systems) OHCI if you chose FireWire for the channel.
- (Windows only) COM1 or COM2 if you chose Direct for the channel.
n If you are not sure which port to select, check the 9-pin serial port connectors on the back of
the system. If the ports are not labeled, see the hardware documentation supplied with your
system.
5. Click OK to close the Channel dialog box.

A dialog box opens with a question asking if you want to automatically configure the
channel now.
6. Click Yes if you want to automatically configure the channel.
A new channel appears in the display area of the Deck Configuration dialog box.
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Configuring Decks
Channel box
n You can reopen the Channel settings to change the options at any time by double-clicking the
channel box.
7. To add a deck or transcoder, do the following:

a. Click Add Deck to open the Deck Settings dialog box.
n With a deck already connected to the system, you can click the Auto-configure button to
bypass the Deck Settings dialog box and automatically configure a deck with the default
settings.
n Not all DV devices respond to the Auto-configure command. Due to this limitation,
Auto-configure selects only the generic devices.
b. (Option) When a digital camera or transcoder is attached to your system, click the
Device menu in the Deck Settings dialog box, and select the proper device. When a
deck with a transcoder is attached, select the applicable deck.
If your transcoder does not appear on the list, select Generic and then select
DVTranscoder.
n Device templates from older Avid systems are not compatible with Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo
SDI systems. Do not copy Meridien templates to Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI systems, and
do not copy Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI templates to Meridien systems.
53
c. Select settings based on your device. For information on deck settings, see “Deck
d. Click OK to close the Deck Settings dialog box and return to the Deck
Configuration dialog box, which now displays the deck.
Deck box
n You can reopen the Deck Settings dialog box to change the options at any time by double-
clicking the deck box in the Deck Configuration dialog box.
8. Repeat steps 3 through 8 for each additional channel or deck you want to configure.
9. (Option) Select the “Verify configuration against actual decks” option if you want the
system to check the deck configuration against the devices physically connected to the
system.
The system checks the deck configuration after you click Apply in the Deck
Configuration dialog box and when you start the Avid application. A message warns
you if the configuration does not match the deck.
10. Type a name in the Configuration Name text box to name the deck configuration.
n The new deck configuration appears in the Settings list of the Project window.
11. Click Apply to complete the configurations and close the Deck Configuration dialog
box.
12. If necessary, double-click Deck Preferences in the Settings list of the Project window to
adjust global deck control options. For more information, see “Setting Deck
Preferences” on page 55.
To delete a deck configuration:

1. Click the names of the currently configured channel and deck in the display area.
The entire display area should have a red border.
2. Click Delete.
3. Click Apply to complete the changes and close the dialog box.
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Setting Deck Preferences
Setting Deck Preferences

Deck preferences are global settings for basic deck control. These settings apply to all decks
connected to your system, regardless of your deck configuration. You can open the Deck
Preferences dialog box from the Settings list of the Project window. These options are shown
in “Deck Preferences Settings” on page 326.
Setting Up the Capture Tool

The Capture tool provides controls for cueing, marking, and logging footage, and specifies
capturing parameters such as source and target locations. The following topics discuss the
basics; you can also capture to multiple media files, select a preroll method, and capture
across timecode breaks. See “Capturing to Multiple Media Files,” “Selecting the Preroll
Method,” and “Capturing Across Timecode Breaks” in the Help.
Changing the Power Scheme (Windows Only)

If you install your Avid editing application on a Windows-based laptop computer, an
Incompatible Power Scheme warning button might appear in the top right corner of the
Capture tool. Some of the standard power schemes available on laptops running Windows
XP might affect the performance of editing functions, including capturing media. Avid
recommends you use the “Always On” power scheme when working with Avid applications.
Avid also recommends that you do not use a screen saver.
You can select a new power scheme by accessing the Power Options Properties dialog box
from the Control Panel. For more information on changing power schemes and turning off
screen savers, see the Windows documentation.
Opening the Capture Tool

To open the Capture tool, do one of the following:
t Select Toolset > Capture.
t Select Tools > Capture.
The Capture tool opens.
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Deck
Selection
menu
Selecting a Deck
The Deck Selection menu in the Capture tool contains a list of decks or cameras that were
connected to the system, powered up, and initialized when you opened the Capture tool. The
first deck or camera in the list is selected by default, unless all decks or cameras are offline.
To activate playback from an available deck or camera, do one of the following:

t Click the menu, and select the name of a previously configured deck or camera.
t Select Auto-configure to automatically establish the default deck settings for a VTR that
is currently connected to the system.
n Not all DV devices respond to the Auto-configure command. Due to this limitation, Auto-
configure selects only the generic devices. When a digital camera is attached to your system,
click the Device menu in the Deck Settings dialog box and select the proper device. When a
deck with a transcoder is attached, click the Device menu and select the applicable deck.
n Device templates from older Avid systems are not compatible with Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo
SDI systems. Do not copy Meridien templates to Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI systems, and
do not copy Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI templates to Meridien systems.
56
If you forgot to turn on or connect a deck or camera before entering Capture mode:
1. Make sure that the deck is connected and the power is turned on.
2. Click the Deck Selection menu in the Capture tool, and select Check Decks to
reestablish deck control.
Selecting Audio and Video Input

The Video and Audio menus show you the current input settings for the Video Input tool and
the Input tab in the Audio Project Settings dialog box. The menus also provide a convenient
way to change the settings, if necessary.
The choices are as follows (depending on your system configuration):

• Video input: Composite, SVideo, Component, Host-1394
• Audio input: RCA (-10 dBu), Host-1394
To select audio input and video input in the Capture tool:

t Click the Audio menu or the Video menu, and select an input option.
n If you change the settings, the settings in the Video Input tool or in the Audio Project Settings
dialog box change automatically.
Selecting a Tape
To select a source tape:
1. Load a tape into your deck.
The Select Tape dialog box opens.
n If a tape is already in the camera or deck, click the Source Tape Display in the Capture tool.
2. In an NTSC project, play the tape briefly so that the system can detect the timecode
format of the tape (drop-frame or non-drop-frame). Otherwise, the system maintains the
timecode format set in the Deck Preferences dialog box, regardless of the format on the
tape, and you might receive a message indicating a wrong tape.
n Drop-frame timecode appears in the timecode indicator with semicolons between hours,
minutes, seconds, and frames. Non-drop-frame timecode appears with colons. (Drop-frame
and non-drop-frame timecode exist only in NTSC projects.) For more information about
drop-frame and non-drop-frame timecode, see “Understanding Drop-Frame and Non-Drop-
Frame Timecode” in the Help.
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3. Provide the system with a tape name in one of the following ways:
t Select the name of the tape from the list displayed in the Select Tape dialog box, and
click OK.
t Expand the list by selecting the “Show other projects” option or by clicking the
Scan for tapes button.
t Click New if the tape is not in the list. Type the new name in the dialog box, click
OK, and then click OK again.
n For information on naming tapes, see “Naming Tapes” in the Help.
Selecting Source Tracks

You can select the tracks to capture from the source tape.
To select only those tracks that you want to capture:

t Click the Channel Selection buttons in the Capture tool.
The TC (timecode) track is selected by default.
n When you use an Avid-controlled camera or deck, the TC (timecode) is selected by default,
and the system captures the timecode from the source tape. If you deselect the TC button, the
system captures with time-of-day timecode. For more information, see “Capturing with
Time-of-Day Timecode” on page 73.
n If you are not seeing the source video or hearing source audio in Capture mode, click the
Channel Selection buttons to make sure the correct tracks have been selected.
To select or deselect all tracks at once:

t Press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh), and click any
Channel Selection button.
Detecting Valid or Locked Capture Input

On systems with an Avid Mojo device or an Avid Mojo SDI, the Capture tool indicates the
kind of signal you have selected to capture, and if the signal you want to capture is valid
or locked.
When you select a video track you want to capture, the Video Lock icon appears in the
Comment area of the Capture tool. If the current source has a valid video signal and the
Avid Mojo device can lock to it, the icon is displayed in green.
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n For more information about selecting tracks in the Capture tool, see “Selecting Source
Tracks” on page 58.
Video Lock icon
When you select only Audio tracks, the icon changes to the Ref (Reference) Lock icon and
appears as an unfilled circle. The Avid system checks for a reference signal (for more
information about reference signals, see “Using the Avid Mojo” or “Using the Avid Mojo
SDI” in the Help). If the system can lock to the reference signal, the icon appears in green.
n If you select both video and audio tracks, the Vid (Video) Lock icon is displayed.
The Video/Ref Lock icon is also displayed in the Digital Cut tool.
Selecting a Resolution in the Capture Tool

To set the capture resolution:
t Click the Resolution (Res) menu in the Capture tool, and select a video resolution.
The resolution list contains a list of the available resolutions, depending on the model of
your Avid system. For 25-fps and 30-fps projects, the list shows single-field and
two-field interlaced resolutions, and DV. For 24p and 25p projects, the list shows
progressive, full-frame resolutions. Select 1:1 for uncompressed media. For HD
projects, the list shows DVCPRO HD. For HDV projects, the list shows the HDV
resolution of your project. For more information, see “Capturing DV Media Directly
from a DV Device” on page 76.
n You can set the resolution used for capturing in the Capture tool or in the Media Creation
dialog box, accessed through the Settings list of the Project window. See “Setting Media
Creation Resolutions and Selecting Drives” on page 48.
n For detailed information about resolutions, see “Resolutions and Storage Requirements” in
the Help.
n Avid Xpress Pro supports recording and digital cuts of 32-kHz, 44.1-kHz, and 48-kHz audio.
If you are recording DV audio, set your camera or deck to record 16-bit audio (48 kHz).
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Selecting a Target Bin

You select a target bin as the destination for the master clips created when you capture on-
the-fly. You can also select a target bin containing the logged clips you will use to batch
capture your media.
To select a target bin, do one of the following:

t Click the Bin menu in the Capture tool, and select an existing bin.
t Activate a previously created bin by selecting File > Open Bin; then locate and open the
bin in the Open Bin dialog box.
t Create a new bin by selecting File > New bin and then naming and opening the new bin
in the New Bin dialog box.
Selecting the Target Drives

To target drives for the captured media:
1. Make sure you are in Capture mode. If the Capture tool is in Log mode, click the
Capture/Log Mode button to return to Capture mode (that is, the CAP icon appears.)
2. Decide whether to capture audio and video to a single drive or to separate drives.
3. Click the menus, and select the specific target drives.
Targeting a Single Drive
By default, the Capture tool targets a single media drive for capturing the video and audio
for each clip.
To target a single drive:

1. Select Tools > Capture.
2. Click the Single/Dual Drives Mode button in the Capture tool until it displays the
Single-Drive icon.
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Time
Single/Dual
remaining
Drives Mode
display
button
Target Drive
menu
3. Click the Target Drive menu, and select a drive.

The name shown in bold in the menu has the most storage available. The time remaining
is calculated based on your resolution selection.
Targeting Separate Drives for Video and Audio
You can target separate physical drives for audio and video tracks. You might want to target
separate drives for media management, such as sending audio files to a Pro Tools system for
audio sweetening. Capturing audio and video to separate drives is not necessary for
performance.
To target separate drives for video and audio:

1. Select Tools > Capture.
2. Click the Single/Dual Drives Mode button in the Capture tool until it displays the Dual-
Drives icon.
3. Click each Target Drive menu, and select separate drives for video and audio.
The names shown in bold in the menus have the most storage available. The time
remaining on each selected drive is calculated based on your resolution selection.
c Targeting separate partitions on the same drive slows playback performance.
Interpreting the Time-Remaining Display

You can interpret the numbers in the Time-Remaining display in the Capture tool based on
the following factors:
• Each captured clip has a maximum file size of 2 GB. Any video clip whose media
exceeds 2 GB has more than one media file associated with it.
• When you select another resolution, the Time-Remaining display adjusts accordingly.
n For detailed information about resolutions, see “Resolutions and Storage Requirements” in
the Help.
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Preparing for Audio Input

The Avid system supports direct input of four channels of audio only when a digital camera
or a digital deck is connected via FireWire and the audio sample rate is set to 32 kHz. If a
digital camera or digital deck is not connected and the audio sample rate is not set to 32 kHz,
the Avid application supports input of two channels of audio. Source track assignments are
mapped directly to audio tracks in the captured clips. You should also calibrate the input
levels for each videotape when you capture to assure continuity of picture quality between
tapes. See “Calibrating for Video Input” in the Help.
Adjusting Audio Project Settings

You can use the Audio Project Settings window to check the current configuration of audio
hardware and to choose various input and output options. The Audio Project Settings
window has four tabs: Main, Input, Output, and Hardware.
n Some options depend on the audio configuration of your system. Your system might not
contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the documentation.
To open the Audio Project Settings window:

2. Double-click Audio Project.
The Audio Project Settings window appears.
For information on Audio Project settings, see “Audio Project Settings” on page 308.
Selecting an Audio Input Source

You can connect an audio device to your system for audio input, depending on your
configuration.
To select an audio input device:

1. In the Project window, click the Settings tab.
The Audio Project Settings window opens.
3. Click the Input tab.
4. Click the Input Source menu, and select a source for the audio you want to capture.
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n The menu displays HD SDI in HD projects and SD SDI in SD projects. Input options depend
on the audio hardware installed on your system and connected to it.
5. Close the Audio Project Settings dialog box.
Selecting the Audio File Format

AIFF-C and WAVE audio media files can be mixed within a project.
Audio is written in the selected file format when you:

• Capture audio tracks in Capture mode.
• Use the Audio tool to create tone media.
• Use the Audio Mixer tool to mix down audio tracks.
• Use the Import dialog box to import files.
• Apply an AudioSuite plug-in that creates new source audio.
If you switch the audio format in the middle of a project, all new audio media files are
written in the new format with the following exceptions:
• Media files written when rendering audio effects: The system uses the file type of the
A-side (outgoing audio) media for a transition. For example, if the A-side of an audio
dissolve is in AIFF-C (OMF®) format and the B-side (incoming) is in WAVE (OMF)
format, the rendered file is AIFF-C (OMF).
• Audio media files written when using the Consolidate feature: Media files that are
copied or created during a consolidate procedure retain their original file types. See
“Consolidating and Transcoding Media” on page 181.
To select the audio file format:

3. Click the Main tab.
4. Click the Audio File Format menu, and select either OMF (WAVE) or AIFF-C (OMF).
5. Close the Audio Project Settings window.
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Using the Audio Tool

Use the Audio tool primarily for mixing and monitoring audio.
The Audio tool, along with your hardware’s audio parameters, allows you to do the
following in preparation for input:
• Check and manage your audio hardware setup.
• Set audio levels before recording.
In addition, controls in the Audio tool allow you to calibrate, set levels, and generate
customized calibration tones for output to the speakers or a record device. For more
information about the Audio tool, see the table in this topic.
To open the Audio tool, do one of the following:

t Select Tools > Audio Tool.
t Click the Audio Tool button in the Capture tool.
The Audio tool opens and displays meters for two to eight channels, depending on the
configuration of your system.
Reset Peak Peak Hold Menu button

button
In/Out toggle buttons
Digital scale Volume unit scale

(fixed) (adjustable)
The following table describes the components in the Audio tool.
Audio Tool Components
Component Description
Reset Peak button Resets the current maximum peak measurements. It also stops the playback
of the internal calibration tone.
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Audio Tool Components (Continued)
Component Description
In/Out toggle buttons Switch the meter displays for each channel between input levels from a
source device and output levels to the speakers and record devices. I indicates
Input, and O indicates Output.
Peak Hold Menu button Displays a menu that allows you to select options for customizing the meter
displays and for setting and playing back the internal calibration tone.
Digital scale to the left of the Displays a fixed range of values from 0 to –90 decibels (dB), according to
meters common digital peak meter standards.
Volume unit (VU) scale Displays a range of values that you can conform to the headroom parameters
(analog) to the right of the of your source audio.
meters
Meters Dynamically track audio levels for each channel as follows:

• Meters show green below the target reference level (default reference
level is –14 dBfs on the digital scale).
• Meters show yellow for the normal headroom range, above the reference
level to approximately –3 dB.
• Meters show red for peaks approaching overload, between –3 dB and 0
dB.
• Thin green lines at the bottom indicate signals below the display range.
Adjusting Audio Input Levels (Software-Only Systems)

You can use the Audio tool and the Audio Project Settings window to adjust the audio input
levels.
To adjust global audio input levels using the Audio Project Settings window:
1. Click the In/Out toggle buttons in the Audio tool for the channels you are using for
input.
The Audio tool displays an I for Input.
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2. Play back the source audio (for example, from a digital camera or tape). If the recording
includes reference tone, cue to the tone and play it back.
3. In the Project window, click the Settings tab, and then double-click Audio Project.
4. Adjust input by doing the following:
a. Click the Input tab.
The Input tab displays an Input Level slider.
Input Level
slider
b. Drag the slider to raise or lower the audio input level.
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c. (Option) If you want extra gain, drag the slider toward the bottom of the Input Gain
control, click the +20 dB Gain check box, and adjust the volume on the Input Level
meter.
Establishing Sync for Audio-Only Input

When you capture audio with video, the video input signal provides the timing reference for
digitizing analog audio. This ensures that the audio and video remain in synchronization.
When you capture audio only, the audio timing reference is taken from the same source as
the video output timing. You set the sync source for capture and output timing through the
Video Output tool. For more information about reference signals, see “Using the Avid
Mojo” or “Using the Avid Mojo SDI” in the Help.
If you are capturing audio only, and the material being captured must be resynchronized
with video, you must make sure that the audio captured remains synchronized with the
associated video. There are several cases to consider:
• Analog audio input (XLR and RCA)
• Digital audio input (ADAT, AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and SDI Embedded Audio)
Analog Audio Input
If you are capturing audio-only from an analog source, sync is taken from the sync source,
either black burst or tri-level, as selected in the Video Output tool. If no sync source is
connected, sync is generated from internal timing.
c If you need to synchronize audio with video clips captured separately, Avid
recommends that you connect a sync source to both the Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI
and the audio deck. Otherwise you might experience drifting of the audio during
editing.
Digital Audio Input
Digital audio inputs (ADAT, AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and SDI Embedded Audio) provide their
own timing reference.No other connections are required to achieve sync, so long as the
source deck is genlocked.
c When using the AES/EBU inputs, the lowest numbered channel that is enabled for
input in either the Capture tool or the Audio tool is used as the timing reference. It is
important that all AES/EBU inputs that are used simultaneously be locked to the same
timing reference.
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Before You Begin Capturing

Depending on your immediate needs and chosen capturing method, use the following
guidelines:
• If you want to add clip names and comments on-the-fly while you capture, see “Adding
Clip Names and Comments On-the-Fly” in the Help.
• If you have no logs and want to begin capturing right away, see “Capturing Without
Logging First” in the Help.
• If you want to capture video to multiple media files across multiple drives, see
“Capturing to Multiple Media Files” in the Help.
• If you have logs already entered in a bin and want to automate the capturing process
with playback from an Avid-controlled deck, see “Batch Capturing from Logged Clips”
in the Help.
• If you are recapturing deleted media or have imported a sequence that lacks the
associated media files, see “Recapturing Your Material” in the Help.
• If you have not already prepared a structure of bins for your project, as described in
“Managing Folders and Bins” in the Help, consider the following tips before capturing:
- You can create one bin for each source tape. This method avoids slowing the system
with large bins, associates each bin with a source tape for better organization, and
simplifies recapturing.
- You can name the bin after the tape so that when you autocapture or capture on-the-
fly without noting a tape name, the system automatically names each clip after the
bin (tape) and numbers them sequentially for easy reference.
• If you want to capture DV 50 or DVCPRO HD media, see “Capturing DV Media
Directly from a DV Device” on page 76.
• If you want to capture HDV media, see “Working with HDV” in the Help.
Monitoring Audio
You can monitor audio gain levels while you capture media by clicking the Passthrough Mix
Tool button on the Capture tool. For information on using the Passthrough Mix tool, see
“Using the Passthrough Mix Tool” in the Help. If you have a Digi 002 connected, see
“Monitoring DV Audio while Recording with Avid Mojo and Digi 002 Connected” in
the Help.
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Capturing and Logging at the Same Time

When you capture without entering log information in a bin ahead of time, the system
creates clips and associated media files while you capture. Capturing in this manner involves
manually cueing source footage with an Avid-controlled deck using the deck controls in the
Capture tool.
There are several ways to capture and log at the same time:
• Capturing from one point to another. This method lets you specify the exact timecode
location to begin and end capturing. You can also specify only an IN point or an OUT
point and enter the other mark on-the-fly. These procedures are described in “Capturing
from One Point to Another” on page 69.
• Capturing on-the-fly. This method is easier than setting marks, but it is less precise. It
involves using the deck controls in the Capture tool to cue, play, and stop the source
footage manually while capturing. These procedures are described in “Capturing On-
the-Fly” on page 71.
• Capturing with time-of-day timecode. See “Capturing with Time-of-Day Timecode”
on page 73.
You can also capture material as described in the following topics in the Help:
• “Capturing from a Non-Avid Controlled Deck”
• “Autocapturing”
Capturing from One Point to Another

Capturing from an IN point to an OUT point allows you to specify exactly where to begin
and end capturing. You can specify only an IN point or an OUT point, and enter the other
mark on-the-fly.
Use this method in the following circumstances:

• If logs exist in written or printout form but not in the proper format for quick import into
the system
• If the IN and OUT points are rough and need to be double-checked for accuracy
• If you are familiar enough with the source material to estimate the timecode for the IN
point, the OUT point, or both, quickly and accurately
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Setting Both Marks
To capture by specifying an IN point and an OUT point:

1. Make sure you have selected the proper Capture settings as described in “Selecting
Settings for Capture” on page 48 and have set up the Capture and Audio tools, as
described in “Setting Up the Capture Tool” on page 55 and “Preparing for Audio Input”
on page 62.
2. Set either an IN point or an OUT point for the clip you want to capture, using one of the
following methods:
t Use the deck controls in the Capture tool. Cue your source tape to where you want
to start or end the clip, and click the Mark IN or the Mark OUT button.
t If the material starts at a known IN point or ends at a known OUT point, you can
type the timecode in the display area next to the mark. Press Enter (Windows) or
Return (Macintosh) to enter the mark.
To double-check the accuracy of the IN or OUT point, click the Go to IN button. The
system cues the tape and pauses the deck at the mark. You can play the tape and reset the
mark, if necessary.
3. To finish logging the clip, use either of the following methods:
t Set the corresponding IN or OUT point.
t Type a timecode for the clip’s duration in the display area next to the Duration mark
(below the OUT point) in the format HH:MM:SS:FF.
The system automatically calculates the appropriate timecode for the corresponding IN
point, OUT point, or duration.
4. Click the Capture button in the Capture tool.
The Capture tool automatically rewinds the tape to the preroll point before the IN point
of the clip, and the tape begins to play. The box to the right of the Capture button flashes
bright red, and the message bar displays the message that the system is capturing.
5. While the system is capturing, you can type a clip name. To enter comments about the
clip, press the Tab key after typing a clip name and enter comments in the comment box.
The information that you type does not appear on the screen until you have completed
capturing. (After you log clips, you can modify information to correct input errors or to
add information.)
When the tape reaches the clip’s OUT point or you click the Capture button again,
capturing stops, and the system creates a new clip in the bin.
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Setting Only One Mark
To set only one mark and enter the other mark on-the-fly, do one of the following:
t Mark an IN point, and click the Capture button to begin capturing. Then, click the
Capture button again to stop capturing on-the-fly and mark an OUT point.
This method is useful if you do not need a precise OUT point. You save time because
you do not have to shuttle to locate the OUT point before capturing.
t Set an OUT point only, and then move to a position on the tape that is a few seconds
before where you want to start capturing. Play the tape, and then immediately click the
Capture button to begin capturing on-the-fly. When the tape reaches the clip’s OUT
point, capturing stops.
This method is useful if you do not need a precise IN point but do need to stop at a
precise OUT point, for example, just before a timecode break.
Capturing On-the-Fly
Use the capturing on-the-fly method in any of the following circumstances:
• If you are eager to begin editing immediately and no adequate logs exist for importing to
the system or setting marks
• If you are capturing from a source deck that cannot be controlled by the Capture tool
• If your source tape does not have timecode
• If you are capturing from a digital source such as a CD-ROM or a DV camera
• If you are capturing from a live source, such as a studio feed or an inhouse router
n There is a slight delay of several frames after you manually select a spot to start and to stop
capturing. Use this method when you don't need precise beginning and end points in
your clip.
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To capture on-the-fly:
1. Click the Capture/Log Mode button in the Capture tool until the CAP icon appears. The
Capture tool is ready to capture.
Capture/Log Mode button Toggle Source button
Capture button
Trash button
Triangular opener
Name
(to display comments)
Comment
Deck
controls
2. (Option) Click the triangular opener in the Capture tool to display the Name and Cmnt
(Comment) text boxes, if you plan to enter clip names or comments during capturing.
3. Use the deck controls in the Capture tool to locate the position on the tape where you
want to start capturing.
Fast Forward button Step Backward button
Rewind button Step Forward button

Stop button Eject button
Play button
Pause button
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DV Scene Extraction
4. Click the Play button and when the deck gets up to speed, click the Capture button.
n Make sure you have cleared any previous marks so that the deck does not begin cueing to the
previous location.
5. While the system is capturing, you can type a clip name in the Name text box. Press the
Tab key after typing a clip name to enter comments about the clip.
6. Click the Pause button at any time to pause play. You can also stop the capture
procedure by clicking the Trash button in the Capture tool. The clip is discarded.
7. To stop capturing and enter the OUT point of the clip:
t Click the Capture button.
t Press the Esc key.
The system creates a new clip in the bin.
n There is a slight delay of several frames after you manually select a spot to start and to stop
capturing. Therefore, use this procedure when you don’t need precise beginning and end
points in your clip.
Capturing with Time-of-Day Timecode

When you capture with an Avid-controlled deck, you can capture your footage with
time-of-day timecode rather than source timecode.
To capture with time-of-day timecode:

1. Open the Capture tool and prepare to capture, as described in “Setting Up the Capture
Tool” on page 55.
2. When selecting tracks, deselect the TC button.
3. Capture using any of the techniques described in “Capturing On-the-Fly” on page 71.
4. Remember to select the TC button before capturing with source timecode again.
DV Scene Extraction
When you are capturing, the DV Scene Extraction feature allows you to automatically
generate subclips and locators based on time-of-day (TOD) information contained in the DV
video format.
Discontinuities in the DV TOD metadata indicate each place in a master clip or subclip
where a new take was initiated on a DV camera. Using this feature, you can capture an entire
DV tape as a single master clip and have the system automatically locate all the takes for
you, eliminating the need to manually log.
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You can perform DV scene extraction in two ways:

• Set up the DV Scene Extraction option before capturing. When capturing is performed,
subclips and locator marks appear in the bin. See “Setting Up DV Scene Extraction
Before Capturing” on page 74.
• Perform DV scene extraction after capturing. Select those clips in the bin for which you
want to generate subclips and locator marks. See “Setting Up DV Scene Extraction
After Capturing” on page 75.
Consider the following:

• You can perform DV scene extraction on any existing DV clip or subclip in a bin that
has TOD information breaks.
• DVCPRO format does not provide TOD metadata; you cannot use DV scene extraction
with DVCPRO format.
• DV scene extraction does not work on audio-only clips.
Setting Up DV Scene Extraction Before Capturing

To set up DV scene extraction before capturing:
2. Double-click Capture Settings.
The Capture Settings dialog box appears.
3. Click the DV Options tab.
4. Click DV Scene Extraction.
5. Select one of the following options:
- Add Locators: Creates locator marks where the TOD information breaks occur
while capturing.
- Create Subclips: Creates subclips where the TOD information breaks occur while
capturing.
- Both: Creates subclips and locator marks where the TOD information breaks occur
while capturing.
6. Click OK.
7. In the Capture tool, click the Capture button.
When capturing has finished, subclips are created with the same source clip name and
the extension .sub.01 where TOD information breaks occurred. Locator marks appear in
the master clip where TOD information breaks occurred.
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DV Scene Extraction
Setting Up DV Scene Extraction After Capturing

To set up DV scene extraction after capturing:
1. Open a bin.
2. Click the clip for which you want to create subclips or locator marks. Ctrl+click
(Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) to select multiple clips.
3. Select Bin > DV Scene Extraction.
The DV Scene Extraction dialog box appears.
4. Select one of the following options:
- Add Locators: Creates locator marks where the TOD information breaks occur
while capturing.
- Create Subclips: Creates subclips where the TOD information breaks occur while
capturing.
- Both: Creates subclips and locator marks where the TOD information breaks occur
while capturing.
5. If you have chosen to create subclips, select the bin where you want these subclips
stored.
6. Click OK.
In the bin, subclips are created with the same source clip name and the file name
extension .sub.01 where TOD information breaks occurred. Locator marks appear in the
master clip where TOD information breaks occurred.
If you select a clip that is non-DV or audio only, an error message appears, informing
you that an incompatible clip was selected. These clips are bypassed during the DV
scene extraction process.
n To cancel the process at any time, press Ctrl+period (Windows) or k+period (Macintosh).
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Capturing DV Media Directly from a DV Device

You can capture DV 25, DV 50, DVCPRO HD, and HDV media directly from a DV camera
or deck. The way you connect the DV device depends on your system configuration and
which DV resolution you want to capture.
The following topics provide more information about capturing DV media.
Connecting and Selecting a DV Device

Your Avid editing application lets you capture, play, and output directly to a DV camera or
deck (a DV device). Depending on your configuration and requirements, you can connect a
DV device to one of the following ports:
• The 1394 port on your Avid DNA hardware (Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI)
• A 1394 port on your computer (Host 1394).
Connecting a DV Device
The following table describes the recommended DV connections available for each DV
resolution and system configuration.
n On Windows systems with an Avid Mojo, you can capture DV 50, DVCPRO, or HDV only
through an optional IEEE-1394 card installed in your computer. This card must be on a bus
separate from the one used by the Avid Mojo. On systems with an Avid Mojo SDI, you can
use the 1394 port on the Avid Mojo SDI or a 1394 port on your computer.
DV Connections for Capture, Play, and Digital Cut
DV Resolution Avid Mojo Avid Mojo SDI Software-only
DV 25 Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI or Host 1394

Host 1394 Host 1394
DV 50 Host 1394 Avid Mojo SDI or Host 1394

Host 1394
DVCPRO HD Host 1394 Avid Mojo SDI or Host 1394

Host 1394
HDVa Host 1394 Avid Mojo SDI or Host 1394

Host 1394
a. For HDV media, playback directly to an HDV device is not supported. You need to export a
transport stream. For more information, see “Outputting HDV” on page 750.
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Capturing DV Media Directly from a DV Device
Selecting a DV Device
When you want to use the DV device for capture, play, or output, you need to select it in the
Avid editing application. You can use the Special > Device menu or the DNA/1394 button in
the Timeline window to select the device without disconnecting your equipment.
DNA/1394 Button
If your system has Avid DNA hardware attached, the system default is DNA, and when a
new project is selected, the system automatically selects DNA. If your system does not have
Avid DNA hardware attached, the system default is 1394 and you cannot switch to DNA.
To select a DV device for capture, play, or output, do one of the following:

t Click the DNA/1394 button above the Timeline to display DNA or 1394, depending on
how the DV device is connected.
t Select Special > Device, and then select Avid DNA or IEEE 1394, depending on how
your Client monitor is connected.
A check mark appears next to IEEE 1394 in the Device menu.
The Video Input tool, Capture tool, Video Output tool, and Digital Cut tool all reflect your
device selection.
n On software-only systems, the only option available is IEEE 1394.
n If you are capturing through the 1394 port on an Avid Mojo SDI, you must select IEEE 1394.
The 1394 port on the Avid Mojo SDI passes the signal through to a 1394 port on your
computer.
Capturing DV 25 Media
For systems with Avid DNA hardware, you can capture DV 25 through either of the
following connections:
• The 1394 port on your Avid hardware (Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI)
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• A 1394 port on your computer (Host 1394).

For Windows systems with an Avid Mojo, this port needs to be on an optional
IEEE-1394 card installed on a bus separate from the one used by the Avid Mojo.
You specify the DV input device by using the DNA/1394 button above the Timeline window
or commands in the Device menu (see “Connecting and Selecting a DV Device” on
page 76).
DV 25 Software Codec
If you capture through the Avid Mojo, you have the option of using the Avid DNA hardware
codec or the DV 25 software codec.
If you capture through the Avid Mojo SDI or a separate IEEE 1394, the application
automatically uses the DV 25 software codec.
c Select the DV 25 software codec when you are in an NTSC 23.976p or 24p project
capturing DV 25 from analog or SDI. The DV 25 software codec lets you capture with
standard or advanced pulldown. If you do not select the DV 25 software codec, you can
capture only advanced pulldown.
To select the DV 25 software codec:

1. Double-click Capture in the Settings list.
2. Click the DV Options tab.
3. Select “Use software DV 25 codec.”
4. Click OK.
Capturing DV 50, DVCPRO HD, or HDV Media

For Avid Mojo systems, you can capture DV 50, DVCPRO HD, or HDV media only through
a IEEE-1394 port on your computer. For Windows systems, this port needs to be on an
optional IEEE-1394 card installed on a bus separate from the one used by the Avid Mojo.
You specify the DV input device by using the DNA/1394 button above the Timeline window
or commands in the Device menu (see “Connecting and Selecting a DV Device” on
page 76).
For Avid Mojo SDI systems, you can use the 1394 port on the Avid Mojo SDI or a port on a
separate 1394 card. In either case, select IEEE 1394 as the device input.
n For information on playing back DV 50 and DVCPRO HD media, see “Playing Back to a
DV Device” on page 104.
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Chapter 4
Importing Files
When you import files, the system converts them into objects in a bin. You can manipulate
and edit these objects as you would any other clip or sequence. Any corresponding media
files are stored on a target drive that you specify. You can import files using the procedures
in the following topics:
• Preparing to Import Files
• Working with Mixed-Resolution Projects
• Creating and Using Import Settings
• Importing Files
• Importing Audio Files from a Music CD
• Using the Drag-and-Drop Method to Import Files
You can import both single-layer and multilayered graphics created in Adobe Photoshop®. If
you import multilayered graphics, you can preserve the original layers, and then edit them
individually in your Avid application. See “Importing Photoshop Graphics” in the Help.
You can import and edit XDCAM DVCAM media files. For more details, see “Importing
XDCAM Media” in the Help. However, Avid Xpress Pro does not support editing,
exporting, or recording either XDCAM proxy media or XDCAM high-resolution
MPEG IMX media.
For information on importing HDV material, see “Capturing and Importing HDV” in the
Help.
For other details about importing, see “Importing Files: Advanced” in the Help.
Chapter 4 Importing Files
Preparing to Import Files

Before you begin the import process, make sure the system and the files are ready for import
as follows:
• Read about issues and tips for mixed-resolution projects in “Working with Mixed-
Resolution Projects” on page 80.
• For graphics file and OMFI (Open Media Framework Interchange) file import, prepare
the files in advance according to specifications described in “File Format
• For a complete description of all options in the Import Settings dialog box, see “Import
Working with Mixed-Resolution Projects

You can work with mixed resolutions in the same sequence. This feature allows you to
import graphics that match the resolution of the final sequence. You cannot, however, mix
clips with different frame rates. For example, you cannot mix NTSC with PAL.
Avid recommends that you not mix interlaced resolutions with progressive resolutions.
Mixing interlaced resolutions with progressive resolutions might result in problems with
scrolling titles, export, and performing Digital Cut.
For more information on mixing resolutions, see “Resolutions and Storage Requirements” in
the Help.
n To reimport imported graphics at a higher resolution, use the Batch Import feature, which
maintains links to the original master clips and sequences. For more information, see
“Reimporting Files” in the Help.
Creating and Using Import Settings

You can create one or more sets of import parameters and save them as an Import setting.
For example, you can create one setting for importing QuickTime files and another for
importing files from another application. This feature is especially useful when you use the
drag-and-drop method to import multiple files (see “Using the Drag-and-Drop Method to
Import Files” on page 86).
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Importing Files
The default Import setting and any additional Import settings you create appear in the
Settings list (see “Using the Settings List” on page 294). After you select a setting in the
Settings list, the parameters remain the default settings for all imported files, unless you
change them during import. For more information about Import settings, see “Creating and
Using Import Settings: Advanced” in the Help and “Import Settings” on page 365.
Importing Files
You can access files for import from any folder, disk, or drive source mounted on the
desktop, such as a diskette, fixed drive, removable drive, or network server. You can import
more than one file at a time, including files of multiple types.
Consider copying all graphics files to a single folder before you import the files. Using this
folder helps you manage graphics from multiple sources and streamlines the reimporting
process because all graphics point to the same original path.
To import files:
1. If you created one or more Import settings, select the Import setting you want to use
from the Settings list (see “Creating and Using Import Settings” on page 80).
2. Select the format MXF or OMF in the Media Creation Settings Media Type tab.
3. Open the bin in which you want to store the imported files.
81
4. Select File > Import.

The Select Files to Import dialog box opens.
n (Windows only) For more information about the files displayed in the Select Files to Import
dialog box, click the Views button and then select Details.
Look In menu Views button
Windows
Source file list
File to import
Files of Type
menu
Options button
Single/Dual Drives button Video Resolution menu

Video and Audio Drive menus
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Importing Files
Macintosh
Show menu
From menu
Source file list
Options button
Resolution pop-up
menu
Single/Dual Drives button Video and Audio Drive

menu -
5. Click the Files of Type menu (Windows) or the Show menu (Macintosh), and select an
import file type to display only files of the chosen file type in the source file list:
t Select either Graphic (Windows) or Graphic Documents (Macintosh) or Audio
(Windows) or Audio Documents (Macintosh) to import one of more than 30
supported graphics and audio file types. For more information on the various file
types and their import specifications, see “File Format Specifications” in the Help.
t Select AAF to import files that have been saved in the AAF file format. Select HDV
to import an HDV transport stream. For more information, see “Capturing and
Importing HDV” in the Help.
t Select OMFI to import files that have been saved in the OMFI file format, such as
sequences transferred from an effects or digital audio workstation.
n Avid Xpress Pro does not support editing, exporting, or recording either XDCAM proxy
media or XDCAM high-resolution MPEG IMX media.
83
t Select MetaSync Files to import XML files that have been created by MetaSync
Manager. These files must use the .aeo file name extension. For more information,
see the Avid MetaSync Setup and User’s Guide.
t Select Shot Log to import Avid Log Exchange (.ale) files containing clip
information to a bin. For more information about Avid log specifications, see “Avid
Log Specifications” in the Help.
t Select CamCutter to import clips recorded with Editcam™ or Editcam-station
products. See “Importing Editcam Files” in the Help.
n By default, the system displays only file types that belong to the chosen category in the file
browser (Windows) or the Source file list (Macintosh) section of the dialog box. Click the
Files of Type menu (Windows), and select All Files or click the Show menu (Macintosh), and
select All Documents to display all files in a chosen folder, regardless of file type. Use this
option if you want to batch import from multiple file types.
6. To import a series of sequentially numbered files, select the first file in the sequence. To
automatically select the entire sequence of files, you must select Autodetect Sequential
Files in the Import Settings dialog box.
n For sequentially numbered files (for example, myfile_001.jpg, myfile_002.jpg, and so on),
the system combines all of the files into one clip.
c If the files are sequentially numbered but they are not actually sequential, they do not
import correctly. Deselect Autodetect Sequential Files in the Import Settings dialog
box.
7. (Option) Click Options to adjust the Import settings.

The Import Settings dialog box opens, in which you can select various parameters. The
contents of the Import Settings dialog box depend on the file type you selected.
n For information about options, see “Import Settings” on page 365.
8. (Option) Select audio options in the Audio tab to ensure that imported media matches
the current project sample rate and bit depth.
These options are deselected by default. Your Avid system attempts to import all audio
media at the source sample rate and bit depth, and only automatically converts sample
rates or bit depths to the project rate or bit depth if the source is at a rate or depth the
system does not support. Select one or more audio options if you do not want the audio
media imported at the source sample rate or bit depth.
9. Select the other options you want, and then click OK to save the settings.
10. Close the Import Settings dialog box and return to the Select Files to Import dialog box.
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Importing Audio Files from a Music CD
11. Click the Look In menu (Windows) or the From menu (Macintosh) to locate the folder
containing the source files.
12. Select files or deselect files from the source file list by using the standard selection
methods for your operating system (Windows or Macintosh).
n If you are importing a sequential series of image files, you must select Autodetect Sequential
Files in the Import Settings dialog box. Then select only the first file in the series in the
source file list.
13. Click the Video Resolution menu (Windows) or the Resolution menu (Macintosh), and
select a resolution for the imported media. See “Working with Mixed-Resolution
Projects” on page 80.
n The Avid system imports XDCAM media at the native resolution of the media on the XDCAM
drive. The system ignores other video resolution settings.
14. Click the Single/Dual Drives button and select a destination drive for the imported file
from the menu.
15. Click Open.
When the system finishes importing the files, the clips appear in the selected bin.
Importing Audio Files from a Music CD

To import audio files from a music CD:
1. Follow the procedure in “Importing Files” on page 81.
2. In step 5, select Files of Type > Audio (Windows) or Show > Audio Documents
(Macintosh).
3. In steps 11 and 12, navigate to the music CD and select the track or tracks you want to
import.
4. Finish the procedure.
Your track or tracks appear in the bin you opened in the procedure.
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Using the Drag-and-Drop Method to Import Files

To import one or more files using the drag-and-drop method:
2. Select the setting you want to use for import. Select either the default Import setting or
one you have created.
To view or modify the parameters, double-click the setting. For more information, see
“Creating and Using Import Settings” on page 80.
3. Open the bin in which you want to store the imported files.
4. From the desktop, open the folder that contains the files you want to import. You might
have to resize the Avid application to access the desktop.
5. Click the file you want to import and drag the file to the bin. To select multiple files,
Ctrl+click (Windows) or k+click (Macintosh) the files and drag them to the bin.
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Chapter 5
Organizing with Bins
Your Avid system provides powerful database tools for organizing and managing your
captured material. You can work with bins using four different views. These topics are
covered in the following topics:
• Manipulating Clips in the Bin
• Using Text View
• Using Brief View
• Using Frame View
• Using Script View
• Changing the Bin Background Color
• Conserving Screen Real Estate with the SuperBin
You can rename, sort, sift, duplicate, and delete clips and sequences. You can also print
single-clip frames or whole bins. This and other information about bins is covered in
“Organizing with Bins: Advanced” in the Help.
Manipulating Clips in the Bin

There are some basic procedures that you can use in any of the bin display views for
manipulating clips in the bin. They include selecting, deleting, duplicating, moving,
copying, and sifting clips and sequences.
When you are working with bins, an asterisk (Windows) or a diamond (Macintosh) precedes
the bin name in the bin’s title bar. This asterisk indicates that the changes to the bin have not
been saved. Once you save the bin, the asterisk is removed.
n To view a complete list of the bins in your project, see “Using the Bins Display” on page 32.
Chapter 5 Organizing with Bins
Using Text View

Text view provides the most complete view of clip information. It uses database columns
that you can rearrange and customize to suit your needs.
To enter Text view:

t Click the Text tab in the Bin window.
Showing and Hiding Columns

You can select individual or multiple headings to be displayed or hidden in the bin. For a
complete description of each column heading, see “Bin Column Headings” in the Help.
To select column headings:

1. With a bin in Text view, select Bin > Headings.
The Bin Column Selection dialog box opens.
2. Select the headings you want to add to or remove from the bin:
t Click the name of a heading to select it.
t Click a highlighted heading to deselect it.
t Click All/None to select or deselect all of the headings in the bin.
3. Click OK.
Only the headings highlighted in the dialog box appear in the bin.
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Using Text View
Understanding Bin Icons

The following table describes the icons that represent the different kinds of bin objects.
Object Icon Descriptions
Object Icon Object Name Object Description
Master Clip A clip that references audio and video media files formed from captured
footage or imported files.
Subclip A clip that references a selected portion of a master clip.
Sequence A clip that represents an edited program, partial or complete, that you
create from other clips.
Source A clip that references the original videotape source footage for master
clips.
Audio Clip A clip that references audio media files formed from captured audio or
imported files
Effect A clip that references an unrendered effect that you create.
Motion Effect A clip in the bin that references effect media files generated when you
create motion effects.
Rendered Effect A clip that references an effect media file generated when you render an
effect.
ITV Enhancement Clips that represent Interactive Television (ITV) enhancements that
conform to SMPTE standard 363M. For more information, see the Avid
MetaSync Setup and User’s Guide or the Help.
Opaque Clips that represent ITV enhancements that do not conform to SMPTE
Enhancement standard 363M. For more information, see the Avid MetaSync Setup and
User’s Guide or the Help.
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Using Brief View

Brief view can help you manage your screen real estate. It displays only five standard
columns of information about the clips and sequences in your bins.
To see Text view with only five standard bin columns showing:
t Click the Brief tab.
n You cannot customize the column headings in Brief view.
n A different set of column headings appears for film projects.
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Using Frame View
Using Frame View

In Frame view, each clip is represented by a single frame, with the name of the clip
displayed below the frame. The system uses the head frame as the default, but you can play
back the footage within any clip and select any frame to represent the footage. You can make
the pictures larger to see more detail or smaller to see more clips in the window. You can also
rearrange the frames in any order.
Each frame appears on your screen with its assigned name directly beneath it.
Clip
frame
Clip
name
n A long clip name might not appear in its entirety.
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Using Script View

In Script view, the system combines the features of Text view with Frame view, and adds
space for typing notes or script. The frames are displayed vertically on the left side of your
screen with a script text box to the right of each clip. Clip information is displayed above the
text box. You cannot change the size of the frames displayed in Script view.
Changing the Bin Background Color

Bin color changes affect one bin at a time. Bin color changes can be applied to Frame view
or Script view only. Text view remains black and white.
To change the bin background color:

1. Activate the bin you want to change, and make sure you are in Frame view or Script
view.
2. Select Edit > Set Bin Background, and select a color from the palette.
The bin color changes, based on your selection.
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Conserving Screen Real Estate with the SuperBin

You can use the SuperBin to conserve screen real estate. The SuperBin lets you open
different bins in a single bin window and switch between the bins, keeping them open with
only one visible at a time. You can also switch a bin between being open in its own window
and being open in the SuperBin, and you can move or copy clips and sequences into or out
of the SuperBin.
Enabling the SuperBin

To enable the SuperBin:
2. Double-click Bin in the Settings list.
The Bin Settings dialog box opens.
3. Select Enable SuperBin, and then click OK.
The next time you click a bin in the Project window, it opens in the SuperBin.
Opening Bins in the SuperBin

To open bins in the SuperBin:
1. Enable the SuperBin. See “Enabling the SuperBin” on page 93.
2. Click the Bins tab in the Project window, and then single-click a bin icon.
n Double-clicking a bin opens it in its own window, not in the SuperBin.
The bin opens in the SuperBin. The SuperBin button appears in the upper left corner,
and the title is SuperBin: bin name.
SuperBin
button
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To view a bin previously opened in the SuperBin, do one of the following:

t Click the Bins tab in the Project window, and single-click the bin name.
t Click the SuperBin button, and select a bin.
n If you have no other bins open in the SuperBin, you do not see a pop-up menu when you click
the SuperBin button.
The bin reappears in the SuperBin.
Closing the SuperBin

To close the SuperBin:
t Click the Close button.
All bins opened in the SuperBin close.
Moving Bins into and out of the SuperBin

You can move bins currently displayed in their own windows into the SuperBin. You can
also move a bin displayed in the SuperBin into its own window.
To move an opened bin into the SuperBin:

2. Double-click the open bin’s icon in the Project window.
The individual bin window closes and the bin appears in the SuperBin.
To move a bin out of the SuperBin and into its own window:
2. Double-click the open bin’s icon in the Project window.
The bin disappears from the SuperBin and appears in its own window.
Moving Clips and Sequences into and out of the SuperBin

To move a clip or sequence into the SuperBin:
t Drag the clip or sequence from another open bin window into the bin displayed in the
SuperBin.
The clip or sequence moves into the SuperBin.
You can copy a clip or sequence from the SuperBin directly to a bin in the Project window.
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To move a clip or sequence out of the SuperBin:

2. Drag the clip or sequence from the SuperBin onto a bin icon in the Project window.
The clip or sequence moves into the bin in the Project window and the bin opens in its
own window.
Copying Clips and Sequences into and out of the SuperBin

To copy a clip or sequence into the SuperBin:
t Press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh), and then drag a
clip or sequence from another open bin window into the bin displayed in the SuperBin.
The clip or sequence is copied into the SuperBin.
n Any change you make to the copy affects the original as well.
You can copy a clip or sequence from the SuperBin directly to a bin in the Project window.
To copy a clip or sequence out of the SuperBin:

2. Press and hold Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh), and then drag the clip
or sequence from the SuperBin onto a bin icon in the Project window.
The clip or sequence is copied into the bin in the Project window and the bin opens in its
own window.
Deleting a Bin with the SuperBin Enabled

To delete a bin while the SuperBin is enabled:
t Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl+Shift+click (Macintosh) the bin name in the Project
window, and select Delete Selected Bins.
The bin is deleted.
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96
Chapter 6
Viewing and Marking Footage
Before making your first edit, you can review your footage, add locators to clips, mark IN
and OUT points, or create subclips. By viewing and marking your material in advance, you
can concentrate on editing and refining your sequence at a later time without having to pause
and set marks each time you load a new clip. Techniques for playback, viewing, and
subcataloging clips are described in the following topics:
• Viewing Methods
• Understanding the Monitor Displays
• Loading and Clearing Footage
• Playing Back to a DV Device
• Optimizing Your Playback Performance
• Controlling Playback
• Using the Command Palette
• Using the Tool Palette
• Marking and Subcataloging Footage
• Finding Frames and Clips
For more information about viewing and marking footage, see “Viewing and Marking
Footage: Advanced” in the Help.
Viewing Methods
You can work with clips and sequences in several different ways, depending on your needs
and preferences. Each method has its own uses and advantages, as follows:
• Viewing in bins: You see pictorial images of the clips in your bins using Frame view.
See “Using Frame View” on page 91. You can also list the clips by name using Text
view. See “Using Text View” on page 88.
Chapter 6 Viewing and Marking Footage
• Viewing in the Source pop-up monitors: You can load clips and sequences into the
Source pop-up monitors to view and mark or subcatalog clips for use in a sequence that
you build in the Composer monitor.
• Viewing in the Composer monitor: You can load a sequence into the Composer
monitor to view, mark, or modify an existing sequence. You cannot load clips directly
into the Composer monitor.
• Viewing in dual monitors: If you stretch the Composer monitor into dual monitors,
you can load clips into the left Source monitor and sequences into the right Record
monitor.
• Viewing in the Timeline: Use the Timeline to view individual tracks for either a
sequence.
Understanding the Monitor Displays

The following illustration shows the basic set of windows in the default single monitor
display:
Source pop-up monitor Composer monitor
Bin
Project
window
Timeline window
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For information about customizing the display, see “Customizing the Monitor Displays” in
the Help.
Using Dual Monitors
You can stretch your Composer monitor into two monitors. This lets you open a source clip
in the left monitor (Source monitor); the right monitor (Record monitor) displays your
sequence and provides the usual Composer monitor functions.
To view dual monitors:

t (Windows) Click either edge of the Composer monitor and drag it to the outside.
t (Macintosh) Do the following:
a. Click the Composer monitor title bar and drag it to the left.
b. Click the bottom right corner of the Composer monitor and drag it to the right.
The monitor splits into two. When you double-click a sequence icon in a bin (see
“Understanding Bin Icons” on page 89), the sequence appears in the right
(Record) monitor.
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To open a clip in the left monitor:

t Drag a clip from the Bin window into the left (Source) monitor.
The clip appears in the left monitor.
n If you have the “Double-click loads object in” option set to “Source or Record Monitor” in
the Bin Settings dialog box, you can also double-click a clip or a sequence in the Bin
window to have it appear in the right or left monitor as appropriate. See “Bin Settings” on
page 315.
To switch between the monitors:

t Press Esc or click the other monitor.
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The following illustration shows the basic set of windows in the dual-monitor display:
Source monitor Record monitor
Bin
Project
window
Timeline window
To return to a single monitor:

t (Windows) Click an edge of the dual monitors and drag it to the center.
t (Macintosh) Click the lower right corner of the Record monitor and drag it to the left.
The dual monitors return to a single Composer monitor.
n When you are using a single monitor, double-clicking a clip opens it in a free-standing
Source pop-up monitor.
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Playing Video to a Full-Screen Monitor

The Full Screen Playback option allows you to view your video on a full-screen monitor.
To enable full screen playback:

1. Make sure your system is properly setup for full-screen monitor play. See “Preparing the
System for Full Screen Playback” in the Help.
2. Make sure any DNA device (Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI) is disabled by clicking the
DNA/1394 button in the Timeline. Ensure it is set to 1394.
3. Check the Full Screen Playback Settings to make sure you have them set properly. See
“Full Screen Playback Settings” on page 361.
4. Select Special > Full Screen Playback.
To disable full screen playback:

t Type Shift+Ctrl+F (Windows) Shift+Commnd+F (Macintosh).
Using the 16:9 Display Format

The Avid application supports the 16:9 aspect ratio for the display of wide-screen images
used in high-definition television (HDTV) as well as in some feature film formats.
The 16:9 display allows you to offline edit wide-screen footage that was squeezed during
shooting or transferred anamorphically to NTSC or PAL tapes. Selecting the 16:9 option
returns the squeezed image to its normal aspect ratio. Once you are finished with the offline
phase, you can generate an edit decision list (EDL) or cut list using matchback for
conforming the final master or cut with the original high-definition footage.
To enable the 16:9 display:

1. Click in the Composer monitor to make it active.
2. Select Clip > 16:9 Monitors.
A check mark appears next to the 16:9 option. The Composer monitor displays media
as 16:9.
n If you shoot footage as anything other than 16:9 and choose to display the Composer
monitor as 16:9, the media appears distorted.
n To view the footage on a client monitor, you need an HD monitor or 16:9-compatible full-
screen NTSC or PAL monitor.
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Loading and Clearing Footage
Loading and Clearing Footage

You load individual or multiple clips into the Source monitor, and you load sequences into
the Composer monitor using different methods. You can also use the Clip Name menu to
display clips and sequences.
Loading Footage
To load a clip or sequence into the Source monitor:
1. Open a bin and locate the clip or sequence. See “Understanding Bin Icons” on page 89.
2. Double-click the clip or sequence. Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) to
load multiple clips or sequences.
For each clip or sequence that you selected, a Source pop-up monitor opens.
n You can also load sequences by clicking the sequences and dragging them from the bin to the
monitor.
To load a sequence into the single Composer monitor:

1. Open a bin and locate the sequence.
2. Drag the sequence into the Composer monitor or the Timeline.
Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) to load multiple sequences.
The sequence loads into the Composer monitor and the Timeline, clearing the Timeline
of the previous sequence and resetting the Undo list.
n When you start a new sequence, you must drag the first clip into the Timeline; you cannot
drag it into the Composer monitor.
To load a sequence into the dual Source/Record monitors:

1. Open a bin and locate the sequence.
2. Double-click the sequence icon.
The sequence loads into the Record monitor and the Timeline, clearing the Timeline of
the previous sequence and resetting the Undo list.
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Using the Clip Name Menu

When you have clips loaded in a monitor, you use the Clip Name menu located above each
monitor to switch between various loaded clips or to clear clips from monitors. See the
following topics in the Help:
• Switching Between Loaded Sequences
• Clearing Sequences from Monitors
Playing Back to a DV Device

Your options for playback of media to a DV device vary, depending on whether the media is
played back as DV 25, DV 50, or DVCPRO HD (DV 100).
• You can play back DV 25 media either through Avid DNA hardware or through a DV
device attached to a 1394 port on your computer. When capturing or playing back
DV 25, you have the choice of using a hardware codec or a software codec (see
“Capturing DV 25 Media” on page 77).
• You can play back DV 50 or DVCPRO HD media only through a 1394 port on your
computer or the 1394 port on an Avid Mojo SDI.
For information on switching from a DNA device to a 1394 port on your computer, see
“Connecting and Selecting a DV Device” on page 76.
n On a Windows system with an an Avid Mojo, the DV device needs to be attached to a port on
an optional IEEE-1394 card installed on a bus separate from the one used by the Avid Mojo.
When you are playing back to a DV device, you have the option of enabling real-time
encoding of effects and mixed resolutions.
To play back to a DV device connected through a 1394 port:

- Click the DNA/1394 button in the Timeline so that the button label is 1394.
- Select Special > Device > IEEE 1394.
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Playing Back to a DV Device
2. Right-click the Video Quality menu button and select Output to DV Device.
Playback to the DV device and playback to the desktop occur simultaneously.
n If you do not have a device connected to a 1394 port, these options are grayed out.
3. Right-click the Video Quality button, select Format, and then select the native format to
be sent to the DV device:
- DV 25 411 - enabled in any SD project
- DV 25 420 - enabled only in PAL SD projects
- DV 50 - enabled in any SD project
- DVCPRO HD - enabled only in HD 720p 59.94, 1080i 50, and 1080i 59.94 projects
4. (Option) If you are in an SD project, right-click the Video Quality button, and then
select Realtime Encoding.
- If you select Realtime Encoding, you are in real-time effects mode. The media in
your sequence is encoded to the format selected in the Video Quality menu.
Enabling Realtime Encoding is helpful if you have a faster processor because it
allows you to bypass rendering many of your effects to disk.
- If you do not select Realtime Encoding, you are in native play mode. You must
render all effects and any media not matching the selected format will be played as
black. The Video Quality menu only allows you to select Full Quality (green/green)
playback. Disabling Realtime Encoding is helpful if your machine has a slower
processor.
- Select Realtime Encoding to output 24p media to a DV device. You must also select
Full Quality playback.
n Realtime Encoding applies only to playing DV 25 and DV 50 media to a DV device.
n You can also select the DV playback options in the Video Display Settings dialog box.
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Optimizing Your Playback Performance

The following topics describe how to get the best performance from your Avid editor when
playing back to the application monitors, full-screen playback monitor, and the Client
monitor.
The following topics provide information about optimizing your playback performance:
• Understanding Video Quality for Playback
• Setting the Video Quality for Playback
Understanding Video Quality for Playback

The Avid application provides you with a choice of three video qualities for playback:
• Full Quality (green icon)
• Draft Quality (yellow/green icon)
• Best Performance (yellow icon)
The following table describes how the Video Quality menu and the Video Display settings
function with different hardware and software configurations.
The following terms are used in this table:

• Avid DNA refers to an Avid Mojo or an Avid Mojo SDI.
• Host 1394 refers to a 1394 (Forewire) port on your computer. On Windows systems with
an Avid Mojo, this port must be on a 1394 card on a bus separate from the one used by
the Avid Mojo. On systems with a Avid Mojo SDI, the 1394 port on the Avid Mojo SDI
functions like a 1394 port on your computer.
• Playback to the desktop refers to playback through the Source, Record, or full-screen
play monitors. Full-screen playback can be useful if you are working on a software-only
system. For more information, see “Playing Video to a Full-Screen Monitor” on
page 102.
• 1/4-frame playback and 1/16-frame playback refer to the amount of detail contained in
the video image.
n For information about video quality and effects processing, see “Playing Back at Different
Video Qualities” on page 209.
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Optimizing Your Playback Performance
Video Qualities for Playback
Video Playback to a DV Device

Quality Playback to Attached to a Host 1394 Playback to the
Icon Name Avid DNA Port Desktop
Full Quality Highest quality resolution, Full-frame native playback of Full-frame real-time
V
two fields. DV 25, DV 50, and effects playback of SD
Full-frame real-time effects DVCPRO HD. Full-frame real-
With Full Screen
playback of SD. time effects playback of DV 25
Playback enabled,
and DV 50.
Full-frame native playback full-frame real-time
of Avid DNxHD. effects playback of HD.
Draft Quality 1/4 resolution, single field. 1/4 resolution, single field. 1/4-frame real-time
1/4-frame real-time effects 1/4-frame real-time effects effects playback of SD.
playback of SD. playback of SD or HD to the
desktop only.
1/4-frame real-time effects
playback of DV 25 and DV 50.
Best 1/16 resolution, single field. 1/16 resolution, single field. 1/16-frame real-time
Performance 1/16-frame real-time 1/16-frame real-time effects effects playback of SD.
playback of SD. playback of SD or HD to the
desktop only.
Consider the following about video quality:
Full Quality (Green)

• If you want to work with effects at full resolution, select Full Quality.
• In an HD project, on a system with DNA hardware that does not include an HD board,
DNxHD media plays back to the desktop only. DVCPro HD media plays back to a
device connected to a Host 1394 port.
• In an HD project, with Full Screen Playback enabled, playback performance relies
heavily on CPU performance. You might notice missing frames during playback.
Group Clip
• When you enter Group Clip mode, the Avid editing application automatically adjusts
the video quality. The application maintains a quality setting for Group Clip mode
separately from the quality setting for normal playback.
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Setting the Video Quality for Playback

To set the video quality for playback:
1. Do one of the following, depending on how your external device is connected:
t Click the DNA/1394 button above the Timeline to display DNA or 1394.
t Select Special > Device, and then select Avid DNA or IEEE 1394.
2. Right-click the Video Quality menu button, and select a quality, as described in the
previous section.
3. Right-click the Video Quality menu button, and select Video Display Settings. This
opens the Video Display Settings window and allows you to select additional video
display settings.
For information about the Video Display settings, see “Selecting the Video Display
Settings” and “Video Display Settings” in the Help .
Controlling Playback
There are several ways to play, view, and cue clips:
• Instantly access frames or move through footage using the position indicator within the
position bar under the monitors.
• Play through the footage using user-selectable buttons or the mouse.
• Play using keyboard equivalents.
Using Position Bars and Position Indicators

To quickly access frames within a clip loaded into a monitor or to move through the
footage, do one of the following:
t Use the position indicators that appear in the position bars under the Source pop-up and
Composer monitors. The position indicator also appears in the Timeline when you are
viewing a sequence.
t Move the position indicator within the position bar under the monitor by clicking
anywhere in the position bar or by dragging the position indicator to the left or right.
The speed with which you drag the position indicator determines the speed at which you
move through the footage.
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Position bar
Position
indicator
t Click anywhere in the Timeline to relocate the position indicator, or drag the position
indicator through footage at varying speeds. In the Timeline, the position indicator
shows your position within the sequence. It is always in the same position as the
position indicator in the Composer monitor’s position bar.
t Click at the far left or far right of the position indicator on the Timeline to go directly to
the beginning or end of a clip or sequence.
Position indicator in Timeline
Using Buttons
You can use the buttons that appear under the Composer monitor, in the Source pop-up
monitors, and in the Tool palette to play and step (jog) through your footage. You can also
use the keyboard to manipulate footage.
To step (or jog) through footage:

1. Load a clip into the Source monitor or a Source pop-up monitor or a sequence into the
Composer monitor.
2. Click the appropriate button to:
- Step one frame forward.
- Step one frame backward.
To play the clip backward or forward in one-frame increments:

t Click the Step buttons under the monitors.
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To play forward or backward in 10-frame increments:

t Press the 1 key (backward) or the 2 key (forward) on the keyboard.
t Press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) while clicking the
Step buttons under the monitors.
t In the Move tab of the Command palette, click the Step 10 Frames button or the Step 8
frames (24p) button.
To jump backward to transitions or locators:

1. Click the Fast menu button.
The Tool palette opens.
2. Click the Rewind button to rewind to the previous transition in the Timeline. Press and
hold the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Macintosh) to go to the previous locator on
the selected track.
To jump forward to transitions or locators:

1. Click the Fast menu button.
The Tool palette opens.
2. Click the Fast Forward button to jump to the next transition in the Timeline. Press and
hold the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Macintosh) to go to the next locator on the
selected track.
Step Backward button Step Forward button
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Shuttling with J-K-L Keys
To shuttle through the footage using the J-K-L keys on the keyboard:
1. Load a clip into the Source pop-up monitor or a sequence into the Composer monitor.
2. Use the J-K-L keys to shuttle at varying speeds:
t Press the L key to move forward through the footage at normal speed. You can
increase the speed according to the following table:
Press the L Key To Play Footage at NTSC Rate PAL Rate 24p Rate
2 times 2x normal speed 60 fps 50 fps 48 fps
t Press the J key to move backward at the same shuttle speed increments.
t Press the K and L keys together for slow forward (8 fps for NTSC, 6 fps for PAL,
and 6 fps for 24p projects).
t Press the K and J keys together for slow backward.
t Press the K key and tap the L key or the J key to step through footage one frame at a
time.
n Audio plays back at up to 3x normal speed.
To slow or change play direction one speed at a time:

t Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) while you tap the J or L key.
Play slows or changes play direction one speed at a time from the speed at which you
are currently playing.
Backward Forward
-8x -5x -3x -2x -1x 0 1x 2x 3x 5x 8x
For example, you are shuttling backward with the J key at 2x normal speed. Press and
hold Alt and tap the L key once. Play slows to backward at normal speed (1x speed).
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) and tap L once again. Play stops. Continue
to hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) and tap L once again. Play goes forward
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at normal speed. Continue to hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) and tap L once
again. Play goes forward at 2x normal speed. Continue to hold Alt (Windows) or Option
(Macintosh) and tap L once again. Play goes forward at 3x normal speed. Release the
keys to continue playing forward at 3x normal speed.
To pause the shuttling:

t Press the K key.
To stop shuttling:
t Press the space bar.
n You can also perform smooth audio scrub with the J-K-L keys. For more information, see
“Performing Smooth Audio Scrub” in the Help.
Navigating with Home, End, and Arrow Keys
In addition to using the buttons in the application, you can use the following keys on your
keyboard to navigate through clips and sequences:
Press To
Home key Move to the beginning of a clip or sequence.
End key Move to the end of a clip or sequence.
Left Arrow key Move the footage one frame backward. Pressing and holding the Alt key (Windows)
or the Option key (Macintosh) while pressing the Left Arrow key moves 10 frames
backward (8 frames in 24p projects).
Right Arrow key Move the footage one frame forward. Pressing and holding the Alt key (Windows) or
the Option key (Macintosh) while pressing the Right Arrow key moves 10 frames
forward (8 frames in 24p projects).
Using the Command Palette

The Command palette provides a central location for all user-selectable buttons that you can
map to various locations for ease of use. User-selectable buttons allow you to perform a
wide range of commands with a single click of the mouse.
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Using the Command Palette
The Command palette organizes buttons by editing function. Tabs are displayed for each
editing function, and the buttons that perform those functions are displayed within each tab.
The functions are: Move, Play, Edit, Trim, FX (Effects), 3D, CC (Color Correction), MCam,
Other, and More.
You can use the Command palette to:

• Map buttons to the Tool palette or the keyboard. See “Mapping User-Selectable
Buttons” on page 114.
• Map menu commands to various buttons and keys. See “Mapping Menu Commands” in
the Help.
• Directly activate a command. See “Activating Commands from the Command Palette”
in the Help.
n For information about each button on the Command palette, right-click a button (Windows)
or Ctrl+Shift+click a button (Macintosh), and select What’s This?.
Understanding Button Mapping

Mapping user-selectable buttons allows you to reconfigure Command palettes or the
keyboard in various combinations to suit different editing needs.
n When you map buttons to the keyboard, the mapping might be specific to the current editing
mode. For example, buttons mapped to the Page Up or Page Down keys revert to the default
functions when you enter Effect mode. After you exit Effect mode, the keys return to the
mapped function.
The following examples illustrate button mapping:

• Subcataloging clips: You can map the Make Subclip button and other clip management
buttons.
Make Subclip Find Bin Add Locator
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• Complex layering and effects editing: You can map buttons such as Motion Effect,
Remove Effect, and Fade Effect.
Motion Effect Remove Effect Fade Effect
When you remap buttons or commands, the system stores your new configuration in one of
the default settings that you can open from the Project window. You can also save, rename,
and recall multiple versions of any of these settings to serve various purposes.
n For more information on multiple settings, see “Working with Multiple Settings” on
page 303.
The Avid application stores button configurations as follows:

• Changes to the Keyboard palette are stored in the Keyboard settings.
• Changes to the Tool palette are stored in the Interface settings.
Both of these settings are stored in the User settings.
Mapping User-Selectable Buttons

To map buttons or keys on the keyboard to the Tool palette or the Keyboard palette,
using the Command palette:
1. Open a window that has a user-selectable button palette by doing one of the following:
t Activate the Composer monitor, the Source pop-up monitor, or the dual monitors,
click the Fast Menu button, and drag to tear off the Tool palette.
t Double-click Keyboard in the Settings list in the Project window to open the
Keyboard palette.
2. Select Tools > Command Palette.
The Command Palette window opens.
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Using the Tool Palette
3. Select Button to Button Reassignment.
Button to Button Reassignment
4. Click the tab from which you want to select a user-selectable button.
5. Drag the button from the Command palette to a button location on the Tool palette or the
Keyboard palette (whichever one you opened previously).
You can also map menu items. For more information, see “Using the Command Palette:
Using the Tool Palette

The Tool palette provides additional buttons for editing and navigating. You can have the
Tool palette buttons appear with or without labels. You can “tear off” the Tool palette to have
it displayed in another screen location. You can also map other tools or functions to the Tool
palette. See “Mapping User-Selectable Buttons” on page 114.
To open the Tool Palette window:

t Click the Fast Menu button under the Source pop-up or the Composer monitor.
The Tool Palette window opens.
n If a subset of the buttons appears on the Tool palette, click the lower right corner and drag it
to the right and down to reveal the full Tool palette and blank, mappable buttons.
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To see the names of the buttons on the Tool palette:

t Hold the mouse pointer over a button.
The name of the button appears in a yellow ToolTip box.
To display labels on the Tool Palette buttons:

2. Double-click Interface.
The Interface dialog box opens.
3. Select “Show Labels in Tool palette.”
4. Click OK.
The names of the buttons appear on the buttons under the icons.
To tear off the Tool palette and move it to another location:

1. Click the Fast Menu button under the Source pop-up or the Composer monitor.
2. Click the Tool palette and drag it to another location in the application.
Marking and Subcataloging Footage

You can speed the editing process by marking clips with IN and OUT points in advance,
using locators to subcatalog footage, and by creating subclips.
Marking IN and OUT Points

You can mark IN and OUT points for your clips in advance, which provides several
advantages:
• You can quickly build a sequence by dragging the marked clips into place one after
another.
• You can use the process of rough cut or storyboard editing, which allows you to
instantly splice several prepared clips into a sequence. See “Creating an Instant Rough
Cut” on page 127.
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• You can play back and mark clips in the bin before loading a single clip, saving
several steps.
Even if your marks are not accurate now, the Avid application allows you to trim the edit
points and fine-tune the sequence later without reediting the material.
To mark IN and OUT points before adding them to a sequence:

1. Load a sequence into the Composer monitor, or load a clip into the Source monitor or a
Source pop-up monitor. See “Loading Footage” on page 103.
2. Play or step through the material. Use the J-K-L keys when playing a clip in a bin. See
“Shuttling with J-K-L Keys” on page 111.
3. Select tracks corresponding to the cuts you want to mark. See “Selecting Tracks” on
page 134.
4. Mark an IN point by doing one of the following:
t Click the Mark IN button under the monitor to mark an IN point and stop playback.
t Press the Mark IN key on the keyboard to mark a clip in a bin. (Mark IN on the
keyboard does not stop playback.)
The Sawtooth icon appears on the left side of the monitor to indicate the mark IN frame.
Sawtooth
icon
Mark IN button Mark OUT button
5. Continue playing or stepping (jogging) through the material.
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6. Mark an OUT point by doing one of the following:

t Click the Mark OUT button under the monitor to mark an OUT point and stop
playback.
t Press the Mark OUT key on the keyboard to mark a clip in a bin.
The Sawtooth icon appears on the right side of the monitor to indicate the mark OUT
frame.
Clearing a Mark and Setting a New One
You can clear marks and set new ones.
To clear the IN point:

t Click the Clear IN button (or press the D key).
To clear the OUT point:

t Click the Clear OUT button (or press the F key).
To clear both the IN and OUT points:

t Click the Clear Both Marks button (or press the G key).
To set a new IN point:

t Click the Mark IN button when you reach a different frame.
To set a new OUT point:

t Click the Mark OUT button when you reach a different frame.
Dragging IN and OUT Points
To drag IN and OUT points:

t Press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) and drag marked IN and
OUT points to visible locations.
Marking an Entire Clip or Segment

A segment in a sequence consists of the material between any two edit points.
To mark an entire clip or segment:

1. Load a sequence into the Composer monitor, or load a clip into the Source monitor or a
Source pop-up monitor. See “Loading Footage” on page 103.
2. For a sequence, move the position indicator to the segment that you want to mark.
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3. In the Track Selector panel in the Timeline, select the tracks corresponding to the cuts
you want to mark. See “Selecting Tracks” on page 134.
4. Click the Mark Clip button under the monitor.
Mark Clip button
Using the Timeline Top Toolbar

The Avid application provides you with a top toolbar in the Timeline.
You can use the top toolbar for editing; you can also map additional buttons to it. For
information about mapping buttons, see “Mapping User-Selectable Buttons” on page 114.
You can choose to hide or show the Timeline top toolbar.
To show the Timeline top toolbar:

2. Double-click Timeline.
The Timeline Settings dialog box opens.
3. Click the Display tab.
4. Select Show Toolbar, and then click OK.
Creating Subclips
When you mark footage with IN and OUT points, you can either save the entire clip along
with the new marks, or you can create subclips based on the marks you set to break up
longer master clips into smaller segments of selected footage.
This is similar to creating circle takes of all of your best footage before editing. Subclips do
not directly reference the original media. Subclips remain linked to the master clips from
which they are created, and the master clips, in turn, reference the captured media files
located on your storage drives. As a result, none of the original footage is lost.
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Subclips do not limit your access to the original, captured master clip material when
trimming. Therefore, if you must trim beyond the marked IN to OUT points of the subclip to
make it longer or shorter, your system accommodates the adjustments during the trim. For
more information on trimming, see “Working in Trim Mode” on page 151.
When subclips are created in 24p or 25p projects, they are always created as “hard” subclips.
This means that you cannot trim past the edges of the subclip when adjusting transitions and
edits. Hard subclips prevent film tracking information errors for editing and cut lists.
You can also create a subsequence, which is a subclip created from a sequence.
You can create subclips directly from the marked section of material in the monitors using
one of the following methods.
To use the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) to create a subclip:
1. Press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh).
2. Drag the picture from the monitor to the bin in which you want to store the subclip.
To use the Make Subclip button to create a subclip:

1. Click the Fast Menu button under the monitor.
The Tool palette appears.
2. Click the Make Subclip button to create the subclip and place it into the active bin by
default.
If you press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) while you click the
Make Subclip button, a dialog box allows you to select the destination bin for the
subclip.
The new subclip is listed in the bin, preceded by a subclip icon and identified with a
numbered .Sub.n file name extension.
New
subclip
To create a subsequence:
1. Mark IN and OUT points in a sequence.
2. Click the Subsequence button above the Record monitor, and drag it to a bin.
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Finding Frames and Clips
Finding Frames and Clips

Once you have captured, viewed, marked, and subcatalogued numerous clips for a project,
you might have difficulty relocating specific clips or frames among several bins. The Avid
application allows you to quickly locate and cue footage.
Using Frame Offset Timecode to Cue a Frame

To cue a frame using frame offset timecode:
1. Using the numeric keypad, type a plus (+) sign to move forward or a minus sign (–) to
move backward from the current position.
2. Type a number for the frame offset, and press Enter on the numeric keypad. Use the
following formats:
- One or two digits: Type 1 through 99 to specify a number of frames forward or
backward. For instance, type –42 to move backward 42 frames.
- Three digits: Type 100 or a greater number to move forward or backward a
specified number of seconds and frames. For instance, if you type +100 and the
master track timecode is selected on the Tracking Information menu, you move
forward 1 second and 0 frames.
n If you type “f” after a 3-digit frame number, the Avid system interprets the number as
frames, not as seconds and frames. For example, +123f moves forward 123 frames, not one
1 second and 23 frames.
Using Timecode to Find a Frame

At any time during editing you can type timecode values, using the numeric keypad on the
right side of the keyboard, to cue a loaded clip or sequence to a specific frame. In addition,
you can cue backward or forward from the current location in the clip or sequence by a
specified number of minutes and seconds plus frames using positive or negative frame-offset
values.
The system interprets the numbers you type with the numeric keypad according to the type
of tracking format you have chosen in the row of information displayed above the monitor.
To cue to a frame based on a known timecode:

1. Type the timecode for the frame using the numeric keypad on the right side of the
keyboard.
A text box opens in the middle of the monitor.
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Master Type a master

track timecode to find
a frame in the
sequence.
2. Use one of these formats:

- SMPTE timecode: Use two digits each for the hours, minutes, seconds, and frames
with no leading zeros. For example, type 1230200 to enter 01;23;02;00.
- Current timecode: If you are finding a timecode that starts at the same time as the
current timecode, just type the last digits. For example, if the current timecode is
1;05;12;13 and you type 4;25, the system finds the frame at 1;05;04;25.
3. Press Enter on the numeric keypad.
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Chapter 7
First Edits
After you have viewed and marked your clips or have created subclips, you are ready to
create a sequence and a rough cut. This chapter introduces you to procedures that you use to
build a basic sequence, as described in the following topics:
• Setting Up a New Sequence
• Making the First Edit
• Editing Additional Clips into the Sequence
• Lifting, Extracting, and Copying Material
• Playing the New Sequence
• Proceeding with Editing
For more information about beginning to edit, see “First Edits: Advanced” in the Help.
Setting Up a New Sequence

For information about setting up a new sequence, see the following sections:
• Creating a New Sequence
• Changing Sequence Information
• Changing the Start Timecode for Sequences
• Setting Up Tracks for the New Sequence
Chapter 7 First Edits
Creating a New Sequence

To create a new sequence:
1. Select Clip > New Sequence.
One of the following occurs:
- If just one bin is open, or if several bins are open and you clicked a specific bin to
activate it, the new sequence appears in the bin. It also appears in the Composer
monitor and in the Timeline, with the generic title “Untitled Sequence n.” Each new
sequence is numbered incrementally until you rename it.
- If several bins are open but none is activated, the Select dialog box appears.
2. Select the bin in which to store the new sequence, or click the New Bin button to create
and open a new bin.
3. Click OK.
An untitled sequence appears in the bin, in the Composer monitor, and in the Timeline.
To rename the new sequence:

t Immediately type a new name while the name is highlighted in the bin.
n If you click anywhere in the interface after creating the new sequence, you deactivate the
sequence name field. You must click the sequence name again to rename the sequence.
Changing Sequence Information

The following optional procedure allows you to rename the new sequence and to set a
customized start timecode using the Get Sequence Info command.
To rename a sequence and set a customized timecode:

1. With your sequence loaded and the Composer monitor active, select File > Get
Sequence Info.
The Sequence Info dialog box appears.
2. Type a new name in the Name text box.
3. Drag the pointer across the Start timecode, and then type a new timecode.
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Making the First Edit
4. (Option) For 24p or 25p projects, drag the pointer across the start key number (Starting
EC) and type a new start key number.
5. Click OK.
Changing the Start Timecode for Sequences

To change the start time of a sequence that has already been created:
1. Click the sequence start time in the bin.
2. Type a new timecode.
Setting Up Tracks for the New Sequence

When you create a new sequence using the New Sequence command, and no material is
loaded into the Source pop-up monitor, the Timeline is empty.
To add a new track to a sequence loaded in the Composer monitor:

t Select Clip > New Audio Track or select Clip > New Video Track.
The new track appears in the Timeline.
When you add a new track to a sequence, the Avid system assigns a consecutive number to
it. You can change the numbering scheme of tracks rather than use the consecutive
numbering default. See also “Adding Tracks” on page 139.

Making the first edit involves the following procedures:
• Beginning to Edit
• Creating an Instant Rough Cut
• Undoing or Redoing Edits
• Monitoring Audio While Editing
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Beginning to Edit
To begin editing:
1. Load the first clip into the Source monitor or into a Source pop-up monitor. If you have
not already marked IN and OUT points for the clip in advance or created a subclip, view
and mark the clip as necessary.
Source Track
buttons
Source Track
Monitor buttons
2. Click buttons in the Track Selector panel in the Timeline to select the tracks you want to
include in the edit. For more information on using the Track Selector panel, see “Using
the Track Selector Panel” on page 133.
Only the tracks that have been captured for the clip appear as source tracks in the
Timeline. For example, with a talking head, you might select tracks V1 (picture) and A2
(sound), if the voice was recorded on that track. You would deselect track A1, which
might have unwanted wild sound picked up from a second microphone or no sound at
all.
As another example, if you are laying down a music track first, you would select track
A1 or A2, depending upon where the music was captured, and deselect V1.
3. Click the clip and drag it from the Source monitor into the Timeline.
The Composer monitor displays the end of the last frame of the new edit. (You can drag
the position indicator in the Timeline or the position bar under the Composer monitor to
review the clip.) The edit also generates a graphical display of the cut in the Timeline.
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Screen display of the first edit in a sequence Source clip The end of the last
frame of the new edit
Timeline generated by the edit
Creating an Instant Rough Cut

As an alternative to creating a new sequence by editing clips one at a time, you can quickly
create a rough cut by selecting and loading multiple clips directly from the bin in Frame
view and by dragging them into the Timeline.
To create a rough cut from a bin:
n To create a more accurate rough cut, view and mark clips in the bin in advance. See
“Marking IN and OUT Points” on page 116.
1. Click the Frame tab to enter Frame view.

2. In the bin, sort the clips in the order in which you want them to appear in the sequence.
3. Select the tracks for the edit.
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t Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) the clips.
t Lasso the clips by dragging left to right and down to select more than one clip. For
help with lassoing, see “Lassoing Objects” in the Help.
t Select Edit > Select All if there are no other clips in the bin.
5. Drag the highlighted clips to the Timeline to splice the clips into place.
The clips are spliced together to form a new sequence based on the order in which they
were listed in the bin.
Undoing or Redoing Edits

You can undo or redo up to 32 previous actions listed in the Edit menu.
To undo only the previous edit or function:

t Select Edit > Undo.
To redo only the previous edit or function:

t Select Edit > Redo.
Monitoring Audio While Editing

You can use the Audio tool to monitor audio levels while you edit. If you have the Audio
tool open and you play footage that includes audio, the audio levels are tracked in the Audio
tool. For more information on using the Audio tool, see “Using the Audio Tool” on page 64.
Editing Additional Clips into the Sequence

The primary edit function is dragging and dropping. In most cases, you perform three-point
edits in which you set three marks — two in the source material and one in the sequence, or
the reverse. The fourth mark is determined automatically. You can also use the splice-in and
overwrite functions. See “Performing a Splice-in Edit” and “Performing an Overwrite Edit”
in the Help.
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Lifting, Extracting, and Copying Material
Lifting, Extracting, and Copying Material

Lifting, extracting, and copying allow you to remove or reposition material quickly in your
sequence. For example, you can move a clip from the end of your sequence to the beginning;
or you can remove the material from the sequence altogether. Lifting, extracting, and
copying place the removed material into the Clipboard. You can then paste the material
elsewhere in the sequence or in another sequence altogether.
Lifting Material
The Lift function removes selected material from a track in the sequence and leaves black
filler or silence to fill the gap. You can later move or fill this gap with other footage. When
you lift material, the overall duration of the track (or sequence) remains the same.
Lifted Clip X Material is placed in

the Clipboard.
Clip W Black Filler Clip Y Clip Z
To lift material:
1. Mark IN and OUT points in the sequence at the start and end of the material that you
want to lift.
2. Select the tracks containing the material.
The system performs the function on selected tracks only. See “Using the Track Selector
Panel” on page 133.
3. Click the Lift button in the Timeline top toolbar, or press the Lift key (Z) on the
keyboard, to complete the edit.
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Extracting Material
The Extract function cuts selected material from a track in the sequence and closes the gap
left by its removal. As a result, when you extract material, you shrink the duration of the
track or sequence.
Extracted Clip Y Material is

placed in the
Clipboard.
Before
Extract Clip X Clip Y Clip Z
Track is shortened.
After
Extract Clip X Clip Z
To extract material:
1. Mark IN and OUT points in the sequence at the start and end of the material that you
want to extract.
Select the tracks containing the material.
The system performs the function on selected tracks only. See “Using the Track Selector
Panel” on page 133.
2. Click the Extract button in the Timeline top toolbar, or press the Extract key (X) on the
keyboard, to complete the edit.
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Playing the New Sequence
Playing the New Sequence

You can play a sequence at any time and view it in the Composer monitor.
To play a sequence:
1. Make sure that the Video Track Monitor icon is located on the topmost video track to
display all video tracks and effects during playback.
Video Track Monitor button with Monitor icon
Audio Track Monitor button with gold speaker icon
2. Make sure the Audio Track Monitor buttons for the audio tracks are selected to ensure
proper playback of all audio tracks.
3. Go to the start of the sequence in the Composer monitor or Timeline by clicking the left
side of the position bar to reposition the position indicator at the beginning or by
pressing the Home key on the keyboard.
4. Use the position indicator, buttons, or keyboard to play through footage, viewing it in
the Composer monitor.
Proceeding with Editing

When you have finished a rough cut, you are ready to fine-tune the sequence. See the
following topics:
• “Using the Timeline” on page 133
• “Working with Audio” on page 161
• “Working with Effects” on page 191
• “Syncing Methods” in the Help
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Chapter 8
Using the Timeline
The Avid system represents each edit and effect in a graphical Timeline structure to help you
track and manipulate the elements of your sequence. In addition, the Timeline has its own
set of editing tools that you can use to create and revise edits and transitions across multiple
tracks.
The audio and video tracks in the Timeline play in the Composer monitor. You can
continually edit your sequence and review your changes in the Composer monitor until you
are pleased with the result. These features are described in the following topics:
• Using the Track Selector Panel
• Navigating in the Timeline
• Editing in the Timeline: Basics
You can edit effects in the Timeline. For more information on effects editing and nesting,
see “Working with Effects” on page 191 and “Creating Layered and Nested Effects” in the
Help.
For more information about working with the Timeline, see “Using the Timeline:
The Avid Group Clip editing features allow you to incorporate multiple camera angle
sources into the nonlinear editing process. For more details, see “Group Clip Editing” in
the Help.
Using the Track Selector Panel

As your project progresses, you might need to add an edit with additional audio or video
tracks. You use multiple tracks of video primarily for effects. The Avid system allows you to
edit up to eight tracks of video and eight tracks of audio.
While working with multiple tracks, you can use the Track Selector panel to select,
manipulate, delete, lock, patch, and monitor your tracks. You can use multiple tracks to layer
audio effects and sound or to add video titles and other effects.
Chapter 8 Using the Timeline
n Multiple video tracks do not immediately play back at the same time until you apply an
appropriate effect that composites the layers. Multiple audio layers, however, do play back
immediately if correctly monitored.
Source Track Monitor buttons

Source Track buttons
Sync Lock and Lock buttons
Record Track buttons
Record Track Monitor buttons
Video Track Monitor button with Monitor icon
Audio Track Monitor

button with gold Speaker Audio Track Monitor button with black Speaker icon
icon
Sync Lock All button Timecode button
The source side of the panel displays only those tracks available for the clip currently
loaded. For instance, a clip that has audio captured only for track A1 does not display an A2
track in the Track Selector panel.
The record side of the panel displays only those tracks currently in use for the sequence.
However, if you edit source material with a track selected that does not yet exist on the
record side, by default the track appears on the record side after the edit takes place.
Selecting Tracks
Consider the following when you select tracks on either the record side or the source side of
the Track Selector panel:
• You can edit selected tracks on the source side directly into the sequence, assuming you
have selected parallel tracks on the record side.
• You cannot edit deselected tracks on the source side into the sequence, regardless of
record track selections.
• You cannot edit deselected tracks on the record side into the sequence, regardless of
source track selections.
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You can select tracks in several ways:

• Use standard keyboard keys to select tracks, as shown in the Keyboard palette. See
“Understanding the Keyboard” in the Help and in the following table.
Track Selection Keys
Key Track Key Track
7 V2 Shift+7 V4
8 V1 Shift+8 V3
9 A1 Shift+9 A5
0 A2 Shift+0 A6
- (hyphen) A3 Shift+- (hyphen) A7
= A4 Shift+= A8
• Click the Track button of any inactive track to select the track. (To deselect the track,
click the Track button of any active track.)
• Drag a lasso around multiple tracks to select all of them at the same time. See “Lassoing
Objects” in the Help.
• With the Timeline window active, select Edit > Select All Tracks to select all tracks on
the record and source sides.
• Click the Cycle Picture/Sound button in the Edit tab of the Command palette to cycle
among selected video tracks, audio tracks, and all tracks.
• Click the V and A buttons in the Edit tab of the Command palette.
For example, you might select the source and record tracks for V1, A1, and A2 to edit the
picture and audio from the source clip into the sequence. Select only V1 source and record
tracks to edit the picture without the sound, or select only A1 and A2 source and record
tracks to edit the sound without the picture.
Monitoring Tracks
To determine the monitoring of tracks:
t Click the monitor column of either the source-side or record-side tracks to activate or
deactivate the monitor buttons. Video and Audio Track Monitor buttons behave
differently in some circumstances.
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Monitoring Video
The Video Track Monitor button determines whether you see video during playback. You
can turn it off at any time to monitor only audio during editing. When there are multiple
video tracks, all tracks below the monitored track are active during playback.
When you edit with multiple tracks, you can activate the monitor on a lower track to monitor
only the video on that track. This feature is especially useful when you have multiple layers
of video effects and need to see one track without additional layers. You can also monitor a
solo track, as described in “Monitoring a Solo Track” on page 137.
To monitor video tracks:

t Click the Video Track Monitor button for the track you want to monitor. To view all
tracks, monitor the top track.
n If you reposition the Video Track Monitor icon, be sure to return it to the topmost track to
view, render, or output all the tracks together. Unmonitored tracks are not included in
playback.
Monitoring Audio
There are two types of monitor icons that appear in the monitor column for audio tracks: a
black Speaker icon and gold Speaker icon. Your Avid system allows you to monitor up to
eight audio tracks at a time, depending on your configuration.
Consider the following:

• A gold Speaker icon on the Audio Track Monitor button indicates that the track is not
dropped when the play speed increases during scrubbing. By default, the two topmost
Audio Track Monitor buttons display the gold Speaker icon. For more information about
setting an audio track to ensure it is not dropped during scrubbing, see “Selecting Tracks
for Scrubbing” in the Help.
• The Audio Track Monitor button changes to green with a black Speaker icon when
selected for soloing. For more information, see “Monitoring a Solo Track” on page 137.
• The system pans odd-numbered tracks to the left speaker and even-numbered tracks to
the right speaker by default.
• If your sequence includes more than 16 audio tracks, you can select any 16 tracks to
monitor at one time by clicking the Audio Track Monitor button for each audio track
you want to monitor. The Audio Track Monitor button changes to purple with either a
black or gold Speaker icon when the audio track is selected for monitoring playback
and output.
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• To hear more than 16 tracks at once, you must mix down some of them to a maximum of
16. For more information, see “Changing the Sample Rate” on page 174.
• By default, all monitored audio tracks are selected for scrubbing. To isolate specific
audio tracks for scrubbing, see “Soloing Audio Tracks in the Timeline” on page 163.
Monitoring a Solo Track
You can isolate an individual video or audio track for monitoring when editing without
having to deselect monitoring of all other tracks. Solo monitoring has several advantages:
• You can monitor the upper layers of a composited effect apart from the lower layers.
• You can isolate an individual audio track for monitoring without having to click several
audio tracks to deselect monitoring of all other audio tracks.
• You can overcome slow cueing and playback when working with a complex sequence
by isolating tracks for monitoring.
To select a track or tracks for solo monitoring:

t Ctrl+click (Windows) or k+click (Macintosh) the Track Monitor button for the chosen
track or tracks.
The Track Monitor button changes to green with a black Monitor icon (video track) or
black Speaker icon (audio track) to indicate solo monitoring.
To deselect solo monitoring:

t Click the soloed track monitors in the Track Selector panel.
The Monitor icon returns to normal functionality.
Patching Tracks
When working with multiple tracks, you might encounter a circumstance where you must
edit source audio or video onto a track other than the parallel track displayed in the Track
Selector panel. To edit the source material onto another record track above or below it, you
must patch the source track to the targeted record track.
You can perform only one patch per edit, but there is no limit on the number of times you
can patch from the same source track, and you can perform several patches prior to an edit.
Audio can patch only to audio, and video only to video.
n You can also patch tracks using the Auto-Patching option in the Edit tab of the Timeline
Settings dialog box. For more information, see “Timeline Settings Options (Edit Tab)” on
page 387.
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To perform a patch:
t Drag from a source track (audio or video) to the targeted record track.
A white arrow appears during the patch.
An audio patch from New source track

a source track to a order identifies the
record track. patch.
During patch After patch
To undo a patch:
t Manually repatch to the previous track.
The selected source track moves beside the record track to which it is patched as soon as you
draw the arrow and release the mouse. The patched track remains highlighted in preparation
for your edit. You can proceed to select any other tracks required for the edit.
n When you patch from one video track to another, the Video Track Monitor icon moves to the
track you are patching if Auto-monitoring is selected in the Edit tab of the Timeline Settings
dialog box (see “Timeline Settings Options (Edit Tab)” on page 387). Return to monitoring
the topmost track, when necessary, to play back and output all video tracks.
Sync Locking Tracks

The Sync Lock feature allows you to maintain synchronization among several tracks while
adding or removing frames in Trim mode or in Source/Record mode. For example, if you
insert an edit into one track that is sync locked to a second track, the system automatically
inserts filler in the second track to maintain sync between them.
There are several aspects unique to sync locking:

• Sync locking applies to single-roller trims only; dual-roller trims do not break sync.
• You can sync lock any number of tracks in any combination. The tracks do not require
matching timecode or common sources and can include multiple video tracks as well as
audio tracks.
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• Sync locking affects entire tracks. This means that parallel segments in other sync-
locked tracks are affected when you trim anywhere in the sequence.
Sync locking is especially useful when you are working with multiple tracks and want to
maintain sync between two or more tracks while trimming.
To sync lock the tracks:

t Click in the center column between track selectors to activate the Sync Lock icon for
each synchronized track.
To resume editing on individual tracks:

t Click again to remove the Sync Lock icon.
Adding Tracks
To add a new track to a sequence, do one of the following:
1. Load a sequence in the Composer monitor or the Source pop-up monitor.
t Select Clip > New Audio Track
t Select Clip > New Video Track
The new track appears in the Timeline.
To manage the numbering scheme of new tracks rather than use the consecutive
numbering default:
1. Press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) and select
Clip > New Audio Track or select Clip > New Video Track.
The Add Track dialog box opens.
2. (Option) Click the New Track Type menu, and select the type of track you want to add
by selecting that option.
3. (Option) Select a track number other than the default number displayed in the dialog
box by selecting another number from the Track Number pop-up menu.
4. Click OK. One of the following occurs:
- The new track appears in the Timeline and in the Track Selector panel.
- If you chose the number of an existing track in step 3, a dialog box asks if you want
to insert the new track. Click the Insert button to add the new track below the
current track with that number. The new track is labeled with the number you chose
and the existing tracks are renumbered in consecutive order.
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Deleting Tracks
To delete one or more tracks from the sequence:
n Make sure you deselect any tracks you want to keep before you delete others.
1. Click the Record Track buttons for the tracks, and press the Delete key.
The Delete Track dialog box opens.
2. Click OK.
The tracks are deleted.
To restore a deleted track:

t Select Edit > Undo.
Navigating in the Timeline

The Timeline provides various controls in the Timeline bottom toolbar for quickly moving
through a sequence and adjusting your view of details displayed in the tracks while editing.
You can use the position indicator or the Timeline scroll bar to navigate within the Timeline.
In addition, marked sections of the sequence are highlighted in the Timeline for visual
reference.
Bottom toolbar Video Quality Menu button Position indicator
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Navigating in the Timeline
Using the Position Indicator

The position indicator in the Timeline marks your place in the sequence. It also determines
how some of your commands are interpreted. When you drag the position indicator in the
Timeline, the smaller position indicator within the Composer monitor’s position bar also
moves.
Focusing the Timeline

The Focus button allows you to zoom in on a section of the Timeline. It is located in the
Timeline toolbar next to the Timeline Fast Menu button.
Focus button
The Focus button allows you to center the position indicator quickly and expand the
Timeline. The position indicator is centered in the window. When you click the Focus button
again, the Timeline returns to its previous size.
To focus the Timeline:

1. Move the position indicator to the frame or transition you want to expand.
2. Click the Focus button.
The region of the Timeline immediately surrounding the position indicator is centered
and enlarged.
3. Click the Focus button again to return to the previous view.
Using the Timeline Scroll Bar

The Timeline scroll bar appears along the bottom of the Timeline on the right side of the
Timeline bottom toolbar.
The Timeline scroll bar functions like any standard scroll bar. You can drag the scroll box to
reposition yourself within the Timeline, or click the arrows to scroll left or right.
Viewing Video Quality

Using the Video Quality Menu button in the Timeline bottom toolbar, you can play back
media in several ways:
• Full Quality mode uses full-image resolution but can handle only limited real-time
effect complexity
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• Draft Quality mode lets you view greater effect complexity in real time with a lower
quality image
• Best Performance plays even more real-time effects with the lowest resolution
For more information about the Video Quality Menu button, see “Playing Back at Different
Video Qualities” on page 209.
Editing in the Timeline: Basics

The following sections describe basic editing you can do in the Timeline:
• “Performing Segment Mode Edits” on page 142
• “Adding Filler” on page 148
• “Cutting, Copying, and Pasting in the Timeline” on page 150
For additional information, see “Editing in the Timeline: Advanced” in the Help.
Performing Segment Mode Edits

Segment editing is a unique feature of digital, nonlinear editing. Unlike traditional tape
editing, segment editing allows you to instantly reposition entire segments as though you
were physically “dragging” portions of your sequence across a tape. You can move audio
and video tracks separately or together, and you can reposition individual or multiple
segments at the same time.
There are two methods for editing segments or adding clips:

• Extract/Splice-in, indicated by a yellow arrow
• Lift/Overwrite, indicated by a red arrow
Consider the following when editing segments:

• Transition effects on either side of a moved selection are deleted. Transition effects
inside the selection are preserved.
• Moving segments snap to other segments in the Timeline. Head frames snap by default
together; pressing the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) causes tail
frames to snap together. Segments also snap to existing cuts, marks, or the
position indicator.
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Observe the following guidelines when selecting tracks:

• You cannot simultaneously move segments that are separated along the same track. You
can, however, move segments separated on different tracks.
• You cannot overlap the source and destination tracks. For example, you can move audio
segments from A3 and A4 to A1 and A2, but you cannot move them from A3 and A4 to
A2 and A3 (A3 overlaps).
• With a group, you can click any one of the selected segments to drag the entire group to
a new position.
• You can select black filler as a segment. See “Adding Filler” on page 148.
Selecting Segments with the Segment Mode Pointer
When you enter Segment mode, the pointer becomes enlarged and changes to yellow to
indicate Extract/Splice-in mode or red to indicate Lift/Overwrite mode. Outside the
Timeline, the pointer changes back to the standard arrow or I-beam, allowing you to perform
other functions while in Segment mode.
To select segments with the pointer:

1. Click one of the Segment Mode buttons located in the Timeline bottom toolbar next to
the scroll bar. The arrow changes to a pointing hand.
2. Click a segment in any track to select it. Shift+click additional segments to select a
group.
Lassoing One or More Segments
The system automatically enters Segment mode when you lasso segments from left to right.
To lasso segments:
t Click in the area above the tracks in the Timeline. Drag left to right and down to select
more than one segment.
Lasso box
Begin
Segment
End
To switch to Lift/Overwrite mode:

t Click the Lift/Overwrite button after drawing the lasso.
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Observe the following guidelines when lassoing segments:

• Position the pointer above the tracks before dragging. If you click within the tracks, you
simply relocate the position indicator to that position. To lasso segments in the middle of
the Timeline between multiple tracks, press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or the Ctrl
key (Macintosh), click above the tracks, and drag the lasso.
• Lasso at least two transitions or all transitions included in multiple segments. If your
lasso surrounds only one transition, you enter Trim mode.
• Drag from upper left to lower right.
Deselecting Segments
You can deselect one or more selected segments.
To deselect an entire track:

t Click the Track button in the Track Selector panel.
For example, if you lasso segments on V1, V2, and A1, you can click the V2 and A1
track buttons to leave only the segment on the middle track, V1, selected.
To deselect one or more segments:

t Use the Segment Mode pointer to Shift+click specific segments on any track, leaving
the remaining segments selected.
Understanding the Four-Frame Display
When you begin to drag the segments, the Source and Record monitors change to a four-
frame monitor display. The two outer frames are updated while you drag the segment
forward or backward in the Timeline, indicating the frames you pass as you drag the
segment. The two outer frames in the four-frame display make it easy to view and analyze
the frames between which you might want to drop the selected segment.
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Four-frame display The two outer frames indicate ending and beginning
frames of clips before and after the segment.
The two inner frames represent the start and end frames of the segment.
When you drag the segments, the original highlighted segment remains in place, while a
“ghost” segment enclosed in a dotted white box moves along with the pointer until you
release it at a new edit point.
Selected segment is dragged to new positions.
When you release the segment into its new position, the actual lift (Overwrite) or extract
(Splice-in) occurs. Until then, the segment position is preserved in the Timeline, allowing
you to maintain your perspective of the sequence while selecting the new edit point.
Extracting/Splicing-in Segments
Use Extract/Splice-in to move the selected segments in the Timeline without affecting the
adjacent material. The total duration of the sequence is unaffected.
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Like the standard Splice-in function, the Extract/Splice-in edit inserts the segment into the
new position. However, as an additional function, it also extracts (removes) the segment
from its previous position and closes the gap.
Before Splice-in
Clip W (selected clip) Clip Y Clip Z
After Splice-in Surrounding clips are unchanged.

Clip W Clip Y (selected clip) Clip Z
n For information on maintaining sync in the sequence when you use Extract/Splice-in, see
“Maintaining Sync in Segment Mode” in the Help.
To perform an Extract/Splice-in edit:

1. Click the Extract/Splice-in button (yellow arrow) in the Timeline bottom toolbar.
2. Select the segment you want to move.
3. Click the segment, and drag it to its new position.
4. Release the mouse button.
The system extracts the selected segment from its old position, closes the gap left by its
removal, and then splices the material back into the sequence at the newly selected
location.
5. Click the Extract/Splice-in button again if you want to leave Segment mode.
n To cancel a segment edit in progress, drag the segment out of the Timeline and release the
mouse button. Alternatively, select Edit > Undo.
Lifting/Overwriting Segments
Use Lift/Overwrite to replace existing material at the new position, while leaving blank
space in the previous position. The total duration of the sequence is unaffected. The material
in the sequence remains in sync.
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Like the standard Overwrite function, the Lift/Overwrite edit deletes and replaces
underlying material at the new position, effectively creating new edits. It also lifts the
segments from the previous position, leaving black or silence of the same duration on the
track (V1) selected.
Before Overwrite
Clip W (selected clip) Clip Y Clip Z
After Overwrite
Clip W Clip Y (selected clip) Clip Z
Black filler Underlying materials are overwritten.
To perform a Lift/Overwrite edit:

1. Click the Lift/Overwrite button (red arrow) in the Timeline bottom toolbar.
2. Select the segment you want to move.
3. Place a mark or the position indicator at the spot where you want to move the segment.
4. Click the segment, and drag it to its new position.
The system lifts the selected segment from its old position, leaving black filler, and then
overwrites the material onto the sequence at the newly selected location.
6. Click the Lift/Overwrite button again if you want to leave Segment mode, or continue to
lift and overwrite segments.
n To undo a segment move, select Edit > Undo or press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or
k+Z (Macintosh).
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Deleting Segments with Segment Mode
Segment mode allows you to quickly delete whole segments in the Timeline without having
to first mark IN and OUT points. In addition, you can select multiple segments in separate
tracks anywhere along the Timeline to delete them all at once.
To delete segments quickly:

1. Click one of the Segment Mode buttons:
- Extract/Splice-in (yellow) deletes the segments and closes the remaining gaps. The
total duration of the sequence is shortened, and any synchronized tracks lose sync.
- Lift/Overwrite (red) deletes the segments but leaves blank space or silence in their
place. The total duration of the sequence remains the same, and sync is maintained.
2. Select one or multiple segments.
3. Press the Delete key.
The segments are deleted.
n If the segment has an effect, the system deletes the effect first.
Adding Filler
After editing a few clips, you might want to add a small amount of black filler at the start of
your sequence. A brief moment of black before the start of your sequence is sometimes
useful during playback or when recording a digital cut. You can set the duration for filler at
the start of a sequence; see “Setting the Duration for Filler at the Start of a Sequence” on
page 149. You can also add filler at any time during editing to another part of the sequence.
To add filler at the start of a sequence, do one of the following:

t Right-click (Windows) or Ctrl+Shift+click (Macintosh) in the Timeline, and select Add
Filler at Start.
t Click in the Timeline, and select Clip > Add Filler at Start.
Filler appears at the beginning of the sequence in the Timeline.
n You cannot add filler to the end of a sequence.
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To add filler anywhere in a sequence:

1. Select Clip > Load Filler.
The system loads a 2-minute clip of filler into a Source pop-up monitor, or into the
Source monitor if you are using dual monitors.
Fast Menu
button
Mark IN button Mark OUT button
2. Select the length of filler, as needed, using the Mark IN and Mark OUT buttons.
3. Click the Fast Menu button.
The Tool palette appears.
4. Click the Splice-in or the Overwrite button on the Tool palette or press the Splice-in key
or the Overwrite key on the keyboard to edit the black into the sequence. See “Using the
Tool Palette” on page 115.
Setting the Duration for Filler at the Start of a Sequence
To set the duration of filler used at the start of a sequence:

2. Double-click Timeline.
The Timeline Settings dialog box opens.
3. Click the Edit tab.
4. In the option “Start Filler Duration n frames,” type the amount of filler you want to
appear by default when you select Clip > Add Filler at Start.
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5. Click OK.
For instructions on how to use filler, see “Adding Filler” on page 148.
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting in the Timeline

You can use the traditional shortcut keys for cutting, copying, and pasting segments selected
in the Timeline.
To cut or copy and paste:

1. Select the segment using one of the Segment Mode buttons.
t Select Edit > Copy.
t Press Ctrl+C (Windows) or k+C (Macintosh) to copy.
t Select Edit > Cut.
t Press Ctrl+X (Windows) or k+X (Macintosh) to cut.
3. Move the position indicator to the new IN point.
4. Select Edit > Paste to paste the segment in the Timeline.
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Chapter 9
Working in Trim Mode
Basic editing in the Timeline initially produces a rough cut, which can be loosely defined as
a series of straight-cut edits with many rough edges and few effects. After creating a rough
cut, you can enter Trim mode and fine-tune the transitions between each clip or between
whole segments. You can also trim edits as you build a sequence, rather than create a rough
cut first.
This chapter describes the basic Trim mode procedures. For more information about trim
mode, see “Working in Trim Mode: Advanced” in the Help.
You can enter Trim mode in several different ways, depending on the type of trim you expect
to perform. Once in Trim mode, you can:
• Select trim sides.
• Perform and review the trim.
• Trim on-the-fly.
• Trim video tracks.
See the following topics:

• Entering Trim Mode
• Exiting Trim Mode
• Trim Mode Displays
• Selecting Trim Sides
• Selecting Additional Transitions
• Performing a Basic Trim
• Trimming On-the-Fly with J-K-L Keys
• Trimming On-the-Fly with Mark IN and Mark OUT Keys
• Trimming Video Tracks
Chapter 9 Working in Trim Mode
Entering Trim Mode

To enter Trim mode, use one of the following methods:
t Press the Trim mode key ([) on the keyboard.
t Click the Trim Mode button on the Tool palette or in the Timeline top toolbar. See
“Using the Tool Palette” on page 115.
By default, the system enters Trim mode and selects the transition nearest the position
indicator for dual-roller trimming. This method is useful for selecting straight-cut
transitions on one track or across video and audio tracks. If the transitions are not
straight cuts (overlap cuts or L-edits), the Dual-Roller icon appears on the transition
nearest the position indicator of the topmost track, and all other tracks are deselected.
t Press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) and click the Trim Mode
button to select the previous trim-roller configurations. By default, when you enter Trim
mode, the trim rollers are set for dual-roller trimming. For more information about
selected trim sides, see “Selecting Trim Sides” on page 155.
t Lasso the transitions in the Timeline.
Draw the lasso by clicking at a point above the top track in the Timeline and by dragging
to surround the transitions. You can drag from right to left or from left to right, and you
can lasso single transitions across several contiguous tracks.
Lasso drawn across three tracks
Transitions are selected for dual-roller

trim
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Exiting Trim Mode
n Avoid lassoing more than one transition on a single track when lassoing from left to right
because this activates Segment mode and lassoing from right to left activates slipping trim
mode.
This method is useful when you need to select multiple transitions staggered across
tracks (overlap cuts) for simultaneous trimming.
n To select transitions located below several track layers, you can draw a lasso within the
Timeline by pressing the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) while you drag.
Exiting Trim Mode

To exit Trim mode, use one of the following methods:
t Click the Trim Mode button on the Tool palette.
t Press the Right Arrow key or the Left Arrow key.
t Press Esc.
t Click a specific location in the Timecode (TC1) track at the bottom of the Track Selector
panel.
The position indicator moves to that location.
Trim Mode Displays

You can trim in Big Trim mode or Small Trim mode. Your choice of mode depends on
whether you are using the dual Source/Record monitors or the single Composer monitor. For
more information about dual monitors, see “Using Dual Monitors” on page 99.
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To trim in Big Trim mode:

t With the dual Source/Record monitors displayed, click the Trim Mode button in the
Timeline top toolbar or on the Tool palette.
n For more information about the Timeline top toolbar or the Tool palette, see “Accessing the
Timeline Settings” in the Help or “Using the Tool Palette” on page 115.
Big Trim mode opens in both monitors.
Outgoing frames Incoming frames
Trim buttons Frame offset counters Play Loop button
154
Selecting Trim Sides
To trim in Small Trim mode:

t With the single Composer monitor displayed, click the Trim Mode button in the
Timeline top toolbar or on the Tool palette.
Small Trim mode opens in the Composer monitor.
Playback loop
parameters
Outgoing
Incoming frames frames
Frame offset counters

Trim buttons
Play Loop button
Selecting Trim Sides

You can trim a transition on either the outgoing side (A-side or tail), the incoming side (B-
side or head), or both sides (dual-roller).
To select sides of a transition to trim:

t Click the outgoing (A-side) or incoming (B-side) monitor to define which side of the
transition to trim. The pointer changes to a Single-Roller A-Side, Single-Roller B-Side,
or Dual-Roller icon, depending on the position of the pointer.
A-Side B-Side A and B
155
t Use the Trim-side buttons in the Trim tab of the Command palette to select side A,
side B, or both.
t Use the Cycle Trim Sides button in the Trim tab of the Command palette to cycle
between selection of the A-side, B-side, or both.
t In Big Trim mode, use the Trim Counter frame indicators located below the monitors.
Click the A-side or B-side of a frame indicator to select single-roller trimming, or
Shift+click both frame indicators to select dual-roller trimming.
The selected parts of the transition are highlighted, and the corresponding rollers appear
in the Timeline. Also, one or both of the frame counter indicators below the monitors
are highlighted to reflect the active trim sides: A-side, B-side, or both. The number
indicates how many frames have been added or subtracted from the transition.
t Click in between the two frames displayed in the Composer monitor to trim both sides.
Selecting Additional Transitions

While in Trim mode, you can select additional transitions for trimming in different contexts.
To select additional transitions on contiguous tracks for trimming on the same side:
t Click the corresponding Record Track buttons in the Track Selector panel. See “Using
the Track Selector Panel” on page 133.
Likewise, you can deselect tracks in the Track Selector panel to remove transitions on
those tracks from the trim procedure.
To select additional transitions for single-roller trimming in varying locations on

different tracks:
t Shift+click the transitions in the Timeline.
This method is useful when you are working with staggered transitions across multiple
tracks. It also allows you to select both A-side and B-side transitions for simultaneous
trimming in opposite directions (asymmetrical trim). This is not possible with dual-
roller trims.
As you move the pointer back and forth across a transition, the roller icon changes from an
A-side roller (facing left) to a B-side roller (facing right) to indicate the type of selection.
Single-Roller A-Side icon Single-Roller B-Side icon
t Click the divider between the two frames in the Composer window.
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Performing a Basic Trim
t Select one side, and then Shift+click to select the other side.
To quickly add multiple transitions to the currently selected transition:

t Press and hold the Shift key and lasso the additional transitions.
You can select and trim two heads or tails simultaneously, in any combination, for each track
in the sequence. All selected transitions are trimmed the same number of frames. This allows
you to save time and, in some cases, to maintain sync by performing a single-trim procedure
across multiple tracks and transitions. For more information about lassoing, see “Entering
Trim Mode” on page 152.
Performing a Basic Trim

After you select your transitions and trim sides, you can perform a basic trim.
To perform a trim, use one of the following procedures:

t Use the Trim buttons to trim forward or backward by 1-frame or 10-frame increments,
or by 1-frame or 8-frame increments (for 24p projects).
t Use the J-K-L keys to trim forward or backward in the sequence.

- This option is deselected as the default. To trim with J-K-L keys, click the Features
tab of the Trim Settings dialog box, select J-K-L Trim, and click OK. See “Trim
t Use the numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard, as follows:
- To move the transition a specific number of frames, type a plus sign (+) or minus
sign (–) and the number of frames (from 1 to 99) you want to move forward or
backward. Then press Enter.
If the number of frames is larger than 99, type an f after the number to indicate
frame count. For example, to enter 200 frames, type 200, then type f, and press
Enter.
- To move the transition to an exact timecode, type a timecode number larger than 99,
including frames. For example, type 102 to enter 1 second and 2 frames (1:02).
t Use controls in the Timeline by clicking a roller at the selected transition and by
dragging forward or backward in the sequence.
157
To have greater control:

t Press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) as you drag one frame at a
time.
t Press the Ctrl key (Windows) or the k key (Macintosh) to snap to other transition
points.
As you trim, all selected transitions in the Timeline move in unison. The Trim counter
displays the frame count backward or forward for one or both trim sides, and the monitors
display the new incoming or outgoing frames.
Trimming On-the-Fly with J-K-L Keys

In Trim mode, you can use the J-K-L keys on the keyboard to play outgoing or incoming
material and mark trim points. This is similar to the procedure for marking footage
on-the-fly, as described in “Marking and Subcataloging Footage” on page 116.
For convenience, this method isolates the trim controls to just three keys.
To trim on-the-fly:
1. Double-click Trim in the Settings list in the Project window.
The Trim Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click the Features tab.
3. Select J-K-L Trim.
n To use the J-K-L keys in Trim mode to only play, step, and shuttle, without trimming,
deselect the J-K-L Trim option in the Trim Settings dialog box.
4. Click either the outgoing (A-side) or incoming (B-side) monitor to play in real time
during the trim.
5. Select one or more transitions for single-roller or dual-roller trimming.
6. Use the J-K-L keys to step, play, or shuttle through the footage at varying speeds:
t Press and hold the K key while pressing the J or the L key to step slowly backward
or forward through the footage. When you find the frame where you want to
relocate the transition, release the K key to complete the trim.
t Press the J or the L key once to play at normal speed, or more than once to shuttle at
higher speeds. When you see the frame where you want to relocate the transition,
press the space bar or the K key to complete the trim.
The monitors and the Timeline are updated to reflect the trim.
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Trimming On-the-Fly with Mark IN and Mark OUT Keys
n When trimming with the J-K-L keys, you cannot completely trim away a segment. The Avid
system always leaves one frame. To remove the remaining frame, see “Performing a Basic
Trim” on page 157.
Trimming On-the-Fly with Mark IN and Mark OUT

Keys
You can trim on-the-fly by pressing a Mark IN key or a Mark OUT key on the keyboard
while you play and loop a transition in Trim mode. The system recuts the transition to the
mark and restarts the playback loop, so you can keep adjusting the edit every time it loops.
This method plays both sides of the transition instead of playing just the A side or the B side.
To trim with Mark IN and Mark OUT keys:

1. In Trim mode, select the outgoing side, the incoming side, or both for trimming.
2. Click the Play Loop button to loop playback of the selected transition.
3. During the playback loop, press the Mark IN key or the Mark OUT key.
The system trims the transition to the mark and restarts the playback loop.
To fine tune the trim:

t Press one of the following keyboard equivalents to further trim the edit during playback:
Trim Button Keyboard Equivalent
Trim Left 1 Frame comma (,)
Trim Right 1 Frame period (.)
Trim Left 10 Frames M
Trim Right 10 Frames forward slash (/)
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Trimming Video Tracks

In Trim mode, when you click the A-side or B-side of a transition, all trim rollers are set to
the selected side.
To reset the trim rollers on only the video tracks:

1. Make sure you are in Trim mode with a video track selected.
2. Press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) and click either the A-side
or B-side in the monitor (not the Timeline).
The trim rollers appear only on the video tracks of the selected side.
To save the position of the trim rollers:

t Press the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Macintosh) when you click the Trim
Mode button to return to Trim mode.
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Chapter 10
Working with Audio
You edit audio using many of the same techniques and tools you use to edit video, including
editing, Segment mode, and Trim mode functions. Your Avid system also provides several
unique features that facilitate audio editing, such as audio scrub, waveform displays, and
tools for adjusting and mixing audio levels and pan between speakers. In addition, you can
use the Audio Equalization (EQ) tool to adjust the high, low, and midrange frequency ranges
of segments. The following topics describe basic audio procedures:
• About Audio Tools
• Accessing Audio Effect Tools
• Audio Editing Aids
• Using the Audio Mixer Tool to Adjust Volume and Pan in the Timeline
• Changing the Sample Rate
You can also adjust clip gain and pan values, as well as automation gain and pan. For more
information, see “Adjusting Clip Gain and Pan Values” and “Understanding Automation
Gain and Pan” in the Help. For additional information about working with audio, see
“Working with Audio: Advanced” in the Help.
About Audio Tools

The Avid system provides a collection of tools for managing and fine-tuning audio volume,
pan, equalization, and transitions. The general purpose of each tool is as follows:
• Audio tool: Use this tool primarily to monitor global input and output levels when you
capture from analog sources or output to tape. For more information, see “Using the
Audio Tool” on page 64 and “Preparing for Audio Output” on page 268.
• Audio Mixer tool: Use this tool primarily for adjusting pan and volume levels on clips
or whole tracks within a sequence. For more information, see “Using the Audio Mixer
Tool to Adjust Volume and Pan in the Timeline” on page 168.
• Audio EQ tool: Use this tool for adjusting the sound characteristics of audio clips in the
sequence based on three-band control over high, low, and midrange frequencies. For
more information, see “Using the Audio EQ Tool” in the Help.
Chapter 10 Working with Audio
• Digidesign AudioSuite Plug-In tool: Use this tool to access third-party audio plug-ins.
For more information, see “Digidesign AudioSuite Plug-Ins” in the Help.
• Audio Punch-In tool: Use this tool to record up to two channels of audio directly into
the Timeline for voice-over narration. For more information, see “Recording
Voice-Over Narration” in the Help.
Accessing Audio Effect Tools

You can access the following tools from any of the audio effect tools:
• Audio Mixer (for adjusting pan and volume)
• AudioSuite
• Audio EQ
To access one of the audio effect tools:

t Select Tools > tool.
To switch to another tool:

t Click the Effect Mode Selector menu, and select the new tool.
Effect Mode
Selector
menu
To keep more than one tool open at the same time:

t Select the tool from the Tools menu or press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or the
Option key (Macintosh) while selecting a new tool from the Effect Mode Selector menu.
n You can open only one copy of an audio effect tool at a time. For example, you can open only
one copy of the Audio EQ tool.
The following section describes several features that help you locate transitions and monitor
audio samples while editing or adjusting sound with the tools.
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Audio Editing Aids
Audio Editing Aids

The Avid system provides audio track soloing, audio scrub features, pan defaults, and
waveform plots specifically designed for frame-accurate cueing, marking, and editing of
audio. You can use these features any time during editing or while making adjustments with
the audio tools.
Soloing Audio Tracks in the Timeline

You can solo multiple tracks in the Timeline. This feature allows you to:
• Listen to several tracks at once without turning other audio tracks off or down.
• Isolate audio tracks for audio scrubbing without having to deselect monitoring of all
other audio tracks.
To solo an audio track:

t Ctrl+click (Windows) or k+click (Macintosh) the Audio Track Monitor button for the
track that you want to solo.
The Audio Track Monitor icon changes to green.
To turn off soloing for the track:

t Click the Audio Track Monitor button again.
To turn off the solo feature for all tracks:

t Ctrl+Alt+click (Windows) or k+Option+click (Macintosh) an Audio Track Monitor
button for a solo track.
Adjusting Pan Defaults

The way your footage was recorded in the field and was captured with the Avid application
affects the way sound pans between the speakers. By default, the system pans audio tracks 1
and 3 to the left speaker output and pans audio tracks 2 and 4 to the right speaker output.
You can change the default global pan settings before or during editing using the Audio
Settings window and by selecting All Tracks Centered. The Audio Settings window also
provides options for adjusting the default audio pan when editing with new clips, and for
adjusting digital audio scrub parameters for monitoring and analyzing audio tracks and
transitions. See “Audio Settings” on page 308.
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For information on using the Audio Mixer tool to adjust pan for individual clips in a
sequence, see “Using the Audio Mixer Tool” on page 169.
To open the Audio Settings window:

2. Double-click Audio.
The Audio Settings window opens.
The option All Tracks Centered instructs the system to center the pan of all tracks between
the two speakers for monitoring and output.
For information about adjusting audio scrub parameters, see “Adjusting Digital Scrub
Parameters” in the Help.
Displaying Waveform Plots

You can use waveform plots to help you visually locate points in an audio track for editing or
trimming.
To display audio waveforms:

1. If you are searching for a point in a particular section of the tracks, zoom in and show
more detail in the sequence to isolate a section of the audio. With less audio to display,
the system draws the waveform plot faster.
2. Click the Timeline Fast Menu button, and select Sample Plot.
The sample plot displays the entire amplitude of the audio waveform. This is the same
as the sample voltage values you would see on an analog oscilloscope waveform.
3. Mark IN and OUT points in the Composer monitor for the portion you want to display.
n Mark only the area you want to work with, because the longer the marked region, the longer
it takes to display.
Waveform sample plot
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Audio Editing Aids
n Press Ctrl+period (Windows) or k+period (Macintosh) at any time during the redraw of
the waveform plot to stop the redraw.
4. (Option) Maximize the visibility of your waveform display using any of the following
procedures:
t Continue to expand or shrink your view of the Timeline using the scale bar,
effectively spreading out the waveform plots to show detailed variations in the audio
levels.
t To enlarge the height of selected audio tracks and subsequently the waveform
displays, press Ctrl+L (Windows) or k+L (Macintosh).
t To reduce the height of selected audio tracks and subsequently the waveform
displays, press Ctrl+K (Windows) or k+K (Macintosh).
t To enlarge the size of the sample plot image without enlarging its track, press
Ctrl+Alt+L (Windows) or k+Option+L (Macintosh).
This procedure is useful when you view detail in quiet passages.
t To reduce the size of the sample plot image without reducing its track, press
Ctrl+Alt+K (Windows) or k+Option+K (Macintosh).
This procedure is useful when you view detail in loud passages.
n You can set the option “Show Marked Waveforms” in the Display tab of the Timeline
Settings dialog box to narrow the view of the tracks in the Timeline. This option allows the
Timeline to display faster because the waveform is displayed only between the mark IN and
the mark OUT.
5. Move through the audio shown in the waveform using any of the playback methods.
You hear sound as you track the audio visually. When the position indicator is at the
point you want in the waveform, you can mark, trim, or perform any other function.
n Audio waveform plots can slow your navigation through the Timeline. Therefore, you might
want to use them selectively. To do this, you can create a custom Timeline view, as described
in “Navigating in the Timeline” on page 140.
n Once you have created a customized waveform view, you can select it from the Timeline View
menu when needed, and return to another view when you are done.
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Adjusting Volume Control (Software-Only Systems)

You can adjust or mute your speaker or headphone volume without leaving the application.
You can adjust volume from the Timeline top toolbar.
n Adjusting the volume control affects the volume only while you are in the Avid application.
Once you exit the application, the Volume control defaults to how it was set on your desktop.
To adjust the volume control:

1. In the Timeline top toolbar, click and hold the Master Volume button.
Master Volume button Meter Menu button
n If you do not see the Master Volume button, click the Meter Menu button and select Show
Audio Meters from the menu. The Master Volume button is displayed with the Audio Meters.
The Volume Control slider appears.
2. Continue to click and hold, and drag the volume control to the audio level you prefer.
To mute volume:
t In the Timeline top toolbar, click the Master Volume button.
Master
Volume
button
A line appears through the button, and no audio is heard through your speakers or
headphones.
To turn off muting:

t Click the Master Volume button again until the button appears without the red line
through it.
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Audio Editing Aids
Controlling Host Audio Devices (Software-Only Systems)

Avid allows the use of third party host audio devices such as a Sound Blaster® card or an
iMic™ in its software-only products. Although most of these devices work properly within
Avid applications, some of them exhibit problems such as drop out or audio clicking during
output. You might also encounter delayed audio issues when adding audio effects such as
automation gain. To help alleviate these problems, you can select Play Buffer Size in
Samples and Tool Buffer Size in Samples in the Audio Settings window.
The Play Buffer Size in Samples slider allows you to change the size of the host audio play
buffer during play and digital cut. Use this option if you are experiencing problems with play
performance to the host audio device. Avid recommends that you leave this setting in its
default position. Changing this parameter might cause audio or video underruns, dropped
frames, or increased noise in the audio output.
The Tool Buffer Size in Samples slider allows you to change the size of the host audio play
buffer during audio loop play and audio tools play (such as Automation Gain Record).
Reducing the tools play buffer size decreases the overall delay between the time an audio
parameter is adjusted in the user interface (UI) and the time that you hear those changes
through the speaker. Changing this parameter might cause dropped frames or increased
noise in the audio output. Since performance varies from machine to machine, you should
experiment to find a setting that works best. For best results with this setting, turn off or
disconnect all DV devices.
The preferred buffer size is determined by the host audio device that is connected to your
system. Avid strongly recommends using the default “recommended sample” setting that is
preselected for you.
To adjust the samples in the play buffer or tools buffer:

1. From the Project window, click the Settings tab.
2. Click Audio.
The Audio Settings window opens.
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3. In the Play Buffer Size in Samples area, click and drag the slider to select a sample size.
4. In the Tool Buffer Size in Samples area, click and drag the slider to select a sample size.
If the default setting is changed, a message box opens telling you how this change might
affect your system.
5. Click Change.
6. To choose the Avid recommended default setting, click the rs (recommended sample)
button.
Using the Audio Mixer Tool to Adjust Volume and

Pan in the Timeline
The Audio Mixer tool has three modes that allow you to perform the following tasks:
• Clip Gain and Pan mode allows you to adjust the overall volume and pan values for a
clip in the Timeline.
• Automation Gain and Pan mode allows you to record volume and pan changes within a
clip in the Timeline.
• Live Mix mode allows you to temporarily override any existing Automation Gain and
Pan settings. You can use the controls on the Audio Mixer tool or use an external
controller to change volume and pan settings without modifying the existing
Automation Gain and Pan settings.
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Using the Audio Mixer Tool to Adjust Volume and Pan in the Timeline
The following illustration shows the Audio Mixer tool in the three modes.
Clip Gain and Pan mode Automation Gain and Pan mode Live Mix mode
For additional information on adjusting audio volume in the Timeline, see “Audio Gain
Staging and an Audio Editing Workflow” in the Help.
Using the Audio Mixer Tool

To open the Audio Mixer tool, do one of the following:
t If one of the Audio tools is already open, click the Effect Mode Selector menu, and
select Audio Mixer.
t Select Tools > Audio Mixer.
The Audio Mixer tool opens in Clip Gain mode.
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Render Effect button
Audio Loop Play button Fast Menu button
Effect Mode Selector Display/Hide

pop-up menu Sliders button
Which Set of Tracks to Display in Mix

Panes pop-up menu
Bypass Clip Gain
button Auto button to switch
Track Solo and Track between modes
Mute buttons
Number of Mix Panes button
Track Selection
Menu buttons
Gang buttons
Volume Level display
Level slider
Pan Value and slider
To select Clip Gain mode or Automation Gain and Pan mode:

t Click the Auto button to change modes. Click the button to enter Automation Gain and
Pan mode and click the Auto button again to return to Clip Gain mode.
The Track Solo and Track Mute buttons let you mute and solo individual audio tracks during
Automation Gain and Pan recording. See “Track Solo and Track Mute Buttons” in the Help.
To select the Audio Mixer mode, do one of the following:

t Click and hold the Audio Mixer mode button, and select the mode from the menu.
t Click the Audio Mixer mode button and cycle through the Audio Mixer mode settings to
the mode you want to select.
The following illustration identifies the controls of the Audio mixer tool in Clip Gain and
Pan mode. For information on Automation Gain and Pan mode, see “Understanding
Automation Gain and Pan” in the Help. For information on Live Mixer mode, see “Using
Live Mix Mode” in the Help.
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Resizing the Audio Mixer Tool

To change the display from 8 tracks to 4 tracks or from 4 tracks to 8 tracks:
t Click the Number of Mix Panes button.
To simplify the Audio Mixer Tool display by hiding the Volume Level sliders:
1. Click the Display/Hide Sliders button.
The tool collapses.
2. Continue to adjust levels by doing one of the following:
t Select a track and type values using the numeric keypad on the keyboard.
t Type a value into the Volume Level display.
To resize the entire Audio Mixer tool:

t Drag the edge or corner of the tool.
n You can resize the Audio Mixer tool only when the sliders are displayed.
Selecting Tracks in the Audio Mixer Tool

When you select a track in the Audio Mixer tool, the system selects the corresponding track
in the Timeline. Likewise, when you select an audio track in the Timeline, the system selects
the corresponding track in the Audio Mixer tool.
n In previous releases you had to monitor a track in the Timeline before you could work with it
in the Audio Mixer tool. This is no longer necessary.
Using the Track Solo and Track Mute Buttons

The Track Solo and Track Mute buttons work in all three modes. The settings persist
between modes and stay in effect when you close the Audio Mixer dialog box.
n When you solo or mute tracks in the Audio Mixer tool, the system solos or mutes the
corresponding tracks in the Timeline.
Adjusting One Audio Track at a Time

To adjust one audio track at a time in the Audio Mixer tool:
1. Load a clip or sequence, and activate the appropriate monitor:
t To adjust a track in a source clip, click the Source pop-up monitor to make it active.
t To adjust a track in a sequence, click the Composer monitor to make it active.
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2. Select the track or portion of a track to be adjusted:

t To adjust the track in a single edited clip in a sequence, place the position indicator
in the clip.
t To adjust an isolated section of audio on a track, mark IN and OUT points.
Adjusting a clip with mark IN and mark OUT adjusts the entire clip.
t To adjust levels from an IN point through the end of the track, mark an IN point
only. One mark also adjusts the entire track from the beginning of the clip that
includes the mark.
t To adjust levels globally throughout the track, make no marks.
3. Select Tools > Audio Mixer.
The Audio Mixer tool opens.
n The Audio Mixer tool contains four or eight panels, one for each audio track in the Timeline
or source clip. The track selection buttons match the track selection buttons in the sequence
or source clip. When you select a track in the Audio Mixer tool, the system selects the
corresponding track in the Timeline or source clip.
4. Make sure the Auto button is deselected.

5. Select the audio track to be adjusted by doing one of the following:
t Click the Track Selection Menu button for the appropriate audio track.
t Alt+click (Windows) or Option+click (Macintosh) the Track Selection Menu
button, and then select a track.
6. Select Clip Gain and Pan mode as follows:
t Click and hold the Audio Mixer mode button, and select Clip Gain and Pan from the
menu.
t Click the Audio Mixer mode button and cycle through the Audio Mixer mode
settings to Clip.
7. Select the audio track to be adjusted by doing one of the following:
t Click the Track Selection Menu button for the appropriate audio track.
t Alt+click (Windows) or Option+click (Macintosh) the Track Selection Menu
button, and then select a track.Alt+click the Track Selection Menu button, and then
select a track.
n To verify or change the output channels, use the Audio tool (select Tools > Audio Tool).
8. With the Audio Mixer tool active, use any playback method (such as the J-K-L keys on
the keyboard) to play, shuttle, or step through the audio to check for necessary volume
or pan adjustments.
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The keyboard can control either the Source pop-up or Composer monitor, depending on
which monitor was active when you opened the Audio Mixer tool. Switch your selection
by clicking the appropriate monitor.
9. Decide whether to raise or lower the volume, or pan left or right, which adjusts the
volume or pan for a single clip. See “Changing an Audio Level” on page 173.
Volume
Level
display Click Gang buttons to
gang multiple tracks.
Audio Level slider
Pan Value
display
10. Adjust pan values. See “Adjusting Pan Values” on page 174.
11. Apply the adjustments to a chosen region of the track using the Fast Menu button
located in the top bar of the tool. See “Modifying Pan Values” in the Help.
12. Play through the audio again, using the J-K-L keys.
13. Repeat steps 9 through 12 until you are satisfied with the pan and volume levels.
The system uses the new settings whenever you play back or capture the sequence.
Changing an Audio Level
To change an audio level value in the audio track panel, do one of the following:
t Click a number along the vertical edge of the Level slider.
t Click the Level slider, type a value, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
Values are cumulative until you press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh). For
example, if you want to enter the value 12, type it. However, if you enter 1 and then
want to change the value to 2, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) before
typing the 2.
t Click the Level slider, and then drag the slider to a new position.
t Click the Volume Level display, type a value, and press Enter (Windows) or
Return (Macintosh).
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t Alt+click (Windows) or Option+click (Macintosh) the Level slider to reset the value to
0 dB.
Adjusting Pan Values
To adjust the pan values in the audio track panel, do one of the following:
t Click the Pan Value display to reveal the slider, and then drag the slider to a new
position.
t Alt+click (Windows) or Option+click (Macintosh) the Pan Value display for MID.
If the sequence is playing, play stops when you make an adjustment (the Audio Mixer
tool does not provide real-time audio control). You can adjust volume while playing the
clip. For more information, see “Adjusting Volume While Playing an Audio Mix Effect”
in the Help.
Changing the Sample Rate

You can change the sample rate for sequences and audio clips from within the Change
Sample Rate dialog box. Since you can combine clips of different sample rates in the same
sequence, this feature is useful when you need to ensure that the entire sequence has the
same sample rate for a digital cut or export.
To change the sample rate for a sequence or an audio clip:

1. Select one or more sequences or audio clips in the bin.
2. Select Bin > Change Sample Rate.
The Change Sample Rate dialog box opens.
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Changing the Sample Rate
3. Select from the options in the following table.
Change Sample Rate Options
Option Description
Sample Rate Selects between 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and 48 kHz.

The broadcast standard for most high-end video postproduction houses is 48
kHz. Select the rate based on the requirements of your facility.
For information on setting the sample rate for a project, see “Transfer Settings for
Film Projects” on page 299.
Quality Selects High, Medium, or Low conversion quality.
Delete Original Media The system automatically deletes the original media after the conversion process
is complete.
n If you do not select this option, you end up with two sets of master clips
and two sets of media files.
Destination Drive Identifies the drive for the new media files.
Make sure that you select a destination drive with enough storage space for the
generated media files and the ability to play back media.
4. Click OK.
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Chapter 11
Managing Media Files
When you capture footage, the system creates digital media files for the video and audio
tracks on the media drives attached to your system. In addition to the bin tools that allow you
to organize the clips that reference these media files, your Avid system provides useful tools
and features for directly managing media files for storage and playback efficiency, for
backup, and for transfer between systems.
The following topics describe these procedures:

• Using the Media Tool
• Consolidating and Transcoding Media
• Refreshing Media Databases
For more information about managing media files, see “Managing Media Files: Advanced”
in the Help.
Panasonic’s DVCPRO P2 equipment records DV, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO 50 media on

compact, solid-state memory cards (P2 cards). Avid editing applications support editing of
media directly from these memory cards, without the need to capture or import. The result is
a streamlined workflow that is particularly efficient in a news-gathering organization. For
more details, see “Using Panasonic DVCPRO P2 Equipment” in the Help.
Using the Media Tool

The Media tool is your window to the captured video and audio data files stored on your
media drives. As an important counterpart to the bins, the Media tool provides similar
database tools for manipulating digital media files in tandem with your organization of clips
and sequences.
Chapter 11 Managing Media Files
Basic Media Tool Features

The Media tool provides many of the same controls for viewing and managing information
that you use with bins:
• The four display views in the Media tool function like those in bins: Brief view, Text
view, Frame view, and Script view.
• You can use Text view headings and options for columns of clip and media file data.
You can also use procedures such as customizing the display of columns, moving within
columns, and sorting information, as described in “Using Text View” on page 88.
• You can use the same Brief view, Frame view, and Script view information described in
“Using Brief View” on page 90, “Using Frame View” on page 91, and “Using Script
View” on page 92.
• The Media Tool Fast menu gives you quick access to the same commands available in
the Bin Fast menu. See “Organizing with Bins: Advanced” in the Help.
• You can highlight, move, copy, duplicate, delete, sort, and sift clips in the Media tool.
You can also select media relatives, sources, and unreferenced clips, as described in
“Manipulating Clips in the Bin” on page 87.
• Media Tool database and display options are saved as User settings. When you close the
Media tool, the view you are in (Brief, Text, Frame, or Script) is saved and any
customizations of columns are saved.
• You can print Media Tool data using the same procedures for printing bins, as described
in “Printing Bins” in the Help.
The Media tool also has a number of unique features:

• Unlike a bin, the Media tool can display all the tracks captured for each clip as separate
media files. Therefore, when you view, delete, and manipulate files, you have the added
option of specifying individual video and audio tracks.
• Unlike a bin, the Media tool does not display sequences and subclips. Only master clips,
precompute (rendered effect) clips, and associated media files are available for display.
• The following Bin menu commands do not apply to the Media tool: Batch Capture,
Batch Import, Relink, Modify, AutoSync™, and AutoSequence. You must perform these
functions from a bin.
Opening the Media Tool

To open the Media tool:
1. Select Tools > Media Tool.
The Media Tool Display dialog box opens.
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Using the Media Tool
2. Select the display options as follows:

- Select individual media drives or all drives.
n The Media tool loads the media database only for the drives you select. The more drives you
select, the more memory is required for the Media tool to open.
- Display files for the current project, for selected projects, or for all projects.
n Only projects with associated online media and the current project appear in the Project(s)
list in the Media Tool Display dialog box.
- Display captured master clips, precompute (rendered effect) clips, or media files, or
any combination of the three.
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3. Click OK.
The Media tool opens.
Master clip
Precompute
clip
Deleting Media Files with the Media Tool

You can use the Media tool to delete selected media files without harming the related master
clips, subclips, and sequences.
n If you use the Media tool to delete selected media files, you no longer have access to visuals
of the deleted material. If you load a clip for which a media file has been deleted, a blank
screen appears with the message “Media Offline.” If you need to use those clips again, you
must recapture from tape.
Depending on your needs, you can do one of the following:

t Delete selected audio or video media files associated with a clip and retain other media
files.
t Delete entire sets of media files and related clips from within the Media tool.
t Delete all unrelated media upon completion of a project, and retain only the media
required for playback of a finished sequence as described in “Consolidating and
Transcoding Media” on page 181.
To delete selected media files:

1. Open the Media tool as described in “Opening the Media Tool” on page 178.
2. Select one or more media files (audio, video, or both) or master clips whose media files
you want to delete.
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Consolidating and Transcoding Media

t Select Edit > Delete.
t Press the Delete key.
The Delete Media dialog box opens.
4. Select the media files that you want to delete:
- Video media file (V). The master clip linked to that file is black, and the message
“Media Offline” is displayed in the Source pop-up or the Composer monitor.
Related subclips and sequences are affected in the same way.
- Audio media file (A1, A2, A3, A4). The master clip linked to that file is silent.
Subclips and sequences created from the master clip are affected in the same way.
- Precompute media file (V, A). The section of the sequence with the effect is black,
and the message “Media Offline” is displayed.
5. Click OK.
A dialog box opens.
6. Click Delete.
The selected media files are deleted.

When you consolidate media files, the system finds the media files or portions of media files
associated with selected clips, subclips, or sequences. It then makes copies of them and
saves the copies on a target drive that you specify.
You can use the Consolidate feature for three basics purposes:
• To copy media onto one drive for storage or transfer to another system.
• To keep only the media required to play back a sequence, and delete the rest to use less
storage space.
• To create backup files.
n Because the Media tool displays only master clips, you cannot consolidate subclips or
sequences with the Media tool. You can consolidate master clips, subclips, and sequences in
a bin.
You can use the Transcode option to create a playable sequence from clips that have
different resolutions.
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Understanding the Consolidate Feature

The Consolidate feature allows you to create and save copies of the sequence’s media files to
a selected drive. This makes it relatively simple to move source files with you when you
work on a different system. Using the Consolidate feature has the advantage of copying only
the amount of media necessary; you save only the sequences and clips used in the project.
For example, it does not copy an entire 1-hour audio file to consolidate a single
10-second clip.
The Consolidate feature operates differently depending on whether you are consolidating
master clips, subclips, or sequences. There are also different advantages in each case, as
follows:
• Master clips: When you consolidate a master clip, the system creates exact copies of
the media files. If you link the original master clip to the new files, the system creates a
master clip with the file name extension .old that remains linked to the old files. If you
maintain the link between the original master clip and the old media files, the system
creates a new master clip with the file name extension .new that is linked to the new
files.
The new clips are also numbered incrementally beginning with .01. Consolidating
master clips does not save storage space because the system copies the same amount of
media for each clip.
Consolidating a Master Clip
Media consolidated to Drive B, Media consolidated to Drive B,

new clip linked to new files new clip linked to old files
Master Clip Original media file Master Clip.old.01 Original media file
on media drive A on media drive A
Master Clip.new.01 Copy of media file Master Clip Copy of media file
on media drive B on media drive B
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• Subclips: When you consolidate a subclip or group of subclips, the system copies only
the portion of the media files represented in the subclip, and creates a new master clip
that is the duration of the subclip and a new subclip. The file name extension .new is
attached, along with incremental numbering beginning with .01.
Consolidating a Subclip
Media for subclip consolidated to Drive B,

new subclip linked to new files
Master Clip
Original media file
on media drive A
Subclip
Master Clip.new.01
Subclipped copy of
media file
Subclip.new.01 on media drive B
• Sequences: When you consolidate a sequence, the system copies only the portions of
media files edited into the sequence, and creates new master clips for each clip in the
sequence. The file name extension .new is attached to the master clips, along with
incremental numbering beginning with .01. The sequence is not renamed but is
automatically relinked to the new media files.
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Consolidate finished sequences to:

- Create backup files.
- Preserve only the captured media required for playback, and delete the rest to use
less storage space.
- Gather dispersed media onto one drive for storage or transfer to another system.
n Because a consolidated sequence is linked to the new files by default, consider duplicating
the sequence each time you consolidate if you need to maintain links to the original files.
Consolidating a Sequence
Original media files Edited copies of media files
Clip A Clip B Clip C Clip A.new.01 Clip B.new.01 Clip C.new.01
New links are established.

Original links are broken.
Sequence
Using the Consolidate Command
c Do not make copies of media files from the desktop while the Avid application is
running. Also, do not keep duplicate copies of media files online; either delete the
originals, take the backups offline, or store the backups in a folder with a different
name.
To consolidate master clips, subclips, or sequences:

1. If you are consolidating a sequence, duplicate the sequence to maintain links to the
original files, if necessary, and render any unrendered effects.
n For more information on rendering effects, see the effects guide for your system or the Help.
2. Select a clip or sequence.
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3. Select Bin > Consolidate/Transcode.

The Consolidate/Transcode dialog box opens.
4. Select the Consolidate option in the upper left corner.

5. In the Target Drive(s) area, select a drive or drives.
6. Select options as described in “Consolidate Options” on page 186.
7. Click the Consolidate button in the lower right corner.
The Copying Media Files dialog box opens.
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8. Select an option for how you want your clips to link to the new media. For more
information, see “Understanding the Consolidate Feature” on page 182.
9. Click OK.
The application creates new media files and new clips which are linked according to
your selection.
Another way to back up media files is to copy them directly onto another hard drive by using
the Windows desktop or the Macintosh desktop. You cannot, however, take advantage of the
storage-saving features of the Consolidate command, and it is more difficult to identify
particular media files when searching directly through folders.
Consolidate Options
The following table describes the options for consolidating in the Consolidate/Transcode
dialog box.
Consolidate Options
Option Suboption Description
Video and audio on same Select to store the consolidated media files on the
drive(s) same target drive. Deselecting this option allows you
to select separate drives for the audio and video media
files.
Handle length n frames If you are consolidating subclips or sequences, type a

handle length for the new clips, or accept the default:
leave it at 60 frames (NTSC), 50 frames (PAL), or
24 frames (progressive). The handle length is the
number of frames outside the IN and OUT points that
you can use for dissolves and trims with the new,
shorter master clips.
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Consolidate Options (Continued)
Create new sequence(s) Select this option to create a new sequence from the
consolidated clips (appears only if you selected a
sequence).
Delete original media Select to delete original media files automatically.

files when done
Skip media files already Select to bypass files if some related media files are
on the target drive already located on the target drive.
Relink selected clips to Select to ensure that all selected clips are linked to
target drive before media on the target drive. This option appears when
skipping you select “Skip media files already on the target
drive.”
Convert Audio Sample Select this option to convert any sample rates not set in
Rate the Sample Rate menu in the Main tab in the Audio
Project Settings window. For information on setting
the sample rate, see “Changing the Audio Sample Rate
for Sequences and Audio Clips” on page 334.
Target Audio Sample Rate Select a sample rate for the sequence.
Convert Audio Sample Select this option to convert the audio to the target
Bit Depth sample bit depth.
Target Audio Sample Bit Select either16 bit or 24 bit.

Depth
Convert Audio Format Select this option to convert the audio to the target
audio format.
Target Audio Format Select either OMF (WAVE), OMF( AIFF-C), or MXF
(PCM) audio format. See ”Audio File Formats” in the
Help.
Using the Transcode Option

The Transcode option in the Consolidate/Transcode dialog box lets you create a playable
sequence from clips that have different resolutions. Even though you are changing the
resolution to a possibly higher quality resolution, your footage will not look better than the
resolution you selected for capture. For example, if you capture your video at 15:1 to save
space and then transcode the sequence to 1:1, the sequence will not look uncompressed.
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To use the Transcode option:

1. Select a clip or sequence in a bin.
2. Select Bin > Consolidate/Transcode.
The Consolidate/Transcode dialog box opens.
3. Select the Transcode option in the upper left corner.
4. In the Target Drive(s) area, select a drive or drives. To select additional target drives,
Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) the drive name.
5. Click the Target Video Resolution menu, and select a video resolution.
6. Select options as described in “Transcode Options” on page 188.
7. Click the Transcode button in the lower right corner.
Transcode Options
The following table describes the options for transcoding in the Consolidate/Transcode
dialog box.
Transcode Options
Video and audio on same Select to store the transcoded media files on the same
drive(s) target drive. Deselecting this option allows you to
select separate drives for the audio and video media
files.
Handle length n frames If you are transcoding subclips or sequences, type a

handle length for the new clips, or accept the default:
leave it at 60 frames (NTSC) or 50 frames (PAL).
The handle length is the number of frames outside
the IN and OUT points that you can use for dissolves
and trims with the new, shorter master clips.
Create new sequence(s) Select this option to create a new sequence from the
transcoded clips.
Convert Video Select this option to convert the video to the target
video resolution.
Target Video Resolution Select a video resolution for the sequence.
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Refreshing Media Databases
Transcode Options (Continued)
Convert Audio Sample Rate Select this option to convert any sample rates not set
in the Sample Rate menu in the Main tab in the
Audio Project Settings window. For information on
setting the sample rate, see “Changing the Audio
Sample Rate for Sequences and Audio Clips” on
page 334.
Target Audio Sample Rate Select a sample rate for the sequence.
Convert Audio Sample Bit Select this option to convert the audio to the target
Depth Conversion sample bit depth.
Target Audio Sample Bit Select either16 bit or 24 bit.

Depth
Convert Audio Format Select this option to convert the audio to the target
audio format.
Target Audio Format Select either OMF (WAVE), OMF (AIFF-C), or

MXF (PCM) audio format. See Audio File Formats”
in the Help.
Refreshing Media Databases

Refresh the media directories after you remove media from the media drives (for example,
after you have physically moved drives). The Refresh Media Directories command
reexamines all the media databases on the system. This command can take a long time to
execute on systems that have large amounts of media online.
To refresh media databases:

t Select File > Refresh Media Directories.
c If a bin continues to display the message “Media Offline” after refreshing the media
database, either the media files are missing or the links have been broken. For more
information, see “Relinking Media Files” in the Help.
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Chapter 12
Working with Effects
Your Avid editing application offers many effects that you can apply to your sequences. The
following topics explain basic effects concepts that you need to understand before you work
with effects, and provides basic procedures for creating, adjusting, playing, and rendering
effects:
• Types of Effects
• Real-Time Effects and Non-Real-Time Effects
• AVX Plug-In Effects
• Using the Effect Palette
• Applying Effects
• Adjusting Effects
• Working with Keyframes
• Playing an Effect in Effect Mode
• Playback of Video Effects
• Basics of Effects Rendering
For more advanced information about working with effects, see the Avid Xpress Pro
Advanced Effects Guide in the Help.
Types of Effects
The effects available in Avid editing applications can be divided into a number of categories,
which are described in the remainder of this section.
It is important to understand that there is considerable overlap within these categories. For
example, Timewarp effects are one of the main types of motion effects available in Avid
editing applications, but they are also examples of segment effects. The categories are listed
here to give you a basic understanding of the range of effects available, and as an
introduction to some of the effects terminology that is used throughout Avid’s
effects documentation.
Chapter 12 Working with Effects
Transition Effects
Transition effects are any effects that are applied at the cut point between two video clips
that are on the same track (the same video layer) in a sequence. Examples of transition
effects are dissolves, fades, and wipes.
Segment Effects
Segment effects are applied to an entire clip or group of clips in a sequence. For example,
you might apply a Color Effect to several segments in a sequence and use the effect to tint
those segments to suggest that the action they contain is taking place in the past.
Segment effects fall into two subcategories. A single-layer segment effect is applied to a
segment on one video track and needs only one stream of video to create its effect. For
example, the Mask effect lets you mask out some parts of the video in a segment, replacing it
with a solid color.
A multilayer segment effect is applied to the top layer or a middle layer of segments
containing two or more video tracks that will be played simultaneously. A multilayer
segment effect requires more than one video layer to create its effect. For example, a Picture-
in-Picture effect displays video from an upper video track inside video from a lower track.
Motion Effects
Motion effects manipulate the motion characteristics in a clip, for example, by freezing
action or by varying the speed at which a clip plays. You can create motion effects in two
ways: by generating new clips with fixed motion characteristics, or by using the Timewarp
effects to change the motion characteristics of clips already edited into a sequence. For
information on motion effects, see “Creating and Customizing Motion Effects” in the Help.
Title Effects
Title effects contain text and graphic objects that you create with one of the title tools
available in your Avid editing application. Title effects are saved into bins as a special clip
type, and are edited onto their own layers in a sequence, usually above all other video layers.
For information on title effects, start with the chapter “Working with Titles” on page 237.
2D Effects and 3D Effects
Effects in Avid editing applications can be either 2D or 3D. 2D effects appear to be acting in
the two dimensions of the screen the viewer is watching and do not give an impression of
depth. 3D effects give an impression of depth, for example by wrapping a video image
around a sphere. Some Avid effects are 2D only or 3D only, while others have both 2D and
3D versions, or can be promoted from 2D to 3D. For specific information on working with
3D effects, see “Working with 3D Effects” in the Help.
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Real-Time Effects and Non-Real-Time Effects
Nested Effects
Nested effects are effects that you apply inside other effects on the same video layer. Effect
nesting allows you great flexibility to apply multiple effects to the same segment in a
sequence. For example, you might want to apply a color effect within an existing Picture-in-
Picture effect. To do this, you can nest the color effect inside the Picture-in-Picture. For more
information, see “Creating Layered and Nested Effects” in the Help.
Key Effects
Key effects are effects that use specific rules to define how parts of one image show through
another image. The best-known example of a key effect is a chroma key, for example, where
an actor shot in front of a blue or green screen can appear to be standing in front of any other
background. The key effect replaces the blue or green color in the foreground shot with parts
of the background shot. For more information, see “Creating Layered and Nested Effects” in
the Help.
Camera Effects
Camera effects are a category of effects that control the apparent motion of the camera. For
example, your Avid editing application lets you stabilize a clip that shows unwanted camera
motion or simulate a camera’s pan and zoom motion over an imported graphic image. For
more information, see “Working with Camera Effects” in the Help.
PlasmaWipe Effects
Some Avid editing applications have a distinct category of effects called PlasmaWipe
effects. These effects use gradient image bitmaps to create highly-customizable wipes and
segment effects. You can use one of the many preset effects or create your own using new
gradient images. For more information, see “Working with PlasmaWipe Effects” in the
Help.
Real-Time Effects and Non-Real-Time Effects

Effects in Avid editing applications can be either real-time or non-real-time. A real-time
effect is an effect that you can apply to a sequence and play without having to render it first.
Rendering is a processing operation that your Avid editing application performs to merge
effect layers, creating one stream of digital video for playback in real time. (The rendering
process takes time and creates a new media file that occupies drive space.) Non-real-time
effects must be rendered before you can play them back. Without rendering, non-real-time
effects can be previewed or played as an outline.
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A real-time effect has a small green dot in the Effect Palette and within the effect icon in the
Timeline. Effects that must be rendered have a small blue dot within the effect icon in the
Timeline. For more information, see “Understanding Effect Color Coding” in the Help.
You can create a sequence that has any number of real-time and non-real-time effects.
However, there are limits on how many real-time effects your Avid editing application can
play at once without rendering some of the effect or reducing the video quality level to ease
the processing demands on your computer system.
When you want to play or output a sequence that includes effects, you might have to render
some of the effects. You have to render any effect that is non-real-time, and you might need
to render some of the effects that are normally real-time.
The exact number of effects that you must render depends on several factors, including the
capabilities of your computer system and the complexity of your sequence. For more
information, see “Playback of Video Effects” on page 207 and “Basics of Effects
Rendering” on page 212.
AVX Plug-In Effects

Avid editing applications support the Avid Visual Extensions (AVX™) standard. AVX is a
cross-platform technology that allows software effect modules (plug-ins) to be dynamically
linked to an Avid editing application.
Some of the effects that are supplied by Avid with your Avid editing application use the
AVX technology, while others do not. In general, you work in almost exactly the same way
with both types.
The AVX technology is also used by third-party developers to create effect plug-ins that you
can purchase, install, and use to extend the effects functionality of your Avid editing
application. Third-party AVX plug-in effects might have controls that look very similar to
standard Avid effect controls, or they might have custom user interfaces.
Using the Effect Palette

The Effect Palette is a window that lists all transition and segment effects and some motion
effects that are available for your editing application. The Effect Palette is the primary tool
that you use to apply effects to your sequences.
The left side of the Effect Palette displays a scrollable list of effect categories. The right side
shows the various effects that are available for the currently selected effect category.
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Applying Effects
The Effect Palette displays all of the effect categories available for your Avid editing
application. If you have purchased and installed any third-party AVX plug-in effects, these
also appear in the Effect Palette.
If you have saved any effect templates to a bin, and have that bin open, those templates also
appear in the Effect Palette. For information on effect templates, see “Using Effect
Templates” in the Help.
To display the Effect Palette:

t In the Project window, click the Effects tab.
To resize the Effect Palette:

t Click the lower right corner of the Project window, drag the window to the size you
want, and release the mouse button.
Applying Effects
You apply the great majority of effects to video material once it has been edited into a
sequence. This section describes basic methods for applying effects to a sequence using:
• The Effect Palette
• The Quick Transition button
In addition to the methods described in this section, you can also:

• Use the Fade Effect button to fade segment effects. For more information, see “Using
the Fade Effect Button” on page 205.
• Create titles and some types of motion effects as new clips that you then edit into a
sequence. For more information, see the chapter “Working with Titles” on page 237 and
“Creating and Customizing Motion Effects” in the Help.
For information on deleting effects from a sequence, see “Deleting Effects in a Sequence” in
the Help.
Applying Effects From the Effect Palette

You apply an effect from the Effect Palette by dragging the effect icon into the Timeline and
dropping it on the transition or segment to which you want it to apply.
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Remember that you can apply effects either to transitions (the cut points between two video
segments) or to segments. Most effects are only suitable for one of these applications, so, for
example, you cannot apply every effect in the Effect Palette to a transition. For more
information on the use of an individual effect, see the reference information for the effect in
“2D Effects Reference” or “3D Effects Reference” in the Help.
This section describes basic methods for applying a single effect or for applying an effect to
multiple segments at the same time. You can also apply an effect to multiple transitions at
the same time. For more information, see “Applying Effects to Multiple Transitions” in the
Help.
To apply an effect to a single transition or to a single segment in the Timeline:

t Click the icon for the effect in the Effect Palette, drag the effect icon over the transition
or segment in the Timeline, and release the mouse button.
If there is not enough incoming or outgoing media to apply a transition effect at its
default length, the Insufficient Source dialog box opens. For more information, see
“Sizing Effects to Fit the Media” on page 197.
To apply an effect to multiple segments in the Timeline:

1. Enter Effect mode by selecting Toolset > Effects Editing.
For more information, see “Entering Effect Mode” on page 202.
2. Click above the Timeline and to the left of the leftmost segment that you want to select
and begin dragging to the right and down to activate a selection box.
3. Continue to drag the selection box to the right until you lasso the rightmost segment that
you want to select.
Selection box
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Applying Effects

The segments that you selected are highlighted.
5. If the segments where you want to apply the effect are not contiguous, Shift+click a
segment to deselect it.
6. In the Effect Palette, double-click the effect’s icon that you want to apply to the
segments.
The effect is applied to the highlighted segments in the Timeline.
If there is not enough incoming or outgoing media to apply a transition effect at its
default length, the Insufficient Source dialog box opens. For more information, see
“Sizing Effects to Fit the Media” on page 197.
Sizing Effects to Fit the Media
When you apply a transition effect from the Effect Palette and not enough source media
exists to apply the effect, the Insufficient Source dialog box opens.
197
The dialog box shows a graphical display that indicates whether the source that has
insufficient material is Media A (outgoing footage), Media B (incoming footage), or both.
To automatically size an effect to fit the media:

t Click Size to Fit.
The Avid editing application sets the duration of the effect to fit the available media. If you
have selected an alignment, the application attempts to preserve it.
To change the alignment or duration of the transition effect, see “Creating a Dissolve in Trim
Mode” in the Help.
n Although the graphical display in the Insufficient Source dialog box is similar to the
graphical display in the Quick Transition dialog box, you cannot adjust an effect by
dragging in the Insufficient Source dialog box.
Using the Quick Transition Button

You can use the Quick Transition button to apply the following transition effects without
using the Effect Palette and to adjust them for position and duration without entering Effect
mode:
• Dissolves
• Film Dissolves
• Film Fades
• Fade to Color
• Fade from Color
• Dip to Color
You can add the same transition effect to multiple transitions by marking IN and OUT points
in your sequence that select all the transitions to which you want to apply the effect. When
you click the Quick Transition button, the Quick Transition dialog box contains a check box
for Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT). For more information, see “Using the Quick
Transition Button to Apply Effects to Multiple Transitions” in the Help.
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Applying Effects
To create an effect by using the Quick Transition button:

1. Move the position indicator to the transition in the Timeline.
2. Click the Quick Transition button.
n The Quick Transition button appears on the Tool palette, in the Timeline top toolbar, and on
the Command palette. For more information, see “Using the Tool Palette” on page 115,
“Using the Timeline Top Toolbar” on page 119, and “Using the Command Palette” on
page 112.
The Quick Transition dialog box opens.
Dissolve Effect icon
Outgoing Incoming media

media
Frames of
incoming
media Frames of outgoing
available for media available for the
the effect effect
The dialog box shows a graphical display of the outgoing media (A) and incoming
media (B), with the Dissolve Effect icon applied to the transition.
The application scales the graphical display to show the relative size of the Dissolve
effect and the media available for the effect.
Below the graphical display on the left is the number of frames of incoming media (B)
available before the cut, and on the right is the number of frames of outgoing media (A)
available after the cut.
For more information, see “Understanding the Graphical Display in the Quick
Transition Dialog Box” in the Help.
3. Click the Add menu at the top of the dialog box, and select a transition effect.
For an explanation of individual effects shown in the menu, see “Blend Effects” in
the Help.
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n When you save a Dissolve effect template into a bin named Quick Transitions, the effect
template appears in the Add menu. For more information, see “Using Effect Templates” in
the Help.
n When you select a color transition with Quick Transition, the default color is black. You must
enter Effect mode to select another color. For more information, see “Using the Effect
Editor” in the Help.
4. Set the transition duration by doing one of the following:

t Type the duration in frames in the Duration text box.
t Click either the left edge or right edge of the Dissolve Effect icon and drag it to
change the duration.
The graphical display changes — the size of the effect icon increases or decreases, and
the numbers in the Duration and Start text boxes change — to reflect the new duration.
5. Adjust the effect’s position relative to the cut point in one of the following ways:
t Click the Position menu, and select a command to end the effect at the cut point,
center on the cut point, or start at the cut point.
t Click the Position menu, select Custom, and then type a number in the Start text box
to specify how many frames before the cut point you want the effect to begin.
t Click the Dissolve Effect icon, and drag it to position the effect with respect to the
cut point.
t Click one of the alignment buttons below the graphical display.
These buttons appear when you select Custom from the Position pop-up menu or
click in the graphical display. For more information, see “Understanding the
Graphical Display in the Quick Transition Dialog Box” in the Help.
Alignment buttons
The application positions the effect, updates the graphical display to show the new
position of the effect, and updates the value in the Start text box.
If you select an alignment for which there is not enough media, the application comes as
close as it can to the alignment you requested.
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Applying Effects
6. If you click the Dissolve Effect icon and drag it, the Position menu changes to Custom.
Indicate where the effect is to start — that is, how many frames before the cut you want
to include in the Dissolve. Do one of the following:
t Click near the middle of the Dissolve Effect icon and drag it to dynamically change
the number of frames.
t Click one of the alignment buttons below the graphical display to specify the effect
as ending at cut, centered on cut, or starting at cut.
t Type the number of frames in the Start text box.
The graphical display changes to show the relative amount of media available and
the relative position of the effect, and the new value appears in the Start text box.
7. Click the Target Drive menu, and select a drive on which to store the effect if you choose
to render it.
The Effect Source Drive is the drive where the media on the outgoing shot of a transition
reside.
8. (Option) If you have IN and OUT points marked in your sequence, the Quick Transition
dialog box contains the following two options:
- Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT)
- Skip Existing Transition Effects
Do one of the following:
t Select Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT) to overwrite all existing transition
effects between the IN and OUT points.
t Select both options to avoid overwriting any existing transition effects.
n The Skip Existing Transition Effects option is useful when you want to add a number of
dissolves to a sequence that already has transition effects.

t To add the effect without rendering it, click Add.
t To add the effect and render it, click Add and Render.
The Avid application adds the effect to the selected transition in the sequence, or, if you
selected Apply to All Transitions (IN -> OUT), the application adds the effect to all
transitions between the IN and OUT points.
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Adjusting Effects
After you have created an effect and applied it to a transition or segment in your sequence,
you can adjust its appearance and operation. To make most effect adjustments, you enter
Effect mode and work with the Effect Editor and the Effect Preview monitor.
This section explains how to enter Effect mode and provides basic information on how to
use the Effect Editor and the Effect Preview monitor. For more advanced information, see
“Applying and Customizing Effects” in the Help.
Entering Effect Mode

After you add an effect to a sequence, you must enter Effect mode to change the parameters
of the effect. Entering Effect mode transforms the Record monitor into the Effect Preview
monitor and opens the Effect Editor.
To enter Effect mode, do one of the following:

t Click the Effect Mode button.
t Select Toolset > Effects Editing.
Your Avid editing application opens the Effect Editor and the Record monitor becomes
the Effect Preview monitor. If the position indicator in the Timeline is on an effect, the
controls for adjusting that effect display in the Effect Editor.
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Adjusting Effects
Understanding Effect Mode

The following illustration shows the main components of Effect mode, the Effect Editor, and
the Effect Preview monitor.
Effect
Effect
Preview
Editor
monitor
Each property of an effect that you can control is known as an effect parameter. For example,
a Picture-in-Picture effect has a Position parameter that controls where the picture-in-picture
is located on the screen. The Effect Editor displays controls that let you adjust each of an
effect’s parameters, as well as other buttons that help you adjust effects. Since different
effects have different sets of parameters, the Effect Editor display changes depending on
which effect you have selected.
For more detailed information on the Effect Editor, see “Using the Effect Editor” in the
Help.
The Effect Preview monitor displays the selected effect in the sequence where the position
indicator is located in the Timeline. The effect’s position bar, located directly below the
Effect Preview monitor, represents only the selected effect, not the entire sequence.
For some effects, the Effect Preview monitor displays tools that let you adjust the effect
directly in the monitor. For example, a Picture-in-Picture effect normally displays with a
wireframe outline and adjustment handles that you can use to reposition or resize the
picture-in-picture. A direct adjustment like this is equivalent to adjusting the effect with
parameter controls in the Effect Editor, but it is often easier and more intuitive to make the
adjustment directly in the monitor.
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For more detailed information on the Effect Preview monitor, see “Understanding the Effect
Preview Monitor” in the Help.
Making Basic Effect Adjustments

This section describes a general procedure for selecting and adjusting effects, including
some simple examples of types of adjustments.
When you need more detailed information than this procedure provides, you can use the
Help. For example, for full details of how to use effect adjustment controls, see “Applying
and Customizing Effects” in the Help. For details of the parameters available for a specific
effect, see the reference information for that effect in “2D Effects Reference” or “3D Effects
Reference” in the Help.
To make basic effects adjustments:

1. Enter Effect mode.
For more information, see “Entering Effect Mode” on page 202.
2. In the Timeline, click the effect you want to adjust.
3. (Option) If you need to move around in the effect, use the Effect Preview monitor’s
position bar and position indicator.
For more information, see “Moving Through an Effect” on page 205.
4. In the Effect Editor or the Effect Preview monitor, adjust the effect’s parameters until
you are happy with the look.
For example, depending on the effect, you might want to do one or more of the
following:
t Adjust a parameter by dragging its slider control in the Effect Editor.
t Reposition an effect such as a Picture-in-Picture by dragging the effect in the Effect
Preview monitor.
t Resize an effect such as a Picture-in-Picture by dragging one of the handle dots that
display around the edge of the picture-in-picture in the Effect Preview monitor.
t Select an option for a parameter by clicking its Fast menu in the Effect Editor and
selecting an item from the menu.
t Select a color for a parameter that uses color by clicking the parameter’s Color
Preview window, dragging the eyedropper to the Effect Preview monitor, and
releasing the mouse button over the color you want to use.
t Select a color for a parameter that uses color by clicking the Other Options button
for the parameter and selecting the color from the Windows Color dialog box.
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Adjusting Effects
t Select an alignment option for a transition effect by clicking the Transition Effect
Alignment button in the Effect Editor and selecting an option from the menu.
t Define a custom duration for a transition effect by clicking in the Transition Effect
Duration box in the Effect Editor, typing a duration, and pressing Enter.
Moving Through an Effect

The position bar in the Effect Preview monitor represents the length of the currently selected
effect. If you want to move to a different location in the effect, you can use the Effect
Preview monitor’s position bar in the same way that you use the position bars in
Source/Record mode to move through a clip or a sequence.
To move to a different point in an effect, do one of the following:

t Click a location in the position bar to move the position indicator to that location.
t Drag the position indicator to a location in the position bar.
Using the Fade Effect Button

You can use the Fade Effect button to fade segment effects quickly and easily. A dialog box
opens that allows you to enter the number of frames to fade up and fade down.
The Fade Effect feature automatically creates keyframes for the effect. You can access the
keyframes in the Effect Editor.
To fade one or more segment effects in a sequence:

1. Select the segment effects in the Timeline:
t To fade a single segment effect, move the position indicator to the segment.
t To fade multiple segment effects, click either the Extract/Splice-in button or the
Lift/Overwrite button below the Timeline, and then Shift+click the segments.
2. Click the Fade Effect button.
n The Fade Effect button appears on the Tool palette and in the Timeline top toolbar. In
addition, you can map the Fade Effect button to the monitor toolbar or to the keyboard. For
more information, see “Mapping User-Selectable Buttons” on page 114.
The Fade Effect dialog box opens.

3. In the Fade Effect dialog box, type the number of frames to fade up and fade down, and
click OK.
You can immediately view the Fade effect by playing the segment or segments.
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Working with Keyframes

You use keyframes to change the appearance and behavior of an effect over time. A keyframe
is a point in the effect at which you can set parameters.
When parameters are set to different values in different keyframes, your Avid editing
application animates your effect by calculating intermediate values for parameters between
the keyframes. For example, if a Picture-in-Picture is set to be on the left of the screen at one
keyframe and on the right of the screen at the next keyframe, the Picture-in-Picture moves
from left to right across the screen over the period of time between the two keyframes.
Avid editing applications use two different kinds of keyframes: standard and advanced.
Standard keyframes apply to every parameter in an effect. Advanced keyframes allow you to
establish independent keyframes for each keyframeable parameter in an effect, which
provides more flexibility and control for sophisticated effects adjustments. Advanced
keyframes are available for many but not all effects.
For more information on using both standard and advanced keyframes, see “Working with
Keyframes” in the Help.
Playing an Effect in Effect Mode

While you are adjusting effects in Effect mode, you might want to play an individual effect
to check its look. You can:
• Play all or part of an individual effect once.
• Play an individual effect in a continuous loop.
• Play an outline preview of an effect — a wire-frame representation of the effect’s
position, scale, and path of motion.
To play an effect in Effect mode:

1. In the Timeline, select the effect.
2. In the position bar of the Effect Preview monitor, move the position indicator to the
location where you want play to begin.
3. Click the Play button or press the space bar.
Play continues until the end of the effect, or until you click the Play button or press the
space bar again.
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Playback of Video Effects
To play an effect in a continuous loop in Effect mode:

1. Move the position indicator in the Timeline to the effect you want to play.
2. Click the Play Loop button.
Play begins at the start of the effect and continues until you click the Play Loop button
again, or until you press the space bar.
To play an outline preview of an effect in Effect mode:

1. In the Timeline, select the effect.
2. In the position bar of the Effect Preview monitor, move the position indicator to the
location where you want play to begin.
3. In the Effect Editor, click the Play Preview button.
Play continues until the end of the effect, or until you click the Play Preview button
again or press the space bar.

At any point in your project workflow, you might want to play back all or part of a sequence
with video effects. Your Avid editing application can play most individual video effects in
real time and at full quality. However, your application’s ability to play multiple video
effects in complex sequences is limited, in ways described in detail in “Understanding Real-
Time Effects Processing” on page 208.
When your application is unable to play all of the effects in a sequence in real time, you have
a number of alternatives for improving playback performance, which fall into two main
categories. You can:
• Adjust Video Quality and Video Display options. Your Avid application can play
back sequences at several different levels of video quality. Reducing the video quality
eases the processing demands on your computer system and allows more effects to play
in real time. You can also adjust other options for video display.
All of these adjustments involve a choice between video display quality and real-time
effects performance. Depending on your needs and preferences, you might choose to
view a sequence at a higher quality with fewer effects playing in real time, or to view it
at a lower quality with more effects playing in real time.
For more information on Video Quality and Video Display options, see “Playing Back at
Different Video Qualities” on page 209 and “Controlling Real-Time Effects Playback”
in the Help.
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• Render enough effects to guarantee real-time play. This takes some time and disk
space, but is the best way to ensure real-time playback of all effects at full quality.
Your application can assist you in determining which effects you need to render. When
you play back a sequence, information appears in the Timeline that helps you to
understand which parts of the sequence are not playing in real time. After the playback
attempt, you can use the ExpertRender feature with the Render Recommended Ranges
option to select and render only those effects that are not playing successfully in real
time. For more information, see “Understanding Real-Time Playback Information in the
Timeline” on page 211 and “ExpertRender” on page 214.
n Real-time effects might cause dropped frames during a digital cut. You can use
ExpertRender with the Render Recommended Ranges option to select and render those real-
time effects that might cause dropped frames.You can also use options in the Digital Cut
Tool to identify effects that might cause dropped frames, allowing you to render them before
the digital cut takes place. For more information, see “Recording a Digital Cut to Tape
(Remote Mode)” on page 276 and “Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode)” on
page 279.
Understanding Real-Time Effects Processing

To display a frame from a sequence that has a video effect applied, the Avid editing
application must calculate the result of the effect at that frame. For example, to display a
dissolve between two clips, the application must calculate, for each pixel in each frame, a
blend between a percentage of the color and luminance values in the outgoing clip and a
percentage of those in the incoming clip. To display the dissolve in real time, the application
must be able to perform enough of these effect calculations per second to maintain the
appropriate display rate for your project, for example 30 frames per second (fps) for NTSC
video.
Because your computer’s processor and memory capabilities are finite, your Avid editing
application’s ability to play back effects in real time is limited. Effect calculations are more
complex for some effects than for others, and still more complex when many effect options
have been adjusted or when multiple effects apply to the same frame in a sequence. Even the
fastest and most powerful system might eventually reach a point where it can no longer
maintain real-time playback.
n If you have a slower system, you will be able to play many more effects in real time if you
have an Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI attached to your system.
n Your ability to play effects in real-time when you are outputting to a DV device might
depend on whether you have Realtime Encoding selected in the DV Output Settings area of
the Video Display Settings dialog box. For more information, see “Playing Back to a DV
Device” on page 104 and “Video Display Settings” on page 389.
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When the Avid editing application is unable to maintain real-time playback, it continues to
play at the correct rate but does not display frames that it cannot process quickly enough. If
the application is having only a small amount of difficulty with the complexity of the
sequence, you will probably perceive a short stutter in the video playback, but you might
still be able to get a useful sense of how your effects will look once they are rendered. If the
application is having more difficulty, it is less likely that you will be able to judge the look
of the effects.
You can use the methods outlined in “Playback of Video Effects” on page 207 to control
effects playback by rendering selected effects or by adjusting video quality and video
display settings.
Playing Back at Different Video Qualities
The Video Quality Menu button in the Timeline bottom toolbar allows you to switch display
resolutions when real-time effects are enabled. This allows you to trade off video quality
with smooth playback of real-time effects. If you notice missing frames or choppy video
during real-time playback, switch to a lower quality setting.
The following table shows the available video qualities for systems with an Avid Mojo or
Avid Mojo SDI attached and systems with a DV device attached to a Host 1394 (OHCI)
card. For more information on playing back to a DV device, see “Playing Back to a DV
Device” on page 104.
Full Quality, Draft Quality, and Best Performance are found on the Video Quality menu.
Playback Video Qualities
Systems with Systems with a DV

Video Quality Avid Mojo or Avid Device Attached to a
Icon Name Mojo SDI Host 1394 Card Comments
Full Quality Highest quality Full-frame native playback of Handles limited

resolution, two fields. DV 25, DV 50, and effect complexity
Full-frame real-time DVCPRO HD. Full-frame before the system
effects playback of SD real-time effects playback of begins to have
Full-frame native DV 25 and DV 50. difficulties with
playback of Avid real-time playback.
DNxHD.
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Playback Video Qualities (Continued)
Systems with Systems with a DV

Video Quality Avid Mojo or Avid Device Attached to a
Icon Name Mojo SDI Host 1394 Card Comments
Draft Quality 1/4 resolution, 1/4 resolution, Reduces the quality

single field. single field. of the image so you
1/4-frame real-time 1/4-frame real-time effects can view greater
effects playback of SD. playback of SD or HD to the effect complexity in
desktop only. real time.
Best Performance 1/16 resolution, single 1/16 resolution, single field. Provides the fastest
field. 1/16-frame real-time effects playback.
1/16-frame real-time playback of SD or HD to
playback of SD. desktop only.
n On systems with an Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI attached, real-time effects are always
enabled.
To switch video quality playback when real-time effects are enabled:

t In the Timeline bottom toolbar, click the Video Quality Menu button and cycle through
the video quality settings to the one you want.
t In the Timeline bottom toolbar, right-click the Video Quality Menu button and select
the video quality setting you want from the pop-up menu.
When you change video qualities, immediate changes appear in the quality and the
sharpness of the media displayed in the Source/Record monitor.
Once you are satisfied with your sequence using a lower quality setting, switch to the
highest quality and use Expert Render to render effects.
n For software-only systems, the blue-dot mode feature used in some previous versions of Avid
editing applications to turn off and on real-time effects has been replaced with the Realtime
Encoding feature. For more information, see “Playing Back to a DV Device” on page 104.
n For more information on playing back different media, see “Optimizing Your Playback
Performance” in the Help.
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Understanding Real-Time Playback Information in the Timeline

When your Avid editing application is unable to maintain real-time playback of an effects
sequence, colored bars appear in the timecode track of the Timeline when playback ends.
The following illustration shows a typical set of colored bars.
Timecode
track
Colored bars
These bars provide you with information about the difficulties the Avid editing application
had during playback. You can use this information to help you render only those parts of the
sequence necessary to achieve real-time playback.
• Red bars mark the ranges where the Avid editing application was unable to display
frames.
The ranges marked by red bars are ranges that the Avid editing application recommends
for rendering to achieve successful real-time playback. If you mark IN and OUT points
around these ranges, use the ExpertRender In/Out command, and then render the
recommended ranges, the application can preview your material successfully in real
time. For more information, see “ExpertRender” on page 214.
• Yellow bars mark the ranges that caused difficulty for the Avid editing application
during playback because of processor limitations. No frames were dropped; this is only
a warning.
• Blue bars mark the location of frames that caused difficulty for the Avid editing
application because of disk speed limitations. No frames were dropped; this is only a
warning.
If you find that your playback information often includes blue bars, it is likely that
replacing your media disks with faster drives will improve the Avid editing application’s
ability to play back effects in real time.
You can control whether real-time playback information bars appear in the Timeline from
the Timeline Settings dialog box.
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To turn real-time playback information bars on or off:

1. In the Settings list of the Project window, double-click Timeline.
2. If it is not already highlighted, click the Display tab.
3. Select or deselect Highlight Suggested Render Areas After Playback.

Real-time playback information bars appear in the Timeline when this option is
selected. This option is selected by default.
Basics of Effects Rendering

This section contains basic information about rendering effects and about the ExpertRender
feature, which automatically identifies effects that must be rendered to achieve full-quality,
real-time playback or output.
For information about other rendering capabilities of your Avid editing application,
including instructions for rendering effects manually and information on render settings
adjustments, see “Rendering Effects” in the Help.
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Understanding Effects Rendering

In Avid editing applications, rendering is the process of calculating and storing video
information for the finished look of an effect so that the effect always plays in real time at
full quality. Avid editing applications store a rendered effect and its media file as a
precomputed master clip (often referred to as a precompute).
There are two main situations in which you render effects:

• Before you output a sequence, you must render any effects in the sequence that cannot
play in real time during output.
• At any time in your workflow, you must render any effects in a sequence that cannot
play in real time if you need to view those effects in real time and at full quality. (If you
can accept effects play that is less than real time or less than full quality for preview
purposes, you do not need to render.) Information in the Timeline helps you to see
which parts of a sequence can or cannot play in real time.
In both of these situations, the ExpertRender feature can identify and render these effects for
you, so you do not spend time and storage rendering effects that do not need to be rendered.
The ExpertRender feature can operate across a whole sequence, a marked part of a sequence,
or a single location in a sequence.
n In the Timeline, effect icons have a blue dot or a green dot before rendering. Rendering
removes the dot.
Although ExpertRender is normally the best way to identify and render the minimum
number of effects required for real-time play or putput, you can also render effects manually.
You can render a single effect after you have created it, or you can choose to render a group
of effects at the same time.
You can also interrupt a render in progress and choose to save or discard the completed
portion. You can finish the render later by resubmitting the effect for rendering.
In some situations, you can minimize rendering time by applying the Submaster effect to a
track above layered effects and rendering only the Submaster effect.
For more information on:

• Real-time playback of effects, see “Playback of Video Effects” on page 207.
• ExpertRender, see “ExpertRender” on page 214.
• Manual rendering, see “Rendering Effects” in the Help.
• Interrupting rendering, see “Partial Render” in the Help.
• Using the Submaster effect, see “Submaster Editing” in the Help.
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ExpertRender
ExpertRender determines which effects need to be rendered to achieve successful playback
of a sequence.
You can use the ExpertRender at Position command to identify effects for rendering at the
location of the position indicator, or you can mark IN and OUT points in a sequence and
then use the ExpertRender In/Out command.
If the Avid editing application has had difficulty playing back effects in real time and has
displayed colored bar information in the timecode track of the Timeline, the steps you take
when you use the ExpertRender In/Out command are somewhat different from the steps you
take when you use one of the ExpertRender commands in other circumstances.
Understanding ExpertRender
When you render effects manually (using the Render at Position or Render In/Out
command), the Avid editing application renders all effects in the selected material — all
effects on the enabled tracks at the position or all effects on the enabled tracks between the
marked IN and OUT points. In most cases, the editing application renders some effects that
do not require rendering for successful playback, increasing the time to render and creating
more precomputes than necessary.
For example, the following sequence includes seven effects on two tracks. If you use the
Render In/Out command on this material, you render all seven effects. If you use the
ExpertRender In/Out command on the material, the ExpertRender analysis recommends
rendering only the three effects on the top track.
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Sequence with seven effects.
Results of an ExpertRender analysis of this

sequence. Only the three effects on the top
track are highlighted, and these are the only
effects that must be rendered for successful
output.
For more information on manual rendering, see “Rendering Effects” in the Help.
The ExpertRender option helps to solve the problem of unnecessary rendering by analyzing
all the effects in selected material and by determining which effects need to be rendered to
achieve successful playback. You can then choose to render the effects identified by
ExpertRender or to modify the selections before submitting them for rendering.
ExpertRender attempts to generate a minimum set of effects to render for successful

playback. If you render the effects recommended by ExpertRender, your material usually
plays successfully in real time.
In most circumstances, ExpertRender enables you to render material quickly, easily, and
with a high degree of storage efficiency. However, experienced Avid users might achieve an
even quicker render of a complex sequence than that offered by ExpertRender — for
example, using Submaster editing. For more information, see “Considerations When Using
ExpertRender” on page 221 and “Submaster Editing” in the Help.
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Using ExpertRender in Preparation for Output
ExpertRender is particularly useful when you are ready to output a sequence and want to
ensure that all effects in the sequence will play in real time and at full quality. You have two
options, as follows:
• Perform an ExpertRender on an entire sequence for which you do not have playback
information in the Timeline, using the Prepare for Digital Cut option. Because this
option does not have access to playback information in the Timeline, it takes a more
conservative approach to deciding which effects to render and normally renders all real-
time effects. For more information, see “Using the ExpertRender Command Without
Timeline Playback Information” on page 216.
• Play the sequence to generate playback information in the Timeline, then mark IN and
OUT points around all the areas marked in the Timeline with red colored bars, and
perform an ExpertRender with the Render Recommended Ranges option. Even though
you spend some time playing the sequence to generate the playback information, this
option will usually save you time because it will render the minimum number of effects
necessary. For more information, see “Using the ExpertRender Command After a Real-
Time Playback Attempt” on page 218.
Using the ExpertRender Command Without Timeline Playback

Information
Use the following procedure when there are no colored real-time playback information bars
displayed in the timecode track of the Timeline.
For information on using the ExpertRender command when colored real-time playback
information bars appear in the Timeline following a real-time playback attempt, see “Using
the ExpertRender Command After a Real-Time Playback Attempt” on page 218.
To render effects using the ExpertRender command without Timeline playback

information:
1. Select all tracks in the Timeline that contain effects you want ExpertRender to analyze.
t To render at position, move the position indicator to the effects in the Timeline.
t To render between IN and OUT points, mark IN and OUT points around the effects.
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- Clip > ExpertRender at Position
- Clip > ExpertRender In/Out
ExpertRender analyzes the selected effects and highlights the effects that require
rendering in the Timeline.
The Expert Render dialog box opens and indicates how many of the effects submitted to
ExpertRender require rendering.
4. (Option) If you are rendering effects in preparation for output, select Prepare for Digital
Cut.
This ensures that any effects that might not play back in real time are rendered. For more
information, see “Using ExpertRender in Preparation for Output” on page 216.
5. Click the Drive button, and select a drive on which to store the rendered effects.
The Effect Source Drive is the drive where the media for the outgoing shot of the first
transition resides.
t Click Cancel.
Your application removes all ExpertRender highlighting and cancels the
ExpertRender process without rendering any effects.
t Click Modify Selection.
The effects identified for rendering remain highlighted, and you can modify the set
of effects to render. For more information, see “Modifying ExpertRender Results”
on page 220.
t Click OK.
Your application renders the highlighted effects.
n If the drive is near capacity, a message box opens and warns you that there might not be
enough space to store the rendered effect. You can click Stop to stop the rendering process
and return to the Expert Render dialog box, and then select another drive before continuing.
Alternatively, you can click Continue to attempt to render the effects anyway, in case there
might be enough space on the drive.
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n To display the estimated processing time during rendering, press the T key on the keyboard.
Press the T key again to clear the display. Press the P key to view percent rendered.
Using the ExpertRender Command After a Real-Time

Playback Attempt
Use the following steps when you have played the sequence and your application has
displayed information bars in the timecode track of the Timeline.
For information on using the ExpertRender command under other circumstances, see “Using
the ExpertRender Command Without Timeline Playback Information” on page 216.
To render effects using ExpertRender after a real-time playback attempt:

1. Select all tracks in the Timeline that contain effects you want ExpertRender to analyze.
2. Mark IN and OUT points in the sequence that include all parts of the Timeline marked
by red bars in the timecode track. For more information, see “Understanding Real-Time
Playback Information in the Timeline” on page 211.
3. Select Clip > ExpertRender In/Out.
The Expert Render dialog box opens and indicates the number of red bar ranges that
need to be rendered to achieve real-time playback of effects.

t To render only the effects necessary to achieve successful real-time effects preview,
select “Render recommended ranges,” and then click OK.
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t To render all the effects that ExpertRender has identified for rendering within your
marked selection, select “Render entire selection.”
The message in the Expert Render dialog box changes to indicate the number of
effects that ExpertRender has identified for rendering across the entire selection.
5. Click the Drive button, and select a drive on which to store the rendered effects.
The Effect Source Drive is the drive where the media for the outgoing shot of the first
transition resides.
t Click Cancel.
Your application removes all ExpertRender highlighting and cancels the
ExpertRender process without rendering any effects.
t Click Modify Selection.
The effects identified for rendering remain highlighted, and you can modify the set
of effects to render. For more information, see “Modifying ExpertRender Results”
on page 220.
t Click OK.
Your application renders the highlighted effects.
and return to the Expert Render dialog box, and then select another drive before continuing.
n To display the estimated processing time during rendering, press the T key on the keyboard.
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Modifying ExpertRender Results
You can modify the results of an ExpertRender analysis, removing effects that you do not
want to render and adding others that you do want to render.
In most cases, the results of an ExpertRender analysis offer the fastest rendering necessary
for successful playback. You should modify the results of an ExpertRender analysis only if
you are confident that your modifications are useful. For examples of situations where you
might want to modify the results of an ExpertRender analysis, see “Considerations When
Using ExpertRender” on page 221.
If you render the results of an ExpertRender analysis without making any modifications, the
material you submitted to ExpertRender plays back successfully in real time.
To modify the results of an ExpertRender analysis:

1. Perform an ExpertRender by following steps 1 through 5 in either “Using the
ExpertRender Command Without Timeline Playback Information” on page 216 or
“Using the ExpertRender Command After a Real-Time Playback Attempt” on
page 218.
2. In the Expert Render dialog box, click Modify Selection.
3. Shift+click effects in the Timeline to add them or remove them from the set of effects to
render.
Effects currently selected are highlighted.
4. When you are satisfied with your selections, click the Render Effect button in the Effect
Editor or in the Tool palette.
For information on opening the Tool palette, see “Using the Tool Palette” on page 115.
The Render Effect dialog box opens.
n To prevent this dialog box from opening, press and hold the Alt key (Windows) or Option key
(Macintosh) when you click the Render Effect button. The Avid editing application uses the
last drive selected.
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5. Click the Drive button, and select a drive for the rendered media.
The Effect Source Drive is the drive where the media on the outgoing shot of a transition
resides.
6. Click OK.
The Avid editing application renders the highlighted effects.
and return to the Render Effect dialog box, and then select another drive before continuing.
n To display the estimated render time during rendering, press the T key on the keyboard.
To cancel ExpertRender during the modification process, do one of the following:

t Click in the timecode track to move the position indicator.
t Double-click one of the Segment Mode buttons (Extract/Splice-in or Lift/Overwrite)
below the Timeline.
t From the Clip menu, select an ExpertRender command; and then in the Expert Render
dialog box, click Cancel.
ExpertRender removes all its highlighting and cancels the ExpertRender process
without rendering any effects.
Considerations When Using ExpertRender
When you work with ExpertRender, you should be aware of the following aspects of its
operation:
• ExpertRender operates on all selected tracks in the Timeline, including any enabled
tracks that might be above the currently monitored track. To view the material that you
are submitting to ExpertRender accurately in the Composer monitor, make sure that you
are monitoring the topmost selected track in the sequence.
• ExpertRender takes account of all tracks at or below the topmost selected track when
determining what to render on the selected tracks to achieve successful playback. For
example, if you have a sequence with tracks V1 to V4, and select tracks V3 and V4
when using ExpertRender, the editing application considers tracks V1 and V2 when
determining playback possibilities but highlights effects to render only from tracks V3
and V4.
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• If the material you submit to ExpertRender includes an effect in a segment that also
contains nested effects, ExpertRender always renders the effect on the top (outside)
track rather than the effect inside the nest. In certain circumstances, this might limit your
workflow flexibility. For example, you might anticipate the need to readjust the
parameters of the effect outside the nest and the effect would then require rerendering.
You can use the procedure described in “Modifying ExpertRender Results” on page 220
to select the effect within the nest for rendering and deselect the effect outside the nest.
• In some circumstances where segment effects and transition effects are adjacent in a
sequence, ExpertRender might recommend the segment effects for rendering when
rendering the transition effects might be quicker or more convenient and still allow for
successful playback. You can use the procedure described in “Modifying ExpertRender
Results” on page 220 to modify the combination of effects for rendering.
• Remember that ExpertRender usually takes a conservative approach to deciding which
effects need rendering and will often render more than the minimum number of effects
necessary for successful real-time playback. To ensure that only the minimum number
of effects is rendered, use ExpertRender with the Render Recommended Ranges option
after generating playback information in the Timeline, as described in “Using
ExpertRender in Preparation for Output” on page 216 and “Using the ExpertRender
Command After a Real-Time Playback Attempt” on page 218.
Rerendering Effects
In some situations you need to rerender an effect that you have already rendered. For
example, you might have rendered a series of effects at a low resolution, and now need to
rerender them at a higher resolution. This situation might occur if you are working with
multiple resolutions.
You can rerender effects by holding down the Shift key and selecting a Render command.
n You cannot use ExpertRender to rerender effects.
For more information, see “Rendering Effects” in the Help.
To rerender a single effect:

1. Move the position indicator to a single effect in the Timeline.
2. Hold down the Shift key and click the Render Effect button.
3. Click OK.
To rerender multiple effects at one position:

1. Move the position indicator to the effects in the Timeline.
2. Select all tracks that contain effects you want to render.
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3. Hold down the Shift key and select Clip > Render at Position.
To rerender multiple effects using IN and OUT points:

1. Select all tracks that contain effects you want to render.
2. Mark an IN point before the start of the first effect to be rendered in your sequence;
mark an OUT point after the last effect to be rendered.
3. Hold down the Shift key and select Clip > Render In/Out.
n You can also rerender effects using the shortcut menu Render commands. On Windows,
Shift +right-click in the Timeline, and then select Render at Position or Render In/Out. On
the Macintosh, Shift+Ctrl+k-click in the Timeline, and then select Render at Position or
Render In/Out.
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Chapter 13
Avid Color Correction
Your Avid application includes Avid Color Correction, a comprehensive set of tools for
correcting and adjusting colors. The following topics provide basic information to get you
started working with these tools:
• How Avid Color Correction Works
• Reasons for Making Color Corrections
• Color Correction Mode Basics
• Making Basic Color Corrections
• Safe Color Basics
For more advanced information on Avid Color Correction, see “Avid Color Correction
Guide” in the Help or the Avid Color Correction Guide, available as a PDF document in the
Online Library for your Avid application.
Remember also that your Avid editing application lets you make some color adjustments
using tools other than the Avid Color Correction tools. For example, some effects have color
parameter controls, and some Avid editing applications allow you to adjust colors for some
types of video input using the Video Input tool. For more information, see “Calibrating for
Video Input” and the Avid Xpress Pro Advanced Effects Guide in the Help.
How Avid Color Correction Works

Avid Color Correction lets you adjust the color characteristics of video material that has
been edited into a sequence. You can correct one segment, or correct multiple segments at
the same time. Color corrections, like effects, do not change your original master clips or
media files in any way. You can modify or remove color corrections at any time. If you
correct a segment in one sequence, that correction does not affect the same video material in
any other sequence.
You make most color corrections by entering Color Correction mode and adjusting controls
in the Color Correction tool. Each control affects a specific aspect of the color in an image
(for example, saturation) so these controls are like parameter controls for effects in the
Chapter 13 Avid Color Correction
Effect Editor. Some color correction controls look very similar to effect parameter controls,
while others have a more specialized appearance suitable for precise color adjustment. For
more information, see “Understanding Color Correction Mode” in the Help.
You can also perform some kinds of color corrections by applying the Color Correction
effect from the Image category in the Effect Palette. For more information, see “Using Color
Correction Effects in the Effect Palette” in the Help.
You can make either automatic or manual corrections. Automatic corrections are simpler to
use because Avid Color Correction calculates and makes the adjustments needed to correct a
problem in an image for you. Manual corrections require you to have a more detailed
understanding of the color correction controls but allow for more precision and creativity.
For more information, see “Performing Color Corrections” in the Help.
Once you have made a color correction, you can play it back in real time in the Composer
monitor or on a Client monitor, subject to the same real-time playback constraints that affect
the playback of other effects on your system. For more information, see “Playback of Video
Effects” on page 207.
Depending on the model of your Avid editing application, your hardware configuration, and
the complexity of your sequence, you might need to render at least some of your color
corrections before you can export your sequence or perform a digital cut. For more
information, start with “Basics of Effects Rendering” on page 212.
Avid Color Correction also lets you set safe limits for color characteristics, for example, to
ensure that the colors in your program meet a particular broadcaster’s standard for broadcast.
Your system displays warnings when your images exceed these limits, and you can make
corrections to solve the problem. For more information, see “Safe Colors” in the Help.
Reasons for Making Color Corrections

Before you can make good color corrections, you need to have an idea of what color
problems are present in your video material or a sense of why you want to alter existing
color values.
The two most common color problems in a given image are:

• Poor contrast (or a lack of a full range of tones). For example, parts of an image that
should be black are only dark gray. If an image does not have a good range of tones,
details do not stand out sharply.
• Poor color balance (or a color cast). For example, parts of an image that should be pure
white are instead pinkish, or parts that should be pure blue are instead greenish-blue.
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Color Correction Mode Basics
Avid Color Correction’s automatic correction controls are designed specifically to correct
these two problems.
Apart from correcting for these two problems, the two other main reasons to alter color
values in your video material are:
• To make the color characteristics of adjacent segments in a sequence match. For
example, adjacent segments in a sequence might have been shot under slightly different
lighting conditions, or using two cameras with different color balance settings.
• To achieve a particular artistic or editorial effect. For example, you might want to
slightly brighten or darken a whole sequence, or increase saturation to make a scene
seem warmer, or alter color balance to make it seem as though a scene is lit by evening
sunlight.
For a more complete introduction to the process of analyzing the color in your video and
deciding how to adjust it, including illustrated examples of typical corrections, see “Color
Correction Techniques” in the Help.

This section describes how to enter and leave Color Correction mode, and provides a basic
explanation of the default Color Correction mode interface.
For information about advanced features and customizations of Color Correction mode, see
“Understanding Color Correction Mode” in the Help.
Entering and Leaving Color Correction Mode

To enter Color Correction mode, do one of the following:
t Select Toolset > Color Correction.
t Press Shift+F8.
t Click the Color Correction Mode button.
To leave Color Correction mode, do one of the following:

t Select a toolset other than Color Correction from the Toolset menu.
t Use the keyboard shortcut for a toolset other than Color Correction.
t Click a mode button other than Color Correction, for example the Effect Mode button.
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n For more information on toolsets, see “Using Toolsets” on page 39. Depending on the
model of your Avid editing application, the Color Correction button might appear in the
default interface (for example, below the Timeline), or it might need to be used or mapped
from the Command Palette. For more information, see “Using the Command Palette” on
page 112.
Composer Window Monitors in Color Correction Mode

In Color Correction mode, the Composer window contains three monitors. By default, the
center monitor shows the frame at the current location of the position indicator, while the left
and right monitors show the last frame of the segment preceding the current segment, and
the first frame of the segment following the current segment, as shown in the following
illustration. This arrangement lets you compare the color characteristics of adjacent shots in
your sequence.
When you move the position indicator to another segment in the Timeline, all three monitors
update to show the new arrangement of previous, current, and next shots.
In most respects, the Composer Window monitors in Color Correction mode work like other
monitors in your editing application. For example, operations such as activating monitors,
showing and hiding the video, displaying timecode information, and using the position bar
are the same. For general information on using the monitors in your application, start with
“Viewing and Marking Footage” on page 97.
You can customize image display in each of the three monitors by selecting from the
monitor’s Source menu. For example, you can display other segments in your sequence, the
entire sequence, or vectorscope and waveform displays to help you analyze images as you
correct. For more information, see “Customizing Image Display in Color Correction
Monitors” in the Help.
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Composer Window Buttons in Color Correction Mode

Some of the buttons beneath the Composer Window monitors in Color Correction mode
have the same functions as they do in other modes. Several buttons perform functions
specific to color correction, as follows:
To move to the previous or next segment on the active track that does not already
have a color correction applied:
t Click the Go to Previous Uncorrected Shot or Go to Next Uncorrected Shot button.
To remove the color correction on the current segment:

t Click the Remove Effect button.
To split the monitor display and show the image both with and without the correction
applied:
t Click the Dual Split button.
To turn off Dual Split display:

t Click the Dual Split button.
The Client Monitor in Color Correction Mode

If you have a Client monitor connected to your Avid editing application, you can see your
corrections in the Client monitor. In most Avid editing applications, the dual split display
also appears in the Client monitor when you have Dual Split selected for the current monitor
in the Composer window. It is a good idea to use a Client monitor to view your color
correction work because a Client monitor displays video colors more accurately than your
computer screen.
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Color Correction Tool Basics

The following illustration shows the default display of the Color Correction tool.
Controls in the Color Correction tool are organized in tabs. The default display shows the
controls in the Hue Offsets tab within the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) tab. The
controls in this tab provide one set of tools to correct contrast and color balance problems.
The other two available tabs (the Controls tab within the HSL tab, and the Curves tab)
provide additional sets of controls. For complete information on all color correction controls
and other features in the Color Correction tool, see “The Color Correction Tool,” “The HSL
(Hue, Saturation, Luminance) Group,” and “The Curves Group” in the Help.
Making Basic Color Corrections

This section describes how to make three of the most useful basic color corrections:
• Corrections to automatically correct contrast and color balance across any number of
shots, made by applying the Color Correction effect from the Effect Palette.
• Fully automatic color corrections to correct contrast and color balance, made in the Hue
Offsets tab in the Color Correction tool.
• Corrections to match color characteristics between two shots, made in the Curves tab of
the Color Correction tool.
By making one or more of these corrections, you can successfully solve problems with
contrast and color balance, and match color from one shot to the next, for most video
material.
For more information on performing all other kinds of color corrections, both automatic and
manual, see “Performing Color Corrections” in the Help.
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Correcting Color Automatically Using the Color Correction Effect

You can use the Color Correction effect in the Effect Palette to apply up to three automatic
color corrections at one time simply by applying the effect to selected segments just like any
other Avid effect.
Because you do not have to use any controls in the Color Correction tool, or even enter
Color Correction mode, this is the simplest way of all to correct basic color problems on any
or all of the segments in your sequence.
For more information on working with the Color Correction effect, see “Using Color
Correction Effects in the Effect Palette” in the Help.
You determine which automatic color corrections your application makes by setting options
in the AutoCorrect tab of the Correction Settings dialog box. A common setting that often
solves most basic color problems applies two automatic corrections, one to correct contrast
and one to correct color balance. The procedure in this section describes how to set up this
setting. For information on the full range of options for the type and number of automatic
corrections that you can set, see “Selecting AutoCorrect Options” in the Help.
To set basic AutoCorrect options:

t In the Settings tab of the Project window, double-click Correction.
t In the Color Correction window, click the Correction Mode Settings button.
The Correction Mode Settings dialog box appears.
First Correction
menu
Second Correction
menu
Third Correction
menu
2. Click the AutoCorrect tab.

3. Click the First Correction menu and select HSL Auto Contrast.
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4. Click the Second Correction menu and select HSL Auto Balance
5. Make sure that the Third Correction menu is set to Nothing.
To correct a single segment with the Color Correction effect:

1. In editing mode, Effect mode, or Color Correction mode, click the Effect tab in the
Project window.
2. In the Effect Palette, click the Image category.
3. Click the Color Correction Effect icon, and drag it to the segment in the Timeline to
which you want to apply corrections.
To correct multiple segments with the Color Correction effect:

1. In editing mode or Effect mode, select the segments in the Timeline that you want to
correct.
For more information on selecting multiple segments, see “Selecting Segments with the
Segment Mode Pointer” on page 143.
2. Click the Effect tab in the Project window.
3. In the Effect Palette, click the Image category.
4. Double-click the Color Correction Effect icon.
Correcting Color Automatically in the Hue Offsets Tab

You can use the Automatic Color Correction buttons in the Hue Offsets tab to correct
contrast and balance problems across the whole luminance range of an image.
For information on other automatic color corrections that you can make in the Color
Correction tool, see “Using Automatic Color Corrections” in the Help.
To make an automatic color correction in the Hue Offsets tab:

1. Enter Color Correction mode, for example, by selecting Toolset > Color Correction.
2. In the Timeline, make sure that the Record Track button for the video track on which
you want to make corrections is the topmost selected track.
3. In the Timeline or in the Composer window, navigate to the segment you want to
correct.
4. In the Hue Offsets tab of the Color Correction tool, click one of the Automatic Color
Correction buttons, as described in the following table.
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Button Description
Auto Balance Balances the colors in the image (eliminating any color cast for most images). Adjusts
all three ChromaWheel controls.
Auto Black Makes the darkest areas of the image as dark as possible. Adjusts the Setup slider
control.
Auto White Makes the brightest areas of the image as bright as possible. Adjusts the Gain slider
control.
Auto Contrast Maximizes the tonal range in the image, making the brightest areas of the image as
bright as possible and the darkest areas of the image as dark as possible. Adjusts the
Gain and Setup slider controls.
Color Match Corrections in the Curves Tab

The Color Match control, which is available in every tab of the Color Correction tool, lets
you match colors between one shot and another by choosing colors with an eyedropper.
This section describes how to make a specific type of color match correction for adjacent
shots in the Curves tab of the Color Correction tool. In this tab, a special feature of the Color
Match control called NaturalMatch lets you change the colors in an image while preserving
the saturation and luminance qualities of the image. The following illustration shows the
Color Match control in the Curves tab.
Input color swatch Output color swatch (for selecting

(for selecting the the reference color to match)
color to be corrected)
Match Type button
Match Color
button
For more information on the Color Match control and the NaturalMatch feature, including
details of all types of Color Match correction, see “Using the Color Match Control” in the
Help.
To make a Color Match correction with NaturalMatch on adjacent shots:

1. Enter Color Correction mode, for example, by selecting Tools > Color Correction.
2. In the Timeline, make sure that the Record Track button for the video track on which
you want to make corrections is the topmost selected track.
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3. In the Timeline or in the Composer window, navigate to the segment you want to
correct.
The adjacent shot that you want to match is visible as either the Previous or Next shot in
the Composer window.
4. In the Color Correction tool, click the Curves tab.
5. If the Match Type button is not set to R+G+B, click the Match Type button and select
R+G+B.
6. Click the Match Type button and select NaturalMatch.
7. Select the input color (the color to be changed):
a. Move the pointer over the input (left) color swatch.
b. Press and hold the mouse button, and then drag the eyedropper to the area of the
image in the monitor from which you want to select an input value.
For example, you might select a poor skin tone that you want to change to match a
better one in the adjacent image.
c. Release the mouse button to complete the selection.
8. Select the output color (the good color you want to use as a reference for the match):
a. Move the pointer over the output (right) color swatch.
b. Press and hold the mouse button, and then drag the eyedropper to the area of the
image in the monitor from which you want to select an output value.
c. Release the mouse button to complete the selection.
9. Click the Match Color button.
Safe Color Basics

Avid Color Correction can warn you when the luminance values, the RGB color gamut, or
(if appropriate) the composite signal range of an image in your sequence falls outside of a
range that you specify.
Typically, this is useful to ensure that your sequence stays within a range of values
acceptable for broadcast or for additional processing such as DVD encoding, or more
generally to ensure that colors display well on television screens.
For more advanced information on safe color features, see “Safe Colors” in the Help.
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Safe Color Basics
Managing Safe Color Warnings
You turn safe color warning on or off, and set the range of values Avid Color Correction
should consider safe, in the Safe Color Settings dialog box.
For more information about the Safe Color Settings dialog box, including information about
safe color value ranges and unit types, and about the graphical display of safe color settings
that appears at the bottom of the dialog box, see “Understanding Safe Color Settings
Options” and “Understanding the Graphical View of Safe Color Settings” in the Help.
To open the Safe Color Settings dialog box, do one of the following:
t In the Settings list of the Project window, double-click Safe Colors.
t In the Color Correction tool, click the Safe Color Settings button.
The following illustration shows the Safe Color Setting dialog box.
Units buttons Actions buttons
To turn safe color warning on or off:

t Click one of the Actions buttons in the Safe Color Settings dialog box, and select Warn
to turn safe color warning on or Ignore to turn safe color warning off.
The top Actions button controls Composite and Luminance warnings; the bottom
Actions button controls RGB Gamut warnings.
To set a safe color value range for one of the value types (Composite, Luminance, or
RGB Gamut):
1. Click the Units button for the value type you want to set in the Safe Color Settings
dialog box, and select a unit of measurement for your values.
2. Type low and high values in the text boxes for the value type.
For example, you might enter values supplied by a broadcaster or encoder.
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Safe Color Warnings in the Composer Window

When Avid Color Correction is set to provide safe color warnings, warning information
appears in the Composer Window monitor for any image whose color values are outside the
safe range. You see an orange safe color warning triangle in the top left corner of the image,
along with warning indicators for each of the safe color value types that are currently set to
warn. Warning color bars appear in one of three places in a column:
• At the top (indicating a level that is too high)
• At the bottom (indicating a level that is too low)
• In the center (indicating a level that is within limits)
The following illustration shows a typical warning indicator display.
Composite (yellow) Red Blue

Luminance (white) Green
Too high In this example, the Red and Green levels

exceed limits at both the high and low end,
Within limits the Composite levels exceed limits at the
high end, and the Luminance and Blue
Too low levels are within limits.
If a warning indication displays in the monitor for an image, you can choose to leave the
image with color values that exceed your safe limits, or you can make one or more color
corrections to bring the levels back within safe limits. Once all levels are within safe limits,
the warning triangle and warning indicators no longer display in the monitor.
For suggestions on specific correction steps you might take to bring color values within safe
limits, see “Making Adjustments to Achieve Safe Color Values” in the Help.
Safe color warning information might also appear in the Color Match color swatches and in
waveform and vectorscope displays. For more information, see “Safe Color Warnings in the
Color Match Control” and Safe Color Limits with Waveform and Vectorscope Information”
in the Help.
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Chapter 14
Working with Titles
You can create titles in your Avid editing application using either of two title tools, the
classic Avid Title tool or the Marquee® Title tool. Titles can incorporate text, graphic
objects, imported graphics, and video. In these topics, the term “title” refers to both text and
graphics, the classic Avid Title tool is referred to as the Title tool, and the Marquee Title tool
is referred to as Marquee.
The following topics provide basic information on using the Title tool to create titles, and on
editing titles created in the Title tool (or in Marquee) into sequences.
n You can promote titles created using the classic Avid Title tool to Marquee titles. Titles
promoted to or created in Marquee cannot be edited with the classic Avid Title tool.
• Opening the Title Tools

• Using Marquee
• Understanding the Title Tool
• Using the Selection and Text Tools
• Setting Up the Drawing Environment
• Creating Text
• Sizing and Positioning Text Objects
• Editing a Text String
• Basic Text Formatting
• Creating Graphic Objects
• Modifying and Manipulating Title Objects
• Adding Shadows to Title Objects
• Saving Titles
• Editing with Titles
For more information about working with titles, see “Working with Titles: Advanced” in
the Help.
Chapter 14 Working with Titles
Opening the Title Tools

You can open either the Title tool or Marquee from the Clip menu or the Tools menu. You
can also use commands in the Windows or Tools menus to bring the Title tool to the
foreground if it gets covered by another window.
To open one of the Title tools:

1. In the Record monitor, move the position indicator to the video frame to be used as a
reference.
If you are not using video as the background, you can ignore this step. For more
information, see “Selecting a Background for Titles” on page 242.
2. Select Clip > New Title or Tools > Title Tool.
The New Title dialog box opens.
t To use Marquee, click Marquee.
Marquee opens. For information on Marquee, see “Using Marquee” on page 238.
t To use the Title tool, click Title Tool.
The Title tool opens. The Text tool is automatically selected, and the pointer becomes an
I-beam, ready for entering text.
n For the current session, if you know you want to create only Marquee titles or only standard
titles, select Persist before you click Marquee or Title Tool. For the rest of your editing
session, the application automatically opens the title tool you selected. You turn off
automatic selection from the Settings list: double-click Marquee Title, and select Create New
Title Using > Ask Me.
To bring the Title tool to the foreground, do one of the following:

t Select Windows > Title Tool.
t Select Tools > Title Tool.
Using Marquee
The Marquee Title tool is both an alternative tool for creating basic titles and a tool for
creating much more sophisticated titles such as 3D and animated titles. Marquee opens from
within your Avid editing application but has its own self-contained user interface, including
its own Help system.
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Understanding the Title Tool
For information on opening the Marquee Title tool, see “Opening the Title Tools” on
page 238.
For information on creating titles with the Marquee Title tool and on using the Marquee Title
tool in conjunction with your Avid editing application, see the Avid Marquee Title Tool
User’s Guide or the Avid Marquee Title Tool Help. Each contains a chapter titled “Creating
Basic Titles for Your Avid Editing Application” that provides a good starting point for basic
work in Marquee.
Understanding the Title Tool

The following illustration shows a title over a video background.
Safe action area
Safe title area
Video background
Title object
Toolbar
The Title tool has several major components:

• A video background based on a sequence or a color background that you create. For
more information, see “Selecting a Background for Titles” on page 242.
• The title or graphic in the foreground that you create.
• The safe title and safe action area guidelines. For more information, see “Displaying
Safe Title and Safe Action Guidelines” on page 242.
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• The toolbar at the bottom of the screen. The use of these tools is described throughout
this chapter and in “Working with Titles: Advanced” in the Help. For information on the
two most widely used tools, the Selection tool and the Text tool, see “Using the
Selection and Text Tools” on page 240. For detailed reference information on all the
tools in the toolbar, see “Understanding the Title Tool Toolbar” in the Help.
• In addition, there are title-related menu items in the File, Edit, Object, and Alignment
menus.
Using the Selection and Text Tools

The Selection tool and the Text tool are the two most frequently used tools in the Title tool.
You use the Selection tool when selecting and adjusting whole objects in a title (whole
pieces of text or graphic objects). You use the Text tool when you create or edit text content.
Selection tool Text tool
To select a single object:

t Click the Selection tool, and then click an object.
Selection handles appear around the object.
Selection handle for width
To select multiple objects, do one of the following:

t Shift+click with the Selection tool.
t Click outside the objects, and drag to surround the objects with a lasso.
To use the Text tool:

t Click the Text tool, click anywhere within the text object, and begin typing.
An I-beam pointer indicates your position within the text. The Text tool remains
selected until you select another tool.
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Setting Up the Drawing Environment
n By default, the Text tool is active when you open the Title tool, and you can begin entering
text as soon as you click in the Title tool.
To switch between the Selection tool and the Text tool:

t Press the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Macintosh), and click anywhere in the Title
tool.
To use the Selection tool temporarily when another tool is active:

t Press and hold the Ctrl and Alt keys (Windows), or the Ctrl and Option keys
(Macintosh).
n After you use a tool in the toolbar, the Title tool reverts to the Selection tool, and the pointer
becomes an arrow. To prevent a tool from automatically reverting to the Selection tool,
double-click the tool’s icon.

This section describes some basic aspects of the Title tool that you can use to set up your
titling or drawing session.
You can also make the following adjustments, which are described in “Advanced Title Tool
Setup” in the Help:
• Install fonts to use in your titles.
• Control whether the Title tool limits colors to those that are safe for television broadcast.
• Use a grid to help you align title objects.
• Control the aspect ratio the Title tool uses.
n You can set or change these features at any time during your work on a title. These settings
are stored with User settings and appear each time a particular user opens the Title tool.
Previewing Titles with Anti-Aliasing

Text and objects in titles are created anti-aliased with an 8-bit alpha channel. Anti-aliasing
ensures that text, lines, and object edges appear smooth, regardless of size. You can preview
a title to see the title drawn with anti-aliasing, just as it will be saved.
To switch the display of anti-aliased titles on or off:

t Select Object > Preview.
A check mark indicates that Preview mode is enabled and that the display of anti-aliased
titles is on.
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n Titles are always saved in anti-aliased format.
The display behavior for title objects in Preview mode is as follows:

• You can alter the graphics characteristics of title objects (including colors, shadows,
borders, and transparency) without losing the anti-aliased preview.
• You can select text objects and apply text styles from the Styles menu without losing the
anti-aliased preview.
• When you click a text object for editing, the Title tool displays the text without anti-
aliasing. When you finish editing the text and click outside the object to deselect it, the
Title tool restores the anti-aliased preview.
Displaying Safe Title and Safe Action Guidelines

By default, the Title tool displays two outlined boxes to use as guidelines. The inner box is
the safe title area. All text for television broadcast should remain within this inner box. The
outer box is the safe action area for video display. These guidelines are self-adjusting for
PAL and NTSC projects.
To turn the safe title area or safe action area guidelines on or off:
t Select Object > Safe Title Area/Global Grid.
A check mark indicates that the Safe Title Area is turned on for display.
Selecting a Background for Titles

You use the Video Background button to switch between a video background and an opaque
color background, or to update the video background with the currently selected frame in the
Timeline.
Background Color window

Video Background button
If there is a sequence in the Record monitor, the Title tool opens with a video background.
The location of the position indicator in the Timeline at the time you open the Title tool
determines the initial video frame that displays. If there is no sequence in the Record
monitor, the Title tool opens with no video showing (the background appears black).
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The Video Background button is green when you are creating a title for display over a video
background.
The background video frame is a reference that helps you position title objects relative to the
video you plan to edit the title over. It does not become part of the title you create. You can
edit the title anywhere else in the current sequence or in another sequence.
To update the video background:

1. Click the Video Background button in the toolbar to activate video background if you
have not already done so.
2. Load the sequence into the Record monitor.
For information about editing a sequence, start with “First Edits” on page 123.
3. Move the position bar in the Timeline or in the monitor to display the new frame.
4. Click again in the Title tool to activate its window.
The background is updated to reflect the current contents of the Record monitor.
To create a title that appears over an opaque color background:

1. Click the Video Background button to switch off the video background if it was
previously turned on.
2. Click and hold on the Background Color window.
The Title Tool Color Picker dialog box opens.
3. Use the Title Tool Color Picker dialog box, eyedropper, Windows Color dialog box, or
Macintosh Color Picker to select a color. For a description of how to use these tools, see
“Selecting Colors and Setting Transparency” in the Help.
The default background color is black.
n When you create a title with a color background, it is opaque and it cannot be used to key
over video.
n You cannot create rolling or crawling titles with a color background. You can create a
separate color background as a title, and then edit the rolling or crawling title over it in
the sequence.
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Creating Text
You can create new text using the Text tool. You can also copy and paste text into the Title
tool directly from a word processing or text editing application.
In addition to static text objects, you can also create text objects in the Title tool that scroll
vertically on the screen (rolling titles) or that crawl horizontally across the screen (crawling
titles). For more information, see “Creating Rolling and Crawling Titles” in the Help.
c There is a limit to the size of text objects you can create in the Title tool. Avoid pasting
large blocks of text (numerous pages in a word processor) into the Title tool. Instead,
consider pasting smaller blocks of text into separate text objects. Also see “Page Count
Limits in Rolling and Crawling Titles” in the Help.
To create text:
1. Click the Text tool in the toolbar.
The pointer becomes an I-beam.
2. Click the position in the frame where you want to add text.
An insertion point appears.
3. Type the text.
To insert a line return, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
n Text is word-wrapped automatically as you type. You can adjust the wrapping by changing
the width of the text object. For more information, see “Sizing and Positioning Text Objects”
on page 245.
4. When you have finished typing, click the Selection tool in the toolbar to deselect the text
object.
To copy and paste text into the Title tool:

1. Click the Text tool in the toolbar.
The pointer becomes an I-beam.
2. Click the position in the frame where you want to add text.
An insertion point appears.
3. Open the text file in a word processor or text editor.
4. Select the text in the word processor or text editor.
5. Select Edit > Copy.
6. Click the Title tool again to activate it.
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Sizing and Positioning Text Objects
7. Select Edit > Paste.

The pasted text takes on the attributes currently set in the Title Tool toolbar.
Sizing and Positioning Text Objects

You can resize and reposition text objects by dragging directly in the Title tool. When you
resize a text object, the text remains the same size but rewraps to fill the reshaped area.
When you create text that is aligned on the left side using left justification (the default), you
can eliminate the unused space on the right side of the newly created text object, especially if
you want to use the Alignment menu commands.
To resize a text object:

1. Click the Selection tool, and then click the text object.
2. Click one of the object selection handles for width, and drag to resize.
n You can resize only the width of a text object. The height of a text object is automatically
determined by the number of words and the size of text.
To eliminate unused space on the right side of a left-aligned text object:

t Click the middle selection handle on the right side of the text box, and drag it to the left
until it is closer to the text.
To reposition a text object:

1. Click the Selection tool, and click the text object.
2. Move the text by doing one of the following:
t Click in the middle of the object, and drag it to a new position.
t Use the arrow keys to move the object one pixel at a time.
t Use commands in the Alignment menu to position the text. For more information,
see “Aligning Objects” in the Help.
Editing a Text String

To edit an existing text string;
1. Click the Text tool, and then click anywhere in the text.
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2. Do any of the following:

- Use the arrow keys to move around within the text string.
- Type additional characters.
- Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) to insert a line return.
- Drag to select characters.
- Use the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands from the Edit menu.
- Use the Delete key.
- Change the formatting of the selected text, as described in “Basic Text Formatting”
on page 246.
Basic Text Formatting

The text formatting tools control the appearance of text. You can click a text object with the
Selection tool to format all the text within it, or you can use the Text tool to select a string of
text within a text object to format individual characters or words.
Text formatting controls
This section describes basic methods for setting font type, style, and point size. You can
adjust other attributes of text, such as kerning, leading, and justification. For more
information, see “Formatting Text” in the Help.
While you type text, only the text color is apparent. Shadows, outlines, and other color
attributes appear when you finish typing the text and click the Selection tool.
n If you want to create text elements in the title with different appearances, create a separate
text object for each set of attributes.
Setting Default Text Attributes

When you start the application and open the Title tool, it uses default text attributes. You can
change the defaults at any time. Changes you make to the default text attributes apply until
you quit the application.
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Basic Text Formatting
To change the default text attributes:

1. Click the Selection tool.
2. Click in the Title tool but do not select any text.
3. Change any of the text attributes.
Now whenever you start typing a new text string, the Title tool uses your new defaults.
Selecting a Font
The Font Selection button displays the name of the current font for a text selection and
allows you to change the font. When you first open the Title tool, the font listed is the
preferred system font.
To display all the fonts currently installed on the system:

t Click the Font Selection button.
Font Selection button
To change the font:

t Click the Font Selection button, and select a font.
The Title tool displays the name in the Font Selection button and uses this font for text
until you change it during the editing session.
n When you select a text object, the Font Selection button displays the name of the font in the
text object.
Changing Point Size

The point size controls the size of the selected text. A point is a typographical unit of
measure. There are 12 points to the pica and 72 points to the inch.
You can enter a point size either before or after you type text.
Point Size text box Point Size button
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To change the point size, do one of the following:

t Click the Point Size button, and select a standard point size from the menu.
t Double-click in the text box, type a point size between 5 and 999, and then press Enter
(Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
t Click in the text box, and use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to change the value
incrementally.
Making Text Bold or Italic

The Bold button and the Italic button are located under the Point Size text box. The Object
menu also contains commands for bold and italic.
Bold button Italic button
To make text bold or italic:

1. Select the text you want to change.
t Click the Bold button or the Italic button.
t Select Object > Bold or select Object > Italic.
To remove bold or italic formatting:

t Repeat the procedure.
Creating Graphic Objects

You use the drawing tools to create graphic objects such as squares, rectangles, circles,
ovals, and lines.
Drawing tools
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Creating Graphic Objects
This topic explains how to use the drawing tools to create graphic objects. After creating
graphic objects, you can modify or manipulate them in a variety of ways. For more
information, see “Modifying and Manipulating Title Objects” on page 250.
n By default, when you use a drawing tool and deselect the created object, the pointer reverts
to the Selection tool. To avoid this, double-click the drawing tool when you select it in the
Title tool toolbar.
To draw a square or a rectangle:

1. Click the Square and Rectangle tool in the toolbar.
The pointer becomes a crosshair pointer.
2. Click in the Title tool, and drag to create an object.
n Pressing the Shift key while you drag constrains the Square or Rectangle tool to create a
square.
Rectangle drawn over

video background
To draw a circle or an oval:

1. Click the Oval tool in the toolbar.
2. Click in the Title tool, and drag to create an object.
n Pressing the Shift key while you drag constrains the Oval tool to create a circle.
To draw a line:
1. Click the Line tool (slanted line) in the toolbar.
2. Click in the Title tool, and drag to create a line.
n Pressing the Shift key while you drag constrains the Line tool to create a horizontal or
vertical line.
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Modifying and Manipulating Title Objects

Once you have created one or more text or graphics objects in a title, you can modify or
manipulate them in a variety of ways. This section summarizes the options available to you.
• You can round the corners of a box, adjust the width of lines and text borders, or add
arrowheads to lines. For more information, see “Selecting Line Attributes” in the Help.
• You can change or blend colors in any title object. For more information, see “Selecting
Colors” in the Help.
• You can add and adjust drop or depth shadows for any title object. For more
information, see “Adding Shadows to Title Objects” on page 250.
• You can modify the transparency level of any title object or of its shadow. For more
information, see “Setting Transparency Levels” in the Help.
• You can manipulate title objects by changing their layer order, grouping them, locking
them to prevent accidental editing, aligning them with respect to one another, and
distributing them evenly across the viewing area. For more information, see
“Manipulating Objects” in the Help.
Adding Shadows to Title Objects

You can add a drop shadow or depth shadow to any text or graphic object. A drop shadow is
offset from the object itself, as though cast by a light source. A depth shadow extends from
the edges of the object, as though the object were three-dimensional.You can place the
shadow anywhere within the title without restriction. The following illustration shows an
example of drop and depth shadows.
Text with
depth
shadow
Text with
drop
shadow
Once you have created a shadow on a title object, you can adjust its color or transparency.
You can also soften (blur) shadows or create a glow effect behind a title object. For more
information, see “Adjusting Shadows” in the Help.
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Saving Titles
The following illustration shows the tools used to create shadows.
Shadow Depth and Direction button
Shadow Depth text box

Drop and Depth Shadow button
To apply shadows to text or objects:

1. Select text or an object.
2. Click the Drop and Depth Shadow button to switch between a drop or depth shadow.
3. Adjust the depth or direction of the shadow as follows:
t Click the Shadow Depth and Direction button, and drag the shadow displayed to
any position.
t Press the Shift key; then click the shadow in the Shadow Depth and Direction
button, and drag to restrict shadow placement to 45-degree angles around the title.
t Press the Shift key, and use the arrow keys to move the shadow to any position
around the title.
t Type a value in the Shadow Depth text box to change the shadow depth by
increments.
The Title tool automatically orients the shadow to the selected object. You can continue
to follow these procedures to adjust the shadow until you achieve the effect you want.
Saving Titles
After creating a new title, there are three basic ways to save your work:
t Save the title and exit the Title tool.
t Save the title and continue creating additional titles.
t Save a title style that you can apply to additional titles you create. For more information,
see “Saving and Recalling Title Styles” in the Help.
You can also reopen in the Title tool a previously saved title and make further changes, as
described in this section.
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You can also save the attributes of a particular title as a title style or as a title template that
you can apply repeatedly to other titles or title objects, in much the same way that you can
save effect templates. For more information, see “Saving and Recalling Title Styles” and
“Using Title Templates” in the Help.
n After editing a title into a sequence and adjusting effect parameters, you can also save a
Title Effect template that contains only the effect information (without title media) for
applying to other previously created titles. For more information, see “Saving an Effect
Template” in the Help.
Matching Resolutions When Saving Titles

When you save a new title, you must select a resolution for the title that is compatible with
the project, based on the following:
• The rules regarding different media resolution groups apply to titles. You cannot mix
titles from one resolution group with media from another. For example, you cannot mix
single-field titles with two-field media in a sequence.
n For detailed information on mixing media resolutions in a project, see “Resolutions and
Storage Requirements” in the Help.
• The Avid application uses the resolution information to compute the dimensions of the
title.
• Even though titles are uncompressed, if you decide during editing that you need to
render the title or create a layered effect, the title renders with the resolution you select
when you first save the title.
Saving a Title and Exiting the Title Tool

To save the title and exit the Title tool:
1. Select File > Close.
If the contents of the title have changed since the last time it was saved, a dialog box
opens, asking if you want to save the existing title.
2. Click Save.
The Save Title dialog box opens.
3. Type a name to identify the title in the bin; then select a bin, drive, and resolution from
the menus.
n If you are saving a new title, the resolution you select becomes the default for future new
title saves.
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Saving Titles
n You must select a resolution that is compatible with the sequence. Titles do not play with
incompatible media. For detailed information on mixing media resolutions in a project, see
“Resolutions and Storage Requirements” in the Help.
n You can also use the Media Creation dialog box to set the resolution and drives for titles.
For more information, see “Media Creation Settings” on page 377.
4. Select or deselect Fast Save, depending on your needs. For more information, see
“Using the Fast Save Option” on page 254.
5. Click Save.
The Title tool closes, and the application loads the new title into the Source monitor. A
two-minute Title Effect clip that corresponds to the new title appears in the bin.
Saving Multiple Titles in a Session

To save multiple titles:
1. Select File > Save Title.
2. Type a name to identify the title in the bin; then select a bin, drive, and resolution from
the menus.
n You must select a resolution that is compatible with the sequence. Titles do not play with
incompatible media. For detailed information on mixing media resolutions in a project, see
“Resolutions and Storage Requirements” in the Help.
n You can also use the Media Creation dialog box to set the resolution and drives for titles.
For more information, see “Media Creation Settings” on page 377.
3. Select or deselect Fast Save, depending on your needs. For more information, see
4. Click Save.
The new Title Effect clip appears in the bin.
5. Create another title.
6. Select File > Save Title as, and repeat steps 2 to 5 for each subsequent title that you
create.
The application loads titles into the Source monitor as they are saved, so the most
recently saved title always appears in the Source monitor.
253
Using a Keyboard Shortcut to Save a Title

You can use a keyboard shortcut that is equivalent to selecting “Save Title as” from the File
menu of the Title tool. You can quickly save the latest version of your title without replacing
the original.
To save a title, using a keyboard shortcut:

1. Press Shift+Ctrl+S (Windows) or Shift+k+S (Macintosh).
2. Type a name for the title.
3. Select a bin, a drive, and a resolution from the menus.
4. Click Save.
Using the Fast Save Option

You can use the Fast Save option to work more quickly when creating and saving multiple
titles in a Title tool session.
Fast Save skips the steps that create anti-aliased images from title objects. Instead, just the
raw title objects (text and graphics) are saved in the bin, with the prefix “unrendered.”
You can edit with the titles and then batch render them at a more convenient time. Fast Save
is ideal for working with multipage rolling titles with complex styles and shading.
For information on rendering fast-saved titles, see “Rendering Fast-Saved Titles” in the
Help.
n Fast-saved titles appear as black in the monitors and are labeled as “media offline” during
editing.
To use the Fast Save option:

t Select Fast Save (Unrendered) in the Save Title dialog box when saving the title.
For complete procedures for saving titles, see “Saving a Title and Exiting the Title Tool”
on page 252 or “Saving Multiple Titles in a Session” on page 253.
n Fast Save remains in effect until you deselect it, load a title that was saved without Fast Save
selected, or exit the Title tool.
254
Saving Titles
To quickly locate the unrendered fast-saved titles in a bin:

1. Open the bin containing the unrendered fast-saved titles.
2. Select Bin > Select Unrendered Titles.
The fast-saved titles are highlighted in the bin.
Revising a Title in a Bin

If you want to revise a title that has not been edited into a sequence, you can reopen the title
in the Title tool directly from the bin.
n For information on revising a title that has been edited into a sequence, see “Revising a Title
in a Sequence” in the Help.
To revise a title in a bin:

1. Press the Ctrl key, and double-click the Title Effect icon in the bin.
The title opens in the Title tool.
n If the Title tool is already open, you can drag a Title Effect clip from the bin directly into the
Title tool.
2. Edit the title, using the techniques described in “Editing a Title into a Sequence” on
page 258.
3. Save the title with the same name and media parameters (bin, drive, and resolution) by
choosing File > Save Title.
The revised Title Effect clip replaces the previous clip in the bin. The clip also appears
in the Source monitor.
The Title tool remains open. You can continue creating additional titles, or select
File > Close.
4. Save the title with a new name or change any of the media parameters (bin, drive, and
resolution) by doing the following:
a. Select File > Save Title as.
b. Rename the title, or select other options from the Bin, Drive, and Resolution menus.
If you keep the same name for the title, the application retains the original Title
Effect clip in the bin and creates a new clip with the same name plus a two-digit
extension that adds incremental numbering for each revision.
255
c. Select or deselect Fast Save, depending on your needs. For more information, see
d. Click Save to save the title and exit the Title tool.
Editing with Titles

Once you have created a title and saved it to a bin (using either the Title tool or Marquee), it
appears as a Title Effect clip. You can edit a Title Effect clip into a sequence in much the
same way that you edit with any other clip type.
This section provides basic information about the appearance of Title Effect clips in bins and
about how to edit titles into a sequence.
You can adjust a title that has been edited into a sequence in several ways:
• Removing or replacing a title in a sequence. For more information, see “Removing a
Title” and “Replacing a Title” in the Help.
• Quickly fading a title using the Fade Effect button. For more information, see “Using
the Fade Effect Button” on page 205.
• Adjusting the effect parameters for the Title Effect, for example to alter or animate the
position of the title on the screen. For more information, see “Adjusting Title Effect
Parameters” in the Help.
• Promoting a 2D title to 3D in the same way that you promote other effects from 2D to
3D. For more information, see “Promoting 2D Effects to 3D Effects” in the Help.
• Revising the title by reopening it in the Title tool directly from the Timeline. For more
information, see “Revising a Title in a Sequence” in the Help.
• Replacing the fill track in a title with video or other graphics, for example to fill text
characters with moving video. For more information, see “Replacing Fill Tracks” in the
Help.
You can also re-create the media for a title, for example to conform a title originally created
at a lower resolution to a higher resolution for finishing and final output. For more
information, see “Re-creating Title Media” in the Help.
Title Effect Clips in the Bin

When the Title tool or Marquee saves a title, it creates a Title Effect clip and saves it in the
selected bin along with a media object, referred to as a precompute, which has references to
the RGB and alpha channel information. Every time you make a change, the Avid
application creates two additional media files. The original media files are left unchanged.
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Editing with Titles
Bin in Frame view
Rendered effect
(precompute)
Title Effect clip
n By default, the bin display does not show rendered effects. To view rendered effects in the
bin, select Bin > Set Bin Display, then select Rendered Effects and “Show reference clips” in
the dialog box.
Bin in Text view
Title Effect clip
Rendered effect
(precompute)
For more information, see “Managing Effect Media Files” in the Help.
When you have a bin in Frame view, you can display a frame from the title itself rather than
display the Title Effect Clip icon for the clip. This is especially useful if you have many
titles in the bin and want a quick visual reference.
To display a frame from the title:

1. Select one or more Title Effect clips.
2. Press the Home key on the keyboard.
The clip appears displaying the title.
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Editing a Title into a Sequence

After preparing the sequence with a second track for the title, there are three basic methods
for editing the title into place:
• Edit the title into the sequence, using standard editing methods: Mark edit points in
the sequence and in the title clip, and then splice or overwrite the title into place. For
more information, see “Splicing or Overwriting a Title into a Sequence” on page 259.
• Drag a marked title clip directly into the sequence from a bin: Mark IN and OUT
points in the title clip, and then drag the title directly into the sequence. For more
information, see “Dragging a Marked Title into a Sequence” on page 260.
• Drag an unmarked title clip directly into the sequence from a bin: Drag the title clip
directly from the bin to the location of the position indicator. For more information, see
“Dragging an Unmarked Title into a Sequence” on page 261.
When you are editing with rolling or crawling titles, you can control the start and finish
points of the title, as well as control its duration by trimming. For more information, see
“Setting Marks in a Rolling Title or a Crawling Title” on page 258 and “Trimming the
Duration of Rolling and Crawling Titles” on page 262.
Setting Marks in a Rolling Title or a Crawling Title
By default, a rolling title clip or a crawling title clip begins with the visible title just off
screen. The clip ends after the last element disappears off screen.
You can mark IN and OUT points of rolling titles in the Source monitor to change the start
and finish points; for example, you might want the title to start with the screen full of text
rather than start off screen.
You can play and mark a rolling title clip in the Source monitor by using standard
procedures. For more information, see “Controlling Playback” on page 108.
If you want to use the complete roll in the sequence, do not set marks. For information about
adjusting the duration of the roll, see “Trimming the Duration of Rolling and Crawling
Titles” on page 262.
n You can view a crawling title frame by frame if you select Special > Render On-the-Fly.
258
Editing with Titles
Splicing or Overwriting a Title into a Sequence
To splice or overwrite a title into a sequence:

1. Load the sequence into the Record monitor.
n Titles must be placed on a track above the video that forms the background. If an upper track
already exists with an open region for the title, you can go to step 3.
2. (Option) Select Clip > New Video Track.

The application adds the next video track for the sequence to the Timeline. For example,
if the sequence includes only V1, the application adds V2.
3. Double-click the Title Effect Clip icon in the bin to load the title in the Source monitor.
Title Effect Clip icon
4. Patch the title source to the video track in the sequence by clicking the Source Track
button for track V1 in the Track Selector panel and dragging it to the Record Track
button for track V2.
Source Track button
Record Track button
n You can use any three-point editing method to edit a title into a sequence. The following
steps are just one editing method. For other methods, start with “First Edits” on page 123.
259
5. In the Source monitor, mark an IN point.

You should mark the IN point toward the middle of a still title clip so you can trim the
title, if necessary.
For rolling and crawling titles, set no marks and move the position indicator to the
beginning of the clip if you want to use the full roll. The application uses the position
indicator to determine the IN point on rolling title.
6. In the Record monitor, mark IN and OUT points.
7. Make sure all other Record Track buttons are deselected in the Track Selector panel.
8. Click either the Extract/Splice-in button or the Lift/Overwrite button to edit the title into
the sequence.
The Title Effect segment appears in the top video track.
Dragging a Marked Title into a Sequence
To mark a portion of a title clip and then drag the marked clip directly into the
Timeline:
1. Load the sequence into the Record (Composer) monitor.
For more information, see “First Edits” on page 123 and “Using the Timeline” on
page 133.
n Titles must be placed on a track above the video that forms the background. If an upper
track already exists with an open region for the title, you can go to step 3.

3. Double-click the Title Effect Clip icon in the bin to load the title into the
Source monitor.
260
Editing with Titles
4. In the Source monitor, mark an IN point and an OUT point to establish the duration that
you want for the title.
You should mark the IN point toward the middle of a still title clip so you can trim the
title, if necessary.
For rolling and crawling titles, set no marks and move the position indicator to the
beginning of the clip if you want to use the full roll. The application uses the position
indicator to determine the IN point on rolling titles.
5. Clear the Source monitor by choosing Clip Name > Clear Monitor.
6. Click either the Extract/Splice-in button or the Lift/Overwrite button, depending upon
how you want to insert the Title effect.
7. Click the Title Effect Clip icon in the bin, and drag it to the Timeline.
As you drag the Title effect in the Timeline, a white outline of the title clip indicates
location in the sequence.
Outlined title clip
8. Release the mouse button when you have the title positioned where you want it.
The Title effect appears in place in the sequence.
Dragging an Unmarked Title into a Sequence
If you are not concerned about the OUT point for your title, or if you plan on trimming the
Title effect later, you can quickly drag the unmarked Title effect directly into the Timeline.
To apply a Title effect to a sequence without adding marks:

1. Load the sequence into the Record (Composer) monitor.
For more information, see “First Edits” on page 123 and “Using the Timeline” on
page 133.
261
n Titles must be placed on a track above the video that forms the background. If an upper track
already exists with an open region for the title, you can go to step 3.

3. Move the position indicator to the location where you want the Title effect to begin.
4. Click either the Extract/Splice-in button or the Lift/Overwrite button, depending upon
how you want to insert the Title effect.
5. Click the Title Effect Clip icon in the bin, and drag it to the Timeline.
As you drag the Title effect in the Timeline, a white outline of the title clip indicates
location in the sequence.
Outlined title clip
6. Release the mouse button when you have the title positioned where you want it.
The Title effect appears in place in the sequence.
Trimming the Duration of Rolling and Crawling Titles
When you edit the title clip into a marked segment of a sequence, the clip plays back from
beginning to end regardless of the duration of the segment. That is, the entire roll shrinks to
fit within the duration of the marked segment in the sequence.
Once you have edited the clip into the sequence, you can trim the duration of the segment at
any time, and the title adjusts to fit.
Unlike trimming other segments, trimming a rolling or a crawling title does not remove any
part of the title contents. As a result, the duration of the title determines how fast it plays. For
example, the shorter you trim the title, the faster it rolls.
n Rolling titles might jitter slightly at certain speeds. You can trim the duration slightly to fix
the problem.
262
Editing with Titles
To trim the duration of a rolling title or a crawling title:

1. Use the Track Selector panel to select the track containing the Title effect and to
deselect all other tracks.
2. To enter Trim mode, click the Trim Mode button in the Timeline top toolbar.
3. Select either the head or the tail of the title segment for trimming.
4. Trim the title segment to the duration you want by using standard trim procedures.
The entire roll or crawl plays back within the new duration.
c If you trim your rolling title very short, it scrolls very fast and cannot display in real
time; it must be rendered. The maximum speed for an unrendered rolling title is one
screen per second.
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264
Chapter 15
Output Options
The Avid system provides tools for generating output for individual tracks or entire
sequences to tape formats. Some of these options are described in the following topics:
• Preparing for Output
• Preparing for Audio Output
• Using the Digital Cut Tool
• Selecting a Deck in the Digital Cut Tool
• Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Remote Mode)
• Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode)
• Output Mode Resolution Options
• Outputting DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly to a DV Device
• Crash Recording
For more information on output options, see “Output Options: Advanced” in the Help. For
information on outputting HDV, see “Outputting HDV” in the Help.
Preparing for Output

Preparing for video output involves the following procedures:
• Render all non-real-time effects. See “Rendering Effects” in the Help.
• Select the connection for the output device, as described in “Selecting the Device for
Output” on page 266.
• Select video outputs. See “Selecting Video Output” on page 266.
• Select audio outputs. See “Preparing for Audio Output” on page 268.
• Decide whether you want to generate stereo or mono audio. See “Adjusting One Audio
Track at a Time” on page 171.
Chapter 15 Output Options
• Mix down multiple audio tracks if necessary. Systems equipped with a two-channel
audio board can generate a maximum of two channels. See “Mixing Down Audio
Tracks” in the Help.
• Convert mixed audio sample rates. See “Audio Sample Rates” on page 268.
• Prepare the record tapes. See “Preparing Record Tapes” on page 271.
Selecting the Device for Output

Your Avid editing application lets you output directly to a DV camera or deck on a 1394 port
(see “Outputting DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly to a DV Device” on page 283).
Other devices are connected through the Avid DNA hardware. Before outputting the digital
cut, make sure you select the correct connection for your output device. (See “Connecting
and Selecting a DV Device” on page 76.)
To select a device for a digital cut, do one of the following:
t Click the DNA/1394 button in the Timeline top toolbar to display either DNA or 1394.
t Select Special > Device, then select Avid DNA or IEEE 1394.
The appropriate button is displayed in the Timeline top toolbar, a check mark appears
next to the selected option in the Device menu, and the device output appears in the
Digital Cut tool.
Selecting Video Output
n You can select video output options only for SD projects; you cannot select options for
HD projects.
n The Video Output tool appears only if you have an Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI.
To select video output:

1. Select Tools > Video Output.
The Video Output tool opens.
2. Click the Output menu, and select an output format:
- Component
- Composite
- SVideo
3. Click the Test Patterns menu, and select a test pattern.
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Preparing for Output
4. Select a sync source from the Output sync lock menu. See “Establishing Sync for
Output” on page 267.
5. Click the close box.
Establishing Sync for Output

You can use one of the following sources as sync for output:
• Black burst or house sync through the reference input (REF) of the Avid Mojo or Avid
Mojo SDI
• Internal timing from the Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI hardware
The source that you use depends on your production environment and your project needs.
c If you are working in a facility that uses house sync or a black burst generator to
maintain accurate timing between various input and output devices, you should
connect the reference signal to the reference input (REF) on the Avid Mojo or Avid
Mojo SDI hardware before performing a digital cut.
You should connect the sync source before you start the Avid application. If you connect a
sync source while the application is running, you can reestablish sync by doing one of the
following:
t Quit and then restart the Avid application.
t Open the Digital Cut tool.
t Enter and then exit Capture mode.
To select the sync source:

1. Select Tools > Video Output Tool.
2. Select reference from the Output sync lock menu.
If the source you select is not correctly connected, or if the sync generator is set to an
incorrect frame rate, the application automatically switches to internal timing.
c Avid recommends that you use an external sync source whenever you record a digital
cut to tape. Connect the sync source to both the Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI hardware
and the tape deck.
3. Click the close box.
267
Preparing for Audio Output

The Audio tool lets you adjust global output levels. For information on additional audio
mixer procedures, see “Using the Audio Mixer Tool” in the Help. Selecting your audio
output also allows you to select the audio connection output.
Audio Sample Rates

You must convert to a single audio sample rate when performing a digital cut. If your
sequence or master clip has multiple audio sample rates, for example, one clip at 32 kHz and
other clips at 44.1 kHz, you need to convert it to a single audio sample rate. For information
on converting the audio sample rate, see “Changing the Sample Rate” in the Help.
Setting the Calibration Tone

The Audio tool provides an internal calibration tone that you can customize and play as a
reference signal on a digital cut. You can use the recorded reference signal for calibrating the
digital cut audio at another site.
The default tone playback is –14 dB (digital scale) with a 1000-Hz signal. In some cases,
you might need to customize the signal. For example, a common reference signal convention
for audio work involves recording 30-second segments of 100-Hz, 1-kHz, and 10-kHz tones
back-to-back.
To change the parameters for the calibration tone:

1. Select Tools > Audio Tool.
The Audio tool opens. See “Using the Audio Tool” in the Help.
Peak Hold Menu button
268
2. Click the Peak Hold (PH) Menu button, and select Set Calibration Tone.
The Set Calibration Tone dialog box opens.
3. Type new values for the tone level and frequency, and click OK.
To play back the tone:

t Click the Peak Hold menu, and select Play Calibration Tone.
To check the adjusted tone level in the meters:

t Make sure the In/Out (I/O) toggle buttons are set to O for Output.
Calibrating Global Output Levels

You can use the meters in the Audio tool and the Output Control slider (master attenuator) in
the Output tab in the Audio Project Settings window to make global level adjustments for
output from the system. These adjustments affect levels for all output tracks to both the
speakers and record devices.
c You should leave this output level at the factory preset of 0 dB. Adjust the level only
when necessary to raise or lower the overall volume, based on the headroom
parameters of the record format, or for consistently overmodulated or
undermodulated source material.
Adjusting Audio Output

To adjust global audio output:
3. Click the Output tab.
269
Bypass panel
Mix Mode
Selection
Menu
button
4. Click the Mix Mode Selection Menu button, and select a type of output.
- Select Stereo to mix the currently monitored audio tracks into a stereo pair.
- Select Mono to pan all the currently monitored tracks to center.
5. (Option) You can select Clip Gain, RT EQ, or Auto Gain in the Bypass panel to enable
or disable the customized volume, real-time EQ, or automation gain effects you applied
with the other audio tools.
6. Select Tools > Audio Tool.
The Audio tool opens.
Reset Peak Peak Hold Menu button

button
270
7. Click the In/Out toggle buttons above the meters to display O for Output.
8. Play back one of the following sources of reference audio by doing one of the following:
t Click the Peak Hold (PH) Menu button, and select Play Calibration Tone.
t Play back a representative sequence or clip containing audio.
9. Watch the levels in the meters, and adjust the master attenuator to the level that you
want.
n To adjust levels for individual tracks, use the Audio Mixer tool.
10. Close the Audio tool.

11. Close the Audio Project Settings window.
Preparing Record Tapes

The two basic methods of recording to tape are:
• Frame-accurate recording, using the Digital Cut tool
• Manual recording, using controls on the record deck
Each method requires different treatment of the record tapes.
Frame-Accurate Recording
Frame-accurate recording involves using the Digital Cut tool to record your sequence onto a
prestriped tape (a tape with prerecorded control track and timecode) or a partially
striped tape.
Before you can record a frame-accurate digital cut, you must prepare the record tapes in
advance for either insert-editing recording or assemble-edit recording. See “Enabling
Assemble-Edit Recording” on page 273.
n DV cameras or decks controlled through a 1394 connection and the OHCI protocol do not
consistently support the commands for frame-accurate recording. As a result, if you are
preparing to record to one of these devices, the insert edit and assemble edit menu choices
do not appear in the Digital Cut tool. You can use the Digital Cut tool in either local mode
or remote mode, but all tracks are enabled for recording and cannot be modified. For more
information, see “Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode)” in the Help.
To perform insert-edit recording:

t Stripe the record tapes (record black with timecode for the entire duration of the tape) in
advance (prestriped tape).
271
To perform assemble-edit recording:

t Record black with timecode onto the tape, including the necessary preroll before the IN
point plus at least 10 seconds (partially striped tape).
Manual Recording
Manual recording (sometimes referred to as crash recording) involves bypassing deck

control in the Avid application and using manual operation of the record deck. Because the
timing of playback is based on manual procedures, the recording is not frame accurate.
However, you do not need to record timecode onto the tape in advance. You can also record
onto non-Avid-controlled decks, such as a consumer-grade VHS or Hi8™.
n You cannot manually record to a DV device or camera. Use the Digital Cut tool with local
control.
To record manually:
1. If the record deck has a serial control switch, set it to Local.
2. Use the controls on the deck to start the videotape recording.
3. Play the sequence.
Recording Bars and Tone
You can also record a portion of bars and tone onto the tape before recording a digital cut.
There are two methods of recording bars and tone to tape:
• If your recording must be frame accurate, consider adding a segment of digital bars and
tone to the front of your sequence, or prepare it as a separate sequence that you can
record using the Digital Cut tool. For more information, see “Preparing Digital Bars and
Tone” on page 282.
• If your recording does not need to be frame accurate, you can manually record direct
output of bars and tone from your Avid system.
To record bars and tone manually:

1. Select Tools >Video Output tool and Tools > Audio tool.
2. Click the Test Patterns menu in the Video Output tool, and select a color bars pattern.
If you do not see the Test Patterns menu, click the Arrow button at the lower left corner
of the window.
3. Click the Peak Hold (PH) menu in the Audio tool, and select Play Calibration Tone.
4. Set the record deck to Local for manual recording.
5. Record the bars and tone as either an insert or assemble edit according to the operation
of your record deck and chosen method.
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Enabling Assemble-Edit Recording

Insert editing is the default setting for the Digital Cut tool. You can also use assemble-edit
settings in the Avid application, along with the assemble-editing capabilities of your record
deck, to quickly record frame-accurate digital cuts without striping entire tapes in advance.
c To avoid accidentally breaking timecode on prestriped tapes during digital cut

recording, enable assemble editing only when in use, and disable it during insert-edit
recording.
n DV cameras or decks controlled through a 1394 connection and the OHCI protocol do not
consistently support the commands for frame-accurate recording. As a result, if you are
preparing to record to one of these devices, the insert edit and assemble edit menu choices
do not appear in the Digital Cut tool. You can use the Digital Cut tool in either local mode
or remote mode, but all tracks are enabled for recording and cannot be modified.
To enable assemble-edit recording:

The Settings List appears.
2. Double-click Deck Preferences.
The Deck Preferences dialog box opens.
3. Select “Allow assemble edit & crash record for digital cut” and then click OK.
4. If possible, check the following settings on your record deck:
- The free run/rec (record) run switch should be set to record run.
- The Ext (external)/Int (internal) sync switch should be set to internal.
- The switch for internal timecode should be set to Regen (regenerate) or Slave Lock,
not Preset.
- After you record 15 to 30 seconds of timecode onto the record tape for jam syncing,
set the Local/Remote switch to Remote for deck control from within the Avid
application.
5. When you are ready to record, set the options in the Digital Cut tool, as described in
“Using the Digital Cut Tool” on page 274.
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Using the Digital Cut Tool

The Digital Cut tool provides controls when you record a sequence to tape.
Sequence Track buttons Play Digital Cut button Preview Digital Cut button
Enable Track buttons Halt Digital Cut button
Video/Ref
Lock icon
Deck
control
area
Deck controls Deck Selection menu Timecode text boxes
The Digital Cut tool has the following operating modes:

• Remote mode allows you to control the record deck by using the deck controller in the
Digital Cut tool. This mode provides frame-accurate control when you record a
sequence to tape. See “Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Remote Mode)” on page 276.
• Local mode allows you to manually control the record deck by using the controls on the
deck. This mode is useful when you need to use non-Avid-controlled decks, such as
consumer-grade VHS or Hi8. “Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode)” on
page 279.
You can use either Remote mode or Local mode to preview the output of a digital cut before
recording it to tape. See “Previewing a Digital Cut” on page 848.
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Selecting a Deck in the Digital Cut Tool
You can manually record a digital cut, but the recording is not frame accurate. See
“Preparing Record Tapes” on page 271.
n Sync for output comes from the reference input (REF) input on the Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo
SDI, or from internal timing. For more information, see “Detecting Valid or Locked Capture
Input” on page 58 and “Establishing Sync for Output” on page 267.
The Digital Cut tool provides several options for you to manage the recording of your
sequence. For example, you can:
• Record by using either assemble edit, insert edit, or crash record.
• Record a selected portion of the sequence or selected tracks.
• Record an entire sequence.
• Record according to different timecode parameters.
• Select the sequence video and audio tracks to record (Sequence Track buttons).
• Have the system locate real-time effects with dropped frames.
• Select the tracks to record to on the tape (Enable Track button – Remote mode only).
• Add black at the end of a digital cut.
In Remote mode, the Digital Cut tool includes its own deck controls for:
• Cueing a record deck from the Digital Cut tool.
• Cueing the tape and adding an IN point. This capability applies when you click the
menu in the deck control area, and select Mark In Time.
The Mark OUT button does not appear in the deck controller section of the Digital Cut tool
because it has no effect on digital cuts. Also, the Mark OUT and Duration text fields are
read-only. You cannot alter them.
n Depending on the system configuration, you might need to use the deck controls in the
Capture tool to review a digital cut.
Selecting a Deck in the Digital Cut Tool

The Deck Selection menu in the Digital Cut tool contains a list of all decks that were
connected to the system, turned on, and initialized when you opened the Digital Cut tool.
n Device templates from older Avid systems are not compatible with Avid Xpress Pro systems.
Do not copy Meridien templates to Avid Xpress Pro systems, and do not copy Avid Xpress
Pro templates to Meridien systems.
275
The Deck Selection menu also lists three commands:

• Adjust Deck opens the Deck Settings dialog box. Changes you make apply to the
selected deck. For information on Deck settings, see “Deck Settings” on page 325.
• Auto-configure allows you to automatically configure the selected deck with the default
deck settings for that deck.
• Check Decks helps to reestablish deck control if the power to your decks was off or the
decks were disconnected when you opened the Digital Cut tool.
If the words “No Deck” appear in the menu, you need to configure a deck in the Deck
Configuration dialog box. See “Configuring Decks” on page 51.
If a deck name appears in italics on the menu, the deck has lost power or has been
disconnected. Click the menu, and select Check Decks to reestablish deck control.
To activate an available deck for a digital cut:

t Click the Deck Selection menu, and select the deck.
Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Remote Mode)

Recording in Remote mode allows you to control your record deck by using the deck
controller in the Digital Cut tool. This mode provides frame-accurate control when you
record a sequence to tape.
Prior to recording a digital cut, make sure you have selected the appropriate device.
c Make sure you connect the correct deck and black burst generator for the output
format you selected (NTSC or PAL).

t Make sure you selected the appropriate device for the material you are recording (see
“Selecting the Device for Output” on page 266.
To record a digital cut to tape:

1. Load a sequence into the Record monitor. (You cannot access digital cut options without
a sequence loaded.)
2. Select Clip > Digital Cut.
The Digital Cut tool opens.
3. Select the Output Mode and Bit Depth according to the “Output Mode Resolution
Options” on page 281.
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Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Remote Mode)
4. Select or deselect the Entire Sequence option based upon the following:
t Select the Entire Sequence option if you want the system to ignore any IN or OUT
points and to play the entire sequence from start to finish.
t Deselect the Entire Sequence option if you have established an IN point, an OUT
point, or both for recording a portion of the sequence.
5. Click the Video Effect Safe Mode button (selected by default) to allow the system to
notify you that an effect needs to be rendered.
During a digital cut, real-time effects can drop frames. To eliminate the chance of
dropping frames, it’s best to render the real-time effects that might drop frames. The
Video Effect Safe Mode option identifies real-time effects that might cause dropped
frames during the digital cut and allows you to render them. After all the real-time
effects are rendered, the system automatically initiates the digital cut.
6. (Option) Select Stop on Dropped Frames. This option appears for all real-time digital
cuts if you have an Avid Mojo, an Avid Mojo SDI, or a DV device attached to your 1394
port. When you select this option, if the system detects a dropped frame during output,
the digital cut stops. You can fix the frame with ExpertRender and then continue. For
more information, see ExpertRender in the Help.
7. Select the Add Black at Tail option and enter a duration to add black at the end of the
digital cut.
8. Click the Deck Selection menu, and select a deck. See “Selecting a Deck in the Digital
Cut Tool” on page 275.
9. Select Remote in the Deck Control options area.
10. Click the menu, and select either Insert Edit or Assemble Edit (if available for your
deck).
This menu appears only if you enabled assemble editing in the Deck Preferences dialog
box. For more information about this option, see “Enabling Assemble-Edit Recording”
on page 453.
n DV cameras or decks controlled through a 1394 connection do not consistently support the
commands for frame-accurate recording. As a result, if you are preparing to record to one of
these devices, the insert edit and assemble edit menu choices do not appear in the Digital
Cut tool. You can use the Digital Cut tool in either local mode or remote mode, but all tracks
are enabled for recording and cannot be modified.
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11. Click the menu in the Deck Control options area, and select an option to indicate where
to start recording on the tape.
t Select Sequence Time to start the recording at a timecode existing on tape that
matches the start timecode of the sequence. If you intend to record several
sequences to tape one after another, this option requires resetting the start timecode
on each sequence to match appropriate IN points on the tape.
t Select Record Deck Time to ignore the timecode of the sequence and to start the
recording wherever the record deck is currently cued.
n You can change the start timecode to match the record tape by using the Get Clip Info
command. For more information, see “Changing Sequence Information” on page 124.
t Select Mark In Time to ignore the sequence timecode. Establish a specific IN point
on the record tape by cueing and marking with the deck controls.
Timecode text box
12. (Option) Select the Custom Preroll option, click the menu, and select the number of
seconds to indicate how many seconds the tape rolls before the digital cut starts. This
option overrides the Preroll setting in the Deck Settings dialog box.
13. Select the audio and video tracks you want represented in the digital cut by using the
Sequence Track buttons. The display of tracks in the Digital Cut tool varies according to
the tracks existing in the sequence.
14. Select the video and audio tracks to record to on the tape by using the Enable Track
buttons.
15. For 23.976p, 24p, and 25p projects, select an output format as described in “Selecting
Output and Timecode Formats for 23.976p, 24p, and 25p Projects” in the Help.
16. Click the Play Digital Cut button or the Preview Digital Cut button.
The system cues the record deck, then plays the sequence. The playback appears in the
Record monitor and in the Client monitor.
17. To stop the recording at any time, press the space bar or click the Halt Digital Cut
button.
n After assemble-edit recording, a freeze frame is usually added after the OUT point for 1
second or more, depending upon the record deck model. This provides several frames of
overlap for the next IN point before the control track and timecode break up.
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Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode)
n If you see degraded image quality in your digital cut (particularly visible as noise during
black), deselect the “Poll deck during digital cut” option in the Deck Preferences dialog
box, which you access from the Settings list of the Project window. Then record the digital
cut again. With the option deselected, the timecode display in the deck controller does not
update for the duration of the digital cut.
Recording a Digital Cut to Tape (Local Mode)

Recording in Local mode allows you to manually control your record deck by using the
controls on the deck. This mode is useful when you need to use non-Avid-controlled decks,
such as consumer-grade VHS or Hi8.
Prior to recording a digital cut, make sure you have selected the appropriate device.
c Make sure you connect the correct deck and black burst generator for the output
format you selected (NTSC or PAL).

t Make sure you selected the appropriate device for the material you are recording (see
“Selecting the Device for Output” on page 266.
To record a digital cut to tape by using the deck controls on the deck:
1. Load a sequence into the Record monitor. (You cannot access digital cut options
without a sequence loaded.)
3. Select the Output Mode and Bit Depth according to the “Output Mode Resolution
4. Select or deselect the Entire Sequence option based upon the following:
t Select the Entire Sequence option if you want the system to ignore any IN or OUT
points and play the entire sequence from start to finish.
t Deselect the Entire Sequence option if you have established an IN point, an OUT
point, or both for recording a portion of the sequence.
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5. (Option) Click the Video Effect Safe Mode button (selected by default) to allow the
system to notify you that an effect needs to be rendered.
During a digital cut, real-time effects can drop frames. To eliminate the chance of
dropping frames, it’s best to render the real-time effects that might drop frames. The
Video Effect Safe Mode option identifies real-time effects that might cause dropped
frames during the digital cut and allows you to render them. After all the real-time
effects are rendered, the system automatically initiates the digital cut.
n The Video Effect Safe Mode button might not appear in the Digital Cut tool, depending on
your system configuration and project format.
6. (Option) Select Stop on Dropped Frames. This option appears for all real-time digital
cuts if you have an Avid Mojo, an Avid Mojo SDI, or a DV device attached to your 1394
port. When you select this option, if the system detects a dropped frame during output,
the digital cut stops. You can fix the frame with ExpertRender and then continue. For
more information, see “ExpertRender” in the Help.
n Always select Stop on Dropped Frames when you are recording your final master.
7. (Option) Select the Add Black at Tail option and enter a timecode to add black at the end
of the digital cut.
8. Select Local in the Deck Control options area.
9. Click the Sequence Track buttons to select the audio and video tracks you want
represented in the digital cut. The display of tracks in the Digital Cut tool varies
according to the tracks existing in the sequence.
10. For 23.976p, 24p, and 25p projects, select an output format as described in “Selecting
Output and Timecode Formats for 23.976p, 24p, and 25p Projects” in the Help.
11. Press the Record button on the deck.
12. Click the Play Digital Cut button.
The deck plays and records the digital cut. The playback appears in the Record monitor
and in the Client monitor.
13. To stop the recording at any time, press the space bar or click the Halt Digital
Cut button.
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Output Mode Resolution Options

The Output Mode menu in the Digital Cut tool displays the relevant resolution options
depending on your project type and the output device. The connected output device is
displayed in the Digital Cut tool. The following table provides information on the available
output resolutions.
Connected
Output Output
Mode Device
Resolution
Options
Available Output
Mode Resolution and
Project Type Device Bit Depth Comments
30i and 25i, or Avid Mojo or RTa DNA (8-bit) With RT DNA selected, RT DNA allows
25p SD Project Avid Mojo SDI RT DV 25 (8-bit)b you to output through the following
DV 25b connectors: Composite, SVideo,
Component, or Host-1394.
With RT DNA selected, output is 1:1
uncompressed or decompressed DV 25.
With RT DV 25 selected, full real-time
effects playback is supported.
With DV 25 selected, real-time effects
playback is not supported. All media must
be DV 25.
24p or 23.976p Avid Mojo or RT DNA (8-bit)

SD Project Avid Mojo SDI RT DV 25 (8-bit)b
30i, 25i, or 25p Separate IEEE 1394 RT DV 25 (8-bit)b With DV 50 selected, real-time effects
SD Project board RT DV 50(8-bit)b playback is not supported. All media must
DV 25b be DV 50.
DV 50b
HD Project Avid Mojo or DNxHD Does not support real-time effects

Avid Mojo SDI playback. All media must be DNxHD.
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Output Mode Resolution Options (Continued)
Available Output
Mode Resolution and
Project Type Device Bit Depth Comments
HD Project Separate 1394 board DVCPRO HD Does not support real-time effects
playback. All media must be DVCPRO
HD.
a. RT indicates real-time effects playback is supported.

b. There are restrictions for progressive formats. See “Output Mode Resolutions with Progressive Projects” on page 282.
n Performing a digital cut to a serial-controlled deck might not be frame-accurate if the output
resolution is set to RT DV 25 or DV 25. When performing a digital cut to a serial-controlled
deck, set the output resolution to RT DNA and make sure your output device is connected to
a connection other than 1394 (for example, SDI or Composite). This is a limitation of some
1394 devices.
Output Mode Resolutions with Progressive Projects

The availability of the Output Mode resolutions for progressive projects depends on the
Output Format play rate in the Digital Cut Tool. The following table describes the Output
Mode resolutions for progressive projects.
Output
Format
Play
Rate
Progressive Project Output Mode Resolution Options
Available Output Mode

Project Type Play Rate Resolution and Bit Depth
PAL 25p project 25 DV 25

DV 50
RT DV 50 (8-bit)
RT DV 25 (8-bit)
NTSC 23.976p projects 23.976 RT DV 50 (8-bit)

RT DV 25 (8-bit)
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Outputting DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly to a DV Device
Progressive Project Output Mode Resolution Options (Continued)
Available Output Mode

Project Type Play Rate Resolution and Bit Depth
NTSC 24p projects 24 RT DV 50 (8-bit)

RT DV 25 (8-bit)
PAL 24p Method 1 25 RT DV 50 (8-bit)

For information on Method 1 and Method 2, see
RT DV 25 (8-bit)
“Transferring 24-fps Film to PAL Video” in the Help.
PAL 24p Method 2 24 RT DV 50 (8-bit)

For information on Method 1 and Method 2, see
RT DV 25 (8-bit)
“Transferring 24-fps Film to PAL Video” in the Help.
n Performing a digital cut to a serial-controlled deck might not be frame-accurate if the output
resolution is set to RT DV 25 or DV 25. When performing a digital cut to a serial-controlled
deck, set the output resolution to RT DNA and make sure your output device is attached to a
connection other than 1394 (for example, SDI or Composite).
Outputting DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Media Directly

to a DV Device
You can output DV 50 or DVCPRO HD sequences directly to a DV device. This lets you
output without any loss due to compression and decompression.
DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Output
And if the output

You can output: If the project is: device is:
DV 50 Any SD project 1394
DVCPRO HD One of the following HD projects: 1394

• 720p/23.976
• 720p/59.94
• 1080i/50
• 1080i/59.94
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To output DV 50 or DVCPRO HD media directly to a DV device:

1. Select the DV 50 or DVCPRO HD sequence you want to output.
2. Render all effects.
t Click the DNA/1394 button above the Timeline to display the 1394 icon.
t Select Special > Device > IEEE 1394.
The 1394 icon displays above the Timeline, and a check mark appears next to IEEE
1394 in the Device menu.
n For information about the 1394 option, see “Outputting DV 50 and DVCPRO HD Media
Directly to a DV Device” on page 283.

5. Select other Digital Cut options.
6. Perform the digital cut.
Crash Recording
You can crash record to a device without positioning the device beforehand. With DV decks,
a crash record can either start recording at the current location or it can work with a starting
timecode.
n DV cameras or decks controlled through a 1394 connection do not consistently support the
commands for frame-accurate recording. As a result, if you are preparing to record to one of
these devices, the insert edit and assemble edit menu choices do not appear in the Digital
Cut tool. You can use the Digital Cut tool in either local mode or remote mode, but all tracks
are enabled for recording and cannot be modified.
To perform crash record to devices that do not support insert edit or assemble edit:
1. Prepare for Digital Cut as described “Using the Digital Cut Tool” on page 274.
2. In the Deck Control area, select Remote.
3. Crash Record appears in the right menu.
4. Select Add Black at Tail, and enter 30 seconds.
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Crash Recording

t To ignore the starting timecode and start recording at the current location, select
Ignore Time from the left menu.
If you select one of the timecode options for which your device is not equipped, a
message box appears.
t To begin recording at a starting timecode, select a timecode option from the
left menu.
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286
Chapter 16
Exporting and Exchanging Material
You can export material directly from your Avid system to many supported file types. You
can export an individual frame, a selected region of footage, or an entire clip or sequence.
• Exporting as a QuickTime Movie
• Selecting QuickTime Codecs
• Sending Clips or Sequences to Other Applications
For more information about exporting and exchanging material, see “Exporting and
Exchanging Material: Advanced” in the Help. For information on exporting HDV, see
“Exporting HDV” in the Help.
Exporting as a QuickTime Movie

The QuickTime Movie export option creates a standard QuickTime movie that combines the
media files and QuickTime wrapper. This method allows you to move all related information
as one file. If you plan to use the QuickTime movie with an application that can access files
on your local system, see “QuickTime Reference Movies” in the Help.
To export as a QuickTime movie:

1. Select the material you want to export in one of the following ways:
t To export specific tracks in a clip or sequence, enable those tracks in the Track
Selector panel, and disable all others. Make sure Use Enabled Tracks is selected in
the QuickTime Export Settings dialog box. You can select this option before the
export.
t To export part of a clip or sequence, mark IN and OUT points to export the marked
range from a bin or a monitor. If you mark an IN point and no OUT point, the
system exports from the IN point to the end of the clip or sequence. Make sure Use
Marks is selected in the QuickTime Export Settings dialog box.
Chapter 16 Exporting and Exchanging Material
t To export the entire clip or sequence, deselect Use Enabled Tracks and Use Marks
in the QuickTime Export Settings dialog box, and make sure the topmost track is
monitored.
2. Select File > Export.
The Export As dialog box opens.
3. Select the Export settings by doing one of the following:
t Click the Export Setting menu, select a setting if you created a QuickTime template
in advance, and then click Save.
The file is exported and appears at the chosen destination.
t If you want to review or edit a setting, go to step 4.
4. Click the Options button.
The Export Settings dialog box opens.
5. Click the Export As menu, and select QuickTime Movie.
n If you installed additional QuickTime Export formats, they appear in the menu with tildes (~)
before their names. This indicates that they have not been qualified with the Avid application
and are not supported by Avid.
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Exporting as a QuickTime Movie
QuickTime Movie (Same as Source) QuickTime Movie (Custom)

- Same as Source: Allows you to use the resolution and size of the source file.
- Custom: Allows you to customize your settings.
7. (Option) Click Format Options, and select settings from the Movie Settings dialog box.
See “Export Settings: QuickTime Movie” on page 336 and “Export Settings:
QuickTime Compression” on page 337.
8. Select the remaining options. See “Export Settings: QuickTime Movie Export” on
page 333.
9. Click Save, and then click Save again.
The file is exported and appears at the chosen destination.
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Selecting QuickTime Codecs

Your Avid system includes many codecs you can use to compress and export your sequence.
See “Using Avid Codecs” in the Help.
To access the QuickTime codecs:

1. Select File > Export.
The Export As dialog box opens.
2. Click the Options button.
The Export Settings dialog box opens.
3. Click the Export As menu, and select QuickTime Movie.
4. Select Custom.
5. Click Format Options.
The Movie Settings dialog box opens.
6. Click the Settings button in the Video area.

The Compression Settings dialog box opens.
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Sending Clips or Sequences to Other Applications
7. Select the codec and settings. These options are shown in “Export Settings: QuickTime
Compression” on page 337.
8. Click OK.
The Movie Settings dialog box reappears.
9. Click OK to return to the Export Settings dialog box. For information about exporting as
a QuickTime movie, see “Exporting as a QuickTime Movie” on page 287.
Sending Clips or Sequences to Other Applications

The Send To feature enables you to send sequences or master clips from your Avid editing
system to other applications, automating your workflow. The Send To option provides you
with a choice of several pre-defined templates to streamline your workflow. These templates
are set to default parameters, customized for the specific workflow. In many instances you
can choose to automatically launch the application to which you are sending your clip or
sequence.
Avid recommends you use the pre-defined template default settings, which have been
qualified by Avid.
To use the predefined templates:

1. Select a clip or a sequence in a bin.
2. Select File > Send To.
3. Select the desired Send To template option.
4. Click Set and choose a destination folder for the exported files.
5. Click OK.
The file is exported to the selected destination.
For detailed information about Send To options, see “Improving Workflow Using Send To:
n The Avid Xpress Studio Send To submenu might appear in your editing application, but is
applicable only when running the Avid Xpress Studio package.
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292
Chapter 17
Settings Options
Settings are accessed through the Settings tab of the Project window. The following topics
describe the Settings options in your Avid application:
• Using the Settings List
• Audio Settings
• Audio Project Settings
• Bin Settings
• Capture Settings
• Communication (Serial) Ports Tool Settings
• Controller Settings
• Correction Mode Settings
• Deck Configuration Settings
• Deck Settings
• Deck Preferences Settings
• Export Settings
• Film and 24p Settings
• Full Screen Playback Settings
• General Settings
• Grid Settings
• Import Settings
• Interface Settings
• Keyboard Settings
• Marquee Title Settings
• Media Creation Settings
• Mouse Settings
Chapter 17 Settings Options
• PortServer Settings
• Remote Play and Capture Settings
• Render Settings
• Safe Colors Settings
• Script Settings
• Sound Card Configuration Settings (Windows Only)
• Timeline Settings
• Trim Settings
• Video Display Settings
• Video Input Tool Settings
• Video Output Tool Settings
• Workspace Settings

From the Settings list of the Project window, you can view, select, open, and alter various
User, Project, and Site settings, as described in this section.
To view the Settings list, do one of the following:

t Click the Settings tab in the Project window.
t Select Edit > Preferences.
Settings tab
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Understanding the Settings List

The following table briefly describes each item in the Settings list, and lists where you can
find additional information on a particular item.
Settings List
Setting Name Description For More Information
Audio Sets the default audio pan; contains See “Audio Settings” on page 308.
audio scrub options and audio setup
parameters.
Audio Project Sets parameters for audio project setup. See “Transfer Settings for Film Projects”
on page 299.
Bin Sets the Auto-save preferences for bins, Avid See “Bin Settings” on page 315.
Attic preferences, and other bin parameters.
Bin View Selects and formats the information See “Displaying Custom Bin Views” on
displayed in bins. page 252.
n You cannot modify bin views from

the Project window.
Capture Defines how the Avid system captures and See “Capture Settings” on page 316.
batch captures in specific situations.
Communication Sets a port for Remote Play and Capture. See “Remote Play and Capture Settings”
(Serial) Ports on page 380.
Controller Sets the controller type and port. See “Controller Settings” on page 322.
Settings
Correction Sets parameters for color correction. See “Correction Mode Settings” on
page 322.
Deck Configures channels and decks into the See “Deck Configuration Settings” on
Configuration system. page 324.
Deck Preferences Sets preferences that affect all decks See “Deck Preferences Settings” on
configured into the system. page 326.
Desktop Play Lets you adjust the offset between audio and See “Video Display Settings” on
Delay video playback (for software-only systems). page 389.
Export Sets parameters for file export. See “Export Settings” on page 328.
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Settings List (Continued)
Film and 24p Sets essential parameters for accurately See “Transfer Settings for Film Projects”
capturing, tracking, and editing source on page 299 and “Selecting Film Settings”
material for matchback projects. You must be in the Help.
in a film project for this setting to appear.
Full-Screen Allows you to view your video on a full- See “Full Screen Playback Settings” on
Playback screen monitor. page 361.
General Defines default values such as the default See “General Settings” on page 362.
starting timecode.
Import Sets parameters for file import. See “Import Settings” on page 365.
Interface Defines the appearance and function of See “Interface Settings” on page 372.
certain interface elements.
Keyboard Displays the default keys on the Keyboard See “Keyboard Settings” on page 375.
palette and any mapping you do to the
Keyboard palette.
Marquee Title Lets you specify settings for the Marquee See “Marquee Title Settings” in the Help
Title tool. and the Avid Marquee Title Tool User’s
Guide.
Media Creation Sets video resolution and selects drives for See “Media Creation Settings” on
capturing, creating titles, importing, and page 377.
performing audio and video mixdown.
Mouse Allows you to set the speed of scrolling with See “Mouse Settings” on page 380.
the mouse wheel within the editing
application.
PortServer Sets up the LANshare client so its See “PortServer Settings” on page 380.
workspaces are recognized.
Remote Play and Lets you use your editing application like a See “Remote Play and Capture Settings”
Capture videotape recorder. on page 380.
Render Sets the Render Completion sound, and See “Render Settings” on page 381.
controls how motion effects render.
Safe Colors Sets the safe color parameters for the Color See “Safe Colors Settings” on page 384.
Correction tool.
Script Sets the default display options for scripts See “Script Settings” on page 385.
imported using script integration.
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Settings List (Continued)
Sound Card Allows you to map audio input sources See “Sound Card Configuration Settings
Configuration directly to the output sources available with (Windows Only)” on page 386.
your audio hardware (for software-only
systems).
Timeline Contains general Timeline preferences. See “Timeline Settings” on page 387.
Title Style If you save a title style while you are using See “Saving and Recalling Title Styles”
the Title tool, Title Style appears in the on page 308.
Settings list.
Trim Customizes the Trim mode environment. See “Trim Settings” on page 388.
Video Display Allows digital camera video input; enables See “Video Display Settings” on
support of cameras with video input; sets the page 389.
mode and source for desktop video; enables
Client monitor; sets effects preview options.
Video Input The Video Input tool enables you to calibrate See “Video Input Tool Settings” on
composite or component video when page 391.
capturing. Appears in the Settings list to
facilitate copying settings.
Video Output The Video Output tool enables you to select See “Video Output Tool Settings” on
output for composite or component video in page 392.
a digital cut. Appears in the Settings list to
facilitate copying settings.
Workspace Enables you to associate settings and See “Workspace Settings” on page 392.
windows with a workspace.
Understanding Settings
Three types of settings appear in the Settings list, as indicated in the third column of
information: User, Project, and Site settings.
• User settings are specific to a particular editor. User settings reflect individual
preferences for adjusting the user interface in the Avid application. Individual User
settings are stored in each user folder, which is stored in the following location:
- (Windows) drive:\Program Files\Avid\
Avid Xpress Pro\Avid Users
- (Macintosh) Macintosh HD/Users/Shared/Avid Xpress Pro/Avid Users
297
n The Avid Attic folder is usually located in the same folder as the Avid Projects and the Avid
Users folders.
• Project settings are directly related to individual projects. When you change a Project
setting, it affects all editors working on the project. Specific Project settings are stored in
each project folder, which are stored in the following locations and which depend on
whether your project is private or shared:
Default Locations of Avid Projects Folders
Private Projects Shared Projects
Windows C:\Documents and Settings\Windows login C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared

name\My Documents\Avid Projects Documents\Shared Avid Projects
Macintosh Macintosh HD/Users/Mac login Macintosh HD/Shared/Avid Application/Shared

name/Documents/Avid Projects Avid Projects (Macintosh)
• Site settings establish default parameters for all new users and projects on a particular
system. They can also include other User or Project settings that you copy into the Site
Settings window.
n Site settings do not override User settings and Project settings.
Site settings are stored in a separate Settings folder, in the following location:
• (Windows) drive:\Program Files\Avid\Avid application\Settings
• (Macintosh) Macintosh HD/Applications/Avid application/ Settings
Defining Settings
You can use the Settings list to establish a hierarchy of settings that address the specific
needs of each production phase. For example, you can establish:
• User settings that facilitate logging, capturing, organizing projects, and editing
interface preferences
• Project settings that reflect the specific needs of the project
• Bin View settings that display useful columns of information for each bin
By establishing these settings once, and by selecting the appropriate setting or bin view in
context, you can save time and effort that would be spent searching for information or
adjusting bin headings on-the-fly. You can also save these settings along with your template
for use on similar projects, as described in “Managing Folders and Bins” on page 78.
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Transfer Settings for Film Projects
The following settings are important for transferring media in a film project. You should set
the transfer settings for film projects immediately after you create a new project and before
capturing. For information about other film settings, see “Film and 24p Settings” in
the Help.
• Video Pulldown Cadence: allows you to specify the type of film-to-tape transfer that
you capture:
- Video rate, no pulldown: Select this option when working with 24-fps footage that
has been transferred MOS (roughly translated as “without sound”) to 30 fps by
speeding up the film, and the audio has been brought into the Avid system
separately at 100 percent of the actual speed.
- Standard 2:3:2:3 pulldown: Select this option when working with 24-fps footage
that has been transferred to 30 fps by duplicating frames (pulldown) and the audio
has been synchronized to the picture.
- Advanced 2:3:3:2 pulldown: Select this option when using native DV editing with
capture over Firewire.
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For NTSC projects, you can mix footage transferred with pulldown and footage
transferred without pulldown (video rate). You can also mix sound transferred at 0.99
(with pulldown) and 1.00 (without pulldown).
For information about film-to-tape transfer methods, see “Film-to-Tape Transfer
Methods” in the Help.
• (PAL only) You define the Audio Transfer Rate in the New Project dialog box when
you create a 24p PAL film project. (It is not needed for a 25p PAL project because there
is no film speedup during the transfer.) It is important to keep the audio transfer rate
constant for the project. However, if there is a specific element that you need to capture
at a different rate, you can use the Film and 24p Settings dialog box to change the rate.
The following options are available:
- Film Rate (100%): Select this option when your 24-fps film footage has been
transferred MOS to 25 fps by speeding up the film, and the audio comes in
separately at 100 percent of the actual speed (PAL Method 2).
- Video Rate (100%+): Select this option when your 24-fps film footage has been
transferred to 25 fps by speeding up the film, and the audio is synchronized to the
video picture. This means that the audio speed is increased by 4.1 percent (PAL
Method 1).
For PAL 24p projects, you can mix audio that has been transferred at 4.1 percent
speedup (video rate, PAL Method 1) with audio that has not been transferred (film rate,
PAL Method 2). However, Avid does not recommend this. See “Audio Transfer Options
for 24p PAL Projects” in the Help.
n The Info tab in the Project window allows you to view the audio transfer rate you selected
when you created the project. The actual audio transfer rate might be different from the
display if you used the Film and 24p Settings dialog box to change the audio transfer rate.
• Audio Source Tape TC Rate allows you to specify the digital audiotape (DAT)
timecode format: either 30 fps or 29.97 fps (NTSC only). This timecode format must
conform to the timecode format on your original DAT tapes. This setting is active when
capturing audio only.
This setting does not appear in 23.976 projects.
• Set Pulldown-to-Timecode Relationship allows you to set a default pulldown phase
for a 24p NTSC project. See “Logging Film Information” on page 152.
Displaying Project Settings

You can display the Settings list of the Project window in different groups, depending on
what you need to view. The following table describes the different Settings menu options.
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Settings Menu Options
Option Description
Active Settings Displays currently active settings in your Avid

system
All Settings Displays all settings available in your Avid system
Base Settings Displays Project, User, and Site settings only; no

views are displayed
Bin Views Displays bin views
Export Settings Displays all the Export settings
Import Settings Displays all the Import settings
Timeline Views Displays Timeline views
Title Styles Displays all the templates you created for the Title
tool
Workspaces Displays all workspaces
Workspace Linked Displays only linked workspaces
Changing the Settings List Display

To change the Settings list display of the Project window:
Fast menu
button
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2. Click the Fast Menu button, and select a settings display group:
- Active Settings displays currently active settings.
- All Settings displays all settings available.
- Base Settings displays Project, User, and Site settings only. No views are displayed.
The Settings Fast menu displays the settings group selected and the Settings list displays
only the settings in that group.
Working with Settings

You can view and modify most of your current settings by double-clicking them in the
Settings list of the Project window and by selecting new options. You can duplicate, rename,
copy, and move settings among files or systems.
Selecting Another User
Because User settings are not project or site specific, you can choose to display another set
of User settings within the Project window.
To select another user:

2. Click and hold the user name to display the User Selection menu, and select another
name from the list.
Modifying Settings
You can alter the default options for various settings to reflect the specific needs of a project
or to customize the system based on personal preferences.
You cannot modify the following two types of settings:

• Settings that require the presence of standalone peripherals
• Settings that can be modified only from within the tools in which they are used, such as
Bin and Timeline views
To modify available settings:

2. Double-click the name of a setting.
The applicable Settings dialog box or window opens.
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n Not all settings have associated dialog boxes.
3. Type new values or select new options for the settings.

4. Click OK, Save, Cancel, or Apply, or click the Close button.
The system saves changes in the appropriate User, Project, or Site settings file.
Working with Multiple Settings
You can have multiple versions of settings in your Settings list in the Project window that
apply to several users at various stages of production.
For example, you can have:

• Two Bin settings: one that automatically saves more often when you are editing
intensively, and one that automatically saves less often when you are doing
organizational work in the bins
• Multiple Capture settings for capturing various types of source material
• Multiple Deck Preferences settings for various types of capturing or for output
Duplicating Settings
To create a new version of a setting:

2. Select Fast menu > All Settings.
3. Click the setting you want to copy. Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh)
any additional settings you want to copy.
4. Select Edit > Duplicate.
A copy of each setting appears in the window. Duplicate settings with custom settings
names followed by a period and a version number in the second column appear with
each custom setting name.
n If you select Fast menu > Active Settings, the duplicated settings do not appear.
5. Name your settings to indicate their functions.
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Naming Settings
You can give settings custom names to differentiate among copies or to indicate a specific
use.
To rename settings:
2. Click the Custom setting name column in the Settings list (the column to the right of the
setting’s name).
Custom
setting
name
column
3. Type a new name and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).
Selecting Among Multiple Settings
With multiple settings, only one setting at a time is active. Settings that are currently active
have a check mark to the left of the setting name.
To change the active setting:

2. Click in the space to the left of the setting you want to select as the active setting.
A check mark indicates that the setting is active.
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Deleting Settings
You can delete settings from the Settings list in the Project window at any time. For example,
you might choose to delete one or more versions of a particular setting, or you might want to
delete all but a few settings to transfer to another Settings window.
To delete a setting:
2. Click a setting to highlight it. Ctrl+click (Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) each
additional setting you want to delete.
n You cannot delete an active setting.
c You cannot undo a deletion. You can, however, transfer settings from other files.
3. Press the Delete key, or select Edit > Delete.

The selected settings are removed.
Copying Settings Between Settings Files
To copy settings between files:

1. With the Settings list active, open the target settings file:
t Create and open a new settings file by selecting File > New Setting File.
t Open an existing settings file by selecting File > Open Setting File, locate and select
the settings file you want in the Avid Projects or Avid Users folder, and then click
Open.
2. Click the setting you want to copy in the Settings list of the Project window. Ctrl+click
(Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) any additional settings that you want to copy.
3. Drag the highlighted settings to the open Settings window.
4. Click the Close button.
A message box opens.
5. Click Save.
The copied settings are also saved when you close or save the file or project.
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Moving Settings Between Systems
You can move selected settings between existing settings files or into a new settings file:
• To use in other projects
• To transfer to other Avid systems
• To change one type of setting to another
You can drag selected settings from the Settings tab in the Project window into the
Site_Settings window to establish standard system settings for all new projects and users.
These settings can be copied to other systems by replacing the Site_Settings file in the
Settings folder on the other systems.
Using Site Settings
When the system opens a new project, it first searches the Site Settings file and loads site
settings and any settings placed here. The system then proceeds to load any Project and User
settings not included in the Site Settings file.
The Avid default preference files and the Site Settings file are located in the following
folder:
• (Windows) drive:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Xpress Pro\Settings
• (Macintosh) Macintosh HD/Applications/Avid Xpress Pro/Settings
The default preference and the Site settings files include the following settings template:
• AvidDefaultPrefsXP — Avid template settings for new users
• Site_Settings — Template for new User and new Project settings for all products
When a new user is created, the Avid editor first looks at the Site_Settings file and uses any
settings specified in that file. If the Site_Settings file is empty or is missing settings, then the
AvidDefaultPrefsXP file is used. If the AvidDefaultPrefsXP file is missing, hard-coded
defaults are used.
The AvidDefaultPrefsXP files contain the product-specific default User settings. Project
settings are not stored in AvidDefaultPrefsXP files. The Site_Settings file is empty until you
add User and Project settings from the Settings tab in the Project window. Settings that you
add to the Site_Settings file become the site defaults. Site settings do not override User
settings and Project settings. Any user can change these settings, with the changes stored in
the User settings or the Project settings, depending on the type of setting.
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When the system opens a new project, the Site settings are the initial settings given to a new
user or project. The system then proceeds to load any Project and User settings not included
in the Site_Settings file.
Adding Site settings to the Site_Settings file is useful if you need to establish global settings
for all new users and projects, such as Deck Configuration settings or a specific start
timecode for all sequences.
To load settings into the Site Settings file:

1. Open a project with the settings you would like to establish as site settings. If a project
does not already exist with the settings you want, create a project and make adjustments
to the default settings as needed.
3. Select File > Open Setting File.
The Open dialog box opens.
4. Navigate to the Settings folder, and then click Open.
5. Select the Site Settings file, and then click Open.
The Site Settings window opens.
6. Click a project or user setting in the Settings list of the Project window. Ctrl+click
(Windows) or Shift+click (Macintosh) to select multiple settings.
7. Drag the setting or settings into the Site Settings window.
Copies appear in the Site Settings window.
8. Close the Site Settings window.
All new users and projects opened from the Select Project dialog box use these settings as
the default settings.
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Audio Settings
Audio Settings
Pop-up Scrub Select the number of outgoing and incoming frames you hear as
you scrub in a Source pop-up window or the Source side of the
Source/Record monitor.
Timeline Scrub Select the number of outgoing and incoming frames you hear as
you scrub in the Timeline.
Default Pan Select the way you want sound to pan between speakers.
Alternating L/R Allows you to send the odd tracks to the left channel and the even
tracks to the right channel.
All Tracks Centers the pan of all tracks between the two speakers for
Centered monitoring and output.
Play Buffer Size in Allows you to change the size of the host audio play buffer during
Samples (software only) play and digital cut. Use this option if you are experiencing
problems with play performance to the host audio device. See
“Controlling Host Audio Devices (Software-Only Systems)” on
page 167.
n When you move the sliders, a warning message box opens.

If you are sure you want to change the size of the buffer,
click Change.
Tool Buffer Size in Allows you to change the size of the host audio play buffer during
Samples (software only) audio loop play and audio tools play. This should decrease the
overall latency between the time an audio parameter is adjusted in
the UI and the time that you hear those changes through the
speaker.
Audio Project Settings

The following topics describe adjusting audio project settings:
• Audio Project Settings: Main Tab
• Audio Project Settings: Input Tab
• Audio Project Settings: Output Tab
• Audio Project Settings: Hardware Tab
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• Audio Project Settings: Effects Tab
Audio Project Settings: Main Tab
n The options that appear in this tab depend on your audio configuration and the audio
hardware installed on your system. Your options might differ from those listed here.
Audio Project Settings Options (Main Tab)
Sample Rate 32 kHz Allows you to select audio rate settings for the entire
44.1 kHz system for playing and capturing. The default sample
48 kHz rate for DV is 48 kHz.
The broadcast standard for most high-end video
postproduction houses is 48 kHz. Select the rate based
on the requirements of your facility.
For information on changing the sample rate for
individual sequences and audio clips, see “Changing the
Sample Rate” in the Help.
Audio File Format OMF (WAVE) Select the file format for the audio:
OMF (AIFF-C)
• WAVE (OMF) is compatible with Windows
PCM (MXF)
applications.
• AIFF-C (OMF) is compatible with many third-party
applications, including Pro Tools.
• PDM (MXF) enables easy exchange of material
between file servers, tape streamers and digital
archives.
Select WAVE or AIFF-C when you need to transfer
audio media files directly to a Pro Tools system for audio
sweetening.
n Avid Xpress Pro has limited support for Sound

Designer II audio. See “Working with Sound
Designer II Audio Files on Macintosh Systems” in
the Help.
Sample Bit Depth 16 Bit Select this option to set the sample size used when you
24 Bit work with audio files:
• 16 Bit is for CD-quality audio.
• 24 Bit is for work with higher resolution audio.
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Audio Project Settings Options (Main Tab) (Continued)
DV Audio Pattern Unlocked Audio (Software-only systems) DV Audio Pattern works with
Locked Audio all devices. However, because some devices check the
DV Audio Pattern setting before transferring or
capturing, you should select the DV Audio Pattern
setting expected by your device.
• Unlocked Audio allows some imprecision in the
audio sample rate, with a variation of up to +/– 25
audio samples per frame.
• Locked Audio keeps the audio clock locked
precisely to the video clock, so exactly the same
number of audio samples and video frames are
captured or transmitted in each cycle of the phase
relationship.
Convert Sample Rates Always Allows you to choose whether or not to perform the
When Playing Never conversion rate:
• Never plays the segments not set at the sample rate
as silence.
• Always makes the system attempt to perform a
sample rate conversion on-the-fly. Although the
resulting audio quality might not be useful for a
finished project, it can be useful during an editing
session since it prevents audio from playing back
with silence.
For information on changing the sample rate for
individual sequences and audio clips, see “Changing the
Sample Rate” in the Help.
Show Mismatched Yes Allows you to identify a specific sample rate by color if
Sample Rates as No you have a sequence with several different sample rates.
Different Color
Remove Extra Filler Remove Allows you to remove any extra filler added during an
After Punchin‘ Keep audio punch-in recording.
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Audio Project Settings: Input Tab
n Some options depend on the audio configuration of your system, so your system might not
contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the documentation.
Audio Project Settings Options (Input Tab)
Input Source Input options depend on Allows you to select the type of input.
n
your audio hardware
For software-only models, the audio inputs
connected and installed
depend on the audio hardware installed on your
on your system.
system.
Passthrough Mix Tool Opens the Passthrough Mix tool, which allows you to
adjust the mix of tracks for monitoring audio input.
Input Gain Allows you to calibrate the volume of global audio

input.
• Software only systems: Input Gain is a slider that
controls your computer’s volume settings. If you
select the +20 dB check box, gain is additionally
boosted.
• Systems with an Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI: You
can select 0dB for most situations, or +6 dB in case
of low gain inputs.
Audio Project Settings: Output Tab
Audio Project Settings Options (Output Tab)
Output Gain Allows you to calibrate the volume of global audio

output.
Monitor Volume For software-only Allows you to make global level adjustments for output.
systems These adjustments affect levels for all output tracks to
the speakers and to the capture devices.
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Audio Project Settings Options (Output Tab) (Continued)
Mix Mode Selection Stereo Modifies the way that the system interprets audio values
Menu button Mono during playback:
Direct Out - available
• Stereo mixes the currently monitored audio tracks
when you are using Avid
into a stereo pair. When you are using Avid Mojo
Mojo SDI hardware
SDI hardware, you can customize the mix using the
Stereo Mix Tracks option.
• Mono pans all the currently monitored tracks to
center. This mode also ignores pan effects.
• Direct Out maps tracks directly to up to eight
channels of output. By default, Direct Out maps all
audio tracks in numerical sequence to existing
output channels. You can remap a track to any
channel by clicking the Channel Assignment pop-up
menu and selecting another channel.
Stereo Mix Tracks Mix To 1 & 2 Allows you to customize the mix of tracks with Stereo
Mix To 3 & 4 selected in the Mix Mode Selection Menu button.
Mix To 5 & 6
The system sends a stereo mix to the two channels you
Mix To 7 & 8
select. Material panned to the left will be sent to the odd
channel, and material panned to the right will be sent to
the even channel. The number of channels available
depends on the audio output you select in the SD SDI
tab of the Output tab.
All or Timeline Track All Available when you select Direct Out with the Mix
Maps Timeline Mode Selection Menu button.
Allows you to map the track and output channels:
• All allows you to choose between all available
tracks.
• Timeline allows you to assign output channels to
the tracks monitored in the Timeline.
Which Set of Track Maps Grp 1 Allows you to select which set of output tracks to map
Grp 2 to audio channels. Groups of tracks display in multiples
Grp 3 of 8, up to the maximum of 24 available audio tracks.
Reset Available when you select Direct Out with the Mix
Mode Selection Menu button.
Reassigns the audio tracks of the sequence to the default
channels that are currently available.
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Audio Project Settings Options (Output Tab) (Continued)
Output SDI Embedded Available when you are Select this option to embed the audio with the video
Audio using Avid Mojo SDI sent out through the SDI OUT connectors on the rear of
hardware the Avid Mojo SDI.
4 Channels Select whether you want 4 channels or 8 channels of

8 Channels audio on the outgoing SDI signal.
20 Bits Select this option to set the audio sample bit depth to
24 Bits 20 bits or 24 bits on the outgoing SDI signal.
Audio Project Settings: Hardware Tab

The settings in this tab are for informational purposes only and list defaults set by the
system, depending on your audio hardware and configuration.
Audio Project Settings Options (Hardware Tab)
Card The type of audio card installed.
Peripheral The type of peripheral audio device (audio interface)

attached to the system.
Sync Mode Sync is used for audio input and output to ensure the
audio sample clock is always in sync with the video
clock. This prevents long-term drift between audio
and video.
When you are working with video and digital audio
simultaneously, set your digital audio equipment to the
same video reference signal as your video equipment.
n Changing the audio input selection

automatically selects the correct audio clock
source for audio sync.
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Audio Project Settings: Effects Tab
Audio Project Settings Options (Effects Tab)
Effect bypass Clip Gain Allows you to have the system ignore the volume
Auto Gain settings established with the audio tools when playing
RT EQ back or capturing a sequence:
• Clip Gain bypasses the volume settings in the Audio
Mixer tool.
• Auto Gain bypasses all Automation Gain and
Automation Pan effects set in the Audio Mixer tool.
• RT EQ bypasses all EQ effects set in the Audio EQ
tool.
These buttons function the same as the Bypass buttons in
the audio tools.
Render Sample Rate High and Slow Allows you to set the conversion quality of all non-real-
Conversion Quality Balanced time sample rate conversions.
Low and Fast
Real-Time Audio Disabled Allows you to play audio dissolves (also called
Dissolves Enabled crossfades) as real-time effects. Select Disabled if you
experience an audio performance delay on your system.
Dissolve Midpoint Const Power –3dB Sets the method used for audio dissolves:
Attenuation Linear –6dB
• Const Power –3dB uses constant power to maintain
a consistent sound level through the midpoint of the
dissolve.
• Linear –6dB uses a linear gradient to maintain a
consistent amplitude through the midpoint of the
dissolve.
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Bin Settings
Bin Settings
Bin Settings Options
Auto-Save interval Specifies the length of time between attempts to auto-save

n minutes project files. The default is 15 minutes.
To avoid interrupting an edit, the Avid system waits until the
system is inactive before auto-saving. Use the option “Force
Auto-Save at” to specify an interval at which the system
interrupts an edit to make the auto-save.
Inactivity period n seconds Specifies the length of time the Avid system waits when the
system is inactive before automatically saving the project files.
The default is 0 seconds.
Force Auto-Save at Specifies the maximum length of time between auto-saves.

n minutes When the system reaches this time, it auto-saves the project
files even if it must interrupt an edit to do so. The default is 30
minutes.
Maximum files in a Specifies the total number of files stored in the Avid Attic
project’s attic folder. When a bin is saved, the Avid system copies the current
version of the bin to a special folder called the Avid Attic. The
default is 30 files.
Keep more files if there are many editors working on the
system. This ensures that all the bins are backed up.
Max versions of a file in Specifies the total number of single-bin copies stored in the
the attic Avid Attic folder. This setting prevents filling the Avid Attic
with too many copies of one bin, at the risk of losing the
others. The default is five copies.
Double-click loads object Determines what happens when you double-click an object in
in the bin.
New Pop-up Creates a new Source pop-up monitor and automatically loads
Monitor the clip when you double-click an object in the bin.
Source or Record When you have the Composer monitor stretched into two
Monitor monitors, loads the clip into the Source monitor or the
sequence into the Record monitor.
When you are using the single Composer monitor, loads the
clip or sequence into the existing Source pop-up monitor.
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Bin Settings Options (Continued)
Enable SuperBin Enables the SuperBin and its functions. See “Conserving
Screen Real Estate with the SuperBin” in the Help.
Capture Settings
• Capture Settings: General Tab
• Capture Settings: Batch Tab
• Capture Settings: Edit Tab
• Capture Settings: OMF Media Files Tab
• Capture Settings: MXF Media Files Tab
• Capture Settings: DV Options Tab
• Capture Settings: Keys Tab
Capture Settings: General Tab

Capture Settings Options (General Tab)
Option Description
Stop deck after capture Select this option if you want to stop the deck when the capture operation is
complete.
Pause deck after capture Select this option if you want to pause the deck when the capture operation
is complete.
Preroll Method Select one of four methods from the menu. For more information, see
“Selecting the Preroll Method” in the Help.
Force unique clip names Select this option if you want the Avid system to automatically assign a clip
name based on the bin’s name and to make sure this name, or another name
you select, is not already used by any other object in the bin.
Activate bin window after Select this option if you want the Avid system to change the focus from the
capture Capture Tool window to a bin window after capturing or logging is
complete. This allows you to immediately start working in the bin.
n This option is also used to activate the window after logging.
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Capture Settings
Capture Settings Options (General Tab) (Continued)
Option Description
Space bar stops capture Select this option if you want to use the space bar to create clip names
during the capturing process. When you press the space bar during a capture
operation, the system stops capturing, creates a clip from the capture
material, and places the clip in the active bin.
Capture across timecode breaks When this option is selected, the system captures sections of discontinuous
timecode on a tape as separate clips.
Deselect this option to make the system stop capturing and report an error
when it encounters a timecode break.
Stop capture if a bad frame is When you select this option, the system stops capturing if a correct frame is
detected detected. This setting is selected by default.
Latency for no deck mode n If you notice that your captured media consistently starts on the wrong
frames frame (usually one or two frames off), use this option to ensure that
capturing starts on the correct frame. The option is deselected by default.
Pause deck while logging When this option is selected, the deck pauses after you set an OUT point
while you log clips; this allows you time to type the name of the clip. See
“Logging Directly to a Bin” in the Help. Deselect this option to allow the
camera or deck to continue playing after you set an OUT point.
Capture Settings: Batch Tab

Capture Settings Options (Batch Tab)
Option Description
Optimize for disk space When this option is selected, the system captures only the exact
amount of material in the master clips plus any additional handles.
The tape pauses and prerolls independently for each master clip that
is batch captured.
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Capture Settings Options (Batch Tab) (Continued)
Option Description
Optimize for batch speed When this option is selected, the system speeds up batch capturing
by allowing the deck to continue to roll forward between adjoining
clips. To qualify for this operation, the two adjoining clips must
meet the following criteria:
There must be 5 seconds or less between the OUT point of the first
clip and the IN point of the second clip.
The two clips must have the same video resolution and the same
audio rate.
If you select this option, the system might occasionally capture more
than is required.
Switch to emptiest drive if current drive When this option is selected, the system switches to the target media
is full storage drive with the most available space when the current target
drive becomes full during batch capturing. The system switches
before starting to capture the clip, based on the number of minutes in
the clip. For complete instructions, see “Batch Capturing Clips” in
the Help.
If you do not select this option, capturing stops when a drive
becomes full.
Rewind tape when finished When this option is selected, the system automatically rewinds tapes
after batch capturing is finished.
Eject tape when finished When this option is selected, the tape ejects as soon as the last shot
from that tape has been used. This adds to efficiency since you can
do other tasks while the tape is being used and yet still be alerted at
the moment the tape is no longer needed.
Log errors to the console and continue When you select this option, the Avid editing system continues
capturing capturing if an error occurs during the capture process.
Capture the tracks logged for each clip When you select this option, the Avid system records the tracks
logged for each clip.
Use the audio sample rate logged for Select this option if you want the system to use the audio sample rate
each clip logged for each clip. Deselect this option to use the audio sample
rate set for the audio card (shown in the Main tab in the Audio
Projects Settings dialog box).
Use the audio sample bit depth logged for Select this option if you want the system to use the audio sample
each clip size logged for each clip. Deselect this option to use the audio
sample size set for the audio card (shown in the Main tab in the
Audio Projects Settings dialog box).
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Capture Settings
Capture Settings Options (Batch Tab) (Continued)
Option Description
Use the video compression logged for When you select this option, the Avid editing system uses the video
each clip compression logged for each clip.
Capture Settings: Edit Tab

Capture Settings Options (Edit Tab)
Option Description
Enable edit to timeline (splice, overwrite) Select this option to display the Splice-in Edit and Overwrite Edit
buttons in the Capture tool.
Handles Indicate the amount of footage you want to capture before and
after the IN and OUT points of the clips (when capturing to the
Timeline only).
Capture Settings: OMF Media Files Tab
n If you select OMF in the Media Type tab of the Media Creation dialog box, this tab in the
Capture Settings dialog box is labeled OMF Media Files. If you select MXF, the Capture
Settings tab is labeled MXF Media Files.
Capture Settings Options (OMF Media Files Tab)
Option Description
Capture to a single file, 2 GB limit When this option is selected, capturing stops when the media captured
has taken up 2 gigabytes (GB) of storage space on the media drive.
Capture to multiple files When this option is selected, the system writes captured video or audio
to multiple files across multiple drive partitions. Select this option for
clips that might exceed the 2-GB file-size limit.
Maximum (default) capture time n When this option is selected, the system preallocates space on the drive
minutes partitions to accommodate the specified number of minutes. (The
preallocation can take a long time.)
The system captures for only the specified number of minutes; be
careful not to underestimate. The default is 30 minutes.
Switch to emptiest drive When this option is selected, the system switches to another storage
when n minutes left drive when the specified amount of time remains.
319
Capture Settings: MXF Media Files Tab
n If you select MXF in the Media Type tab of the Media Creation dialog box, this tab in the
Capture Settings dialog box is labeled MXF Media Files. If you select OMF, the Capture
Settings tab is labeled OMF Media Files.
Capture Settings Options (MXF Media Files Tab)
Option Description
Maximum (default) capture time n When this option is selected, the system preallocates space on the drive
minutes partitions to accommodate the specified number of minutes. (The
preallocation can take a long time.)
The system captures for only the specified number of minutes; be
careful not to underestimate. The default is 30 minutes.
Switch to emptiest drive When this option is selected, the system switches to another storage
when n minutes left drive when the specified amount of time remains.
Capture Settings: DV Options Tab

Capture Settings Options (DV Options Tab)
DV Scene Extraction When this option is selected, you can automatically generate
subclips and locators based on time-of-day (TOD) information
contained in the DV video format. See “DV Scene Extraction”
in the Help.
Add Locators Creates locator marks where the TOD information breaks occur
while capturing.
Create Subclips Creates subclips where the TOD information breaks occur while
capturing.
Both Creates locators and subclips where the TOD information breaks
occur while capturing.
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Communication (Serial) Ports Tool Settings
Capture Settings Options (DV Options Tab) (Continued)
Use software DV 25 An Avid DV software codec that allows you to capture standard
codec or advanced pulldown when you are in an NTSC 23.976p or 24p
project capturing analog or SDI. If you are in an NTSC 23.976
or 24p project and you do not select this option, you can capture
only advanced pulldown.
n This option is not available when you have an Avid Mojo

SDI attached to your system or when you are running a
software-only system.
Capture Settings: Keys Tab

The following table describes the options available in the Keys tab of the Capture Settings
dialog box.
Capture Settings Options (Keys Tab)
Function Key Commands Allows you to change the commands mapped to the
(while capturing/logging) function keys on your keyboard. These mappings apply
to Capture mode only.
Timed Subclip Before mark (M:SS) Allows you to specify a preset duration for subclips
After mark (M:SS) created while capturing.
Communication (Serial) Ports Tool Settings

The Communication (Serial) Ports tool allows you to view the current configuration of the
serial interface at any time during editing. You can also use it to reconfigure the ports
without closing the Avid application or shutting down the computer.
Communication (Serial) Ports Tool Settings Option
Option Description
Remote Play and Capture Choose a port for an edit controller that uses the Sony serial control
protocol. For more information, see “Remote Play and Capture” in the
Help.
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Controller Settings
Controller Settings Options
Option Description
Controller Select a control surface as follows:

• No controller
• Digidesign 002 (Windows only)
• Digidesign Command|8
n For more information, see “Using an External Fader Controller or Mixer”

in the Help.
Port Select a port for a control surface.

as follows:
• No port
• (Windows) Digi 002 Control Port or C|8 Surface
• (Macintosh) Digidesign Inc., Command|8 Port 1
Edit Settings Opens a dialog box that allows you to map buttons and menu commands to
controls on the control surface.
Gain Controller Port Select a port for a fader or mixer that you will use to record audio gain
information, or select No Port. The options on this menu differ depending on the
COM or MIDI ports you have configured on your system.
Correction Mode Settings

• Correction Mode Settings: Features Tab
• Correction Mode Settings: AutoCorrect Tab
322
Correction Mode Settings
Correction Mode Settings: Features Tab

Correction Mode Settings Options (Features Tab)
Saved Color Labels Select an item from the menu to control how custom colors are
named in bins. For information on saving custom colors, see
“Saving Custom Colors to a Bin” in the Help.
None When selected, the system does not supply a name.
RGB When selected, the system uses the 8-bit values for the red,
green, and blue components as the name.
Name When selected, the system uses the name from the standard
HTML color scheme that most closely matches the color you
are saving.
Name and RGB When selected, the system uses both the Name and the RGB
information as the name. This is the default option.
Eyedropper 3 x 3 When this option is selected, the system calculates the color
Averaging value to pick by averaging the values of a 3 x 3 sample of pixels
centered on the eyedropper’s position. This is often useful for
picking up a color accurately by sight because it compensates
for shifts in color value from one pixel to another. When this
option is deselected, the system selects the color value of the
exact pixel at the eyedropper’s position.
Show Eyedropper Info When this option is selected, the numerical RGB values appear
on the color swatches in the Color Match controls.
Eyedropper Picks from Select to pick colors from anywhere in the application using the
Anywhere in Application Color Match eyedroppers.
Correction Mode Settings: AutoCorrect Tab

Correction Mode Settings Options (AutoCorrect Tab)
When applying Color Select an option from menus to define the first, second, and
correction from the Effect third automatic color correction that Avid Color Correction
Palette, perform the makes when you apply the Color Correction effect from the
following operations: Effect Palette.
323
Correction Mode Settings Options (AutoCorrect Tab) (Continued)
Nothing Makes no adjustment. For example, if you only want to make

two automatic corrections when you drag the Color
Correction effect from the Effect Palette, set the Third
Correction menu in the AutoCorrect tab to Nothing.
HSL Auto Balance Makes adjustments to the three ChromaWheels to balance

the colors in the image. The equivalent of clicking the Auto
Balance button in the Hue Offsets subdividing tab of the HSL
tab.
HSL Auto Black Adjusts the Setup slider in the Hue Offsets subdividing tab of
the HSL tab to make the darkest areas of the image as dark as
possible. The equivalent of clicking the Auto Black button in
the Hue Offsets subdividing tab of the HSL tab.
HSL Auto Contrast Adjusts the Gain and Setup sliders in the Hue Offsets
subdividing tab of the HSL tab to maximize the tonal range
in the image. The equivalent of clicking the Auto Contrast
button in the Hue Offsets subdividing tab of the HSL tab.
HSL Auto White Adjusts the Gain slider in the Hue Offsets subdividing tab of
the HSL tab to make the brightest areas of the image as
bright as possible. The equivalent of clicking the Auto White
button in the Hue Offsets subdividing tab of the HSL tab.
Curves Auto Makes adjustments to the Red, Green, and Blue curves to
Balance balance the colors in the image. The equivalent of clicking
the Auto Balance button in the Curves tab.
Curves Auto Makes an adjustment to the Master curve to maximize the

Contrast tonal range in the image. The equivalent of clicking the Auto
Contrast button in the Curves tab.
Deck Configuration Settings

Deck Configuration Settings Options
Option Description
Configuration name Type a name for the configuration.
Add channel Click to add a new channel box. Opens the Channel dialog box.
Add deck Click to add a deck or DV device. Opens the Deck Settings dialog box.
324
Deck Settings
Deck Configuration Settings Options (Continued)
Option Description
Delete Click to remove a deck or DV device.
Auto-configure With a deck or DV device already connected to the system, you can click
Auto-configure to bypass the Deck Settings dialog box and automatically
configure a deck or DV device with the default settings.
Not all DV devices respond to the Auto-configure command. Due to this
limitation, Auto-configure selects only the generic devices.
Verify configuration against actual Select if you want the system to check the deck configuration against the
decks devices physically connected to the system.
Deck Settings
Deck Settings Options
Name Type your custom name for the tape deck. The default name matches the
deck type.
Description Enter notes about the deck.
Notes Displays configuration information, supplied by Avid, about the deck or DV

device you have selected. Not all decks or devices include this information.
You can supply your own information in the Description field, and then save
the configuration.
Device Click the Manufacturer menu, and select your device manufacturer. Click
the Model menu, and select your device model.
n When you are configuring a DVCPro deck, select a compatible

Panasonic template. The template automatically sets locked audio in
the Audio Project Settings window. This ensures proper audio output
when performing a Digital Cut.
If your device does not appear in the list, click the Manufacturer menu, and
select Generic, and click the Model menu, and select the type of device.
While you are capturing, if you continually see a message box that reads
“Fail to find preroll,” click the Model menu, and select
GenericDVBasicDevice-NTSC or GenericDVBasicDevice-PAL.
Address For VLAN/VLXi use only (see your VLXi documentation). If you are using
direct serial port control, this option is unavailable.
325
Deck Settings Options (Continued)
Show All Devices Displays all devices by manufacturer and model in the Device menu.
Decks Displays only decks by manufacturer and model in the Device menu.
Transcoders Displays only transcoders by manufacturer and model in the Device menu.
Preroll Specifies how many seconds the tape rolls before capturing or digital cut
starts. The default is based on the type of videotape recorder (VTR).
Fast Cue Speeds up long searches if your decks can read timecode in fast forward or
rewind mode.
Switch to ff/rew When this option is selected, the system switches to fast forward or rewind
(seconds): n if the target timecode is beyond the specified number of seconds from your
current location on the tape.
By default, the deck switches to fast forward or rewind to reach a target
timecode that is more than 60 seconds away.
If your deck shuttles very quickly, you can increase this number so that the
system uses fast cue only for long searches.
Switch to Search When this option is selected, the system switches out of fast forward or
(seconds): n rewind when it is within the specified number of seconds of the target
timecode. By default, the system switches to search mode when it is
60 seconds from the target timecode.
Deck Preferences Settings

Deck Preferences Settings Options
Option Description
When the deck contains Select the timecode format (Drop Frame or Non-drop Frame) for logging clips
no tape or drop frame when no tape is in the deck or when drop frame or non-drop frame cannot be
cannot be detected set detected. When a tape is in the deck, the system automatically uses the existing
timecode to timecode format on the tape.
326
Deck Preferences Settings
Deck Preferences Settings Options (Continued)
Option Description
Allow assemble edit & When this option is selected, you can use the assemble-edit and crash-record
crash record for digital cut features in the Digital Cut tool along with the assemble editing and manual
recording capabilities of your record deck. Select this option to record
frame-accurate digital cuts quickly and without striping entire tapes in advance.
Select this option also if you want to operate the deck manually. For more
information about digital cuts and assemble editing, see “Output Options” on
page 265. For more information about manual recording, see “Manual Recording”
on page 272.
Stop key pauses deck This option defines the function of the Stop key (space bar) on the keyboard.
Select this option to map the space bar to the Pause button on the deck. Deselect
this option to map the space bar to the Stop button.
If the videotape heads are down in “Stop key pauses deck” mode, pressing the
space bar brings up the heads and pauses the deck.
The Stop button in the Capture tool always stops the decks.
Shuttle holds speed When this option is selected, the Shuttle button continues shuttling at a constant
speed instead of stopping when you release it.
Stop any paused decks When this option is selected, any paused decks are stopped when you quit the Avid
when quitting application. Selecting this option saves wear on the deck heads.
Poll deck during digital This option is selected by default. When it is selected, the Avid system checks the
cut deck for the current timecode and displays it in the timecode window of the deck
controller. If you see degraded image quality on your digital cut (particularly
visible as noise during black), deselect this option and record the digital cut again.
With the option deselected, the Record button does not flash and the timecode
display in the deck controller is not updated for the duration of the digital cut.
DV Capture Offset Type the number of frames by which you want to offset while you capture. See
(frames) & Digital Cut “Capturing Without Logging First” in the Help.
Offset (software only)
Override Recommended Select this option to set a digital cut offset. See “Digital DV Cut Offset” in the
Digital Cut Offset Help.
Digital Cut Offset Type the number of frames by which you want to offset the digital cut.
(frames)
327
Export Settings
• Export Settings Options
• Export Settings: Quick Time Reference
• Export Settings: HDV
• Export Settings: QuickTime Movie Export
• Export Settings: QuickTime Movie
• Export Settings: QuickTime Compression
• Export Settings: DV Stream
• Export Settings: AAF, OMFI, and AFE
• Export Settings: AVI (Windows Only)
• Export Settings: AVI Video Compression (Windows Only)
• Export Settings: Windows Media Export Options
• Export Settings: Audio
• Export Settings: Graphic
• Export Settings: Graphic Format
Export Settings Options
n If you installed additional QuickTime Export formats, they appear in the menu with tildes (~)
before their names. This indicates they have not been qualified and are not supported
by Avid.
Export Settings Options
Export As
Option Description
OMF 1.0 Select one of these options to export a standard OMFI composition for transfer to a third-
OMF 2.0 party workstation that supports OMFI. You can choose to export composition only, or embed
the video and audio, or both. See “Exporting Through OMF Interchange” in the Help.
AAF Select this option to create an Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) file.You can choose to
export composition only, or embed the video and audio, or both. See “Exporting OMFI and
AAF Files” in the Help.
328
Export Settings
Export Settings Options (Continued)
Export As
Option Description
AFE Select this option when exporting as AFE. This is compatible when exporting to systems such
as Avid DS.
QuickTime Select this option to create a QuickTime reference movie. A QuickTime reference movie
Reference contains pointers (links) to movie files. This is similar to exporting as composition only. See
“QuickTime Reference Movies” in the Help.
HDV Select this option to export an HDV transport stream for use in other applications. See
“Export Settings: HDV” on page 333. For more information about working with HDV, see
“Working with HDV” in the Help.
DV Stream Select this option to create a standard DV stream. The DV Stream format is often used for
distribution on a CD-ROM or over the Web. Use this option when exporting video that will be
combined or processed with other DV-formatted media. Requires a video track. See
“Exporting Video in DV Stream Format” in the Help.
QuickTime Select this option to create a self-contained QuickTime movie. See “Exporting as a
Movie QuickTime Movie” in the Help.
AVI Select this option to export an AVI file through an AVI compression tool. For more
(Windows only) information, see “Export Settings Options (AVI)” on page 345.
Windows Select this option to export your sequence as native Windows Media. See “Exporting as
Media® Windows Media (Windows Only)” in the Help.
Audio Select this option to export audio tracks in the WAVE format, SD2 (Macintosh only), or
AIFF-C audio format. See “Exporting Tracks as Audio Files” in the Help.
Graphic Select this option to export a single frame, a series of frames, or a file type that supports
multiple frames as a graphic file. Select a file type from the menu. See “Exporting as a
Graphic File” in the Help. For information about supported file types, see “File Format
Avid Log Select this option to export the selected bin as a shot log file that complies with Avid Log
Exchange Exchange (ALE) specifications. For information about Avid Log Exchange, see “Converting
Log Files with Avid Log Exchange” in the Help.
ALE and tab-delimited files include information for master clips and subclips only.
Information for other objects, such as group clips, sequences, and precomputes, is not
included.
Tab Delimited Select this option to export the selected bin as a shot log file in the form of a tab-delimited
ASCII text file.
329
Export Settings: Quick Time Reference

Export Settings Options (QuickTime Reference)
Use Marks When this option is selected, the system uses current IN and OUT
points in the selected clip or sequence to determine starting and
ending frames for the export. To export the entire clip or sequence,
deselect this option or mark the entire clip or sequence.
Use Enabled When this option is selected (default), the system uses tracks that
Tracks are enabled in the Timeline. To export all the tracks in the sequence,
deselect this option.
Defaults Fast Draft Select this option for a faster export. This option automatically
selects Flatten Video Tracks and Fill Spaces with Black. It
automatically deselects Render All Video Effects and Mixdown
Audio Tracks.
Digital Mastering Select this option to render all video effects and to premix audio
tracks before exporting the file. This option automatically selects
Flatten Video Tracks, Fill Spaces with Black, Render All Video
Effects, and Mixdown Audio Tracks.
Flatten Video When this option is selected, the composition is exported as one
Tracks video track. When this option is deselected, one QuickTime video
track is generated for each video track in the composition, and you
cannot select Fill Spaces with Black. Because most third-party
applications do not understand multiple QuickTime video tracks, it
is a good idea to select this option. This option is automatically
selected if you selected the Fast Draft Defaults or the Digital
Mastering Defaults option.
Fill Spaces with When this option is selected, blank spaces in video tracks are filled
Black with black in the QuickTime reference movie. Because QuickTime
reference movies do not recognize blank spaces, it is a good idea to
select this option. When this option is deselected, a QuickTime
reference movie might interpret spaces in the video track as gray or
as the background of the player. This option is automatically
selected if you selected the Fast Draft Defaults or Digital Mastering
Defaults option.
Render All Video When this option is selected, all unrendered video effects, including
Effects matte keys and titles, are rendered before export. When this option
is deselected, any unrendered effects are ignored. This option is
automatically selected if you selected the Digital Mastering
Defaults option.
330
Export Settings
Export Settings Options (QuickTime Reference) (Continued)
Display Aspect Ratio This menu lets you select an image size for the video you want to
export: Native, 4:3, or 16:9. This allows you to control the display
format without modifying the source file.
This feature creates metadata — additional data that is stored with
the QuickTime movie. Some applications, such as the QuickTime
Player, can interpret this metadata and scale the image at display
time.
Display Aspect Ratio is useful for QuickTime reference movies
because you do not modify the source files of referenced movies.
For example, if your source movies are stored at the standard
720 x 486 for NTSC (720 x 576 for PAL), you can create two
different QuickTime reference movies that use the same referenced
source files — one that uses 4:3 and another that uses 16:9.
The menu selections depend on how you open the Export Settings
dialog box and whether you have done a prior export.
Mixdown Audio When this option is selected, the audio tracks in the composition are
Tracks mixed to stereo files created at the same location as the movie.
When this option is deselected, the Quick Time Reference movie
references the original audio media. This option is selected
automatically if you select the Digital Mastering Defaults option.
If you select the Mixdown Audio Track option, you can also select
an audio format, a sample rate, and a sample bit depth.
Audio Format Select the format that is supported by the application into which you
will be importing the QuickTime reference movie.
• WAVE is compatible with Windows applications.
• AIFF-C is compatible with many third-party applications,
including Pro Tools.
Select the AIFF-C format for all audio media when you need to
transfer audio media files directly to a Pro Tools or an AudioVision
system for audio sweetening.
331
Export Settings Options (QuickTime Reference) (Continued)
Sample Rate Select one of the following:

• Project Rate
• 32 kHz
• 44.1 kHz
• 48 kHz
You can use this option if your sequence has a mix of sample rates
and you need to create a single sample rate. (You set the project rate
in the Audio Project Settings window. For more information, see
“Audio Project Settings” on page 308.) You can also use this option
to change the sample rate if the application to which you are
exporting does not support the current sample rate.
Sample Bit Depth Select one of the following:

• 16 bit: When this option is selected, the system exports a 16-bit
audio sample depth, the industry standard for CD-quality audio.
audio sample bit depth for work with higher resolution audio.
Use Network When this option is selected, the exported movie uses the machine
Media References and drive share name of the media drive in the QuickTime reference
movie instead of a drive letter. Select this option when the media
files referenced by the movie are accessed remotely over the
network. If the media files are stored on the same drive as the
QuickTime reference movie, you do not need to select this option.
When this option is deselected, you cannot select Add Shares for
Media Drives.
Add Shares for When this option is selected, the system creates a new drive share
Media Drives for referenced media files stored on unshared network drives. The
drive share is hidden; that is, other users do not see the shared drive
when browsing your computer. You do not need to select this option
when media is stored on the same drive as the QuickTime reference
movie.
Use Avid DV Deselect this option when you are working in a cooperative
Codec environment where one or more non-Avid systems also have access
to the media. This option is selected by default. Select this option if
the non-Avid systems have the Avid DV Codec.
Color Levels Select this option to set the color to RGB or 601/709.
332
Export Settings
Export Settings: HDV

Export Settings: HDV
Option Description
Use Marks When you select this option, the system uses current IN and OUT points in the
selected clip or sequence to determine starting and ending frames for the export.
To export the entire clip or sequence, deselect this option.
Use Enabled Tracks When this option is selected (default), the system uses tracks that are enabled in
the Timeline. To export the entire clip or sequence, deselect this option.
Video Quality Select one of the following qualities. The quality level inversely trades off with
the time required to complete the export: Draft is fastest, while Best takes the
longest time to complete. If you have a slower system, you might want to see if
the Better or Draft quality is good enough for your needs.
• Draft
• Better
• Best
Export Settings: QuickTime Movie Export

Export Settings Options (QuickTime Movie Export)
Use Marks When you select this option, the system uses current IN and
OUT points in the selected clip or sequence to determine
starting and ending frames for the export. To export the entire
clip or sequence, deselect this option.
Use Enabled Tracks When you select this option, the system exports only the
currently enabled tracks for a selected sequence or clip. To
export all tracks in the sequence, deselect this option.
Same as Source When you select this option, the system copies the media files
directly with no resolution change. This method is fast and
creates output that uses the same quality as your source files.
Selecting Same as Source is the best method to use if you plan
to process the video on another system, using a third-party
application like After Effects® or cleaner™.
Use Avid DV Codec Deselect this option when you are working in a cooperative
environment where one or more non-Avid systems also have
access to the media. This option is selected by default.
333
Export Settings Options (QuickTime Movie Export) (Continued)
Custom When you select this option, the system decompresses the files,
processes them, and compresses the files at the requested
resolution. This method is slower and often loses quality. You
should only use the Custom option if you have to directly export
a clip or sequence in a particular file format.
Format Options Appears when you select Custom. Click the Format Options
button to open the Movie Settings dialog box. For more
information, see “Using Avid Codecs” in the Help.
Video and Audio Select this option if you want to export both the audio and
video.
Video Only Select this option if you want to export only the video. For
example, use this option if you want to add effects in a third-
party application or to use only the video in a multimedia
project.
Audio Only Select this option to export only the audio. For example, use this
option if you want to use or enhance audio in a third-party
application or you want to use the audio in a multimedia project.
Video Format Width x Height Appears when you select Custom. Select this option to set the
width of the clip.
Size to Fit: This option sizes to fit the specified width and
height. You can type in values or select from the predefined
values in the Fast menu.
The values in the Fast menu suggest a typical use for each size.
For example, 320 x 240 (Internet video, large).
Crop/Pad: This option instructs the system not to scale or
resize the frames. If necessary, it adds black lines to the top and
bottom of the frame to achieve the correct size.
Color Levels Select this option to set the color to RGB or 601/709.
334
Export Settings
Export Settings Options (QuickTime Movie Export) (Continued)
File Field Order Appears when you select Custom. These options allow you to
select the field that is the upper field during export. For 24p or
25p projects, these options do not appear; all fields are
automatically exported as progressive (still) frames.
Odd (Upper Field First): Select this option if you are in a PAL
project. In forming the export frame, Field 1 becomes the upper
field, that is, Field 1's lines become the odd-numbered lines in
the frame (counted starting from 1). Field 2's lines become the
even-numbered lines.
Even (Lower Field First): Select this option if you are in an
NTSC project. In forming the export frame, Field 1 becomes the
lower field, that is, Field 1's lines become the even-numbered
lines in the frame. Field 2's lines become the odd-numbered
lines.
Single Field: Select this option if you want the output file to
consist of only Field 1. In this case, the single field of 243 lines
for NTSC (288 lines for PAL) is resized to fit the frame as
specified in the width and height selection.
Create Preview Select this option if you want to create a preview of the
QuickTime movie.
Display Aspect The display aspect ratio allows you to apply a scaling to the
Ratio video: native, 4:3, or 16:9.
This feature creates metadata — additional data that is stored
with the QuickTime movie. Some applications, such as the
QuickTime Player, can interpret this metadata and scale the
image at display time.
Display aspect ratio is useful for the Same as Source option
because that option also preserves the original format. When
you select Same as Source, the selections in the Display Aspect
Ratio area are based on the resolution of the media you are
exporting and the project type (NTSC or PAL).
When you select Custom, your Avid system calculates the
Display Aspect Ratio selections on the values you enter for
Width x Height in the Video Format tab.
335
Export Settings: QuickTime Movie

To view the Movie Settings dialog box, click Custom and then Format Options in the
QuickTime Movie Export Settings dialog box.
Export Settings Options (QuickTime Movie)
Video
Settings Compression Settings See “Export Settings: QuickTime Compression” in the Help.
Filter Choose Video Filter Allows you to apply a single effect filter during an export.
Size Export Size Settings QuickTime allows you to set a size, but Avid recommends you
set the size in the Width and Height text boxes of the Export
• Use current size
Settings dialog box. Both settings have the same effect, and the
• Use custom size QuickTime size setting overrides the Avid size setting.
Sound
Settings Compressor Allows you to select a sound compression setting for your export,
along with other options.
Prepare for Fast Start Allows a movie to begin playing over the Internet without
Internet downloading the entire movie first. This method of playing
Streaming movies over the Internet is referred to as progressive download or
HTTP streaming. It does not require a streaming video server.
Fast Start - A better choice for progressive downloading. This option works
Compressed header the same as Fast Start (see previous entry), but compresses the
header information. The header is the portion of the file that
allows the movie to start playing before the entire movie is
downloaded. Compressing the header allows it to download
faster. This is important for large movies (movies that are longer
than several minutes).
336
Export Settings
Export Settings Options (QuickTime Movie) (Continued)
Hinted Streaming Select this option if you are putting the exported file on a
streaming video server. The file does not stream without a hint
track for each track in the movie. The hint tracks allow the
streaming video server to split the file into packets for the
streaming.
A file with hinted streaming also plays as a progressive
download. However, it probably plays more slowly than a Fast
Start movie because it contains additional information and is
therefore larger.
For additional options, click Track Hinter Settings. The RTP
(Real Time Protocol) Track Settings dialog box opens. For more
information, see QuickTime Help at the Apple web site.
Export Settings: QuickTime Compression

QuickTime Compression Settings
Compressor Animation For high-quality, lossless compression (in which no picture information
is lost).
Uses a run-length-encoded (RLE) scheme to encode each pixel,
resulting in a file that is 70% to 95% the size of the uncompressed file.
At maximum quality, this is a lossless compression (in which no picture
information is lost). See the description of the Quality option in this
table.
Avid 1:1x For high quality, 8-bit, lossless compression (in which no picture
information is lost); available for use with MXF media files. This format
cannot be used by Avid Meridien™ systems. It can be used by both
Avid DS and Avid Xpress Pro systems. It uses 4:2:2 sampling.
Avid DNxHD™ For DNxHD encoding with 8-bit and 10-bit resolutions; available for
Codec use with MXF media files. This format cannot be used by Meridien-
based systems. It can be used by both Avid DS and Avid Xpress Pro
systems.
Avid DV For compression compatible with Avid Xpress DV and Avid

NewsCutter® products or with Avid Meridien products with the
DV/MPEG option.
337
QuickTime Compression Settings (Continued)
Avid DV 100 For DVCPRO HD® encoding. This format cannot be used by
Codec Meridien-based systems. It can be used by both Avid DS and
Avid Xpress Pro systems. It uses 4:2:2 sampling.
Avid Meridien For compression compatible with Avid Meridien products.

Compressed
Avid Meridien For 1:1 resolution used in Avid Meridien products.

Uncompressed
Avid MPEG2 50 For MPEG-2 IMX 50,40,30 encoding; an interframe compression used
mbit in Sony® IMX VTRs and cameras. It uses 4:2:2 sampling.
Avid Packed For high quality, 10-bit, lossless compression (in which no picture
Codec information is lost); available for use with MXF media files. This format
cannot be used by Meridien-based systems. It can be used by both
Avid DS and Avid Xpress Pro systems. It uses 4:2:2 sampling.
BMP For internal encoding of individual frames as BMP (Windows native

bitmap format) files.
Cinepak For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as
presentations or educational uses, or for small-screen-size playback
from CD-ROM or hard drive. Uses compression algorithm optimized
for CD-ROM playback.
Component Video For high-quality, lossless compression (in which no picture information
is lost). Uses the same algorithm as the Animation method but saves the
file in YUV RLE format, which separates the luminance from the
chrominance. All QuickTime applications can read this format, but only
some can write to this format.
DV-PAL For storing original or edited DV (digital video) footage in QuickTime

files.
DV/DVCPRO- For storing original or edited DV (digital video) footage in QuickTime

NTSC files. DV/DVCPRO-NTSC and DVCPRO-PAL do 4:1:1 chroma
DVCPRO-PAL sampling; DV-PAL does 4:2:0 chroma sampling.
Graphics For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as
from CD-ROM or hard drive. Uses a limited color palette version (16
colors) of Animation compression.
H.261 For low-quality video conferencing.
H.263 For video conferencing. Optimized for low data rates and low motion.
338
Export Settings
Intel Indeo For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as
Video 4.4 presentations or educational uses, or for small-screen-size playback
(Windows only) from CD-ROM or hard drive. Files do not export at 720 x 540 and
720 x 486 frame sizes, even though these sizes are listed.
Motion JPEG A For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture
information is lost) requiring much storage space and additional
hardware support for real-time playback.
Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) is a variant of the ISO JPEG specification for
use in digital video. Considered the standard for Motion JPEG, format A
is supported by chips from Zoran Corporation and C-Cubed, Inc.
Motion JPEG B For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture
information is lost) requiring much storage space and additional
hardware support for real-time playback.
Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) is a variant of the ISO JPEG specification for
use in digital video. Format B cannot use the markers that ISO JPEG
and format A do; supported by chips from LSI Logic Corporation.
None Does not compress the file; results in very large files.
Photo - JPEG For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture
information is lost) requiring moderate storage space and data
throughput on playback.
Uses the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) algorithm for image
compression; results in files that are 20% to 30% the size of the
uncompressed files. Some data is lost during compression, and the
export process takes longer to complete (typically six times longer than
the Animation compression, for example).
Planar RGB For high-quality, lossless compression (in which no picture information
is lost). Results in large files.
Encodes each image plane separately, using a run-length-encoded
(RLE) scheme. Used primarily to support Photoshop files, which are
usually stored using a planar run-length algorithm.
PNG Portable Network Graphics, used to replace GIFSM as a bitmap still-

image format for newer Internet browsers.
Sorenson Video For medium-quality, lossy compression (in which some picture
information is lost) at a low data rate and low storage requirements. This
codec is particularly suited for Web or CD-ROM delivery.
339
Sorenson Video 3 An improved version of the Sorenson Video codec. Movies created with
this codec require the QuickTime 5 viewer.
TGA Saves exported file in TARGA® format.
TIFF Tagged Image Format, a cross-platform bitmap still-image format, used

often in pre-press production.
Video For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such as
from CD-ROM or hard drive.
Depth Select the colors that you want included in the exported file. The
selections vary according to the codec you select. Some codecs have
only one color setting. Some codecs do not display the Depth option.
If you select the Sorenson codec, Millions of Colors is selected
automatically.
Do not select the option Millions of Colors +. This option creates an
alpha channel that is not used for export from your Avid system.
If you use one of the Avid Codecs for QuickTime with other
applications that support alpha channels, you can select the Millions of
Colors + option to create an alpha channel that can be imported into
your Avid system.
Quality Drag this slider to adjust the image quality for the exported file. The
selections vary according to the codec you select. Some codecs have
only one Quality setting.
This slider does not adjust quality for the Avid Codecs for QuickTime.
If you select Avid Meridien Compressed or Uncompressed, a dialog box
opens, allowing you to select a resolution.
Motion Frames per Select a frame rate from the menu. Select 30 to maintain full-motion
second video/animation. A frame rate of 29.97 conforms to NTSC video frame-
rate standards. Select 25 for PAL.
Key frame every n Use this option to have the system use keyframes as a reference for
frames subsequent frames. Enter a numeric value to specify the frequency of
the keyframes.
Limit data rate to Allows you to specify the target data rate for the compressed movie.
n KBytes/sec
340
Export Settings
Export Settings: DV Stream

Export Settings Options (DV Stream)
Option Description
Use Marks When you select this option, the system uses current IN and OUT points in the selected
clip or sequence to determine starting and ending frames for the export. To export the
entire clip or sequence, deselect this option.
Use Enabled Tracks When this option is selected (default), the system uses tracks that are enabled in the
Timeline. To export the entire clip or sequence, deselect this option.
Format Options Click this button to select a DV format, a video format, and an audio format for export.
Color Levels Select this option to set color to RGB or 601/709.
File Field Order These options allow you to select the field that is the upper field during export. For 24p
or 25p projects, these options do not appear; all fields are automatically exported as
progressive (still) frames.
Odd (Upper Field First): Select this option if you are in a PAL project. In forming the
export frame, Field 1 becomes the upper field, that is, Field 1's lines become the odd-
numbered lines in the frame (counted starting from 1). Field 2's lines become the even-
numbered lines.
Even (Lower Field First): Select this option if you are in an NTSC project. In forming
the export frame, Field 1 becomes the lower field, that is, Field 1's lines become the
even-numbered lines in the frame. Field 2's lines become the odd-numbered lines.
Single Field: Select this option if you want the output file to consist of only Field 1. In
this case, the single field of 243 lines for NTSC (288 lines for PAL) is resized to fit the
frame as specified in the width and height selection.
Export Settings: AAF, OMFI, and AFE

Export Settings Options (AAF, OMFI, and AFE)
Export As: AAF Select this option if the application to which you are exporting
supports AAF.
OMF 1.0 Select this option if the application to which you are exporting does
not support OMFI Version 2.0.
OMF 2.0 Select this option if the application to which you are exporting
supports OMFI Version 2.0. If you are not sure, select OMF 1.0.
341
Export Settings Options (AAF, OMFI, and AFE) (Continued)
AFE Select this option if the application to which you are exporting
supports AFE.
n There are no options available to you when you select AFE.

The Avid editing application uses the default settings.
Use Marks When you select this option, the system uses current IN and OUT
points in the selected clip or sequence to determine starting and
ending frames for the export. To export the entire clip or sequence,
deselect this option.
Use Enabled Tracks When you select this option, the system exports only the currently
enabled tracks for a selected sequence or clip. To export all tracks
in the sequence, deselect this option.
Include All Video Select this option to include all video tracks from the sequence in
Tracks in Sequence the AAF or the OMFI file. The Video Details tab appears.
Include All Audio Select this option to include all audio tracks from the sequence in
Tracks in Sequence the AAF or the OMFI file. The Audio Details tab appears.
The following options appear in both the Video Details tab and the Audio Details tab:
Export Method: Select an export method. Other options in the dialog box change
depending on which method you choose.
Link to (Don’t Select this option when you want to export an AAF or an OMFI
Export) Media composition with links to the media in its current location. Media is
not embedded in the file and is not exported.
Copy All Media Select this option when you want to export an AAF composition
and perform one of the following operations on the media:
• Copy the media to a drive or folder
• Copy and embed the media into the AAF file
342
Export Settings
Consolidate Media Select this option when you want to export an AAF composition
and perform the one of following operation on the media:
• Consolidate the media to a drive or folder
• Consolidate the media and embed it into the AAF file.
For more information, see “Consolidating Media to a Folder” in the
Help.
For more information about consolidating, see “Consolidating and
Transcoding Media” on page 181.
Handle Length: nn Enter the number of frames you want to use as handles for
Frames consolidated clips. Handles refer to material outside the IN and
OUT points and are used for dissolves and trims with the new,
shorter master clips. The default is 60.
The following options appear in the Video Details tab only, depending on the export method:
Export Method: Select this option when you want to export an AAF composition
Video Mixdown and create a video mixdown of your sequence. The system creates a
video mix track and links it to the new video mixdown file. For
more information,
For more information about video mixdown, see Performing a
Video Mixdown” in the Help.
Mixdown with Compatible with Avid Digidesign Pro Tools v7.2 or later. For more
Video Edits information, see “Using the Video Mixdown Option” in the Help.
Mixdown without Compatible with all Avid Digidesign Pro Tools versions.
Video Edits
Render Video Effects Select this option to render video effects during export.
Transcode Video to: Resolution menu Select a resolution to which you want to transcode the video to
during export. For more information, see “The Transcode Video To
Option” in the Help.
The following options appear in the Media Destinations area for Video and Audio, depending on the
export methods:
Media Drive Specify a media drive as the destination for newly created or copied
media. For more information, see “Selecting Media Destination
Options” in the Help.
343
Use Media Select Use Media Creation Settings to use the drive you selected in
Creation Settings the Media Creation dialog box. If you deselect Use Media Creation
Settings, you can select a different destination drive.
Folder Specify an arbitrary folder as the destination for newly created or

copied media. For more information, see “Selecting Media
Destination Options” in the Help.
Use Same Folder
as AAF File If you deselect Use Same Folder as AAF File, a path name appears.
Click Select Folder to navigate to a different folder.
Embedded in Media files are embedded in the exported an AAF or OMFI file
AAF/OMF specified in the Export dialog box. For more information, see
“Selecting Media Destination Options” in the Help.
The following options appear in the Audio Details tab only, depending on the export method:
Include Rendered Select this option to include rendered audio effects during export.
Audio Effects
Render All Audio Select this option to render all audio effects during export.
n
Effects
If there are unrendered AudioSuite plug-ins in your
sequence, open the AudioSuite window before you perform
the export. The system needs a connection to the DAE to be
able to render the AudioSuite Plug-ins.
Add Audio Mixdown Mono, Stereo Select this option to add an audio mixdown track, and then select
Track(s) the type of track you want. For more information, see “Add Audio
Mixdown Tracks” in the Help.
Convert Audio Project rate, Select this option if your sequence has a mix of sample rates and
Sample Rate to: 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, you need to create a single sample rate. (You set the project rate in
or 48 kHz the Audio Project Settings window. For more information see
“Audio Project Settings” on page 308.) You can also use this option
to change the sample rate if the application to which you are
Convert Audio Project rate, 16 bit, Select this option if your sequence has a mix of sample bit depths
Sample Bit Depth to: 24 bit and you need to create a single sample bit depth. (You set the
project bit depth in the Audio Project Settings window. For more
information see “Audio Project Settings” on page 308.) You can
also use this option to change the sample bit depth if the application
to which you are exporting does not support the current sample
bit depth.
344
Export Settings
Convert Audio File If your sequence has a mix of audio file formats, and you want to
Format to: embed media, you must choose a single audio file format. (You set
the project format in the Audio Project Settings window. For more
information see “Audio Project Settings” on page 308.) Audio files
are converted to this format during export. This choice is optional if
you want to consolidate and link media.
Project rate Select Project to use the rate that matches the project format.
WAVE Select WAVE (.WAV file name extension) to link to or embed audio
tracks in the WAVE format. Nearly all Windows applications that
support sound use WAVE files. QuickTime also supports the WAVE
format.
AIFF-C Select AIFF-C to link to or embed audio tracks in the industry-

standard AIFF-C format. Note that your Avid system does not
compress audio media.
PCM You can only export PCM using the AAF export method.
Export Settings: AVI (Windows Only)

Export Settings Options (AVI)
Use Marks When this option is selected, the system uses current IN and OUT points
in the selected clip or sequence to determine starting and ending frames
for the export. To export the entire clip or sequence, deselect this option.
Use Enabled When this option is selected, the system exports only the currently
Tracks enabled tracks for a selected sequence or clip. To export all tracks in the
sequence, deselect this option.
Video and Select this option if you want to export both the audio and the video.
Audio
Video Only Select this option if you want to export only the video.
Audio Only Select this option if you want to export only the audio. For example, use
this option if you want to use or enhance audio in a third-party
application or use the audio in a multimedia project.
345
Export Settings Options (AVI) (Continued)
Video Format Codec Options When you click this button, the Video Compression dialog box opens.
For more information, see “Export Settings (AVI Video Compression)”
on page 347.
Width x Height This option allows you to set the width and height of the clip. Click the
Fast Menu button, and select from a list of standard dimensions.
Size to Fit: This option sizes to fit the specified width and height.
Crop/Pad: Crop/Pad never scales or resizes frames. If necessary, the
system adds black lines to the top and bottom to achieve the correct size.
Color Levels This option allows you to set color to RGB or 601/709.
FPS This option sets the frame-per-second (fps) rate for AVI export.
File Field Order These options allow you to choose the field that will be the upper field
during export. For 24p or 25p projects, these options do not appear; all
fields are automatically exported as progressive (still) frames.
Odd (Upper Field First): Select this option if you are in a PAL project.
In forming the export frame, Field 1 becomes the upper field, that is,
Field 1's lines become the odd-numbered lines in the frame (counted
starting from 1). Field 2's lines become the even-numbered lines.
Even (Lower Field First): Select this option if you are in an NTSC
project. In forming the export frame, Field 1 becomes the lower field,
that is, Field 1's lines become the even-numbered lines in the frame.
Field 2's lines become the odd-numbered lines.
Single Field: Select this option if you want the output file to consist of
only Field 1. In this case, the single field of 243 lines for NTSC (288
lines for PAL) is resized to fit the frame as specified in the width and
height selection.
Audio Format Mono Exports audio to a single channel.

Stereo Exports audio to two channels.
Sample Rate Select this option to select the sample rate.

• Project Rate: The native rate of the chosen audio media (32 kHz,
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz).
• 22.050 kHz: Half the sample rate of 44.1-kHz media.
• 11.025 kHz: One quarter the sample rate of 44.1-kHz media.
346
Export Settings
Export Settings Options (AVI) (Continued)
Sample Bit Depth Select this option to select the sample bit depth.
• 8 bit: When this option is selected, the system exports an 8-bit audio
sample depth for use in third-party systems that do not support
16-bit. This option is also used to minimize the data throughput
requirements (for example, to improve playback in multimedia
projects).
audio sample depth, the industry standard for CD-quality audio.
Export Settings: AVI Video Compression (Windows Only)
Export Settings (AVI Video Compression)
Compressor Cinepak Codec For export at low resolution where high quality is not an issue, such
by Radius as presentations or educational uses, or for small-screen-size
playback from CD-ROM or hard drive. This codec uses a
compression algorithm optimized for CD-ROM playback.
Click Configure to open the Cinepak for Windows 32 configuration
dialog box. You can then choose to compress to color or to black
and white.
Microsoft® Use this option when you create files that will play with Video for
Video 1 Windows.
Click Configure to open the Configure dialog box. You can then
adjust the quality of the compressed file using the Temporal Quality
Rate slider.
Full Frames For high-quality export in which no picture information is lost. This
(Uncompressed) option does not compress the file and can result in very large files.
To export an uncompressed file at 1:1, use the Avid Codec for AVI.
Compression Use this option to adjust compression quality for certain codecs.
Quality Slider This slider does not adjust quality for the Avid AVI codec.
Key Frame Use this option to have the system use keyframes as a reference for
Every n frames subsequent frames. Enter a numeric value to specify the frequency
of the keyframes. This option is not available for
uncompressed files.
347
Export Settings (AVI Video Compression) (Continued)
Data Rate Use this option to set a specific data rate for the compressed file, in
n KB/sec kilobytes per second. This option is not available for uncompressed
files.
Export Settings: Windows Media Export Options

See the following Windows Media Export options:
• Windows Media Legacy Template
• Existing Windows Media Custom Profile Options
• Windows Media Options Video Settings
• Windows Media Options Audio Settings
Windows Media Legacy Template
Windows Media Legacy Template
Option Description
Use Marks When Use Marks is selected the current IN and OUT points in the selected clip or
sequence determine starting and ending frames for the export.
Use Enabled Tracks When Use Enabled Tracks is selected, the system uses tracks that are enabled in the
Timeline. To export all the tracks in the sequence, deselect this option.
Version This refers to the available versions (v8, v7, and v4) of Windows Media templates.
Templates Allows you to choose one of the Avid supplied Windows Media templates. See
“Exporting Using an Avid Supplied Template” in the Help.
Existing Windows Media Custom Profile Options
Existing Windows Media Custom Profile Options
Option Description
348
Export Settings
Existing Windows Media Custom Profile Options (Continued)
Option Description
Set Allows you to browse to find an existing .prx file on your system. See “Exporting Using
an Existing Windows Media Profile” in the Help.
Windows Media Options Video Settings
To view these settings, click Video 1 in the left pane.
Windows Media Options Video Settings
Option Description
Width This option sets the width of the clips for export.
Height This options sets the height of the clips for export.
FPS This option sets the frame-per-second (fps) rate for the export.
Video Type Choose Progressive or Interlaced. Progressive media is composed of single frames,
each of which is vertically scanned as one pass.
Interlaced media is composed of two fields, each of which contains one-half the scan
lines of the frame. Interlaced frames are standard for NTSC and PAL video media.
Pixel Aspect Ratio Select this option to apply a scaling to the video. The pixel aspect ratio allows you to
control the display format without modifying the source file.
Uncompressed Select this option for high-quality export in which no picture information is lost. This
option does not compress the file and can result in very large files.
Codec Choose from the list of video codecs.
349
Windows Media Options Video Settings (Continued)
Option Description
(This option is not Windows Media MPEG-4 Video V3 — Creates high-quality video for streaming,
available when you download and play. Enables playback of interlaced content on televisions.
select Uncompressed.)
ISO MPEG-4 Video V1 — The MPEG-4 standard was defined by the Moving Picture
Experts Group (MPEG), the working group within the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO). MPEG-4 was designed to deliver DVD (MPEG-2) quality video
at lower data rates and smaller file sizes.
Windows Media Video V7 — Enables Windows Media Player 7 to view encoded
video content without first having to download the latest codecs. This is the best choice
when the encoding computer cannot support the performance requirements of the
newer Windows Media Video codecs.
Windows Media Screen V7 — Specially optimized for use for screen captures and
some animations
Windows Media Video 9 Screen — For content that needs to be captured from the
computer screen. This codec is ideal for delivering demos or demonstrating computer
use for training. Windows Media Video 9 Screen delivers better handling of bitmap
images and screen motion, even on relatively modest CPUs.
Windows Media Video 9 — Offers improved quality over Windows Media Video 8,
with the highest gains seen at the higher bit rates; provides improved interlaced support.
Windows Media Video V8 — Supports a wide variety of network bandwidths.
Deinterlaces interlaced content before encoding.
Windows Media Video 9 Image — With this codec, still images can be transformed
into full screen (640 x 480) video using pan and zoom effects. The results can then be
delivered at data rates as low as 20 Kbps. These files, compressed using either CBR or
one-pass VBR modes, can be easily shared because they are much smaller than the
original image files.
Passes Select either 1 Pass or 2 Pass. With 1 Pass encoding, the content passes through the
encoder once, and compression is applied as the content is encountered. With 2 Pass
(This option is not
encoding, the content is analyzed during the first pass, and then encoded in the second
available when you
pass based on the data gathered in the first pass. 2 Pass encoding can result in better
quality but it takes longer because the encoder goes through the content twice.
VBR Variable Bit Rate. Allows you to set the quality of the video profile setting.
(This option is not
available when you
Quality Choose Constrained or Unconstrained. Choose constrained when playing either locally
or on a device that has a constrained reading speed, such as a CD or DVD player.
Bit Rate The bit rate represents the size of the data stream in megabits per second.
350
Export Settings
Windows Media Options Video Settings (Continued)
Option Description
Buffer Size Type the number of seconds that you want content to be stored before encoding begins.
A larger buffer results in better quality content, but requires more memory. When you
encode content, the encoding process is delayed by the amount of time specified in the
buffer; the content is also delayed by the same amount of time when streaming to a
player.
Quality The setting can range from 0 to 100, with 100 being the highest quality.
Keyframe Amount of keyframes used as part of the encoding sequence. The value is the number
of keyframes used for every second of video. A lower number results in higher quality,
but larger files.
Language Select from the list of available languages.
Windows Media Options Audio Settings
To view these settings, click Audio 1 in the left pane.
Windows Media Options Audio Settings
Option Description
Uncompressed Select this option for high-quality export in which no picture information is lost. This
option does not compress the file and can result in very large files.
351
Windows Media Options Audio Settings (Continued)
Option Description
Codec Select one of the following codecs:

(This option is not
Windows Media Audio 9 — Provides improvement in compression over the Windows
available when you
Media 8 Audio codec. Supports VBR audio encoding.
ACELP.net — In some instances, the Sipro Labs ACELP codec appears in the list of
codecs. For example, if you import a profile that was created by using Windows Media
Encoder version 7.1. If this occurs, it is recommended that you use the Windows Media
Audio 9 Voice codec instead.
Windows Media Audio 9 Voice — Provides superior quality for audio content with a
voice emphasis. Provides for mixed-mode encoding of voice and music. Intended for
playback at bit rates at 20 Kbps or lower.
Windows Media Audio 9 Professional — This supports a full surround sound
experience and dynamic range control. Intended for data rates of 128 to 768 Kbps.
Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless — Provides lossless encoding of audio content.
Supports multichannel audio encoding and dynamic range control.
Passes Select either 1 Pass or 2 Pass. With 1 Pass encoding, the content passes through the
(This option is not encoder once, and compression is applied as the content is encountered. With 2 Pass
available when you encoding, the content is analyzed during the first pass, and then encoded in the second
select Uncompressed.) pass based on the data gathered in the first pass. 2 Pass encoding can result in better
quality but it takes longer because the encoder goes through the content twice.
VBR Variable Bit Rate. When you select this option, the formats available are VBR formats.
(This option is not If you deselect this option, the formats available are CBR formats.
available when you
Format You can encode audio and video content at either a constant bit rate (CBR) or a variable
(These options change bit rate (VBR). Use CBR if you plan to stream the content. Use VBR when you plan to
when you select distribute the content for downloading and playing either locally or on a device that has
VBR.) a constrained reading speed such as a CD or DVD player. Choose from one of the
format options.
Buffer Size Type the number of seconds that you want content to be stored before encoding begins.
A larger buffer results in better quality content, but requires more memory. When you
encode content, the encoding process is delayed by the amount of time specified in the
buffer; the content is also delayed by the same amount of time when streaming to a
player.
Language Select from the list of languages.
352
Export Settings
Export Settings: Audio

Export Settings Options (Audio)
Option Description
Mono Select this option to export audio tracks in either mono or stereo.
Stereo
Sample Rate Select one of the following:

• Project Rate
• 32 kHz
• 44.1 kHz
• 48 kHz
You can use this option if your sequence has a mix of sample rates and you need to
create a single sample rate. (You set the project rate in the Audio Project Settings
window. For more information see “Audio Project Settings” on page 308.) You can
also use this option to change the sample rate if the application to which you are
Sample Bit Depth Select one of the following:

• 16 bit: When this option is selected, the system exports a 16-bit audio sample
depth, the industry standard for CD-quality audio.
• 24 bit: When this option is selected, the system exports a 24-bit audio sample bit
depth for work with higher resolution audio.
Audio Format WAVE: Select this option to export audio tracks in the WAVE format (.wav file name
extension). Nearly all Windows applications that support sound use WAVE files.
QuickTime also supports the WAVE format.
AIFF-C: Select this option to export audio tracks in the industry-standard AIFF-C
format, which is compatible with many third-party sound editing and multimedia
applications.
SDII (Macintosh only): Select this option to export audio tracks in the
Sound Designer II™ format, which is compatible with Pro Tools and other
third-party applications.
353
Export Settings: Graphic

Export Settings Options (Graphic)
Use Marks When this option is selected, the system uses current IN and OUT
points in the selected clip or sequence to determine starting and ending
frames for the export. To export the entire clip or sequence, deselect this
option.
Use Enabled Tracks When this option is selected, the system exports only the currently
enabled tracks for a selected sequence or clip. To export all tracks in the
sequence, deselect this option.
Graphic Format Format This option allows you to select a graphic format for export. See
Options “Export Settings: Graphic Format” on page 355. The Format Options
button allows you to set export parameters.
Width x Height This option allows you to set the width and height of the clip. Click the
Fast Menu button, and select from a list of standard dimensions.
Size to Fit: This option sizes to fit the specified width and height.
Crop/Pad: Crop/Pad never scales or resizes frames. If necessary, the
system adds black lines to the top and bottom to achieve the correct
size.
Color Levels This option allows you to set color to RGB or 601/709.
Sequential Files This option produces a series of still images, numbered sequentially.
The fps rate of the source file determines the number of still image files
that are produced.
354
Export Settings
Export Settings Options (Graphic) (Continued)
File Field Order This option allows you to choose the field that will be the upper field
during export. For 24p or 25p projects, these options do not appear; all
fields are automatically exported as progressive (still) frames.
Odd (Upper Field First): Select this option if you are in a PAL project.
In forming the export frame, Field 1 becomes the upper field, that is,
Field 1's lines become the odd-numbered lines in the frame (counted
starting from 1). Field 2's lines become the even-numbered lines.
Even (Lower Field First): Select this option if you are in an NTSC
project. In forming the export frame, Field 1 becomes the lower field,
that is, Field 1's lines become the even-numbered lines in the frame.
Field 2's lines become the odd-numbered lines.
Single Field: Select this option if you want the output file to consist of
only Field 1. In this case, the single field of 243 lines for NTSC (288
lines for PAL) is resized to fit the frame as specified in the width and
height selection.
Export Settings: Graphic Format

Export Settings Options (Graphic Format)
Alias This option creates files that are compatible with

Alias™/Wavefront™ systems.
BMP Windows This option creates files that are compatible with systems running
the Microsoft Windows operating system.
OS/2 This option creates files that are compatible with systems running
the IBM® OS/2® operating system.
Chyron Developed by Chyron® Corporation for use with video frame

buffers of Chyron character generator titles.
Cineon Blackpoint This option allows you to adjust a film exposure value that
(Windows) corresponds to filming a 2% black card. Values can be between 0
Black Point and 1022. The default value of 0 is adequate for most uses.
(Macintosh)
355
Export Settings Options (Graphic Format) (Continued)
Whitepoint This option allows you to adjust a film exposure value that
(Windows) corresponds to filming a 90% white card. Values can be between 1
White Point and 1023.
(Macintosh)
If the files came from and will be transferred back to a Cineon™
system, use a white point of 1023. The default value of 685 is
appropriate if the final destination is not a Cineon system — for
example, a video display.
Gamma This option specifies an adjustment to correct for any gamma

inconsistencies in the output display. Values can be between 0.01
and 100.0.
Use a value of 1.0 (the default) for images displayed on a PC
monitor. Use a value of 0.59 for a Silicon Graphics® or a
Macintosh monitor.
Use a value of 0.45 for ITU-R 601 (CCIR 601) video.
ERIMovie Pack 24 bits This option controls whether the image data is packed into 24-bit
color depth (compressed) or is saved as 32-bit (raw) color depth.
Framestore The Framestore format is a 16-bit video image format used on the
Amiga® in conjunction with Newtek's Video Toaster™ hardware.
HIIP supports both compressed and uncompressed Framestore
formats.
IFF Developed by Electronic Arts. IFF (Interchange File Format), or

more specifically IFF-ILBM (InterLeaved BitMap), is the
standard file format by which applications on the Amiga platform
transfer image files.
JPEG Quality This option controls the output file size and quality. Higher values
produce better images but larger file sizes. Conversely, lower
values reduce the image quality but result in smaller file sizes.
Baseline This option is selected by default. To see if this option is required,

see the documentation that came with your JPEG-supported
applications.
Progressive This option allows you to save progressive JPEG files, which
divide the file into a series of scans of the image that increase in
quality. Each scan progressively improves the recognizability of
the image.
Progressive JPEG files can be recognized only by applications
with progressive JPEG support, such as some Web browsers.
356
Export Settings
OMF Frame Rate These options appear when you select a compression ratio that
allows you to select either NTSC or PAL. When you select an
NTSC/PAL
option, the system displays the required image size and the default
frame rate.
Compression This option controls the compression ratio and, therefore, the size
of the file. You can choose from all the compression ratio options
used by the Avid system when recapturing. For more information
on Avid compression ratios, see “Compression and Resolutions”
and “Storage Requirements” in the Help.
PCX Developed by Zsoft Corporation for use with their

PC PaintBrush™ paint software.
Photoshop Color Depth The 8 bits option saves 8-bit files. The 16 bits option saves 16-bit
files. The Automatic option saves the image in the same depth as
the original loaded image.
Compression This option controls the size of the file on disk. Disabling
compression creates larger files on disk.
PICT (Windows Create This option creates a file with a MacBinary header.
only) MacBinary
MacBinary is a file format for representing all the information in a
header
Macintosh file in one binary file. It is a compact file format, useful
for storing a Macintosh file on a non-Macintosh system for later
retrieval. Use a file expander utility to decode a MacBinary file
once it is back on a Macintosh system.
Pixar This option allows you to save the file in the Pixar® format.
PNG Color Depth The 8 bits option saves 8-bit files. The 16 bits option saves 16-bit
Interlaced This option allows you to save the file for progressive display,
similar to progressive JPEG files. As the file is transmitted, the
recognizability of the image improves.
Interlaced PNG files can be recognized only by applications with
interlaced PNG support, such as some Web browsers.
QRT Developed on the Amiga personal computer to run on several

operating systems. Used by many ray tracing programs, such as
DKB Ray Trace and the QRT ray tracer.
Rendition Developed by Numerical Design, Ltd.
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SGI Color Depth The 8 bits option saves 8-bit files. The 16 bits option saves 16-bit
Softimage Developed by Softimage®, Inc. for use in their Softimage

software.
SunRaster™ Developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. and supported mainly in

Sun applications.
TARGA Color Depth This option controls how images are saved. The 5-bit option saves
data in Targa 16 format. The 8-bit option saves data in Targa 24/32
format.
Compression This setting controls the size of the file on disk. Disabling
compression creates larger files on disk.
TIFF Color Depth The 8 bits option saves 8-bit files. The 16 bits option saves 16-bit
Compression This setting controls the size of the file on disk. With None, image
data is not compressed and can produce large file sizes. RLE (run
length encoded) produces relatively small and fairly portable files.
JPEG produces files that can vary in size, depending on the quality
you have set using the JPEG quality slider. The higher the quality
setting, the larger the file size.
JPEG Quality This option adjusts the image quality of the JPEG file on a sliding
scale from 0 to 100. The higher the number you set, the higher the
image quality of the JPEG file.
Wavefront Format Type This option specifies one of two output file formats supported by
Wavefront (either RLA or RLB).
Color Depth The 8 bits option saves 8-bit files. The 16 bits option saves 16-bit
358
Film and 24p Settings
Gamma This option specifies an adjustment to correct for gamma

differences between Macintosh and Windows PC output display.
This option is intended for cross-platform applications that require
adjustment.
n To see if you need to adjust this value, check the

documentation that came with your Wavefront application.
Usually, you can use the default setting.
XWindows Developed by the MIT X Consortium, and is supported by many X

Window System™ applications on workstations and some
personal computers.
YUV Format This option controls the video format of saved images. If set to
NTSC, NTSC video format (720 x 486) is used. If set to PAL, PAL
video format (720 x 576) is used. Images are either padded with
black or cropped.
Smooth YUV This option enhances the fidelity of images saved in YUV color
space (if originating in RGB color space).
Film and 24p Settings

Film and 24p Settings Options
Option Description
Edit Play rate Selects the play rate for Timeline play. See “Film Settings: Edit Play Rate
n For a 23.976p project, the Edit Play Rate is automatically set at 23.976
fps.
Master Default Film Type Select one of these industry-standard film types to meet your production lab
standards and your film type for your master.
Master Default Edge Type Select the edge type for the master display in bins and cut lists.
Ink Number Default Select one of these industry-standard ink number film types to meet your
Film Type production lab standards and your film type.
Ink Number Default Select the edge type for the ink number display in bins and cut lists.
Edge Type
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Film and 24p Settings Options (Continued)
Option Description
Auxiliary Ink Default Film Select the format for a second ink number (this is useful for tracking additional
Type information for different film gauges). The choices are the same as for Ink
Number Default Film Type.
Auxiliary Ink Default Edge Select the format for the auxiliary ink number edge type. The choices are the
Type same as for Ink Number Default Edge Type.
Audio Transfer Rate For 24p PAL film projects. The choices are:
(PAL only)
Film Rate (100%). For 24-fps film footage transferred MOS to 25 fps by
speeding up film with the audio coming in separately at 100% of the actual
speed.
Video Rate (100%+). For 24-fps film footage transferred to 25 fps by
speeding up the film with the audio synchronized to the video picture.
n It is important to keep the audio transfer rate constant for the project.
Audio Source Tape TC Rate Select the source audio rate. The choices are:
(NTSC only)
• 30 fps
• 29.97 fps
Video Pulldown Cadence Allows you to specify the type of film-to- tape transfer that you capture:
(NTSC)
• Video rate, no pulldown: Select this option when working with 24- fps
footage that has been transferred MOS (roughly translated as “without
sound”) to 30 fps by speeding up the film, and the audio has been brought
into the Avid system separately at 100 percent of the actual speed.
• Standard 2:3:2:3 pulldown: Select this option when working with 24-fps
footage that has been transferred to 30 fps by duplicating frames
(pulldown) and the audio has been synchronized to the picture.
• Advanced 2:3:3:2 pulldown: Select this option when using native DV
editing with capture over FireWire®.
Set Pulldown Phase of Allows you to set a default pulldown phase for an NTSC project. See
Timecode “Entering Pulldown Information” in the Help.
Film Settings: Edit Play Rate Options

Edit Play Rate Options
Project Type Option Description
24p PAL 24 fps Selects playback at 24 fps of all output except for digital cut
360
Full Screen Playback Settings
Edit Play Rate Options (Continued)
Project Type Option Description
25 fps Selects playback at 25 fps of all output except for digital cut
24p NTSC 23.976 fps Selects playback at 23.976 fps of all output except for digital cut
24.000 fps Selects playback at 24 fps of all output except for digital cut

Option Description
Scaling Select the desired scaling.

• Project uses the actual project type and monitor aspect ratio to determine the
scaling
• 4x3 (Standard) If you are editing an HD project that contains a lot of SD material
that is being stretched to fit the 16x9 aspect ratio, you might want to select this
scaling option, letting you restore its original aspect ratio.
• 16x9 (Widescreen) If you are in a 4x3 SD project, working with actual wide-
screen material (such as 16x9 material captured by a DV Camcorder), you can
select this option to display the material as 16x9 wide-screen.
• Raw Pixel allows you to see the frame in the full screen window, pixel for pixel,
with no scaling. If the image is larger, it is scaled to fit the screen. This is only
useful when viewing SD in which pixels are non-square. Raw Pixel Aspect ratio is
slightly wider than 4x3.
Full Screen By default, Full Screen is enabled.

Disable this option to view the video on the full screen window with as little scaling
as possible. The application will try to display the image at its native height, and then
match the width of the height using the Aspect Ratio selection from above.
Turning off Full Screen and working in Draft quality (green/yellow) mode or Best
Performance (yellow/yellow) mode can also improve performance with some older
video cards which do not have the highest pixel shader processing power.
Display Both Fields Select this option when the system is connected to an interlaced display.
If a progressive display (for example, an LCD monitor) is connected to the graphic
card's video output and you select this option, toothcombing will appear in an
interlaced image.
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Full Screen Playback Settings (Continued)
Option Description
Current Monitor Position You can choose the monitor where you want to see the full-screen playback. Drag the
entire Full Screen Playback Settings dialog box to the desired monitor, and then click
Select Monitor.
(Macintosh only) If two or more graphics cards are installed, select a monitor that is
connected to the primary graphics adapter.
General Settings
General Settings Options
Option Description
Project Format This option displays the format currently selected for the project (NTSC or
PAL). It cannot be changed.
Temporary File Directory When you use the Drag and Drop Export or an export that creates an
intermediate movie file, the Avid application must store the intermediate file,
which can be as large as the final export. By default, the Temporary File
Directory is located in the same directory as the Avid application.
To improve efficiency or to avoid DISK_FULL errors when exporting, you
can type in a different directory for these temporary files. The ideal setting for
this field is to type in a directory on the drive to which you are exporting, or
simply one with plenty of free space.
Default Starting TC This option specifies the timecode value you want the system to use as the
default starting timecode for each new sequence.
Default Starting EC (Film projects only) This option specifies the edgecode value you want the
system to use as the default starting edgecode for each new sequence.
Effect Aperture (NTSC only) This option allows you to control the number of horizontal lines
of an image that are used to create an effect.
• DV 25 (720x480): Select this setting when you are using DV media
exclusively.
• ITU601 (720x486): Select this setting when you are using uncompressed
media or mixed resolutions.
NTSC Has Setup This option allows systems using NTSC-EIAJ to use the correct color
mapping. NTSC-EIAJ users should not select this option. All other users
should select this option.
362
Grid Settings
General Settings Options (Continued)
Option Description
Use Windows compatible (Macintosh only) Prevents you from using the characters /\:*?”<>| and adding
file names leading spaces, trailing spaces, or a trailing period in bin, project, or user
names. These characters are not allowed in Windows file names. This option
is useful for moving bins and projects from Macintosh to Windows platforms.
Allow file names to exceed Lets you override the Windows file name limit of 27 characters (not including
27 characters the four characters reserved for the file type extension). Set this option if you
(Macintosh only) do not plan to move your bins or projects to a Windows system, and if you
want to use file names longer than 27 characters.
Grid Settings
The following topics describe the options available in the Grid Settings dialog box.
Grid Settings: Coordinates Tab

The following table describes options available in Grid Settings: Coordinates tab.
Grid Settings Options (Coordinates Tab)
Scale Mode Normal This setting allows you to work with a grid that
indicates boundaries for a format other than the
4:3 Inside 16:9 Monitor
one in which you are working. This is useful
4:3 Outside 16:9 Monitor when you are creating graphics (like titles) that
1.66 Inside 4:3 must remain safe in other formats. Select the
appropriate option for the current and target
1.77 Inside 4:3 formats you need. When you do not specifically
1.85 Inside 4:3 need a grid that represents another format, use the
Normal option, which is the default.
Increments
Fields Sets the number of tick marks along the grid axes
as well as the number of visible grid points. The
default value is 12.
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Grid Settings Options (Coordinates Tab) (Continued)
Sub Fields Sets the number of divisions between visible grid

points for the snap-to-grid feature. Setting Sub
Fields to 1 snaps objects to visible points only. A
value of 2 provides 1/2-field jumps. A value of 4
(the default value) provides 1/4-field jumps, and
so on. Setting Sub Fields to 0 turns off the snap-
to-grid feature.
Source Scan Size For film projects, where an optical house scans
film for the addition of visual effects.
Hor. Size The default values are 720 x 486 pixels.

Vert. Size
Source Grid Adjustments
Hor. Offset Moves the grid on the image. These values are
intended mainly for film projects.
Vert. Offset
Inset Shrinks the grid proportionally.
Grid Settings: Display Tab

The following table describes options available in Grid Settings: Display tab.
Grid Settings Options (Display Tab)
Type Square Selects a different grid for each standard film type. For video
projects, use the Square grid type. The grid for the Academy
Standard Film
option includes a safety margin on the left that is used for adding
Academy the optical sound track.
Super 35
Anamorphic
Color Sets a color for the grid axes and the grid points.
Show Safe Title Displays the safe title area. Create video titles within this area to
ensure that they are viewable on a regular television screen.
364
Import Settings
Grid Settings Options (Display Tab) (Continued)
Show Safe Action Displays the safe action area for video display. This box is self-
adjusting for PAL and NTSC projects.
Show 14x9 Zone Select one or more of these options to display the grid you want.
Show 1.66 Aspect
Show 1.85 Aspect
Show 1.77 Aspect
Show Axes Displays the grid axes.
Show Tick Marks Shows tick marks along the axes. Use the Fields parameter to set
the number of tick marks.
Show Thirds Divides the screen into three sections. This is especially useful if
you are creating titles for the lower third of the screen.
Show Points Shows the grid points. Use the Fields parameter to set the number
of grid points.
Show Position Info Displays the position coordinates of any point in the Effect
Preview, or Record monitor. The application uses compass
coordinates and X, Y coordinates. For compass coordinates, the
point (0, 0) is the center of the axes. For X, Y coordinates, the
point (0, 0) is the top left corner of the monitor. X values increase
to the right, and Y values increase as you move down. For more
information, see “Displaying Position Coordinates” in the Help.
Import Settings
• Import Settings: Image Tab
• Import Settings: OMFI Tab
• Import Settings: Shot Log Tab
• Import Settings: Audio Tab
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Import Settings: Image Tab

Import Settings Options (Image Tab)
Aspect Ratio, 601/709, Select this option to import images with the dimensions used by
Pixel Aspect non-square the Avid system: 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL). Also use
this option for 720 x 540 images, or for other images that fit the
4:3 aspect ratio. You can use this option to maintain field data
when you import two-field media that follows exact NTSC or PAL
dimensions.
n HD projects use the ITU-R 709 color space instead of

ITU-R 601.
The system converts the existing pixel dimensions, if necessary, so
that the image fills the screen.
If the aspect ratio of the original frames does not match the 4:3
aspect ratio used by the Avid system, the imported frames might
appear distorted.
For best full-screen resolution of files created in a square-pixel
environment, use 648 x 480 (NTSC) or 768 x 576 (PAL). To create
a single resolution for both NTSC and PAL, use 720 x 540.
n This option is selected by default.
Maintain, non- Select this option for an image that was created in a non-square-
square pixel environment, but does not match exact NTSC or PAL
dimensions. Maintain, non-square preserves up to 480 (NTSC) or
576 (PAL) lines, and either removes additional lines or pads with
video black if there are fewer lines.
This option might be most useful with the Avid application when
you use material that has been created for non-DV products with a
standard NTSC size of 720 x 486. In this situation, the top four
lines and the bottom two lines are cropped.
Maintain, non-square never scales or resizes.
366
Import Settings
Import Settings Options (Image Tab) (Continued)
Maintain, square Select this option for an image that was created in a square-pixel
environment, such as a graphics application. Use this option
primarily for icons, logos, and other graphics that cannot be
resized and are not intended to fill the entire screen.
The Avid system maintains the source file pixel aspect ratio for the
imported frames, translating the square-pixel aspect ratio to the
digital video non-square-pixel environment.
The system fills the rest of the screen with video black. If the
image has an alpha channel, this black is keyed out in the alpha
channel.
Do not use this option if you are importing:
• Images in the 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL)
non-square-pixel dimensions
• A full-screen square-pixel image that has already been
stretched to non-square-pixel dimensions
Maintain and Select this option for an image that was created in square-pixel
Resize, square terms.
The system fits the longest dimension to the screen size and fills in
the missing pixels in the shorter dimension with video black,
creating a border. If the image has an alpha channel, this black is
keyed out in the alpha channel.
For example, a 540 x 300 image would have its longer dimension
resized to 720, and the shorter dimension resized in proportion (to
400). The remaining “short side” pixels are replaced with black.
For best full-screen resolution of files created in a square-pixel
environment, use 648 x 480 (NTSC) or 768 x 576 (PAL). To create
a single resolution for both NTSC and PAL, use
720 x 540.
Do not use this option if you are importing:
• Images in the 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL)
non-square-pixel dimensions
• A full-screen square-pixel image that has already been
stretched to non-square-pixel dimensions
367
File Field This section allows you to select the temporal field ordering
Order (sometimes referred to as field dominance) of the media you are
importing. For 24p and 25p projects, these options do not appear;
all fields area automatically exported as progressive (still) frames.
When the field dominance of the imported media matches the
field dominance of the project format, no special processing is
required. For more information, see “Field Ordering in Graphic
Imports and Exports” in the Help.
This setting does not apply to OMFI imports when the import
resolution matches the OMFI file.
Non-interlaced This option allows you to import still images to all formats
without concern for the temporal ordering of the fields.
n This is the default value.
Odd (Upper Field Select this option for the odd field to occur temporally first during
First) import. The first line in the image belongs to the odd field.
Even (Lower Select this option for the even field to occur temporally first
Field First) during import. The first line in the image belongs to the even field.
Color Levels RGB Select this option if the imported graphics file uses RGB graphics
levels. Most computer-generated graphics use RGB graphics
levels. The RGB color values are remapped to ITU-R 601
(formerly CCIR 601) video color values appropriate for the Avid
system.
RGB, dithered Select this option if the imported graphics file uses complex color
effects, such as a gradation. Do not use this option to reimport an
image that has already been imported with dithering.
601/709 Select this option if the imported graphics file uses video levels
based on the ITU-R 601 (formerly CCIR 601) or ITU-R 709 (HD)
standard. These graphics include Avid color bars or images that
include superblack (zero black) for keying purposes.
Alpha Use Existing Select this option to import the image, using the existing alpha
channel information.
Invert Existing Select this option to reverse the black and white elements of the
alpha channel if they differ from the matte key requirements of the
system: a white background, a black foreground, and a gray
transparency blend between the two.
368
Import Settings
Ignore Select this option to import an image that contains alpha channel
transparency information as one opaque graphic. The imported
graphic appears as a single master clip in the bin.
If an image contains an embedded alpha channel but the system
does not support alpha channel import for the file type, select this
option to import the image successfully. For information on alpha
channel support, see “Graphic File Import Specifications” in the
Help.
Single Frame Duration n Select this option to specify the duration of the single frame
Import seconds created from the import. The default is 10 seconds. This option
does not apply to importing sequential image files because each
file represents one frame of the clip; therefore, the total number of
files determines the total duration.
Importing an image with alpha channel creates a matte key effect
as a single frame, with no associated media file.
Importing as a single frame takes less time and requires less
storage than importing as a media file. However, a single frame
has limited real-time playback capabilities, particularly at high
resolutions. This occurs because the system loads the frame into
memory and handles it in real time, rather than playing it back
from a disk.
Autodetect Select this option if you are importing sequential files and you
Sequential Files want the system to recognize that a sequence of connected files is
present and to automatically import the whole sequence.
When this option is deselected, the system does not automatically
import a whole sequence of files that have sequential extensions.
You can then select any single file for import.
You can import sequential files for any of the supported
still-image formats. For information on preparing a sequence of
image files, see “Animation Files” in the Help.
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Import Settings: OMFI Tab

Import Settings Options (OMFI Tab)
Option Description
Use the source file’s resolution. Select this option to maintain the source file’s
resolution. The system disregards the resolution
setting in the Select Files to Import dialog box as
well as resolution set in the Import tab of the Media
Creation dialog box.
Use the current import resolution. Select this option to use the current import
resolution setting. The system disregards the source
file resolution.
Ask me to set the resolution for each file that is Select this option to have the system display a query
different from the current import resolution setting. about resolution selection for each imported file
when the resolution of the source file is different
from the current import resolution setting.
Import Settings: Shot Log Tab

Import Settings Options (Shot Log Tab)
Option Description
Maintain events as logged. Select this option to maintain all events as originally
logged.
Combine events based on scene and automatically Select this option to combine all the events for a
create subclips. scene into a single master clip and then link the
master clip to subclips that represent the original
events for that scene. To use this option, you must
have scene numbers logged in a scene column in the
bin.
Combine events based on camera roll and Select this option to combine all the events from a
automatically create subclips. camera roll into a single master clip and then link
the master clip to subclips that represent the original
events for that camera roll. To use this option, you
must have camera roll numbers logged in a camera
roll column in the bin for a film project.
370
Import Settings
Import Settings Options (Shot Log Tab) (Continued)
Option Description
Merge events with known sources and automatically Select this option to create subclips for events that
create subclips. are merged or relinked to their source clips upon
import. Use this option if you have already entered
master clips in a bin for each camera roll or master
scene, and have subsequently logged all the events
related to those clips for import.
n You must select the clips that you want to

merge before selecting this option.
Merge events with known master clips. Select this option to merge information in the shot
log onto selected master clips based on the matching
tape name. Use this option if you have already
logged (or captured) master clips in a bin for each
take.
n You must select the clips that you want to

merge before selecting this option.
Import Settings: Audio Tab

Import Settings Options (Audio Tab)
Sample Rate: Convert source sample rate to project Select this option to convert incoming
sample rate on import. media to the sample rate of the current
project (deselected by default).
Deselect this option to import audio media
at the source sample rate. If the Avid
application does not support the source
sample rate, the application autoconverts it
to the current project sample rate.
Convert source sample rates with audio Select this option to convert incoming
pull-up or pull-down to project sample rate media marked with pull-up or pull-down
on import. sample rates to the sample rate of the
current project (deselected by default).
at the source sample pull-up or pull-down
rate, but with the file marked at a rate the
Avid application supports.
371
Import Settings Options (Audio Tab) (Continued)
Sample Bit Depth: Convert source sample bit depth to project Select this option to covert the incoming
sample bit depth on import. media to the bit depth of the current project
(deselected by default).
at the source sample bit depth. If the Avid
application does not support the source
sample bit depth, the application
autoconverts it to the current project
sample bit depth.
Interface Settings
• Interface Settings: General Tab
• Interface Settings: Appearance Tab
Interface Settings: General Tab

Interface Settings Options (General Tab)
Option Description
Show Labels in Tool Palette When you select this option, the system displays text labels with
the icons on the Tool palette. This is the default option.
To tear off the Tool palette, click anywhere on the palette, press
and hold the mouse button, and drag the palette to the location you
want.
Show ToolTips When you select this option, the system displays labels for buttons
and icons when you position the mouse pointer over them. This is
the default option.
You can also turn ToolTips on and off from the Help menu.
Delay n seconds before showing If you select Show ToolTips, you can delay the label display by
entering a value in this text box. A delay allows you to move the
mouse pointer across the interface without displaying the labels
on items between the starting point and the destination of the
mouse pointer.
372
Interface Settings
Interface Settings Options (General Tab) (Continued)
Option Description
Windows® Standard Alt Key Behavior This option switches between standard Windows Alt key behavior
(Windows Only) and Avid system Alt key behavior. When you select this option,
pressing and holding the Alt key together with another key works
as a keyboard shortcut for certain Windows actions (for example,
opening menus).
When you deselect this option, pressing and releasing the Alt key
and then pressing another key works as the Windows keyboard
shortcut, while pressing and holding the Alt key together with
another key works as a keyboard shortcut for certain Avid
functions. This is the default option.
For more information on Windows shortcuts, see the Windows
documentation.
For more information on Avid shortcuts, select Help > Shortcuts.
Automatic Num Lock Activation When you select this option, the Avid application automatically
(Windows Only) sets the numeric keypad in numeric mode the next time you start
the application. If you deselect this option, the Num Lock key on
the keyboard controls the mode of the numeric keypad.
With either selection, you can use the Num Lock key to change
the mode of the numeric keypad.
Automatically Launch Last Project at Opens your last project when the application starts.
Startup
373
Interface Settings: Appearance Tab

Interface Settings Options (Appearance Tab)
Color Background Controls the color of the given interface component.

See “Changing Interface Component Colors” in the
Button
Help.
Button Contents
Button Highlight
Button Spotlight
Text
Timeline Background
Timeline V Tracks
Timeline A Tracks
Timeline TC Tracks
Project Background
Bin Default
Background
Shading Style Convex Controls the shading of buttons and toolbars. See
“Changing Shading Style” in the Help.
Dim Radial
Convex Radial
Bright Radial
Shading Depth 5% – 50%, in 5% Controls the three-dimensional “rounding” of

increments buttons and toolbars. See “Changing Shading
Depth” in the Help.
Monitor Button Separation Maximum Controls the spacing of the Monitor buttons. See
“Changing Button Separation” in the Help.
Moderate
None
Timeline Button Separation Maximum Controls the spacing of the Timeline buttons. See
“Changing Button Separation” in the Help.
Moderate
None
374
Keyboard Settings
Interface Settings Options (Appearance Tab) (Continued)
Button Style Oval Controls the shape of the buttons. See “Changing
Button Style” in the Help.
Octagonal
Rounded
Square
Swoosh
Antique
Keyboard Settings
The following illustration displays the default keyboard settings. For more information
about using keyboard shortcuts, see “Shortcuts” in the Help.
Step buttons Workspace buttons Delete key
Play
button
Stop/Play button Play buttons Arrow keys
When you open the Keyboard palette from the Settings list and select Map Foreign
Keyboard, you can map user-selectable buttons to the keyboard. If the Windows operating
system is set to French or German regional settings, and you click the center of the Enter key
in the Keyboard palette, a message box opens that says foreign keyboard mapping mode has
been turned off. Select Standard, and then select Map Foreign Keyboard again to return to
foreign keyboard mapping mode.
375
Marquee Title Settings

Marquee Title Settings Options
Create New Title using
Marquee The system always opens Marquee when you select Clip > New Title
or Tools > Title Tool.
Title Tool The system always opens the Title Tool when you select Clip > New
Title or Tools > Title Tool.
Ask me The system displays the New Title dialog box when you select Clip >
New Title or Tools > Title Tool. You can then select either Marquee or
the Title Tool. This is the default setting.
Promote Title Tool titles

to Marquee
Yes The system always promotes a Title Tool title to a Marquee title when
you open the title for editing from a bin or from within a sequence. For
more information, see “Promoting Title Tool Titles to Marquee” in the
Marquee Help.
No The system never promotes a Title Tool title to a Marquee title when
you open the title for editing from a bin or from within a sequence.
Ask me The system displays the Edit Title dialog box when you open a title for
editing from a bin or from within a sequence. You can then choose
whether to promote the title to Marquee. This is the default setting.
Backup Title on When this option is selected, the system creates a backup Title Tool
Promote version of any title that it promotes to Marquee. The backup copy is a
fast-saved (unrendered) title. The system adds [TT] to the name of the
backup copy to differentiate it from the newly created
Marquee version.
376
Media Creation Settings

The following topics describe adjusting the Media Creation settings.
For more information about options in the Media Creation Settings dialog box, see “Setting
Media Creation Resolutions and Selecting Drives” in the Help.
Media Creation Settings: Drive Filtering Tab

Media Creation Settings Options (Drive Filtering Tab)
Option Description
Filter Based on Resolution Removes as a storage choice the drives that cannot support the selected
resolution. This option causes the Avid editing system to utilize only Avid
MediaDrives.
Filter Out System Drive Removes as a storage choice the drive on which the operating system resides.
Selected by default.
Filter Out Launch Drive Removes as a storage choice the drive on which the Avid application resides.
Selected by default.
Media Creation Settings: Capture, Titles, Import, and

Mixdown & Transcode Tabs
The following table describes the options in the Capture tab, Titles tab, Import tab, and
Mixdown & Transcode tab, and Media Type tab of the Media Creation dialog box.
Media Creation Settings: Capture, Titles, Import, and Mixdown & Transcode Tabs
Option Description
Video Resolution Select a resolution.
Apply to All This sets your chosen resolution for all the Media Creation dialog box tabs. It also
sets it for any place in the application where you select a resolution.
Video/Audio Drive Select a drive or drives. In the Titles tab, only a Video Drive option is available.
Apply to All This sets your chosen video and audio drives for all the Media Creation dialog box
tabs. It also sets them for any place in the application where you select drives.
377
Media Creation Settings: Motion Effects Tab

The following table describes the options in the Motion Effects tab of the Media Creation
dialog box.
Media Creation Settings: Motion Effects Tab
Option Description
Video Drive Select a drive or drives
Apply to All This sets your chosen video drives for all the Media Creation dialog box tabs. It also
sets them for any place in the application where you select drives.
Media Creation Settings: Render Tab

The following table describes options available in the Media Creation Settings: Render tab.
Media Creation Settings: Render Tab
Video Resolution Select a resolution for the rendered effects.
n The application always renders and effect at the highest

resolution used in the effect source clips.
Apply to All This sets your chosen resolution for all the Media Creation dialog
box tabs. It also sets it for any place in the application where you
select a resolution.
Video/Audio Drive Select a drive or drives.
Apply to All This sets your chosen video and audio drives for all the Media
Creation dialog box tabs. It also sets them for any place in the
application where you select drives.
Same as Source Select this option if you want the application to render the effect
using the resolution of the clip or clips used to create the effect. If
an effect is created from clips that use different resolutions, the
application uses the highest-quality resolution.
378
Media Creation Settings: Render Tab (Continued)
Effects Processing 8-bit Select this option when rendering time is more important than
image quality. Also use this option if you are mainly working with
effects that don’t support 16-bit precision.
Select this option for the best overall image quality. Use this
16-bit
option if you use 10-bit resolutions, use many levels of nested
effects, or want the best color fidelity for rendered effects.
Automatic Select this option if you want the media source to determine the
effects resolution. This is the default.
Media Creation Settings: Media Type Tab

The following table describes the options in the Media Type tab of the Media Creation
dialog box.
Media Creation Settings: Media Type Tab
Option Description
Video File Format Select a file format: Open Media Format (OMF) or Material Exchange Format
(MXF). This setting applies to all video format menus (in the Capture tool, the
Consolidate/Transcode dialog box, and other places in the Avid editing application).
For more information, see “File Format Specifications” in the Help.
n If your project uses an HD resolution, you cannot select OMF as a file format.
MXF is selected by default.
File Format Select a file format: Open Media Format (OMF) or Material Exchange Format
(Media Type tab only) (MXF). This setting applies to all video format menus (in the Capture tool, the
Consolidate/Transcode dialog box, and other places in the Avid editing application).
For more information, see “File Format Specifications” in the Help.
n If your project uses an HD resolution, you cannot select OMF as a file format.
MXF is selected by default.
379
Mouse Settings
Mouse Settings
Scroll Wheel Behavior Normal Selects the speed of scrolling with the mouse wheel within the
Moderate editing application. For more information, see “Using the
Fast Mouse Scroll Wheel” on page 43.
Mouse Button Assigns functions to 3 additional mouse buttons.

Assignments
PortServer Settings
PortServer Settings Options
Setting Description
Auto-connect to LANshare at LANshare workspaces are recognized when you start the Avid application.
Launch
Connect/Disconnect Starts or severs the connection.
Remote Play and Capture Settings

Remote Play and Capture Settings Options
Option Description
Mode Use Remote Capture when you want to perform a quick capture. This mode is
also known as crash record. It allows the Avid system to capture the media
being sent to it immediately without setting up parameters like IN and OUT
points. Remote Capture supports record and stop with the controller.
Use Remote Play when you want to control sequences via an edit controller.
Remote Play supports play, cue, and stop.
Use Remote Punch-In when you want to perform a quick audio punch-in.
Remote Punch-In allows the Avid system to record the audio being sent to it
immediately without setting up all parameters, such as OUT points. Remote
Punch-In supports play, cue, record, and stop with an external controller.
380
Render Settings
Remote Play and Capture Settings Options (Continued)
Option Description
Device Code Select the device code that identifies the VTR the system will emulate. The
edit controller adjusts to this choice. The default value is a Sony PVW-2800,
which performs all the common play and capture functions.
You do not need to change the device code value unless your edit controller
does not recognize the VTR or you want to emulate a specific VTR.
Runup (frames) This option is only available with Remote Play and Remote Punch-In. Specify
the time (measured in frames) it takes the deck to start playing from a cued
position. The default value is 1 frame.
When the runup times of two video devices are similar, it is easier for the edit
controller to synchronize the devices during preroll. If your Avid VTR does
not sync up as often as you want, try adjusting this value so the two devices
attain full speed at nearly the same time.
Inhibit preloading when cueing This option is only available with Remote Play and Remote Punch-In. Avid
by single frame. recommends that you do not inhibit preloading under normal circumstances.
Preloading occurs by default in the Avid editor. It improves playback
performance by preparing the digital media for playback each time you cue a
new frame.
Selecting this option causes the Avid system to match the behavior of a tape
deck when you step through footage frame by frame. Avid recommends this
option only for projects that require quick cueing of one frame after another;
for example, when you are using the system to present a sequence of still
images as in a slide presentation.
Render Settings
Render Settings Options
Render Completion Sets a sound for your Avid application to activate once the
Sound rendering process is complete. This is useful when you are
rendering multiple effects.
None Disables the rendering completion sound. This is the default.
System Beep Sets the rendering completion sound to match the sound set for
your operating system.
Render Sound Sets the rendering completion sound to a customized sound.
381
Render Settings Options (Continued)
Motion Effects Determines the processing method when existing motion

Render Using effects are rendered or rerendered.
Original Preference Causes effects to be rendered as whatever type they were when
originally created.
Duplicated Field Displays a single field in the effect. For two-field media, this
reduces the information stored by half because it drops one
field of the image, resulting in a lower quality image. For
single-field media, this is usually the best choice because of its
speed (the other options do not improve effect quality for
single-field media).
With JFIF resolutions, selecting this option causes the effect to
render in the shortest amount of time. With DV and MPEG
resolutions, the effect renders approximately as quickly as it
would if you selected Both Fields as the rendering option.
Both Fields Displays both fields in the effect. For example, the first two
frames of a half-speed (50%) slow-motion effect repeat the
original Frame 1 (both fields) twice. This option is good for
shots without inter-field motion, NTSC or PAL film-to-tape
transfers, and still shots. With footage that includes inter-field
motion, this method might result in minor shifting or bumping
of the image because it disturbs the original order of fields: a
Field 1 appears both before and after the corresponding Field 2.
The effect renders relatively quickly. For best results, you
should use evenly divisible frame rates with this option.
Interpolated Field Creates a second field for the effect by combining scan line
pairs from the first field in the original media. This option
calculates the motion effect at the field level rather than the
frame level. Because your Avid application considers all fields
and does not disturb the original order of fields, the smoothest
effect results.
Effects created using this option take the longest amount of
time to render.
382
Render Settings
VTR-Style Creates a second field for the effect by shifting selected video
fields of the original media by a full scan line. This technique is
similar to that used by high-quality professional video decks
when playing footage at less than normal speed. This option
also creates the motion effect at the field level rather than the
frame level; however, because pixels are not filtered, the final
image is sharper than that created by the Interpolated Field
option. The image might display some slight jitter at certain
speeds.
The time needed to render effects created with this option is
longer than the time for effects created using either Duplicated
Field or Both Fields but similar to the time needed for
Interpolated Field.
Timewarps Render Select an option to determine the processing method when

Using Timewarp effects are rendered or rerendered.
Original Preference These rendering options are the same as those for Motion
Effects Render Using. See the preceding descriptions.
Duplicated Field
Both Fields
Interpolated Field
VTR-Style
Blended Interpolated The application blends, or averages, pixels from the original
frames or fields to create intermediate frames or fields. For
example, at 25% speed, the system creates three blended
images between outgoing Image A and incoming Image B. The
first blended image weights the pixels from Image A at 75%
and Image B at 25%. The second blended image weights the
pixels from Image A at 50% and Image B at 50%. The third
blended image weights the pixels from Image A at 25% and
Image B at 75%. Objects in motion from Image A to Image B
appear to fade out of Image A and fade in to Image B.
Timewarp effects created using Blended Interpolated or
Blended VTR render less quickly than Interpolated Field or
VTR-Style.
383
Blended VTR The application first creates a second field for the effect by
shifting selected video fields of the original media by a full
scan line. Then it blends, or averages, pixels from the original
frames or fields to create intermediate frames or fields. For
example, at 25% speed, the system creates three blended
images between outgoing Image A and incoming Image B. The
first blended image weights the pixels from Image A at 75%
and Image B at 25%. The second blended image weights the
pixels from Image A at 50% and Image B at 50%. The third
blended image weights the pixels from Image A at 25% and
Image B at 75%. Objects in motion from Image A to Image B
appear to fade out of Image A and fade in to Image B.
Timewarp effects created using Blended Interpolated or
Blended VTR render less quickly than Interpolated Field or
VTR-Style.
Effects Quality Sets a global override for effects that have HQ (Highest
Render Using Quality) software implementations. You select the HQ
implementation or the standard implementation for individual
effects by clicking the HQ button in the Effect Editor.
Quality Set in Each Causes effects to render at the quality determined by the HQ
Effect setting in the individual effects. This is the default.
Standard Quality Causes all effects to render with the standard implementation.
Highest Quality Effects render with the HQ implementation, if one exists for a
given effect. If an HQ implementation does not exist for a given
effect, the effect renders with the standard implementation.
Safe Colors Settings

Safe Colors Settings Options
Option Description
Composite Sets safe color values for the composite video signal.
Luminance Sets safe color values based on brightness.
RGB Gamut Sets safe color values based on color range.
384
Script Settings
Safe Colors Settings Options (Continued)
Option Description
Units buttons Define the units of measurement for the three types of safe color values.
The Composite Units menu allows you to select either IRE or mVolts
(millivolts).
The Luminance and RGB Gamut menus allow you to select from the
following options:
8 Bit — Measures the adjustment on a scale from 0 to 255.
n The RGB value for a color in the Color Correction tool is not
identical to the RGB value for the same color in a graphics
application such as Adobe Photoshop®. For example, the 8-bit RGB
values for reference black and reference white are 16 and 235
respectively.
% — Measures the adjustment on a percentage scale from 0 to 100.
IRE — Measures the adjustment in IRE units.
mVolts — Measures the adjustment in millivolts.
Actions buttons Define how the system implements the safe color settings. The top menu
controls both the Composite and the Luminance limit types; the bottom
menu controls the RGB Gamut limit type. Each Actions menu allows you to
select from the following options:
Ignore — The system does not limit based on these settings. This is the
default setting.
Warn — The system provides warnings when these limits are exceeded.
For more information on safe color warnings, see “Managing Safe Color
Warnings” in the Help.
Script Settings
Script Settings Options
Option Description
Font This option selects the font for imported scripts.
Size This option selects the font size. The default is 12 points.
Left Margin (pixels) This option specifies the left margin size. The default is 40 pixels.
Take Coloring This option specifies the color that the Avid system applies to takes.
385
Script Settings Options (Continued)
Option Description
Show Frames When this option is selected, the system shows frames in take slates.
Show All Takes When this option is selected, the system shows all takes in each slate. If you
deselect this option, the Avid system displays only one take per slate.
Interpolate Position When this option is selected, you can click in a take line within a script, and
the image in the Source pop-up monitor updates to the approximate position
in the take where you have clicked. If you deselect this option, the Source
pop-up monitor does not respond when you click in a take line.
Hold Slates Onscreen Set this option to keep the slates on the screen when you scroll through a
script in the Script window. Each slate remains on the screen as long as the
take lines to which it is linked remain on the screen.
Sound Card Configuration Settings (Windows

Only)
These settings are for software-only systems on Windows.
Sound Card Configuration Settings
Option Options Description
Record/Input list Lists the input sources available with the audio
hardware installed on your system.
Playback/Output list Wave Maps input sources to the output sources available
SW Synth with the audio hardware installed on your system.
CD Player The options available on your system might vary
Microphone from those listed here.
n
Aux
Select the <No Match> option if you do not
Line In
want an input source mapped to an output
Phone
source.
<No Match>
Use Windows Mixer Select this option to deselect all options in the dialog
box and allow the Windows mixer to map input
sources to output sources.
Override source Select an output source to override the Avid system

and leave the mute settings as they are set in the
operating system.
386
Timeline Settings
Sound Card Configuration Settings (Continued)
Option Options Description
Audio device name Lists the sound card installed on your system.
Timeline Settings
• Timeline Settings: Display Tab
• Timeline Settings: Edit Tab
Timeline Settings: Display Tab

Timeline Settings Options (Display Tab)
Option Description
Show Toolbar Displays the Timeline top toolbar.
Show Marked Region Highlights the region from the IN point to the OUT point.
Show Marked Shows waveforms drawn between an IN point and an OUT point instead of over
Waveforms the entire composition.
Highlight Suggested This option allows you to display thin colored indicator lines in the Timecode
Render Areas After track of the Timeline. These thin colored lines display information about the
Playback real-time effects in your sequence. For more information, see “Advanced Effects
Playback Information” in the Help.
Show Four-Frame When this option is selected, the system shows the head and tail of incoming or
Display outgoing frames of video when you drag a segment.
Timeline Settings: Edit Tab

Timeline Settings Options (Edit Tab)
Option Description
Start Filler Duration Type the amount of filler you want to appear by default when you select Clip >
Add Filler at Start.
Find Flash Frames Type the maximum number of flash frames you want the system to detect. The
Shorter Than n frames default is 10, which tells the system to detect clips with 9 frames or fewer. See
“Finding Flash Frames” in the Help.
387
Timeline Settings Options (Edit Tab) (Continued)
Option Description
Auto-Patching When this option is selected, the system automatically patches the enabled
source tracks to the tracks enabled in the Timeline sequence.
Auto-Monitoring When this option is selected, the track you patch to is monitored. This option is
selected by default.
Segment Drag Sync When this option is selected and sync locks are enabled, you can move segments
Locks in the Timeline and maintain sync between audio and video. After moving a
segment in the Timeline, this option maintains sync by adding filler to the
location from which the segment was moved, and to the location on all other
sync-locked tracks that corresponds to the new location of the segment you
moved. You can move either an audio clip or a video clip.
Default Snap-To Edit Allows a clip, when dragged from a bin to the Timeline, to either snap to a
transition point or move freely on the track. If the option is selected, the clip
snaps to an existing transition endpoint. If the option is deselected, the clip
moves freely to any position on the track. This option is selected by default.
New Sequences: Allows you to set the number of video and audio tracks displayed in the Timeline
n Video Tracks for new sequences. You can select a maximum of 24 video tracks and 24 audio
n Audio Tracks tracks.
Dupe Detection Handles

n Select the size of the handles, in frames, to use for dupe checking. The
chosen number of frames is added at the beginning and the end of each
clip before checking for overlap. The handles are used only for internal
calculations.
Trim Settings
• Trim Settings: Play Loop Tab
• Trim Settings: Features Tab
Trim Settings: Play Loop Tab

Trim Settings Options (Play Loop Tab)
Option Description
Preroll Click the text box and type the value you want.
Postroll Click the text box and type the value you want.
388
Video Display Settings
Trim Settings Options (Play Loop Tab) (Continued)
Option Description
Intermission Click the text box and type the value you want.
Trim Settings: Features Tab

Trim Settings Options (Features Tab)
Option Description
J-K-L Trim Select to turn on J-K-L Trim.
Video Display Settings

Video Display Settings Options
DV Output Setting Output to DV Device Select this option if you have connected a DV
(not applicable to DV devices device to a software-only system or if your
connected to an Avid Mojo) system is connected to Avid Mojo SDI and
you have selected Device > IEEE 1394.
Format This option is available only when you have

Output to DV Device selected and you have a
device connected. Allows you to select the
compressed format to be sent to the DV
device.
Realtime Encoding This option is available only when you have

Output to DV Device selected, you have a
device connected, and you are in an SD
project. Also use this feature if you are on a
software-only system. Allows you to enable
or disable real-time effects. See “Playing
Back to a DV Device” on page 104.
389
Video Display Settings Options (Continued)
Desktop Play Delay (not Frames if you have connected a DV device to a

applicable to DV devices software-only system or if your system is
connected to an Avid Mojo) connected to Avid Mojo and you have
selected Device > IEEE 1394. Move the
slider to increase or decrease the amount of
frame offset in the Composer monitor so the
media on the desktop and the media in the
DV device play simultaneously. See
“Adjusting the Play Delay Offset (Software
Only or 1394)” in the Help.
Pre-filled Frames: Seconds of n seconds Type the number of seconds by which to

Video to Pre-Fill: delay playback. By accepting a delay at the
beginning of playback, you increase the
likelihood that the system will play the
material successfully. The maximum delay
you can specify is 10 seconds.
OpenGL Hardware: Preview Video boards installed on your Select the OpenGL® board for your video
DVE effects with: system display. Selecting hardware gives you better
performance.
Software OpenGL Select if you do not have an OpenGL video

board
Enable Confidence View Enable confidence view (also called

passthrough) if you want to view incoming or
outgoing media in the Composer monitor as
you are capturing media or creating a digital
cut. Deselect for better performance.
Maximum Real Time Streams Stream Limit n Select the number of video streams you want
to display in the Record monitor at a time.
n More streams uses more processing

cycles and might cause the video to
play in a choppy fashion.
390
Video Input Tool Settings
Video Input Tool Settings

Double-clicking Video Input in the Settings list opens the Video Input tool.
Video Input Tool Options
Option Description
Input menu Lets you select Composite, SVideo, Component, or Host-1394.
Waveform Monitor and Open or hide the Waveform monitor and the Vectorscope monitor.
Vectorscope Monitor
buttons
Sliders Let you change the value for each setting.
Preset buttons The preset buttons are highlighted when the factory preset levels are displayed.
SignalLock This option lets you switch between the following:

• Professional — preset sync using a wider bandwidth for non-TBC sources.
• Consumer — automatic sync using time-base correctors (TBC) internal to the
video source
Settings menu Lets you save the settings for an individual tape each time you calibrate bars.
391
Video Output Tool Settings

Double-clicking Video Output in the Settings list opens the Video Output tool.
Video Output Tool Options (SD Tab)
Output menu Lets you select Component, Composite, or SVideo.
VBI (Vertical Blanking Interval) Instructs the system to preserve or blank

(DV resolutions 5 lines above each field in NTSC and 8 lines above each field for
unsupported) PAL when you display a sequence or perform a digital cut.
For more information, see “Preserving Information in the Vertical
Blanking Interval” in the Help.
Test Patterns Allows you to choose a test pattern for calibrating during output.
Output sync lock Use this feature to lock your output connection to the reference or an
internal signal on the Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI.
Workspace Settings
Workspace Settings Options
Option Description
Activate Settings Linked By Select this option to link other settings to the workspace.
Name
Continually Update This Select this option to automatically preserve the workspace in its most recent
Workspace arrangement. Future changes to the arrangement of the tool windows are
saved.
Manually Update This Select this option to save the workspace in its current arrangement when you
Workspace click Save Workspace Now (which appears only after you select Manually
Update This Workspace). Future changes to the arrangement of the tool
windows are disregarded unless you return to the Workspace Settings dialog
box and click Save Workspace Now again.
392
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Index
Numerics Applying an Effect Palette Color Correction effect

231
1 Pass encoding 350 A-side (outgoing frames)
1394 in trims 158
capturing directly through 76, 78 Aspect Ratio options (Import settings) 367
connecting and selecting 76 Assemble-edit recording 273
1394 button Audio
outputting to DV device 284 calibrating global output levels 269
selecting 77 crossfading 314
16:9 display format 102 crossfading methods 314
2 Pass encoding 350 editing 163
3 x 3 averaging fading 314
setting eyedropper option 323 fading methods 314
8-bit units 385 file formats (Audio Project settings) 63, 309
input levels, adjusting 65, 311
A input sources 311
locked 310
Accessing mapping output channels 312
audio effect tools 162 Master volume 311
Add Channel button (Deck Configuration dialog box) monitoring in Timeline tracks 136
52 monitoring while editing 128
Add Deck button (Deck Configuration dialog box) 53 output, preparing for 268
Add Track dialog box 125, 139 selecting mix modes 312
Adding selecting stereo mix 312
filler to sequences 148 setting pan defaults 163
new tracks to a sequence 125, 139 waveform plots, displaying 164
Adjust Deck command (Deck Selection menu) 276 Audio board systems
Adjusting adjusting output on 269
audio input levels 65 Audio clips
output 269 changing sample rate for 174
pan defaults 163 Audio dissolves 314
AIFF-C file format Audio effect tools, accessing 162
option in Audio Project settings 63, 309 Audio File format
Alpha channel options 309
title creation with 241 Audio file formats for audio input 63
Alpha channel, options in Import settings 368 Audio file sample size 309
Anti-aliased elements in title 241
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Audio I/O device Avid application, quitting 29

adjusting output on 269 Avid Attic files setting (Bin settings) 315
Audio input Avid DV Codec, exporting with 332, 333
preparing for 62 Avid editing application
sources 311 backing up Title Tool titles when promoting to
Audio input levels Marquee 376
adjusting 311 Avid Mojo
Audio levels selecting input gain with 311
adjusting 173 Avid Projects folder 29
Audio Mixer tool Avid Unity network
adjusting volume and pan on a single track 171 mapping workspaces on 380
adjusting volume and pan on multiple tracks 173 Avid Users folder 29
resizing 171 Avid Visual Extensions (AVX)
Audio output defined 194
calibrating 311 AVX (Avid Visual Extensions)
preparing for 268 defined 194
Audio Project settings
audio file formats 63, 309
Audio sample rate
B
changing 174 Background color, selecting 242
options 309 Backing up
when preparing for audio output 268 Title Tool titles when promoting to Marquee 376
Audio settings Backup options (Bin settings) 315
window 164 Bars
Audio sync recording 272
on output 267 Basic toolset 41
Audio tool Basic trim procedures 151
digital scale, defined 65 Big Trim mode 153
features, described 64 Bin settings 315
input levels, adjusting 65 Auto-Save options 315
using for mixing and monitoring audio 64 Avid Attic files setting 315
volume meters, defined 65 backup options 315
volume unit scale, defined 65 Bins
Audio tracks changing background color 92
adjusting in Audio Mixer tool 171 closing 35
soloing in the Timeline 163 creating new 33
Audio Transfer Rate (Film and 24p Settings dialog deleting 36
box) 300 deleting with SuperBin enabled 95
Audio volume hiding columns in 88
adjusting in Audio Mixer tool 173 moving, into and out of the SuperBin 94
Auto-configure command (Deck Selection menu) 276 opening 34
Automatic color corrections opening in SuperBin 93
applying from Effect Palette 231 organizing a project with 87
Automatically opening a project 373 organizing with 87
Automation Gain and Pan preparing for capturing 68
Track Solo and Track Mute buttons 170 revising titles in 255
Auto-Save options (Bin settings) 315 saving manually 36
394
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Index
selecting a target bin 60 Calibrating global audio output 311

titles in 257 Calibration tone, setting 268
using SuperBin 93 Capture Settings
viewing a list of 33 Keys tab 321
viewing fast-saved titles in 255 Capture tool
Black filler choosing a resolution in 59
adding to sequences 148 opening 55
Blue bars Capturing
in timecode track of Timeline 211 and logging at the same time 69
BMP file format described 45
additional export options 355 DV media 76
Bold button establishing sync for audio-only input 67
in Title tool 248 from an IN point to an OUT point 69
Bold text on-the-fly 71
in titles 248 selecting drives for 48
Brief view 90 setting only mark IN 71
B-side (incoming frames) setting up 55
in trims 158 using time-of-day timecode 73
Buttons Capturing toolset 42
Bold (Title Tool) 248 CCIR
Dual Split (Color Correction Composer window) See ITU-R 601
229 Change Sample Rate dialog box 174
Effect Mode 202 Changing
Extract/Splice-in 205 sample rate of audio 174
Fade Effect 205 sequence information 124
Focus 141 Channel dialog box 52
Go to Next Uncorrected Shot (Color Correction Cineon file format
Composer window) 229 additional Export options 355
Go to Previous Uncorrected Shot (Color Clip information
Correction Composer window) 229 changing 124
In/Out (Audio tool) 65 in Text view 88
Italic (Title tool) 248 Clip Name menus, using 104
Lift/Overwrite 205 Clips
mapping user-selectable 114 copying, into and out of the SuperBin 95
Remove Effect (Color Correction Composer cueing 108
window) 229 editing into sequences 128
Reset Peak (Audio tool) 64 entire, marking 118
Safe Colors 235 exporting 287
stepping (jogging) through footage using 109 extracting 130
Video Background (Title tool) 242 finding 121
Video Effect Safe Mode 277, 280 lifting 129
Bypass volume settings 314 loading in Source pop-up monitor 103
marking IN and OUT points 116
moving, into and out of the SuperBin 94
C playing back 108
Calibrating subcataloging 113
global output levels 269 subclips 120
395
viewing 108 Copying

Closed captioning and Vertical Blanking Interval 392 settings between settings files 305
Closing Crash recording 284
bins 35 Crash recording procedure 272
the SuperBin 94 Crawling titles
Codecs setting marks in 258
DV 332, 333 Creating
QuickTime, selecting 290 a new bin 33
software DV 25 321 a new project 25
Color instant rough cut 127
background 242 new sequences 124
changing background in bins 92 playable sequence from clips with different target
Color coding resolutions 187
playback information in Timeline 211 Crossfading audio 314
Color coding for effects 194 Cueing a frame
Color Correction with frame offset timecode 121
Correction setting 295 Custom colors
Safe Color setting 296 options for naming 323
Color Correction effect (Effect Palette) Custom Profile Audio settings (Windows Media
applying 231 export) 351
Color Correction toolset 41
Color Match control
3 x 3 averaging of pixels, setting 323
D
Columns Databases, refreshing media 189
hiding in bins 88 Deck Configuration settings
showing in bins 88 Add Channel options 52
Composer monitor in Settings list 51
and Small Trim mode 155 Deck controller
viewing clips in 98 in Digital Cut tool 276
Computer, turning off 30 Deck Selection menu
Configuring Digital Cut tool 276
decks 51 Deck settings
Consolidate command 184 Fast Cue option 326
Consolidate/Transcode dialog box 184, 187 for configuring decks 53, 276
options 188 options 326
Consolidating media files Preroll option 326
defined 181 Decks
options 188 configuring 51
procedure 184 for digital cut 275
Controlling selecting 53
playback 108 Defining
real-time effects preview 209 units of measurement 385
Coordinates Deleting
displaying, in monitors 364 bins 36
Copy command bins with SuperBin enabled 95
for title elements (Edit menu) 244 folders 36
media files with the Media tool 180
396
settings 305 Drawing environment

tracks in Timeline 140 preparation in Title tool 241
Deselecting segments in Timeline 144 Drawing tools (Title tool)
Desktop circles and ovals 249
basics 23 lines 249
Device Code option (Remote Play and Capture squares and rectangles 249
settings) 381 Drives
Device menu filtering 50
selecting output device from 284 removing from list 50
Digital cut selecting for capturing 48
real-time effects and 208 single, targeting 60
Digital Cut command (Output menu) 275 storing media on 48
Digital Cut tool target, selecting 60
deck controller in 276 Dropped frames
selecting decks from 275 during digital cut 277, 280
using 274 real-time effects and 208
Digital cuts Dual monitors
record options 278 and Big Trim mode 153
recording 274 and Small Trim mode 155
Digital scale (Audio tool) using 99
defined 65 Dual Split button (Color Correction Composer
Dip to Color Blend effect (2D) window) 229
creating with Quick Transition button 199 Dupe checking 388
Direct record emulation 380 Dupe Detection Handles option (Timeline settings)
Directories, refreshing media 189 388
Display format, 16:9 102 Duplicating
Display rate settings 303
when processing effects 208 DV
Displaying capturing 76
project settings 300 DV 100
waveform plots 164 capturing 78
Dissolve effects (2D) DV 25
creating, with Quick Transition button 199 capturing 77
Skip Existing Transition Effects option 201 outputting 281
DNA playing back 104
selecting as a port for capturing 52 DV 25 software codec 78
DNA button DV 50
selecting 77 capturing 78
DNA/1394 button outputting 281
selecting 77 playing back 104
Dominance, Import settings options 368 DV audio pattern 310
Drag-and-drop method DV Codec 332, 333
editing with 126, 128 DV device
importing with 86 connecting and selecting 76
Dragging playing back to 104
IN and OUT points 118 selecting for output 266
397
DV Scene Extraction rerendering 222

explained 73 sizing to fit 198
setting up 74 Effects (2D)
DVCPRO HD creating with Quick Transition button 199
capturing 78 Effects Editing toolset 42
Enable Track buttons (Digital Cut tool) 275
End key 112
E Entering Effect mode 202
Edgecode Entering Trim mode 152
default starting 362 Environment, using toolsets to control 40
Edit session, ending 29 ERIMovie file format
Editing additional export options 356
audio 163 Exiting Trim mode 153
beginning 123 ExpertRender
clips into sequences 126, 128 after real-time playback attempt 218
in the Timeline 142 considerations when using 221
monitoring audio during 128 described 214
titles into sequence 258 for output 216
Edits for real-time effects playback 211
Extract 130 modifying results of 220
first edit, making 125 rendering with 216
first edits, described 123 using 214
instant rough cut procedure 127 ExpertRender commands (Clip menu) 217
Lift 129 Export settings
Segment mode 142 video compression options 347
undoing or redoing 128 Export settings, video compression options 347
Effect categories (2D) Exporting
listed 194 QuickTime Movie files 287
Effect mode Targa files 358
entering 202 Wavefront files 358
Effect Mode button 202 with Avid Codecs for QuickTime 290
Effect Palette with Avid DV Codec 332, 333
described 194 YUV files 359
effect categories in 194 Extract button 130
using 194 Extract edits 130
Effect Palette Color Correction effect Extract/Splice-in button 205
applying 231 Eyedropper
Effect Preview monitor 3 x 3 averaging of pixels, setting 323
described 203 options for 323
Effects
applying to multiple transitions 198 F
controlling real-time preview 209
mapping buttons for 114 Fade Effect button
playing individual, in a loop 207 described 205
playing individual, using Play button 206 Fade effects (2D)
processing in real time 208 adding with Fade Effect button 205
real-time preview, information in Timeline 211
398
Fade from Color Blend effect (2D) Format display in the Project window
creating with Quick Transition button 199 described 38
Fade to Color Blend effect (2D) Formatting
creating with Quick Transition button 199 title text 246
Fading audio 314 Frame offset timecode
Fast Cue option (Deck settings) 326 using to cue a frame 121
Fast menu Frame view
button, opening the Tool palette with 115 changing the bin background color for 92
Settings 301 described 91
Fast rolling title playback issues 263 in Media tool 178
Fast Save option for titles Frame-accurate recording 271
described 254 Frames
saving with 254 accessing in footage 108
Fast Save titles cueing by frame offset timecode 121
viewing in bin 255 using timecode to find 121
Field dominance, Import Settings options 368 Full Quality/Draft Quality Mode button 209
File management 177 Full Screen Playback
Files options 361
guidelines for importing 80 setting up 102
importing mixed resolutions 80
importing using drag-and-drop method 86
procedure for importing 81
G
Filler General settings 362
adding to sequences 148 Global output levels
setting duration of 149 calibrating 269
Film projects Global settings, Import 80
transfer settings in 299 Go to Next Uncorrected Shot button (Color
Filtering drives 50 Correction Composer window) 229
Finding Go to Previous Uncorrected Shot button (Color
frames with timecode 121 Correction Composer window) 229
FireWire Graphics in titles
capturing directly through 76, 78 drawing 248
connecting a DV camera or deck with 52 Green dot 194
Focusing the Timeline 141 Grid
Folders Safe Action setting 364
Avid Projects 29 Safe Title setting 364
Avid Users 29 Grid settings
deleting 36 Coordinates tab 363
Fonts described 363
selecting 247 Display tab 364
setting point size 247
Footage
clearing marks from 118 H
loading into monitors 103 HDV
marking and subcataloging 116 capturing and importing 79
viewing and playing 97 exporting 287
outputting 265
399
High Performance option (Video Display settings) ITU-R 601

209 video levels, Import settings 368
High Quality option (Video Display settings) 209 ITV enhancements 89
Hinted streaming, exporting as 337
Home key 112
J
I J-K-L keys
shuttling with 111
Import settings JPEG file format
alpha channel options 368 additional Export options for 356
aspect ratio options 367
creating and using 80
dominance options 368
K
ITU-R video levels 368 Keyboard
RGB graphics levels 368 controlling playback from 111
Importing mapping user-selectable buttons to 114
MetaSync files 84 Keyboard shortcuts
shot log files 46 saving titles with 254
Importing files Keyframes
described 79 defined 206
in mixed-resolution projects 80 Keys
Photoshop files 79 J-K-L, shuttling with 111
preparing for 80 Keys, navigating with 112
procedure for 81
using drag-and-drop method for 86
IN and OUT points L
dragging 118 Lassoing
marking 116 one or more segments in Timeline 143
In/Out buttons (Audio tool) transitions 152
defined 65 Launching
Inhibit Preloading option (Remote Play and Capture Avid application 24
settings) 381 Layering
Input Gain 311 mapping buttons for 114
Input Level slider 311 Left Arrow key 112
Input sources Lift button 129
audio 311 Lift/Overwrite button 205
Instant rough cut Lifting material 129
creating 127 Limitations
Insufficient Source information 198 playing fast rolling titles 263
Interactive Television (ITV) enhancements 89 Lines
Interface settings in titles 249
access and description 296 Load Filler command (Clip Name menus) 148
Italic button Loading
in Title tool 248 clips and sequences 103
Italic text filler 148
in titles 248 footage 103
400
Locators consolidating, procedure 184

creating automatically with DV 73 deleting 180
Logging insufficient source material 198
and capturing at the same time 69 managing 177
automatically with DV 74 manipulating with Media tool 177
Logs Media tool 177
shot log files 46 basic features of 178
opening 178
Media Tool Display dialog box 178
M Menu commands
Managing Digital Cut (Output menu) 275
media files 177 MetaSync
Manual recording 272 importing files 84
Mapping ITV enhancements in 89
buttons to Timeline top toolbar 119 Meters
user-selectable buttons 114 volume 65
Mark IN and Mark OUT buttons Millivolts (mVolts) 385
using in titles 258 Mix Mode Selection 312
Mark In Time option (Digital Cut tool) 278 Mixed resolutions 80
Marking Mixing and monitoring audio 64
entire clips or segments 116 Mode
footage 97 Full Quality and Draft Quality 209
IN and OUT points 116 Mode option (Remote Play and Capture settings) 380
segments 118 Modifying
Marquee Title ExpertRender results 220
Settings dialog box 238 settings 302
Marquee Title tool Mojo 311
described 239 Monitor
Master volume full screen, playing to 102
adjusting output 311 Monitoring a solo track 137
Matching resolutions with titles 252 Monitoring audio
Media Creation settings 48 in Timeline tracks 136
Capture tab 377 while editing 128
described 377 Monitoring audio input
Import tab 377 with Passthrough Mix tool 311
Media Type tab 379 Monitoring tracks in Timeline 135
Mixdown & Transcode tab 377 Monitors
Motion Effects tab 378 dual 99
Render tab 378 safe color warnings in 236
Titles tab 377 Motion effects
Media databases rendering options 382
refreshing 189 Motion effects (2D)
Media disks brief description 192
speed limitations with real-time effects preview Mouse
211 assigning functions to buttons 43
Media files scroll wheel functions 44
consolidating, defined 181 setting up the scroll wheel 43
401
settings 380 Output

using the scroll wheel 43 establishing sync for 267
Moving mapping audio channels 312
settings between systems 306 options 265
Multilayer effects preparing for 265
defined 192 Output Gain 311
Multiple settings Output sync lock menu 267
selecting among 304
working with 303
mVolt (millivolt) units 385
P
MXF P2
choosing at target audio format for transcode 187, See Panasonic P2
189 PAL frame and safe title/action guidelines 242
Media Files Tab (Capture Settings dialog box) Palettes
320 Tool 115
Pan
N adjusting 171
adjusting defaults 164
Naming settings 304 Panasonic P2
Navigating support for 177
in Timeline 140 Passthrough Mix tool
with Home, End, and Arrow keys 112 Audio Project Settings window 311
New bins Paste command
creating 33 for title elements (Edit menu) 244
New sequences Patching tracks in the Timeline 138
setting up 123 Peak Hold menu (Audio tool)
setting up tracks for 125 defined 65
New Title command (Clip menu) 238 Photoshop file format
NTSC frame and safe title/action guidelines 242 additional export options for 357
PICT file format
additional export options for 357
O Playback
OMF controlling 108
Media Files Tab (Capture Settings dialog box) individual effects, in a loop 207
319 individual effects, using Play button 206
OMFI files real-time information bars in Timeline 211
additional export options for 357 real-time, rendering to achieve 218
One speed at a time, changing play direction 111 Playback of effects
Opening real-time capabilities 194
bins in SuperBin 93 Playing
the Capture tool 55 sequences 131
the Media tool 178 Playing back to a DV device 104
the Tool palette 115 Playing back with Full Screen
toolsets 40 options 361
Opening projects automatically 373 setting up 102
Organizing with bins 87 Playing, changing one speed at a time 111
402
PNG file format Quitting

additional export options for 357 the Avid application 29
Position bar, using in the Timeline 108, 141
Position indicator, using in the Timeline 108, 141
Preparing
R
for audio input 62 Ratcheting play speed 111
for audio output 268 Ratcheting with J-K-L keys 111
for output 265 Real-time effects
record tapes for audio output 271 color coding for 194
Preroll defined 193
custom for digital cut 278 dropped frames and 208
Preroll option (Deck settings) 326 playback capabilities of 194
Preview command (Object menu) 241 playing audio dissolves as 314
Previewing processing of 208
anti-aliased titles 241 Record Deck Time option (Digital Cut tool) 278
Processing Record tapes
effects in real time 208 preparing for audio output 271
Project formats 27 Recording
Project settings assemble-edit, enabling 273
displaying 300 bars and tone 272
Project window digital cuts 274
bins display 32 digital cuts using Local mode 279
Format display, using 38 digital cuts using Remote mode 276
settings display 37, 294 frame-accurate digital cuts 273
working with 31 manually 272
Projects Recording (Capturing)
changing formats 38 and logging at the same time 69
creating a new 25 described 45
film 27 on-the-fly 71
mixed-resolution 80 using time-of-day timecode 73
opening 25 Red bars
opening automatically 373 in Timecode track of Timeline 211
planning 23 Redoing edits 128
starting 23 Refreshing media databases 189
video 27 Remote Capture 380
Promoting Remote Play and Capture
Title Tool titles, back up option 376 Device Code option 381
Inhibit Preloading option 381
Q Mode type option 380
Runup option 381
QuickTime movie export 337 setting ports for 381
procedure 287 Remove Effect button (Color Correction Composer
QuickTime Movie files window) 229
exporting with Avid DV Codec 333 Removing
QuickTime Reference Movie files bins with SuperBin enabled 95
exporting with Avid DV Codec 332 drives from list 50
403
Renaming Safe title/action area

settings 304 in Title tool 242
Render sample rate Sample plot, displaying 164
setting conversion quality 314 Sample rate
Render settings audio, when preparing for audio output 268
options 381 changing conversion quality 314
Rendered effects changing for sequences and audio clips 174
viewing in bins 257 converting 310
Rendering displaying mismatched 310
after real-time playback attempt 218 mixing 310
defined 193 options 309
motion effects 382 Saving
using ExpertRender 216 titles 252
Rerendering effects 222 titles with a keyboard shortcut 254
Reset Peak button (Audio tool) titles with Fast Save option 254
defined 64 titles, overview of 251
Resizing Script view
Audio Mixer tool 171 defined 92
Resolutions 27 Scroll bar
choosing in Capture tool 59 in Timeline 141
compatibility in titles 252 Scroll wheel
mixed 80 functions 44
Revising setting up 43
titles in a bin 255 using 43
RGB graphics levels, Import settings 368 Segment 143
RGB values Segment effects
reference black and white 385 defined 192
Right Arrow key 112 fading 205
Rollers 152 Segment mode
Rolling titles deleting segments 148
setting marks in 258 Extract/Splice-in edits 145
trimming 262 Lift/Overwrite edits 146
Rough cut Segment Mode pointer 143
creating 127 Segments
Runup option (Remote Play and Capture settings) 381 cutting, copying, and pasting in Timeline 150
deselecting in Timeline 144
lassoing in Timeline 143
S marking entire 118
Safe Action option (Grid settings) 364 selecting in Timeline 143
Safe Colors Selecting
defining units of measurement for 385 additional transitions in Trim mode 156
setting options for 235 between trim sides in Trim mode 155
warnings in monitors 236 deck 53
Safe Colors button 235 drives 48
Safe Title Area/Global Grid command (Object menu) QuickTime codecs 290
242 source tracks 58
Safe Title option (Grid settings) 364 tape 57
404
target drives 60 copying 305

tracks in Timeline 134 deck configuration 51
trim sides 158 deck preferences 55
video output 266 defined 37, 294
selecting input gain with 311 defining 298
Selection tool deleting 305
defined 240 displaying 300
text options for titles 247 duplicating 303
viewing attributes with 246 export 328
Send To Grid 363
using predefined templates 291 import 80, 366
Sequence information in Settings list 295
changing 124 Media Creation 377
Sequence Time option (Digital Cut tool) 278 modifying 302
Sequence Track buttons (Digital Cut tool) 275 moving between systems 306
Sequences naming 304
adding filler to 148 OMFI export 341
adding tracks to 125, 139 QuickTime Reference export 330
changing audio sample rate for 174 selecting 48, 302
changing start timecode for 125 selecting for capturing 48
copying, into and out of the SuperBin 95 site, using 307
creating playable 187 Timeline 387
cueing 108 Timeline, showing toolbar 119
editing clips into 128 types of 297
exporting 287 working with multiple 303
extracting 130 Settings list
lifting 129 changing display 301
loading in Composer monitor 103 described 295
moving, into and out of the SuperBin 94 table of settings 295
new, setting up 123 using 297
new, starting 124 SGI file format
output options for 265 additional export options for 358
playing 108, 131 Shadows for titles 250
title editing in 258 Shortcuts
viewing 108 saving titles with keyboard 254
Set Bin Display command (Bin menu) 257 Shot log files
Setting up importing 46
decks 51 Shutting down computer 30
new sequences 123 Shuttling
new tracks for sequences 139 with J-K-L keys 111
the Capture tool 55 Shuttling with J-K-L keys 111
tracks for new sequences 125 Single-layer effects
Settings defined 192
Audio export 353 Site settings
audio pan default 163 using 307
Audio Project, DV audio pattern 310 Size of effect
button 37, 294 source media 198
405
Skip Existing Transition Effects option 201 T

Small Trim mode 155
Software DV 25 codec 321 Tapes
Soloing audio tracks in the Timeline 163 selecting 57
Soloing tracks, monitoring in Timeline 137 Targa file format
Sound Card Configuration settings additional Export options 358
access and description 297 Target bin, selecting 60
Source material, loading into monitors 103 Target drives, selecting 60
Source pop-up monitor Tearing off the Tool palette 115
viewing clips and sequences in 103 Text for titles
Source tracks editing 245
selecting 58 formatting 246
Source/Record Editing toolset 42 repositioning 245
Source/Record monitors resizing 245
and Big Trim mode 153 Text view
and Small Trim mode 155 bin column headings 88
Start timecode, changing 125 described 88
Starting in Media tool 178
Avid application 24 Three-button play (J-K-L keys) 111
projects 23 TIFF file format
Stepping additional Export options 358
with J-K-L keys 111 Timecode
Stereo Mix 312 capturing with time-of-day 73
Storing media on drives 50 changing 125
Subcataloging footage 116 default starting 362
Subclips using to find a frame 121
creating 120 Timecode track (Timeline)
creating automatically with DV 73 real-time playback information 211
creating with Make Subclip button 120 Timeline
Submaster effect audio tracks, soloing 163
as alternative to ExpertRender 215 copying a segment in 150
Subsequence cutting a segment in 150
creating 120 dragging titles into 260
SuperBin Dupe Detection Handles option 388
closing 94 editing in 142
conserving screen real estate with 93 first edit displayed in 126
copying clips and sequences in and out of 95 focusing 141
deleting bins in 95 navigating in 140
enabling 93 pasting a segment in 150
moving bins in and out of 94 real-time effects, color coding 194
moving clips and sequences in and out of 94 scroll bar 141
opening bins in 93 settings, Display tab 387
Sync 138 settings, Edit tab 387
establishing for audio-only input 67 top toolbar 119
establishing for output 267 Track Selector panel, using 133
Sync locking tracks 138 tracks, deleting 140
tracks, monitoring 135
406
tracks, patching 138 setting calibration 268

viewing clips in 98 Tool palette 115
Time-of-Day Information, using to log 73 Toolbar, top Timeline 119
Time-of-day timecode Toolset
capturing with 73 basic 41
Time-remaining display 61 Capturing 42
Title effects (2D) choosing 40
clips, described 256 Color Correction 41
defined 192 Effects Editing 42
duration of rolls 258 Source/Record Editing 42
Title tool Top Timeline toolbar 119
as default titling tool 238 Track Hinter settings, for hinted streaming export 337
background options 242 Track Selector panel 133
backing up titles when promoting to Marquee 376 Track Solo and Track Mute buttons (Automation
described 239 Gain and Pan) 170
drawing graphics in 248 Tracks
opening 238 adding 125, 139
pasting text into 244 audio, adjusting in Audio Mixer tool 171
preparing drawing environment 241 audio, monitoring in Timeline 136
safe title/action area display in 242 audio, soloing 163
selecting fonts in 247 deleting 140
setting point size in 247 monitoring in Timeline 135
updating video background in 243 patching in the Timeline 138
working with shadows in 250 selecting in Timeline 134
Titles solo, monitoring in Timeline 137
adding shadows to 250 source, selecting 58
bold text in 248 sync locking 138
color of background 242 Tracks of video
compatible resolutions with 252 as background in Title tool 242
creating color background for 243 Transcoder, connecting with 52
creating text 244 Transcoding
dragging into Timeline 260 creating a playable sequence by 187
editing into a sequence 258 options 188
effect clips described 256 Transition effects
fast saving 254 applying to multiple transitions 198
italic text in 248 applying with Quick Transition button 198
overview of saving 251 defined 192
previewing 241 sizing to fit 198
revising in bin 255 Skip Existing Transition Effects option 201
saving 252 Transitions
saving with keyboard shortcut 254 adding in Trim edit 156
setting marks in rolling or crawling 258 lassoing 152
splicing into a sequence 259 Trim
unrendered 254 on-the-fly 158
viewing Fast saved in bin 255 sides, selecting 158
Tone Trim edit
recording 272 for video tracks 160
407
selecting additional transitions for 156 Video project

selecting transition sides for 155 planning 27
Trim mode Video Quality Menu button 106, 209
basic procedures 151, 157 Video resolutions
Big Trim mode 153 selecting in Media Creation dialog box 48
described 151 Video tracks, trimming 160
entering 152 Videotape
exiting 153 recording digital cut to 275
selecting additional transitions in 156 Viewing
Small Trim mode 155 a list of bins 33
Trimming Viewing and marking footage, described 97
rolling titles 262 Views
video tracks 160 Script 92
with J-K-L keys 157 Volume
Turning off computer 30 adjusting in the Audio Mixer tool 171
bypassing adjustments 314
Volume meters
U in the Audio tool, defined 65
Undoing edits 128 Volume unit scale (Audio tool), defined 65
Units of measurement
defining for Safe Colors feature 385 W
Unrendered titles
saving 254 Warnings
User in monitors 236
selecting another 302 WAVE file format
User-selectable buttons option in Audio Project settings 309
mapping 114 Waveform plots (audio) 164
Wavefront file format
additional Export options 358
V Windows Media Custom Profile options 348
Variable-speed play 111 Windows Media export options 348
VBI (Vertical Blanking Interval) 392 Windows Media legacy template 348
Vertical Blanking Interval Windows Media Options Video settings 349
preserving information 392 Work environment, using toolsets to control 40
Video Workflows
monitoring in Timeline 136 for video projects 27
Video background
updating in Title tool 243 Y
Video Background button (Title tool) 242
Video Compression options (Export settings) 347 Yellow bars
VIdeo Effect Safe Mode button 277 in Timecode track of Timeline 211
Video Effect Safe Mode button 280 YUV file format
Video input additional Export options for 359
setting in Video Input tool 391, 392
Video output
selecting 266
408

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Avid Xpress Pro

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

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

The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

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

The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

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

This guide is intended for beginning Avid Xpress Pro users.

Symbols and Conventions

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

n A note provides important related information, reminders,

t This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list

If You Need Help

Accessing the Online Library

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

How to Order Documentation

Avid Training Services

Starting the Avid Application (Windows)

drive:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Xpress Pro

To start the Avid application:

Starting the Avid Application (Macintosh)

Macintosh HD/Applications/Avid Xpress Pro

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

Creating a New Project

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

3. Click New Project.

4. Type a project name and select a format.

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

Project name User name

Opening the Startup Project

To open the startup project:

Selecting a Project Format and Type

Project formats are as follows:

• Digital video (DV) is an international standard created by a consortium of 10 companies

(Step 1) Source footage:

Managing the Avid Projects and Avid Users

Ending an Edit Session

Quitting the Avid Application

To quit the Avid application and leave the application immediately:

To quit the Avid application if you are between projects:

To quit the Avid application from an open project:

Turning Off Your Equipment

1. Turn off the system:

2. Turn off each drive.

The following topics describe the basics of the Project window:

Understanding the Project Window

The following topics describe the functions of the tabs.

Using the Bins Display

Viewing a List of Bins

Creating a New Bin

To place a bin in a folder:

Opening and Closing a Bin

To open a bin directly:

To open a bin from the File menu:

2. Navigate to the correct folder, if necessary, and select a bin.

3. Click the Open button.