Avid Studio Toolkit 5.6 User guide

make manage move | media

™

Avid

®

Using Avid

®

Studio Toolkit

Workflow Guide

2

Copyright and Disclaimer

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The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of that license by

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

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

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

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has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.

3

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

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with respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by

Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use

of this software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players

and the like.”

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

Source Code:

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Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from Ultimatte Corporation and are

subject to copyright protection.

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

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

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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 Learning Excellerator, Avid Liquid, Avid Mojo,

AvidNet, AvidNetwork, AVIDstripe, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Xpress, AVoption, AVX, CamCutter, ChromaCurve,

ChromaWheel, DAE, Dazzle, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine,

Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DigiDrive, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTranslator, DINR, DNxchange, D-Verb,

Equinox, ExpertRender, FieldPak, Film Composer, FilmScribe, FluidMotion, HIIP, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM,

IllusionFX, Image Independence, iNEWS, iNEWS ControlAir, Instinct, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, LaunchPad, Lightning,

Lo-Fi, Magic Mask, make manage move | media, Marquee, Matador, Maxim, MCXpress, Media Browse, Media Composer,

MediaDock, MediaDock Shuttle, Media Fusion, Media Illusion, MediaLog, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray,

MediaShare, MediaStream, Meridien, MetaSync, MissionControl, NaturalMatch, Nearchive, NetReview, NewsCutter, Nitris,

OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, PCTV, Pinnacle MediaSuite,

Pinnacle Studio, Pinnacle Systems, ProEncode, Pro Tools, QuietDrive, Recti-Fi, RetroLoop, rS9, rS18, Sci-Fi, Show Center,

Softimage, Sound Designer II, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Symphony, TARGA,

Thunder, Trilligent, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video Slave Driver, VideoSPACE, and Xdeck are either registered trademarks or

trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

iNEWS, iNEWS ControlAir, and Media Browse are trademarks of iNews, LLC. Adobe and Photoshop are either registered

trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Windows is either a

registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks

contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Footage

Arri — Courtesy of Arri/Fauer — John Fauer, Inc.

Bell South “Anticipation” — Courtesy of Two Headed Monster — Tucker/Wayne Atlanta/GMS.

Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior.

Eco Challenge 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.

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

Windhorse — Courtesy of Paul Wagner Productions.

4

Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc.,

Editor/Producer Bryan Foote.

Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior.

Tornados + Belle Isle footage — Courtesy of KWTV News 9.

WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA.

Women in Sports – Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.

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 might 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.

Using Avid Studio Toolkit Workflow Guide • Part 0130-07669-01 • August 2006

5

Contents

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Accessing the Online Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 1 General Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Planning Your Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Project Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

30i NTSC versus 25iPAL Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Working with 24p Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Working with 25p Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Planning a 23.976p NTSC Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

HDTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

System Compatibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

File naming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Title Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Preparing Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Creating and Developing a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Adding an Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Working with Avid 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Creating a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 2 Using Avid FX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Using Avid FX as a Plugin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Dragging the Avid FX Effect on to the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Entering Effect Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Creating an Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Rendering the Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Creating Text Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

6

Animating Text on a Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Using the Avid FX Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Format Compatibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Saving and Sharing Your Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Chapter 3 Using Avid 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Exporting Media from Your Avid Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Converting OMF Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Exporting to Avid 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Creating 3D Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Applying Video Clips as Background Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Exporting Media from Avid 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Chapter 4 Using Avid DVD by Sonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

DVD Authoring Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Blu-ray Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Preparing the Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Exporting a Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Encoding a Sequence with Sorenson Squeeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Producing the DVD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Setting Up the Avid DVD by Sonic Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Creating a Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Adding Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Creating and Editing Chapter Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Creating and Editing Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Previewing Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Outputting the Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Writing DVD Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Writing Disc Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of the Avid Studio Toolkit package of editing

applications. You can use your applications 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 outlines the workflow between the component applications of Avid Studio

Toolkit, or referred to as Avid Studio. Most screen shots and references regarding the Avid

editing system are of Avid Xpress Pro. This is only used as an example. The options would

apply to all Avid editors.

This guide is intended for all users, from beginning to advanced.

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.

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.

w

A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm.

Follow the guidelines in this document or on the unit itself when

handling electrical equipment.

> 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.

Using This Guide

8

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using Avid Studio:

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 for the latest information that might have become available after the

documentation was published:

- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as printed release notes,

they ship with your application and are also available online.

- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as a ReadMe file, it is

supplied on your Avid installation CD or DVD as a PDF document and is also

available online.

You should always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe

because the online version is updated whenever new information becomes

available. To view these online versions, select ReadMe from the Help menu. or visit

the Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/readme.

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 or join online message-board discussions.

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),

(Macintosh), or (Macintosh

only)

This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified

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

k+key or mouse action

Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the

mouse action. For example, k+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

Accessing the Online Library

9

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 Studio Toolkit

Online Library.

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 Studio Toolkit\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.

Using This Guide

10

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 http://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).

Chapter 1

General Workflow

The Avid Studio Toolkit package give you the tools to cover all aspects of the post

production process.

• Avid FX - for advanced titling, compositing, motion tracking, vector paint, rotoscoping,

and effects

• Avid 3D - for 3D titling, DVE, Deform, and 3D Models

• Avid DVD by Sonic

™

- for production of interactive DVDs and BDs (Blu-ray Discs)

with advanced menus and navigation

Each of these tools is a fully-functional application, so you can use each one independently

or in workflows that start with another Avid editing application such as:

• Avid Xpress Pro

• Avid Media Composer

• Avid NewsCutter Adrenaline

• Avid NewsCutter XP

• Avid Symphony

The collaboration between these Avid applications means that you have the right tool for

each specific task to enhance your project. In your editing application, you capture or import

footage, and assemble and edit video and audio clips into a sequence. You can then use the

studio applications to add high-quality titling, effects, 3D elements. Once you are satisfied

with the results, you can encode it for DVD production.

Chapter 1 General Workflow

12

Planning Your Workflow

Before you begin to capture video into your Avid editor, take some time to plan out your

project. Decisions that you take at the beginning will determine your choices for final

output. Your workflow plan should not only determine what needs to be done, who will do

it, and using which tools, but also the final distribution method (which will determine the

video format used for the entire project). An Edit Decision List (EDL) can help you to map

out the work and track the sequences, effects and transitions. For more information, see

“Working with EDLs” and “Workflow” in your Avid editor Help.

The following workflow illustrates the collaborative possibilities between Avid Studio and

your Avid editor. This workflow works with any supported Avid editor, this particular

workflow uses Avid Xpress Pro.

Planning Your Workflow

13

(Plugin or standalone)

- Apply effects, filters and transitions

- Perform color correction, dust & scratch removal

- Do compositing, motion tracking, vector painting,

rotoscoping.

Avid Xpress Pro, or other Avid editor

Plan your project, see “Planning Your Workflow”

- Capture material

- Digitize source material from file or tape.

- Create rough cut

- Export sequences to Avid tools

- Re-import sequences

- Create final cut

- Export to Avid DVD by Sonic or output to tape or file.

Output to tape or file, such as for

CD-ROM and Web distribution.

Output to media

(Standalone)

- Create menus, chapters, view lists, etc.

- Output to DVD, or Blu-ray Disc.

Avid DVD by Sonic

(Standalone)

- Create 3D titling

- Apply video to DVE scenes

- Apply deforms to Titling or Video

- Load 3D Models and scenes from

the 3D library

Avid 3D

3

5

6

1

Avid FX

Avid Xpress Pro Workflow

2

Chapter 1 General Workflow

14

Project Formats

The format that you choose in the New Project dialog box determines how material is

imported. At first, the possibilities may seem overwhelming; however, the most important

delivery requirements are the formats and frame rates. A broadcast network might require a

range of formats: NTSC, PAL, and HD, with aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. Avid provides

you with the ability to output multiple versions from the same source file; however, make

sure that all editing is done at the same, or a compatible, frame rate. If you are unsure about

the requirements for a broadcast project, contact your broadcaster for their exact

specifications before you start to save you any headaches later.

n

The information here is intended to provide an overview only. For more information on a

particular topic, consult the online help.

30i NTSC versus 25iPAL Media

30i NTSC is the generally accepted standard for North America and some other countries.

25i PAL (or the compatible SECAM) are used elsewhere. For more information, see TV

Standards and DVD regions by country/territory in the Avid DVD by Sonic User Guide.

Working with 24p Media

With DTV (digital television) formats expanding the options for content distribution, there is

renewed interest in the oldest format in the industry: 24-fps film. In addition to its worldwide

format, film provides the highest resolution master for archiving purposes. An important

aspect of the 24p format is that, if you are using Avid Symphony, it allows you to output

either NTSC or PAL

video from the same project. Because 24p provides a common

production format for multiversion, multiformat delivery, it promises to become more

widely accepted for all film and video content.

Through a telecine transfer and the capturing process, the Avid system captures and stores

film frames as 24-fps progressive media, or 24p. Progressive media is composed of single

frames, each of which is vertically scanned as one pass. The Avid system creates 24p media

by combining (de-interlacing) two video fields into a single full, reconstructed frame. For

NTSC film-to-tape transfers, the system creates 24p media by removing the extra fields

inserted by the 2:3 pulldown process and by creating progressive frames.

Working in 24p simplifies digital editing of film or other 24-fps-originated content, such as

HDTV video that has been downconverted to ITU-R 601 digital video. In addition, 24p

media requires less storage and processing power than 30-fps media. The 24p SD format

also exists for video capture.

Project Formats

15

Audio Transfer Options for 24p PAL Projects

When you create a 24p PAL project, you must specify the appropriate audio transfer rate for

the project. (This is not necessary for a 25p PAL project because there is no film speedup

during the transfer.) The New Project dialog box provides Audio Transfer options that allow

you to select either Film Rate or Video Rate. This value is project specific and should not be

changed after you create the project unless you have a specific element that you need to

transfer at a different rate.

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The Audio Transfer options are also located in the Film and 24p Settings dialog box and can be

changed after the project is created.

The Audio Transfer options are:

•

Film Rate (100%): Select this option when your 24-fps film footage has been transferred

MOS (roughly translated as “without sound”) 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).

n

The Edit Play Rate and Audio Source Tape TC Rate options do not appear in the Film and

24p Settings dialog box. Edit Play Rate is automatically set at 23.976 fps. The Audio Source

Tape TC Rate does not apply to 23.976p projects because you cannot capture 30 fps audio in

a 23.976p project.

Working with 25p Media

The 25p format is primarily for use in countries where PAL video is standard. When you

transfer 25-fps film footage to 25-fps PAL video, no modifications are necessary due to

matching frame rates. The source for 25p is typically 25-fps film or 25-fps HDTV format.

The methods for creating and storing 25p media are the same as for 24p.

The 25-fps feature provides the following advantages:

• Simultaneous input of video and audio in sync

• Frame-accurate ink number tracking

• Digital cut recording directly to videotape

• Frame-accurate cut lists and change lists

• Frame-accurate audio EDLs for online editing of audio tracks

• Frame-accurate EDLs for assembling footage from the transfer or for preparing an

online show master.

Chapter 1 General Workflow

16

Planning a 23.976p NTSC Project

Avid editing systems that include 24p support include a 23.976p NTSC project type. This

project type is especially designed for capture and output of digital audio that has been

transferred or recorded at 48 kHz, in sync with picture at 23.976 fps. A 23.976p project lets

you maintain digital standards for all NTSC input and output at 23.976 fps.

Select this project type for one of the following reasons:

• Your film and audio sources have been synced in the telecine process and transferred to

digital videotape formats.

• Your audio and video sources have been shot at a camera rate of 23.976 fps. This rate is

used for film (film-based television) or 24p HD video (television or feature film). These

sources can be downconverted to standard NTSC without further audio slowdown.

Audio recorded at 48 kHz can remain at 48 kHz throughout the project.

n

The 23.976 fps frame rate is sometimes referred to as 23.97 fps or 23.98 fps. The 23.976 fps

frame rate is in direct proportion to the NTSC broadcast frame rate of 29.97fps, which is

used for film-to-tape transfer to the Avid editing system.

Limitations for 23.976p Projects

You should be aware of the following limitations when you are planning a 23.976p project:

• For film projects shot at 24 fps, audio must be “pulled down” or “slowed down” before

it can be captured into a 23.976p project. The user does not have the choice of capturing

non-pulled-down audio. Unlike 24p NTSC projects, where the audio pulldown switch

can be set to 1.0 or 0.99 to support either 24 fps or 23.976 fps, 23.976p projects do not

use the audio pulldown switch. These 23.976p projects can only support 48 kHz audio

that is in sync with 23.976-fps picture on a 29.97-fps transfer tape.

• Media created in 24p projects and media created in 23.976p projects are not compatible.

If you start working in one type of project and then decide to switch to the other, you

need to recapture all video and audio media. You cannot relink video media or audio

media across the two project types.

•

OMF and AAF files that are output from a 23.976p project look slightly different from those

from a 24p project. The edit rates will show up as 23.976 fps in these files.

Project Formats

17

HDTV

High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital broadcasting technology that delivers a larger,

clearer, more detailed picture than standard definition television (SDTV). HDTV refers to

specific digital television (DTV) formats that have been standardized by the Advanced

Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and adopted by the United States Federal

Communications Commission (FCC). HDTV for PAL has been standardized by the Digital

Video Broadcasting (DVB) consortium.

HDTV uses a 16:9 aspect ratio in place of the standard definition 4:3 ratio. The following

illustration compares the pixel size of the most common HD formats — 720p and 1080i —

to that of the digital version of standard definition NTSC media (ITU-R 601). Both 1080i

and 720p formats fill the 16x9 screen on HD television sets. For more information about HD

technology, see the Avid HD Handbook: An A to Z Guide, which is available on the Avid

web site, www.avid.com.

HDTV output is commonly used for:

• Creation of film-based television programs that originate on film footage and that are

planned for NTSC HDTV broadcast. This workflow lets you change the project and

sequence format, eliminating the need to create a new project and sequence. Modifying

the format of the sequence lets you keep both offline SD material and online HD

material available in the same project. For PAL broadcast, transfer film at 1080p/25, edit

offline in a 25p PAL project, and edit online in a 1080p/25 project. For more

information, see “Changing the Project Format” in the help.

Chapter 1 General Workflow

18

• Creation of video-based television programs that originate on video footage and are

planned for HDTV broadcast. The workflow for creating such programs uses a single

system for offline and online editing, but you can adapt it to use one system for offline

editing and another for online editing. This workflow lets you change the project and

sequence format, eliminating the need to create a new project and sequence. Modifying

the format of the sequence lets you keep both offline SD material and online HD

material available in the same project. You can use this workflow for video footage shot

at 720p/23.976, 720p/59.94 or 1080p/29.97. In these cases, however, you cannot simply

change the project format. Instead, you need to create a new project that matches the

source footage, open the bin or bins from the NTSC 30i project, change the sequence

format, decompose, and batch capture. For a more information, see “Decompose” in the

Help.

• Creation of video graphics, such as bumpers and promos, for HDTV broadcast.

System Compatibilities

File naming

To make sure that files transfer correctly, consider the following:

• Do not use the following characters in project, bin, or other file names:

/ \ : * ? ” < > |

• Do not add spaces at the beginning or end of a file name.

• Do not use a period at the end of a file name.

• The Use Windows Compatible File Names setting in the General Settings dialog box is

selected by default. With this setting selected, the file name extension .avp is

added to

project files and .avb is added to bin files when they are saved. These file name extensions

are also attached to existing files.

Title Fonts

If the project includes titles and you are moving between systems, make sure you have the

same font with exactly the same name (preferably from the same supplier) on all systems.

For best results, use OpenType® fonts, which reduce problems when transferring.

System Compatibilities

19

Preparing Graphics

The most critical step when preparing graphics is to make sure that the elements you are

going to import are created correctly. The following table summarizes various requirements.

Aspect Requirements Notes

Frame size

(4:3)

Square pixels:

648 x 486 (NTSC)

640 x480 (NTSC DV)

768 x 576 (PAL)

These are the preferred sizes. 720 x 540 can

also be used, in some situations, for both NTSC

and PAL. These are stored by the application as

non-square pixels.

Frame size

(16:9)

Square pixels:

864 x 486 (NTSC anamorphic)

1024 x 576 (PAL anamorphic)

1280 x 720 (HD)

1920 x 1080 (HD)

Preferred sizes. SD media is stored by the

application as non-square pixels.

Alpha channel White foreground (transparent),

black background (opaque)

This is the standard used by graphics,

animation, and compositing packages. The

graphics need to have the alpha channel

inverted on import.

Color mode RGB

ITU-R 601

ITU-R 709

Other formats, including CMYK, can cause

import errors.

ITU-R 601 is used for SD and ITU-R 709 is

used for HD.

In HD projects, the Avid application

automatically converts the media.

File format Various The Avid application accepts many file input

formats, with TIFF (.tif) and PICT (.pct) as the

most commonly used.

File field order Odd (Upper field first)

Even (Lower field first)

For interlaced media, the Avid application uses

the following order:

•

NTSC (601 and DV): lower field first

• PAL 601: upper field first

• PAL DV: lower field first

• HD Interlaced: upper field first

If the field order of the graphic is not correct,

select the field order of the graphic during

import. The application will reverse the fields

appropriately. Field order does not apply to

progressive media.

Chapter 1 General Workflow

20

Send To...

The Send To feature enables you to send sequences or master clips from your Avid editor to

other applications, automating your workflow. The Send To feature provides you with a

choice of several pre-defined templates to streamline your workflow. These templates are set

to default parameters customized for specific workflows.

If you have Avid Studio, you should use the Avid Studio options. Avid recommends you use

the pre-defined template default settings, which have been qualified by Avid; however, you

can also define your own templates if your situation requires it.

Send to options include:

• Avid Studio, Encoding for Avid DVD by Sonic, or Avid3D (This is the preferred

method for export to Avid Studio Toolkit.)

• DigiDelivery and DigiDesign, as either Avid Video or QuickTime, both with embedded

audio

• Digidesign Pro Tools on Unity, as either Video and Audio, QuickTime with audio link,

Video Mixdown with Audio link

• DVD, to create a QT reference movie

• Encoding, Sorenson Squeeze

• Avid | DS

•AudioVision

• Make New

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The menu choices in your actual Avid editor may vary from those listed here, depending on

your license.

Exchanging Files between the Avid Applications

Avid Studio makes it easy to move media and their metadata between the other Avid Studio

tools, but you have to be aware of the media and metadata format requirements of each of

the applications. The following table provides the guidelines for importing and exporting

media and metadata.

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Avid Studio Toolkit 5.6 User guide

Avid Studio Toolkit 5.6 User guide

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