Archive for August, 2011

Google Sites

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Live Web Streaming in UK – Some Companies

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

For live streaming, either from single or multi-camera.

Avid Media Management Tip

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Suppose you have multiple AVid projects on the go.  By default, all of the media from those projects will be stored in one file path: [Avid MediaFiles].  If you have more than one volume connected having this folder, then it gets more complicated – e.g. if Avid can’t find sufficient room on one such volume then it will try the next one (etc.).  Avid provides tools for media management but it can get messy when you need to keep connecting different drives to see if they contain your required media.  Instead, it is helpful to be able to store media for different projects in different “lumps”, be they volumes or folders.  From web research (below), it seems there are a number of possible, though kludg-ey, workarounds, mainly based on temporarily renaming AVid media folders/subfolders…  Nice to know, until such time as Avid provides a tidier solution to this requirement.

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VirtualDub Transcode/Retime to Offline & Online Cineform for Sony Vegas

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv5splGvXoU

  • Also shows:
    • Batch file for multiple files to be converted
    • Audio processing graph editor in VirtualDub
    • “Rename folder” kludge for Sony Vegas to relink Offline to Online.

Avid (and other) Workflows on “Iron Man” Movie

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Cineform Free Codec for H264 Cameras (eg GoPro or DSLR)

Sunday, August 21st, 2011
  • http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1027848
    • David Newman of cineform just announced that cineform codec will be free for canon users.
    • Their 3d tool for the GoPro 3d system is getting re-released to be compatible with all cameras, from what I gather. It’s already free, though: http://gopro.com/3d-cineform-studio-software-download/ — and for free, for any H.264 .mp4 footage, you can:
      • • Transcoding to GoPro CineForm codec
      • • Frame-rate adjust for slow motion
      • • Exposure
      • • Contrast
      • • Saturation
      • • Color Temperature
      • • Image flip rotation
      • • Frame Resize (Up-res/Down-res)
      • • Cropping and zoom
    • So if you take your 5d/7d/whatever footage and convert to .mp4 you can then convert to cineform using this free tool already.
  • http://www.freshdv.com/2011/04/nab11-cineform.html
    • Recently, it was announced that GoPro had acquired Cineform, and would be utilizing their tech in a 3D camera. We dropped by the Cineform booth at NAB 2011 to talk to David Newman about this change for Cineform, and how that affects their pro users.
    • (Video, interspersed with sponsor adverts: Interview with David Newman about GoPro/Cineform future plans and the free Cineform codec for GoPro that is also usable by Canon DSLR users)
  • http://gopro.com/3d-cineform-studio-software-download/
    • The GoPro CineForm Studio is FREE to download.
    • Software is only available for Windows XP, Vista and 7 and Mac Snow Leopard 10.6.3 – 10.6.8. See complete list of System Requirements.
    • To use the 3D convergence features of this software, all imported files must be created with a GoPro camera.
    • The following features will work with any H.264 compressed .mp4 file created with most other cameras however GoPro does not guarantee compatibility:
      • Transcoding to GoPro CineForm codec
      • Frame-rate adjust for slow motion
      • Exposure
      • Contrast
      • Saturation
      • Color Temperature
      • Image flip rotation
      • Frame Resize (Up-res/Down-res)
      • Cropping and zoom
    • I successfully downloaded both Windows and Mac versions, in each case once I had entered my details.

Avid MC 5: Standalone Transcoders to Avid Formats

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

These are standalone tools I have seen (on web) others using to transcode from various formats into Avid formats such as DNxHD.  Of course, that’s also achievable from within Media Composer (e.g. by its Consolidate/Transcode feature), but a stand-alone tool encourages parallel, and hence possibly collaborative, workflows in post-production.

Avid Workflows with Cineform

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Possibilities:

  • My presumption (yet to be tried):
    • Edit in Avid with AMA link to Cineform files and FirstLight open (simultaneously).  Do the primary grading in FirstLight, possibly via a parallel/collaborative workflow.
    • Later, Avid-import as Avid controlled media, at which point the Cineform files get transcoded to DNxHD or whatever and the primary grading gets baked-in (but can of course still be further tweaked in Avid).  For resilience and flexibility, retain the Cineform files (or at least the ability to regenerate them) and the FirstLight project file (which stores the grading data).

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Avid MC 5: Exporting Cineform (as QuickTime)

Sunday, August 21st, 2011
  • http://techblog.cineform.com/?p=3137
    • (The original article includes dialog screen-shots, maybe these give extra info/insight)
    • 1. File->Export
    • 2. Select “Send to QT Movie” in the Export Setting dropdown at the
    • bottom of the export window.
    • 3. Select an output location and input output file name.
    • 4. Click “Options” to the right of the Export Setting dropdown
      • In the “Options” window:
        • – Export As: “QuickTime Movie”
        • – Width x Height: match your source or input desired scale size
        • – Select “601/709″ if you have NOT selected “Enable 4:4:4 encoding”. If you have, select “RGB”
        • – Display Aspect Ratio: “Native Dimensions” if you are not scaling, desired output if you are.
    • 5. Click “Format Options…”
      • – Sound: Checked, uncompressed, 48kHz, 16-bit, Stereo
    • 6. Click “Settings”
      • – Compression Type: CineForm HD/4K/3D
      • – Frame Rate: Current
      • – Depth: Millions of Colors+
      • – Quality (Set at user discretion, recommended “High” or “Best”)
    • 7. Quality Options: “Enable 4:4:4 encoding” and “Interlaced video source” are options to use at your discretion
    • 8. Click “OK” as you navigate back to the original “Export” window, and click “OK” again to start your export.
    • 9. Upon completion, go back to your project bin, right-click and select “Link to AMA File(s)…” and navigate to your new file.
    • For 3D projects, you will want to do one of these renders for each eye, then mux the outputs back together for a 3D master, as described here: http://techblog.cineform.com/?p=3071
  • http://cstest.avid.com/forums/p/99404/572126.aspx
    •  Joachim Claus (Aug 2011) Re: MC 5.5.2 and CineForm Codec
      • If you need a QT-Cineform file format, I recommend o export a QT Reference and then use QT-Prof for transcoding to Cineform.
        • I have tested QT-export with Cineform Codec (GoPro-Cineform HD/4K/3D). It worked flawlessly from a HD720P50 timeline. However, the export is slow. For a 1:03 minute timeline (coded in DNxHD120), the encoding took 5:21 minute.
        • In another test, I exported a QT-Reference file from the same timeline, imported it into QT-Prof. and exported the file with Cineform Codec as above. In this case, the encoding took 2:49 minute.

Avid MC: Now there is an upgrade to 5.5.3

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

Doh! I only just finished installing MC 5.5.2…  Shouldn’t take long though…  On the other hand it apparently introduces a problem with GenArts Sapphire.

  • http://community.avid.com/forums/t/99771.aspx
    • This is a “maintenance release” of the Media Composer (Mac and PC) , Symphony (Mac and PC) and NewsCutter (PC) editing software.
    • Customers currently running Media Composer 5.5.x, Symphony 5.5.x or NewsCutter 9.5.x are entitled to download and install the 5.5.3 or 9.5.3 release free of charge.
    • There are well over 75 + bug fixes and enhancements in the 5.5.3/9.5.3 Maintenance release.  You should download and read the ReadMe file before installing.
    • There are both  full installers (Mac and PC)  AND patch installers (PC) provided for the v5.5.3 and v9.5.3 release.
    • For PC Users: If you are using any of the Helper Applications (Avid EDL Manager, Avid FilmScribe, Avid Log Exchange, Avid MetaSync, or Avid Media Log), you must install the patch updates for these applications. Further, if you are using Nitris DX, Mojo DX, or Avid DNA hardware, you must update the hardware drivers. Download the installer for your appropriate hardware and OS on the
    • Sony has released a new version of the AMA plug-ins for XDCAM and XDCAM EX.  Version 1.2 is now available from Sony’s website and is supported with MC 5.5.x, Symphony 5.5.x, and NewsCutter 9.5.x releases. More information can be found on the Knowledge Base here:  http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=394827
  • http://community.avid.com/forums/t/99876.aspx
    • GeorgeD: AFter I installed the upgrade patch the Sapphire effects stack won’t pass through the Alpha channel. Any other effect put on top of MakeRGB does not see the Alpha channel anymore. MakeRGB by itself still works.
    • Larry Rubin: Reported to GenArts Product Support

Avid MC 5.5: Bundled BCC 6 no free-upgrade to BCC 7

Saturday, August 20th, 2011
  • http://community.avid.com/forums/p/83962/471997.aspx (Posts of May 2011)
    • Douglas
      • The (free) upgrades apply only to BCC AVX bought from Boris (or a Boris dealer) at the regular price.
      • For an upgrade from BCC 6 to BCC 7 via Avid, you will have to wait until it is included in a future Productivity Pack and then buy the new pack.  Still a lot cheaper than via Boris as it also would probably include any newer versions of Squeeze etc.  The only thing you need now is patience.
    • Dean
      • I asked them about the BCC7 upgrade and they confirmed that bundled products are not eligiable.
  • http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/news/story/boris_continuum_complete_7_avx_now_available/ (Article of August 2010)
    • Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, today announced that Boris Continuum Complete 7 AVX (BCC 7 AVX) is now available. BCC 7 AVX brings over 200 filters to Avid Media Composer and Avid Symphony. The new release features lens blur effects, a video noise reduction tool, a new OpenGL particle engine, and new on-screen overlay control widgets for streamlined workflow.
    • Boris Continuum Complete 7 AVX is available immediately through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct through the Boris FX web site at http://www.borisfx.com for an MSRP of $1,995 USD. Owners of previous versions of BCC AVX may upgrade for an MSRP of $599 USD.
      • {Prices may have changed since then}
  • http://www.motionmedia.com/Boris-Continuum-Complete-7-AVX-for-Avid-Media-Comp-p/borccavxmcs-dvd.htm (as of this post)
    • Boris Continuum Complete 7 AVX for Avid Media Comp Our Price: $1,895.00

Boris BCC Motion Tracking: Match-Move & Corner-Pinning

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

BorisFX’s BCC can be used as plug-in to various NLE’s, where it can be used for motion-tracking (among other things).

  • From Sony Vegas 10
  • From Avid Media Composer
    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-V_tdjw2Mw
      • Most Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) filters include a built-in motion tracker which can be used to control the position of the PixelChooser mask or matte or to position the light source of a Light effect. For example, you can attach a light to a moving object in one easy step. In addition, BCC includes powerful, specialized filters that allow you to recover motion data from a clip and then use the data to apply effects. For example, BCC Witness Protection allows you to track a person’s face and apply a mosaic effect to obscure it; BCC Match Move locks the movement of one image clip to another image clip; and BCC Corner Pin allows you to map media to a specific area on a moving object in a media file.

Sony Vegas: Motion Tracking: Vegas(10) + Boris BCC “Match Move”

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNciAPlwb0k

  •  Using BorisFX’s BCC Match Move.  Plugin to Vegas

Avid Workflows with AMA & Offline/Online Combined

Saturday, August 20th, 2011
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb8LqUY1q34
    • AMA and Media Management – Media Composer Cutting Edge
      • Suppose you start with a Project having a Sequence of clips from a Bin, these clips directly linked (via AMA) to original media-recordings in a camera’s native format.
      • “There are still going to be times when you want to integrate that media in your local or shared AVid storage”.
      • This can be done easily via the Consolidate and Transcode features:
        • Sequence: RightClick > Consolidate/Transcode
        • Consolidate/Transcode:
          • I THINK BUT UNSURE:
            • Select Consolidate if you just want the camera’s native format re-wrapped in MXF
            • Select Transcode if you want it transcoded e.g. into DNxHD
            • In both cases, you end up with a new sequence, of clips which are now:
              • On the Avid Media storage (MXF).  Better performance (?), better media management (by Avid) and ability to do some things that AMA can’t, such as multi-camera.
              • Only the subsets (of original footage) needed by the sequence (plus handles).  Saves disk space.
          • Settings:
            • “Video and audio on same drive”: YES
            • Select required target drive
            • Define Handle Length (e.g. two seconds’ worth of frames).
              • (Implies that Consolidate will only ingest the subsets of clips actually referenced in the Sequence)
            • “Create new sequence”: YES
            • “Delete original media files when done”: NO
            • “Skip media files already open on the target drive”: YES
              • (Thinks: what if they already exist on some other drive (that’s connected) ?)
            • “Relink selected clips to target drive before skipping”: YES
          • Click “go-button” (labelled Consolidate or Transcode).
      • If at any subsequent stage you want to re-edit:
        • Re-mount the original camera volumes (e.g. disk drive/drives).
        • Re-link your sequence to them (via AMA ?).
        • {Subsequently, presumably re- Consolidate or Transcode }
          • {Presumably if all you did was add something, the only action performed will be the Consolidate/Transcode of that very addition}
          • {What if existing clips are trimmed (up or down) in the sequence?  Will the corresponding existing Consolidate/Transcode product be appended/reduced/replaced as necessary (is AVid “clever” about all this?  Or will a new one co-exist alongside the old one (which then just wastes space) ? }
          • {Does an Avid-managed file act like an object, i.e. exists so long as something (bin or sequence) points at it, otherwise is deleted by some “garbage collection” ?}
      • ReLink is also handy for Offline-Online conversion.  Example:
        • A remote cameraman delivers (e.g. via DigiDelivery) a set of XDCAM-HD Proxies.
        • Editor receives proxies and Imports them into Avid.
          • No AMA used here.
        • Some time later the Online files arrive (e.g. by physical delivery of disks).
        • Avid’s ReLink function matches the offline proxy sequence, frame-for-frame, with the newly-avaiable HD footage.

Cineform FirstLight: Interactive Grading for a Sony Vegas Project

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

The tutorial videos for FirstLight (linked in my previous post) made it look very simple.  And indeed it pretty-much is, but Sony Vegas introduces a “bijou problemette” (franglais) in teh form of its Video Preview cache, which lacks a corresponding “Clear Cache” button.  As a result, when I first tried using FirstLight with Vegas (10e), adjustments in FirstLight did not always show up in Vegas.  The possible solutions are:

  • In Vegas, set “Dynamic RAM preview (max) MB” to zero.  Then on each FirstLight change, just wiggle Vegas’s timeline cursor (playhead) at least couple of frames either way (moving it by just one frame is not sufficient).
  • Alternatively, if “Dynamic RAM preview (max) MB” is not set to zero,  then on the Preview window, try flipping between settings, like from Good/Half (my usual setting) to Good/Full.  It’s no good doing an open/close of that window or indeed changing its scale – these seem to have no effect on the cache.

Cineform FirstLight: Explanatory & Instructional Links

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

Conclusions:

  • The main principle is great – the decoder part of the Cineform Neo codec has to do levels-mapping work etc. anyway as part of its normal function, and so getting it to do the grading at the same time just means altering its scaling factors etc., which in principle means using less CPU as compared to the grading being done in the NLE (post-decode).   Also fewer successive quantizations (hence better overall visual quality).  You can specify different sets of factors (hence grades) for different video files. There are also some “Movie Looks” presets.
  • Additionally it gives the ability to split the grading process off to another person (as the tutorial videos show) – a great extra bonus. By using DropBox (say) the two (or more) of you can work in parallel at remote locations, grading-updates appear automatically on the remote NLE. Essentially only a tiny shared grading project file is saved in DropBox, no need to exchange actual video files.

I’m currently trying it out on a client project (non-critical) in Sony Vegas.  I will post my experiences from this separately.

Sony EX3 Gamma: Cine better than Std for Colored Highlights

Friday, August 19th, 2011

AviSynth Scripts for 3D Stereoscopic Video

Friday, August 19th, 2011

http://www.pantarheon.org/AviSynth3DToolbox/

Music: “Flowers Are Red” by Harry Chapin

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

A poignant song from the past:

  • I wondered for years about a song I recollected (not completely accurately) I thought was maybe from the offshore pirate radio “graveyard shift” shows of the early 1970’s. In that song, as I remembered it, a plaintive little girl sang something like “The sky is green and the grass is gold” (or something broadly along those lines). It was about how she saw the world (through individuality, not hallucinogens!). Hauntingly-tragically, by the end of the song, her teachers had finally brainwashed her to sing the “correct” colours, which she obediently did, but now devoid of spirit.
  • Thanks to a reply at the Radio Caroline Q/A Forum, I now know it was: Flowers Are Red by Harry Chapin from his album: Living Room Suite, 1978 (that’ll be the Radio Caroline on “319m” period then).
  • Lyrics are at http://www.lyricsdepot.com/harry-chapin/flowers-are-red.html. Searching around YouTube I found it, though I much prefer his older, simpler version  to his more recent and adorned arrangements, let alone someone else’s acapella version I came across.  And it was about a little boy being criticised for his choice of flower-drawing colours.  Apart from that I got it right.
  • Now I’m going to adapt it to perform with my girlfriend (she sings, I pluck  guitar).

iPhone – Alternatives to iTunes for Synch with Outlook ?

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

 I want to synch my iPhone with Outlook, but the standard way, via iTunes, …well…, involves iTunes (that I don’t want).  Is there an alternative?  The answer seems to be that you can synch but it has to be via another server, be it Google Mail or a specialised third-party product.  The simplest way to synch Outlook to Google Calendar is by using a downloadable app from Google.   Further details and options are given below (under “More” or whatever).

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Apple iTunes Bloat (and how to minimise it in Windows)

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

The default install of iTunes carries with it a bunch of entities and startups, some of which may not be needed.  If already installed, then first you need to uninstall it.  Ideally via Add/Remove Programs (whatever) but even then some registry entries may persist, that could cause problems later due to entities you may choose not to install.  Having “cleaned” the machine of iTunes and its Bloat, the subset of entities you choose can then be installed individually, command-line fashion.  You can select just the ones you need, plus the ones they depend on.

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Better WordPress Blogs at 1&1

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

This blog is hosted at 1&1 where I use their default Blog option from my account’s Control Panel.  It works but is extremely limited and the web-based editing facility is cluncky and glitchy, while its resulting text layout is …well.. pathetic.  So I googled around to see what others have done about it – what am I missing?  It seems the best way is to create a fresh blog based on more current /comprehensive WordPress software working with the MySQL database that comes as part of the 1&1 packag.  Just one concern, before I leap into it: how do I migrate existing content off the existing blog (preferably retaining their existing timestamps) ?

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Sony Vegas: Multiple Tutorials on Main Site

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

I just discovered multiple Sony Vegas written tutorials by Gary Rebholz.  These are really great, the website ought to draw more attention to them.  They are highly informative and would help new users get up to speed more quickly not only on realising what is possible in Sony Vegas but also a better grounding/understanding on the concepts and tools behind the “magic”, both fundamental ones and obscure (but handy) ones.

  • http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/news/article.asp?type=11
    • Examples:
      • 20 techniques for organizing your Vegas Pro workspace (part 1)
      • Utilizing the DVD Architect Properties window
      • Seven Steps to Getting the Most Out of Your Personal Video Camera
      • Incorporating RAW images Into Your Vegas Pro projects
      • Understanding Video Compositing
      • Displaying your closed captions in Windows Media Player
      • Improved multicamera tools in Vegas Pro 10 software
  • Also one can obtain different kinds of articles by altering the number after “type=”

Sony Vegas: “Movie Looks” via FX Presets or Cineform-FirstLight

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Sony Vegas allows chains of effects (“FX”) to be built up, which can optionally be exported or imported as FX Presets.  Some generous people on the web have offered their own FX Presets to achieve “Movie Looks” (dramatic looks) of various kinds.  These are more about emphasizing different kinds of mood than achieving clinically pure or film-grainy image quality.  Further details below…

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Avid MC: Update 5.0-5.5: SmartSound Sonicfire Pro

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Installed SmartSound Sonicfire (“The Music Score for Your Vision”). Wanted to install version 5.5.2, from Avid MC 5.0 install disk (it is unchanged in MC 5.5), but the installation hung (problem with disk or at least incompatible with my MBP’s reader?).  No download was available for this product on my Avid Download account, while on the SmartSound website, only the latest version (update), namely 5.7.0 (on Windows, else 5.7.1 for Mac) could be downloaded.  However that downloaded and installed fine.  The Sonicfire app also pulled in some additions to its sound library, initially from the web and subsequently from SmartSound’s Core Sessions disk (which was fully readable); spontaneously once I inserted it.

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Avid Media Log

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Avid Media Log is a standalone app supplied with Avid systems enabling assistants on non-Avid machines to select and log raw (as opposed to RAW) footage in a manner that can easily be transferred into an Avid session/system elsewhere, where the result appears as an Avid Project.  Apparently, Media Log is much like the digitize tool on Media Composer.  But I’ve never used that either…

{Voice from 2011-12-08: Installing Avid MC 6.0 to Mac, under “Helper Applications”, the MediaLog  option has text saying”Avid recommends installing your Avid MediaLog on a separate system from your Avid Media Composer”.  That makes sense.}

Example Usage:

  • Enter the Time Code numbers in the start and end fields and then click the log button.
  • Type in your slate number followed by your shot description.
  • Once you have completed all of your shots, break the main bin down into scenes, with a new bin for each scene.
  • Now you can organize shots in order by either slate number or order in which it was shot with the click of a button.
  • Once complete, drag the folder with your project into “Composer Projects” on the AVID’s hard drive.
  • Then, when you launch AVID .. your project will automatically appear as one of the projects and you are ready to digitize.

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Avid QuickTime Codecs

Monday, August 15th, 2011

The Avid Quicktime Codecs extend QuickTime for encoding and decoding to/from Avid codecs such as DNxHD.  Essentially they add such formats to QuickTime on your system.  The LE codecs are “Light Edition” – only needed on systems where Avid is not already installed.

Avid DNA Diag (-nostics)

Monday, August 15th, 2011

The [Avid DNA Diags] application is for diagnostics on DNA family e.g. Mojo (not DX)

Avid: After Effects EMP

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Avid After Effects EMP is an Avid-supplied plugin for Adobe After Effects allowing that application to use a DNA family video output box such as Mojo or Nitris to provide External Monitor Preview (EMP) on a monitor.  Helpful in order to make use of that Avid box for the Adobe After Effects application, both for convenience and consistency.  Unfortunately it does notwork with the more recent DX family, such as the Mojo DX box.

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ALE – Avid Log Exchange

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Avid Log Exchange (ALE) is an Avid log file format that has become a de facto standard in the post industry. It is a text-based metadata exchange format used in applications from telecine to standalone logging applications, and is supported by many NLEs.  The ALE format is based on a Comma or Tab -delimited file format.

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Avid Film Scribe

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Avid Film Scribe generates Cut Lists and Change Lists (used in transfer from video edit to film edit) in more contemporary formats than EDL, e.g. XML formats involved in VFX / DPX workflows (? I am on very unfamiliar ground here ?).  It can generate such formats from a Sequence and also it can be used to translate between some formats.

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Avid Media Management Tips

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Some tips I came across by accident:

  • http://c2.avid.com/forums/p/86416/489511.aspx
    • (From July 2010):
      • << MDV is a free tool that will allow you to separate your media files by project, so you can store them separtely.  The site is Russian, but safe.>>
        • Angle-brackets here emphasize that this is just a quote from a post, I have no experience of it myself.
    • A media database(s) rebuilt may help (sometimes help fix obscure issues): trash the msmFMID.pmr and msmMMOB.mdb files from the mediafiles folders and run MC, it will scan the hard drives and rebuild the files.

Avid EDL Manager

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Avid EDL Manager imports and exports EDL (in various flavours) – from/to a bin (e.g. thumbnails storyboard layout?) (or a Sequence or MXF file?).  It can be run stand-alone or from within Avid.  EDLs are somewhat of a hangover from the past, so it’s unlikely to be of much use in my case, but worth knowing about as an option, and as such still features in other people’s current workflows.

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Sorenson Squeeze (6.X): Usage

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

How to use Sorenson Squeeze:

  • The post-(free)-“purchase” Checkout webpage from Sorenson listed the following:
    • Getting Started With Squeeze
      • Watch our Getting Started Video to familiarize yourself with Sorenson Squeeze 7.
    • The Preset Exchange
      • Choose from a variety of useful encoding profiles and formats created by video experts and the Squeeze community.
    • Squeeze Forums
      • Join the Squeeze User Forums and get answers to commonly asked questions.
  • Further links:

Avid MC: Update 5.0-5.5: Avid DVD

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Continuing the Avid MC 5.5 update/installation process, I want to install the latest version of Avid DVD.

  • In the auto-email following-up my purchase of Avid MC update 5.0 to 5.5, no link was provided for Avid DVD (or suite containing it).
  • Therefore my initial point of reference is the Avid DVD install-disk supplied as part of the MC 5.0 disk-set.  The disk label states it is Avid DVD by Sonic, version 6.1.1.
  • From my web searches (below, under “More…) it seems that:
    • Avid DVD is made by Sonic/Roxio (combined?), under the name DVDit.
    • Latest version (I saw mentioned) was 6.4
    • But do-not update to it!
      • Douglas (“Gaijin-Eyes”) of Kumamoto, Japan,  reported difficulties in using version 6.4 with his Avid workflow.  In particular, the later version of DVD(it) removed the ability to export .iso files.
      • Furthermore, using a later version as compared to that officially supported by Avid risks incompatibility problems.  One forum post appeared to relate to an example of this, possibly involving associated dependency versions of QuickTime.  The post received no reply, suggesting that forum-based (e.g Avid-guru) advice would not be forthcoming on issues with software outside the Avid manifest.

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Avid MC: Hi-Res Workflow & Color Guide

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

http://aviddssupport.avid.com/pdf/v10.2/AvidDS_HiRes_Workflow_Color_Guide.pdf

Avid MC: Decomposing/Consolidating XDCAM-EX Sequences

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

http://cstest.avid.com/forums/p/88725/504312.aspx

Avid MC: An Obscure Relinking Requirement

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

http://cstest.avid.com/forums/p/29517/164564.aspx

Avid MC: XDCAM-EX

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Avid Knowledge Base article on “XDCAM EX Support in Avid” [272715] : “How do I use Sony XDCAM EX on my Avid system? ”

Avid MC 4: Improvements to Transitions & Mix-Match

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

http://hershleder.com/content/avid-media-composer-version-4

  •  This page provides a good explanation, with two separate videos:
    • Transition Preservation feature.  For example if you move a clip about, within reason, horizontally (in time) or vertically (between tracks), any dissolve transition times are maintained.
    • Mix & Match – of clips of various formats/framerates etc., and user-config of the options for normalising each clip (to project format), e.g. default of blending up to full “fluid motion” based processing.

Avid MC: Conform / Consolidate / Decompose

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Confusions:

  • I’m slightly befuddled by these terms, and what the corresponding operations are useful for. What do they do and how are they pragmatically useful? – in particular in a digital and even tapeless world. I first came across the term Decompose when investigating an Offline/Online workflow for AVCHD-Cineform-DNxHD(low bitrate)-DNxHD(high bitrate): http://blog.davidesp.com/archives/328.
  • For example “recapturing” sounds at first like an antiquated concept in the digital world.  But maybe they have expanded the term to include re-ingestion of digital footage in higher-bitrate format, e.g. online as opposed to proxy in the case of XDCAM-HD or just different DNxHD bitrates (e.g. 145 instead of 36).  For example initially ingesting all digital footage at DNxHD(36) for offline editing then later recapturing only the used subset of that digital footage at DNxHD (145).  Advantage: reduced disk space requirement.  Just my guesswork though, still trying to work it all out…

Snippets providing Glimpses:

  • Avid MC 5.5 Help [Understanding Decompose and Expert Decompose]:
    • Decompose creates new master clips in the bin based on the lengths of the clips edited into a sequence. You can then recapture media for the new master clips. Decompose breaks any links to the original source clips, and only the sequence and its new master clips are linked to the newly captured media files. If decomposing results in a change to the edit rate of some clips in the sequence, your Avid editing application adds Motion Adapter effects, or modifies existing Motion Adapter effects, to manage the edit rate change.
    • Decompose gives you more control over the recapturing process than simply recapturing a sequence without using decompose. You can sort or modify the clips that decompose creates before you recapture media. You can also use the Expert Decompose feature to customize how decompose operates.
    • For film projects, clips you create with decompose retain all the information from the original master clips, including Pullin column information, key numbers, ink numbers, or any other information formerly entered in the bin.
    • You do not need to decompose clips that were linked with the AMA (Avid Media Access) method.
  • There is also anAvidHelp on [Decomposing Sequences].  But it is just a set of instructions on how to do it, not a helpful (to me) as an explanation of what it does or what it’s for.  To understand it, you need an existing understanding of the concepts & jargon.
  • http://cstest.avid.com/forums/t/64647.aspx
    • Larry Rubin:
      • Consolidating will create a new set of pointer files and associated media files, separately discreet from the original set – essentially a clone.
      • Decomposing creates a new and offline clip list relative to a particular sequence, so that you can batch capture or import only media associated with that sequence instead of all the original source material. This is used primarily to conform a low-rez rough cut to high rez finished material.
  • http://community.avid.com/forums/p/50488/283293.aspx
    • Q1:
      • Q: I want to save disk space. Is it possible to decompose an MXF Sequence in order to keep only the portions of footage used in the sequence on my hard disk? The footage was captured on P2 cards and Firestore.
      • A: Decompose is not what you want.  Select your sequence and right-click select consolodate.  Set your handles, then select “delete original media” and that should do it.  Remember that if you digitised anything that is not used in your sequence that you consolodate, this media will remain and you would need to manually delete that media as well. Be warned, though…  make certain that you are not trashing anything used in other sequences as well.
    • Q2:
      • Q: Can I consolidate more than one sequence at a time?
      • A: Yes – just select the sequences and go through the same routine
  • http://hershleder.com/content/avid-media-composer-version-4
    • Recapturing and Decomposing: The new Expert Decompose feature allows you to decompose only certain tapes or clips used by a sequence, and allows you to fine tune target formats to which you want to recapture.
  • Book: Avid Editing: “A Guide for Beginning and Intermediate Users”, By Sam Kauffmann.  I have that book, but a web-link version is still handy.  Paraphrasing:
    • Clip Menu (Page 341)
      • Consolidate / Transcode:
        • Consolidate lets you migrate media files to other drives, e.g. for better organization of files.
        • Transcode lets you change the format of a clip or sequence, e.g. from HD to SD.
      • Decompose:
        • Breaks a sequence into its component clips.  Example: you captured 1000 master clips at low resolution, e.g. DNxHD (36), to save space.  Thefinal sequence only uses 50 clips. After decomposing, you have those 50 clips in a bin and you only recapture those 50 clips at higher resolution e.g. DNxHD (220).
    • Uprezing Your Offline Sequence (Page 308).  That is, moving from offline to online resolution; nothing to do with sub-pixel enhancement etc.  Example: given an initial edit based on DNxHD (36), you want to replace those clips with equivalents “recaptured” (retranscoded from original recording, digital or otherwise) at DNxHD (220).
    • Recapture (Page 311).
    • Decompose (Page 311) breaks a Sequence into its component clips.  This enables you to organize these clips in bins, recapture them etc.  Without this feature, a recapture would take place over all clips at once – when you really only want certain clips recaptured, or maybe put off some until another day.
    • Recapture
  • http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/45/866918#866918
    • Scott Simmons:
      • Decomposing gives you a new sequence with offline media that has had all the clips trimmed to only include the media used in the edit + handles. If you’ve edited at low resolution you then recapture only the media you need at the online rez.
  • http://c2.avid.com/forums/t/98814.aspx
    • Randall L. Rike: Consolidate isn’t designed to create offline media.  It is used to move/copy media.  Similar to Decompose, it can move/copy only the segments of clips required to support a sequence.
    • Larry Rubin: The consolidation function is also useful for creating duplicate sets of clips and media that are linked to a different project than the one they were originally created in.
    • Job ter Burg:
      • Consolidate a sequence: make a dupe of all media that is being used in the sequence (with handles if you want). Consolidate master clips: make a dupe of the clip on a new destination drive. Consolidate subclips: make a dupe of this part of the media on a new destination drive. Decompose a sequence: generate offline clips for all media that is being used in the sequence (with handles if you want). You can’t decompose master clips.
      • Decompose I would use when finishing a tape based offline and preparing for tape capture to hi res media-right?Absolutely. Performing a Batch Capture would sort of have the same result, except Decomposer gives you more control over the batch process (as you can select which clips, etc).
      • You can’t decompose master clips
      • What I meant was if I consolidate a low res sequence, I am removing the unwanted media that does not reside in the sequence.Consolidating will not necessarily delete any unused media. And if you do select the option to delete originals, you still may have a lot of unused clips on board (that are completely unreferenced in the sequuence. I personally don’t consolidate that much anymore, as drive space is so cheap. If you do, I’d recommend consolidating onto an empty drive/partition, then hide/delete/remove the originals on your other media drives.
    • Pat Horridge:
      • Decompose is useful in that you create a new sequence and new master clips with whatever handles you set.  You can the decide how to re-capture/re-import those clips rather than with just batch capturing/batch importing the sequence which will just prompt for the required tapes/files.
      • Consolidate is normally used to create a new sequence and subset of Avid Media files for media management (so you can blow away the rest) or moving to a different system.
        • Take care that not all media can be consolidated (re AMA and “foreign types”) This skips those clips that link to media that can’t be made into Avid media files and your consolidated sequence will still be linked to the original AMA’d media.
        • So with AMA media and a mixture of sources you may need to consolidate and then transcode to get a complete set of media. (I’ve made a feature request to have this as a single function)
  • http://aviddssupport.avid.com/pdf/v10.2/AvidDS_HiRes_Workflow_Color_Guide.pdf
    • ?? (Not yet read) ??

Avid vs./alongside FCPX: My Interim Judgements

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Though I’m currently concentrating on learning Avid, I’m trying to get my head around available tools (NLEs and their “satellites” and “ecosystems”) and how best to make use of them.  My overall impressions so far, being only a beginner on Avid Media Composer having never used Apple FCPX, are:

  • It’s probably best to learn about but not use FCPX for a few “dots” (sub-version updates), as Larry (and others) always advise for any software.  In fact I won’t even install the trial.
  • From my experience so far of producing videos of numerous live events – mostly music and lectures, some corporates and exactly one (very successful but very time-consuming) wedding movie (two-hour, creative & live elements, multicam) – as well as absorbtions from lectures given by professional high-end wedding producers, I have acquired the following views:
    • FCPX would certainly increase productivity for lightweight and freestyle projects, such as single-editors working on post for largely unscripted /unscreenplayed / unpredictable live events and ad-hoc / avante-garde productions, be they “human” or “nature”,  and also for spontaneous home movies.  Its Skimming feature allows rapid identification/location of material you need, e.g. to carry the story between cuts (creative spatio-temporal continuity) or that you didn’t realise you could make use of (opportunistic spikes of creativity).
      • I don’t miss FCP7, so no axe to grind then, and when FCPX matures, it is definitely worth considering. But given Apple’s demonstrated lack of consideration for the existing FCP-pre-X user-base, and possible lack of appreciation of the difficulties they would cause by their “switch”, I cannot regard them as a reliable company.  Even before the “switch”, they demonstrated a lack of care about how compatible new versions of QuickTime would be with Final Cut.  One had to have an ear to the ground in the vicinity of suitable grapevines known only to the few…
    • Avid Media Composer is probably more productive on heavy-duty media-industrial projects, especially where there is significant distribution of effort within the workflow (e.g. teams & departments) or where the overall production is largely screenplayed / scripted or at least predictable.  It’s less clunky than it used to be (e.g.MC v3); it’s clunkiness is now under the threshold that I mostly care about.  I just wish its media management and browsing was swisher – the “media database” concept is great, no need to keep heving to re-name disk letters (on Windows), just bolt on a bunch of disks anyhow, or even migrate them to a RAID (say) and still have it “join-up”.
      • …Though at the same time I’m slightly concerned by stories I’ve read (on advice-giving forums) of people having to employ “hacks” like temporarily renaming Avid media folders or having to rely on automatic ducks 🙂 just to copy all media, including renders, to a different set of disks for a co-worker.  Not everybody uses InterPlay or network storage.  And, hopefully a passing phase, I hear that FCPX cannot store certain project files (?) to network storage, only local storage, limiting the possible kinds of practical Avid-FCPX collaboration physical workflow.
    • An example of a largely screenplayed project would be a high-production-value wedding.  On the other hand a wedding involving only basic event-planning (not incorporating a filming plan) will likely result in largely uncoordinated (e.g. opportunistic) camera work (possibly even by guests with pocket phones or camcorders).  Such a project may feature an “at-least predictable” core of master shots but overall would be chaotic in nature, favouring FCPX.  An engineering lecture with multiple cameras and ad-hoc  cutaway shots, e.g. audience reactions, could be regarded as mostly predictable but chaotic at the edge, making the decision (which NLE is best) less obvious.
    • One could imagine using the two tools together, the main project being in Avid as primary (solid, distributed workflow), with the (e.g. delegated) more lightweight job of identifying useful elements and configurations of the ad-hoc elements (including proposed in-post transformations e.g. mirroring), and possibly also some initial assemblies, being carried out in FCPX as secondary. The right tool for the right job-let…
      • And that way, if Apple on a whim tomorrow change everything to FCPY or ban yet another popular but non-Apple import or export format, it’s no show-stopper.
  • BUT I’m still trying toget my head around it all.  All the above is just the best I’ve come up with so far.
    • AND… I haven’t yet looked at Adobe.

FCPX: Great Larry Jordan Presentation (LA FCP UG, June 2011)

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Larry presenting at his best, combining frankness, incisiveness, knowledge, balance and wit, on the topic of FCPX.  In this set of presentations, he points out both what’s cool about it and what’s lacking.  The presentations:

IMSDB – The Internet Movie Script Database

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

You can see and comment on a number of scripts, some pre-production.

Sorenson 360 (and its relationship to Sorenson Squeeze)

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Sorenson 360 is a cloud-web-based video content and distribution management system.  Superficially looks much like YouTube or Vimeo, but has multiple professional/enterprise “added value” features as well as integration with Sorenson Squeeze (naturally), WordPress and Drupal.  The cheapest price plan is “Small Business”, at $99/month, which at time of writing equates to £61/month. There is a 30-day free trial featuring 1GB bandwidth (sic) and 1GB storage.

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Avid MC: Update 5.0-5.5: Sorenson Squeeze (Which Version?)

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Sorenson Squeeze – a well-known compressor/encoder, bundled as part of Avid Media Composer (MC) but also an independent product in its own right.

  • Avid specify a specific version but also it is available from Sorenson itself in various updates.
    • The MC 5.5.2 manifest specifies a specific version of Squeeze, namely 6.0.4.
    • I choose instead Sorenson’s own update for Avid users, namely v6.5.
      • The reasoning is below (under “More…”).
  • Also activated the “free MP3 Codec” bundled with Squeeze.

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Avid MetaFuze – Description & Role

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

MetaFuze’s primary, if not only purpose is to prep files for Media Composer use – an “outboard importer”.  Though bundled with Media Composer, it is also available free, from www.avid.com/metafuze (which redirects to http://www.avid.com/US/industries/workflow/MetaFuze).  That means for example that preprocessing work (e.g. generation of burnt-timecode proxies and online files) can be generated (e.g. in DNxHD from an arbitrary source) by anyone whether or not they have an Avid system (apart from this app, and the free Avid codecs.  Potentially then a great option for breaking up work into collaborative / parallel workflows.

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Avid MetaSync – Description & Role

Saturday, August 13th, 2011

Avid MetaSync automates the inclusion of metadata (expressed in suitable XML formats) into Avid editing systems, including synchronisation with video and audio. The metadata can be anything from subtitles / closed captioning to synchronized entertainments such as lightshows or simulator rides.  For closed captioning, it works particularly well with Final Draft and Evertz ProCap (both sold separately).  Thinks: can it be made to work with CeltX or some home-grown VBA-based XML-generator from Access or Excel ?

  • http://www.avid.com/us/partners/AvidMetaSync
    • Avid MetaSync™
      • Avid MetaSync allows users to synchronize virtually any kind of metadata with video and audio content during the postproduction process. The MetaSync feature is now standard within Windows-based versions of Media Composer and NewsCutter products.
      • Avid’s MetaSync technology enables postproduction professionals to tap into new revenue streams such as closed captioning, subtitle text insertion, digital rights management, and interactive TV content as well as “converging media” such as motion simulation rides, movie theatre effects, internet devices, and interactive toys. All of these applications can be made to react to triggers embedded within standard film, video and TV content.
      • As long as a file type or process can be represented in the appropriate XML format, it can now be imported into Avid editing systems using the MetaSync feature and synchronized with video and audio. In the timeline, pointers to the original file can be positioned, trimmed and edited just like video and audio clips. The file can then be launched in its original format from directly within the Avid system to be viewed or updated, and any changes made are instantly reflected in the timeline and bin.
    • Avid MetaSync Workflow
      • In today’s typical scenario, one team will work on a show’s narrative content while a separate team works on the metadata elements of a program in a remote location, often at a different time altogether. Using the MetaSync feature, the Avid Editor, linked to a LAN or WAN, can edit metadata directly into the program while it’s under development. This allows the Editor to provide real-time feedback to the metadata content developers during the postproduction process.
      • Using the MetaSync refresh capabilities, the Avid Editor can update the metadata content within a show as it’s being refined. This allows the Editor to suggest changes based on how well this data is working within the actual video and audio elements of the program. The end result is higher quality programming with metadata elements more finely integrated with standard video and audio content.
  • http://www.camcorderinfo.co.uk/content/avid_metasync_automates_creation_04_18_03.htm?redirected=www.CamcorderInfo.com%2Fcontent%2Favid_metasync_automates_creation_04_18_03.htm
    • The Avid MetaSync technology will work in conjunction with scriptwriting software provided by Final Draft, and ProCap authoring systems from Evertz, to create closed captioning and subtitling directly in the Avid timeline during the editing process. This practice will eliminate the separate step of incorporating this type of information into programs after finalized broadcast masters have been created.
    • In their press release they say the captioning and subtitling creation process for editors using Avid systems, is a simple as, importing the script dialogue directly from Final Draft and aligning it with the appropriate video content on the Avid timeline. Once editing is complete, both the video and the captioning information are fed through the Evertz ProCap system and caption-encoder, which insert the captions and subtitles into the final broadcast format, according to industry standards and specifications.
    • ‘‘Governments worldwide are mandating the adoption of closed captioning, and broadcasters have been looking for easier ways to streamline what has traditionally been a labor-intensive and time-consuming process,’’ said Ray Gilmartin, senior product marketing manager for Avid Technology. “Avid offers the perfect solution to meet their needs. Not only do MetaSync, Final Draft and Evertz ProCap make creating closed-captioning and subtitling almost effortless, but the process can now begin before the program is finished, saving producers valuable time as they strive to make tight broadcast deadlines.”
    • Avid MetaSync comes standard with all current versions of the Symphony, Media Composer, Avid Xpress and NewsCutter, systems, as well as the new Media Composer Adrenaline, NewsCutter Adrenaline FX, Avid Xpress Pro and NewsCutter XP systems announced today. Final Draft and Evertz ProCap are sold separately and are expected to work with Avid MetaSync to create the automated closed captioning and subtitling workflow in the second quarter. For more information about Avid MetaSync or Avid’s other products and services, please visit www.avid.com.

Avid PhraseFind (& ScriptSync)

Friday, August 12th, 2011

What is Avid Deko ?

Friday, August 12th, 2011

It’s listed on my Avid Downloads page, though I don’t know if I would be able to activate it, or whether it would be worth the trouble.  It’s listed as Deko 2200.  So I googled and YouTubed about…  Impression: that version is very obsolete.  It looks like it was originally developed by Pinnacle, who Avid bought-up.

Avid MC: Update not to 5.5.1 but 5.5.2 (& Additional Apps eg Boris etc)

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Updating Avid Media Composer (MC) to v5.5.2:

  • I purchased an update from Avid Media Composer (MC) v5.0 to v5.5.
    • Actually I purchased PhraseFind, with which the MC 5.5 upgrade was bundled for free.
  • Following the purchase, I received an email with dowload links for PhraseFind and for MC 5.5.1.
  • I subsequently became aware that MC 5.5.1 had been superseded by an update to MC 5.5.2.
  • Two routes to this latest version were possible: update-patch or stanalone-install.
  • Advice from a “guru” on an Avid forum confirmed my instince: go for the standalone install.
  • I chose to follow that advice.
  • I downloaded a combined installer forMC 5.5.2 and PhraseFind.
  • Installation procedure:
    • First I uninstalled all Avid-associated software and started from scratch.
      • No need to deactivate before uninstall since I am using a dongle, not activation.
    • Installed the new MC version (with PhraseFind) with no problems.
    • Went about installing the Avid Production Suite applications, such as Boris, Sorenson Squeeze, Sonic DVD.
      • See separate posts on each of these items.

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Deinterlacing (De-Interlacing) Principles and Techniques

Friday, August 12th, 2011

I am not the only one wondering, of the various kinds of de-interlacing tools/algorithms available, what are their relative advantages and indeed which one provides the greatest quality (or maybe quality/computation ratio) ?  This subject has been raised repeatedly on the Sony Vegas forum.  Most recently, the following have been of note:

Avid MC: Update 5.0-5.5: AMA Plugins (Downloaded Separately as of MC5.5)

Friday, August 12th, 2011

In Avid Media Composer v5.5, the AMA plugins are no longer bundled (as they were with earlier versions).  The reasoning for this is that these plugins are developed by respective device manufacturers, who are by this route free to bugfix/update their plugins independently of Avid MC releases.  So I had a download-spree, from http://www.avid.com/US/products/Avid-Media-Access/plug-ins, chosing the following:

They are reasonably small, about 1MB for Windows and 10 MB for Mac (very general round figures).

Avid MC: Offline-Online Basic Idea

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Previously I posted “Avid Media Composer: Offline-Online Basic Instructions”, at http://blog.davidesp.com/archives/315.  But that approach seemed a little quirky, what with renaming Avid subfolders etc.   By accident, while searching on Avid MC AMA-linking to Cineform-encoded video, I stumbled upon a forum discussion http://community.avid.com/forums/t/94905.aspx not only covering this but also how to go about (instead) using MXF ingest initially to small files (DNxHD 36) for cutting and subsequent re-ingest/replacement (DNxHD 128) for grading and final product etc.  The advice given in the forum was that the AMA approach was faster but more fragile than the MXF approach.  I guess the best of both worlds would be a workflow initially using AMA (eg for rush-edits) but then migrating to MXF for the full professional treatment.

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Graphic Card Capability Determination (by test-application) for MacBook Pro (2009)

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Some software requires user-config to define whether OpenGL etc. are available.  What has my MBP got in terms of graphic card, and what aspects of it are available under BootCamp>Windows?  Below are some answers:

Avid MC: Titling

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Below is a list of are some video tutorials I found on the web, illustrating how to do titling in Avid Media Composer.  There are several options (tools/plugins) in the Avid suite, from simple to more sophisticated (and complicated). Notably, the Marquee tool can automatically generate a set of lower thirds and text animations etc. in consistent style based on text in a simple text-file.  Really useful for apportioning the work between different people or simply editing the text on say a mobile phone (maybe even with dictation app).

Avid MC: Update 5.0-5.5: Additional Downloads (eg Start-Up (Demo/Example) Project)

Friday, August 12th, 2011

 Avid downloads e.g. the Startup Project for Media Composer, Symphony, and NewsCutter.  Useful when completing the installation of a download-order or when (with dongle in hand) installing on a “foreign” machine.

  • http://avid.custkb.com/avid/app/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=383115
    • The Startup Project – including Media – can be downloaded from the Avid Video Download Center. Simply log-in to the Download Center and select your product (Media Composer, Symphony, or NewsCutter.) Select the version you are currently using (Media Composer 5.0, for example). You will then be presented with a download for the Startup Project (as well as downloads for the product installer, ReadMe, etc.)
    • But you need a Download account first.  This is separate from your standard Avid account, though once created, it can be linked to it.
    • Downloads:
      • Installation Guide for Avid Editing Applications
      • What’s New in v5.5/9.5 Guide
      • Avid Media Composer v5.5.2 ReadMe
      • Avid Media Composer v5.5.2 PC Installer
      • Avid Media Composer v5.5.2 Win Goodies
        • Third-Party Plug-ins e.g. ???
        • Demo versions of third-party applications.
      • Avid Editor v5.5.X Win Startup Project
      • Versioner 8/12/2011.  Updates your dongle to run another version of Avid software.

Cineform – Tutorials, Information & Tips

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Discovered:

  • Best quality level to use for grading is FilmScan1.
    • The next one down, High, is only for final product, as intermediate totranscode from.
    • The next level up, FilmScan2, is “overkill”.
  • Tech Blog (many subjects)
  • HDLink
  • Firstlight
    • Does more than I imagined!
      • Has translation/projection adjustments (e.g. frame, zoom, pan)
      • It has “looks” (via LUT’s) e.g. “Bleach Bypass”.  Can scroll through them (e.g. via up/down arrow keys)
      • Can be keyframed hence dynamically changing (e.g. a pan to follow a moving object or adjust level/hue as sun sinks).
      • Can copy & paste attributes between different clips (select-all>Paste to make all clips have the same style)
      • Can “branch” projects to provide a dropdown-selectable menu of alternative grades/looks.
      • Great suggestions for incorporation in workflow:
        • While one person is editing, another can be grading.
        • Tip: store FirstLight projectsin DropBox folders, then everyonbe sees same instant-updates (e.g. extra alternative styles).
    • http://community.avid.com/forums/t/98416.aspx
      • Possible there exists a problem when used with Avid Media Composer 5.5.2 (at least).
      • Conjecture: (if) First Light … is OpenGL accelerated when dealing with Cineform media (then) when it is handed to to other applications, the playback and processing of the LUT (metadata) is all CPU, thus causing a performance discrepency.
  • Vimeo: Cineform Examples & Tutorials & Groups:

Liquid Planner

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

A year or two ago I did a web-survey of project planners, and I liked the sound of this one, it sounded more realistic to use than standard ones.  So now I have time to “think” again, I registered for a 30-day trial.

Also as I guessed/hoped, there is an associated App for mobile phones:

Gimp Update

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Updated to latest stable version,

  • [gimp-2.6.11-i686-setup-1(2).exe]
  • [gimp-help-2-2.6.0-en-setup.exe]

Also noted & installed GAP – Gimp Animation Package

AviSynth – Multi-Threading Variant

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

AviSynth hasn’t changed in ages.  However there is a Multi-Threaded version, which responds appropriately to the MT() filter.

  • URL: http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/MT
  • [MT_07.zip]
    • Includes MT(), a Multi-Threading “Meta-Filter”
    • Also includes associated MT-oriented version of AviSynth, v2.5.7.5.

VirtualDub Update

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

On MBP>BC>W7(64), installed VirtualDub’s latest version, v V1.9.11:

  • As advised on the webpage, chose 32-bit rather than 64-bit variant as former gives greatest choice of plugins.
  • Ran it and inspected/changed Preferences:
    • Display:Unsure about this.  Leave it alone for now.
    • Render: Warn if no audio is written = YES
    • Images: Default frame rate: [10.0000] = 25.0000
    • Threading: [0] = 1 (1 means for video compressor use multithreading)

Also downloaded some plugins:

  • [logo17.zip] & [logo17src.zip]
    • Allows placement of DOG (e.g. Station ID) on screen.
    • Includes example rotating globe: [earth.zip]
  • [deflick13b1.zip]
    • De-flickering e.g. projection screen at different frame rate.
  • [smooth11.zip]
    • Smoother / Deblocker, preserves (and maybe even accentuates) edges.

Cineform Settings – Further Tips

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

Prevoius post http://blog.davidesp.com/archives/214 said (quoted):

  • High quality is for finished material (e.g. to be output to DVD/BluRay) …
  • …but if further grading is a possibility then use Filmscan 1.  Filmscan 2 is overkill.
  • For extensive post, filmscan and 4:4:4 is probably a benefit. But note that 4:4:4:4 requires lots of power and raid arrays.

New, from http://techblog.cineform.com/?cat=100&paged=2

  • For most workhorse acquisition, post, and rendering uses we recommend either High or Film Scan.
    • By the way, the background on the naming of “Film Scan” is that this mode was designed to accurately reproduce the characteristic of film grain during film scanning.
  • Certain applications don’t exploit the temporal nature of the CineForm algorithm, and resulting YUV file sizes are approximately 25% larger than (otherwise).  This doesn’t impact visual quality, only compressed file size.  These applications include Sony Vegas and Apple Final Cut Pro.
  • Also for consideration: When selecting a higher quality setting (FS1 versus High for instance) the recorded files are larger (and) more CPU (is used) for real-time playback.

Avid MediaComposer 5 & Cineform (Neo)

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

It is possible to export to [QuickTime>Neo] and then eve to AMA-link to it:

    • http://techblog.cineform.com/?p=3137
      • Steps:
      1. File->Export
      2. Select “Send to QT Movie” in the Export Setting dropdown at the
        bottom of the export window.
      3. Select an output location and input output file name.
      4. Click “Options” to the right of the Export Setting dropdown
        1. In the “Options” window:
        2. Export As: “QuickTime Movie”
        3. Width x Height: match your source or input desired scale size
        4. Select “601/709″ if you have NOT selected “Enable 4:4:4 encoding”. If
          you have, select “RGB”
        5. Display Aspect Ratio: “Native Dimensions” if you are not scaling,
          desired output if you are.
      5. Click “Format Options…”
        1. Sound: Checked, uncompressed, 48kHz, 16-bit, Stereo
      6. Click “Settings”
        1. Compression Type: CineForm HD/4K/3D
        2. Frame Rate: Current
        3. Depth: Millions of Colors+
        4. Quality (Set at user discretion, recommended “High” or “Best”)
      7. Quality Options: “Enable 4:4:4 encoding” and “Interlaced video
        source” are options to use at your discretion
      8. Click “OK” as you navigate back to the original “Export” window, and click “OK” again to start your export.
      9. Upon completion, go back to your project bin, right-click and select “Link to AMA File(s)…” and
        navigate to your new file.
      • For 3D projects, you will want to do one of these renders for each eye, then mux the outputs back together for a 3D master, as described here: http://techblog.cineform.com/?p=3071

However one person found that while the basic codec worked OK with Avid MC, the FirstLight LUT-altering aspect did not:

Avid PhraseFind Activation (Application & Language Pack)

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

How to activate the PhraseFind plugin to Avid Media Composer:

I wish it could instead be tied to my Avid dongle…

Avid MC: Update 5.0-5.5: AMA Plugins Not Included

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

My previous Avid MC version was able to AMA-link to XDCAM-EX files, straight away, i.e. straight after installing MC.  However, having updated it to MC 5.5 (fresh install, not on top of older version) this no longer worked.  Reason: the camera-specific AMA Plugins (e.g. for Sony XDCAM) are no longer bundled with MC, you have to download and install it separately.

  • http://www.avid.com/US/products/Avid-Media-Access/plug-ins
    •  Starting with Media Composer 5.5, Symphony 5.5, and NewsCutter 9.5, you’ll need to download and install the AMA plug-ins you want separately from your editing software (these plug-ins are no longer included in the installer except for the QuickTime AMA plug-in). This enables Avid and third-party camera manufacturers to update plug-ins outside of a software release. (If you’re using an older version of Avid editing software, some of these plug-ins may already be installed on your system—please see the system requirements, below, for compatibility details.)

      Downloads*

      • Canon XF 300 AMA plug-in (download)
      • Canon XF 305 AMA plug-in (download)
      • Ikegami GFCAM AMA plug-in (download)
      • MXF AMA plug-in (download)
      • Panasonic P2 AMA plug-in (download)
      • QuickTime AMA plug-in (installed with your software)
      • RED AMA plug-in (download)
      • Sony HDCAM SR Lite AMA plug-in (download)
      • Sony XDCAM/XDCAM EX AMA plug-ins (download)

Avid Media Composer: Offline-Online Basic Instructions

Monday, August 8th, 2011

Paraphrasing http://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/category/workflows/page/3/ as of 8 August 2011:

  • Offline-online workflow
    • You can either edit directly from as-recorded files or transcode them to Avid media for a smoother and faster editing experience. Here is a short step-by-step explanation of a Media Composer-based workflow.
  • Step 1. Access/import recorded files via AMA (Avid Media Access).
    • Camera clips will open inside Media Composer bins, complete with camera metadata.
  • Step 2. In the case of Raw data, it is possible to change the levels/gamma/exposure/balance of the file by altering the camera raw data, then open the Source Settings for each clip and adjust the video.
  • Step 3. Adjust the clip framing by opening the bin Reformat column and set the option for each clip (center cut, letterboxed, etc.).
    • Remember that RED clips may have a 2:1 aspect ratio, but your Avid sequence will be either HD 16:9 or SD 16:9 / 4:3.
  • Step 4. Set the Media Creation render tab to a video resolution of DNxHD36, and in the case of Raw data, with a Debayer quality of “quarter”.
    • Since the objective is a good rough cut – not “finishing” – this quality settings is more than adequate for editing and screening your creative edits.
  • Step 5. Transcode all source clips. This process runs at close to real-time on a fast machine. When transcoding is done, close all AMA bins and do not use them during the edit. You’ll edit with the transcoded media only.
  • Step 6. Edit as normal until you get an approved, “locked” picture.
  • Step 7. Now it’s time to switch to “finishing”. Move or hide all Avid media (the transcoded DNxHD36 clips) by taking them out of the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1 folder(s) on your media hard drive(s). You could also delete them, but it’s safer not to do that unless you really have to. Best to simply move them into a relabeled folder. Once you’ve done this, your edited sequence will appear with all media off-line.
  • Step 8. Open the AMA bins (with the originally recorded files) and relink the edited sequence to the AMA clips. Make sure the “Allow relinking of imported/AMA clips by Source File name” is NOT checked in the Relink dialogue window. When relinking is completed, the sequence will be repopulated with AMA media, which will be the native, camera-recorded files.
    • In the case of Raw data, if you want to change the raw color data at this point, you will need to change each source clip and then refresh the sequence to update the color for clips that appear within the timeline.
  • Step 9. Change the Media Creation settings to a higher video resolution (such as DNxHD 175 X) and in the case of Raw data, a Debayer quality of “full”.
  • Step 10. Consolidate/transcode your sequence.
    • This will create new Avid media clips at full quality that are only the length of the clips as they appear in the cut, plus handles. Since a transcode using a “full” Debayer setting will be EXTREMELY SLOW, make sure you set very short handle lengths. (Note: If you have a Red Rocket card installed, Avid supports hardware-assisted rendering to accelerate the transcoding of RED media.)
  • Step 11. Finish all effects and color grading within the NLE as you normally would.

Avid Media Composer Workflow Basics for AMA, Consolidate, Transcode, Relink etc.

Monday, August 8th, 2011

http://www.avid.com/static/resources/documents/solutions/Sony_XDCAM_AMA_Workflow_Guide.pdf

  • This provides a great introduction to how/where one would use Consolidate/Transcode etc. in various contexts e.g. a News or a Documentary situation.

Sony Vegas: Compression Formats for Digital Intermediates

Monday, August 8th, 2011

Compression formats for Digital Intermediates when using Sony Vegas:

  • http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=770173
    • Cineform for highest quality (smart-renderable)
      • Cineform (is great for transfer) between After Effects and Vegas.
    • MXF for almost the same quality at a fraction of the size.
      • MXF previews beautifully off small bus-powered USB 2 drives.
    • Quicktime .mov with png compression for anything with a transparent alpha layer.
    • Quicktime .mov with Avid DNxHD codec for Handbrake encoding intermediary and for working with the FCP world.

Details (again from the above link) about use of MXF:

  • The big thing with MXF is to make sure that you use it interlaced even (if) you are using progressive footage.  …set it using one of the interlaced templates but set the deinterlace method to none.
    • The reason this is important is that Vegas will only smart-render .mxf footage flagged as interlaced. If you set the MXF render properties to progressive, it won’t smart-render. If you set the properties to interlaced and select either blend fields or interpolate, it will screw up resizes and renders to other formats.
  • MXF with a smart-render is very cool. The format looks wonderful and no damage is done as you smart-render sections into a final piece.
    • MXF without a smart-render isn’t really good enough. MXF will not hold up to successive rerenders like Cineform or a lossless codec.