Avid: August 2010 Archives

Setting up Multi Camera Mode for Media Composer

With the new tapeless cameras, and portable AVCHD cameras, it's becoming easier to produce multi-camera productions.

Here's a very short and basic tutorial on how to set up a basic multi camera edit using Avid Media Composer. I purposely made this tutorial very short to get the point of setting up Multi-Camera.

For you novices out there: It's VERY important that you establish a sync point for all your cameras. You can use one of the following methods:

- A time code reference (this option is limited to expensive gen-locked cameras)

- A slate or visual reference (a good trick is to use a camera flash)

- A sync sound point that all your cameras can hear.

In this tutorial, I had a manually had to sync the cameras by a point of reference in the video. This isn't necessarily easy. Hence, as you'll see in my video, I basically skip over the section of finding a sync point. With this in mind, I hope this tutorial is helpful to some.

Continue reading for the full transcript of this tutorial.

Continue reading Setting up Multi Camera Mode for Media Composer.

Media Composer Bars and Tone

If you are producing content for broadcast television. The television or network is probably going to ask you to insert bars and tone at the beginning of your Avid sequence.

Okay, fine. Where do you find the bars and tone media?

MAC Users:
Mac HD/Applications/Media Composer/SupportingFiles/Test_Patterns/SMPTE_Bars.pct

PC Users
C:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Media Composer\SupportingFiles\Test_Patterns\SMPTE_bars.pct

**Make sure you import the correct bars-tone. You'll also see categories for HD and PAL formats if you are not working with SD footage. Then simply import the color bars into an Avid bin.

(continue reading...)

Continue reading Media Composer Bars and Tone.

Aspect Ratio Calculator for Video Formats

In most cases, professional editors will know most of the common aspect ratios for film and video formats, but those of you who didn't think math was going to be a part of this job, here's a handy-dandy Aspect Ratio Calculator from the folks at Digital Rebellion.

The tool helps you calculate aspect ratios and pixel dimensions of video footage and will ensure that you are working with the correct resolution. It gives you height, width, and ratio.