Avid: March 2014 Archives

Learn how to use the NewBlue Title Tool that now ships with Avid Media Composer 7.X.  

The NewBlue Titler Pro allows you to create quick 3D title transitions.  The version that ships with Avid Media Composer, is fully functional.  However, you may want to upgrade your software to the full version to incorporate extra features and transitions.

Make sure the option is checked to install it when you install / upgrade to Media Composer 7.

If you don't have a video 2 track within your sequence, right click with the grey area of the timeline window and choose New Video Track from the contextual menu.

Next, move this video monitor icon to the video 2 track. Also, make sure the V2 track is turned on.

Now navigate to the top of the project window and click on the purple effect icon tab. Navigate to the NewBlue Titler Pro effects category.

Drag the Titler Pro icon onto the Video 2 track.

Then navigate to the upper left corner of the timeline window and click on the effect mode icon.

This will open the effect editor window.  In the upper left corner of the window, click on the Launch User Interface. This will launch the NewBlue Titler software.

The title tool will automatically give you a text object. Double click on the text object to type in your own text.

Okay, you can create your own customized style by clicking on the style tab.

Or, instead of creating your own style, click on the library tab to choose one of the style presets. Choose a style and double click on it to apply it to your text object.

You can move the text object by navigating to the canvas window, and place the cursor at the edge of the object box.

When the cursor changes into a cross hair, click to drag the title object to the desired location.

If you click on this sphere icon, you can manipulate your title in 3D space by clicking and dragging the mouse within the text object box.

To add a transition, navigate back to the library tab and twirl down the disclosure triangle for the transitions category. Then twirl down the animation category.

This click on the infinity category. Park the mouse cursor over one of the transitions until you find one that you like.

If this example, I'll choose the infinity transition using letter by letter. Then double click on the transition to apply it to your text object.

You will notice there are some parameters that you can adjust that will affect the transition.

In this example, I'll change the amount of overlap between the characters, and I'll also change the position from where the characters fly in.

For an added effect let's go back to the library of transitions and apply a smear effect from the Starter Pack category.

Okay, if you would like the transition effects to play faster, navigate to the timeline area and drag the edge of each transition so they are shorter.

Now the animation will play faster. When you're happy with your title, close the NewBlue Title tool.

This will take you back to Avid Media Composer.

The last step is to render the title by clicking on the render effect icon at the top of the timeline window. Okay, fantastic! Now you have the basics of creating an animated title using the NewBlue Title tool.

And don't forget, GeniusDV also offers classroom and flat rate onsite Avid Media Composer training.

If you're a Media Composer user, you may have noticed the 'A' and 'S' keys are labeled as 'Go to Previous Edit, and 'Go to Next Edit'.

This is true, but these keys also send you directly into trim mode.



For many editors, this is an unexpected behavior.  Don't worry, you can configure the 'A' and 'S' keys so they act differently.

Check out this short tutorial on how to alter the 'A' and 'S' keys so they truly jump to each edit point, instead of sending you into trim mode.

If you are new to Avid Media Composer, you may want to make a few quick modifications to the keyboard layout.