{"id":1543,"date":"2018-01-09T17:36:17","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T17:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/?p=1543"},"modified":"2018-01-09T17:36:17","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T17:36:17","slug":"free-version-of-avid-media-composer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/free-version-of-avid-media-composer\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Version of Avid Media Composer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1564\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid_First.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"340\" height=\"80\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid_First.png 340w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid_First-300x71.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/>GeniusDV recently took a test drive of Avid Technology&#8217;s <strong>FREE version<\/strong> of Avid Media Composer.\u00a0 The free version is\u00a0 called &#8216;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.avid.com\/media-composer-first\">Avid First<\/a>&#8216;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1546\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid-First-Interface-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid-First-Interface-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid-First-Interface-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid-First-Interface-1024x576.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The free version is FULLY functional with some limitations.\u00a0 From what I&#8217;ve discovered, the free version is perfectly suitable for learning Avid Media Composer.\u00a0 However, full-time editing professionals will certainly want to upgrade to the<a href=\"http:\/\/www.avid.com\/media-composer\"> full version of Media Composer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, the free version of &#8216;Avid First&#8217; provides almost every editing feature available within the paid version of Avid Media Composer.<\/p>\n<p>I was able to edit an entire commercial with multiple video tracks, titles, voice-over, music, and sound effects within 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>In some ways the &#8216;Avid First&#8217; interface has been refreshed.\u00a0 Simple things have been changed.\u00a0 For example, the source tracks now appear in green.\u00a0 This helps differentiate between source and record tracks.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1548\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid-MC-Source-Track.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"541\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid-MC-Source-Track.png 541w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid-MC-Source-Track-300x151.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>All of Avid&#8217;s powerful editing functions are included with &#8216;Avid First&#8217;\u00a0 including (trim mode, replace edit, match frame, top\/tail editing, etc.)<\/p>\n<p>Other advanced features included within &#8216;Avid First&#8217; include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flame Flex (ability to reference 4K + files)<\/li>\n<li>Full Color Correction Workspace<\/li>\n<li>3D Warp Controls<\/li>\n<li>Advanced Keyframing<\/li>\n<li>Animated Paint Controls<\/li>\n<li>Nesting and Collapsing of Tracks (which essentially\u00a0 negates the limitation of 4 video tracks.)<\/li>\n<li>Customization of the Interface and Window Views<\/li>\n<li>Keyboard Mapping<\/li>\n<li>Advanced Audio Keyframing Controls<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1557\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Color-Correction-Mode-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Color-Correction-Mode-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Color-Correction-Mode-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Color-Correction-Mode-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you are considering learning Avid Media Composer, downloading &#8216;Avid First&#8217; is an absolute must to become familiar with the editing interface.<\/p>\n<p>Limitations of the free version that I&#8217;ve discovered include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Maximum number of video tracks &#8211; 4<\/li>\n<li>Maximum number of audio tracks &#8211; 8<\/li>\n<li>Limited Multi-Cam editing (angles only available in source window)<\/li>\n<li>Limited Chroma Key Capability (no spectra matte)<\/li>\n<li>Only the basic &#8216;legacy&#8217; Title tool is included (no Marquee option)<\/li>\n<li>No ability to animate mattes<\/li>\n<li>Limited slow motion capabilities (no Time Warp functions)<\/li>\n<li>No Plasma Wipe Transitions<\/li>\n<li>Limited options for transcoding media<\/li>\n<li>Limited to editing in HD resolution (no 4K format option)<\/li>\n<li>Limited Real-time Audio Plugins<\/li>\n<li>No audio punch in feature (meaning &#8211; the ability to record audio directly to timeline)<\/li>\n<li>Limited User Settings (no ability to create additional user profiles)<\/li>\n<li>Bins from &#8216;Avid First&#8217; cannot be opened up in the retail version of Avid Media Composer.<\/li>\n<li>You cannot have &#8216;Avid First&#8217; and the full retail version of&#8217; Avid Media Composer&#8217; installed on the same system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I&#8217;m sure there are some other minor limitations that I have not come across.\u00a0 Feel free to leave a comment if you find specific items that are missing from the full version of Avid Media Composer.<\/p>\n<p>Then, when you a ready to become an Avid Certified User, take a look at GeniusDV&#8217;s certified <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/video-editing-training\/avid-training\/\">Avid Media Composer Training Options.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Make sure you read the list of <a href=\"http:\/\/avid.force.com\/pkb\/articles\/en_US\/compatibility\/Media-Composer-System-Requirements\">Avid&#8217;s minimum system requirements<\/a> before downloading the software.<\/p>\n<p>Installing the free version of Avid Media Composer is a bit tricky.\u00a0 Here are the steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Navigate to the &#8216;Avid First&#8217; website at:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.avid.com\/media-composer-first\"> http:\/\/www.avid.com\/media-composer-first<\/a>. Click on the orange &#8216;Get it now for free&#8217; button in the upper right corner.<\/li>\n<li>Create an Avid Master Account<\/li>\n<li>Log into your email and Verify your email address<\/li>\n<li>Tell Avid Technology about yourself, and then Download the software.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Navigate to your downloads folder and install the &#8216;Avid First&#8217; software.<\/p>\n<p>Note: If you are running &#8216;Avid First&#8217; on a MAC, when you attempt to un-compress the .dmg file you will need navigate to your security preferences.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1554\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-03-at-2.25.52-PM-300x155.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-03-at-2.25.52-PM-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-03-at-2.25.52-PM.png 417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Navigate to the system preferences,\u00a0 and choose <strong>Security and Privacy.\u00a0 <\/strong>Within the<strong> General tab<\/strong>, click on the button that says<strong> Open Anyway<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1556\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-03-at-2.27.46-PM-300x258.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-03-at-2.27.46-PM-300x258.png 300w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2018-01-03-at-2.27.46-PM.png 660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After the .dmg is uncompressed, You will need to repeat this process again in order to launch the &#8216;Avid First installer&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>After everything is\u00a0 installed, you need to make sure you launch Avid&#8217;s Application Manager in order to run &#8216;Avid First&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid_Application_Manager.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"362\" height=\"125\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid_Application_Manager.png 362w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Avid_Application_Manager-300x104.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 362px) 100vw, 362px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0 You must have a live active internet connection to log into Avid&#8217;s Application manager to run &#8216;Avid First&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screenshot-2018-01-09-12.00.49.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screenshot-2018-01-09-12.00.49.png 584w, https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screenshot-2018-01-09-12.00.49-300x224.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you lose your internet connection, &#8216;Avid First&#8217; will automatically close on you.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GeniusDV recently took a test drive of Avid Technology&#8217;s FREE version of Avid Media Composer.\u00a0 The free version is\u00a0 called &#8216;Avid First&#8216; The free version is FULLY functional with some limitations.\u00a0 From what I&#8217;ve discovered, the free version is perfectly suitable for learning Avid Media Composer.\u00a0 However, full-time editing professionals will certainly want to upgrade &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/free-version-of-avid-media-composer\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Free Version of Avid Media Composer<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-geniusdv_tutorials","category-avid-media-composer-training","category-video-production"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1543"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1568,"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1543\/revisions\/1568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geniusdv.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}