Avid AMA export – options for mixed format sequences

[Shane Ross]

In Avid, the timelines don’t have a setting…a codec. The project will have a setting, but that’s only the frame size and rate…no codec. Even if you set your render settings to render to a certain codec, say DNxHD 145….when you export, you still can’t do “same as source” because the footage…even rendered to DNxHD….won’t export out as DNxHD. The export doesn’t reference those renders for some reason.

Well, hmmm…that bears testing. Because you can render everything, but because there are no “timeline codec settings,” if your footage is 1080p29.97 C300 footage…XDCAM422…in a 1080p29.97 project…it won’t render. Not unless you have an effect applied. So when you go to render, that won’t render…so it’ll remain XDCAM 422…and then you can’t export SAME AS SOURCE.

Best option is to do a Video Mixdown before you export…that’ll basically be one big render file that’s the codec you want. But it’s not zippy quick.

You are cutting in a manner that’s not well suited to Avid. You are applying FCP/Premiere approaches…and those don’t work in Avid. If you use Avid, you need to use it how it’s meant to be used. If you need to cut native and render and export zippy quick…then use Premeire.

In Avid, after you AMA link, it’s best to then transcode. Even if all the footage differs in frame rate and size…if it’s Avid media, it should export. But mixing 1080p 23.98 DNx175 with DNX220 1080p 29.97…exporting same as source…not sure WHAT it will export as. That also, bears testing.

Shane
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[Edwin Janzen]

Thank you Shane for a quick and helpful response. I’ve followed many of your FCP posts to help clarify workflows in the past!

Indeed, I was becoming suspicious that I was inappropriately applying FCP and Premiere concepts to an Avid workflow.

I will test a mixed DNx transcoded timeline and post back.

Thanks!
Edwin

[John Pale]

You can set all your renders to your anticipated export codec in your Media Creation settings, if it’s supported, but honestly I have not tested to see if it makes any appreciable difference in export time.

You can do a same as source export if you transcode your finished sequence to Pro Res or Avid DNX HD/HR. Or you can do a Video Mixdown, as suggested.

Probably not the answer you wanted to hear.

[Edwin Janzen]

If I transcode my media inside avid, it transcodes the framerate (lets say 23.98) to the project settings (lets say 29.97) so I can export same as source without any issues.

[Shane Ross]

[Edwin Janzen] “If I transcode my media inside avid, it transcodes the framerate (lets say 23.98) to the project settings (lets say 29.97) “

No…don’t do that. Do NOT transcode to the project frame rate. It’ll convert the frame rate wrong. If you are on 8.4 or later, you can maintain the source timecode when transcoding. If in an earlier version, transcode the footage in a project that matches the frame rate, and bring the bin into this project.

Shane
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[Edwin Janzen]

Thank you for the cautionary warning.

I successfully exported a mixed frame rate timeline using same as source export settings in MC 8.5.

The project was set to dnX145 (that’s 1080p 29.97)
I transcoded the AMA linked files which were 29.97 and 23.98 (same resolution) to dnX maintaining the source dimensions and source frame rate. Then exported the timeline using the same as source option with Avid codecs checked.

The export for a 30 second timeline took 1 second on a system that would have taken the full 30 seconds to export a custom ProRes quicktime.

I got a lovely 29.97 quicktime file in DNxHD 145 and was happy with the frame rate conversion of the 23.98 clip.