Dave Schweitzer
Forum Replies Created
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For animorphic 16:9 footage to be letterboxed into a 4:3 show, I like to use a resize or 3D warp with vertical set to 75 and horizontal at 100. I also crop a couple lines off the top and bottom to hide the alternating half-line of video sometimes visible at top n bottom.
Logically the inverse would be 125 vertical to 100 horizontal, and then you just position it up or down to taste.dS
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Sounds like the firewire bridge might be fried. It’s a pretty common occurrence with firewire USB combo drives. the drive itself is probably fine and if you put it into a new case or mounted it internally you’ll probably find it has plenty of life left.
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I’ve also found sometimes that the naming I use in the bin doesn’t exactly carry over to the QT dialogue box. Yet & still I’ve been very pleased with this hidden feature.
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I think the most foolproof way would be:
set up your Slide In on one transition (the Avid CONCEAL effect category is what I’d use).
Create a new bin called >>> Quick Transitions <<< make sure it's mixed case like my example. With your one effect selected, drag the icon from the effect editor to this bin. In the sequence, mark In-Out for all the transitions you want (just like the great way we can add dissolves to the in-out range). Make like you're going to add a dissolve, but when the Quick Transition box comes up, click on the topmost box as if to change to a Dip to color or Fade from Color, etc. At the bottom of what you're used to seeing there is now a separator line and all the transition effects which live in the Quick Transitions bin you just made. Any Avid transition can be applied this same familiar way. Enjoy! -
And if you have an older version of AXP, you could try the RESIZE effect – in the IMAGE category of the EFX Palette. I used to set mine at 100Wid to 73Hgt and it would look great, although I’ve since learned technically 75 is the proper setting. Another thing to consider is the possible need to mask the top and bottom edges of video because you may now be seeing field switching or VITC/UBIT info along the top edge. The field switching is especially evident if you’ve got a slomo on the clip. Simply Crop a couple lines off the top and/or bottom with the RESIZE effect adjustments and it’ll do the trick. You can also set the color of the letterbox, something that can come in quite handy. Finally, you may get a better quality image by clicking the HQ button in the RESIZE effect adjustments – but it’ll force a render and this particular render may take a long time.
Good Luck!
Dave
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If the 7.2 system was equipped with Avid’s Film Matchback option, it had the ability to generate clean cutlists using the telecine flex files. Of course you’d have been using 24 fps film pulled down in telecine and cut in a 30fps project, but it worked very well. Avid’s Film Composer line was what you needed to work in and view true 24fps output on an NTSC monitor.
Another thing, I believe at the time Matchback was a $5000 option. -
You could always hook your NTSC monitor to your deck (DSR-11/20/25/40/45…any DV deck will do, really) and enable digital video out. This will put all your effects in a must-render state, then output through the firewire to your deck which will transcode and display on your NTSC. I usually set my desktop play delay to 4 frames to keep the sound in sync. By the way, any number of dv transcoders will do this for you as well.
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Since Xpress PRO works only with DV25 DV50 15:1s 1:1 (Mojo Required) or various Film Composer resolutions, the Composer media will already have to be at one of those resolutions, or converted on import. From what I remember, Avid broke the conversion feature after AXP version 4.3.5, but I believe I read somewhere that current versions of AXP have restored that feature. If you have time try an OMF export of a portion of your sequence with media consolidated and embedded. Makes for one big .OMF file which contains the timeline and all clips contained therein. On import of this file, AXP will present you with a bin full of all the elements and your sequence as it was when you exported.
Good Luck and kindly let us know how you fare…?
DS
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Another thought without having to redigitize is to export your cut as an OMF (with media – OMF 2 has been great for me, but not sure if OS 9 Avid will support OMF2, definitely OMF1) for import into the older system. And as Bill pointed out the media may not be compatible.I suppose the only way this would work is if you use 15:1s and your OS 9.2 system must be a Meridien.
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I’d start by asking if your prospective editor brought their settings with them – that’s a good sign. Of course the basics like creating organized bins, being able to digitize properly, and put together a quick sequence with titles and a few tracks of audio are a good place to start. It’s really a balance of the creative with the technical. If an editor can cut a dynamic piece but it is full of technical mistakes which take time to fix are they of value to you? A couple things I frequently see juniors screw up with – importing graphics with improper import settings, creating freeze frames without proper field order, audio tracks not panned correctly, stacking dissolves, no idea what timecode is for…
I’d also slant the project toward what your company does>>>
Doing film projects? Does your prospective editor know what a flex file is? Have a clue about matchback or pulldown? Graphics-intensive pieces? Can he/she integrate with Photoshop, After Effects, ProTools or other apps? Know Animatte or what a Matte Key does? Do they think Posterize looks cool?I think I’m getting carried away here, but maybe these ideas will help you.
DS