Edit Bay rat
Forum Replies Created
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Got it. I can play 720p QTs without too much trouble but you may be right about the drives. Since I posted I’ve just decided to transcode the clips to NTSC which plays fine. I am able to cut a sequence and link the clips back to the original HD and export to MP4 for use on the web.
Thanks
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Excuse me, but I doubled up on my width there. Obviously the inteded ratio was W 320 H 240. But you probably figured that out
GE
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James,
Thanks for responding.
You know, I don’t think that’s it because when I go to compress the video in Flash with the proportions constrained and I type in the width as 320 the program fills in the width as something other the 240 (I forget the number). So the file itself appears to be an aspect ratio other than 4:3 and the pic appears stretched horizontally.
However the work around turned out to be easy enough–I deselected the “constrain proportions” box and typed in 240 thereby squeezing the picture back into its original shape.
That being said, I’m still curious as to what’s going on so if you have any insight I’d appreciate being relieved of my ignorance.
Gary Evans
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Well, consolidate was the right word to use.
In any event, if you want to move media from one drive to another you’re going to have to write them on to a new drive and delete them from where they were, so if you were hoping to avoid that, sorry.
You can consolidate all the clips, fx, etc. on to a single drive a bin at a time and delete the old media in the process; the project files are small and are a quick drag and drop (it’s never a good idea, by the way, to have media and project/application files residing on the same drive).
What sort of Avid are you working on? Are you familiar with the whole Consolidate thing and were you looking for an alternative?
The Rat
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It is just as easy if you’ve taken the time to learn how to do it. And I feel compelled to point out here that you brought these comments on yourself by blaming the system you were working on (i.e. “outdated and simpistic”)for your lack of knoweledge of how to use it.
If you need to boost you skill set, glad to help. There’s a lot to know. Don’t blame the hammer if you bend the nail.
EBR
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[mike] “all these AVID timeline tools seem so outdated and simplistic”
Well, if they’re so ding-dang simplistic, why are you having such a hard time understanding how they work? If you haven’t taken the time to learn the system, don’t blame the system.
This whole thread smells like a bait to beat up on Avid.
I’ll bet my NLE can beat up your NLE.
The Rat
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When you step into an effect, the empty track 1 is the home of the effected clip you left behind when you stepped in, a place holder of sorts. The second track is a brand spanking new clean track with your video available for whatever you want to do to it. It may also be representative of the actual video streams you’re using.
Think of it this way: when you double click you’re asking your Avid to provide you with a clean version of your clip. Well, it has to put it somewhere. Track one is already occupied by your effected clip, so it creates a track 2 and deposits it there.
Try this graphic demonstration: Step into an effect. Then, move the video on track 2 down to the empty track 1. Step out. Now do a “remove effect.” Whaddya know, the whole clip disappears because you married the underlying video to the effect.
The question is (and please take this in the light-hearted spirit in which it is intended) will any of this actually help you make better edits? Too much knoweledge is sometimes just more than you really need.
The Rat
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Not only will you be able to match frame, you will be able to double-click or drag and drop normally unloadabe precomps from a bin.
As far as I know, this function is reset everytime you restart the application and there is no way to make it permanent, however (as this thread has clearly established) I don’t know everything.
You are wise to be nervous about working in the console and we should all be cautious about using this function. There was a warning with the post on the L that it might cause some problems with batch capture or decompose if you’re working at a low resolution and planning to up-rez, so if that’s how you’re working you might want to run a test. There’s probably a reason Avid has left this function off for all this time. I’d hate to have someone cut a huge project and discover the reason why at the very end.
Proceed with caution, but by all means, proceed.
The Rat
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Your goals are somewhat at odds with one another. Independant doc makers tend to favor FCP. If it’s a paying gig you want, you’ll have a much better chance as an Avid editor.
As far as which interface is better, which is more intuitive, which is more stable, which is more cost-effective, which company gives better support, blah blah blah, all of these things are completely subjective and any answer I would give you would be informed by my own personal expericences and preferences. This holds true for every other editor on the planet. The only way for you to find out which one you like better is to cut on both. Truth is, they’ll both get the job done if you know what you’re doing.
The independent doc makers I know who are working the festival circuit tend to favor FCP because they were able to get into a system without mortgaging their house and selling their first-born child. They’re cutting their stuff and winning awards. As someone else pointed out, Avid continues to be the choice of producers within the industry and I don’t see anything happening to change that. FCP people will pound on the table and scream that this show or that movie was done on Final Cut, but the ugly truth is that 95%+ of all TV shows and movies are cut on Avid. It’s the industry standard. I have editor friends who are skilled on both Avid and FCP (I’m in LA) and they just never get any calls for Final Cut.
That being said, check your local market and see what’s going on. If it’s Final Cut, cool, learn Final Cut and start making phone calls. Good luck. That first gig is hard to get.
As for all this guff about better this, better that, forget it. Ask a thousand editors, get a thousand answers. Try to get some chair time on both and make up your own mind.
The Rat
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Been there.
As I’ve often been heard to say, “This damn machine insists on doing what I tell it to do instead of what I’m thinking!”