Michael Hancock
Forum Replies Created
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Forget tiff files. Use png–you won’t have to make an alpha channel.
Cut your object out and put it over a transparent background in Photoshop (the checkerboard). Don’t bother making an alpha channel–just save it as a .png. Import into Avid with Invert Alpha and you should be good to go. Avid will interpret the checkerboard “transparency” as your alpha, and it should do it without the white edge.
This has always taken care of the white “ghosting” from other formats that require you to create an alpha channel (tiffs, targas, etc…).
Michael.
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You can use the Avid Pan and Zoom effect. I think it’s under Image in your effects palette. Read the help files/manual on how to use it.
For best results, though, I agree with Steve–buy Moving Picture. It’s easy to use, renders fast, and the results are great.
You can use After Effects, but for something this simple I would prefer to do it all in the editing system. Saves the exporting, importing, etc… Plus, when/if you need to make changes it’s easier.
Michael.
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You shouldn’t be pulling up media files with your media tool. Do that and you’ll blow away the actual audio and video.
If you want to get rid of your render files, set your Media Tool to show only Precomputes. This will pull up all your render files, and any graphics you imported, as well as your Avid generated titles. If you still have the files you imported (say Photoshop graphics) and you plan on backing them up, then delete all your precomputes. When you have to bring the show back online just load the backups of your imported files and do a Batch Import. Avid generated titles can simply be rerendered in Avid.
If you aren’t backing up your imported graphics, be careful when you delete the precomputes. You might want to make a bin of all your imported graphics, select them all, choose to Show Media Relatives (which will highlight their related Precomputes in the Media Tool), then Reverse Selection in your Media Tool (so you’re selecting everything except the imported graphics), then delete.
If you run into problems, let us know. Deleting precomputes is a great way to regain some harddrive space and backup your projects.
Good luck.
Michael.
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Wow! Those are fightin’ words! 🙂
Michael.
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Because he’s taking it to a Meridien system.
The Meridien system is hardware based and (as far as I know) doesn’t support the newest codecs. He’d have to update his system (read that as, “Throw it out and buy a new one”) to the software based Media Composer for DNxHD to work.
Michael.
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The Avid Meridien codecs are standard def. If your frame size is any different than 720×486 (or the PAL equivalent) it will give you a cryptic error and won’t work (as you’ve found out).
You’d do best to export a Quicktime Animation, Uncompressed, or png or targa sequence for import into their Avid. It will kill your Avid import time, but it’ll work.
Michael.
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It won’t work.
You can only use an a Mojo, Mojo SDI, or Adrenaline box (with a Media Composer) to bring stuff in.
If it’s DV only you can go straight into your system via firewire, but third party capture cards won’t work.
Michael.
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[swdocc] “will Avid 4.3 run on a Vista?”
Nope. You’ll need Windows XP Professional.
If you’re going with an Avid certified system, you might want to look at upgrading your version of Avid to. It’s only about $150 from your version (I think), and you’ll get a lot of added features. Plus, if you go Avid certified and buy from a reseller, they’ll get you XP Pro. Otherwise, call the company you’re ordering the system from and tell them you want XP Pro instead of Vista–you should still be able to get it.
Michael.
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[epontius] “Will it help you get a job? probably not. I think employers look more at what work you’ve done and your past experience more than certification.”
I agree completely. Getting certified will probably teach you some stuff, but unless you’re applying for a teaching position that wants a list of certifications, it won’t help you get a job. That’s what your reel is for.
If you have a great reel but you’ve never had formal training you’ll be hired before a guy/gal who knows every function of the software but can’t tell a story.
If you can get an employer to pay for the classes as “continuing education”, by all means take them. If you have to pay for them yourself and you just want to edit (not teach), it’s probably not worth the money. Anything you don’t already know can probably be answered here at the Cow, anyway.
Michael.
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If you export a self contained quicktime from FCP in the RGB colorspace, interpret the color as RGB when you import into Avid. If you export as 601, interpret as 601 when you import into Avid. Then you shouldn’t see a color shift at all.
HOWEVER: If time is an issue, you don’t want to go this route. The time it takes to export a quicktime then import that quicktime into Avid, which Avid will have to transcode to OMF or MXF, will be a killer.
Even if you export your FCP quicktime in an Avid codec, which will speed up your import time into Avid, it will still take forever (depending on the length of your timeline). Even with this “fast” import, though, I think it would be faster just to lay to tape and digitize.
Michael.