Michael Hancock
Forum Replies Created
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[Rosie Walunas] “Perhaps, I’ll run another test, but I also did a test to see if the clip in Avid would Batch Import to the wrong clip, but knowingly and manually selecting the wrong clip, and it did in fact link to the wrong clip. Is this crazy?”
Ah – you definitely can relink to the wrong clip. This can be terrible if you do it unintentionally, but it can be amazing if you do it with purpose. For example, I receive an animation for an end tag (EndTag) that’s used in 10 spots. I edit them in, they go out for revisions and the end tag graphic needs changes. I batch import but choose to relink to the new animation (EndTag_Rev01). Avid imports it and it’s automatically updated in all 10 spots, saving me tons of time. If the client changes their mind and wants to go back to the original, I delete the media in Avid and batch import, this time pointing to the original EndTag. All 10 spots are updated as soon as the file is done importing.
I use this with music too – edit with watermarked, preview audio. We lock the edit and get approval on the audio – purchase the music, batch import by selecting the unwatermarked version and send out a clean AAF to our sound designer.
That said, if you import a 10 second clip and try to batch import by pointing to a 12 second clip it won’t relink. The time has to be the exact same (down to the frame). So there is some protection on batch importing the wrong stuff.
Also, I recommend Avid Agility by Steven Cohen if you want to get a great Avid book. I believe it’s in its third edition. Or a new book was just released by Ben Hershleder called Avid Media Composer Cookbook. I haven’t read it, but the guy really knows his stuff so it would be worth checking out too.
Avid Agility Third Edition: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1477654356/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1477654356&linkCode=as2&tag=splnow-20
Avid Media Composer Cookbook: https://www.hershleder.com/avid-media-composer-book-by-benjamin-hershleder
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Rosie Walunas] “I only rearranged the files, because don’t files get moved around in general? Basically, are you saying, that once clips are Imported, their original source path cannot be moved? But what if they are?”
The original source path an be moved. I just try not to because it makes batch importing more difficult then necessary, and where I work we have a very strict file structure we follow on our server If you set it up right the first time you don’t need to move it, but I realize that’s not the case with everyone.
If you move the files (or rename the folder they’re in, or transfer them to another drive, etc…), do this. Select the files in the bin you want to batch import and choose Batch Import. You’ll get a list of all the files you’re importing. Select them all and choose choose to Set File Location. The name of the file you want to relink will be listed at the top of the finder finder that opens – navigate to where that file is, select it, and choose OK. If there are other files in the Batch Import list that are in that folder/on that drive (in the same folder structure as they originally were) Avid will relink those too. Otherwise, relink each one manually to where you moved the files.
[Rosie Walunas] “Also, is it okay to rename/label the clip Name? How would one keep track of the original clip code?”
It’s fine to rename the clips. When you batch import you’ll see the original filename listed in the batch import window, not the name you gave the clip in Avid. It’s pretty smart about that stuff.
If I was at home I’d make you a video tutorial showing you, but I’m away for Christmas. Remind me the first week of January and make a video to better illustrate what I’m talking about.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Rosie Walunas] “I am forced to manually reconnect – and this allows for the clips inside Avid to be reconnected to the wrong media files.”
Select the offline clips, choose to Batch Import, select the first file in the list and set location – point to where it is. Repeat this with the clips but don’t point them to the wrong files. That’s really your only option, if I’m understanding you right.
Why did you rearrange the files you originally imported?
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
Hit match frame again when the subclip it loaded. It goes back to the master clip.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Rosie Walunas] “The project is DV25 and the clips are HD do I have to deal with that but I think I can just move the bins from the initial HD project into the Sd project.”
Go to the Format Tab of your project window and change the project from HD to SD. No need to make a new project and copy bins.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Ricky Barrow] “Oh – you can transcode and you can name the clips and/or subclips anything you want – that is great!”
Yep. If you want to test it, AMA a clip into your system. Transcode it. Rename the transcoded file “trancoded_full_clip”. Now load it into your source monitor and subclip part of it. Name the subclip “trancoded_subclip”. So your AMA file, the transcode, and the subclip all have different names.
Cut the subclip into your sequence and match frame it – it will load the subclip into your source monitor. Immediately hit Match Frame again and it will load the transcoded clip. Select your sequence and the AMA clip in your bin and choose to relink to selected files. It should relink the sequence to the AMA clip. If all of this works, you’ll know you can rename anything you want.
As a matter of fact, I might just test all of this out tonight to see that it works exactly as I’m telling you. What version of software are you on?
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Rosie Walunas] “If I transcode the clips, why can’t I just rename the .new clips and make subclips from that?”
You can. I prefer to make another column for comments or description and put custom naming there so the transcoded clip name stays the same (with .new on the end). That way, if I need to go back to the AMA clip, it’s easy to find to AMA clip. It has the same name as the transcoded clip, but without .new.
[Rosie Walunas] “Will I not be able to relink the media and transcode to a higher res later?”
You should be able to. As I said before, though, I put custom clip names in the description column. That way I get the best of both worlds – original clip name, and name that makes more sense for editorial.
[Rosie Walunas] “Am I supposed to leave the master clip named .new? Or are only the sub clips supposed to be renamed?”
You can rename either.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
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[Chip Hess] “My workplace has 6 and I am considering upgrading to 6.5.
Any pitfalls in moving projects between the two versions?”No.
[Chip Hess] “Can I bring home a 6 project, edit in 6.5
and then save it in such a way to be able to open in 6 at work?”Yes.
Best practice – make a project on 6.5 with the same name as the project on v6 and copy/paste the bins from the v6 project into the 6.5 project. When you go back to work, bring the v6.5 bins with you and paste them into the v6 project.
I did this over the weekend – v6 at work, tried the 6.5 trial at home, brought the 6.5 project to work and opened it in 6. Didn’t even follow my own advice to transfer just bins and I’ve had 0 problems. Been bouncing Avid projects around among different versions for the last 8 years and never had an issue.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Michael Phillips] “one would think (as the original poster hinted at) could/should be done with a direct AMA link if it knows what the original frame rate is… just do it in the background.”
Agreed 100%. Another thing I’d like to see Avid implement is background transcode. Let me sort through the AMA footage and start logging/cutting/sorting while it transcodes in the background, then have it immediately relink everything to the transcoded media. Right now I have to use ALEs and the preview function in Finder to make comments while it transcodes.
It would also be great it if it could transcode a file and keep the file’s native frame rate regardless of the frame rate of the project, or transcode to the project’s frame rate while still being able to relink to the original file (without making multiple projects).
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Michael Hancock
Editor