Book Image

Avid Media Composer 6.x Cookbook

By : Benjamin Hershleder
Book Image

Avid Media Composer 6.x Cookbook

By: Benjamin Hershleder

Overview of this book

Avid Media Composer has become the tool of choice by editing professionals worldwide. Whether your project involves editing television programming, independent films, corporate industrials or commercials, this cookbook shows you exactly how to do so in a step-by-step and practical manner, and get the most out of Avid Media Composer editing. "Avid Media Composer 6.x Cookbook" is an expert, clear and logically-sequenced resource with highly effective recipes for learning Avid Media Composer essentials and beyond. It's task-based approach will help users at all experience levels gain a deeper, more thorough understanding of the software. It will help you master the essential, core editing features as well as reveal numerous tips and tricks that editors can benefit from immediately. Just some of the topics include understanding Import settings, mixing frame rates and understanding AMA (Avid Media Access), along with thorough explanations of Trim Mode, Segment Mode, and the Smart Tool. You will learn to customize your work environment with Workspaces, Bin Layouts, Timeline Views, Bin Views, Keyboard Mapping, and much more. The recipes inside are packed with practical examples, time-saving tools and methods to get you working faster and more confidently so that you can spend less time dealing with technical and operational issues and instead focusing on being creative.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Avid Media Composer 6.x Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Using the Trim functions in the Smart Tool


You can enable as many of the functions in the Smart Tool that you like. When you enable multiple functions, then you can then access them directly in the Timeline, simply based on where you place your cursor. This saves you time from having to turn functions on or off. Let's start by focusing on using just the trimming functions.

  1. Within the Smart Tool, enable both the red Overwrite Trim function as well as the yellow Ripple Trim function. Note that enabling a function(s) within the Smart Tool also enables the Smart Tool itself. Use any of the methods described in the Smart tool overview recipe to disable and/or re-enable the Smart Tool as a whole at any time.

  2. When multiple Smart Tool functions are enabled, you access them right in the Timeline based on where you place your cursor. Remember, in this example, we're discussing only the red Overwrite Trim function and the yellow Ripple Trim function, though you can have any combination of functions enabled that you like.

    • Placing the cursor near a transition, on either the A-Side or B-Side, towards the top half of the segment indicates red Overwrite Trim (discussed earlier in this appendix in the Trimming icons and colors section).

    • Placing the cursor near a transition, on either the A-Side or B-Side, towards the bottom-half of the segment indicates yellow Ripple Trim.

    • Placing the cursor exactly over the transition will display a white icon of one Trim Roller with the film extending out from it in both directions. This icon indicates Double-Roller Trim.

    • Once you have displayed the tool you want (Overwrite Trim, Ripple Trim, or Double-Roller Trim), then click the mouse to engage it.

Notice that the Smart Tool palette reminds you where to position your cursor in the Timeline by placing the red tools above the yellow tools.