AVID Media Composer 101 Certification Exam

Where does Media Composer store the project files for private projects? - in the logged-on OS users' Documents folder Which button in the Select Project dialog box is used to navigate to the location of an external project? - The Folder Browse button Name the four principal windows of the Avid interface - Composer window, Timeline, Project Window, Bin window Which window serves as the central hub of your project? - project window What is a bin? - A bin is a container file that holds the assets in your project, including audio and video master clips, subclass, sequences, titles, effects, graphics, etc. How do you combine one open bin with another open bin? - Click the tab at the top of the tool window and drag it on top of the window with which you want to combine it What are the two ways to create your own User Profile? - "settings" "user profile" "create user profile" type a name in Launch media composer and when the select project screen appears, click "user profile menu" and select "Create user profile" and enter name. How can you save changes to a Workspace? - windows workspaces save current Which setting allows you to change the look of your interface? - project window settings tab interface setting What is saved during an Autosave? - bins Shortcut to Activate the Project window - Ctrl+9 Shortcut to Step backward eight frames/ten frames - 1 Shortcut to Step forward eight frames/ten frames - 2 Shortcut to Step backward one frame - 3, left arrow Shortcut to Step forward one frame - 4, right arrow Shortcut to Play forward - 5, space bar Shortcut to Jump to first frame - Home Shortcut to Jump to last frame - end Shortcut to Enlarge height of timeline tracks, change the size of clip frames in a bin, and change the zoom factor of the Source, Record, and Effects monitor - Ctrl+L Shortcut to Reduce height of Timeline tracks - Ctrl+K Shortcut to Save - ctrl+s Shortcut to quit application - ctrl+q What is the difference between linking and importing media? - Linking--connects media file to project in AVID; does not move or copy file importing--copying media to predefined location and converts it to AVID media at the same time; brand new file separate from original True or false: When linking media, you can remove the original source drive camera card containing the media and your media will remain online. - false Where can you get additional AMA plug-ins? - Marketplace menu AMA plugins You are going to drag clips from the desktop to a Media Composer bin, and want to link the clips, rather than import. Which modifier key must you press to do this? - alt (opt on Mac)+drag clips from desktop to open bin Name two ways to load a clip in the Source monitor. - double-click it in the bin OR drag clip(s) from the bin What function is associated with the space bar by default? - play/pause What is the value of using the J-K-L keys to control playback? - What is the value of using the J-K-L keys to control playback? offer refined playback speed; efficiency for editing (J-backward, K-stop, Lforward; clicking J or L more than once will speed up in whatever direction) Name the default keys for making IN and OUT marks. - mark IN - E, I mark OUT - R, O How can you save your work? - Single bin: Select bin Ctrl+S All bins: Project window or Ctrl+9 Ctrl+S or File Save All Shortcut to Create a new bin - ctrl+N shortcut to shuttle - JKL keys Shortcut to Select all (clips) - ctrl+A Shortcut to Enlarge heights of timeline tracks, enlarge clip frames, and enlarge image in a selected monitor - ctrl+L What is the principal goal of the rough cut? - Focuses on story structure to see if the project works overall. Not detail oriented. How can you view the audio waveforms of your source material? - Open Track Control Panel (small triangle next to green timecode display) Click Waveform Button (for tracks you want to display audio waveforms) What is AutoPatching? How does it work? - Autopatching is a setting that allows you to automatically patch tracks based on the track activation. It works by allowing you to patch tracks without reaching for the mouse. Disable TRACKS in the record column, enable the desired TRACK by clicking on the Record Track Selectors so that the source tracks will jump to the new enabled Record Track. The following figure shows the waveforms for a music track, but they are of little use because there is almost no definition in the waveforms. How can you make them more useful? - to reduce the size of the waveform, select the track Ctrl+Alt+K With which editing function(s) are you more likely to break sync -- Splice-In, Overwrite, Lift, or Extract? Why? - splice-in and extract because they push the downstream material back or pull the material back forward; ripple effects What are two ways you've learned about to ensure that you maintain sync when editing segments into the sequence? - - be sure to add, or remove, the same amount from all tracks that have to stay in sync - Enable Sync Lock, or make sure all tracks are enabled when splicing in. What do the functions Go to Previous Event and Go to Next Event do? - navigation tools that jump the position indicator from edit to edit Describe the process of backtiming an edit. - You mark IN and OUT points in the timeline and mark an OUT point only in the Source Monitor, the system automatically determines the start frame of the source clip What is the difference between Lift and Extract? When might you use one or the other? - lift-removes material from the timeline leave filler in its place; use if you want to maintain rhythm or synchronization of sequence extract-removes material from the timeline and closes the gap left by its removal What is filler? - Filler refers to the empty space in a sequence/timeline; used to placehold. You can still apply effects and transitions to filler. Shortcut to Add new mono track - ctrl+U Shortcut to add new stereo audio track - ctrl+shift+U Shortcut to enlarge height of timeline tracks that are enabled - ctrl+L Shortcut to reduce height of timeline tracks that are enabled - ctrl+K Shortcut to enlarge the waveform display - ctrl+alt+L Shortcut to reduce the waveform display - ctrl+alt+K Shortcut to enable/disable all waveform displays - alt-click the waveform button Shortcut to lift - Z Shortcut to extract - X Shortcut to splice-in - V Shortcut to overwrite - B Shortcut to jump to next edit point - go to next event - S Shortcut to jump to previous edit point - go to previous event - A Shortcut to toggle digital audio scrub - caps lock Shortcut to temporarily enable digital audio scrub - shift What type of edit is performed by default when you drag a clip from Source Monitor to the Timeline? - splice-in Why do images A and D appear identical? What type of edit is being performed? - the frames are adjacent to each other in the original footage; splice into existing segment With the Smart Tool configured this way, what determines the active tool while working in the Timeline? - location of the mouse pointer Name two ways to add audio or video tracks to a sequence? - 1. drag segment above or below existing one 2. Command + Y (video)/U (audio) How can you enable solo on an audio track? What is the result? - click "S" on the left of the audio track; only that audio track will play If the music is too loud, how can you lower the volume of just the music? - use clip gain; fader button click and drag to adjust Why is the Segment Mode Lift/Overwrite well-suited for editing audio? - Because it maintains sync between audio and video tracks. Why are audio waveforms useful to see while editing? - Because you can identify peaks and troughs in music/dialogue; useful for editing. Name one method or shortcut to adjust the clip gain in the Timeline besides dragging the mini-fader. - Click and use up/down arrow keys OR type in the amount you want What is Digital Audio Scrub? How is it enabled? - Digital Audio Scub Plays Audio as you scrub over the video. To Enable: Hold Shift and Scrub or you can Turn Cap Locks on and Scrub over video. Describe the steps to overwrite a segment to the Timeline using drag-and-drop. - Use the red arrow and disable the yellow arrow (Splice-In) within the segment tool then drag Shortcut to Undo - ctrl+z Shortcut to Create a new sequence - ctrl+shift+N Shortcut to Create a new video track - ctrl+Y Shortcut to Smart Tool toggle - shift+tab Shortcut to Link Selection Toggle - shift+L Shortcut to Snap head frame to edit point - ctrl-drag Shortcut to Snap tailframe to edit point - ctrl+alt-drag Shortcut to Enable/disable waveforms on all tracks - alt-click waveform button Shortcut to Reduce the size of the waveform - alt+ctrl+k Shortcut to Enable/disable clip gain on all tracks - alt-click Clip Gain in track menu Shortcut to Open Audio tool - ctrl+1 Shortcut to Activate digital audio scrub - shift-drag through the timeline Shortcut to Toggle Digital Audio Scrub on and off - caps lock Shortcut to Adjust clip gain in 1dB increments - click mini fader up/down arrow keys Shortcut to Set clip gain to specific value - click mini fader type the number Shortcut to Reset level to 0 dB - alt-click fader icon Shortcut to Adjust gain in 1dB increments without opening the mini fader (affects all segments on active tracks at the location of the playhead) - shift+up/down arrow How can you remove a shot from the sequence and leave a gap (or filler)? - 1. Select Lift/Overwrite, the Red Arrow in the Smart Tool 2. Click a Video Segment to select it 3. While pressing the Command Key, drag the Segment to a new location. 4. Release the Segment What is this button? (film reel w line) - Add Edit Buttoncreates edit point called "match frame edit"; allows you to divide segments in the timeline What is this button? (3 boxes with connectors) - link selection toggle; if it is active, when you select a video segment, the system automatically selects its audio segments too Why is the yellow segment mode often well-suited for video and the red for audio? - Yellow Arrow---Extract/Splice-In or Yellow Segment Mode is well suited for video because it allows you move a shot or series of shots from one location to another within the sequence. it makes space for the video wherever it's dropped Red Arrow--- Lift/Overwrite or Red Segment Mode is well-suited for audio because everything in the sequence stays locked in place while the segment moves to the new location. What is the danger of performing a Ripple Trim? - It may cause clips to go out of sync What are Sync Locks? How can you enable/disable them? - lock the sync relationship between audio and video on any tracks for which they are enabled. To enable: Click the button on each track you wish to lock together. or Click the button on the TC1 track to Lock All Tracks What are Match-Frame Edits? How can you remove them? - unwanted edit points on other tracks that weren't disabled when adding edits To remove: 1. Select the Tracks with the add edits. 2. Mark IN and Out Points around the area with edits you want to remove; or clear IN and OUT Points to remove them from the entire sequence 3. Choose ClipRemove Match Frame Edits What impact does Ripple Trim have on a track and/or the sequence? - shortens the segment without opening a gap, but moves downstream material. Could cause sync issues. What are the steps to remove a segment from the sequence using Lift/Overwrite Segment Mode? What is the result? - 1. Activate Lift/Overwrite tool in the Smart Tool and deactivate Extract/Splice-In 2. select segments you want to remove 3. press delete or backspace -- leaves a gap in its place You try to remove an audio segment from the sequence using either the yellow or red Segment Mode arrows, but the first time you hit delete, the segment remains in place. The second time, it is removed as expected. Why? - it only deleted the gain adjustment the first time but the second time deleted the actual audio segment shortcut for selecting the segments but not the filler between - Alt+click select right button shortcut for locking the segment to vertical moves only - ctrl+shift-drag shortcut for toggling off trim mode - U or esc shortcut for toggling on trim mode - U shortcut for toggling ripple trim - shift+D shortcut for toggling overwrite trim - shift+F shortcut for redo - ctrl+r If you want to add multiple dissolves to a series of cut points using the Quick Transition dialog box, how do you identify the cuts that will get the dissolves? - 1. select tracks you want to apply effect on 2. mark cuts with IN and OUT point 3. click quick transition button 4. select "Apply to All Transitions" 5. click "Add" button What is a handle, and why is it important in the context of effects? - Extra media on a clip- used in transitions; enables you to modify exactly where the transition starts and ends What must you do to ensure a Quick Transition is added only to a video cut point, and not an audio cut point? - Make sure the video track is enabled, and no audio tracks are in the track selector panel. True or False: Dragging a transition from the Effect Palette onto an existing transition in the Timeline replaces the existing transition. - true True or False: To save an effect template, you drag the effect icon from the upperleft corner of the Effect Editor into the Effect Palette. - false; drag into bin What function must be enabled before dragging a transition effect in the Timeline to change its duration or position? - You must click the transition manipulation button before dragging transitions in the Timeline. shortcut for opening the Quick Transition dialog box - (backslash) shortcut for opening the Effect Palette - ctrl+8 How do you apply an effect to multiple segments? - select segments you want double-click the segment effect in the effect palette Once a clip is stabilized, how can you compare the stabilized result with the original video? - disable the stabilize effect by disabling the active parameters in the effect editor can be enabled again at any time How do you "lock down" a shot with the Stabilize effect? - 1. "image" in effect palette, drag "stabilize" effect onto a segment on timeline 2. allow effect to process, don't close tracking tool window 3. in tracking tool window, toggle off steadyglide button When using Automatic Color Correction, what is the suggested order of corrections in HSL? - Auto Contrast-- Auto balance When using Automatic Color Correction, what is the suggested order of corrections in Curves? - Balance-- Contrast Under what category is the Fluid Morph located in the Effect Palette? - Illusion FX category Is Fluid Morph a real time effect? What are two ways you can know this? - no; Real Time: Green Dot Effect Must Be Rendered: Blue Dot What do the Enlarge and Reduce buttons do in the Effect Preview monitor? - Zooms In or Out from the clip, allowing you to work outside the frame Using a Resize effect, how can you scale a clip in the Effect Preview monitor but maintain the aspect ratio? - Using a Resize effect, how can you scale a clip in the Effect Preview monitor but maintain the aspect ratio? Effect editor check fix aspect ratio box How do you delete a keyframe? - Select the keyframe and press the delete key How do you add an effect to a clip in the Timeline on top of an existing effect? - Hold option, and drag the segment effect on top of the existing effect. What is that procedure called (adding an effect to a clip in the timeline on top of an existing effect)? - Autonesting What are the two different methods you can use to view the effects inside of a nest? - Simple Nesting and Expanded nesting What is an advantage of simple nesting? - What is an advantage of simple nesting? The video monitor follows you as you travel into the nest so you can see what is happening at a given level of the nest without seeing the effects above that level. Allows you to see that specific clip and all of the effects one at a time. No audio or sequence. What is an advantage of expanded nesting? - You can always see the composited result of all effects in the nest regardless of where you are within the nest; you can hear audio when you play; you can access material before and after your effect nest. You can see before/after in the sequence. How do you change the order of effects within a nest? - Click and drag the effect icon in the Effect Editor for the effect you wish to reorder. Shortcut to AutoNest a segment effect - alt (or option on Mac) Shortcut to Open an effect nest in the timeline using expanded nesting on the step in button - alt+click. (opt+click on Mac) Shortcut to close the expanded nesting view on the step out button - alt+click (opt+click on Mac) What are the three types of motion effects? - 1. Freeze frames 2. Motion effects 3. Timewarp effects How are freeze frames created? A. They are generated from a source clip. B. They are applied to a clip in the sequence. - A. generated from a master or sub clop in the Source monitor and creates a brand new clip; portion of freeze frame clip is edited into your sequence Why is it important to set the freeze frame render type? - It is set to the motion or the clip/best quality for freeze frame If set up incorrectly, you can end up w/a lower resolution result, visible flicker w/in what was supposed to be a softer or frozen image