AVID Media Composer 101

What are the three principal windows of the Avid interface? - Timeline Window, Composer Window, Bin Container Window Which window serves as the central hub of your project? - Timeline Window What is a bin? - A container file that holds the assets in your project How do you combine one open bin with another open bin? - Open two bins in one window. Double click on a bin in the left hand panel, which by default opens the bin on the same bar under a different tab. Click and drag to subdivide. What are the two ways to create your own user profile? - 1. File Menu Settings User Tab 2. Select Project Window How can you save changes to a workspace? - 1. Windows Workspaces Save Current. 2. Workspace toolbar on right side of user interface 3. Disclosure Triangle under the currently selected workspace has an option to Save Current, and the small triangle in the circle at the bottom of the toolbar. Which setting allows you to change the look of your interface? - File Settings User Tab What is saved during an auto-save? - A copy of your bins in the backup file called the Attic. What is the difference between linking and importing media? - Importing creates new media (copies and moves), linking does not. True or false: When linking media, you can remove the original source drive or camera card containing the media and your media will remain online. - False Where can you get additional AMA plug-ins? - Download new AMA plug-ins Avid Link AMA plug-ins. If you want to drag clips from the desktop to a Media Composer bin, and you want to link the clips rather than import them, which modifier key must you press? - Option What are two ways to load a clip in the Source monitor? - Double click the clip icon. What function is associated with the spacebar by default? - Play What is the value of using the J-K-L keys to control playback? - Mouse free scrubbing: normal speed, reverse, frame by frame What are the default keys for marking IN and OUT marks? - I and O How can you save your work? - Work saves automatically, but to save it manually you can: 1. CMD+S 2. FileSave All 3. Just a bin: CMD+SHIFT+9. 4. Fast Menu What is the principal goal of a rough cut? - To get all the best footage (audio and video) in the timeline in chronological order. How can you view the audio waveforms of your source material? - 1. Switch source mode by pressing the Toggle Source Button 2. Press the disclosure triangle next to the timecode above the timeline What is Auto-Patching? How does it work? - Auto patching lets you automatically patch tracks based on track activation. How can you create more definition in your waveforms? - 1. Select two tracks 2. CMD+OPTION+K With which editing function(s) are you more likely to break sync? - Splice in What is one way to ensure you maintain sync when editing segments into a sequence? - Maintain sync between all tracks in the timeline What do the Go to Previous Event and Go to Next Event functions do? - Makes the position indicator jump forward or backward How would you mark a source clip so it is back-timed from its OUT point when editedbetween marks in a sequence? - 1. Add only the out point 2. Move the position indicator to where you want the clip to bein What is the difference between the Lift function and the Extract function? When might you use one or the other? - Lift removes and replaces with filler. Extract removes and closes the gap. What is filler? - Empty space in the timeline. How do you change the default Segment Mode tool for when you drag a clip from the Source monitor to the Timeline? - 1. Right-click on the Segment Mode dropdown menu 2. Click the checkbox next to the tools icon Why might two images in a four-frame display appear identical? What type of edit is being performed? - 1. The display during dragging is set to four frame 2. A splice-in edit What determines the active tool while working in the Timeline? - In smart-tool mode, the mouse's position determines which tool is enabled while working on the Timeline What are two ways to add audio or video tracks to a sequence? - 1. Dragging or dropping in Splice or Overwrite 2. Splicing or overwriting with keyboard keys How do you enable the Solo option on an audio track? - Click the S button next to the track to solo it If the music in a sequence is too loud, how can you lower the volume of just the music? - 1. Open the Track Control panel 2. Click the Audio Data button to enable Clip Gain. 3. Solo the track and adjust the slider icon Why is Segment Mode Lift/Overwrite (RED) well-suited for editing audio? - They are least likely to break sync Why is it useful to see audio waveforms while editing? - They are a visual representation of all the sounds in a clip and allows faster editing What is one method or shortcut to adjust the clip gain in the Timeline besides dragging the mini fader? - SHIFT+OPTION+up arrow/down arrow What is Digital Audio Scrub? How do you enable it? - 1. Plays the Audio samples associated with each frame 2. To temporarily activate: SHIFT-drag through Timeline. How do you remove a shot from the sequence and leave a gap (or filler)? - Use Lift/Overwrite tool to select and delete What does this button do? - Adds an edit in the middle of a segment What does the link Selection Toggle do? - It keeps the audio and video segments that were imported together in sync Why is the yellow segment mode often well-suited for video and the red for audio? - The red is better at keeping sync What is the danger of performing an edit with the Ripple Trim tool? - It closes the gap so may break sync What is Sync Lock? - It locks audio to video What is the shortcut for Undo? - Command+Z What is a match-frame edit? How do you remove one or more of them? - 1. The edit point created by the add edit button 2. Add marks in and out and select timeline remove match frame edits 3. If no in out points are used it will delete all match frame edits What impact does Ripple Trim have on a track and/or sequence? - The segment either gets longer / shorter which effects all following materiel What are the steps to remove a segment from a sequence using Lift/Overwrite Segment Mode tool? What is the result? - 1. Select by clicking, pressing T, or marking I and O. Then press Lift/Overwrite (D in Red) 2. Selected clip is replaced with filler Suppose you try to remove an audio segment from the sequence using either the yellow or red Segment Mode tool. The first time you press the Delete key, the segment remains in place. The second time, the segment is removed as expected. Why? - If you have adjusted clip gain or added an effect, those will be deleted first. If you want to use the Quick Transition dialog box to apply multiple dissolves to a series of cut points, how do you identify the cuts to which the dissolves will be applied? - 1. Select tracks in the track selector panel 2. Mark in and out points to bracket all cuts 3. Click apply all What is a handle? - The unused portion of a master clip What must you do to ensure a Quick Transition is added only to a video cut point and not to an audio cut point? - Turn on record track selector for video and off for audio True or false: The Transition Corner display shows the first, middle, and last frames of the A-side and B-side of the transition. - True 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 (you must drag it into a bin) What function must you enable before you can drag within a transition effect in the Timeline to change its duration or position? - Transition manipulation tool in the timeline toolbar How do you apply an effect to multiple segments? - 1. Select a segment and choose to the right 2. Shift click those you want to apply 3. Double click the effect in the effects palette After a clip is stabilized, how do you compare the stabilized version with the original video? - 1. Use green enable buttons for active parameters in the effects editor 2. Reclick the enable button to disable How do you lock down a shot with the Stabilize effect? - 1. Effects paletteimage categorystabilize effect 2. Allow tracking, click SteadyGuide button When using automatic color correction, what is the suggested order of corrections in HSL? - Contrast then balance When using automatic color correction, what is the suggested order of corrections inCurves? - Balance then contrast Under what category is the FluidMorph effect located in the Effect Palette? - Illusion FX Is FluidMorph a real-time effect? - No What do the Enlarge and Reduce buttons do in the Effect Preview monitor? - Change size of the viewing area in the effect preview monitor, making it easier to work beyond the boundaries of the visible frame Using a Resize effect, how can you scale a clip in the Effect Preview monitor but maintain the aspect ratio? - Control handle in the upper right corner How do you delete a keyframe? - Click and delete