AVID PREVIEWS AJA Kona / Blackmagic / MOTU, 64-bit, res-independent, 7.1, Red Giant &

[Greg Huson]

'b for blade'

'b for blade'

:emote_couch:
Something very small, but i really love is a razor tool.
To slice clips in the time line and drag them around, I know it ain't an organized way of editing.
But I loved that in FCP!!

This has been in Media Composer as long as I can remember-I use it constantly- except that I don't map it to the overwrite key! Instead of turning on the 'blade,' then cutting a track, then turning OFF the blade- I have... Uh... I think it's called 'add edit'... mapped to the keyboard. In my case, F7.

park the playhead where you want to 'razor' the track, and hit ONE keystroke. Then use the tool you prefer to move the segment around. 'snapping' is also not a toggle- it's a key you hold down while moving a segment around. So, you're not constantly turning snapping on and off.

 

[Job ter Burg]

razor tool.
To slice clips in the time line and drag them around,

In Avid, you have 'Add Edit'. Then drag (parts of) clips around. It has been there since waaay before FCP.

 

[Adam Eden]

If this is true and AVID will now work in 2k, 4K and be resolution independent like DS and with DI... Well i now have a massive erection!!

I have been dreaming of this moment for years as I hate SMOKE, DS and all the other finishing apps. I love Symphony because i have been on Avid since version 1.5 (Bout 93/94??) and i know it like the back of my hand. I have been finishing major projects on HDCAM SR that need to go to film but i really need a DI workflow/ finish, and everything I have seen so far has been a really steep learning curve that i really don't want to get my head around.

All i need now is AVID symphony to have power windows and the ability to make a DCP then AVID WILL RULE THE WORLD AGAIN!!!

Yes i am an AVID FANBOY....

 

[David Battistella]

If AVID was proactive in 2001 and did this instead of being REACTIVE in 2011, just imagine what the NLE landscape might be right now.

I think that there is a short window for AVID and PRemier to scoop market share and they are taking advantage of a great opportunity.

Is AVID 64 bit?
Are their codecs any better? Traditionally they really sacrificed image quality for ease of use?
Is it still a closed system, really hard to import various forms of media?
Does it still require a dongle?
How is it on a laptop?

Maybe I'll download a demo and see what's changed in the editing function since version 1.2. I'm curious.

David

 

[Adam Eden]

If AVID was proactive in 2001 and did this instead of being REACTIVE in 2011, just imagine what the NLE landscape might be right now.

I think that there is a short window for AVID and PRemier to scoop market share and they are taking advantage of a great opportunity.

Is AVID 64 bit?
Are their codecs any better? Traditionally they really sacrificed image quality for ease of use?
Is it still a closed system, really hard to import various forms of media?
Does it still require a dongle?
How is it on a laptop?

Maybe I'll download a demo and see what's changed in the editing function since version 1.2. I'm curious.

David

Is AVID 64 bit? On version 6 it will be
Are their codecs any better? Traditionally they really sacrificed image quality for ease of use? Avid codecs are rock solid and have no gamma shift, and have a 10bit compressed codec also
Is it still a closed system, really hard to import various forms of media? Works great with all media
Does it still require a dongle? No
How is it on a laptop? Awesome on a laptop

 

[Job ter Burg]

Is AVID 64 bit?

The next release will be, yes.

Are their codecs any better? Traditionally they really sacrificed image quality for ease of use?

DNxHD is a great, reliable codec. And they have announced a 4:4:4 version of it.

Is it still a closed system, really hard to import various forms of media?

It's very flexible these days, since AMA was introduced. This allows a direct link to file-based media (including QT, R3D, P2 XDCAM), and an optional transcode.

Does it still require a dongle?

You can either use it with a dongle, or with a software licensing code.

How is it on a laptop?

It performs very well on a laptop.

 

[Patrick Tresch]

If AVID was proactive in 2001 and did this instead of being REACTIVE in 2011, just imagine what the NLE landscape might be right now.

You are sooo right. But AVID lost the scope of their core business : editing tool for editors and went with more or less talent with sound, post-production (DS), media distribution... and lost a lot of editors in the way, perhaps for the sake of their business?

Good it looks like they are back and listening to the "market".

Pat

 

[Christoffer Glans]

There's A LOT of people in here who believe things about Avid that is not true. How come? Where do you get the faulty info?

Thanks Bruce, this is exciting. It's clear that the sharks smell blood and Avid MC is moving in like a Great White

Have you heard any behind the scenes info about R3D support -- Ted was saying Avid really values the Red relationship, so we'll
see I guess ...

What do you mean? You have been able to edit R3D material natively for over a year with MC and it comes with property changes to the RAW data as well.

You are sooo right. But AVID lost the scope of their core business : editing tool for editors and went with more or less talent with sound, post-production (DS), media distribution... and lost a lot of editors in the way, perhaps for the sake of their business?

Good it looks like they are back and listening to the "market".

Pat

They have been listening since version 3,5, so they have been "back" for quite some time.

Is AVID 64 bit?
Are their codecs any better? Traditionally they really sacrificed image quality for ease of use?
Is it still a closed system, really hard to import various forms of media?
Does it still require a dongle?
How is it on a laptop?

This is why people are still thinking Avid is worse then FCP. Because they haven't updated their info on the software since version 1.2.
The next version will be 64 bit. Their codec is as good as ProRes, but without the gamma shifts and it's supported by all other editing applications. It's an open source codec. In my opinion it's much better then ProRes in that sense.
It's not a closed system, with AMA it's more open then FCP. And it offers all the professional workflows you need.
It doesn't require a dongle... I have edited a feature film released in cinemas on an old quad core PC with Avid MC 3,5.

 

[Cüneyt Kaya]

ok avid users, what i liked about fcp is marking a group of clips (a scene) drag it and move it around the timeline somewhere else for example between two random scenes.
how do i do this in avid?

 

[Adam Eden]

You lasoo a group of clips and can either insert or overwrite them (depending what mode you are in) by dragging them wherever you like. Very simple stuff. I normally lasoo then copy and paste into the source window.

Avid works really well with keyboard shortcuts. Buy the coloured keyboard or keycaps and you will be away in no time.

 

[Cüneyt Kaya]

sounds good.
adam sorry but where/how do i lasso a group of clips?
and why are you dragging them into the source window.

someone really has to write avid for final cutter

 

[Steve Sherrick]

I hate to be the preacher here, not my style, but I think it may be imperative for a lot of the FCP editors here to download the Avid for Final Cut Editors class available at Avid and Class On Demand. Not saying MC is perfect but there seems to be some misinformation and confusion surrounding it, so best bet is for everyone considering it to study up. At this point with the deals going around, and the hardware starting to be shared amongst all 3 of the major NLEs, I think it might make a lot of sense to get all of them and build a powerful editing environment that can handle just about any job, utilizing the strengths of each NLE.

 

[Christoffer Glans]

Yes, there's a lot of confusion. A lot people have been complaining about Avid for years, I think a lot of the lack of insight comes from just flame wars which have no real basis in reality. The Avid haters have made up things about Avid to complain because if you speak a lie too many times it becomes a truth to you. Avid is one of the best (might be the best editing application when MC6 comes out) on the market.
People missing out on that because of made up flame war propaganda is just sad.

 

[Adam Eden]

sounds good.
adam sorry but where/how do i lasso a group of clips?
and why are you dragging them into the source window.

someone really has to write avid for final cutter

Hold the mouse button down then Lasoo around the top of the clips you want. Then hold apple/command and click on the clips and move them where ever you like. Depending on what colour the arrow is (either red or yellow) depends on if you are going to overwrite or insert that stack of clips. To change from red to yellow arrow, hold you mouse pointer higher and lower on the stack of clips.

It is pretty simple really..

 

[Elmer Tenkink]

This has been in Media Composer as long as I can remember-I use it constantly- except that I don't map it to the overwrite key! Instead of turning on the 'blade,' then cutting a track, then turning OFF the blade- I have... Uh... I think it's called 'add edit'... mapped to the keyboard. In my case, F7.

park the playhead where you want to 'razor' the track, and hit ONE keystroke. Then use the tool you prefer to move the segment around. 'snapping' is also not a toggle- it's a key you hold down while moving a segment around. So, you're not constantly turning snapping on and off.

Thank You!, I'll look into it.
I am new to Avid, recently did the crossgrade from fcp I did the getting started tutorials to have a better understanding from the beginning.
I love Avid now a lot! It is fast, stable and managing files have never been so great!
The community around Avid is very great and helpful, even for the noobs from fcp
There next version as it seem, could blow all competition away (or as i hope for them).

 

[David Battistella]

I'll be honest.

You know how everyone is feeling about FCP right now. Ten years ago AVID had a chance to respond by doing any number of things to bring more people under the media composer tent.

I was an avid evangelist (the first person to use it in national primetime network news where I worked at the time). They blew people like me off. They ignored FCP and called it a joke.

I'll look at it again. I was very fast in that software. But I find it hard to grasp that it's Apple who has the guts to make a change in the way NLE's work when AVID is the self professed leader of the editing universe.

It's a good tool. But it will take more than a makeover to get me back in the AVID tent.


Rant over.

I still actually really appreciate some of what that tool does. But FCP had ten bit uncompressed at a tenth the price. Now 100k software is 9.99 and trolling for discontented FCP users.

I find it all quite bizarre.
When I think AVID I think Sony

When I think apple. I think red.

 

[Elmer Tenkink]

I think it might make a lot of sense to get all of them and build a powerful editing environment that can handle just about any job, utilizing the strengths of each NLE.

I agree with you, with all this deals going around it is a good time to invest in all major 3 NLE's.
This is what I have been doing, I took all the deals and am very busy learning all of them.
What takes some serious time to do, but hopeful it will build into a strong workflow.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

I'll be honest.

You know how everyone is feeling about FCP right now. Ten years ago AVID had a chance to respond by doing any number of things to bring more people under the media composer tent.

I was an avid evangelist (the first person to use it in national primetime network news where I worked at the time). They blew people like me off. They ignored FCP and called it a joke.

I'll look at it again. I was very fast in that software. But I find it hard to grasp that it's Apple who has the guts to make a change in the way NLE's work when AVID is the self professed leader of the editing universe.

It's a good tool. But it will take more than a makeover to get me back in the AVID tent.


Rant over.

I still actually really appreciate some of what that tool does. But FCP had ten bit uncompressed at a tenth the price. Now 100k software is 9.99 and trolling for discontented FCP users.

I find it all quite bizarre.
When I think AVID I think Sony

When I think apple. I think red.

Time will tell, but there is now a fundamental difference in the way the two companies are operating. As far as I can tell, Avid has refocused themselves on the market that made them, while Apple has other agendas. Both may end up with the kind of market they want, and that's fine. I have to think though if Avid fixes a few of its shortcomings such as the 64 bit issue(which it has with MC6) then it really has the potential to dominate once again because there are so many things it does well. And Adobe is making its push too, and should be a very viable option for many people. I feel two companies are listening to what editors want, while the other company is perhaps telling people what they want. I think we'll know a lot more in six months about how this is all going to play out. I stand by my position that having all three in your shop may not be such a bad thing. They are all affordable now and they should provide everything an editor needs to deal with the variety of formats out there.

 

[David Battistella]

I think it might make a lot of sense to get all of them and build a powerful editing environment that can handle just about any job, utilizing the strengths of each NLE.

Steve,

I think that this is what FCP X actually is.

David

 

[Job ter Burg]

Steve,

I think that this is what FCP X actually is.

David

In its current incarnation? For longform with external sound post and grading?