Avid MC 12.3 won't link/import R3D's

[Aris_Gavriilidis]

Hello everyone,

I just started learning Media Composer, I'm still at the earliest stages of figuring out the interface and how everything works but I'm having a serious issue with the most essential operation - linking/importing media, specifically R3D's since it's the only type of material I work with.

Going to the Source Browser, I navigate to the R3D I want to link to - link being the key word here - and when I attempt to bring it in I instantly get the message "The file format of "(Clip Name).R3D" is not supported for import". I have installed the RED Plugin, all the metadata for the clip is visible in the Source Browser and it even opens and plays in the Source Monitor, but it just won't link.

Here's the odd thing though, as soon as I hit OK on that error message, another one pops up that says "The file (file location) cannot be imported. Do you want to link and consolidate/transcode it?". If I hit "Yes", the file does indeed transcode into an LB DNX flavor but the reason I find this odd is because, back in the Source Browser window itself, other than the linking option which doesn't work as I said above, the importing one, with all the transcoding flavor choices, doesn't either!

Does anyone have any idea what exactly is going on here???

 

[rand thompson]

Aris,


Welcome to Avid Media Composer(said in sarcastic manner). I departed Avid Media Composer at version 8.5 after using it since version 2.5. Everything was fine until I started working with Sony S-Log and especially Red .R3d files. You would think ,like with some other files, that it would give you the option to encode the files to some flavor of DNxHD / HR so that the files would be usable within Media Composer, it did with most other files.

I had to "link to " the .R3d files to use them. Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro and Davinci Resolve allowed you to directly import .R3D files and work with them, Why not Avid? I just wrote it off as the .R3Ds metadata having some kind of adverse relationship with Avid"s legendary Media Management , which I still don't think has been matched by any other NLE.


But after all of the Avid "work arounds" I just said fuck it, it should be as easy to work with . R3D files on Avid as it is with any other NLE. I loved Media Composer but along with the lack of "Native" support for some Raw files, the licensing bullshit and the deactivation and uninstalling of Media Composer and then Reactivating and installing for new Updates everytime, I just got tired of it an came to Davinci Resolve.

I don know if Media Composer has changed all that much since I left at version 8.5 but hopefully for your sake I hope it has.

 

[rand thompson]

Aris,


Maybe this will help.


Importing 8K RED Helium Files into Avid Media Composer

We recently worked on an 8k project. Prior to filming, I didn't find a lot of information about what I should expect from the perspective of a post workflow. There were some flashy advertisements and promotions for AVID, but nothing from the average production company. So this is that tutorial. Learn what to expect when filming with the RED Helium 8k in an Avid Media Composer workflow.



Here Is a Link to a lot of older Kevin P McAuliffe youtube Tutorials that helped me out a lot when I was using Media Composer.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_RMaj5zLpt1iJ7MtSGMrw/videos

 

[Aris_Gavriilidis]

I want to make the switch from Premiere Pro, which I've been using for the last few years, to Avid, since it's supposed to be the best NLE around but my initial experience so far has been disappointing.

I watched this particular tutorial before I even installed Avid in its entirety, but I just can't bring the footage into it no matter what, sure after the second error message it does allow for transcoding, albeit with no control over the DNX flavor, but even if I edited this way, without being able to link back to the original R3D's, there's no point!

After all the bugs, crashes and lack of features I experienced with Premiere, I expected Avid to be smooth sailing but it isn't...

 

[rand thompson]

Aris,

I went in the opposite direction, from Avid Media Composer to Adobe Premiere Pro to natively work with .R3d files. However, I could never really love Premiere Pro as much as Avid Media Composer. I Believed like you that Avid Media Composer was the best
NLE around. It was used for about 84% of feature films and in episodic television series along with Avid Nitris DX hardware and Avid Symphony ,which is now all wrapped up into Media Composer with the extra Symphony Option.

I remember how glad I was when Avid finally came out with a greater than HD codec, DNxHR. But again, the workflow work arounds for Sony S-Log and Red .R3D files, neither which Media Composer supported Natively, kind of changed things for me.

I have been checking up on Media Composer regularly to see if maybe they have made any major changes to their basic workflow philosophy , but it seems not. So I'm sticking with Resolve and hoping they continue to make even further changes especially in its Editing capabilities that finally help me not to miss Media Composer at all anymore.