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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Avid to Color - step by step

J

Jörgen Persson

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A super easy workflow from Media Composer to Apple Color via an EDL.
Tested with Color 1.5. (This is an EDL workflow so obviously it's for cuts and dissolves only).

1. Preparation.
  • Use your favorite metadata rich workflow for dailies.
  • MetaFuze (MXF), RocketCine-X (MXF), Redcine (ALE), MetaCheater (ALE), RedRushes (ALE)
  • As long as you track the R3D filename and the TOD timecode it works.

2. Edit
  • Cut the show in Media Composer.
  • Impress the client.
  • Lock the cut.

3. Prepare for EDL Export (This is the key step in the workflow)
  • Make a copy of the sequence and put it in a new bin.
  • Set Bin Display > Show Reference Clips
  • Duplicate the R3D filename from column Tape to column Name.
  • If you used MetaFuze v2 for step 1 then duplicate column Camroll to column Name

4. Export EDL
  • Make sure that you have installed EDL Manager.
  • In Media Composer choose Output>EDL or launch EDL Manager
  • In EDL Manager choose the regular CMX 3600 as the EDL template.
  • In the Comments tab select Clip Name. (Color ignores if Reel is wrong and uses Comment instead)
  • Update.
  • Save the EDL.

5. Import EDL and RED Media in Color
  • In Color choose File > Import > EDL...
  • Navigate to the EDL and open it.
  • In the dialog box choose the proper framerates and frame size for your project.
  • For Source Directory navigate to the root folder of your R3D files.
  • Click Import.

Done.

When you have finished colorgrading use File > Send to > Final Cut Pro and take it from there
 
Nice one Jörgen! Saved for future reference. -=)
 
Hi,

Thanks for this guide!

Would someone be able to post an EDL they have created using this method so I can compare my own?

I do not have access to a machine with color right now to test this method, but a copy of your edl would help me figure out if I have done the export correctly.

Actually, here is a copy of my EDL as well, so you can tell me if it's looking like how it should.

TITLE: AVIDTOCOLORTEST_SEQ
FCM: NON-DROP FRAME
001 A003_C06 V C 22:02:48:10 22:02:51:07 01:00:00:00 01:00:02:21
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C063_0905PX
002 A003_C25 V C 02:06:45:09 02:06:45:14 01:00:02:21 01:00:03:02
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C259_090763
003 A003_C13 V C 15:40:54:03 15:40:56:17 01:00:03:02 01:00:05:16
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C136_0906QL
004 A003_C13 V C 15:40:57:19 15:40:58:08 01:00:05:16 01:00:06:05
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C136_0906QL
005 A003_C13 V C 15:41:00:03 15:41:01:03 01:00:06:05 01:00:07:05
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C136_0906QL
006 A003_C07 V C 22:25:57:21 22:25:59:00 01:00:07:05 01:00:08:08
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C074_0905HK
007 A003_C25 V C 02:06:48:17 02:06:50:14 01:00:08:08 01:00:10:05
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C259_090763
008 A003_C07 V C 22:25:58:21 22:25:59:20 01:00:10:05 01:00:11:04
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C074_0905HK
009 A003_C16 V C 17:38:50:23 17:38:53:18 01:00:11:04 01:00:13:23
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C163_0906TR
010 A003_C16 V C 17:38:53:18 17:38:53:18 01:00:13:23 01:00:13:23
010 BL V D 048 00:00:00:00 00:00:02:00 01:00:13:23 01:00:15:23
* FROM CLIP NAME: A003_C163_0906TR
Click to expand...

Thank You very much!
 
The only drawback to this is the editor having to work with weird names rather than 1/1 (scene 2 take 1) for example. I would suggest the above workflow on the locked picture version and overwrite the NAME with R3D name before generating EDL. I would also suggest duplicating the NAME column into backup custom column to not lose that valuable information.

Or, Apple color could just support a 16 character EDL... ;)

Michael
 
MichaelP said:
The only drawback to this is the editor having to work with weird names rather than 1/1 (scene 2 take 1) for example. I would suggest the above workflow on the locked picture version and overwrite the NAME with R3D name before generating EDL. I would also suggest duplicating the NAME column into backup custom column to not lose that valuable information.

Or, Apple color could just support a 16 character EDL... ;)

Michael
Click to expand...

When I created the step-by-step workflow, I had just finished editing a short film and I needed to get that into Color in some way. In Media Composer I had used Scene/Take and other useful information (like CU, MS, Steadi and so on) in the Name column. While I was experimenting I actually copied Name to a backup column as you suggested above, just to be on the safe side.

But for clarity I left that part out of the step-by-step guide. It is intended as a workflow for a locked picture going into a grading session.

And I agree that reel information in Color could be better. I mean, how hard could it be to implement?
 
Wow! cool way.

congrats and thanks!
 
Extra Tip - Also Easy Avid Into FCP

Extra Tip - Also Easy Avid Into FCP

One thing i've been doing is adding _F.mov/_M.mov etc to the clip names in the edl with a text editor, importing the edl into FCP and reconnecting to the QT proxys.

Gets your sequence into FCP, then you do what you like with it.

I've been to doing this to conform and essentially neg pull my Avid edit.
Also I can afford HD-SDi monitoring for FCP and not Avid :crying: (when will they release an affordable i/o for HD!!!!!)
 
Nice video, thanks! It would be nice if Color just worked with a 16Char EDL and not have to rely on a *comments section in the EDL. It wouldn't be that hard to do as all other manufacturers have done this. We just created a 32Char EDL to support longer filenames such as ones you might find with an SI-2K workflow.

Michael
 
Workflow Check

Workflow Check

Hi Jorgen -

I'm a first time RED user, wanting to edit in Avid, grade in Apple Color, and deliver on HDCAM-SR. This workflow seems perfect, I just wanted to check a couple intermediate steps:

1) Copy and verify footage from RED Drives onto backups using Shotput Pro
2) Use Clipfinder to generate DNxHD files
-Ouput: Quicktime
-Debayer: 1/4
-Codec: 720p DNxHD
3) Ingest this media into Avid [this part I'm not sure on - how should I bring the footage into Avid to keep the metadata?]
4) Cut the project (with the ability to rename the shots in Avid while cutting, and later copy 'Tape' column into 'Name' column once the project is locked)

Pickup at your step 4

Thanks for any advice!
 
I suggest you go with DNxHD 36 1080p instead of 720p. The files are smaller than for 720p because it's an HD offline codec.

The easiest way to prepare for offline right now is to generate the editing media with Redcine-X and render MXF files directly.
After rendering you can just drop the MXF files into the Avid MediaFiles folder, find the clips with Media Tool and start editing.
The MXF files will contain all the metadata you need for the offline to online workflow.
 
Also note that if you merge the ALE created by REDCINE-X into the MXF clips, the additional metadata contains the FCP file name style (8 characters) in the Camroll column. That way you can create an EDL directly that Apple Color accepts. The next version of EDL Manager will also put the TAPE (16 characters) as a comment so you can avoid all the gyrations to get that EDL... and then may Color will actually support 16 character source EDL like everyone else does!

Michael
 
Airick said:
1080p DNxHD 36 8 bit it is then, essentially following this workflow:

http://avidscreencast.com/2010/03/19-red-workflow-v-ingest-with-redcine-x/

I cut on a Mac Pro tower with 4 cores, 2.66Ghz - will I have any troubles with lag if I go with a 1/4 debayer?
Click to expand...

I didn't know about the FCP 8 character Camroll column.
Do what Michael suggests and import the ALE from Redcine-X and after you're done editing export an EDL using Camroll as source.

Something like this:

Create offline files with Redcine-X
Import the media to a bin in Redcine-X.
Export MXF using DNxHD 36 1080p - create a template by clicking the plus button:

  • Format: Avid AAF & MXF
  • Setup: DNxHD 36 with the framerate of your project
  • Output resolution: 1920x1080
  • Debayer setting: You decide
  • Output Location: Output with Clip Filename to Selected Folder
  • Select Output Folder: In a folder on the media drive to bypass any file copying later on
  • Sub-folder per clip: Unchecked
Choose Export: Bin (all clips)
Click Export


Drag and drop the MXF files into the Avid MediaFiles folder (inside a numbered folder)

Import the ALE file to a bin in Avid. Select the clips and choose Relink...
In the Relink dialog there are two specific settings for it to work:
  • Relink to media from the current project: Unchecked
  • Relink by: Start Timecode and Tape

Now the files will be online and you can start editing. When you're done:

Start EDL Manager
Use the CMX 3600 template
Select Master List>Reel ID type: Cameraroll

Import the EDL into Color and point to the R3D root folder.

That should be it. Good luck...

/Jörgen

PS. I have never heard of lag because of a debayer setting. You should be fine.
 
This may belong on an Avid forum, but I'll shoot here first anyway.

1) The MXF files I generate using Redcine X disappear from the folders they are exported to. So far this only happens after I have brought the files into Avid using the ALE, but it's strange. Also - not all of them disappear. Only some of them seem to.

2) Is there a need to keep the ALE's that are generated from Redcine X once they've been opened in my Avid project? I only ask because if the MXFs which they were origingally generated with are gone, will they refer to anything anymore?

3) Redcine X crashes on me constantly. I've taken to creating small batches of MXF files, but this means that I've brought at least a dozen ALEs into Avid. Does this cause any issues when I go to conform and move into Color?

Thanks,
 
I've just finished bringing my footage into Avid following the above workflow. Here are all the little steps inbetween and the ways I worked around them:

Step 1) Transfer R3D's from Red Raids to Lacie drives
-accomplished fairly simply using Shotput Pro run on a Mac Pro. No hiccups to speak of.

Step 2) Generate offline files (ie a 'workprint')
-Color grade shots in Redcine X, essentially performing a telecine color session whereby footage is adjusted so it will all match while editing
~Redcine X did not reliably save color grading data. Therefore it was necessary to color a shot, take a screen grab of a frame of said shot as well as the actual sliders and counters for grading so the grade could be reapplied.
-Export MXF files from Redcine X
~Redcine X crashes constantly. I was forced to generate the MXF files only a handful at a time, manually reentering all the color data (which was lost each time the program crashed) for each set of shots to get them graded.
~Redcine is also unreliable when dragging files from the finder window into a bin. It would occasionally somehow duplicate the files, and generate multiple copies of an MXF for one file. It was no trouble to delete these, but it consumed time.
~The good news is that Redcine X automatically generates an ALE file with the MXF batch. If the program crashes part way through your export, you can pick up where it left off, renter all the data, and it will continue to update the ALE with all the new MXFs in the folder.

Step 3) Ingest media in Avid
-Move MXF files from their location to Avid Mediafiles folder
-Open Avid, 'import' ALEs generated through Redcine X into a bin
-Select files in Avid bin and relink to media in Avid Mediafiles.
~For some reason Avid didn't like to do this in large numbers, it often crashed during this step. As a workaround, I had to limit myself to linking 2 or 3 shots at a time.
~Also, the Mediafiles Database had trouble recognizing that there was new footage in it. Consequently, when I clicked 'relink' a message would pop up informing me that no files were relinked because Avid couldn't find any matching files. I was forced to quit and restart Avid, at which point it would rebuild the database, and I could attempt again to relink.
~Even this didn't work sometimes on the first attempt. My process was to quit the program again, move the MXF files into a new numbered folder under the Mediafiles structure, and try again. This usually did the trick.

While I've managed to make this work for my 10 min short film, it is certainly not a reasonable workflow for something like a feature, or any other regular show. The amount of time required to babysit Redcine X as well as Avid makes it a less than convenient solution.
 
There is a Step by Step I wrote for RocketCine-X that takes users through the steps of bringing media into Avid. Although slightly different from REDCINE-X, the basic steps are the same. Try the AAF first rather than ALE for each batch. After copying MXF files into the appropriate folder (Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1...) drag all the AAF's and drop them into a bin. This is an automatic link to the media with no need to do an additional relink step.

If all your workflow requires is absolute timecode and a 16 character source name as TAPE, then you can just keep editing from here. For those who like the comfort of the additional metadata found in the ALE, then select all the clips from that batch, and do an ALE merge into the existing clips. Those clips will inherit all the additional metadata.

Again, the steps for the Avid side import are the same for REDCINE-X as they are for ROCKETCINE-X and can be found at www.avid.com/red

Michael
 
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