Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • 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 :)

MetaCheater Utility

J

Jabez Olssen

Active member
Joined
Mar 13, 2007
Messages
43
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hi Everybody

So one of the problems at the moment editing Red footage in the Avid is that the Avid can't read timecode embedded in Quicktimes.

So here is a utility to read the timecode from a bunch of quicktimes, then create an Avid ALE file which can be imported into the Avid. This creates offline clips representing each quicktime (including their timecode etc). You can then batch import the clips, pointing them at the quicktimes.

So this is a method of getting metadata into the Avid from quicktimes.

At them moment it only works with Quicktimes made through RedAlert, not RedCine, because RedCine does not pass the timecode through to the Quicktimes it exports.

Also it is a Mac Avid only solution, because the Red Quicktime component is Mac only.

This really is only intended for an offline/online workflow. But if you are planning to directly edit your final 'online' pictures, then I guess you don't really need timecode anyway.

As quicktimes are generated from RedAlert almost instantaneously, the time taken to get the files into the Avid is limited to the time it takes to import the Quicktimes. On a MacBook Pro Media Composer it takes roughly 6 times real time to import the files into DnxHD 36. Of course this would be quicker on a desktop Mac Pro, and on a big project you could always have several import stations running.

Anyway the utility, MetaCheater [now v1.4], can be found at:
http://www.staticpictures.com/metacheater

There are bound to be issues. Feel free to post bug reports/feature suggestions here but I can't promise to get to them. I'm not a coder, this is just a hack.

enjoy

cheers

-Jabez Olssen

emails to metacheater[at]staticpictures.com maybe responded to :)

----------------

[UPDATE: NEW VERSION - v1.4]

http://www.staticpictures.com/metacheater


Fixed in 1.4:
A bug where MetaCheater would treat Quicktimes running at 29.97fps as if they were running at 24fps.


New Feature in v1.3
MetaCheater now contains a 'Camroll' field. Camroll can be used as a tape source in an Avid EDL. In the RED options you can now have both the R3D's Reel name (ie A001) AND the full filename (ie A001_C001_080402) in the ALE in columns that will be able to be used as EDL source tapes. So you can decide later what sort of EDL you want to make - one that just refers to the Reel name, or one that refers to the full filename. (note: you have to download the special RED16 EDL template from the metacheater website if you want to make EDLs that use the full filename).
There is also now a setting for how the PAL 24 to 25 TC adjust button operates. And a bug was fixed in regards to this feature.

New Features in v1.1
'Avid SD Timecode Adjust' feature. This feature is for Standard Def Avid film projects, in other words projects that are running at 24fps but whose timecode is running at 25 or 29.97fps. If you are in an NTSC film project click 'NTSC' and the timecodes are altered to fit the 2:3 pulldown pattern. Click 'PAL' to adjust the End Timecode, making it reflect what it would be if the timecode was running at 25fps.

Will now remove the new "_F" and "_NA" RedAlert suffixes.

PayPal Donations now possible :)


[UPDATE: NEW VERSION - v1.0]

The ability to add prefixes and suffixes to some columns.
Total duration of all Quicktimes shown in Frames and Timecode (Timecode only accurate if all Quicktimes have the same fps)

The ability to use the filename as the tape name, for easier conforming. (This feature uses the first three sections of the r3d file's filename (ie Reel, Clip and Date) and limits it to 16 characters in order to work with a new Avid EDL template)

'Comment' column changed to 'Comments' in order to show up automatically when imported into Avid.

[UPDATE: NEW VERSION - v0.9]

New Features in v0.9:

The ability to Find and Replace in some columns

A setting to choose between having a VFX column or a DPX column, both work the same way in the Avid.

A setting to choose whether the VFX/DPX count starts at frame 1 or frame 0. It now defaults to 0.

Two new features for RED workflows only:
The first removes the "_H", "_M" or "_P" suffixes that RedAlert adds from the filename and VFX/DPX columns, so that the filename is the same as the r3d file. This is to make conform tracking easier.
The second feature adds the Shoot Date part of the filename to the Tape column to make the Source/Timecode combination more unique.


Bug fix: if you have the VFX/DPX option to 'Convert TC' chosen then it does so when you import the QTs.
 
Ok, just tried out the windows version. It seems to work fine, even with no red quicktime codec. It did crash a few time when I was trying to load more than one clip, but not every time. I tried the Mac version as well, and it seems to work fine.

One feature request I have would be a way remove the _H,_M,_P from the file name of the clip. I was linking back to Avid DV codec footage, exported from Red Cine, it had the original file names of the clips. So I had to relink each clip one at a time.

Great work, and thanks for sharing :biggrin:
 
Thanks Jabez, good to see you hanging around!
 
tab32 said:
Ok, just tried out the windows version. It seems to work fine, even with no red quicktime codec. It did crash a few time when I was trying to load more than one clip, but not every time. I tried the Mac version as well, and it seems to work fine.

One feature request I have would be a way remove the _H,_M,_P from the file name of the clip. I was linking back to Avid DV codec footage, exported from Red Cine, it had the original file names of the clips. So I had to relink each clip one at a time.

Great work, and thanks for sharing :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Hi tab32,

Could you please confirm that this worked on the PC version of AVID ? I was under the understanding that the Red QT component was required, which is mac only ?

/confused ..

Thanks,
Seth.
 
Only RedAlert! is putting the source TC into the QT file. RedAlert! only works on Mac. The RED QT codec component is only avaialble for Mac.

MetaCheater runs on either Mac or PC.
 
Seth Larney said:
Hi tab32,

Could you please confirm that this worked on the PC version of AVID ? I was under the understanding that the Red QT component was required, which is mac only ?

/confused ..

Thanks,
Seth.
Click to expand...

Yes It will, you can not see the pointer files in quicktime, but MetaCheater will read the time code and reel names on a pc for the pointer files.

1. Using the pc version of red cine output quicktimes that avid can read, I used the Avid NTSC DV codec.

2. Then create your ALE file with MetaCheater

3. Load the ALE into the avid

4. Link your media to the Red Cine output files.

The only gotcha I found was if the quicktime proxys are older, they might not have the reel numbers. You can recreate form Red Alert and all is well, but you need a mac for that of course.

-- Terry
 
MichaelP said:
Only RedAlert! is putting the source TC into the QT file. RedAlert! only works on Mac. The RED QT codec component is only avaialble for Mac.

MetaCheater runs on either Mac or PC.
Click to expand...

Michael,

I don't have access to a camera right now. Do you know if the quicktime pointer files produced by the camera have proper time code and reel names in them that MetaCheater can read?

Thanks

-- Terry
 
Well...... it has the proper source timecode (time of day...) but it is open to debate what should/could be considered the REEL ID to make it unique. Currently it is using the "Axx" portion of the filename as the Tape name. I don't believe that over the course of a multi-day shoot this will hold up as being unique.

But... Jabez very nicely allows for the user to override the Tape ID in the Metacheater application by whatever you want to call it. So that will help create a unique ID on a daily basis. Then the application does allow the full filename to be tracked as frames as in <filename>-<000000> where <000000> is a total frame count which can be tracked in Avid.

Michael
 
MichaelP said:
Well...... it has the proper source timecode (time of day...) but it is open to debate what should/could be considered the REEL ID to make it unique. Currently it is using the "Axx" portion of the filename as the Tape name. I don't believe that over the course of a multi-day shoot this will hold up as being unique.
Click to expand...

Well, until you hit 999 rolls from either the A or B camera, I don't see how this is any different than the film roll ID's we've been using for years (or at least those of us who have shot film for years). The camera dept. has to do its job and enter these numbers correctly, however.

If you're doing a conform you really don't want to be changing those numbers, because they will no longer match those in the r3d file - thus causing problems for anyone going back to those files for either new exports or direct usage (say, a conform in Scratch, which will read them directly from the R3d file). Right now, I don't know of any available tools for editing that information in the R3d files themselves. But as with all things Red, that could change at any time (and, at least in this case, I hope it does - it's a bit dangerous to only be able to create information once, and even more dangerous if the only time to do it is during production).
 
You are a beautiful, beautiful man!!

I had an instant NerdGasm when it produced that ALE :w00t:

Now to complete my rapturous experience is to load this in Avid and see the media playing :)

You have made my day!

Ciao for now

B
 
I have no issue with the number of alphanumeric characters, I am questioning the uniqueness of the ID over multiple days and cameras as being ID'd in the QuickTime file from the RedAlert! export. Having the ability to change it to something more valid and unique in MetaCheater might be something to explore.

Michael
 
MichaelP said:
I have no issue with the number of alphanumeric characters, I am questioning the uniqueness of the ID over multiple days and cameras as being ID'd in the QuickTime file from the RedAlert! export. Having the ability to change it to something more valid and unique in MetaCheater might be something to explore.
Click to expand...

I guess I'm missing your point here. On all productions that I've ever worked on - and, granted, I'm a product of the "Hollywood" system - camera rolls are numbered from 1 to whatever over the length of the production. So on day 1, you'd start out with A1 for the "A" camera and B1 for the "B" camera, and by day 30, you might be up to A300 and B300. But you don't start from 1 each shoot day, you consecutively number through the length of the production. So unless the script supervisor - or the AC's - make a mistake, every roll has a unique identifier. Now, it is also true that in film, you also have the shoot date as a secondary identifier, but with files, you have that as well (file creation date). And, as I mentioned, unless and until the metadata in the R3d files can be edited, it could be very counterproductive to alter those reel numbers down the post chain.

Oh, and by the way: this utility works superbly. I now feel we (as a facility) can support cutting Red productions on Avid with a very solid workflow. Thanks to all.
 
All I am saying is that if the default TAPE ID from RedAlert! is A001 as extracted from MetaCheater from the same camera on day one, day two, day three, etc. there will be no unique identification for file name to timecode. I don't see Creation date coming through in MetaCheater - it would need to grab that from the properties of the file as it may not persist into the metadata of the QT file itself. If it did, Shoot Date and camera ID could be concatenate to create a unique SourceID within Avid. There is also the small issue that RedAlert! adds a quality tag such as _m to the end of the file so there is not a direct one to one relationship to the original file. That needs to be taken care of either in MetaCheater or RedAlert! exporting out without the appended quality tag. If it needs to do so, perhaps putting them all into a directory of the quality first, then preserving the original file name in the .mov file.

I agree with what you are saying since a human managing the daily count of reel ID's and tape names manages how the structure of naming schema will work. Such as 01001 is Tape 001 of episode 01 of a season series. One could go oven farther and define it as 0101001 as Season 01, Episode 01, Tape 001.

I don't have access to a lot of R3D files, so this may be a moot point, but I would like to see two files from two different days shot at the same time of day exported out of RedAlert! to see what the default source ID that is listed in the MetaCheater application. My concern is the default name of the truncated source name as it stands right now. I have created a special EDL format that allows for 16 characters in the source to track longer source file names for file based workflows so the uniqueness of the file name can also be tracked as source ID in an EDL. The issue of course is the file name can be fragile should it get changed in the process - not so much an issue in Avid since we abstract file name from source name so the editor can give it a more useful name like 1/1 for Scene 1 Take 1, and still maintain the original source file name and count as frame counts with <SourceFileName>-<frames>.

We also agree that there is a lot more metadata available in the file that is not being exported out in either RedAlert! or RedCine. It's a matter of getting access to that in an easier way. And lets not forget that this is a Mac only solution from RedAlert!

MetaCheater is a great utility and will find its way into many other workflows than just RED.

Michael
 
Brain lapse... this can be done in MetaCheater (Sorry Jabez... more feature requests) as the shoot date in in the file name and it would need to be parsed within MetaCheater and allowed to become part of the TAPEID as a default way to allow for source ID to be generated. The metadata can then be tracked in their own columns if needed within editorial. An additional metadata tag would/could be generated to associate dailies with a particular feature, program, episode, ad campaign, etc.

Speaking of additional metadata, we could also track whatever color changes were done to the baked in look of the export from either RedAlert! or RedCine and pass those back as part of the conform process... again, need that richer metadata export...

Michael
 
I nominate Cogito as Reduser of the week for this! thanks man.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top