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No matter what version you’re using, The Avid Media Composer Cookbook will be a helpful, useful resource. While the software continually matures, Avid is conscious of maintaining the core tools and functionality; and The Avid Media Composer Cookbook focuses on helping you master those core features. It’s also filled with a ton of tips, tricks, and straightforward explanations. That’s why it’s a beneficial guide for any version of Media Composer you’re using.

"An investment that will pay for itself many times over in decreased frustration and increased time for creativity."
435 pages packed with Avid Media Composer editing essentials and far beyond, including tips, tricks, and explanations not found in other publications. Its "cookbook" (step-by-step), task-based approach (plus three appendices) will help users at all experience levels gain a deeper, more thorough, understanding of the software so they can spend less time dealing with technical and operational issues and, instead, focus on being creative. Much more information about the book is below. 
    
Click each icon below to read those customer reviews:
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ABOUT THE BOOK

435 pages; Available in Paperback or E-Book — An expert and clear resource filled with highly effective "recipes" of easy to follow steps for those at all experience levels. Gain Avid Media Composer (and Avid Symphony) essentials and far beyond, including techniques, tips, tricks, and helpful explanations not found in other publications. Its 435 page task-based approach, and three informative appendices, will help editors at all experience levels gain a deeper, more thorough understanding of the software.
   
The book is designed so that you can read it chapter by chapter, or jump to a specific "recipe" when needed. It will greatly aid in achieving mastery of the professional editing features that Avid Media Composer offers. You’ll learn not only how to perform a task or editing operation, but also why and how it works, in addition to what situations it’s useful.

Gain exposure to options and methods that you never knew were available. The step-by-step recipes are packed with practical examples of time-saving tools and methods to get you working faster and more confidently so that you can spend less time dealing with technical and operational issues and instead focus on being creative.

TECHNICAL REVIEWERS

Oliver Peters
Michael Phillips
Roger Shufflebottom


TABLE OF CONTENTS
     

Chapter 1:
Getting Assets into Your Media Composer Project
  • Introduction
  • A strategy for project organization at the desktop level
  • Understanding Media Creation settings
  • Mixing frame rates
  • Tape capture tip: Adding Markers while Capturing
  • Tape capture tip: Making Subclips while Capturing
  • Logging clips tip: Logging from the keyboard
  • Logging clips tip: Keeping the Capture Tool active after logging a clip
  • Quickly calculating total duration of clips (or any items in a bin)
  • Combining available drive space and/or controlling where media is stored
  • Making sure your Batch Capture continues without you
  • Modifying clips before capture
  • Modifying clips after capture: Adding tracks
  • Modifying clips after capture: Deleting tracks
  • Capturing and editing at the same time
  • Preparing to use AMA (Avid Media Access): Getting the plug-ins
  • AMA (Avid Media Access) Linking
  • Getting the AMA file's image to display as desired
  • Consolidating (copying) AMA Master Clips
  • Transcoding AMA linked clips before beginning to edit
  • Transcoding AMA Master Clips after editing has begun
  • Consolidating an AMA sequence or subclips
  • Transcoding an AMA sequence
  • Importing stills and video files such as QuickTime
  • Importing audio
  • Adjusting audio levels before editing
  • Adjusting audio pan settings before editing
  • Setting stereo-audio tracks
      
Chapter 2:
Customizing Your Work Environment
  • Settings overview
  • Creating Site Settings
  • User Profile Settings – transferring to another workstation
  • Interface settings
  • Font size adjustment
  • Creating Bin Views
  • Creating Timeline Views
  • Customizing Workspaces
  • Creating Bin Layouts
  • Linking Bin Layouts with Workspaces
  • Linking other settings with Workspaces
  • Mapping Workspaces and Bin Layouts
  • Mapping buttons and menu selections
         
Chapter 3:
Polishing Gems
  • Understanding Track Sensitivity
  • Snapping actions for the Position Indicator and in Segment Mode
  • Enabling and disabling all Track Selectors from the keyboard
  • Enabling and disabling Track Selectors using the Shift key plus drag method
  • Enabling and disabling Track Selectors using the Lasso
  • Replace Edit: How and why
  • Sync Point Editing: How and why
  • Seeing source material in the Timeline Window
  • Clipboard tips
  • Using the Match Frame function
  • Using the Reverse Match Frame function
  • Setting clip colors in a bin
  • Setting clip colors in the Timeline Window
         
Chapter 4:
Creating Split Edits
  • Creating a Split Edit with Double Roller or Overwrite Trim
  • Creating a Split Edit with the Extend function
  • Creating a Split Edit with Asymmetric Trimming
         
Chapter 5:
Maintaining and Regaining Sync
  • Adding Filler within a sequence with Splice or Overwrite
  • Adding Filler at the end of a sequence
  • Sync Break Indicators: Understanding them and making your own
  • Splicing and Extracting: Methods for staying in sync without Sync Locks
  • Segment Mode: Methods for staying in sync
  • Using the option/Alt + Add Edit method to stay in sync in Trim Mode
  • Asymmetric Trimming type 1: A-Side/B-Side
  • Asymmetric Trimming type 2: Two Heads/Two Tails
  • Opening up the sequence using Splice with Sync Locks enabled
  • Extracting with Sync Locks enabled
  • Extending using Ripple Trim with Sync Locks enabled
  • Shortening using Ripple Trim with Sync Locks enabled
  • Getting back in sync
         
Chapter 6:
Managing Your Media Files
  • Moving media files
  • Copying a borrowed clip's media
  • Sharing clips/backing-up clips
  • Consolidating Subclips
  • Consolidating Sequences
  • Transcoding Sequences for archiving or before up-res
  • Transcoding Sequences of mixed SD and HD video
  • Changing the Sample Rate of clips in a bin before editing them into your sequence
  • Changing the mismatched audio that has been edited into your sequence
  • Prevent editing with audio that does not match the Project's Sample Rate
  • Setting the Media Tool display
  • Borrowing a clip from another project
  • How to determine where media files are stored and how to move them
  • Isolating video of a specific resolution
  • Deleting specific media files from clips (for example, just the A3 and A4 files)
  • Deleting unused media files: Just Master Clips, just Precomputes, or both
  • Locking Clips and Sequences
  • Locking sequences to make them less easily editable
         
Chapter 7:
Mono and Stereo Audio Mixing
  • Understanding the Track Control Panel and Keyframe Selection Tool
  • Understanding the Audio Mixer Tool – Clip Mode
  • Understanding the Audio Mixer Tool – Auto Mode
  • Understanding the Audio Tool (Audio Meters)
  • Understanding Clip Gain and Pan versus Volume and Pan Automation
  • Understanding Audio Project Settings
  • Performing audio scrubbing: digital type scrubbing
  • Performing audio scrubbing: analogue type scrubbing
  • Displaying Audio Waveforms (also known as Sample Plot)
  • Displaying Clip Gain, Volume Automation, and Pan Automation in the Timeline
  • Clip Mode Level and Pan Adjustments
  • Using Clip Mode with Dissolves to smooth Level and Pan adjustments
  • Clip Mode: Setting a common Level or Pan to multiple segments
  • Clip Mode: Adjusting multiple segments by a uniform amount
  • Manually adding and adjusting Volume and Pan Automation keyframes
  • Removing/Deleting Volume and Pan Automation Keyframes
  • Adjusting multiple audio keyframes simultaneously
  • Real Time Volume and Pan Adjustment
  • Creating Stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 ("Multichannel") Tracks in a Sequence
  • Converting a multichannel track into mono tracks in a Sequence
  • Making Multichannel Clips (Stereo, 5.1 and 7.1)
  • Using AudioSuite Plug-ins
  • Removing AudioSuite plug-ins
  • Saving and Applying AudioSuite Templates
  • Using Real Time Audio Suite (RTAS) Plug-Ins
  • Removing RTAS plug-ins
  • Saving and Applying RTAS Effect Templates
  • Copying RTAS Effects between Tracks
         
Chapter 8:
Editing with Group Clips and MultiCamera Mode
  • Syncing and Grouping clips with common timecode
  • Syncing and Grouping Clips with common reference points
  • Creating a syncing Sequence for syncing and grouping clips
  • Using the Group Clip Menu
  • Using the Multicamera display and methods of switching camera angles
  • Swap Cam Bank: Toggling the MultiCamera Display
  • Editing with a Group Clip – not using MultiCamera Mode
  • MultiCamera Mode Editing
  • MultiCamera Mode Settings
         
Chapter 9:
Output Tips and Tricks
  • Creating accurate Color Bars and Tone
  • Methods for setting Sequence Timecode
  • Adding Filler for Color Bars, Tone, and Slate
  • Exporting a still image
  • Exporting multiple still images using Markers
  • Exporting a QuickTime Reference Movie
  • Exporting a QuickTime Movie (Self Contained)
  • Using the Timecode Burn-In effect
         
Chapter 10:

Time Savers in the Title Tool

Purchasers of the book can download this chapter.  See page 2 of the book for details.
  • Opening the Title Tool and setting preferences
  • Methods to save a Title
  • Revising a Title: Two methods
  • Creating and/or recreating Title Media in a Bin
  • Creating and/or recreating Title Media in a Sequence
  • Creating and using Title Styles
  • Creating and using Title Templates
         
Appendix A:
Additional Tips, Tricks, and Explanations
  • Find Bin Function tips
  • Moving around: Methods and tips
  • Getting more use from the Grid
  • Cmd/Ctrl + L and K: Several Uses
  • Locking and unlocking
         
Appendix B:
Details on Trimming, Slipping, Sliding,
and Segment Mode
  • Trimming terminology
  • Trimming icons and colors
  • How Trimming works
  • Enabling and configuring the Trimming Tools
  • Trimming methods
  • Monitoring during Trimming
  • Slipping with Trim Mode
  • Slipping outside of Trim Mode
  • Sliding in Trim Mode
  • Trimming and effects
  • Smart Tool overview
  • Using the Trim functions in the Smart Tool
  • Using Segment Mode with the Smart Tool
  • Nine Segment Mode Tips
         
Appendix C:
Helpful Details about MultiCamera Editing
  • Uses for Group Clips and MultiCamera Mode
  • Definition of a Group Clip
  • Definition of a MultiGroupClip
  • Definition of MultiCamera Mode
  • Overview: Syncing Methods
  • Editing multiple camera angles without Group Clips
  • MultipleCamera Editing Resolutions
  • Understanding System Performance with Group Clips and MultiCamera Mode

FROM BENJAMIN
   
Whether you're just beginning your use of Avid Media Composer or you've been using it for some time, I believe this book contains a great deal of useful, time-saving, and frustration-reducing information for users at all experience levels. Further, I believe that this book fills a particular gap in the Avid Media Composer publications that are currently available.

Because the features and abilities of Avid Media Composer are so broad, encompassing editing, sound design, color correction, and visual effects, I decided to focus this book primarily on the core story-telling needs we have every day: essentially getting footage into the system, editing, and audio mixing.
    
I first began learning Avid Media Composer in 1994 through trial and error. Nonlinear editing and the Internet were still in their infancy, and there weren't any books on Avid Media Composer, so I did my best to learn by reading the manual. My frustrations came when I'd read about a procedure or tool in the manual but it didn't include a definition of it or context when it would be useful. So, in addition to providing the step-by-step instructions, as Packt Cookbooks promise, I've included many definitions of industry and Media-Composer-specific terms, and explanations of why tools and functions behave as they do, along with situations when they would be helpful. In many ways, this is one of the books I wish I had had all those years ago.

I'd also like to mention that some incredibly knowledgeable and accomplished people have helped me by reviewing this book's content while I was writing it: Michael Phillips, Oliver Peters, and Roger Shufflebottom. These very generous gentlemen are talented professionals who you may find yourself meeting, consulting, or working with in the future. I encourage you to read their biographies, which are included in this book, and you'll see how fortunate I was to have them on the team.

Lastly, I truly hope you find this book to be helpful.

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