Notices
Elecard AVC HD Editor User Guide First edition: November 2008. Date modified: June 10, 2010. For information, contact Elecard.
Phone: +7-3822-492-609; Fax: +7-3822-492-642
More information can be found at http://www.elecard.com
For Technical Support, please contact Elecard Technical Support Team:
Elecard provides this publication “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.
The publication may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. While every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Changes are periodically made to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the publication. Elecard may make improvements and/ or change in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this publication at any time.
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Copyright © 2008-2010 Elecard. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ... 4
1.1 PREFACE ... 4
1.1.1 Features ... 4
1.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ... 4
1.3 LICENSINGAND TECHNICAL SUPPORT ... 4
2. USING ELECARD AVC HD EDITOR ... 6
2.1 ELECARD AVC HD EDITOR INTERFACE ... 6
2.1.1 Main Menu ... 7
2.1.2 Toolbar ... 7
2.1.3 Project Information Panel ... 8
2.2 BASIC OPERATIONS. ... 8
2.2.1 File Import ... 8
2.2.2 Managing Files ... 9
2.2.3 Managing Timeline ... 9
2.2.4 Timeline Navigation and Preview ... 10
1. Introduction
1.1 Preface
Elecard AVC HD Editor is an assistant program for owners of AVCHD® digital video camcorders from Sony, Panasonic, etc. The program is intended for simple and fast editing of video content delivered in the AVCHD® format. It provides reordering, trimming and merging of video clips without transcoding.
1.1.1 Features
• Support of AVCHD® format
• Support of MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and AVC/H.264 video formats*
• Support of MPEG Layer II, Dolby Digital and AAC audio formats
• GOP accurate editing
• Editing project preview
• Fast export without transcoding of source files
Note: File compatibility. The multi-file editing is available only for files with similar format
(resolution, profile and level, multiplexing type, PIDS, frame rate, bitrate, sample rate, etc).
1.2 System Requirements
• SSE-enhanced CPU (Intel® Pentium, Celeron, Xeon, AMD® Athlon, Opteron etc.)
• 128 MB RAM
• Any DirectX®-compatible VGA card
• Windows® 2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista
1.3 Licensing and Technical Support
Elecard AVC HD Editor is available as shareware or as a registered product.
The evaluation version can be used during a 30-days period, and does not allow project saving and opening.
By installing, copying, or otherwise using the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or any UPDATES, you agree to be bound by the terms of the "Elecard'' End-User License Agreement (''EULA''). This EULA is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity) and Elecard for the "Elecard" software product(s) accompanying this EULA, which include(s) computer software and may include * Full support will be implemented in the next versions
"online" or electronic documentation, associated media, and printed materials (''SOFTWARE PRODUCT'').
For sales and licensing information contact the Elecard sales department: [email protected]
2. Using Elecard AVC HD Editor
The following section describes the program GUI (graphic user interface), its features, and usage instructions.
2.1 Elecard AVC HD Editor Interface
The program user interface consists of the following parts:
• Main menu
• Preview panel
• File list panel
• Project information panel
• Toolbar
• Timeline
Figure 1. Elecard AVC HD Editor Main Window
2.1.1 Main Menu
The following section describes all of the main menu commands. Table 1. Elecard AVC HD Editor Main Menu
Command Description
New project (CTRL+N) Creates a new project
Open project (CTRL+O) Opens the Open Project dialog box (not available in evaluation version).
Save project (CTRL+S) Opens the Save Project dialog box (not available in evaluation version).
Save project as... Allows user to save the project to another location (not available in evalu-ation version).
Import media file(s)
(CTRL+I) Allows user to select a file or several files (multiple selection is also supported) to import into the current project. The selected files must be format-compatible (see the File compatibility note above).
Export media file Allows user to save the resulting video to a file.
Exit Closes the editor program.
Undo (CTRL+Z) Undoes the last operation.
Redo (CTRL+Y) Redoes the last undone operation.
Copy (CTRL+C) Copies the selected item(s) from the timeline to clipboard.
Paste (CTRL+V) Inserts the clipboard contents into the timeline.
2.1.2 Toolbar
Figure 2. Elecard AVC HD Editor Toolbar
Table 2. Elecard AVC HD Editor Toolbar
Control Function Hot Key
Play/Pause Starts/Pauses video preview from the current timeline
position. SPACEBAR
Step forward Moves the timeline cursor a step forward (see the
Navigation and trimming accuracy note below). RIGHT ARROW
Step backward Moves the timeline cursor a step backward (see the
Navigation and trimming accuracy note below).
LEFT ARROW
Timeline zoom Scales up/down the timeline. PLUS/MINUS SIGN
(numeric keypad)
Razor Cuts the file fragment into two slices. C
Delete video fragment Deletes the selected video fragment. DELETE
Join fragments Makes a solid movie removing empty spaces on the
timeline.
Note: Navigation and trimming accuracy. Elecard AVC HD Editor provides GOP-accurate editing.
It means that GOP (Group Of Pictures) is considered as elementary part of video file and any navigation and trimming operation is performed with a minimal step equal to GOP. Even if
to the boundary between two neighboring GOPs. The latter is true for file fragment trimming and slicing as well. The feature provides the fastest editing process with minimal CPU usage avoiding full transcoding of source files. As a GOP contains from 8 to 20 frames on average, the loss of editing precision is not critical for home use.
2.1.3 Project Information Panel
The project information panel displays the following current project parameters: path of the project file, stream type, video stream characteristics (format, resolution, frame rate), audio stream
characteristics (format, sample rate, channel configuration).
Figure 3. Project Information Panel
2.2 Basic Operations.
2.2.1 File ImportTo open the Import file dialog box, click the Import media file(s) command from the main menu or from the shortcut menu that is opened with right-click in the file list panel.
When the dialog box appears, select a file or several files (multiple selection is also supported) to import and click the Open button. The selected files must be format-compatible (see the File compatibility note above). The file(s) import is started. When a single file processing is completed, the file name together with some additional information and preview sample appears on the file list panel.
Figure 4. File List Panel
The progress bars below the file list panel display the current file import progress (upper bar) and the total import progress (lower bar). The Stop button allows user to abort the import process.
Note: The import aborting process takes some time, so be patient to wait for it to finish.
Figure 5. Import Progress Bars
If some files can not be imported for some reason, the message box describing the problems and ways to fix them is displayed.
When all of the files are added to the file list, the files are ready for use.
2.2.2 Managing Files
The files in file list are managed via the shortcut menu. To open the menu, select a file or several files in the list (hold the CTRL key for multiple selection or press CTRL+A to select all of the files) and right-click one of them. The Remove media file(s) command removes the selected files from the list (not from your computer). The Add media file(s) to timeline command adds each of the selected files to the project timeline. The simplest way to add file(s) to the timeline is an easy drag-and-drop
operation.
2.2.3 Managing Timeline
The program timeline provides the video editing functionality.
Figure 6. Timeline
To perform any operations on files or file fragments, select the files or file fragments for further management. There are several ways to do this. To select a single file or file fragment just left-click it. The selected item changes its color. To select several fragments, simply hold the CTRL key pressed while clicking file fragments. One more way to select several fragments is to click the left mouse button in any empty space on the timeline and drag it marking the items to be selected. If you need to select all of the fragments on the timeline you can use the CTRL+A key combination.
The following operations are available:
• Timeline scaling – Timeline allows scaling to provide convenient work with both short and large
video fragments. To change scale use the Zoom slider, click the Zoom in /Zoom out buttons, or press the PLUS/MINUS SIGN keys (numeric keypad).
• Fragment moving – Fragment moving and changing fragment order on the timeline. To move the
• Fragment deleting – To delete file fragments from the timeline, select the item(s) and click the
Delete button on the toolbar or press the CTRL+D key combination.
• Fragment cutting – To divide a fragment into two parts, use the Razor tool. Place the timeline
cursor in the position to make a cut in and click the Razor button or press the C key.
• Fragment trimming – To trim the left or right fragment boundary, simply point to the fragment
boundary, and when the pointer becomes a , drag the boundary to the desired position.
2.2.4 Timeline Navigation and Preview
To preview the editing result, use the program playback functionality. To start playback click the
Play button on the toolbar. The button changes to the Pause state and playback starts from the
current timeline cursor position. To pause playback, click the Pause button.
To move the timeline cursor, simply point to the desired timeline position. One more way to navigate
through the timeline is to use the Step forward /Step backward buttons or the
RIGHT/LEFT ARROW keys. See the Navigation and trimming accuracy note above for detailed information on the cursor positioning.
2.2.5 Export
To export the editing result to a file, click Export movie file on the File menu. Specify the destination file path in the displayed File save dialog box and click the Save button. The export process
information is indicated on the progress bar. The Stop button allows user to abort the export process.
