Capturing Material. Section 3

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Section 3 Capturing Material

Duration: 60 minutes

Capturing material is the process of creating media files from video or audio source material. This section describes how to capture material from different sources, such as videotape and file.

The following topics provide information about capturing material:

• Capturing Source Material

• Configuring the External Device

• Capturing from Tape

• Capturing from File

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Capturing Source Material

Source material is the original, unaltered material from videotapes or digital recordings. This source material comes from a variety of sources, such as video, audio, animated sequences, graphics, and still images. When you capture material with Avid DS Nitris, you are digitally transferring audio or video material from an external device to a storage disk on your workstation.

During capture, Avid DS Nitris creates media files (in the form of master clips) based on parameters you set, such as in-points, out-points, and

compression. Master clips contain information about the location of the media on your storage disk, the source data’s tape name, and the original in and out timecodes. With this information, you can recapture the material at any time.

Master clips also include information about the video format, resolution, compression, audio format, and so on.

The Avid Explorer

The Avid Explorer displays the hierarchical structure of files, folders, and drives on your workstation. When you select a project folder in the Avid Explorer, it displays the related project files (clips, sequences, effects) in a window. This window is similar to the bin view in other Avid products like Media Composer^® and Film Composer^®.

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Media Composer: In Avid DS Nitris, any folder that you open in the Avid Explorer can function as a bin. There is no equivalent to the Project Window.

From the Avid Explorer, you can capture clips, as well as organize sequences, clips and effects within your project.

To access a bin:

1. Use the view switcher to switch to the Avid Explorer if you are in a different view.

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Capturing Source Material

Folders usually contain source clips and other objects for use in your sequence. At the moment, the folders are empty because nothing has been captured. The Avid Explorer tools let you navigate through and manage the contents of folders.

The tools at the top of the Avid Explorer let you navigate to different folders and change the display of information in a window.

Windows display the contents of folders. You can display multiple windows. When a project is selected, this window is known as a bin.

It displays master clips, sequences, and other project files.

View modes include large icons, list, details, thumbnail, and script views.

Panels display the contents of your system in a tree structure. Each panel can display one of three views: My System, Project, or Shortcuts.

View switcher lets you access different toolsets or views within

a particular layout.

Avid Explorer tools let you control the content and arrangement of the folders and windows, and perform tasks.

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For more information about the Avid Explorer, click the Help button.

Organizing your Project Files

Before capturing any material, you will create additional folders in your project folder to hold master clips. You may want to create separate folders for your video clips, audio clips, still images, and even one for custom presets.

By organizing your project using a system of folders, you can locate files quickly and easily.

To create a folder:

1. In the bin that is displayed in the Avid Explorer, right-click an empty area of the bin and select New > Folder.

A new folder is created in the bin.

2. Type in a new name and press Enter. We created a folder called Master Clips for storing the master clips!

3. Continue adding as many folders as you need. You can create additional folders inside the new folders.

Although it’s not necessary right now, here’s how you can delete any extra folders that are not needed.

To delete a folder:

t Right-click a folder and select Delete.

Show/Hide

Panel 1 Cascade

Avid Explorer tools at the top of the view.

Capture Settings

Help Path

Show/Hide Panel 2

Tile

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Capturing Source Material

Changing the View Mode

In a window, there are several views to help you locate clips for a sequence.

The tools at the bottom of the window let you change the way the contents of the window are displayed. Go ahead and click any of the icons to see the various views.

For more information, see “Working with Bins” in the Help.

Identifying File Types in a Bin

Avid DS Nitris media files have their own icons, which appear on or beside clips in a bin. When an icon is highlighted in red, it means that Avid DS Nitris could not find any media associated with a clip. This clip must be recaptured before you can work with it.

Large Icons view displays clips as large icons.

List view displays clips as a list without details.

Details view displays clips as a list with details.

Script view displays both pictorial icons and clip information.

List lets you select a customized view.

Thumbnail view displays clips with pictorial icons.

Icon File type Icon File type

Audio clip Background or composite

container clip

Video clip Sequence

Combined audio and video clip Still image Audio container clip Linked still image

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You may find it useful to see the extensions of file names.

To see file name extensions on your system:

1. Open Windows Explorer.

2. Select Tools > Folder Options.

3. Select the View tab.

4. Deselect the Hide extensions for known file types option and click OK.

Deselect this option.

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Configuring the External Device

You’ll probably capture material from videotape or audiotape most of time.

First, you’ll need to configure the device from which you will be capturing.

To specify the settings for an external device, such as a videotape recorder (VTR) or deck, you’ll be using the Deck Configuration view.

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Media Composer: The Deck Configuration view combines the Deck Configuration and Deck Preference settings.

Avid DS Nitris includes templates for many different types of devices. You can use the settings in the templates, or adjust them to suit your own requirements.

You can also save the settings for your device as a preset, so that you don’t have to reconfigure the device each time you use it for capture or output.

A preset is a customized set of properties that you save for reuse later on or for other projects.

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For the following procedure, you will need access to videotape material and a deck.

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To configure your tape deck:

For more information, see “Configuring the External Device” in the Help.

Open the Deck Configuration view by selecting View > Multi-Instance Views > Deck Configuration.

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Click the Fast Menu button and select Add New Deck Preset.

Give the new preset a name.

Set the options for your device.

Click the Save button to save your deck preset.

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Click the Check Machine button.

7 Double-click the preset you created.

A green checkmark indicates that it’s active.

Select the Thumbnails view.

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Close the Deck Configuration view.

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Click the Help button for details on each parameter.

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Capturing from Tape

Although there are several ways to capture from tape, you’ll be using the Capture Tool to log and capture clips, so that you can later recapture using frame-accurate timecode.

To log and capture clips:

Click the Tape button.

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Select the channels you want to capture.

Enter number of extra frames to record before the in-point and after the out-point.

Enter a base clip name to prefix all captured clips.

Select a tape or name a new one.

Click the Target button and select a folder to hold the captured clips. If you created a folder for master clips, set this as the target folder.

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Set the Log/Capture button to Capture.

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1 Open the Capture view by selecting View > Single-Instance Views > Capture Tool.

Click the Capture Settings button.

The capture settings are displayed. Set the options that are relevant to your system. Now do the same for the other four settings:

10 Select your deck

preset and click the Check button.

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For more information, see “Logging and Capturing Material” and “Capture Tool” in the Help.

On the transport controls in the Capture Tool, click the Play button to play the source material.

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Mark In

In timecode

Mark Out

Out timecode

Play

Duration timecode

Position indicator timecode Click the Mark In button at the point at which you want to start the capture.

The timecode of the in-point you selected is displayed in the In timecode box.

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Use the transport controls in the Capture Tool to play or shuttle the tape to advance to the point at which you want to end the capture and click the Mark Out button.

Tip: If you already know the in and out timecodes, you can type them in the In or Out timecode boxes. You can also enter a value for the duration and Avid DS Nitris will calculate the out-point, which is displayed in the Out timecode box. The Duration timecode box displays the length of material to be captured.

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Click the Start Capture button in the upper-right corner of the Capture Tool.

The clip appears in the folder you specified, according to the in and out times you set.

Continue to capture clips.

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In the Project panel of Avid Explorer, double-click your project name. A bin opens and displays its contents.

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Double-click a clip in the bin. Click the Play button under the Source viewer (left side).

The clip plays in the viewer, but is not loaded on the timeline.

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Close the Capture Tool.

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Capturing from File

Avid DS Nitris lets you capture various file formats. Besides video, you can capture still and animated graphics files, and audio files. To capture from file, you will be using the Avid Explorer in Avid DS Nitris.

Logging and capturing from file is like capturing material from tape. That is, you can log the material without capturing, or log and capture at the same time. Logging creates information about the source material and in/out timecodes in a clip, so that you can perform a batch capture later on. Before you capture the files, you’ll need to specify the capture settings.

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To log and capture from file:

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Set the video quality at which you want to capture material. You can choose a lower resolution, or use compression to save space on your storage device while you do a rough cut.

Click the browse button (it has three dots) to select a folder to hold the master clips. We selected the Master Clips folder we created earlier.

Keep the default setting for the audio quality.

Click the Help button for more information on each parameter.

Select the storage folder for the media.

6 Select the storage folder for the audio media.

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Keep the default conversion settings.

8 At the top of the Avid Explorer, click the Capture Settings button.

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Keep the default settings for the source files.

Close the Capture Settings Media Composer: The Capture Settings view is similar to

Import Options. There is no Import or Batch Import dialog box.

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Capturing from File

14 Type the following in the Address line: C:\Program Files\Avid\DS_v7.6\Media_GetStarted.

Make sure to type in the exact path.

The contents of the folder is displayed.

Both Show/Hide Panel buttons should be highlighted. If they’re not, click both to make sure the two panels are displayed.

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Now you will use the Avid Explorer to capture the files.

Set the second panel to Project.

The Project panel updates to display the folders for the factory presets and the project folder.

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15 Click the Details button to see the details of the files.

Click the arrow next to the first Show/Hide Panel button and select My System.

The panel updates to display the folders on your system.

Press Ctrl and select these file types: PICT images (.pic files), QuickTime movies (.mov files),

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17 Right-click one of the selected files and select Capture.

A progress bar appears to show you the status of the capture. Captured files are placed in the folder you specified in the Capture Settings view.

In the Project panel, click the name of your project: My First Project. Then click the folder that you created for the master clips.

The clips you captured are displayed in the bin.

Repeat step 16 and capture the .wav file.

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