Avid / Pinnacle discussions from 2003

Gary Bettan · September 30th, 2003, 12:35 PM

The wait is finally over - Mojo is in stock!

I realize for many of you the jury is still out on Mojo, but Real-Time analog & DV output is a VERY big feature. And with Mojo you can do it with a laptop or workstation!

The component and uncompressed features are a nice addition to the feature set, especially if you do a lot of After Effects work and/or complex titling sequences. While these sequences must be rendered, you can drop them into your Xpress Pro timeline made up of DV footage and it will play out in real-time.

We've put together some pretty cool bundles with Mojo & Xpress Pro upgrades. http://www.videoguys.com/XpressPro.html

Gary
Videoguys.com

Steven-Marc Couchouron · October 7th, 2003, 05:57 AM

As promised, AVID Free DV is now available for download:

http://www.avid.com/freedv/index.asp

Gary Bettan · October 10th, 2003, 01:03 PM

Liquid Edition is the next version of Pinnacle Edition. They've added some great new features to Edition 5.5 that many users were requesting. My two favorite are:

CX Color Correction - Liquid Edition now has color correction capabilities that are as good as it gets.

Dynamic Speed Control - this allows you to control the sped of a clip over it's duration. Vegas calls this 'Velocity Envelopes' - i just call it "COOL!"

Users of Edition 5 upgrade to Liquid Edition for $49 (if you purchased Edition after 8/1 you qualify for a $49 mail in rebate)

Users of Adobe Premiere and Pinnacle Studio can now upgrade to Liquid Edition for $399.95. You don't have to send back any software or hardware. (The installer will require one oof these titles to complete).

For more info check out http://www.videoguys.com/edition.html

Gary

Steve Mullen · October 21st, 2003, 08:00 AM

As part of writing a Free DV tutorial (see www.mindspring.com/~d-v-c if you are interested) I decided to see if Free DV could edit HDV.

Or, more specifically, if it could work with my 4HDV. I did not expect this could work.

But I found I had no trouble importing the AIFF and Proxy MOV files and editing them. It seems Free DV is very QT oriented so it accepts MOV files.

I then tried to import the MPEG-2 MOV files so they could get linked to the Proxies. By now I had hope that with the Apple MPEG-2 decoder installed, QT would let me open these MOV files.

The import started fine. But after a long delay -- while I stopped breathing -- an error message appeared. Damn.

But I don't yet know if this is a Free DV or an Xpress DV limitation.

I'll try next week when I get Xpress DV Pro (with Mojo) to review.

By the way, while Avid tried it's best to cripple Free DV -- oddly what they've provided for free is perfect for LONG-FORM video productions. Which is great news for us who do not do SHORT-FORM multi-layer effects-driven work. And so far on a Mac, it has been rock solid!

And, seems to work with iDVD.

Brian Mitchell Warshawsky · October 21st, 2003, 09:28 AM

Steve,

Is your experience only with the Apple version?

Has anyone tested Avid Free DV on the PC side?

Brian

Steve Mullen · October 21st, 2003, 10:47 AM

Only on Mac, but don't expect any differences.

I've worked with Xpress DV on both Mac and PC and never found any differences.

Richard Alvarez · October 21st, 2003, 11:02 AM

Steve,

Coming as it does from a feature film production background, Avid's strong suit has always been long form. For media management, it's hands down the best. Glad you like FreeDV, enjoy PRO... my upgrade is on the way.

Richard

Christopher C. Murphy · November 4th, 2003, 04:30 PM

Could someone check to see if it will import HDV??

http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/videography/article_5030.shtml

It says, "MPEG-2" in the list of encodable formats.

Thanks,

Chris

Steve Mullen · November 4th, 2003, 04:41 PM

As soon as Avid updates XpressDV Pro to support 10.3 I'll be reviewing it.

And will check both HD Pixlet and HD MPEG-2 import.

Christopher C. Murphy · November 4th, 2003, 05:36 PM

Thanks Steve.

Chris

David Slingerland · November 6th, 2003, 06:50 AM

I am used to editing on fcp but now I have a job on AVID Express pro, i checked the manual but its not clear on a few things
1) in fcp i can look at a videofile in my browser but i can also see the audiofiles, how do i do that in AVID? I look at the audiofile to see where i want to cut...
2) When editing in the timeline with fcp i can simply drag and pull under to let audio go under other shots, how do i do it with AVID?
Part from this what are the major differences.?

I have been looking through the manual, but my native language is not english so it takes a long time and is not explained fully...

greetings

David

Richard Alvarez · November 6th, 2003, 08:50 AM

Major work flow differences.

Down on the left hand corner of the timeline, is a "Hamburger" icon. Click on this, and it will give you menus. Choose "Sample plot" and it will draw the audio waves. You can enlarge the track as big as you want to view it.

Up on the top toolbar, is a "Toolset" menu. Audieo toolset opens all of the audio tools. (Also color correction toolset, recording toolset etc.)

Also down on the left hand side of the timeline, are two "arrows" . Click the red one to "overwrite" and the yellow one to "Splice" (with ripple). When you click on a segment, it will be ready to move, delete, whatever.

FCP and Avid come from very different parradigms, and the workflow is different. FCP more closely resembles "Premier"... though FCP is moving towards a more "Avid" like interface.

Good luck.

Martin Garrison · November 8th, 2003, 01:28 AM

If you want to extend audio from one shot under another, you need to use what avid calls "trim mode". There is an icon that looks like a can of film, click on this. Then make sure only the tracks you want to adjust are activated, in this case the audio tracks. Now click on the transition you want to adjust. the sides will turn pink.

Up in the composer window you now see two shots. Beneath them are numbers of frames in two boxes. With both of these highlighted, click the >> or << arrows to pull the audio in the direction you want to go by ten frams.

It sound confusing but once you get the hang of it is a precise way to adjust edits. Look up "trim mode" in the manual for more info.

Nick Underwood · November 21st, 2003, 08:09 AM

Is the manual that comes with Pinnacle Liquid Edition essentially the same as the one for Edition 5 with a few changes or is it a new re-write. Having not had edition, I can't tell the difference.

The "addendum" talks about colour tracking and the motion control, so I am assuming the Liquid manual is the same as the original Edition 5 version...
Is that correct?

John Wilcox · November 21st, 2003, 11:32 AM

Nick,

I'm not sure how different the Editon5 and Liquid Edition manuals are. But if you want to check for yourself I think you can download both manual versions, in PDF format, from the support sections of the Pinnacle website. I think you may need to use the US (rather than UK) site to access the version 5 manual.

Hope this helps

September 30th, 2003, 12:35 PM	#76
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	Avid Mojo is here! Avid Xpress Pro is here! The wait is finally over - Mojo is in stock! I realize for many of you the jury is still out on Mojo, but Real-Time analog & DV output is a VERY big feature. And with Mojo you can do it with a laptop or workstation! The component and uncompressed features are a nice addition to the feature set, especially if you do a lot of After Effects work and/or complex titling sequences. While these sequences must be rendered, you can drop them into your Xpress Pro timeline made up of DV footage and it will play out in real-time. We've put together some pretty cool bundles with Mojo & Xpress Pro upgrades. http://www.videoguys.com/XpressPro.html Gary Videoguys.com __________________ Check out http://www.videoguys.com 800 323-2325 We are the video editing and live video production experts! DV InfoNet members save 5%! Use Coupon Code DVINFO5OFF

October 7th, 2003, 05:57 AM	#77
Steven-Marc Couchouron Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Paris, France Posts: 110 Images: 5	AVID Free DV available As promised, AVID Free DV is now available for download: http://www.avid.com/freedv/index.asp __________________ SMCproductions.com

October 10th, 2003, 01:03 PM	#78
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	New Liquid Edition Upgrade Liquid Edition is the next version of Pinnacle Edition. They've added some great new features to Edition 5.5 that many users were requesting. My two favorite are: CX Color Correction - Liquid Edition now has color correction capabilities that are as good as it gets. Dynamic Speed Control - this allows you to control the sped of a clip over it's duration. Vegas calls this 'Velocity Envelopes' - i just call it "COOL!" Users of Edition 5 upgrade to Liquid Edition for $49 (if you purchased Edition after 8/1 you qualify for a $49 mail in rebate) Users of Adobe Premiere and Pinnacle Studio can now upgrade to Liquid Edition for $399.95. You don't have to send back any software or hardware. (The installer will require one oof these titles to complete). For more info check out http://www.videoguys.com/edition.html Gary __________________ Check out http://www.videoguys.com 800 323-2325 We are the video editing and live video production experts! DV InfoNet members save 5%! Use Coupon Code DVINFO5OFF

October 21st, 2003, 08:00 AM	#79
Steve Mullen HDV Cinema Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 4,007	Avid Free DV and HDV editing As part of writing a Free DV tutorial (see www.mindspring.com/~d-v-c if you are interested) I decided to see if Free DV could edit HDV. Or, more specifically, if it could work with my 4HDV. I did not expect this could work. But I found I had no trouble importing the AIFF and Proxy MOV files and editing them. It seems Free DV is very QT oriented so it accepts MOV files. I then tried to import the MPEG-2 MOV files so they could get linked to the Proxies. By now I had hope that with the Apple MPEG-2 decoder installed, QT would let me open these MOV files. The import started fine. But after a long delay -- while I stopped breathing -- an error message appeared. Damn. But I don't yet know if this is a Free DV or an Xpress DV limitation. I'll try next week when I get Xpress DV Pro (with Mojo) to review. By the way, while Avid tried it's best to cripple Free DV -- oddly what they've provided for free is perfect for LONG-FORM video productions. Which is great news for us who do not do SHORT-FORM multi-layer effects-driven work. And so far on a Mac, it has been rock solid! And, seems to work with iDVD. __________________ Switcher's Quick Guide to the Avid Media Composer >>> http://home.mindspring.com/~d-v-c

October 21st, 2003, 10:47 AM	#81
Steve Mullen HDV Cinema Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 4,007	Only on Mac, but don't expect any differences. I've worked with Xpress DV on both Mac and PC and never found any differences. __________________ Switcher's Quick Guide to the Avid Media Composer >>> http://home.mindspring.com/~d-v-c

October 21st, 2003, 09:28 AM	#80
Brian Mitchell Warshawsky Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Bay Area Posts: 216	Steve, Is your experience only with the Apple version? Has anyone tested Avid Free DV on the PC side? Brian

October 21st, 2003, 11:02 AM	#82
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Steve, Coming as it does from a feature film production background, Avid's strong suit has always been long form. For media management, it's hands down the best. Glad you like FreeDV, enjoy PRO... my upgrade is on the way. Richard

November 4th, 2003, 04:30 PM	#83
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	AVID releases new software Could someone check to see if it will import HDV?? http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/videography/article_5030.shtml It says, "MPEG-2" in the list of encodable formats. Thanks, Chris

November 4th, 2003, 04:41 PM	#84
Steve Mullen HDV Cinema Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 4,007	As soon as Avid updates XpressDV Pro to support 10.3 I'll be reviewing it. And will check both HD Pixlet and HD MPEG-2 import. __________________ Switcher's Quick Guide to the Avid Media Composer >>> http://home.mindspring.com/~d-v-c

November 4th, 2003, 05:36 PM	#85
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Thanks Steve. Chris

November 6th, 2003, 06:50 AM	#86
David Slingerland Major Player Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Soest ,Holland Posts: 307	avid Expres pro I am used to editing on fcp but now I have a job on AVID Express pro, i checked the manual but its not clear on a few things 1) in fcp i can look at a videofile in my browser but i can also see the audiofiles, how do i do that in AVID? I look at the audiofile to see where i want to cut... 2) When editing in the timeline with fcp i can simply drag and pull under to let audio go under other shots, how do i do it with AVID? Part from this what are the major differences.? I have been looking through the manual, but my native language is not english so it takes a long time and is not explained fully... greetings David __________________ D.Slingerland director/cameraman http://www.slingerlandproductions.nl

November 6th, 2003, 08:50 AM	#87
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Major work flow differences. Down on the left hand corner of the timeline, is a "Hamburger" icon. Click on this, and it will give you menus. Choose "Sample plot" and it will draw the audio waves. You can enlarge the track as big as you want to view it. Up on the top toolbar, is a "Toolset" menu. Audieo toolset opens all of the audio tools. (Also color correction toolset, recording toolset etc.) Also down on the left hand side of the timeline, are two "arrows" . Click the red one to "overwrite" and the yellow one to "Splice" (with ripple). When you click on a segment, it will be ready to move, delete, whatever. FCP and Avid come from very different parradigms, and the workflow is different. FCP more closely resembles "Premier"... though FCP is moving towards a more "Avid" like interface. Good luck.

November 8th, 2003, 01:28 AM	#88
Martin Garrison Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 173	If you want to extend audio from one shot under another, you need to use what avid calls "trim mode". There is an icon that looks like a can of film, click on this. Then make sure only the tracks you want to adjust are activated, in this case the audio tracks. Now click on the transition you want to adjust. the sides will turn pink. Up in the composer window you now see two shots. Beneath them are numbers of frames in two boxes. With both of these highlighted, click the >> or << arrows to pull the audio in the direction you want to go by ten frams. It sound confusing but once you get the hang of it is a precise way to adjust edits. Look up "trim mode" in the manual for more info.

November 21st, 2003, 08:09 AM	#89
Nick Underwood Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Manchester,UK Posts: 62	Liquid Edition \|Manual Is the manual that comes with Pinnacle Liquid Edition essentially the same as the one for Edition 5 with a few changes or is it a new re-write. Having not had edition, I can't tell the difference. The "addendum" talks about colour tracking and the motion control, so I am assuming the Liquid manual is the same as the original Edition 5 version... Is that correct?

November 21st, 2003, 11:32 AM	#90
John Wilcox Regular Crew Join Date: May 2002 Location: West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 25	Nick, I'm not sure how different the Editon5 and Liquid Edition manuals are. But if you want to check for yourself I think you can download both manual versions, in PDF format, from the support sections of the Pinnacle website. I think you may need to use the US (rather than UK) site to access the version 5 manual. Hope this helps __________________ John Wilcox