AVID EDITING NOTES
TRIMMING
TRIMMING
• Click and drag a Lasso starting in the area of the timeline outside the tracks around the cut or cuts (one per track) that you wish to trim
• To lasso a cut inside a stack of tracks, hold down the Ctrl/Alt key while you lasso.
• To trim by using numbers, go into Trim Mode and type a plus or minus followed by a number and then press Enter.
• AUDIO GLITCH ISSUE- If you’re not sure if an audio glitch is at the end of the outgoing clip or at the start of the incoming clip, make the Play Loop play only up to the cut (press Shift + I, go to In) while in Loop Play. To play from the cut onwards, press (Shift + O, go to Out) while being in Loop Play. The Play Loop icon changes to show the looping mode.
• To Trim on the Fly, make sure the Play Loop is activated and while it’s playing, press either I or O to set new In or Out points.
STAYING IN SYNC
• Turn on Sync Locks
• If there are clips beyond the point that is being trimmed that are on tracks that are not selected, the use the ADD EDIT button to place cuts in the filler area on these tracks and the trim can then include these cuts (frames in the filler act like frames in a clip and can be trimmed). This can be done by holding down the Option/Alt key and clicking Add Edit while being in the Trim Mode. The Add Edit will be added on any filler tracks at the trim point so all the tracks are trimmed together (these tracks don’t need to be selected).
• To Remove material from one side of a cut only, on one track without breaking sync, on a Mac system hold down the Ctrl key and on a NT system hold down the Alt key when trimming
CTRL KEY = PC
APPLE/Cmd Key = MAC
J, K & L keys
• Hold K & L together and it plays at 8 fps
• Hold K & J together and it plays in Reverse
• Hold down K and Tap L and it goes one frame at a time & scrubs the sound
• Hold down K and Tap J and it goes backwards one frame at a time & scrubs the sound
FF & REW keys
• When using these keys, they are track sensitive, meaning the computer will only do what you tell it to do.
• When using these keys, the blue indicator will stop at Transition/Cut points for which ever tracks are selected.
• If you hold down Option/Alt and when using these keys, the computer will ignore the track selection light and will just go to the next cut
• Go to Settings – Composer – FF/REW Tab and Ignore Track Selectors (which basically is when you hold down the Option Key) – DO THIS WHEN STARTING A NEW PROJECT OR ON A NEW SYSTEM.
TO SNAP TO A TRANSITION POINT, HOLD DOWN THE CTRL/CMD KEY WHEN YOU DRAG THROUGH THE TIMELINE.
WHEN YOU HOLD CTRL/ALT OR CMD/OPTION AND YOU CLICK AT THE TRANSITION, YOU’LL GET TO THE TAIL FRAME OF A CLIP
TRIM MODE
• U – Key
• A & S Key are the Next & Previous Edits and when you use them, they put you right into the Trim Mode. They are Track Sensitive, but if you hold down the Option/Alt key, the won’t be track sensitive.
• Use a Lasso at a cut point to enter the Trim Mode (make sure that you include the video and audio if that’s what you want).
• To get out of Trim Mode
o Click the Trim Mode button again
o Click the Source Mode Button
o Click anywhere on the TC BAR and the Blue Position Indicator will go where ever you click
TIMECODE BAR- if you click on it, it’ll take you out of whatever mode you are in
TO GET BACK TO YOUR LAST TRIM, press Option/Alt key and click on the Trim Mode button
ROLL EDIT- place the indicator over the correct window to let the computer know what side you want to trim (you don’t have to click)
TO ADD & REMOVE ROLLER, Hold down the Shift Key
J, K & L TRIM- you can trim while using these keys
TRIM SETTINGS
• Settings Tab – Trim
• Set your Pre & Post roll settings
• Features Tab
DUAL IMAGE PLAY- must be in Single-Filed resolution and must be double roller. Leave ths ON! It shows both edits during a trim play.
RENDER ON THE FLY- found in a Special Drop Down menu or in the Trim Settings
• If you are parked on a transition, it’ll show you the transition
• This slows down the system for graphically intense stuff
• In the Trim Mode, turn off for Trimming dissolves, Normally turned off
TRIMMING TRICKS
While looping, choose which side you want to trim and press I or O
ANALYZING AUDIO - Which side of the edit is the audio flub?
• Go into Trim Mode and you can loop either just the A side or the B side
• While Looping, Press Q and it’ll just loop the A side (the outgoing clip)
• Press W while looping in the trim mode and it’ll just loop the B side
TRANSITION CORNER DISPLAY – affects the transition
• When dissolving a clip and you get a flash frame or a previous frame
• Go into Trim Mode and press Transition Corner Display
• You are not Trimming the shot in this mode, you are Trimming the effect
• Turn it off when you are Done (it’s in the buttons under the Source Window)
TO REMOVE A SPILT EDIT
Use the Double Roller (roll edit) and press Ctrl/Cmd and it’ll snap to an In/Out point on another edit point
SLIPPING
Go into the Trim Mode and Lasso the entire clip from right to left (not just the edit point). I am not changing the length of the clip, I'm just changing the first and last frame by moving around inside the clip. This also does not affect where the clip in the sequence lies, it doesn't move the clip, just what's inside of it).
• Affects the Head and Tail frame of a clip
• Helps to make a Video and Audio event happen at a better point in time
• Add a Locator on the video clip and then fine the audio point you like and add a Locator on the audio track
• To get into Slip Mode, drag a Lasso from Right to Left over the clip in the timeline. Four Frames will show up in the windows
• Using Slipping will NOT change the duration of the shot
• You can also Slip by using the < or > keys.
• You can only slip one shot at a time
• You can slip on the fly while looping
SLIDING A SHOT
The material and length stays the same but the clips moves throughout the sequence depending, one side will get shorter while the other side of the clip I'm sliding gets longer. To slide a clip, be in the Trim Mode and hold down the Alt/Option Key and double-click on the clip I want to slide or Alt/Option and drag a lasso around the whole clip from right to left. Make sure that the tracks I want to move are highlighted. When I click on the trim buttons, the clip will move in that direction throughout the sequence. If I'm click to the left, my left or outgoing clip will become shorter while the clip on the right or incoming clip will get longer and the clip I have highlighted will stay exactly the same.
• Hold down Option/Alt and Lasso from Right to Left over the clip and it’ll go into Slide Mode
• If you drag Left, the outgoing clip (A clip) will get shorter and the clip after that clip will get longer. The clip’s duration will not change, it just changes its position in the timeline
• You can slide a bunch of clips at a time
• You can slide on the fly while looping
BASIC TRIMMING
Put the playhead next to the edit point and go into Trim Mode. I can even trim during a transition. Click on which side I want to trim.
I can edit on the fly and have it loop and then click on the I-key and it'll loop showing me the in point (good for editing to music).
ADVANCED EDITING AND TRIMMING
For cutting through long dialog takes technique. Map a Red and Green Locator to either the keyboard or to a button on the interface. Pick Actor #1 and place a Red Locator at the beginning of everytime they speak. I can also double click on the Locator and add a comment or paste some text from the script in this area. I can also see a still frame of the image of the clip in the comment area by going to the Fast Menu and choosing Images. Right when my Actor #1 finishes their statement I would then add a Green Locator to show that's the end. I would then let Actor #2 say their lines and when my Actor #1 speaks again I will add another Red Locator and the a Green Locator when they finish and I will continue to do this through the entire take. I can then take my playhead and place it in between the first red and green locator and then hold down the shift key and press the T-key which is for Mark Locator which will place in and out points at the locators and then I can place them into the timeline and then save it into my sequence bin.
Then I can bring up the other camera angle of the same take and start adding locators for the other actor, Actor #2 and do this throughout the sequence. Do a Shift + T and then add this part after the first part I just placed into the timeline and do this throughout the scene with going back and forth to both clips and then I can fine tune it later.
HOW TRIMMING CAN IMPROVE THE FLOW OF DIALOG THROUGH A DRAMATIC PIECE
To go into the Trim Mode either place the playhead at or near the edit point and click on the Trim Mode or click and drag a lasso around all of the tracks I want to trim.
TO HEAR THE DIALOG WHILE TRIMMING, hold down the Shift Key while clicking on the trim buttons and I'll hear it scrubbing. Another way is by using the J-K-L keys. When I hold down the K & L key (or the K & J key) at the same time in the Trim Mode, I will move slowly with hearing the audio and when I get to the right frame I need to let go of the keys. For this to work, I have to check a User Setting by going to Settings - Trim - Features - and check J-K-L Trim.
Trim as a ripple edit (one side) until I get the pacing down and then I can use the Roll trimming (both sides) of just the video only (make sure the audio tracks are shut off) to make the cut seem more natural and not so on the words.
I CAN TRIM ON THE FLY TO TRY TO MAKE THE CUT MORE NATURAL. Keep my left hand on the E-key and use the J-K-L with my right hand. Click on the Loop Play button in the Trim Mode and while it's playing I'm going to mark an In Point where I think the video should change.
If I'm in the Trim Mode and press the Esc key it will take me out of the Trim Mode and if I press it again, it'll move me over to the Record Window.
If I trim one side of the audio but not all of the tracks, I will throw my timeline out of sync.
IF I KNOW HOW MANY FRAMES OR SECONDS I NEED TO ADD TO ONE OF THE SIDES OF MY EDIT, select the side I want and then press + and enter the number and press enter.
I can also trim by going to the point in the time where I want to change the show and using my cursor select the edit point and while holding down the Ctrl/Apple to snap to the point and drag.
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