Avid Media Composer Workflow

paulgandersman

paulgandersman

Well-known member
Can anyone point me in the direction of an AVID MEDIA COMPOSER workflow for GH1 footage? (1080p24 AVCHD).

I'm about to shoot something and the director want's to cut it herself on her AVID station, then we want to have her export out an XML to me that I load up on my Final Cut station in order to do all the color work here.

Anyone know how to do this with AVID? I know the Final Cut workflow just fine, but am a noob at Avid. we're going to test whatever we figure out before actually shooting the movie.

Thank!!
 
I'm curious about this myself. I take delivery of the cam today, and will be diving into both Avid Media Composer and Adobe CS4.
 
I am no expert, but as no one seems to answer, here are my humble thoughts:

On a Mac I first transcode the .MTS files with Toast.
For Avid I use DNxHD codec, for FCP apple intermediate codec. (No newest FCP to use ProRes).
In FCP the files are then immediately "online", for use with Avid you have to import again and transcode to MXF Files.
I personally started to use Final Cut then (which I do not like) because it takes Avid so long to import.
Also Avid uses a decent amount of disk space for the MXF files.
(I am using MC 2.8, Avid handling may have improved)

Anyway, if you trust the edit of your director and are certain that you do not have to trim, I would export an uncompressed quicktime out of Avid to load into FCP to do the color correction. Also, if FCP is really just to do color correction, I would maybe do it in Avid. On a few gigs I tried to export an EDL from Avid to batch into FCP and hell, in the end I always had to take the clips in by hand. And that was tape!
best,..
 
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I just converted AVCHD files from my Panasonic GH1 with voltaic (trial version) to Avid DNxHD. They seemed to import into Composer 4.0.5 (trial version), but when I played the clips in Avid the picture remained on the first frame as the audio played. Anybody know what's up with that?

I was going to try the Toast workflow, but couldn't find a trial version on the website.
 
Hi all

@billglader - that's interesting, I'm using the VoltaicHD workflow and works fine.

I'm using VoltaicHD to convert the .mts files to DnxHD (remember to set 709/no alpha to ensure fast import). And bringing in the resulting QTs into Avid MC (still on v3.0.5 here). Simple as. The transcode that Voltaic does isn't the quickest (~8x realtime on my 2.8 MBP) but works well enough. Bill, it almost sounds like a bandwidth issue - if you're trying to read DnxHD 220 (or 185, thereabouts anyway) files off a USB drive you're gonna get stuck. If that's the case, take in a small test clip from an internal drive and see what happens.

@OP - you might struggle a bit to export an XML from Avid to FCP. If you're willing to splash out then invest in Automatic Duck which is designed specifically for moving projects from Avid to FCP (and vice versa) translating XMLs and AAFs. If you're simply using cuts and mixes you might get away with a bog standard EDL (CMX 3600).

That all said, you might still have trouble batch importing at the FCP end since I don't think the clips imported into Avid carry any tape/reel ID etc. If you're grading in Color then I'd just bash out a quicktime from Avid with an EDL which you'll then take into Color as a cutlist. Remove all the effects first, put timewarped clips at the end etc etc. The usual safe-as-possible online workflow.
 
The new Avid Media Composer Version 5 imports the Canons H264 directly now doesn't need to convert to DnxHD for import.
Just drop into the sequence and play.
I would like to know if it'll play the m2ts files directly as well....as Premiere Pro CS5 does
Avid still costs a bit more...but also does more 'directly' than any other NLE.
 
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We're on mc v.5.0.3. Got my GH13 yesterday, rattled off a couple of shots as a test. Copied files to desktop, straight import from there into avid. Could not be easier.
(PAL 1080p 25fps lpowell 'reliable' AVCHD hack, rgb import into SD 25fps project). Sorry that doesn't answer op's question
 
mr bill, can you give some info on this? :

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?234146-GH2-transcode-with-5D2RGB/page6

if you have any knowledge on the topic, please refer to my #51 reply, thanks.
i'll also be happy to know your optimal AVID workflow with those AVCHD's. i find it a bit annoying having to transcode all the time.
will you transcode to DNxHD 36 for off line and deal with online afterwards? or import to 120 and treat the whole project as online?
(i wonder about this when dealing with big projects, and that DNxHD makes AVCHD x5 in size)
 
Hi roei - sorry, this is doubling up slightly on the other thread, but never mind. I'm finding the file size from my new GH13 to be significantly smaller than the equivalent canon h.264 footage, which also means it imports MUCH faster. You need to be on version 5.0.3 I believe to have direct avchd import supported. For shortform work (and if your drives are up to the job) I would simply import to DNxH185 and edit hi-res. Longform, and I would be looking to work at DNxHD36. You'll have found AMA doesn't support avchd yet - I'm not a great fan of AMA as it's a pretty sticky editing experience at the moment although I'm sure it will get more efficient. We tend to mount P2 etc etc then transcode to lo res for editing, then relink and transcode to hi-res for the grade once we've got picture lock.

Short answer - direct import into avid at whatever res works for you
 
sorry for the double replies..
so you prefer working on those DNxHD huge 185 mediafiles? isn't 185 an overkill? 115 is X5 size and enough for 8 bit footage isn't it?
 
huge files

huge files

I drag .mts files from an unhacked GH1 into Avid MC 5.0.3 bins for conversion, but get huge files (about x8). Is all that wrapping necessary, is there no (free)way around it?
:undecided
 
it depends on the resolution you're importing. if you choose DNxHD 185, they will be bigger (a lot more bigger than necessary).
DNxHD 115 is good enough for 8 bit, so you'll grow them bigger only by x5.
another efficiant way would be to import all the files in lowest resolution (DNxHD 36 i think) and treat the project as offline.
and then make online only with necessary files in your best resolution.

this is the AVID way. it's not so bad.
 
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