- Posts: 76
- Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2024 8:17 am
- Real Name: Pavel Pavlov
I want to share what I know, and get your feedback to know something new.
Let’s me firstly meet you with a context a little.
My work based mostly in edit with using of selections from full length footage. I create trailers and promos on broadcasting TV channel. So my workflow is:
1) importing of source media (one or several movie or a huge amount of series TV show);
2) then making selecting process - watch all the media and grab the best moments of show. This step is the longest and I can spend a few days or even weeks if I need to watch several seasons of some TV shows, and it is for making one 30-60 sec promos. But in the future I can use these selections again and again.
For this reason it's very importantly done this step well. I need select maximum of the media I can use in future, and I need to organise it such kind, I can quickly find any thing I want. And equally important thing I need to make selections very fast.
3) then using my selected footages I create a sequence with using VO, music, sfx and gfx elements. But anyway sometimes I need to return to source media, no matter how I made the selections well. Sometimes to find media around already selected one, sometimes to find something I didn't know I need it (this is especially in the case of I use previous selecting for other project or general selections I made when get new episodes). So it's important to have a way to fast find sources I need in the context of my timeline media and selections I already have.
For my career as a video editor I mastered and used a lot of NLE - Avid Media Composer, FCP 7, Premier,FCPX, Davinci Resolve, learned additional apps like Lightworks, Smoke and Flame (but didn't use it in everyday work).
Each of them had the its own method to make selections.
Generally we have the such methods for selection -
1. Just put all pieces you need in the end of a timeline. It method is good if you need to make very fast one-timed work, and need no use the selection in the future, and you need no a lot of selections. I use this method I have hard deadline like several hours or until end of the day.
2. Use markers. You just add markers in the place you interested. You can use different colors, add notes. Some NLE have the ability using duration markers, when you tag not the just moment in time, but a entire range of time you want, like In/Out points. Then you can view your markers in a separate window, if it possible in NLE, with color, text, timecode and sometimes image of frame these markers tag. It may be useful if you work with just one source clip like movie when you create a trailer, for example. I don’t like this method, it is just uncomfortable for me. You need to open each source, to view markers it include, so if you work with many sources you can’t find fast what you need. Maybe some of you like that method, but I personally never explore to this way deeply.
3. Use separate timelines. The method I like using primarly. You create a timeline, then watch sources one by one, mark In-Out ranges and edit them to the timeline. You can make one big timeline for all selections or use separate timelines just distributing them by topics. Then you choose timeline you want, put it to source viewer, and jump from edit to edit searching what you want and editing it to your master timeline. I like use it in Avid because of it has the ability to view source in a timeline window, so you can view edits, waveforms and thumbnails of sources. There is an another way to create a selection with a timeline, it may be useful for a single source. Just put your source in a timeline, then when you watch it, just cut source in the timeline and lift up selected range. You can use different tracks for different topics, add markers or use colors for selected clips. At the end you can delete the first track leave just you need, or you can make a duplicate of the timeline, create several selections for other topics. Or you can use the original cut timeline leave unselected pieces. The advantage of this - you can view ranges you unselect and if you need additional media, you need no watch again all the media, just only you unselect previously. For my work I usually created a selection timeline for my current projects then did a selection of selections from previous timelines, keeping in mind the idea and script of my current project. Then I put it into source viewer and worked with the single selection timeline only, avoiding the jumping among several selection timelines.
4. Subclips. Watching sources you mark In-Out and create subclips. You can keep them in one or several bins divide subclips by topics. You can see you selected at a glance if you have a big display and use small thumbnails enough. You can view the content of them using thumbnail view mode, you can skimming them get fast review, you can edit just drug it to timeline. You can change the poster frame to view moment you want on subclip thumbnail. You can name a subclip you want. Exactly skimming feature let the subclip method become my favourite, because of you can quickly review what you want and find everything on-the-fly. I did’t use it in Avid, because it has no skimming, just playback into thumbnail but it is not the same as skimming with mouse pointer.
The best selection system for my purposes I found in FCPX. It combines all methods I told, very flexible and comfort.
I can watch source media from a bin continuously one by one marking in-out on the fly and tagging them with system of keywords you want using shortcuts. Then each keyword I use creates keywords collection - a smart bin which includes my selected ranges. It is like sublips and duration marker in one time. And when you select a keyword collection and enable filmstrip view in the bin and change scale - it is the same like timeline with selections. Moreover, you can choose several keywords with smart search tool collection in one time and you get the dynamically changing selection timeline (for example, you can make timeline from the selections you made where Mary saying something with emotions from the first season of show, using keyword collections @Mary, @dialougue, @emotions and @2ndSeason). When you edit your selections to timeline you can anytime increase your clip just resize it edges in any side.
The better you do your homework to select and organise your footage the more fast and accuracy you can find what you want in the shortest time.
So, because of that I try to copy my FCP approach to Davinci and it has many tools for deciding this task. The work in progress but nowadays it looks like that.
In Davinci I create subclips without use full clip extension (because of that case in the thumbnail view I can view what I selected instead of first frame of whole clip (when I can’t distinguish one from other in the bin)).
After creating subclips I can keep them in one bin or replace them to separate bins with some topics or can use keyword assigning to let Davinci make smart keyword bins. The goal is to get easy finding what you need without unnecessary media. But with selecting the several bins I can combine my queries and can use smart bins to find any combinations I want. In addition I can easily create selection timeline, if I suddenly need it, just selecting subclips any way and create timeline with selected clips.
There are some extra moves I need do in Davinci. If in the case of FCP I just press I, O while playing and press Ctrl + 1..9 to fast assign any of 9 keywords I need, then repeat it until all my sources media ended. Or I can drug’n’drop selected range to the keyword collection I need. In the case of Davinci I need start playing, then I,O, then press Opt-B or drag clip from the Source Viewer to bin I need, then play again and repeat. If I need to use keyword, I need select subclip in the bin and press shortcut or use Metadata panel. I need to select each new source media. I can use Source Tape in Cut Page for this, but there is no feature to move clip from Viewer to bin I need. There are a little thing, of course, but there is a place for improvements and polishing UI and editing features for BM.
Then after finishing selection process I assign my sequence on the timeline using subclips. I can fast skim them in the bin and drag to the timeline when I work with a tablet pen or use the keys Up and Down and JKL when I use a keyboard.
If I need some extra media beyond the boundaries of subclips I use Match Frame to Source Clip function that do the same as common Match Frame but target won’t be the subclip itself, but the media file that subclip was created from. Just place playhead on or select clip I need, then press Shift-F(you need bind Match Frame to Source Clip manually on key you want), and F10 to replace, and I get the possibility to spread out edges of the in any place of the source media clip. There is again extra steps compared with FCP, but it is quickly enough and don’t stressed.
I can use Power Beans to hold my sources and selections and then choosing what I need from that pool of my source footage in any project in the current Project Library. So I can add new footages when they arrived to the relevant bins and do a new selection increasing my library of selection subclips
So, what you thing about it? Any tips, tricks, advices ))))
Let’s me firstly meet you with a context a little.
My work based mostly in edit with using of selections from full length footage. I create trailers and promos on broadcasting TV channel. So my workflow is:
1) importing of source media (one or several movie or a huge amount of series TV show);
2) then making selecting process - watch all the media and grab the best moments of show. This step is the longest and I can spend a few days or even weeks if I need to watch several seasons of some TV shows, and it is for making one 30-60 sec promos. But in the future I can use these selections again and again.
For this reason it's very importantly done this step well. I need select maximum of the media I can use in future, and I need to organise it such kind, I can quickly find any thing I want. And equally important thing I need to make selections very fast.
3) then using my selected footages I create a sequence with using VO, music, sfx and gfx elements. But anyway sometimes I need to return to source media, no matter how I made the selections well. Sometimes to find media around already selected one, sometimes to find something I didn't know I need it (this is especially in the case of I use previous selecting for other project or general selections I made when get new episodes). So it's important to have a way to fast find sources I need in the context of my timeline media and selections I already have.
For my career as a video editor I mastered and used a lot of NLE - Avid Media Composer, FCP 7, Premier,FCPX, Davinci Resolve, learned additional apps like Lightworks, Smoke and Flame (but didn't use it in everyday work).
Each of them had the its own method to make selections.
Generally we have the such methods for selection -
1. Just put all pieces you need in the end of a timeline. It method is good if you need to make very fast one-timed work, and need no use the selection in the future, and you need no a lot of selections. I use this method I have hard deadline like several hours or until end of the day.
2. Use markers. You just add markers in the place you interested. You can use different colors, add notes. Some NLE have the ability using duration markers, when you tag not the just moment in time, but a entire range of time you want, like In/Out points. Then you can view your markers in a separate window, if it possible in NLE, with color, text, timecode and sometimes image of frame these markers tag. It may be useful if you work with just one source clip like movie when you create a trailer, for example. I don’t like this method, it is just uncomfortable for me. You need to open each source, to view markers it include, so if you work with many sources you can’t find fast what you need. Maybe some of you like that method, but I personally never explore to this way deeply.
3. Use separate timelines. The method I like using primarly. You create a timeline, then watch sources one by one, mark In-Out ranges and edit them to the timeline. You can make one big timeline for all selections or use separate timelines just distributing them by topics. Then you choose timeline you want, put it to source viewer, and jump from edit to edit searching what you want and editing it to your master timeline. I like use it in Avid because of it has the ability to view source in a timeline window, so you can view edits, waveforms and thumbnails of sources. There is an another way to create a selection with a timeline, it may be useful for a single source. Just put your source in a timeline, then when you watch it, just cut source in the timeline and lift up selected range. You can use different tracks for different topics, add markers or use colors for selected clips. At the end you can delete the first track leave just you need, or you can make a duplicate of the timeline, create several selections for other topics. Or you can use the original cut timeline leave unselected pieces. The advantage of this - you can view ranges you unselect and if you need additional media, you need no watch again all the media, just only you unselect previously. For my work I usually created a selection timeline for my current projects then did a selection of selections from previous timelines, keeping in mind the idea and script of my current project. Then I put it into source viewer and worked with the single selection timeline only, avoiding the jumping among several selection timelines.
4. Subclips. Watching sources you mark In-Out and create subclips. You can keep them in one or several bins divide subclips by topics. You can see you selected at a glance if you have a big display and use small thumbnails enough. You can view the content of them using thumbnail view mode, you can skimming them get fast review, you can edit just drug it to timeline. You can change the poster frame to view moment you want on subclip thumbnail. You can name a subclip you want. Exactly skimming feature let the subclip method become my favourite, because of you can quickly review what you want and find everything on-the-fly. I did’t use it in Avid, because it has no skimming, just playback into thumbnail but it is not the same as skimming with mouse pointer.
The best selection system for my purposes I found in FCPX. It combines all methods I told, very flexible and comfort.
I can watch source media from a bin continuously one by one marking in-out on the fly and tagging them with system of keywords you want using shortcuts. Then each keyword I use creates keywords collection - a smart bin which includes my selected ranges. It is like sublips and duration marker in one time. And when you select a keyword collection and enable filmstrip view in the bin and change scale - it is the same like timeline with selections. Moreover, you can choose several keywords with smart search tool collection in one time and you get the dynamically changing selection timeline (for example, you can make timeline from the selections you made where Mary saying something with emotions from the first season of show, using keyword collections @Mary, @dialougue, @emotions and @2ndSeason). When you edit your selections to timeline you can anytime increase your clip just resize it edges in any side.
The better you do your homework to select and organise your footage the more fast and accuracy you can find what you want in the shortest time.
So, because of that I try to copy my FCP approach to Davinci and it has many tools for deciding this task. The work in progress but nowadays it looks like that.
In Davinci I create subclips without use full clip extension (because of that case in the thumbnail view I can view what I selected instead of first frame of whole clip (when I can’t distinguish one from other in the bin)).
After creating subclips I can keep them in one bin or replace them to separate bins with some topics or can use keyword assigning to let Davinci make smart keyword bins. The goal is to get easy finding what you need without unnecessary media. But with selecting the several bins I can combine my queries and can use smart bins to find any combinations I want. In addition I can easily create selection timeline, if I suddenly need it, just selecting subclips any way and create timeline with selected clips.
There are some extra moves I need do in Davinci. If in the case of FCP I just press I, O while playing and press Ctrl + 1..9 to fast assign any of 9 keywords I need, then repeat it until all my sources media ended. Or I can drug’n’drop selected range to the keyword collection I need. In the case of Davinci I need start playing, then I,O, then press Opt-B or drag clip from the Source Viewer to bin I need, then play again and repeat. If I need to use keyword, I need select subclip in the bin and press shortcut or use Metadata panel. I need to select each new source media. I can use Source Tape in Cut Page for this, but there is no feature to move clip from Viewer to bin I need. There are a little thing, of course, but there is a place for improvements and polishing UI and editing features for BM.
Then after finishing selection process I assign my sequence on the timeline using subclips. I can fast skim them in the bin and drag to the timeline when I work with a tablet pen or use the keys Up and Down and JKL when I use a keyboard.
If I need some extra media beyond the boundaries of subclips I use Match Frame to Source Clip function that do the same as common Match Frame but target won’t be the subclip itself, but the media file that subclip was created from. Just place playhead on or select clip I need, then press Shift-F(you need bind Match Frame to Source Clip manually on key you want), and F10 to replace, and I get the possibility to spread out edges of the in any place of the source media clip. There is again extra steps compared with FCP, but it is quickly enough and don’t stressed.
I can use Power Beans to hold my sources and selections and then choosing what I need from that pool of my source footage in any project in the current Project Library. So I can add new footages when they arrived to the relevant bins and do a new selection increasing my library of selection subclips
So, what you thing about it? Any tips, tricks, advices ))))
Last edited by ghost355 on Tue May 07, 2024 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.