The Avid Media Composer ® “Cheat Sheet”

The Avid Media Composer ®
“Cheat Sheet”

Amber Video & Audio Post Unit B, 5 Skyline Place Frenchs Forest NSW 2086
Ph: +61 2 89774800 Fx: +61 2 99751430 http://www.avap.com.au

VIDEO & AUDIO POST

Project Window Result Bins - Text View Result
Selects all bins in project
Shortcut Shortcut
+A
VIDEO & AUDIO POST

Moves cursor to next column

+W Closes project + Moves cursor to previous column

Bins - General Moves cursor to next row

Shortcut Result + Moves cursor to previous row
+N Creates a new bin
+E Sorts items by selected heading

+A Selects all items in bin + +E Reverse sorts items by heading

+ +A Deselects all items in bin + click Allows editing of custom bin

bin heading heading

+W Closes active bin + click cell Produces menu of previous en-
tries for that cell

+P Prints active bin

+D Duplicates selected object/s Capturing Result
Starts subclip
Shortcut

+ +G Groups selected objects

+I Opens bin info in Console Ends subclip
+
Changes Relink to Unlink in Add locator
+ drag Bin menu
Copies selected object/s from Start capturing
one bin to another

Bins - Frame and Script modes

Shortcut Result Did you know...?
+L Enlarges frames You can also use the J, K and L keys as well
as the left and right
+K Reduces frames arrow keys to control
the deck while in
+T Snaps frames to grid capture mode.

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symbol of wisdom and learning. So
“I learned more with Dave in three nothing epitomises the value of Avid
days than I learned in three years Certified training better than our
teaching myself” nocturnal feathered friend here. No
matter how long you have been using
G.J. (Avid MC101 student) the Avid system, there is ALWAYS
something you can learn in an Avid
Check out our website for all our training offerings... http://www.avap.com.au training course that will help you work
smarter; instead of harder.

Tools J-K-L (Three-button) Play

Shortcut Result Shortcut Result
+1 Audio Tool
x 1 Play normal speed

+2 Avid Calculator x 2 Play 2x normal speed

+3 Command Palette x 3 Play 3x normal speed

+4 Composer Window x 4 Play 5x normal speed

+5 Media Creation Tool x 5 Play 8x normal speed

+6 Console Window x 1 Reverse play normal speed

+7 Capture Tool x 2 Reverse play 2x normal speed

+8 Effect Palette x 3 Reverse play 3x normal speed

+9 Project Window x 4 Reverse play 5x normal speed

+0 Timeline Window x 5 Reverse play 8x normal speed

Audio Pause
Play 1/4 speed (6fps PAL)
Shortcut Result + Reverse Play 1/4 speed (6fps PAL)
+ Step back one frame
+click Set pan to MID (centre pan) tap Step forward one frame
pan slider Set gain to 0.0dB tap
+click Solo selected timeline track
gain slider Moves keyframe in time but not
+click gain
speaker icon
+drag
keyframe

So, you’ve got one of Anyone can drive a VW Beetle to its maximum potential.
these in the garage? And driving the Australian GP at 65km/h might get you to
Nice one! the finish (eventually) but where’s the fun in that?

(But wouldn’t it be a Imagine driving the F1 car instead.
shame to drive it like one
of these?) Very exciting. But to even get on the track, the team boss
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erly trained. It is the same with your Avid system. Knowing
the basics is OK, but to get the best performance out of it,
you have to be trained the right way. That’s our job. Avid
certified training conducted by Avid Certified Instructors is
the only way to ensure you really know everything you need
to know to take advantage of all the powerful features and
productivity tools your Avid system has to offer.

Think about it and remember you can’t win a F1 drivers’
championship driving a Ferrari like a VW Beetle.

(Just ask Michael Schumacher)

Check out our full range of Avid training courses at http://www.avap.com.au
or phone us on +61 2 89774800

VIDEO & AUDIO POST

Playing and Marking Footage Effect Mode

Shortcut Result Shortcut Result

+ Step 10 frames forward + VIDEO & AUDIO POST
+
+ Step 10 frames backward +drag Moves from one active slider to
wireframe the next
+ Step one field forward +drag Increase parameter value by
keyframe ten units
+ Step one field backward Decrease parameter value by
ten units
+ Mark In
Updates image while dragging

Repositions keyframe in time

+ Mark Out + +click Selects all keyframes

+ Go to In Removes selected effect
+ Go to Out
+ Loop play between marks +double Autonests effect from palette-
click effect onto selected segment/s

+click in Turns cursor into eyedropper for
monitor Paint effect brush colour

Trim Mode +click in Changes cursor to magnifying
monitor glass

Shortcut Result + +click Changes cursor to hand for mov-
ing zoomed image in monitor

+ Go to trim mode at previous edit +click control Changes corner point to smooth
regardless of track selection point point and vice versa
+ Go to trim mode at next edit
regardless of track selection +click Bezier Toggles bar length and direction
+Trim forward In single-roller trim, Filler is in- handle from linked to unlinked to linked
or backward serted to maintain sync
+double click Segment is placed in Slide mode +drag Bezier Toggles bar length and direction
a segment handle from linked to unlinked to linked
+double click Segment is placed in Slip mode
a segment +drag object Rescales object from its centre
Exit Trim mode and return to handle
Source/Record mode
+ (click) Brings selected object to front

+ (click) Sends selected object to back

Did you know...? + Renders to last drive used
bypassing dialogue box
Real-time dissolves were not part of the Media Com- While Shows render timer
poser feature set until about 1996 when v5.5 was rendering
released? Before then, dissolves had to be rendered While Shows render percentage com-
and on a NuBus Macintosh with a 100MHz processor, rendering plete
a twenty-five frame dissolve took about one second Exit Effect mode and return to
per frame to render which meant you could not see Source/Record mode
your dissolve playing back in real-time for about half
a minute! Then, if you wanted to change its length or Ooops!!
position, you had to render the dissolve all over again!
(What a pain) If you make a mistake, you can undo it. You probably
knew that already. But in the Undo/Redo list found in
Aren’t you glad Avid kept (and keeps on) developing? the Edit menu, you can undo up to thirty-two opera-
tions. If you undo too far, that list will also allow you to
re-do up to thirty-two operations

Editing Timeline

Shortcut Result Shortcut Result
+Z Undo previous action +click in
Timeline VIDEO & AUDIO POST

Snaps position indicator to
nearest head-frame

+R Redo previous action + +click in Snaps position indicator to
Timeline nearest tail-frame

+ Copies extracted material to the +click in Allows lassoing of edits and seg-
+ Clipboard Timeline ments buried in timeline tracks
Copies lifted material to the
+ Clipboard +L Enlarges selected track/s
+ Copies marked material to the
+ Clipboard +K Reduces selected track/s
Places extracted material in
+V Source Monitor +] Show more detail (zoom in)
+I Places lifted material in Source
+click in Monitor +[ Show less detail (zoom out)
monitor Places copied material in Source
+ Monitor +F Open Find dialogue to search
+double Pastes clipboard contents at clip, locator and Timeline text
click marked position
+drag to Shows Info window for object in +Y Create new video track
rec monitor selected monitor
+drag to Allows dragging of subclip from +U Create new audio track
rec monitor monitor to bin
Opens the Select a Bin dialogue + +Y Opens dialogue box to choose
box new video track number
Opens selected clip or sequence
in pop-up window + +U Opens dialogue box to choose
Splices clip dragged from bin new audio track number
into sequence
Overwrites clip dragged from bin +click track Solos the selected track/s
into sequence monitor icon/s

+drag clip Snaps clip to In/Out boundaries
from bin in Timeline

+ Restrict segment motion to verti-
cal only

+D Duplicates selected bin objects +A Selects all tracks

+L Enlarges frame in Source or + +A Deselects all tracks
+K Record monitor
+ Reduces frame in Source or Guess who forgot
+ Record monitor to back up?
+ Splices clip to timeline ignoring
+ record-side marks Backing up your work at the end of every day
Overwrites clip to timeline ignor- is a most under-rated discipline. Make sure you
ing record-side marks always back-up;
Marks clip regardless of track
selection Your Project
Marks between locators or entire Your User Profile
sequence if there are no locators Your project’s Attic folder
Toggles between Source and And remember; “The day you don’t back-up is
Record monitors going to be the day immediately before the day
you wish you had!”
“Editing is about the only thing you can do in
life where the ends truly justify the means.”

Dave Forsyth

Toggle Avid Media Composer Default Keyboard
Src/Rec
Multicam Multicam Multicam Multicam
camera #1 camera #2 camera #3 camera #4

Play Jog 10fr Jog 10fr Jog 1fr Jog 1fr Play Play Video Video Audio Audio Audio Audio (you work it out)
backward forward backward forward In to Out track #2 track #1 track #1 track #2 track #3 track #4

Play Go to Go to Mark In Mark Out Mark Src/Rec Trim Mark In Mark Out Trim Trim Trim Quick
In mark Out mark Clip mode mode A-side both sides B-side Transition

Go to Go to Clear Clear Clear Focus Play Pause Play Mouse Shuttle Add
prev edit next edit In mark Out mark both marks reverse forward (pre-Adrenaline only) Keyframe

Lift Extract Copy to Splice-in Overwrite Mouse Jog Trim left Trim left Trim right Trim right
Clipboard (pre-Adrenaline only) 10 frames one frame one frame 10 frames

Amber Video & Audio Post Unit B, 5 Skyline Place Frenchs Forest NSW 2086
Ph: +61 2 89774800 Fx: +61 2 99751430 http://www.avap.com.au

VIDEO & AUDIO POST