Moving projects from Avid Media Composer to FCP

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Moving projects from Avid Media Composer to FCP

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Try Sebski Tools

http://www.dharmafilm.com/sebskytools/download

Sebsky Tools is a Freeware application consisting of five utilities, each aimed at helping to move editing projects between Avid Media Composer (Avid) and Final Cut Pro (FCP) made by Apple Computer. The five utilities are:

--fcp2ale - converts batch lists exported from FCP to ALE shot logs which can be imported in Avid. This makes it possible to move bins containing clips from FCP to Avid.
--ale2fcp - Converts ALE shot logs, exported from Avid, to batch lists which can be imported in FCP. This makes it possible to move bins containing clips from Avid to FCP.
--Batch Add TC - Can add timecode and Source ID (reel name) to QuickTime files exported from Avid, reading timecode and reel name from a corresponding ALE file. This makes it possible to maintain timecode- and source information when moving media from Avid to FCP.
--bwf2qt - Converts Broadcast Wave Format (BWF) audio files to QuickTime and optionally extracts metadata and place it in a batch list that can be imported in FCP along with the QuickTime files.
--TC Player - Its possible to manually add and delete timecode and source information to QuickTime files.

Sebsky Tools works with QuickTime movies in either PAL, NTSC or 24 fps video standard. It reads and writes ALE files compatible with Avid version 6 and onwards and it reads and writes FCP batch lists compatible with FCP version 2, 3 and 4. Sebsky Tools can add timecode to QuickTime movies created by QuickTime 3 or later.
Sebsky Tools requires Mac OS X version 10.2.2 (Jaguar) or later, along with QuickTime 6 or later.



Workflow
One of the things Sebsky Tools is designed for, are to assist in a workflow where Final Cut Pro works in tandem with Avid. In the following I'll take a quick look at the suggested workflow for video- and film projects.

Before you start to work on a project, there are a few pitfalls you should be aware of, so you can plan ahead.

1. Duplicate clip names. Make it clear to the person logging your material that they should avoid using duplicate clip names. In most modern Avid there is a setting that should prevent duplicate names from happening. However, since the QuickTime file export from Avid only uses the first 28 characters of the clip name for the file name, it is important that this part of the clipname is uniqe on a per-bin basis.

2. International Characters in clip names. Avoid using international characters like æ,ø and å in clip name. Alhough Sebsky Tools can handle the translation of some of them, you can easilly get in trouble when you get to the point of reconnecting in FCP.

Lets move on to the actual workflow...

Workflow for PAL or NTSC projects.
Export your clips from Avid as QuickTime movies. Most QuickTime movies using the Avid-codec will not play back in realtime in FCP, so it may be nescecarry to either export from Avid using a codec FCP can handle better, or to convert the Avid-exported QuickTime files later. For instance, you can add timecode to the Avid QuickTime movies and then do a batch FCP-movie export in FCP later. Exporting as FCP movie will preserve the file name and the timecode track, but it will also convert the QuickTime movie to a codec that FCP can handle.

Image

Using Sebsky Tools, you then simply specify the directory that contains the QuickTime files you want to add timecode to, and select the ALE file that contains information about the clips. Sebsky Tools adds a timecode track to the movie file with timecode and reel name taken from the clips corresponding entry in the ALE file. You can specify which field Sebsky Tools should use as timecode source - timecode start, TC 24 or any aux TC source. You can then import these QuickTime files into FCP, and edit away with correct timecode and reel name.

If you have used other fields in Avid than the name field, if you have entered shot/take info, comments or other notes you would like to bring in to FCP, you need a different approach. Convert the ALE file to a FCP batch list first. When you do this using ale2fcp, comments and other fields are translated to the FCP batch list. If you've used custom fields in Avid, up to four of them can be translated to the FCP batch list.

Add timecode tracks to your quicktime files exported from Avid using Batch Add TC. Import the translated batch list and in FCP, reconnect the off line clips in the browser to the QuickTime files with newly added timecode track. When you translate the ALE file, you can specify that clipnames should be truncated and given a suffix so that they match the name of the quicktime files and reconnect easily.

To get the edited sequence back into Avid, export the finished sequence from FCP as an EDL. Import this EDL in Avid and relink it to the original media files.

You can also use Automatic Duck Export Pro plug-in from Automatic Duck. This plug-in exports a FCP sequence as an OMFI 2 file. This file can be imported into Avid in the same manner as an EDL, but offers substantially better features than an EDL.

After the sequence is imported and relinked, you may have to rebuild audio levels, visual FX and graphics manually, as these are not translated and brought back into Avid. Again, the Export Pro plug-in translates FX substantially better than EDLs. 
Last edited by admin on Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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