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Avid Liquid
Liquid for
Pinnacle Studio Users
Trademarks
Avid Liquid, Avid
Systems, Inc.
Pinnacle Systems and the Pinnacle Systems logo are registered trademarks of Pinnacle Systems, Inc.
Sony, ClipLink, DV, DVCAM, Digital Betacam, Betacam SP, Betacam SX, Hi8, Video8, HDCAM, D2, Digital8, D8,
i.LINK and the i.LINK logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation; D3, D5, Panasonic and DVCPRO are trademarks
of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company; D9, Digital-S and D-VHS are trademarks of JVC; Dolby A, B, C, SR
and Dolby Surround are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories; Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories.
1992-2003 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories; OMF , Avid ,
MediaLog are trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc.; Media Cleaner is trademark of Terran Interactive - a subsidiary of Media 100, Inc.; FaderMaster Pro is trademark of JL Cooper - a department of Sound Technology; Java is
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MS-DOS
RIGHTS RESERVED. Parts of this product are based on the work of the independent JPEG-Group.
All other nationally and internationally recognized trademarks and trade names are hereby acknowledged and are
the property of their respective owners.
Manual
Part 1
CONTENT
Part 1
Part 2
3 EZ Capture ................................................. 12
Timeline
The Timeline is where the Sequence (in Studio: Film) is assembled from the clips (scenes). Any type of
clip (video, audio, graphic, title) can be positioned on the Tracks.
The Timeline appearance, clip display and Audio/Video Playback are all managed in the Track Header
area to the left of the Timeline.
Project Browser
The Project Browser contains the elements of your film, i.e. the video and audio clips and the effects. Its
functioning is similar to that of the Windows Explorer, with its folders and subfolders.
Toolbars
The Toolbars contain the most important tools (buttons) and commands. You can customize these toolbars individually (right-click > Customize).
Menu bar
The most important commands are arranged here in typical Windows style.
Taskbar
The taskbar contains valuable information and functions you need to have on hand while editing,
including an audio level, the Render Viewer, the Key Caps icon, etc.
Menu Bar
Source Viewer
(Player)
Master Viewer
(Recorder)
Toolbars
Timeline
Track Header Area
Project
Browser
Taskbar
STUDIO
LIQUID
Starting up
Starting up
Studio distributes the basic video editing operations over three tabs: 1 Capture / 2 Edit / 3 Make
Movie.
10
Project only
Timeline only
Single Monitor View
11
3 EZ Capture
EZ Capture is a file-based capture tool for recording clips from digital sources (DV, HDV) and analog
inputs (if you have a breakout box). You can record to various formats.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Recording a movie
To select a different video input or a particular recording format, open the Settings dialog box.
In the Extended Dialog Box, you can
adjust the audio and influence the video
(analog input).
You will find your recorded clips in a Project Rack
(automatically created or previously selected).
12
Recording format
Select directory
Start/stop recording
Settings for
EZ Capture
13
STUDIO
LIQUID
Album
Here you can page through your existing material. The tabs on the side separate the areas into
video scenes, effects, etc.
Click the Eye icon ( , bottom right on the taskbar) and select the view with the large Project
Window:
.
The Project includes all the elements of your work
and, more importantly, the actual work youve
already done: the edited Sequences (=Films). You
can create and output any number of Sequences
from a Projects clips.
The Project Window has five tabs for organizing
the objects, several tools for copying, pasting,
etc., and a simple search window for ferreting out
clips. Like any other window, it can be resized
and moved.
When you delete objects from a Project, they are
placed in the Trash on the Liquid desktop (and
can be retrieved from there).
Project Browser
Click the
button to the left of the Timeline
header to show/hide the Project Browser. This is a
miniature version of the larger window.
14
Trash
Tabs
Project Window
Desktop
15
STUDIO
LIQUID
Windows folders
The Studio Album displays the contents of Windows folders, i.e. it directly accesses your computers directories.
Detail View
Picon View
their names.
Sorting
If Detail View
is activated, you can sort and
display the clips in the Rack in alphanumeric
order. Click (repeatedly) the header of the column you want to sort by.
Player
16
Quick Finder
The left-hand
area contains the
Racks and Rack
folders.
The right-hand
area shows the
contents of the
current Rack
(here in Detail
View)
To sort the list
alphanumerically,
click the header
of the
relevant column.
17
STUDIO
LIQUID
Creating Racks
Naming Racks
Importing objects
Menu bar > File > Import > Media.
The possible formats are listed in the File Type list
box.
Now select the files you want to import. The clips
then appear in the currently selected (flashing)
Rack.
18
Right-click here:
19
STUDIO
LIQUID
DVD menus
DVD menus
Creating titles
Creating titles
Effects
In Avid Liquid, video effects are called Clip FX.
Effects
All the effects supplied with the product are
stored on the Library tab of the Project Window/
Browser.
20
21
STUDIO
LIQUID
Film window
Timeline
Playline
22
Edit Mode
is enabled
Track Header
Track
Track
Track
Video and
audio
playback
Track
Track
Playline
Timecode bar
23
STUDIO
LIQUID
Assembling scenes
Assembling clips
Click
to select a screen layout in which you
can view the Project (Browser), Timeline and
Source/Master Viewer.
24
25
STUDIO
LIQUID
Inserting
You dont need the Razor, but the Edit Style does
matter:
Film (Insert) Style ( ) Drag a clip to the Timeline clip. The existing clip is cut at the insert point (Playline), the new clip is inserted and the rest
of the clip is shifted to the right along with
all subsequent clips.
Deleting a clip
Deleting a clip
Select the clip and press DEL (or use the trash
icon). All subsequent clips are shifted to the left.
26
Insertion in Film Style: The inserted clip cuts the existing clip and shifts the remainder of this clip to the right.
Insertion in Overwrite Style: The overall length remains the same; the inserted clip overwrites the center portion
of the existing clip.
Gap
27
STUDIO
LIQUID
In Overwrite Style , this simply lengthens or shortens the clip. Either a gap
opens up or other clips are overwritten.
In Film Style , subsequent clips are
shifted. When you drag the mark-in, it
remains at its Timeline position.
Careful: the synchronicity of video and
audio clips can easily be lost. Make sure
that a video clip and its original audio
clip(s) all have yellow handles before you
trim.
28
Edit Style
29
STUDIO
LIQUID
Swapping positions
30
Select using the lasso: Beginning in an empty area on the Timeline, drag the lasso until it either surrounds the
relevant clips or its outline touches them.
Custom selection: Hold down the CTRL key and click the relevant clips. You can now, for example, move the
selected clips as a group. Or open the Clip Properties dialog box (right-click > Properties) in order, for example,
to rename multiple clips.
Deactivated
tracks
Selected
Not selected because tracks are deactivated
Selected
Selection as of the playline: In this case, the Track status is important; the command is applied only to clips on
active tracks. To activate or deactivate tracks, click on the Track names. Deactivated tracks are dark and active
tracks are light-blue.
31
13 Effects: Basics
Avid Liquid provides a huge number of effects that you can combine and edit as desired. Using these
effects is as easy as it is in Studio.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Library tab
Classic effects
Classic effects include, for example, the powerful
Color Correction Editor and the Timewarp Editor
for dynamic changes in clip speed.
PlugIn effects
Here you can access and manage PlugIns, i.e.
third-party effects (if installed).
32
Effect Editors
33
14 Effects: Transitions
Position a few video clips consecutively on the Timeline so you can experiment with Transitions. Dont
leave any gaps between the clips.
STUDIO
LIQUID
34
Trimming/positioning a transition
Drag the transition with the mouse or select a
command from the Transition shortcut menu.
Transition (Wipe) positioned on an edit. Sufficient leeway (overlap) is available on both clips - therefore, the
transition is gray.
Not enough leeway available - Liquid automatically trims the transition to the usable length.
Transition is partially red: In this case, the clip on the right doesnt have enough leeway. In Film Style, trim in the
direction of the arrow until the red disappears from the transition. Figure below: With A/B editing, the transition
would look like this:
35
STUDIO
LIQUID
5 Click the running man in the top righthand corner to exit the editor.
36
Simply drag clip FX to the video clip: The purple line and the effect icon indicate that at least one effect is
applied to the clip.
Right-click the line or effect icon and select the effect to be edited. The Effect Editor now appears.
This effect is applied to the entire Video Track, i.e. to all the clips on this Track.
37
STUDIO
LIQUID
Render options/preview
The color of the Slices above the Timeline indicates the status of clips and effects:
38
39
17 Timeline Settings
Avid Liquid can handle clips in all formats on the Timeline. Consider the output (tape, DVD, stream)
and select a specific video format for the Timeline.
STUDIO
LIQUID
40
Clip properties
(right-click Clip > Properties)
All the facts about the clip
at a glance.
41
18 Audio: Basics
When inserting, trimming, deleting, moving, etc. on the Timeline, Avid Liquid handles audio clips
exactly like video clips.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Naming/inserting tracks
Right-click a Tracks Name field to open a shortcut menu that allows you to name the Track and,
if necessary, generate additional Tracks.
If you also want to hear the audio, you must activate the Track for Audio Playback (see figure on
the right): The Loudspeaker icon must be visible.
42
Originally synchronous
audio/video became
asynchronous:
Red line and amount of
shift specified in frames
(+/-).
(Sync Break function)
43
STUDIO
LIQUID
Fading out/in
Automatic fades/dissolves
For clips (video/audio) on active Tracks
(see page 30), you can automatically insert fadeins/fade-outs/crossfades/dissolves:
Position the Playline near an Edit and click the
following icon:
. You can also insert multiple
fades/dissolves within a selected Timeline range.
44
Louder
Constant
Softer
Mix
Automatic audio crossfade: Applied to all edits within the selected range (active Track(s)).
45
STUDIO
LIQUID
Make Movie
AVI
For output to an AVI file.
MPEG
For output as an MPEG file (MPEG 1, 2
or 4, S-VCD-compatible, DVD-compatible, etc.).
Web
Output in Windows Media or Real Video
format.
Upload
For publishing on the Pinnacle Studio
Community website. Not a feature of
Avid Liquid.
MPEG1,2,4 (elementary/program
stream, DVD-compatible, etc.)
Disc
For burning to CD (VCD, SVCD) or
DVD.
46
Export format
Select an
exporter preset
Information on the
preset selected
47
21 Recording to DV Tape
This version is recommended especially for subsequent viewing on a TV or for the long-term archiving
of films and raw material.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Make tape
Record to Tape
For this function, you need a recorder that is controllable either via IEEE 1394 (DV) or via an RS422 interface (professional version).
HDV output
This basically works in the same way as DV output, except that before you start recording, make
sure the Timeline Format ( page 40) matches the
devices recording format. For more information,
see the Reference Manual in the chapter on high
definition (High Definition at the Output).
48
Current
recording device
Record to Tape:
If the recording device is controlled via IEEE 1394, the dialog box appears as
shown.
In the case of an RS-422-controlled recorder, you can also choose to edit in
Insert or Assemble mode.
Stripe Tape:
This function writes a continuous timecode and, if desired, a frame Sequence
to the tape. The tape is automatically rewound before recording.
49
STUDIO
LIQUID
Make Movie
Burning / Exporting
7 Click Ok.
8 Various dialog boxes appear (Location,
Select Codec, progress bar).
50
Export format
Select preset
Select source
Exporting a file
51
STUDIO
LIQUID
Player
Specifying a player
The player/recorder and signal inputs are managed under Edit > Settings > Site > Player Settings.
MPEG or DV player/recorder: Click i.Link DV
and select the Connections tab. All the fields must
contain IEEE 1394.
Other connection combinations are possible with
an analog breakout box and Live input (see the
Product Manual).
Effect preview/monitor
Effect preview/monitor
52
Select analog
monitor output
53
54
54
Part 2
Learning More about
Avid Liquid
STUDIO
LIQUID
Recording mode
3 Click the filmstrip button to open a dialog box and create a new Rack (see illustration on the right).
A Rack is a container for the clips.
56
57
STUDIO
LIQUID
The Diskometer
You can capture either in full DV quality or in
preview quality.
In Avid Liquid, this is possible only in EZ Capture
(MJPEG).
In Avid Liquid, the functions of the Studio Diskometer are distributed over three menus:
Player/Source
i.Link DV should appear here. If it doesnt, click
the small Player icon and continue as described
on page 52.
Display capacity/location
The hard disk used for recording is specified here
(position mouse pointer on top or click a number) along with its available capacity.
58
Timecode display
Current player/source
Video Inlay
Media format/capture
format
Active Rack
in the Project
Browser
59
STUDIO
LIQUID
Starting capture
Setting a mark-in
Stopping capture
Setting a mark-out
Logging
You cant play a clip on the Timeline if it has only
been logged, because it doesnt (yet) have any
media data. Clips are logged (usually in large
quantities) so that a Batch Capture can be performed later on.
Click the Log button
to transfer the clip to the
current Rack.
60
Mark-In:
Beginning of clip
Clip length
Mark-Out:
End of clip
Log:
Clip is placed in the
Rack but not saved
to the hard disk
Digitize:
Clip is placed in the
Rack AND saved to
the hard disk
Active Rack
in the Project
Browser
61
STUDIO
LIQUID
No comparable function.
2 At the end of the scene click the Log button once again to set the mark-out and
transfer the clip to the Rack.
... and so on ...
62
2
1
63
STUDIO
LIQUID
Note the following for both Studio and Avid Liquid: Scene detection based on timestamps works
only with DV material played via the DV (IEEE
1394) interface. It does not work with analog signal inputs.
64
65
STUDIO
LIQUID
Balance slider
Stereo or mono
66
Stereo/Mono button
67
STUDIO
LIQUID
Clip tab
Fill in the text fields to describe the particular
clip. Use the Scene and Take/Shot fields if youre
working with a screenplay.
The Clip Name is formed from the active fields
(checkmark visible).
Click the plus sign
to manually increment the
number by +1; if the double plus sign
is activated, numbering is automatically incremented
for each new clip.
68
Manual and
automatic
numbering
69
8 Recording/Digitizing Tips
With these tips, youll have no problem importing clips to the system.
STUDIO
LIQUID
EZ Capture Clips
EZ Capture clips are file- and directory-based,
thus following the logic of Studio. For more complex Projects, generate the clips using the Logging
Tool, especially if you want to perform a Batch
Capture later on.
HDV
Always use the highest quality tapes available for
HDV recording.
70
71
STUDIO
LIQUID
Split/Combine scenes
Creating subclips
72
73
STUDIO
LIQUID
Protected tracks
Clips on protected Tracks cant be moved,
deleted, overwritten, etc., nor can additional clips
be inserted.
74
Because the Name 4 Track is protected, the audio of the existing clip is unaffected. Only the video portion of
Clip 3 [Sub (1)] is inserted. Protected tracks are behind a gray shroud.
The following icons identify the clip and its status (in the
Rack in Detail View):
Digitized video/audio
Audio effects
Undigitized video/audio
Digitized video
Undigitized video
Subclip
Digitized audio
Undigitized audio
Sequence
Video effects
75
STUDIO
LIQUID
Position the Playline at the edit between two adjacent clips. Click the
button or press F5 to
open the Trim Editor.
Yellow handles appear at the video Edit and at the
edits of any associated audio clips: The Trim Editor always operates in Film Style.
You can now precision-trim using the , ,
and
buttons:
and
buttons to
76
77
STUDIO
LIQUID
As in Studio, audio fades can also be subsequently applied in Avid Liquid to create smooth
audio fade-ins, fade-outs or transitions.
See page 44.
78
L
In this case, the audio from the left-hand clip was simply dragged to the right, over the audio of the right-hand
clip (just like an L-cut in Studio). However, this does mean the audio of the right-hand clip is simply deleted.
First the right-hand audio clip is shifted on the bottom Track. The two audio clips are then extended in opposite
directions so that the audio overlaps.
This is a combined L- and J-cut including overlap.
Disband stereo audio clip(s): Right-click a stereo audio clip (recognizable by the two waveforms and the S1 designation in front of the Track) and select Disband Clip(s). The two audio tracks are divided into separate clips as
shown in the screenshot.
79
STUDIO
LIQUID
Swapping positions
Simply drag a clip to another position. The overall length of the film remains the same and no
gaps are created.
80
Select using the lasso: Beginning in an empty area on the Timeline, drag the lasso until it either surrounds the
relevant clips or its outline touches them.
Custom selection: Hold down the CTRL key and click the relevant clips. You can now, for example, move the
selected clips as a group. Or open the Clip Properties dialog box (right-click > Properties) in order, for example,
to rename multiple clips.
Deactivated
tracks
Selected
Not selected because tracks are deactivated
Selected
Selection as of the playline: In this case, the Track status is important; the command is applied only to clips on
active tracks. To activate or deactivate tracks, click on the Track names. Deactivated tracks are dark and active
tracks are light-blue.
81
14 Good to Know...
Here are three more functions frequently used in Studio that have corresponding functions in Avid Liquid.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Match Frame
Snapshot (Timeline)
This command from the Video Toolbox generates a bitmap either from the current film or from
a connected player.
This command ( on the Timeline toolbar) creates a still at the current Playline position and
stores the image as a Snapshot in the currently
active Rack (if you dont see this button, rightclick the toolbar and select Customize > Special
tab).
82
83
STUDIO
LIQUID
2 A Key Frame stores effect parameter values. The values change from one Key
Frame to the next, either at a continuous
rate or an accelerating rate.
84
Key frames
Clip effect with key frames: The image becomes smaller and then larger.
Each of the four key frames was defined at a specific size - the curve precisely defines the course of the change between the key frames.
You can also insert key frames directly in the curve (by clicking it) and
move existing key frames.
Each key frame in a curve has a shortcut menu (right-click to open). You
can use this menu, for example, to define the interpolation between the
key frames: Linear, Bezier, Constant.
85
16 Audio Scrubbing
One of the key features in Avid Liquid is precision audio editing. This section introduces an extremely
useful tool.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Scrubbing as of Version 10
Audio scrubbing
3 Move the Playline (using the mouse, keyboard, tool buttons or jog/shuttle).
4 Right-click the
86
The SOT 1 and SOT 2 tracks are activated for audio scrubbing (as indicated the transparent loudspeaker icons).
Press SCROLL LOCK and select one of the two scrub modes: Digital or Analog. You can toggle between the two in
the Audio Tool menu at the bottom right on the taskbar (first right-click, then left-click).
Digital audio scrub can be precisely customized (Edit > Settings > User > Audio).
87
STUDIO
LIQUID
Audio Toolbox
Audio Editor
to open)
Mixer
When Audio Playback is activated (loudspeaker icon visible), a Fader is configured here for each Track. You can use
these Faders to edit the volume, pan/balance and effects.
Output Mapping
Here the signals from the Timeline are
combined on Output Busses and routed to
the actual system outputs.
Settings
Here you can activate or deactivate specific segments for the Mixer.
Any changes you make in the Audio Editor (with
the exception of Output Mappings) are saved with
the current Sequence. In the case of a new
Sequence, the Audio Editor is set to the default settings.
88
Audio Editor with Mixer: A fader unit is displayed for every Track for which audio playback is activated. Stereo is
the output bus. All audio signals are finally mixed together on this dual-channel bus (in this example).
89
STUDIO
LIQUID
Volume lines
Rubberbanding
These lines represent the rise and fall of the volume in a clip. As a balance indicator for a stereo
audio clip, the lines identify the left/right dominance in the signal.
Audio Mixer
90
Green line:
Track balance
The Audio Mixer is the most important audio editing tool in Avid Liquid.
91
19 Output Mapping
You can have any number of audio Tracks on the Timeline but at some point, all the audio signals must
(for example) end up on the left/right channels of the DV output.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Stereo output
System settings
The Output Mapping settings are applied systemwide, meaning they are accessed for each new
Sequence.
92
Audio Tool
(master output)
Fader
Output bus
Output bus
Track
* Optional
The audio signals path through the Mixer, output bus and Output Mapping.
93
STUDIO
LIQUID
Click the checkbox to display the desired segments in the Faders, such as Input Level (Track).
Tooltips
The tooltips for specific areas of the Audio Mixer
can be very detailed. If you find the text fields to
be too large, disable the function here.
94
95
STUDIO
LIQUID
Make yourself comfortable behind the microphone of your virtual sound recording studio ...
Click the menu bar > Edit > Settings > User >
Audio Settings. Look under Preferred device to see
whether it contains the soundcard to which the
microphone is connected. Then select Preferred
quality. In the extended area, test whether the system is picking up the audio.
5
6
96
Audio Properties:
Here you can test the microphone input, select the soundcard to
be used (if more than one is available) and define the preroll and
postroll for recording.
97
STUDIO
LIQUID
).
3 Select one or more Tracks for Mix Automation: Click the pale red box(es) below
the Clip Fader(s) belonging to the
Track(s) to activate (box(es) must glow
red).
4 Click
sliders.
5 Click
Linking faders
To move more than one Fader at a time, you can
link Faders. Click the Padlock and select the same
color from the color field for all the linked Faders.
98
99
23 Sound Effects
Avid Liquid lets you apply sound effects directly to the Timeline clips or as insert effects in the Audio
Mixer.
STUDIO
LIQUID
Audio Effects
Insert effects
). On the
Settings tab, activate Insert FX/Send FX.
100
Insert effects
Send effect
and Send FX bus
101
24 Surround Sound
All you need is Avid Liquid and a six-channel soundcard or the Pro Breakout Box to produce a genuine
surround experience. Dolby Digital 5.1 Creator writes surround sound to DVDs.
STUDIO
LIQUID
). On the
Settings tab, activate Logical Output Bus.
2 A new segment appears in the Mixer (if
necessary, click the small + sign to display it in its entirety). Click Stereo and
select the Surround 5.1 bus for one or
more Tracks. The Surround Panner is now
displayed.
102
Surround Panner
One surround
channel per Track
103