The Avid DS has incredible capabilities- vector graphics, compositing tools, 3D objects, etc. Yes, everything coming out of a DS looks fantastic. But there is one not-so-fancy feature of the Avid DS that makes it a great editor- a feature that other NLEs need to adopt.
That feature is “timecode boxes” and it is located underneath the timeline. Timecode boxes display timecode data of either selected objects on the timeline or your in and out marks. For a selected clip you can also choose to display source timecodes or timeline timecodes. The important information you need to edit is always right there, quick and easy to find- durations, start and end times, and mark in and out points.
Unfortunately, with many NLEs it’s not always that easy. For example, there are many times as an editor that you just want to know how long a clip is. Just tell me how long it is. Don’t make me zoom in on the timeline, pull down a menu, set ins and outs, whatever. It shouldn’t take long to find this out, but with some NLEs it can require some digging. The Avid DS timecode boxes have this information right there with one click no matter what scale the timeline is at.
But the real beauty with timecode boxes is that you can edit with them by typing in new values, either absolute values (a whole new timecode entry) or relative values (add five frames, for example). Combining this with the DS’s ripple command gives you tremendous editing speed, accuracy, and power. This is much better than the manual clip-moving and handle-dragging methods that most NLEs rely on. If you need a clip to be seven frames shorter, instead of zooming in on the timeline as much as you need and then dragging the handle back seven frames, you can just select the clip and type “minus seven” in the duration timecode box. You can also copy and paste values- if you need a clip to be the same duration of another clip just copy and paste the duration timecode box!
Timecode boxes make reformatting a television show a breeze- just turn on the ripple feature, click on the first clip of a segment and enter your new timecode in the start time timecode box. Your whole segment shifts to this new timecode. Or you can type in a new duration for your commercial break segment and the rest of the show will shift.
These are just a few examples. If you have any great uses for timecode boxes, please reply! Now when I edit with another NLE and feel DS withdrawal, the pain I feel is not from missing the Avid DS’s whiz-bang special effects- it’s the timecode boxes.
– Rob Dixon (Avid DS Editor)
