Low Resolution to High Resolution: Step by Step by Robert Brakey On occasion you may need to take a sequence from a low-resolution film project into a higher resolution video project. Here is a step-by-step way to do so. But before you begin, you should know that the higher resolutions on Avid systems, such as AVR 77, are dual field, and by definition use both fields of all video frames in digitizing. Film projects, however, utilize pulldown during digitization to convert from five video frames to four film frames, and in so doing alter the relationship of individual fields to frames. In other words, film projects cannot digitize both fields of every frame and so cannot support the higher resolutions. You will therefore need to create a new video project. This done, return to your original film project and select your sequence. Actually, it's never a bad idea to make a duplicate of your sequence and use it instead. If you don't plan on redigitizing your audio media, you can delete the audio tracks from this duplicate. To be extra careful, select your video track (or tracks) in the Timeline Window and lock them by selecting Lock Tracks from under Clip in the menu bar. Now you're ready to export the sequence. But if you think you can simply select the sequence and export it as an OMF composition, you're about to fall for the first potential trap in the process. When moving a sequence from a film-based project to a video-based project, you must first create an EDL. Select EDL from under Output in the menu bar. Inside the EDL Manager tool, select your list to be in sort mode A (Record In). The actual format of your list is not specific, so use either the CMX 3600 template or another format with which you might be familiar. Select the tracks for the list, keeping in mind that if you want to make an EDL for multiple video tracks you must make a separate EDL for each one. If you want to convert a sequence with a single video track and one or more audio tracks, you only need to make the one EDL with your tracks selected. Then get your sequence and create your EDL. Double check your list for any anomalies that might create future problems in the converted video project. Once your list is finished, save the EDL as an OMF file by selecting Save as OMF under File in the menu bar. Then quit out of EDL Manager and return to Film Composer and your original film project. Close the project and return to the main project and user selection window. Open your new video project and create a bin. From this bin, select Import from the File menu, choosing OMF from the pop-up menu at the lower left of the Import window. Select your EDL export in the left-hand window and add it to the right-hand window. If you've made several exports for multiple video tracks, select these exports as well. Click Done and these exports will appear in your new bin as sequences with accompanying master clips. If you think you can simply redigitize these master clips, you would fall for the second potential trap in the conversion process. Instead, you must select these master clips and delete them. This leaves you with your sequence (or sequences) alone in the bin. Select the sequence(s) in your bin, and then, from under the Clip menu, select Decompose to create new master clips. Within the Decompose settings window, select the length of the handle you want on the clips and then select OK. This will give you a new set of master clips, all with completely different clip names. Don't let it throw you; these names are derived from the sources assigned to your cuts from when you first generated your EDL. Now you can select these new master clips and batch digitize. Almost. Make sure to first change the pulldown switch on your Video Slave Driver hardware from 0.99 to 1.0. Video projects work exclusively with the pulldown switch set to 1.0. It's not a bad idea to gather your video sources and calibrate each using the Video Input tool, making sure to save your settings with the same name or number as the tapes are labeled. Within the Digitize tool, don't forget to select your two-field high resolution, such as AVR 77. Avid will now ask you to mount your source tapes, and you're ready to batch away. Once your clips are redigitized, play your sequence to make sure you've digitized all media correctly. If you don't like the clutter in your bin, select your new master clips and move them to another bin. If you've digitized for multiple video tracks, you can combine them again by loading your Video 1 track in the record monitor and then splicing the higher video tracks on top of it. If you need to check the sync on your combination, return to the original sequence in your film project and take note of the timecode at a particular sync point. Then verify the timecode at the same sync point in your video project sequence. One last note. If your sequence includes titles created with the Title tool, you cannot redigitize these titles as you did with your source tapes. But you do not have to completely remake these titles from scratch either. Using your original sequence in your film project, make a note of the placement of these titles, or print out an EDL of your titles track to use as a reference. Then select each of the titles and export them as PICT files. Switch to your video project and import these files into another bin by selecting PICT in the lower left pop-up menu within the Import window. Once you've imported them, you'll need to cut them back into your converted sequence and re-create the Fade Title settings from your original project.   Robert Brakey is an assistant editor currently working on "Bless the Child". If you have any comments or feedback on this column, or have an idea or suggestion for a future topic, e-mail him. Please include the word "Avid" in the subject of your e-mail.   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 20, No. 4 - July/August1999   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1999, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700