Avid Basics - Smart Tools & Trimming

[@theavidassistant]

So I was working away today and realised I forgot to mention a very useful and common trimming tool! Say you have a shot on your timeline for 15s but you want it to run for a full minute. Just decide whether to add to the head or tail and then, with trim mode enabled on that side, simply type +45.00 and you'll add 45s! As long as there is the material you can add or trim exactly any duration you like using this method. VERY handy.

[@PostACHoffman]

This video has already made so many things that I was confused about clear and I'm only 14 minutes in! Thank you from someone who's been in Premiere for 9 years and is making the switch

[@theavidassistant]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Alex.Scotti]

well AVID hast a steeper learning curve than Premiere. Once u gigged deeper and somebody explains a little bit, losts of people see the strength of Media Composer. As a matter of fakt. i have students who don't use Premiere anymore after learning what MediaComposer is capable of.

[@ypeltier]

The best explanation EVER of smart tools and trims. I noticed you left out the slide trim. Thanks a million.

[@theavidassistant]

Thanks! Yes I have mentioned the slip trimming in other videos but wasn't sure it fit into this "Avid Basics" video. Especially as it was already a bit long 😂

[@Alex.Scotti]

This is a EXELENT explanation of my Favorit AVID tools, witch make this program so much better than Premiere. Thank you for explaining this so nicely!!!!

[@theavidassistant]

Thanks! 🙏

[@BrianMarcWhittaker]

I like the yellow arrow tool to swap the order of shots. Fewer modifier keys than Premiere.

[@Action-Editing-Pro]

Extend also better than trim

[@theavidassistant]

To each their own. Don't like extend myself 😉

[@squwip]

Hello! Thank you so much for this brilliant video. Wondering if you've upgraded to 2024.2 yet and, if so, if you've noticed any issue with binding the trim type button to a key. I've followed your instructions but it seems that binding the smart tool to a keyboard key just toggles it on and off. I'm not able to get it to cycle through the three states. Not sure if this is something that's been changed in newer versions or if there is another setting I'm missing. Thanks again! Your videos are awesome :)

[@theavidassistant]

Hey there! Yes I'm on 2024.2 and have been since release. No issues with that key at all. Can you confirm which key you are mapping? There's one called "smart tools" that turns it on and off. You don't want that one. You want "trim type" and "segment mode". Let me know if that helps and thanks again for watching.

[@juanlagos2125]

Yes it is true, but from what I realize it is going quite well, with the videos I made on vacation and it left me quite surprised. It has almost all effects of the paid version. it just doesn't have many video and audio tracks. For basic work it's pretty good. As for davinci resolve, I can't get used to its user interface and the way it organizes files.

[@theavidassistant]

Agreed. Organisation is weird in Resolve. But their free version will do just about everything the paid one will as long as you stay at the limit of UHD. If you are talking about cutting together vacation videos than sure Avid First can manage that. Just in a professional sense it can't really be used on film/TV jobs.

[@juanlagos2125]

davinci resolve seems to me to have limitations as well. and the free version of AVID also accepts all types of files to import aaf,mxf,mp4 etc. but the final work will always be h264 at 1080p but if we talk about TV, you're right, things are different.

[@Lasvegaskid11]

Just flat out excellent…. !

[@theavidassistant]

Thanks!

[@rottenzoltar]

Hey thank you for you videos, I am starting Avid media and it helps. I have one question : I see your sequence is already edited in the video, but how do you organize your derush, put marks, cut subclips and add all this together the timeline? what is your workflow for this?

[@theavidassistant]

Hey! So that's tricky to answer really. Every editor does it differently and it also depends on the job. I start by putting all the rushes for a scene onto a timeline and watching them all. As I do I also remove everything before action and after cut. Then I leave that timeline in the source monitor and cut from it (no constantly loading subclips!) As for how I cut that's more of an instinct and feeling thing that comes with time and practice. As the great Walter Murch said "Editing is a lot like dance. You can explain the rudiments of dance but the only way to learn how to dance is to dance. Same with editing, the only way to learn how to cut, is to cut."

[@rottenzoltar]

@@theavidassistant wow thanks for the fast answer!

[@theavidassistant]

😉

[@juanlagos2125]

I did not know that there was a free version of AVID. I was testing it and it is quite stable, but you cannot create a custom sequence. for example 640x480 at 23fps.

[@theavidassistant]

The free version has A LOT of limitations. You cannot create EDLs or AAFs, you cannot open and close bins made in media composer, you cannot export to most formats, most effects tools aren't there. Media composer first is basically just a training tool. It's not useful for anything work related. It's not like the free version of Resolve.

[@ft.60frames]

trim too is painful🤕. extend or replace is much better💯

[@theavidassistant]

Whatever works for you 😂

[@kaistephenson6729]

thanks so much. im learning avid now and I'm trying to activate both types of segment mode so it changes based on cursor placement. but i can only select one segment mode at a time. am i doing something wrong? i can select both trim modes and those change based on cursor placement but not the segment modes

[@kaistephenson6729]

nver mind. i just found that it is a timeline setting.

[@theavidassistant]

It's a timeline setting yes but should be enabled by default. You can also map a key to cycle through each, both or none :)

[@keithadams1]

great video thank you. when I try to map the trim and segment mode toggle to my keyboard like you did at 11;25, it will not cycle through the different modes. it just stays on one... how do you do that? I dragged the half colored buttons to my keyboard... thank you!

[@theavidassistant]

Hey! So what does it do when you hit the keys? Also what exactly were the keys that you mapped? There are quite a few for these tools that do things slightly differently. The ones you want are "segment mode" and "trim type".

[@keithadams1]

@@theavidassistant thanks for the quick reply! I mapped the A (segment) & S (trim) keys.i mapped 'segment mode' & 'trim type' but when I press the hot keys it just toggles whichever mode is selected on and off. it does not cycle through the modes like what you demo'd. I also put the single buttons for each mode on the toolbar. not sure that would affect anything. so if I click on red segment, then the A key just toggles red on and off. if I have red & yellow both selected in the tool, it just toggles both on and off. does that make sense?

[@theavidassistant]

@keithadams1 huh, strange! What version of avid are you on and have you tried it on a fresh user setting?

[@keithadams1]

@@theavidassistant Version: 2024.2.0.58174.0 -- no haven't tried a fresh user setting. I am scared to change anything! I am just learning. it's frustrating.

[@keithadams1]

@@theavidassistant Version: 2024.2.0.58174.0 -- I have not tried a fresh user setting. just learning and it's really difficult. I don't want to mess anything up! thank you again...

[@SmashThePinatas]

Is there a way to stay in segment mode?

[@theavidassistant]

Of course. If only the red segment tool is selected and you don't have any trim tools enabled then you'll stay in segment mode :)

[@SmashThePinatas]

Thank you! We just moved from 2018.10.0 to 2023.12 and there's an option when you create your user settings to select the classic UI, so I have one setting with the classic UI and if I click in the timecode bar in the timeline to move to another spot in the timeline it takes me out of segment mode which is annoying because I basically live in segment mode as an AE. I created new user settings yesterday with the new UI and I stay in segment mode even when I click on the timecode bar in the timeline to move to another spot, so I think it's different for the classic UI option?

[@theavidassistant]

@kimberlyingala8456 I've only used the classic UI for demo purposes so can't confirm at the moment but you shouldn't be able to do it there too since you could stay in segment mode in old media composer.

[@SmashThePinatas]

​@@theavidassistantThat's what I was thinking, but nope, it takes you out of segment mode every time. I was stubborn with the move at first, but I watched your video on moving over to 2023 and I'm enjoying the new UI, so it's not an issue anymore. Thank you! But it might be for anyone who chooses the classic UI and stays with it.

[@AitorITurbe]

Vertical videos tutoriales?

[@theavidassistant]

My main videos will always be in this format as I need the screen real estate to show everything. Plus my videos are full tutorials often 30+mins long so keyframing that for vertical would be a real pain and doesn't really suit the format. I do have a whole series of short 1min tips that are vertical and usually highlight one specific avid feature that isn't well known. So definitely have a look through those!

[@AitorITurbe]

@@theavidassistant Maybe I don't explain myself well, I would like to say if you can make a video tutorial on how to edit in Avid media composer in vertical format, since it is more complex than the rest of the editing programs.

[@theavidassistant]

Oh! Righto. Real simple to do yeah. Will put that in the planner to make a video on. Short version is if you want a vertical video, make your project in 9:16 format when you may the project and then just cut in that. Nothing more to it. If you are using vertical footage inside a 16:9 project I've shown how to do the "vertical" effect in a few other videos.

[@AitorITurbe]

@@theavidassistant Thank you very much. I have tried, but not only do you have to create the project in that format, I think you have to configure something else,

[@KellyWelch]

Promo_SM 🙈

[@theavidassistant]

Huh?