Using the Input Wizard to Digitize

Digitizing is the process of transferring the contents of a video tapeDV, HDV, or analogto your computer's hard drive so that you can begin editing it.

This can be achieved by digitizing the whole tape in one gowhile you make coffee, bathe the dog, phone your auntor by selecting individual clips from a tape and only digitizing the ones you want. This second option requires your presence pretty much 100 percent of the time.

If you feel the need to take life easy, then your best bet would be to use the Input wizard. New to version 6, this leads you down the road to digitizing nirvana.

To use the Input wizard

Close the Logging Tool if it is still open and then select File > Input Wizard ( Figure 2.19 ).

Figure 2.19. Opening the Input wizard.

Click the top option, Capture from the video device ( Figure 2.20 ).

Figure 2.20. Once open, you can choose which type of import to make.

Classic Interface

Wizards are not available when using the Classic interface.

Choose in which Rack you want to store your media clips ( Figure 2.21 ). You can also create a new Rack from this screen ( Figure 2.22 ).

Figure 2.21. Choose the Rack in which you want to store your clips…

Figure 2.22. …or create a new one.

The Logging Tool opens and the wizard exits ( Figure 2.23 ).

Figure 2.23. The open Logging Tool.

Digitizing an Entire or Part of a DV Tape

Digitizing a whole tape is easy enough and can be done by the computer while you do something else. The "something else" should be something not done with the computer because the digitize process likes to take full advantage of the computer resources and doesn't like to share. Trying to do something on the computer while digitizing is taking place may cause problems such as dropped frames or an aborted capture session.

You can also digitize part of a DV tape by defining which parts of the tape you want to capture; you can do this by adding mark-in and mark-out points with the Logging Tool.

To digitize an entire DV tape

1.	Open the Logging Tool by clicking the Logging Tool button , by pressing F6, or by using the Input wizard ( Figure 2.24 ). Figure 2.24. The Logging Tool opening to display the Select Reel screen.
2.	Enter a unique name for the tape with which you are working.
3.	Click the check mark to display the entire Logging Tool ( Figure 2.25 ). Figure 2.25. The Logging Tool open and displaying a feed from a DV camera. A unique tape name is very important when it comes to redigitizing clips, because the Logging Tool will prompt you for the correct tape.
4.	To digitize the whole tape from beginning to the end, rewind the tape to the point where you want to digitize and then click the Digitize button or press the N key. The Logging Tool will then begin digitizing from that point on, stopping when it reaches the end of the tape. If you want to stop the process before then, click once more on the Digitize button .

Tips

During the digitizing process, the media will be sent to the hard drive specified in the Media Management box and will appear in whichever folder is specified in the Create Rack box . To change either one, simply click the box and select from the given choices. See "Touring the Logging Tool" at the beginning of this chapter for further details.
If you want your camera or DV device to turn off once capture is finished, click the Properties button once, select Properties from the drop-down list, open the General tab, and check the Stop attached player after Open End capture box ( Figure 2.26 ).

Figure 2.26. Altering the settings to stop your DV device once the tape ends to cut down on camera wear.

To digitize part of a DV tape

1.	Click the Logging Tool button or press F6 to open the Logging Tool (Figure 2.24).
2.	Enter a unique name for the tape with which you are working. This is important when it comes to redigitizing clips because the Logging Tool will prompt you for the correct tape.
3.	Click the check mark to display the entire Logging Tool (Figure 2.25).
4.	Play the tape by pressing the spacebar, and preview the content until you find the point where you want to start digitizing.
5.	Press the I key or click the Mark-In Point button . This sets a mark-in point and tells the Logging Tool that you want to begin digitizing from this point ( Figure 2.27 ). Figure 2.27. Setting a start or mark-in point for your digitizing.
6.	Continue to preview the tape until you reach the point where you want to stop recording. Press the O key or click the Mark-Out Point button . This sets a mark-out point and tells the Logging Tool to stop digitizing here. This also displays the overall duration of the media clips in the middle box ( Figure 2.28 ). Figure 2.28. Setting an end or mark-out point for your digitizing. The out point is the numerical value to the far left with the overall duration indicated by the numerical value in the middle.
7.	Click the Digitize button or press N. The Logging Tool rewinds the tape to the mark-in point and then begins digitizing the tape until it reaches the mark-out point, where it will stop.

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Tips

You can fine-tune the mark-in/out point by pressing the spacebar to pause the DV/HDV device and then by using the arrow keys on the keyboard to move one frame at a time forward or backward.
Stopping a capture session by clicking the Interrupt digitize/logging button will abort the process completely; any media captured up to that point will not be stored.