This section covers the components of the Logging Tool in more detail. Refer to Figure 2.8 for their location on the screen. The Main InlayHere you will see your footage displayed. If this is black during playback, see the Appendix. The Device Control buttonsThese control your external DV device. Each button can be used to play the tape or move it forward or backward at a faster or slower rate. Using the arrow keys on the keyboard, you can step through the video frame by frame, although the accuracy of this will depend greatly on your DV camera. To the far right of these controls is a Shuttle slider, which can be used to dynamically play the tape forward or backward at a variety of speeds. If the controls are grayed out and the message box at the top of the Logging Tool is flashing Device Not Ready, check that your camera is turned on, that you have it correctly connected, and that [i.link DV] is selected. If you still have problems, see the Appendix. Mark-in/out point and duration boxesIf you are digitizing just a section of your tape, these information boxes will tell you the timecode for the mark-in and mark-out points and also the overall duration of the media clip. Enable buttons for video/audioRunning down the center of the Logging Tool are five garish symbols: one V and four A's numbered 1 to 4. These allow you to choose what your digitized media clip will contain. By default, the V (for video) and the A's (for audio) 1 to 4 are highlighted. This means you will capture video and four channels of audio. If you only require two channels of audio (and most people do), then click once on A3 and A4 to disable them. If you want to capture just video, you can disable all the audio channels, and if you want to just capture audio without the video, you can disable the video track by clicking the V. Tip
Mono/Stereo buttonBelow the Enable buttons is the Mono/Stereo selection button. By default, the Mono button is displayed; it indicates that each audio track will be a mono sound track. To switch each track to stereo, click once on this button to show two circles overlapping . This indicates that stereo will be captured. Edit Player boxThis allows you to switch between digitizing from a recorded source and digitizing from a live source by clicking the words i.link DV and selecting Live (Figure 2.9). This is necessary when you're capturing from an analog source. Figure 2.9. Choosing between Live capture and i.link DV.Editing the camera properties is also possible by clicking once on the Edit Player button . Be careful herethere is no Restore to Default function (Figure 2.10). Figure 2.10. The Player Settings can be edited from here, but be careful when doing this.Change Reel boxIf you have already digitized several tapes in any one particular project, they will appear in this drop-down box when you click it (Figure 2.11). Figure 2.11. Selecting a previously used Reel without leaving the Logging Tool.You can also insert a new tape here without leaving the Logging Tool by clicking the Change Reel button . Create Rack boxThis drop-down box defaults to Sequence or the last Rack you were using when you open the Logging Tool, indicating that any clips you digitize will automatically be placed in that Rack. To change to another Rack, click once inside this box and select from the choices available (Figure 2.12). To create a new Rack without leaving the Logging Tool, click the Create Rack button . Figure 2.12. Selecting in which Rack your digitized media clips will be stored.The Properties buttonClicking here will allow you to alter various Logging Tool parameters. In general, you will use this if you are having problems with the Logging Tool. Be careful when adjusting these settings because the defaults are set to cope with the most likely digitizing scenarios and altering them may cause the Logging Tool to behave badly. Full details of these options can be found in Chapter 6 of the Pinnacle Liquid Edition Reference manual. The Logging Tool tabsThis area of the Logging Tool contains four tabs that control the various options open to you while digitizing your videos. They all have a slightly innocuous look to them, but in fact, they contain some powerful functions. When used correctly, they will save you time and money.
The Audio toolThis allows you to monitor the sound levels of a tape you are previewing or digitizing. If this goes into the red too often, you should consider using the Audio tool found in the Audio tab to reduce the level. If you click the small button above the displayed numbers, you will reset the Audio tool to its default setting. Edit Media formatThis is used to choose into which format you will digitize your media clips. In fact, the choices with this version of Liquid Edition are fairly limited. If you have a Mini DV camera connected or if you are trying to capture from analog, then you will only be able to digitize using the AVI or DIF format (Figure 2.16). If you have an HDV camera attached (and it is set to MPEG output), then you will only be able to capture in the M2V format (Figure 2.17). Clicking the Edit Media Format button will bring up some more choices, but without specialist hardware (available only to the Liquid Edition Silver and Chrome range), you will not be able to use any of them. Figure 2.16. Two formats are available to Mini DV users.Figure 2.17. Only one format is available to HD camera users.
Media ManagementClick once on the graphical representation of how much hard drive space you have remaining and you will be able to choose to which hard drive your media clips will be saved (Figure 2.18). If you only see one location, then you can add more by clicking the AV button to bring up the Media Management screen and then add a drive location from there. Full details on using this function are in Chapter 4. Figure 2.18. Select which drive or folder is the target for your digitized media clips.This box also displays how much room remains on the current Media drive. This is displayed as
These figures are always approximate and should be treated with caution. During the digitizing process, this display will dynamically decrease in value. The Digitizing controlsThese six buttons control the actual digitizing of any media clips and what happens to them once they have been transferred from the camera to your computer.
Miscellaneous controlsProbably best described as sundry, this area comprises seven buttons that are used primarily to place markers on a clip prior to capture or to send the camera to a mark-in/ out point you have created. You'll find full details of this later in this chapter. Tip
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