AVID - Project Setup and Workflow for AVCHD video files recorded on the Canon C100, Sony FS100 and the Panasonic HMC150

Step One when you back up the files PLEASE KEEP THE CARD DATA STRUCTURE INTACT - DON'T CHANGE ANY NAMES AND COPY EVERYTHING OFF THE CARDS This is an example of a SD card recorded in a Sony A7SII
Example shown here a SD Card recorded in a Canon C100 Make a new folder called "Day 1 Card 1" for example and copy the "Private" folder containing the AVCHD file. Don't just copy the AVCHD file. Make Sense!!! Otherwise the files won't open in AVID or Premiere.
HMC 150 FILE STRUCTURE THE SAME THING COPY THE PRIVATE FOLDER - Don't just copy the Stream files or the clipinf - PLEASE ASK FOR HELP IF YOU DON'T understand this will make your footage unusable.
Launch Media Composer
The Initial Project Screen will open. Here is where you choose where you create and save new projects. Click on the "Folder" to select where to save your new projects also how to navigate to already existing projects.
Navigate to the hard drive and folder that you want AVID to access and save new projects
You can look at the path where AVID will be accessing projects once you select the folder
Now click on the "New Project" button
The New Project Dialog will come up. Select the project parameters Choose the Project Name The Format (Usually will be 1080p 23.98 for school projects) Raster Dimensions 1920 x 1080 Color Space YCbCr Stereoscopic Off Click OK to create the project
Select the newly created project and Click OK at the Select Project Screen
When the project opens the next step will be to link to the raw files that were backed up in their native file structure. Go to >Tools>Source Browser
Navigate to the folder on your hard drive that is located in>Local Disk or hard drive>Card 01 or Private etc> Click on LINK
A new bin will open and populate with the raw data files. They look like AVID clips but there is one difference in the icon that looks like a "Master Clip" with a chain link attached to it.
This is the comparison of the normal Master Clip and a linked file

Back in AVID go to >Bin>Choose Columns

Choose the two settings >Video and Video File Format

You will notice the linked clips will have a .MTS file format

Next we need to change the linked files to normal AVID Master Clips or changing a .MTS file to a .MXF file AVID uses natively.

In other words transcoding to a .mxf file.
To do this, select all the AMA files in the linked file bin shown above.

Then Choose >Clip>Consolidate/Transcode

Choose Transcode

The transcoding process will convert the files and place them in the AVID MediaFiles folder on your destination hard drive that you choose.

Chose to:

Transcode

Video and Audio on the same drive and choose your drive as the destination for the files

Convert to project frame rate

Target Video Res

DNxHD 175 MXF

Convert the audio to 48K and 24 bit

Click Transcode

This dialog box will pop up showing how many clips are being transcoded and how long it will take.

After Transcoding the master clips you want to use will have a .new extension

The next step is to make a new AVID bin and move your "Transcoded" master clips (with the .new extension) to a new bin and close the bin that holds the AMA linked files. Edit with the master clips in your AVID project. They can be used just as any AVID master clip would be used in the AVID project.

Step One when you back up the files PLEASE KEEP THE CARD DATA STRUCTURE INTACT - DON'T CHANGE ANY NAMES AND COPY EVERYTHING OFF THE CARDS