When preparing an edit for grading, there are a number of things you can do to ensure your edit conforms in the grading suite as you’d like it to. The following are specifications, specifically for prepping to handover your Premiere project, but also apply to other NLE’s as well. Material that does not meet these specifications will need to be reformatted at additional expense.
Please provide a mix down ProRes 422 Proxy MOV file with Time Code window burn as a picture reference. This reference file needs to be reviewed prior to delivery to us for any mistakes, as it is our gold standard reference of your edit. It would also be helpful if the window burn also included the source TC & clip names of the RAW material.
To Apply a Timecode Generator,
* Add adjustment Layer to the timeline
* Add Effects/Video/Timecode.
* Timecode Source – Generate
* Label Text Auto (TCG)
To Add Source TC and Clip Name,
* Add Effects/Video/Clip Name
* Add Effects/Video/Timecode – Timecode Source/Media
* Once correctly set, Paste effects attribute to all clips in the timeline.
Simplify the timeline. It should consist of as few tracks as possible. One track is ideal, but it is understandable that some effects and titles may require additional tracks. Please place any titles on a video track above the edit and label the track appropriately.
Remove all Nests in the timeline.
Join any through edits.
If you are delivering an offline edit, check to see that the clips / reels refer to the original camera filenames and reel names. Find a clip referenced in your timeline in its bin and make sure the ‘Camera Roll’ column has the full, 16-character RED name or Alexa name (For example, A001_C001_0505HE).
Make sure there are no variable speed changes if possible. Any speed changes should be set at constant rate. Otherwise it will be considered a visual effect and should be noted, billed and processed accordingly.
Mark specific edit items in the timeline. Please place locators in the timeline to mark and all effects and keyframes to those effects. Please do this for scale changes, repositions, retimes, backwards retimes, anything with keyframes, flips, flops, etc. Anything not marked may not carry over into the conform. Also be sure to mark all VFX shots in the timeline using appropriate VFX shot names. Then, export the market list. File/Export ‘Export Markers’- file.html
Consolidate the project. Please consolidate your timeline(s) onto the one drive you plan to deliver to us.
Deliver all the materials (the Reference File, Consolidated Premier Project, locator List, Titles, VFX, and original cameras, etc.) using external Thunderbolt/USB3.0 drives or RAID. Call to confirm if this is not your standard.