Timecode - Adobe 65021048 User Manual

Timecode

About timecode
Many camcorders and high-end video decks record timecode, which marks specific frames with unique addresses.
Timecode is important whenever you want to capture exactly the same frames that were identified or captured
previously, as in the following tasks:
•
You want to log clips before you capture them.
• You plan to capture clips using batch (automated) capture.
•
You want to recapture clips because the original files became corrupted or were deleted.
• You plan to export sequences to another system by using AAF or EDL.
•
You're using a system in which you edit quickly with low-resolution captures, and later recapture the clips at full
resolution and quality for the final version.
• You plan to synchronize captured video with audio recorded separately.
Unlike the numbers on time counters found in home VCRs, timecode is recorded onto videotape as part of the video
signal. If footage lacks timecode, you can add it by copying it with a camera or deck that writes timecode. You can
then log or capture the video from that device.
For best results, timecode should run continuously from the beginning to the end of the tape; it shouldn't restart
from zero anywhere in the middle. In editing, if you log a capture In point such as 00:00:01:09 but that number
occurs on the tape two or three times because of timecode restarts, Adobe Premiere Pro can't be certain which
00:00:01:09 is the place to start its capture. It can easily capture the wrong clips from tapes with discontinuous
timecode.
To ensure unbroken timecode, you need to either shoot it continuously or stripe your tape with it before shooting.
To ensure that you always shoot continuous timecode, record at least 5 seconds of extra video past the end of the
action in any shot. If you review a clip in the camera, be sure to rewind the tape back into that 5-second margin
before recording again. Your camcorder reads the timecode from the frame on which you stop and begins recording
timecode with the very next frame number when you start your next shot. Be careful; if you leave a gap between the
last frame of the previous shot and the first frame of the next, the camcorder begins writing timecode at 00:00:00:00
again.
Stripe tape or replace timecode
You can ensure continuous timecode by recording timecode onto the tape before you use it. This process is called
striping the tape. Striping is not necessary if you follow recommended shooting practices, but it can protect you from
accidentally breaking timecode by miscuing a tape in your camera.
Stripe a tape with timecode
1 Put an unused tape in the camera. It should have no timecode.
If you're using a camera for striping, attach the lens cap and disable audio recording.
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3 Ensure that all camera settings (particularly the audio sample rate) are exactly the same as the settings you will
use when you shoot. Use all these same settings whenever shooting on that tape.
Begin recording. Let the camera or deck run until the entire tape has been recorded.
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April 1, 2008
ADOBE PREMIERE PRO CS3 70
User Guide