Getting Embedded timecode from Clip by script

[idToGo]

Hi folks
I'm hitting a wall here and I was hoping someone could help.
I'm trying to export a simple text-file of the in- and out-point of a clip used in a composition. BUT I need that in- and out-point to be using the sources embedded timecode, which starts and something like frame 22000.

So while the in-and-out of the layer/clip in the composition is 200-500, what I need saved out is 22200-22500. I can see that AfterEffects can read the meta-data since it shows the embedded timecode in the project-item view and in the footage view.

But I can't figure out how to get the info by scripting in extendscript.
I've gotten this far that I got the in-out of the selected layer in the active composition, and I can find the source of the footage, so all I really need is the start frame of the embedded timecode from the source. Writing and saving out a file is not a problem either, even though its not in the current script.

Heres an example of the script, run from Extend Script ToolKit:
function Run(){
var cur_comp = app.project.activeItem;
var cur_layer = cur_comp.selectedLayers[0];
$.write(cur_layer.name + "\n");
cur_in = cur_layer.inPoint;
cur_out = cur_layer.outPoint;
$.write("IN: " + cur_in + "-OUT: " + cur_out + "\n");
var cur_source = cur_layer.source;
full_duration = cur_source.duration;
$.write(cur_source);
return cur_source
}

So if anyone can help me here it would be much appriciated 🙂

[Tomas B. aka Tom10]

Hey, what you most likely have to do, is to use not only inPoint of a layer, but also take into account startTime (assuming, that layer is trimmed).

Thus, try accessing [layer].starTime and calculating the IN's based on both - startTime and layer's inPoint. That way, you should get actual and INs and OUTs. 

[Mylenium]

You have to calculate it yourself or cheat it by using effects like the Timecode effect. AFAIK metadata can only be accessed via the C++ API and unless it generates an accessible property is not available for scripts.

Mylenium

[idToGo]

Hi guys! Thanks for your suggestions 🙂

I ended up using ffmpeg/ffprobe, which is a seperate program, to get the timecode of the metadata. I call it from AfterEffects with system.callSystem().
It looks something like this:

for_mxf = system.callSystem("ffprobe -v error -show_entries format_tags=timecode -of default=\"noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1\" -i \""+file_path+"\"");
for_mp4 = system.callSystem("ffprobe -v error -show_entries stream_tags=timecode -of default=\"noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1\" -i \""+file_path+"\"");

That gives me a 00:00:00:00 timecode. If it can find it of course.
I hope this helps anyone else running into the same issue 🙂

[Matteo Cassetta]

Hi, I know time has passed and you probably doesn't need this no more, but it seems I found a workaround to recover the embedded timecode of a footage.
I duplicate the layer, then I precompose it without moving the attributes. This way I can access the TC of the comp that is generated automatically from the source footage. After that I delete the precomp I created both from timeline and project.
Here's a sample code:

// duplicate the layer
selectedLayer.duplicate();

// precompose the new layer leaving attributes
activeComp.layers.precompose(selectedLayer.index], "TempTCPrecomp", false);

// obtains the footage in timecode
sourceTC = selectedLayer.source.displayStartTime;

// gets selected layer source (comp object in project)
var tempCompSource = selectedLayer.source;

// deletes the layer in timeline
selectedLayer.remove();

// deletes the comp from project
tempCompSource.remove();

Have a nice scripting.
Matteo