How to convert a set of edit decisions from my client into cuts on the timeline in my sequence?

[wideEyedPupil]

My client records a zoom lecture and sends me the link to clean up the audio and edit down the video mostly just removing pauses and bits we don't need to see. Occassionally we replace a few seconds of video with a slide shot to cover up something that shouldn't be on screen but where we need the audio to continue through so we can't just cut it out.

I've been playing around with the fastest way to get this list of video edits into a finished timeline for export.
Usually the instructions are along lines of ::

• remove from 0:23:23 to 0:24:02 (come in when i say "ask yourself this question…")
  x20 more edits of the same kind.

So i tried taking all these Out and In points and creating a set of Markers.  I type in the Out timecode and mark it as an IN timcode and then enter the duration (which I had calcuated in a spreadsheet subtracting the In points from the Out points). One by one i did this. I had a problem in the previous version of Premier Pro (now on 15.4.1 and don't seem to ahve this bug) that when moving though existing markers in the modal markers dialogue which comes up when you edit a marker, that it would sometimes remove it's out point (duration and acutally my next IN point seeing as I'm deleting the track where ever the markers appear).

Once complete Then starting at the end of the sequence using the Markers to select the part of the video I wanted to remove and deleting it, grabbing all the video/graphics to the right and closing the gap. Appart from the bugs, you cant force the marker's in/out section to become a selection of timeline in Sequence editor. Heck, when you draw a marque in the timeline Premier wont even snap to the Marker's IN or OUT points. Let alone a Premier Pro> Markers menu> Select Previous Marker in Timeline …⇧⌥ "M" command!

So short of attempting to script the process in JSX, what is a way to auto it? I'm guessing that generating an EDL (XML file I think?) from my clients spreadsheet of IN and OUT points would be the easiest way? But I imagine this is a super common workflow for editors working with small clients so what is the easiest way?

[Bruce Bullis · Accepted solution]

> So short of attempting to script the process in JSX, what is a way to auto it?

From here, that sounds a lot like "Short of automating the process, how can I automate the process?"    😉

I don't think there's a good way to do what you're describing, without using ExtendScript.

[Alastair L]

thanks for making that clear Bruce but i wanted mire help than that.

i'll edit the question to say "what is the fastest way to enter a set of cuts into a track when you have a list of timecodes for sections you wish to cut. for instance 

1) type timecode of first point of section to cut

2) hit "M"

3) type timecode of second point of section to cut

4) use cursor to marquee between the first point and second point. 

5) zoom into first point

6) hit "c" for scissor tool

7) make cut 

8) zoom out to see second point 

9) zoom i. to second point 

10) cut at second point 

11) select the section to be removed

12) hit "delete"

13 hit "Y" or whatever short you use for the tool which selects all content downstram of the cursor click

14) click on a track after the deleted section

15) hit "V" for selection tool

16) drag all track(s) back to close the gap crater by the deleted section.  

thata a lot of clicking and coming from a background in graphic design tools and programming for here simply has to be a better way to achieve something so simple that using 16 steps per cut. 

[Alastair L]

for instance, is there a command you can use when the scissor tool is selected that will make a cut on the active track(s)  at the position of the play head? that would save some time foe a start.  

[Alastair L]

OR maybe and answer along the lines of. you can convert a CSV file of OUT and IN points into a XML formatted EDL file using the following steps and logic:

etc etc

[bbb_999]

> thanks for making that clear Bruce but i wanted mire help than that.

It's hard to help you further, when your "no ExtendScript" restriction obviates the best approach to the problem.

> ...coming from a background in graphic design tools and programming for here simply

> has to be a better way to achieve something so simple that using 16 steps per cut.

Agreed! There definitely is a better way; that way is PPro's ExtendScript API. 🙂

Setup / assumptions:

• All original clips for the given session, are in a "raw" sequence.
• A human has placed sequence markers, with durations, as described in your problem statement. Use two different marker colors; one for "trim out this section", another for "replace the video with a still, but keep the audio".

Given the setup [above], ExtendScript running from a CEP-based panel could:

• Create a new "target" sequence, into which to insert segments from the "raw" sequence.
• Walk across the "raw" sequence:
  • For each timeline segment without markers, use sequence.insertClip() to make clips in "target" corresponding to those in "raw", at the correct corresponding time(s).
  • Ignore (do not copy into "target" sequence) any timeline range within a "trim out this section" marker.
  • For timeline segments within a "replace video with still" marker, insertClip() the audio clip(s) within the range into the "target" sequence, and insertClip() an appropriate still into the video tracks of the corresponding time range, in "target".
    
    

Does that address everything in your problem statement?

[wideEyedPupil]

Thanks again, @Bruce Bullis! When i get some R&R time in a year or so, I'll definately play around with this. I'm also keen to see if i can make a plugin palette (GUI) for cripts and/or effects made elsewhere using the PPro plugin API. But I'll need weeks to throw at it I expect to get confidence in the tool chain.

I used to make video effects in Quartz Composer and started playing around more recently with AE to see what kind of Front End GUI's I can make for plugins/effects because QC is dead and even Vuo (a natural successor to QC) isn't very good at provifing a GUI for. Final Cut pro has the advantage that VUO compiles to FXPlug and Motion can provide the front end of the FxPlug to FCP X. Vuo doesn't compile to the Adobe FX plugin API yet, but it is a Feature Request tht has a few votes from the Vuo community so far. Da Vinci Resolve uses a third API, I expect there's more Adobe PPro/AE users by a factor of ten, but Resolve is add features fast, especailly the new speed oriented editting workflow tht lets you make hard cuts really fast.

[MyerPj]

That's a lot of work! 🙂

To setup I would drop the full zoom clip onto the timeline, and I'd enable 'overlays' (from the Wrench icon on the program monitor) so I can see the source (zoom clip) timecode.

To Edit.

Looking at the timecode on the Overlay...

1. Go to the (first) in point and press "Q" for Ripple Trim Previous Edit to Playhead
2. go to the out point and press my hot key for ADD EDIT

Then go to the next in point and press Q... etc...

FWIW: For my Add Edit hotkey I use F6 on my keyboard which has  a full set of function keys on the left) (it's right next to what you'd see as the caps lock key). So, set it up convieniently.

That's it. Go on to the next edit...

[wideEyedPupil]

Oh wow — I just knew there had to be a "seasonsed editors'" playbook for these kinds of moves. "Ripple" was the word stuck in my head from the 90s but couldn't find it in the documentation… must have been reading the wrong chapters…
And source track timecode the Overlay… super helpful 🙂

Write that book, I'll publish it for you and it will sell a lot of copies! Making me think I should contact the professional editors I know and crib some sweet wisdom/pro-hacks.

[MyerPj]

I'm glad you responded. I checked my post and I got it reversed. It's good now, I've changed my orginal above... 🙂