Better "Timeline in Source Panel" workflow - "Toggle Source/Record" from Avid.

Hello !

Context :

I've been a Premiere editor for a long time. But my recent jobs have forced me to work on Avid Media Composer. This has required me to completely rethink the way I edit: Premiere being more suited to drag-and-drop workflows and Avid more keyboard In/Out workflows.

On Avid, you tend to create multiple sequences for your selects. Then, use those sequences in your Source Monitor, and use the "Toggle Source/Record" function to show the source timeline, and integrate clips on your sequence.

Now that I'm back to using Premiere as my main editing program, I wanted to bring this method to the way I edit. But doing it on Premiere is kind of frustrating on specific points.

I think this kind of workflow has a lot of benefits compared to pancaked timelines: you can edit more precisely, as you can anticipate the exact start and end frames you're going to insert. You are also working more efficiently because of the keyboard centric approach and using two monitors at the same time.

Here are the problems when we try to apply this way of working on Premiere, and how we could make it better :

• Bringing a nested sequence rather than UN-nested clips
  • Every time you bring a clip in your final timeline, Premiere defaults to bring a nested sequence rather than the clip's themselves.
  • So if you want your original clips flattened, you have to use, on every clip you bring from the source sequence, the "Multicam" option (see attached video). But then, the source audio/video are not linked anymore, which means that you need to relink them one by one.
  • It would be great to have an option to directly bring the clips from the source sequence to the working sequence using the selected patching. Rather than a nested sequence, which is more complicated to work with.Update : As @WellToldFilmCo commented, there is in fact a button to allow this. Thanks for the sharing, I'm now using it every day !

• Complicated shortcuts
  • If you want to use this workflow, you have to use multiple shortcuts on Premiere :
    • "Panels : Open Sequence" to open the current selected sequence in the source monitor on a timeline
    • "Application : Source Monitor" when you want to select the source sequence as your active working panel
    • "Application : Program Monitor" when you want to work on your final sequence.
    • "Application : Sequences" when you want to switch from your opened monitor sequence and your working sequence.
    • Update : You also have "Toggle Source/Program Monitor Focus" which is very convenient !
  • All theses different shortcut are a pain to work with. I think it would be better to have a simplified shortcut which does it all : open the sequence which is on your monitor, on a timeline, and switch to this timeline in the sequence panel. And when you click it again, do the opposite : go back to the sequence which is not in the source monitor.
    • Update : Resolve also now have a button in the UI which is convenient instead of going into the wheel every time.

• Annoying UX frustrations and bugs
  • If you try to open a sequence from the Source Monitor already opened in one of your timelines. Premiere will bug you out, and close your original source, sometimes destroying your layout. I've created a separated topic for this here.
  • Premiere will not restore your Sources Timelines when reopening your project - while it does it for sequences opened from the Program Monitor. So you have to re-open your sources sequences every time you reopen your project. I've also created a separated topic for this here.
    • An Adobe's employee replied that that would be a good idea to implement.
  • Sometimes, the in/out point of your Source are different from the in/out points of your opened source's timeline.
  • Sometimes, when you open the Source timeline, it will be blank. You have to click on the panel multiples timeline so the UI of the timelines shows.

If you are an editor, here's the best way I've found to implement an Avid's like workflow.

• Define "Toggle Source/Program Monitor Focus" shortcut to an easily reachable key, let's say @
• Define "Panels : Open Sequence" shortcut to an easily reachable key, let's say MAJ + @
• Drag a sequence into the Source Monitor, place the panel above your existing sequence.
• Click on MAJ + @ to open it as a sequence.
• Click on @ to continue working on your Program Sequence.

You have a video explaining that just below.