The World’s Most Powerful and Refined Film and Video Editing Software
£1,780 ex VAT *
If you're a creative editor, you want an editing tool that not only makes storytelling simple, but helps you track your project, organize your media, and pull you through the trouble spots. That's why so many professionals trust their best ideas to Avid Media Composer. Unsurpassed creative tools, rock-solid media management, and the highest quality effects and output make Media Composer the most powerful editing solution available.
Editing Done Right
- Storytelling on the Cutting Edge - With the industry’s most powerful, accurate, and flexible editing tools around, you can cut smarter and faster than ever. Trim on the fly with your mouse or keyboard, use dual-rolling trim, or nudge frame-by-frame. Slip and slide clips quickly with comprehensive 2-, 4-, or 6-frame display modes. And customize the interface, shortcuts, and keyboard layout to maximize your speed and comfort.
- Script-Based Editing - Take the work out of editing movies, television shows, and other script- and transcript-based projects, such as documentaries and reality TV. The unique ScriptSync feature automatically syncs all relevant clips to your script phonetically, so you can find the best takes fast. Line up dailies to the script in minutes — not hours — giving you more time to refine the story instead of digging through bins.
- Mix and Match Media - Add and edit practically any combination of PAL, NTSC, SD, and HD formats in real time — regardless of the resolution or frame rate — in the same timeline, without rendering or transcoding. Whether you’re editing online or offline, you can mix and match media of different formats, codecs, resolutions, and frame rates, and enjoy real-time broadcast-quality playback.
- Management You Can Count On - Whether you work alone or as a team, never worry about losing source material and rendered files with the most reliable and robust media management available keeping track of all project assets and metadata for you. Create custom metadata fields to track media the way you want. And easily search, sift, and sort to find information beyond the scope of OS-level searches.
- Real-Time HD Editing - Edit HD material in real time, and in optimal mastering picture quality, using Avid DNxHD encoding. Whether your HD workflow is online or offline, you can maximize your productivity, reduce storage requirements, and maintain the highest image quality — even over multiple generations — without additional hardware.
Seamless Integration Into Any Workflow
- Tapeless Becomes Waitless - Experience the fastest tapeless workflows in the industry with AMA (Avid Media Access). Directly access XDCAM HD/EX, P2/AVC-Intra, and GFCAM media and metadata on a connected disc/card or device without having to transcode, import, or rewrap files. And download support for additional formats as they become available.
- Work Natively with SD and HD Codecs - Start editing footage right away, with native support for a wide range of SD and HD codecs, including DV, HDV, XDCAM HD/EX, DVCPRO HD, AVC-Intra, and GFCAM. No need to transcode, even when mixing codecs in the same timeline.
- Total Conform - Streamline your offline/online workflow, and get a seamless path to finish and master projects, with complete integration between Media Composer and Avid Symphony and DS systems. Directly share offline projects and media for finishing, with all media clips, edits, and effects directly available, so you can start the online without delay.
- Work with RED, Stereoscopic, and Other Single-Frame Files - With MetaFuze*, you can quickly merge RED (R3D), DPX, TIFF, QuickTime, or even stereoscopic 3D files from film scanning or CGI systems into a single native Avid DNxHD or uncompressed media clip for editing. You can even display and edit 3D material offline — without conforming — using industry-first stereoscopic editing tools and workflows.
- Sync with Pro Tools Editors - Make the audio post workflow easier by making projects directly accessible to Pro Tools audio editors through Video Satellite. No need to render effects, transcode video, or copy files for the audio team, as they can simply tap into any Media Composer system to open and play Avid HD and SD sequences (including DNxHD) in high quality, in full resolution, and in sync with their sessions.
- Film Focused - For film, you have the industry's most powerful and accurate film workflow in your hands with the award-winning Avid Film Composer toolset. Save time with automatic audio and video syncing and seamless tracking of timecode, Keykode, and other metadata.
- Timecode and Subtitling Ease - With the Timecode Generator, you can create onscreen timecode displays in real time to speed up any online or audio post workflow. And with the SubCap Generator, you can easily create open captions and subtitles, and import and export in Avid DS and standard EBU N19 subtitle formats.
- Ready For Delivery - Whether you need to output your project for the web, electronic delivery, or back into the tapeless pipeline, you have the tools you need to quickly deliver your work in the absolute highest quality. Optimize your video for the web, and burn projects to DVD and CD. If you’re using a Windows-based system, you can also author DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, and fast-turnaround approval DVDs (use native authoring tools on a Mac).
- Smoother BWF Workflows - Ease the post audio workflow
when exporting timeline audio tracks as BWF (Broadcast WAV) files. Just
insert the sequence timecode based on your
project type as you’re exporting the tracks to create a fast and
easy sync reference for downstream processes that don’t support
OMF or AAF, such as slave playback devices.
* MetaFuze works with Windows-based computers, including Windows XP and Vista, Macs running Windows through Boot Camp or other emulation.
Get the Look, Effects, and Quality you Envisage
- Color Correction - Save time and maintain the highest quality production with the fully integrated and flexible 10-bit color correction toolset. Quickly and accurately match colours from shot to shot using NaturalMatch. Get fine control over shots with animatable colour correction, or dive into the large palette of easy-to-use tools to manually refine settings or get creative with the colour.
- FluidMotion? and FluidFilm Effects - Create incredibly smooth slow-motion effects and ¨fit-to-fill¨ video using Avid's patented pixel morphing technology. Apply the look of progressive film to interlaced video material with the exclusive FluidFilm feature.
- SpectraMatte Chroma Key Effect - Create a high-quality key, even with compressed HD codec material. With SpectraMatte, you can eliminate all guesswork, correct common keying issues, and get perfect keys using the interactive interface. Preview your keys in real time and in online quality with 16-bit SpectraGraph technology.
- FluidStabilizer Tracking Engine - Easily stabilize shots that contain even the most jittery camera movements. FluidStabilizer works in conjunction with SteadyGlide and Stabilize to deliver extremely precise image stabilization, enabling you to filter out unwanted motion while retaining any underlying motion you do want, such as a camera pan.
- Get More Effects with Plug-ins - Get the look and effects you want through AVX and AVX2 plug-ins, which you can install and use right from your editing interface. Build up your effects library by choosing from tons of third-party AVX plug-ins available.
- Powerful Effects Performance - With Avid’s advanced effect acceleration — architecture that closely ties multi-core CPU processing, GPU (Graphics Processor Unit), and PCI Express I/O hardware into a single high-performance pipeline — you get the best real-time effects performance around.
- Dazzle and Deliver with the Included Production Suite - Create stunning visual effects and transitions. Design titles and graphics that animate across 2D or 3D spaces. Set the mood with music you generate and control. And deliver projects in the highest quality for the web or on DVD. With the included Production Suite, a powerful collection of popular third-party creative tools, you have plenty of options to get the look, sound, and quality you want.
Engineered for Collaboration
- Sharing Media, Projects, and Ideas - Seamless integration with Avid Unity media networks means true collaboration at any scale. Multiple editing systems can play the same file, and even capture to the same volume, simultaneously.
- Performance and Reliability - Engineered for deadline-driven, real-time collaboration, Avid Unity media networks combine high-performance hardware and software in a family of integrated, turnkey solutions, all backed and supported by a single, trusted source.
- Shared Projects and Bins - Because media bins are not linked to specific projects or users, editors working in an Avid Unity environment can open bins from other projects, without having to copy media. And they can give other editors access to their bins, even while they are in use.
- User Settings - Take all your user settings with you when you move from one Avid system to another, even from an offline to an online or finishing system. All shortcuts, keyboard and screen customization are there for you to use, so you will be up and running in no time.
- Interplay Support - Bring collaboration to the next level with support for the Avid Interplay nonlinear workflow engine. Add sophisticated multi-contributor asset management, multi-resolution workflows, rules based transcoding, and other tools for facility-wide collaboration.
Supported Platforms
- Mac OS X 10.5.7 (Leopard) on Intel and PowerPC hardware
- Mac OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard) on Intel and PowerPC hardware
- Mac OS X 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard) on Intel and PowerPC hardware
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional (32 bit) SP2 or 3
- Microsoft Windows Vista Business (32 bit)
- Microsoft Windows Vista Business (64 bit)
- Windows Vista Ultimate SP2 (64-bit)
Project Formats supported
- NTSC 23.976p
- NTSC 24p
- NTSC 30i
- PAL 24p
- PAL 25i
- PAL25p
- HD 720p/23.976
- HD 720p/25
- HD 720p/29.97
- HD 720p/50
- HD 720p/59.94
- HD 1080p/23.976
- HD 1080p/24
- HD 1080p/25
- HD 1080p/29.97 (Symphony only)
- HD 1080i/59.94
- HD 1080i/50
Native Codec Support
Avid DNxHD
All DNxHD formats
Avid Compressed SD Resolutions
AVR (playback only)
15:1s, 4:1s, 2:1s
20:1, 10:1, 3:1, 2:1
35:1p, 28:1p, 14:1p, 3:1p, 2:1p
4:1m, 10:1m, 3:1m(p), 8:1m(p)
Avid Proxy Formats
Interplay MPEG-2 proxy, MPEG-4 proxy, 720p H.264 proxy (transcode service only)
DV
DV25 / DVCAM (25 Mb/s): 4:1:1 NTSC, 4:1:1 PAL, 4:2:0 PAL, 24p
DV50 (50 Mb/s)
HDV
JVC HDV (19Mb/s) – 720p
Sony HDV (25Mb/s) 1080@24p/25/50i/59.94i
Canon HDV 1080 at 24p/50i / 59.94i
Native project formats: 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/23.976 (with support for 24p material), 720p/25, 720p/29.97, 720p/50, 720p59.94
Capture over IEEE-1394, edit, playback, export to file without timecode (export not for 24p material)
Ikegami GFCAM
GFCAM 50 Mb/s
GFCAM 100 Mb/s
Microsoft VC-1
VC-1 (edit/playback on Intel Macs only)
Panasonic DVCPRO (SD)
DVCPRO – 25 Mb/s
DVCPRO50 – 50 Mb/s
Panasonic DVCPRO HD
DVCPRO HD – 100 Mb/s
AVC-Intra (no encode from baseband over HD-SDI)
Native project formats: 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/59.94, 720p/25, 720p/23.976
Sony XDCAM (SD)
DV – 25 Mb/s
IMX30 – 30 Mb/s
IMX40 – 40 Mb/s
IMX50 – 50 Mb/s
Sony XDCAM EX
MPEG – 25 Mb/s CBR
MPEG – 35 Mb/s VBR
Sony XDCAM HD
MPEG – 18 Mb/s VBR
MPEG – 25 Mb/s VBR
MPEG – 25 Mb/s CBR
MPEG – 35 Mb/s VBR
MPEG – 50 Mb/s CBR
MPEG-4 Proxies
File Based Support
AMA (Avid Media Access)
With AMA, you get the fastest tapeless workflows from shoot to edit, including
full native end-to-end support for XDCAM HD, and full native support
(including metadata integration and card/disc support) for P2, XDCAM-HD/EX,
and GFCAM formats.
Sony XDCAM EX / XDCAM HD
Full native direct access to XDCAM Media and metadata
Native editing of all listed SD and HD data rates (see Native Codec Support)
Import via File Access Mode (FAM) over IEEE-1394
Ingest via FTP client over Ethernet
Ingest, Playout and Write-back of finished program to XDCAM media
Panasonic P2
Full native direct access to P2 Media and metadata
Native DVCPRO HD editing of all listed HD formats (see Native Codec Support)
Direct edit of P2 media from cards or disk drive
Support for P2 Store
Write-back of finished program to P2 media (Windows only)
Ikegami GFCAM
Full native direct access to GFCAM material and metadata
Native GFCAM editing of all listed formats (see Native Codec Support)
Direct edit of GFCAM media from GFPAK cards or disk drive
Uncompressed SD and HD
SD
- 1:1 interlaced 8-bit
- 1:1 interlaced 10-bit
- 1:1 progressive 8-bit
HD
- 1:1 8-bit (no capture with software-only versions of Media Composer)
- 1:1 10-bit (no capture with software-only versions of Media Composer)
Connectivity (Host-based)
- PCI-E (audio/video I/O)
- RS-422 (serial machine control)
- Soundcard audio input
- Soundcard audio output
- Graphics card output (full-screen video playback)
* Prices do not include delivery, configuration and installation.
