Apple Color 1.0 - Manual (Page 56)

56 Chapter 2 Color Correction Workflows
Using EDLs, Timecode, and Frame Numbers
to Conform Projects
Using careful data management, you can track the relationship of the original camera
negative to the video or digital transfers that have been made for offline editing using
timecode.
How Does Color Relink DPX/Cineon Frames to an EDL?
The key to a successful conform in Color is to make sure that the timecode data in the
EDL is mirrored in the scanned DPX or Cineon frames you’re relinking to. Color
attempts to relink to image sequence media in a number of different ways, depending
on what information is available in the file:
 First, Color looks for a timecode value in the header of the DPX or Cineon frame file. If
this is found, it’s the most reliable method of relinking.
 If there’s no matching timecode number in the header data, then Color looks for the
timecode value in the filename, and for the corresponding reel number in the
enclosing directory.
 If there’s no reel number in the enclosing directory, then Color attempts to relink all
the shots using the timecode number only.
Parsing EDLs for Digital Intermediate Conforms
This section explains how Color makes the correspondence between the timecode
values in an EDL and the frame numbers used in the timecode header or file name of
individual image sequence frames.
Here’s a sample line from an EDL:
001 004 V C 04:34:53:04 04:35:03:04 00:59:30:00 00:59:40:00
In every EDL, the information is divided up into eight columns:
 The first column contains the edit number. This is the first edit in the EDL, so it is
labeled 001.
 The second column contains the reel number, 004. This is what the directory of the
scanned 2K image files that correspond to that shot should be named.
 The next two columns contain video/audio track and edit information that, while
used by Color to assemble the program, isn’t germane to conforming the media.
The last four columns contain timecode—they’re pairs of In and Out points.
 The first pair of timecode values are the In and Out points of the original source
media (usually the telecined tape in ordinary online editing). In a digital intermediate
workflow, this is used for naming and identifying the scanned frames that are output
from the datacine.
 The second pair of In and Out points identify that shot’s position in the edited
program. This is used to place the media in its proper location on the Timeline.