Avid users

At the scene

Well-known member
Question we are switching to Avid media composer. We have an instructor from Avid training us. I asked a question on how to undo an edit if your keybord malfuctions or dies. He said the only way is to go to file and in the drop down menu click undo. I find it hard to believe that there isn't an icon on the timeline or one that you can assign to undo an edit with your mouse. Am I wrong.
 
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Land Rover

Well-known member
Off the top of my head, I don't think it has a button in the Command Palette for that. It probably should. But really, when was the last time you saw a keyboard die that someone didn't spill a Coke on? Keyboards as a dime a dozen here. We always keep a few spares in case something does happen but I think we've only replaced one, due to the aforementioned Coke incident.
 

At the scene

Well-known member
True. Sometimes I like to stir the pot and make these trainers think. Some do not have an idea what its like in the field.
 

prosheditor

Well-known member
That is ridiculous for Avid to not have a dedicated undo tool in the timeline area or in a tool menu other than the PC's native action menu. But if you're really good, you shouldn't need it. :D

However, if your keyboard does go out, Windows machines do have a virtual on-screen keyboard with sticky keys. Just go to the control panel > accessibility options then click the on-screen keyboard link either in the left menu bar or that page's body. It may be a different location or path on machines other than XP.
 

svp

Well-known member
Don't get me started on AVID or their "trainers". They expect you to change to fit their system rather than just fixing AVID problems so the system actually works like it should. I explained I often have to use my personal laptop running Adobe Premiere to convert a lot of different codec video we sometimes get into MXF or .MOV just so we can use it in AVID. It seems like anything shot in a format other than P2 or XDCAM just won't work in AVID without problems. Its a serious pain in the ass when dealing with surveillance video from police departments or when you get something sent to you that is mpeg. I HATE AVID.
 

At the scene

Well-known member
Only 2 days of training and I can say I HATE AVID TOO!! Upset because we just received Edius NLE less than a year ago. Finally fell comfortable with Edius and BAM!! We are switching to Avid.
 

Capt. Slo-mo

Well-known member
Control Z is your keyboard friend to undo the last edit. (PC world)

Alternately, in the case of a complete system failure, does AVID still have "The Attic?" It's where a pre-set number of previous versions of your timeline reside, basically created every time the system auto saves. You can always go back a version or two and re-load a sequence.
 

At the scene

Well-known member
Control Z is your keyboard friend to undo the last edit. (PC world)

Alternately, in the case of a complete system failure, does AVID still have "The Attic?" It's where a pre-set number of previous versions of your timeline reside, basically created every time the system auto saves. You can always go back a version or two and re-load a sequence.
Agree but I find it unbelievable that there isn't an undo tool on the timeline that you can click with a mouse instead of control Z. I have used a few NLE systems and all have an undo tool on the timeline that's just a click away.
 

Capt. Slo-mo

Well-known member
In all your hours at an NLE, how many times have you experienced a keyboard failure that would make a timeline undo critical? This seems like it would be the least of your issues with AVID.

Not to mention that it's likely easier and faster to control-Z than to grab the mouse, move to a desktop icon and click.
 

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
Avid is made to use keyboard commands. When I trained at Avid Headquarters, your keyboard was your friend. If you learn some of the most used mouse clicks, you will work faster.

But it is nice to have an undo button on the timeline.

Avid has always been different.
 

At the scene

Well-known member
In all your hours at an NLE, how many times have you experienced a keyboard failure that would make a timeline undo critical? This seems like it would be the least of your issues with AVID.

Not to mention that it's likely easier and faster to control-Z than to grab the mouse, move to a desktop icon and click.
Good point. Twice in 15 years is the answer. Umm I'm not sure if its faster using control z. I have always used undo with the mouse. It's just easier for me. I use a lot of short cuts with the keyboard but for some reason its always been mouse with undo icon on the timeline. I guess its something I will have to get used to.
 

At the scene

Well-known member
Avid is made to use keyboard commands. When I trained at Avid Headquarters, your keyboard was your friend. If you learn some of the most used mouse clicks, you will work faster.

But it is nice to have an undo button on the timeline.

Avid has always been different.
Everyone wants to work faster, All I know is that I work with the allotted time I am given. If I have 10 min it will be done in 10 min. If I have 45 min it will be done in 45 min.:D

One thing I learned a long long time ago. If you finish your job early to show how fast you are. Get ready to do more work than everyone else.:)
 

newz

Active member
Just tell your media manager, or whomever is deleting in the system, that the "Unity Attic" files need to be deleted on a regular basis or creating bins will take a LOOOONNNGGG TIIIIIIMMMMMMEEEEEE! They never told us about it and one of our engineers had to find info on it on a user forum weeks after implementation. Nice. Also, get a template of settings made, (timeline, resolution, import and export settings, audio settings, etc...) and load them for each user on each machine before you go online. If the "trainer" had let us do that, we wouldn't have had weeks of issues that OUR people had to figure out. Thanks AVID for not knowing ANYTHING about how we work in news! I hope you don't connect the machines with Interplay. It is incredibly cumbersome. Good luck.
 

At the scene

Well-known member
I hope you don't connect the machines with Interplay. It is incredibly cumbersome. Good luck.
Yes we will. What a pain in the a$$! To top it off we get a trainer with an attitude. It was a terrible week of training. The best part is the company only has licensing for in house edit bays, in the field ( which I am always) have to work with the old editing system until new laptops and software arrive. Who knows when that will be. Frustrated is not the word. Asinine is more like it.
 

csusandman

Well-known member
It can be done!

Question we are switching to Avid media composer. We have an instructor from Avid training us. I asked a question on how to undo an edit if your keybord malfuctions or dies. He said the only way is to go to file and in the drop down menu click undo. I find it hard to believe that there isn't an icon on the timeline or one that you can assign to undo an edit with your mouse. Am I wrong.
Not... entirely. You have to set it up yourself, hopefully before the keyboard craps out.

Off the top of my head, I don't think it has a button in the Command Palette for that.
That is ridiculous for Avid to not have a dedicated undo tool in the timeline area or in a tool menu other than the PC's native action menu.
Open AVID and open the Tools menu. Select 'Command Palette'. This'll open up a smaller window with all sorts of commands. At the bottom of this window are three options but the two you're gonna be most concerned with are: 'Button to Button' and 'Menu to Button'.

'Button to Button': This allows you to drag-n-drop any command from this smaller window onto the buttons on your timeline or (if you have the keyboard settings window open) the keyboard.

'Menu to Button': (**This is what you are asking about**) This will allow you to do the same as 'B2B' but from the drop-down menus. So, highlight 'Menu to Button' on the "Command Palette" window and you'll see the cursor change shape to a clipboard... thingy. Next, select any of the buttons on the top of the timeline. (There are a couple that are blank so you don't have to sacrifice another functioning button.) Then go to the "Edit" drop-down and select "Undo" and... viola. You now have UNDO on your timeline.

You can also save your settings in general, save custom settings in your bin and save custom settings on your timeline. How to move those settings from one machine to another is something I'd love to figure out...

1. You can do this with any and, I think, all commands.
2. I'm not an AVID nerd. I too hate the damn program just as much as anyone else but have made several shortcuts that have helped me adapt to it.

Good luck.
 
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