Bins Setup for New Projects in Avid

Hey there! This quick tutorial is on how I setup my bins and folders for new projects in Avid Media Composer. Everyone works differently so if you do something different share it below and why!

Recapping Tutorial on Bins Setup for New Projects in Avid Media Composer

First I create all of the folders. The folders are: 01_Sequences, 02_Audio, 03_Graphics, 04_Footage, and 05_Old.

In the 01_Sequences folder I create two bins — Master Sequences and Working Sequences. The 02_Audio folder gets bins labeled Music, SFX, and VO.

The 03_Graphics folder gets the following bins:

  • FFs (Shorthand for Freeze Frames)
  • FX (Shorthand for Effects)
  • Imports
  • Quick Transitions
  • Titles

The 04_Footage folder gets a bin for each day of filming. For example I would name a bin FTG-210525 for the footage filmed on May 25th, 2021. I also create an All for Sift bin. All the clips in the FTG-… bins will be Opt/Alt+dragged into the All for Sift bin so all my footage is in one place (mirrored) and it’s left in it’s original dated bin for reference.

The 05_Old folder gets a bin labeled Old Sequences. If this bin gets too large I’ll make an Old Sequences 2 bin.

Bonus Tip: To close all bins at once, select a bin then go to the Window menu and choose Close All Bins.

That’s how I do my bins setup for new projects in Avid Media Composer. Do you do something different? I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.


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6 thoughts on “Bins Setup for New Projects in Avid”

  1. I break my footage up into bins for each day of shooting. Then I Opt/Alt+drag them into the same bin. Most of my projects only have a handful of hours of footage.

    I’ll relabel the master clips with the scene number and take. I typically use AbbreviationOfProject-Scene/VideoNumber-TakeNumber-Date so it looks like ABC-002a-001-140715. Then I Custom Sift for the scene number, 002a, if I need it.

    What do you do?

    Reply

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