Creating Bin Views
Bin Views are customized displays of information you can access when a bin is placed into Text View. These customized Bin Views are available to any bin (and the Media Tool) by using the Bin View menu at the bottom of each bin window (see the following screenshot).
In addition to the columns of information that Media Composer comes with, you can create as many custom columns of information as you like (for example, best performance, shot type, quality, and so on).
After the basic recipe for creating a Bin View, there is information on creating custom columns and changing an existing Bin View in the There's more… section.
How to do it...
Perform the following steps to create Bin Views:
- Open a bin.
- Place the bin into Text View from the display menu in the lower-left corner of the bin window (it's the menu right next to the Fast Menu).
- Open the Bin Column Selection Window by one of these methods:
- Right-click in an open area of the bin and select Choose Columns from the contextual menu
- Go to the Bin menu and select Choose Columns
- The Bin Column Selection Window opens.
- Select and/or Deselect to set the information you would like to have displayed.
- Click on the OK button.
- Arrange the columns by clicking onto the column heading (for example, Name, Creation Date, Tracks) and dragging the column to the left or right. When you reach the desired position, release the mouse button.
- Click on the Bin View Menu at the bottom of the bin.
- Select Save As.
- The View Name dialog box opens.
- Enter a name.
- Click on OK.
- Notice that the name of your Bin View appears in the Bin View Menu and is not in italics.
There's more...
Closely related to creating Bin Views is creating custom columns where you can insert information that is helpful to you (for example, shot type, director's notes, and so on). Next, along with creating custom columns, we'll also cover changing an existing Bin View.
To create a custom column, perform the following steps:
- Set the bin to Text View using the display menu in the lower-left corner of the bin window (it's the menu right next to the Fast Menu).
- Create an open area in the columns by clicking onto any column heading (for example, Name, Creation Date, Tracks) and dragging that column by a short distance to the right (making the column that you're moving just slightly overlap the one to its right). When you release the mouse button, you'll see the selected column push the other columns over to the right. Repeat this process until you have an open area.
- Place your cursor in the open column heading name area that you just created (the row at the top of the bin that includes other headings such as Name and so on).
- Click the mouse button to create the text entry box, and type the column heading's name.
- When you've completed typing, you can do either of the following:
- Hit Enter or Return
- Click the mouse's cursor in an open area of the bin
- If you need to make a correction to a custom column heading, then press the option/Alt key when you click your cursor in the column heading name region.
- Now that you have created a custom column, you can add text in the cells by clicking within that column when your cursor is across from a Clip or Sequence.
You can add columns of information and rearrange the columns at any time. You remove a column from being displayed by selecting its column heading name and pressing the Delete key. Deleting columns of information that come standard with Media Composer will simply hide them and no data will actually be erased. Deleting custom columns of information that you created will open a second dialog box where you can choose to either permanently delete the column and all the information that has been entered into it, or to simply hide it from view. Hidden custom columns can be selected in the Bin Column Selection Window at any time. You'll find them in the bottom portion of the list.
Also be aware that whenever you make a change to an existing Bin View, its name in the Bin View Menu will appear in italics to indicate that any changes you've made have not yet been saved. You then have the option of either saving the Bin View as a new one, or updating the existing one. To save it as a new Bin View, perform the following steps:
- Click on the Bin View Menu at the bottom of the bin.
- Select Save As and the View Name dialog box opens.
- Enter a name.
- Click on OK. Notice that the name of your Bin View appears in the Bin View Menu and is not in italics.
To update an existing Bin View, perform the following steps:
- Press and hold the option/Alt key.
- Click on the Bin View Menu at the bottom of the bin. A list of existing Bin Views will appear that includes the word Replace before each of them.
- Select the one that you want to update/replace.
- A confirmation dialog box will open. Click on the Replace button. When you're done, notice that the name of your Bin View appears in the Bin View Menu and is not in italics.
See also
- The Settings overview discussion for more information about activating, naming, duplicating, deleting, and restoring settings
- The Font size adjustment recipe