User Manual

Table Of Contents
Supported Media Types in
AAF Workflows
Media Composer provides several methods of ingesting and managing compatible media
formats. Ultimately, which formats are suitable for a Media Composer to DaVinci Resolve
one-way or round trip depends on whether they’re compatible with DaVinci Resolve.
There’s one other thing to keep in mind as you’re managing media in Media Composer; not all
formats are compatible with all media management operations. This combination of format
compatibility and operational compatibility requires you to carefully tailor your workflow around
which media files you’ll be using.
Transcoding to DNxHD or DNxHR Always Works
Since DNxHD and DNxHR were developed to be Media Composer’s core codecs, workflows
where you transcode other media formats to MXF-wrapped DNxHD/DNxHR before editing will
always work, and are the simplest when round tripping between Media Composer and
DaVinci Resolve. DaVinci Resolve supports both MXF-wrapped and QuickTime-wrapped
DNxHD/DNxHR media.
Linking to Media Using AMA and Consolidating
Avid Media Access (AMA) is a means of directly linking clips to media files in Media Composer
without needing to either transcode them to DNxHD/DNxHR MXF files, or copy them to an Avid
MediaFiles directory. While convenient, workflows involving media that’s linked using AMA
require a bit more forethought.
Not all AMA-compatible media formats can be consolidated in Media Composer, which limits
your ability to create a smaller, more portable collection of media to move into DaVinci Resolve.
Whether or not an AMA-linked clip can be consolidated depends on its media format; Media
Composer can only consolidate formats that it can write. For example, since Media Composer
cannot write R3D media, then R3D media cannot be consolidated.
Furthermore, not all AMA-compatible media formats are compatible with DaVinci Resolve.
Simply being able to edit a media format in a Media Composer timeline doesn’t guarantee you
can use it in DaVinci Resolve. The following table lists which media formats can be AMA-linked
in Media Composer, which formats can be consolidated, and which are compatible for use in
DaVinci Resolve.
If you’re prepping a sequence that uses a mix of media formats, some of which can be
consolidated, and some of which can’t, you should transcode all clips that aren’t compatible
with consolidation to an Avid native codec before beginning the process of consolidating media
and exporting an AAF to DaVinci Resolve.
Chapter – 50 Conforming AAF Files 938