Getting Started > The Desktop >
About the Desktop

On the Desktop, you work with the clips from which you create processed results for your project. You can play, name, move, copy, and delete clips, as well as use global tools for enabling processes, picking colours, searching for clips, and browsing the filesystem.

After selecting a project and user on start-up, the Desktop appears. The Desktop is your in-session work area. You capture clips to the Desktop, organize them in clip libraries, and then maintain a Desktop selection of clips that you need for the composites and effects you are working on at each step.

From the Desktop, you can:

- Create virtual clips such as colour bars, coloured frames, and noise.
- Create stereo clips or split a stereo clip into two mono clips. To do any compositing work with stereo clips, you must bring them into Batch or Action. Stereo clips are not supported in other modules.
- Capture clips from tape or import image sequences from the filesystem.
- Edit clips using gestural editing techniques, and apply timewarps.
- Save clips to and load clips from clip libraries.
- Apply format processes to clips such as Resize, Interlace, Filed Merge, and Change Timecode/Keycode.
- Execute image processing commands such as Monochrome, Flip, Burn-In Timecode, and Logical Operations.
- Load clips into modules, gaining access to complex image processing and compositing tools such as Paint, the Modular Keyer, the Colour Corrector, Action (a 3D compositing environment supporting unlimited composite layers), and Batch (a batch processing environment providing integrated, uncommitted access to almost all the above image processing commands and modules).
- Output clips to tape or export images sequences and QuickTime® movies.
- Create archives to file or tape.

NoteDescriptions and procedures in this chapter assume default Desktop settings. The Desktop can be customized and the settings can be saved with user preferences. See Setting Preferences.

#### Topics in this section

- Desktop Layout
- Desktop Files
- Using the Pen
- Buttons
- Boxes
- Fields
- Colour Pots
- Accessing System Messages
- Cursors