3D Compositing with Action > Action: Media >
Accessing the Media Menu

When you open Action, you load the front and matte clips for the first media. You can then load any additional media. Use the Media menu to modify the front and matte clips.

The clips you load for each media appear in the Media list. The back clip you selected to access Action appears in the first row of the Media list and is assigned the letter B in the # column. The second row in the Media list contains the first front and matte clips you selected when accessing Action. The length of each clip appears in parentheses beside the clip name. A new line is added to the Media list each time you add media. For stereoscopic projects, you can apply media to the left and right eye.

You can sort the Media list by list number, front clip name, or matte clip name. As you view clips, you can look at the original front, back, or matte clip individually, as well as the results of colour correcting and keying a matte.

To access the Media menu, click Media in the Action menu. To help identify media, Alt+click a surface in the schematic, result, or camera view to automatically select the media in the Media list. If the Media menu is not selected, press Alt and double-click the surface to switch to the Media menu, and automatically select the media in the Media list. Also, when you select multiple surfaces, you can press Alt to select all associated media in the Media list. In this case, the first item selected is framed in yellow in the Media list as the current selection.

(a) Back media(b) Front media(c) Matte media(d) Reset box

The Media controls are described as follows.

New Media button
  Click to open the area selected in the Media From box to add new media. See Adding Media.
Media From box
  Select whether to open the Desktop or clip library when adding media.
Apply button
  Applies media to a surface. For stereoscopic projects, use the dropdown list to select how the media in the Media list is applied to the selected surface in the scene. See Applying Media to Surfaces.
Copy and Paste buttons
  Copy media parameters to another media. See Copying Media Settings.
Delete button
  Deletes media from the Media list. See Deleting Media.
Replace button
  Click to open the area selected in the Media From box to choose media to replace the selected media in the Media list. See Replacing Media Clips.
Reset button and box
  Resets media properties. Use the Reset box to select the properties you want to reset, then click Reset.
Keyer (or Modular Keyer) field
  Loads the back, front, and matte clips for the selected media into the Keyer or Modular Keyer. See Accessing the Colour Corrector and the Keyer from Action or Accessing the Modular Keyer from Action.

You can set the default keyer with the MK As Default button in the Action Setup menu.

CC fields
  Loads the clip for the selected media into the Colour Corrector. See Accessing the Colour Corrector and the Keyer from Action.
Xblur and Yblur fields
  Adjusts the amount of Gaussian or Box blur along the X and Y axes.
Slip fields
  Slips the back, front, or matte clip. See Slipping Media.
Shadow fields
  Adjusts the softness of a shadow. If the scene contains more than one shadow using the selected media, all shadows are softened by the same amount you specify in this field. See Adding Drop Shadows.
Gaussian fields
  Uses Gaussian blur on a selected media. See Blurring a Clip.
Divide fields
  Divides the front media by its associated matte media. See Eliminating Unwanted Black in Areas of Media Transparency.
Crop and Crop Softness fields
  Crops a front clip or a matte clip for a selected media. Use the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right fields to crop the selected sides. You can also add crop softness. See Cropping a Clip.

#### Topics in this section

- Media Menu Shortcuts