A Batch effect (FX) is a setup applied directly to one or more segments on the Batch timeline. Batch FX include effects of any module accessed from the Batch node bin. Creating a Batch FX allows you to take a selection of timeline segments into a Batch flow graph environment for procedural compositing. When you create a Batch FX, you perform procedural compositing yet remain in a timeline-based environment. You can edit and reorder any Batch FX node without affecting anything else in your pipeline.

Each time you create a Batch FX, you enter a new setup for the selected segments. Segments can, therefore, have several levels of nested effects. The BFX View allows you to access a schematic hierarchy of all levels of nested Batch FX and their sources relative to the main Batch timeline. Alternatively, expand Batch setups to bring the setups nested inside a clip back to the same BFX level.

Although you can also create soft effects on the Batch timeline, their order in the pipeline is fixed and you can apply soft effects to only one segment. As well, you have access to fewer effects modules with soft effects than with Batch FX. Creating soft effects is useful when you want to remain on the timeline and do not need to work in a modular pipeline environment. If you started with soft effects but later decide you need the flexibility of the Batch pipeline, you can convert the soft effects to nodes.

You apply a Batch FX to a source or to a source after it has been modified with soft effects. To apply a Batch FX to a source, you enter a Batch setup from a segment’s timeline with the Pre option. To apply a Batch FX to multiple sources or to a source modified with soft effects, you enter a Batch setup with the Post option. If you bring multiple layers into a Batch setup and want to apply a separate Batch flow graph to each layer, you can split the layers. When you split layers, one clip is created for each layer.

Note the following when creating Batch FX:

• The output resolution of a BFX clip is based on the timeline resolution and not the project resolution.
• BFX does a frame count mode so that the BFX clip conforms to main Batch. For example, if you bring a 30 fps clip into a BFX setup, and the clip one level up is 24 fps, the frame rate on the 30 fps clip changes to 24 fps.
• The timecode of a BFX clip automatically keeps the timecode of the timeline one level up (main or BFX).

When creating Batch FX, you can save the modified clip to the Desktop or to the _Edited library. See Managing Clips in Batch.