View Layouts			Color Picker
Chapter 5, Getting Familiar with Your Workspace

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Node-Independent Tabs

Node-Specific Tabs

The tool UI, located at the bottom of the user interface (above the taskbar) lets you view information about the composition you currently have open, as well as view and adjust settings for any of the tool nodes in that composition.

The tool UI has four main areas:

Node-Independent Tabs

There are several node-independent tabs, including (from left to right in the interface): Composition, Versions, Cue Marks, Metadata, Animation, and Pick List.

Composition tab -- Contains information about the composition you currently have open.

Versions tab -- Displays a list of all published versions (including the working or current version) associated with the composition you currently have open. A white dot in the Primary column indicates the current working version for the composition. You can view any version by either double-clicking it or by selecting the version and pressing the View button.

Cue Marks tab -- Displays the list of cue marks set for the composition you currently have open--see Working with Cue Marks.

Metadata tab -- Displays the description of the composition you currently have open, along with any custom attributes you added. You can use this tab to edit the field associated with an individual attribute.

Animation tab -- Provides controls for animating individual variables in the composition--see The Animation Tab.

Pick List tab -- The Pick List tab provides a place for storing frequently used tools, views, and compositions--see Working with the Pick List.

Node-Specific Tabs

One or more node-specific tabs appear when you select a node in the composition. For example, if you select the CC Histo tool, you'll see that it has a main tool tab, as well as a Ranges tab. You typically select a node in the Schematic view, the Composition Browser, or from the Layer Editor context menu.

Each composition node has a tab associated with it. In the case of imported media, the composition node for the composition you currently have open has an Image Import tab that contains the same information as in the Import browser when you imported the media to create the composition--see Importing Media. The composition node for a linked composition has a Link Image tab that contains a list of the rendered output associated with that composition--see Linking Compositions.

A vertical bar in the tab indicates more options may exist underneath the area to the right of the bar. Drag right on the bar to expose the options.

The contents of most tool node tabs are organized into left and right areas. The left hand area contains Player-related controls and direct manipulation controls unrelated to the Player (for example, in the Diamond Keyer, the color prism), and fields and widgets you can use to set or enter values. The area on the right is the Tool Options area; these options are common to all tools. The top row is used for selection history and navigation, and contains the following controls.

Navigate to previous node -- Navigate to nodes before the current selection.

Navigate to next node -- Navigate to nodes selected after the current selection.

Go to Home node -- Navigate to node set as Home node.

History -- View the entire node list and select a node.

Set Home -- Set a home node from the History list. To set another node as the home node, select a node name and click Set Home.

The next set of controls are for using tool presets--see Tool Presets.

Preset -- Displays the name of the tool preset currently loaded in a selected tool node.

Save -- After customizing a tool, lets you save it as a tool preset.

Load -- Displays a list of tool presets.

Reload -- Reloads the currently selected tool node with the same tool preset. This lets you revert back to the parameters contained in the tool preset.

The lower portion of the Tool Options area contains the following controls:

Back One Keyframe -- Move back one keyframe in the currently selected animation curve for this tool node. For help with animation--see Keyframing Workflow.

Set Keyframe -- Set a keyframe in the animation editor for this tool node. For help with animation--see Keyframing Workflow.

Forward One Keyframe -- Move forward one keyframe in the currently selected animation curve for this tool node. For help with animation--see Keyframing Workflow.

Mute -- Mute the currently selected tool node. This is a convenient way to toggle the effect of that node on or off. When you mute a tool node, the node has no effect on the input it receives; it simply passes that input to the next tool node in the dependency graph. If you mute a tool node that accepts multiple inputs, the node passes its primary input to the next tool node.

Note: Note that muting a tool node may not always be equivalent to removing it from the dependency graph. That is, if the input and output formats of a tool node are different, removing the tool node may cause format conflicts in nodes further along the dependency graph but muting the tool would not cause format conflicts. For example, if the format of the output is different from that of the primary input, the muted node adjusts the format, possibly in a tool specific way. For example a muted Diamond Keyer node outputs a solid white matte, a muted Noise node outputs a black image. You cannot mute a supertool.

Reset -- Reset all parameters of this tool node to their default values.

Name -- Examine or edit the name of the currently selected tool node. To edit the name, click in the field, enter your edits, then press Enter).

Time -- Display the global and local time in a node affected by a Time Offset tool. Enable Global to display the global time in the field to the right of the Global button. Disable Global to display the local time of the node in that field.

Affects -- Specifies the channels (RGB, RGBA, or A) the currently selected tool uses. The options available depend on the currently selected tool. In some tools this option may not be available.

IR -- Enable to have the currently selected tool node create an intermediate result whenever you play the composition. You can also enable or disable intermediate results in the Schematic, by clicking the IR tab in the bottom-right corner of the node icon; this tab is orange when you enable IR--see Creating Intermediate Results.

Delete -- Delete the currently selected tool node.