Export to EDL/AAF/XML Dialog Box

The Export to EDL/AAF/XML window allows you to export your animatic into a video editing sequence which you can import in Non-Linear Editing (NLE) software such as Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Avid Xpress, Avid Media Composer or Sony Vegas.

The timing, motions, and sound clips in your project are preserved.

NOTE See Exporting an EDL, AAF or XML Sequence to learn how to use this feature.
Parameter Description

Destination Path

Path

Allows you to specify the directory in which to save the exported files. You can click on the Browse button right of the field to browse your file system and select the destination folder.

File Pattern

Allows you to enter the prefix or the pattern for the names of the exported files. You can leave this field blank to use the default file naming pattern, type in a file name to use it as a prefix, or type a full pattern using the following variables:

    %t - Project title
  • %a - Act number
  • %q - Sequence number
  • %s - Scene number
  • %p - Panel number
TIP Numbers used in file naming patterns are automatically padded by zeros as needed. You can type a number between the % sign and the variable letter to determine the amount of characters you want the variable to use. For example, with the variable %4s, scene 1 would appear as scene 0001.

Export Type

 

Lets you elect the format in which to store the timing information (timecode for panels and audio tracks). The format will be chosen depending on the destination application:

  • Generate EDL file: Can be imported in Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere.
NOTE Due to limitations with the EDL format, only the first four audio tracks in your project can be exported, and sound clips that are used multiple times in the project will only appear one time in the exported sequence.
  • Generate AAF file: Can be imported in Avid Media Composer, Avid Xpress, Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere.
NOTE Due to limitation with the AAF format, Slide-in and Slide-out transitions will be converted to Dissolve transitions, Clock Wipe transitions will always be exported as 12 o’clock (0 degree) clockwise transitions, and Edge Wipe transitions will be exported as either Horizontal, Vertical or Corner Wipe transitions.
  • Generate XML file: Can be imported in Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere.
NOTE If your editing system is not mentioned above, check its specifications to verify which format can be imported.

Generate EDL, AAF, XML File

Generates an EDL, AAF, or XML file.

Options

Movie Format

Movie clips can be exported in Windows Media Video (*.wmv) format on Windows and in QuickTime Movie (*.mov) format on either Windows or Mac OS if QuickTime Player is installed. This option can not be changed if only one movie format is available for export.

NOTE Not all editing systems support importing Windows Media Video files. Check with your software’s documentation to see which movie file types are supported.

Video Config

Click this button to configure the video settings. When exporting in QuickTime, this allows to set the video codec, framerate and quality. When exporting in WindowsMedia Video allows to set the video bit rate and variable bit rate quality.The resolution drop-down right of the Video Config button can be used to define the output resolution, since you might not always need to export the storyboard at full resolution. You can select Full, Half or Quarter of a project’s resolution.

One Movie Clip Per Panel

Exports more than one QuickTime movie clip per scene (which might contain more than one panel) e.g. to obtain better granularity during editing since the storyboard will have smaller movie clips.

Generate Video Files

If you only need the EDL, AAF or XML files to be generated, deselect this option so no video files are rendered.

Copy Audio Files

When enabled, the project’s sound files are copied to the same directory as the EDL/XML/AAF files and the video files when exporting. Sound clips that are used several times in the project will only be copied once and linked to several times in the EDL/XML/AAF sequence. Disabling this option can be useful if you are overwriting a previous EDL/XML/AAF export of your project and have not made changes to the sound clips in your project, as it will make the export faster.

NOTE When this option is unchecked, the project’s audio tracks and their editing data will still be exported into the EDL/XML/AAF sequence. Only the actual sound files will be missing.

Export Range Tab

All

Exports the entire storyboard.

Selected Scenes

Select this option to export a specific selection of scenes. Then, click on the Select button to open the Scenes Picker dialog box, in which you can:

  • Type the number of a sequence or of a scene in the Sequence or Scene fields in the Filter section, to only show matching sequences or matching scenes in the list.
  • Click and drag to select a range of scenes.
  • Hold the Ctrl key and click on each scene you want to add to your selection.
  • Hold the Shift key, then click on the first scene and the last scene you want to add to your selection, to select every scene between those two scenes inclusively.
  • If your project has sequences, click on a sequence to select every scene in that sequence.

Current Scene

Exports only the currently selected scene.

Current Panel

Exports only the currently selected panel.

Tracked Panels - [0 panel]

Exports panels on which tracking changes is enabled—see About Track Changes.

Burn In Tab

Print Time Code

Prints the project timecode on the video as an overlay on your video.

Print Scene Names and Panel Numbers

Prints the scene names and panel numbers as an overlay on your video.

Print Additional Duration

Prints another time code counting the time for the current panel, scene or sequence, depending on what is selected in the Repeat drop-down.

Units

Displays additional duration information using Time Code or Frames units.

Repeat

Displays additional duration information per panel, scene or sequence.

Camera Grid Tab

Title Safe Area

Prints the Title Safe Area over the picture. By default, this area is 20% smaller than the camera frame. It is used as a guideline of the area that CRT displays might crop out of the picture. Visual elements such as text and logos should be placed within this area.

NOTE The size of this area can be changed in the Camera tab of the Preferences dialog—see Camera Preferences.

Action Safe Area

Prints the Action Safe Area over the picture. By default, this area is 10% smaller than the camera frame. It is used as a guideline of the area that CRT displays might crop out of the picture. Characters and action should be placed within this area.

NOTE The size of this area can be changed in the Camera tab of the Preferences dialog—see Camera Preferences.

4:3 Safety

Prints the title safe area and the action safe area for the 4:3 camera frame over the exported image. They can be used to position elements in projects that are meant to be displayed in both widescreen and 4:3 proportions.

4:3 Reference

Prints the 4:3 camera frame over the exported image. This frame corresponds to the camera frame if the aspect ratio of the picture was 4:3. It can be used to position elements in projects that are meant to be displayed in both widescreen and 4:3 proportions.

Captions Tab

Print Captions

Choose whether to not print captions (None) or select one of your project’s captions to print into the exported movies. By default, a Storyboard Pro project has Action Notes, Dialog, Slugging and Notes captions, but you can also choose to print custom captions if your project has any.

Font

Select which font the captions will be printed in. By default, they will be printed in Arial.

Height %

Sets the size of caption lines relative to the height of the exported movies. For example, if exporting a movie at 1080p with 3% Height captions, each caption line will be 32 pixels in height.

Position

Prints the captions at either the Top Left, Top Centre, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Centre or Bottom Right of the panels. By default, captions are printed to the Bottom Centre.

Max Lines

Sets the maximum amount of caption lines to print on each panel. If a caption being printed requires more than the maximum amount of lines, it will be cut off with an ellipsis (...) at the end.

NOTE Even if captions are printed at the bottom, they will be aligned to the top of the space reserved for them, which is calculated by the amount of Max Lines x the Height %. Therefore, if this setting is too high and captions are printed at the bottom, they may appear closer to the middle of the picture than to the bottom.

Text Colour

Select the font colour in which to print the captions.

Bg Colour

Select the background colour on which to print the captions. If the checkbox is unchecked, the captions will be printed directly into the rendered picture. Otherwise, they will be printed in rectangular boxes of the chosen colour.

Open folder after export

Opens the folder in which files were exported in a file browser once the export is done.