Importing an AAF or OMF Sequence as a Pro Tools Session

The easiest way of using Pro Tools to edit a sequence exported from an Avid application (such as Media Composer) is to open it as a new session.

Pro Tools cannot play video files embedded within an AAF or OMF sequence.

To open and import an AAF or OMF sequence in Pro Tools:

1 Launch Pro Tools.

2 Choose File > Open Session.

3 In the Open Session dialog, navigate to the AAF or OMF sequence you want to import.

4 Click Open.

5 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and Bit Depth to use for the session.

6 To create interleaved multichannel audio files in the session. select Interleaved.

7 Click OK.

8 Name your session in the Save As field.

9 Click Save. The Import Session Data dialog opens.

You can open and import OMF or AAF sequences that reference audio files with mixed sample rates or bit depths.

 

10 Depending on how you want to import the audio, select the appropriate option from the Audio Media Options pop-up menu (see Audio Media Options).

11 Depending on how you want to import the video, select the appropriate option from the Video Media Options pop-up menu (see Video Media Options).

12 Change other settings and options as necessary (see Import Options when Importing AAF or OMF Sequences).

13 Click OK.

Pro Tools creates a new session file in the location you’ve specified, along with the following new items:

Audio Files folder

Clip Groups folder

Session File Backups folder

Video Files folder

cache.wfm file

This session will match the audio file type, sample rate, and bit depth of the audio in the OMF or AAF you selected. Pro Tools does not import video embedded in a sequence.

If a Video Satellite system is available, Pro Tools can import the video metadata from a sequence to a satellite track. In this case, the video itself is played back from the Video Satellite machine, in tandem with Pro Tools playback.

For more information, see the Video Satellite Guide.

During the import, if there are any errors, clip name truncations, or other notes (such as missing effect renderings), a dialog appears asking you if you want a detailed report of the changes. Click Yes and choose where you want to save the log. The log is a text file that you can open in any text editing application.

Every AAF and OMF file has a filename and unique identifier stored in the AAF and OMF metadata, and a name which is displayed on the desktop. Truncating a clip name in the translation process does not change the AAF or OMF filename or unique ID.

Multi-Cam Resolution Files

On an Avid system, Multi-Cam Resolution files display multiple individual camera angles of the same scene. The Avid operator chooses which of the Multi-Cam files (and therefore camera angles) will be dominant, at the time of creating an AAF or OMF export. When you import an AAF or OMF sequence into a Pro Tools session, only the clip representing the dominant camera angle will be displayed.