What is a Take? When to use Media vs MediaStream

VegaMega wrote on 12/1/2023, 5:09 AM

I'm trying to understand the general structure of this scripting API.

So Far I can see:

- Project

---- Track (Audio / Video) with an idx and name

------- Event (Audio / Video) with a start and length

---------- Take

------------- MediaStream / Media

I don't see / understand what exactly a Take is. I can understand that an Event is a container for one take, but not for multiple takes. But what even is a Take if a Take is also a container for Media?

Then also the Take can contain Media or MediaStream. Whats the difference and when to use either of them?

Comments

set wrote on 12/1/2023, 6:33 AM

'Take' is a choice for which shot you want to use.

If you right-click n drag the media from explorer or project bin to the event clip, you have the choice to 'Add as Takes':

You can also try with long event clip shot, trim the start and end, then right click, Create Subclip:

The Subclip which duration is a 'copy' of shorter media from long media clip, will be added as the New Take for that Event Clip. Subclip usually useful for Video Stabilization process where analyzing process will only use that portion in MediaFX level.

jetdv wrote on 12/1/2023, 9:02 AM

@VegaMega Every event needs one (or more) takes. As set said, it's the shot you want to use for that event. So each event will have at least one take but it does not need more than one take. I would guess that most times, most events have a single "take".

Then each "take" will refer to a "Media Stream" - a media stream is one stream (video or audio) from a piece of Media.

Then you have the Media which references the file on the hard drive. That file may have one (or more) video tracks. It may have one (or more) audio tracks.

So in short, you have "Media" which contains audio and video streams. You then choose which "stream" to use and assign that to a "Take" on a given "Event".

Event -----> Take(s) ---------> Media Stream ----------------> Media File 1

              |-----------------> Media Stream ----------------> Media Fiile 2

or the other direction:

Media |-----> Video Stream ---------------> Take -------------> Video Event

      |-----> Audio Stream 1 -------------> Take -------------> Audio Event

      |-----> Audio Stream 2 -------------> Unused (Just for an example if there's more streams)

One example of using Takes could be in multi-cam editing. You could put all of the cameras as multiple takes. Then suppose you have shots lined up as: 313231213 and you decide the second three should have stayed on 1, you can then just go to that second 3, press "T" to go through the "Takes" until you get to camera 1 again and you'll now have 311231213.

Using takes as alternate versions of events (magix-hub.com)