Importing and Exporting Media >

# MediaHub Reference: Browsing for Files

The MediaHub consists of two panels: the browser and the MediaHub tabs. Use the browser to locate the files to import, or the location where to export your clips. Use the MediaHub tabs to set you media and sequence import options.

- MediaHub Browser
- General Tab
- Format Specific Options
- Sequence Import Options
- Jobs

## MediaHub Browser

The MediaHub file browser displays two sections:

- The Autodesk Network lists other Smoke, Flame, or Lustre workstations on the network, and can be used to import files from those workstations.
- The Local Devices displays the hard disks, external disks, and other storage devices that appear under the Devices category in the Finder. Use the Local Devices to access local storage.
  TipNetwork volumes connected to your workstation appear in Local Device.

## General Tab

Cache Source Media button
  Enable to create a managed copy of the media in the application storage; this copy is a transcoded version of the original media, using the Cached Media Compression Format as the transcode target. Disable to link to the media of the imported clip, without transcoding or copying the media.

  Enabling Cache Source Media ensures that the application is the sole owner of the media, preventing the media from being modified by an external source. With Cache Source Media disabled, the application decodes the clip on-the-fly and there is no transcoding.

  You can always change your mind after importing a clip: right-click the clip and select Media Cache Source Media to transcode the media and copy it to your local storage. Right-click and select Media Flush Source Media Cache to get rid of the transcoded copy and refer back to the original media.

Create Matte Container button
  Enable to import an RGB media and its alpha channel as a matte container inside a clip. This matte container has the RGB of the imported media on one track, and its alpha on another. Disable to import the RGB and its alpha as two separate clips.
  TipTo have the alpha actually applied to the RGB track, add an Axis Timeline FX to the clip.
Cached Media Compression Format field
  Displays the compression format applied to clips imported with Cache Source Media enabled. Defined for the project, in the Cache and Renders tab of the Project dialogue box.

  You acces your project's settings in File Project and User Settings.

Resolution Presets box
  Select a resolution for the new clip. Select Custom to specify a non-standard resolution.
Fill box
  Select a fit method to be applied to the selected clip.

  Select: | To fit:
  --- | ---
  Centre/Crop | The source image, centred, over the destination resolution frame. If the source is larger than the destination, it is cropped. If the source is smaller than the destination, it is surrounded by a black border.
  Crop Edges | One edge of the source into the destination resolution frame without stretching or squashing the frame. Excess parts of the source frame after resizing are cropped. If the source—after the one edge is resized—is wider than the destination, its overhanging left and right edges are cropped. If the source is taller than the destination, the upper and lower edges are cropped.
  Fill | The source, width, and height, into the destination resolution frame. This process, if the source and destination resolutions do not have the same aspect ratio, can distort the image.
  Letterbox | The source to the destination resolution frame without squashing or stretching it, and without cropping the source. If the source is wider than the destination, black bars fill the top and bottom of the destination frame. If the source is narrower than the destination, black bars fill the right and left sides of the frame. In all cases, the entire source frame is fit into the destination frame.

Resize Filter box
  Select the resize filter to apply to the clip; all but the Impulse filter are rendered using the GPU. This box does not appear if you select the Centre/Crop fit.

  Select: | For:
  --- | ---
  Lanczos | Excellent and sharp results. Recommended for upscale and downscale. Expensive to compute.
  Shannon | Excellent and sharp results. Results are sharper than Lanczos in small details. Recommended for upscale and downscale. Expensive to compute.
  Gaussian | Medium quality and softer results.
  Quadratic | Medium quality and softer results.
  Bicubic | High-quality results, but not as sharp as Shannon. Use for both upscale and downscale.
  Mitchell | High-quality results, but not as sharp as Shannon. Use for both upscale and downscale.
  Triangle | Low quality results that are fast to compute. Use for downscale.
  Impulse | Very low quality results that are fast to compute. Use for downscale.

Width field
  Displays the custom width resolution of the clip. Editable.
Height field
  Displays the custom width resolution of the clip. Editable.
Aspect Ratio Presets box
  Select a standard frame aspect ratio. Select the Set to w:h option to set the clip to use square pixels. Select Custom to define a custom frame aspect ratio in the Aspect Ratio field.
Aspect Ratio field
  Displays the custom render/output aspect ratio. Editable
Frame Depth box
  Select the render/output frame depth of clips.
Scan Mode box
  Select the scan mode of clips.
Use LUT button
  Enable to apply the LUT displayed in the Applied LUT field to the clip.
LUT Format box
  Select the type of LUTto apply to the clip.
Applied LUT field
  Displays the type of conversion LUT applied to the clip, either imported using Import, or edited using Edit.
Conversion LUT Type box
  Select a basic LUT type, EXR Display, PhotoMap, or Gamma correction.
LUT Editor Access button
  Click to open the LUT editor.

## Format Specific Options

Show All Formats button
  Disable to display only the format of the file selected in the MediaHub browser. Enable to view or edit import options for any of the available file formats.
File Format box
  With Show All Formats disabled, File Format displays the format of the file selected in the browser; if more than one file is selected, File Format displays the formats of the selected files. With Show All Formats enabled, select the file format to view or edit its import options.
Options Category box
  Select the set of options to view or edit.

## Sequence Import Options

### Media Options

Link to Files button
  Enable to create a sequence with track segments that link to the original media. Disable to import an empty shell showing only the structure of the sequence, without references to files.
Preferred Media button
  Select which, of either offline intermediates or original sources, to import when both are found by the application. Only used when importing AAF sequences.
Consolidate on Import button
  Enable to import only the segments of the sources used by the imported sequence. Enabled when Use Timecode is enabled.
Maximum Handles field
  Displays the maximum number of handles (head and tail) allowed for each event in the sequence. If the sequence also sets the amount of handles, the application imports the sources using the lowest number of handles set between Maximum Handles and the sequence. Editable.

### Relative Search Options

Search and Import Files button
  Enable to locate and import the media listed in the sequence, using the selected Search Criteria options but not the filepaths the sequence might contain. The media found is imported as segments of the sequence. Enabled if Link to Files is enabled.
Directories Up field
  Use to expand the search to parent directories. The application searches for media to match by going down any folder structure, starting with the directory from where the sequence file is imported.
  NoteWhen setting the Directories Up field, keep in mind that the application navigates through the whole directory structure. This means that the higher up you go in the folder structure, the longer the conform takes.
Save Sources Separately button
  Enable to also import each source referred to in the sequence. The application imports the sources in the same folder as the imported sequence, in the Media Library.
Use Filename button
  Enable to use the filename specified in the sequence as a match criteria.
Use Timecode button
  Enable to use the source timecode specified in the sequence as a match criteria. Enables Consolidate on Import.
Use Tape button
  Enable to use the tape name specified in the sequence as a match criteria.
Use UMID button
  Enable to use the starting SMPTE UMID in the sequence as a match criteria. This is only used with MXF files and is ignored in all other cases.
Use Resolution button
  Enable to use the resolution specified in the sequence as a match criteria. If this option is disabled, the application soft-resizes the media found to the resolution specified in the imported sequence, if required.
Use Framerate button
  Enable to use the frame rate specified in the sequence as a match criteria. Disable to disregard the frame rate; try slipping the clip and using a timewarp in the timeline after loading the timeline to correct any frame rate discrepancy.

  Be careful when using the Use Framerate search option with FCP XML files, especially if the FCP sequence is using multiple frame rates. With Use Framerate enabled, Smoke uses the frame rate of the sequence's edits as a match criteria to relink to the correct sources: if the frame rate of the considered source is 24fps while the edit is at 30fps, that source is not a potential candidate. Whether or not Smoke relinks the considered source to the edit has nothing to do with the frame rate of the sequence.

  But, if you are importing an FCP sequence, Smoke timewarps the edits so that they match the frame rate of the imported sequence. For example, an FCP sequence @60fps contains edits @50fps: Smoke timewarps the edits to 60fps as it imports the sequence. Whether or not edits are relinked to their sources has nothing to do with this: if Use Framerate is enabled, Smoke only relinks the above edits if the sources are matching the edits' original frame rate, in this case 50fps.

## Jobs

The Jobs tab displays ongoing and completed background processes. Use the Jobs tab to monitor the import and export processes.

Actions box
  Select from the list an action to perform on the selected job. Note: any frames already processed are retained. For example, if the Status column reads 20 of 44 when you click Abort, you will have 20 of the 44 frames of the clip.

#### Topics in this section

- Customizing your File Imports Options
- ARRIRAW Format Settings - Import
- Audio File Settings - Import
- AVCHD Format Settings - Import
- DPX Format Settings - Import
- Gateway Clip Format Settings - Import
- HDR Format Settings - Import
- Image Sequences Settings - Import
- MP4 Format Settings - Import
- MXF Format Settings - Import
- OpenEXR Format Settings - Import
- P2 Format Settings - Import
- Photoshop Format Settings - Import
- PNG Format Settings - Import
- Precomp Format Settings - Import
- QuickTime Format Settings - Import
- R3D Format Settings - Import
- SonyMXF Format Settings - Import
- XDCAM Format Settings - Import
- XDCAM EX Format Settings - Import
- About Pixel Aspect Ratio

#### Related Information

- MediaHub Reference: Browsing for Projects
- MediaHub Reference: Browsing for Archives
- Setting Cache and Renders Format
- Backburner Preferences