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Scene Detection

A Scene Detection tool is available to perform scene detection on a Timeline segment. Scene detection is useful when you are working on a single segment made up of multiple scenes. Scene detection locates the frames at which the scenes change and splices the shot at those points. When you apply scene detection to a Timeline segment, it is broken up into numerous smaller segments that you can then edit independently.

The Scene Detect button is available from the Timeline FX bar above the Timeline when the Clip Thumbnail is selected. You can also perform Scene Detection by selecting a segment and selecting Scene Detect from the context menu. The Scene Detection analysis is triggered, on the selected segment, the moment the Scene Detect button is pressed or selected from the context menu. The analysis result is displayed within the Timeline segment and cuts are previewed immediately after the analysis is done.

You can navigate to the previous / next cut while Scene Detect is enabled. This is done using the Previous / Next Transition buttons or shortcuts.

Once the initial analysis is done, you can change the analysis threshold to modify what is considered a cut or not. This can be done for the entire segment using the Threshold % numeric field, by dragging the Threshold curve over the segment or by creating a custom curve using the Edit button. The Edit curve can be manipulated like a Channel Editor curve using the Add, Move, and Delete functions.

Note: If you grouped segments in the Timeline and perform Scene Detection on a grouped segment while the ‘Link’ button is enabled, the resulting cuts are applied on all segments that are part of the group.

When you lower the threshold value, a small amount of change is enough to trigger a splice. If the value is too low, splices appear in the middle of a scene. If the value is too high, some changes may not be detected. Generally, the default threshold value gives a good result.

Once you are happy with the previewed cuts, you can commit the cuts using the Apply button. It is also possible to cancel the process using the Cancel button.

Note: Modifications made to the Scene Detect Threshold curve are kept in cache memory when the Cancel button is used. The Reset button must be used to reset the curve to its default state. This applies to the current session. If you close the application and restart it, the Scene Detection data is lost.

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