Calibrating time code

Click the video control bar. This will activate the navigational slider, but the following keys may also be used whenever the slider is chosen (a broken line can be seen around it):

PageUp: Two frames back

PageDown: Two frames forward

Arrow keys: One picture back or forward.

Jump forward X frames & Jump backward X frames (set X to 25 in the video cache configuration menu to make 1 second jumps).

Find the start of the video clip. Check the visual superimposed time code that is copied into the picture. It might for example be 01:00:00:00

In the drop-down menu choose Video/Adjust video timecode or press the keyboard shortcut assigned to that function (default is Ctrl+DownArrow). The menu you already know from the end of the recording, Adjust Timecode, will pop up.

Choose the field "change to" and correct the time code till it is identical with the superimposed time code. Then click save.

The running time code (in the main window field under EDIT/DISPLAY and above the subtitle number) will now also be identical with the time code copied into the video clip.

Running time code and superimposed time code must be identical

Now drag the slider forward (to the right) with your mouse:

Compare the superimposed and running time codes. As long as they are identical everything in the garden is lovely.* If there is a shift you will have to find out where it happens, fetch the Adjust Timecode menu, change the "change to" value to make the two time codes identical again, and click "Save". If you can live with a 1 frame deviation, you do not have to find the exact location of the shift, but need only change it whenever you notice a one frame shift has happened.

Tip: If you speed through the video clip using the Jump X frames function with X set to 25, holding down the jump forward key, the frame value of the superimposed time code will remain unchanged, until a frame is dropped or repeated.

If you are annoyed with having to spend five minutes of your life calibrating a stupid time code, you may find consolation in the fact that you will save several hours' working time later in the process.

If you want to reset your calibration, just click "generate".

* If you are using MPEG clips you may have to press NumPad7 or NumPad9 to be absolutely sure that the correct time is shown in the running time code window. This is another good reason to convert everything to MJPEG.