Category: Workflow / Avid Media Composer

Your Assistant Editor is gone. A VFX artist emails you: "Hey, can I get the plates for Shot 4B?"

You panic. You find the clip in your timeline, right-click, hit Export, and send them a DNxHD 36 MXF file.

Stop. You just committed a cardinal sin of post-production.

If you send an Avid media file (MXF) to a VFX artist, you are sending them a low-resolution, color-baked proxy. If they do their work on that, the final shot will look terrible when you try to put it into the 4K master.

Here is the industry-standard "Pull" Workflow to get the highest quality footage to your VFX team.

The Rule: Always Go Back to the Source

Avid usually works with Proxies (DNxHD 36/LB). These are for editing, not for finishing. The VFX artist needs the Camera Original (The RAW file, ArriLogC, or R3D file) that came straight out of the camera.

Step 1: Prep the Sequence

Don't just export from your messy edit timeline.

1. Duplicate your sequence and rename it VFX_Pulls_v01.

2. Commit Multicam Edits: Right-click the sequence > Commit Multicam Edits. This replaces the "green" multicam groups with the actual raw clip names.

3. Simplify: Delete audio, music, and graphics. Move the VFX shots to Video Track 1 (V1).

4. Add Handles: A VFX artist usually needs 8-12 frames of extra footage on the start and end of the clip (handles) to do transitions or tracking.

Step 2: Generate the "Pull List" (EDL)

You need to tell the VFX artist (or the person pulling the files) exactly which files to find.

1. Open the List Tool (formerly EDL Manager).

2. Load your VFX_Pulls sequence.

3. Select Format: CMX_3600.

4. Check "Clip Names" or "Comments" to ensure the Source File Name (e.g., A001C005_... .mxf) is visible.

5. Export this text file. This is your shopping list.

Step 3: The "Pull" (Getting the Files)

Now you have two options:

Option A: The "Manual" Pull (Small Projects) Read your EDL. It says you need clip A001C005.

1. Go to your hard drive where the Camera RAW folder is.

2. Find that specific file.

3. Copy it to a drive for the VFX artist.

Option B: The "Transcode" Pull (Resolve Round-Trip) If the files are massive (like 8K RED Raw) and the artist just needs a specific 5-second chunk:

1. Export an AAF from Avid (Link to (Don't Export) Media).

2. Import that AAF into DaVinci Resolve.

3. Relink to the Camera Originals in Resolve.

4. Export the specific clips as DPX or EXR sequences (with handles).

5. Send those image sequences to the VFX team.

Summary

Never export a "Same as Source" or "DNxHD" file from Avid for VFX unless you are absolutely sure you are working with high-res media. Always trace the shot back to the Camera Original, create a Pull List, and send the artist the raw pixels they need to make movie magic.