Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Installation
3. Activation
4. Setting Preferences
5. Importing
6. Managing your content
7. Exporting


1. Introduction

Welcome to the FlamingoHD User Guide. This should tell you everything you need to know about how best to use FlamingoHD.

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2. Installation

You install FlaminogHD by dragging it from the disk image to either your Applications folder or your desktop. We recommend placing FlamingoHD in your Applications folder, then keeping it in your Dock.

Have a look at our Installation video for VoltaicHD if you need help with this. The process is identical for FlamingoHD.

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3. Activation

You activate FlaminogHD by purchasing an Activation Key. Once you have completed payment via PayPal, the Activation Key is emailed to your supplied email address immediately. Your key is also displayed on the screen when you click on the 'Return to Systemic' link displayed on the PayPal confirmation screen.

If you do not receive your key withing a minute or two, it is probably in your SPAM folder.

Once you receive your Activation Key, open FlaminogHD and go to the FlamingoHD->Activate menu option. Enter your key into the text field and click 'Activate'. FlaminogHD then communicates with the ShedWorx activation server to activate FlamingoHD.

Have a look at our Activation video for VoltaicHD if you need help with this. The Activation process is identical for all of our products.

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4. Setting Preferences

Like all well-designed applications, you don't have to set any preferences before using FlaminogHD. If you want to take more control of FlamingoHD, read on!

Preferences can be reviewed at any time by using the menu option or Apple,

General

Check for Updates on Startup

Whether or not to automatically check for new versions of the application on startup.

Base Location

This tells FlamingoHD where to store all of its application files, as well as the media library. If you need to store your video library on an external hard drive, this is where you tell FlamingoHD to use that external drive.

VoltaicHD

Output Directory

You can start VoltaicHD conversions from within FlamingoHD. This option lets you control the Output Directory used by VoltaicHD from within FlamingoHD

Notification Types

Here you can specify what kind of completion notification VoltaicHD is to provide.

RevolverHD

Export Location

This option is only used if you plan to use Revolver to do movie exports. This specifies where the exported movies will be placed.

DVD Type

RevolverHD can create data DVDs, where the files are just copied to a directory, or AVCHD DVDs. These DVDs can contain Full HD videos that will play on Sony and Panasonic Blu-ray players.

Editor

Asset Location

The Asset Location is the area that FlamingoHD will place all assets (media) ready for editing. This will involve copying of assets that are ready for editing, and conversion of all AVCHD video assets to AIC, using VoltaicHD.

Advanced

Hide media already imported

This option will hide any media items already in the FlamingoHD Library, when using the Import process. This is very handy when using a camera that you wish to quickly import new media from, while ignoring media already imported.

Copy imported media to Library area

This option applies to importing from the filesystem only. Naturally, any media being imported from a camera must be copied into the FlamingoHD Library. When importing from the filesystem this option allows you to leave the media in place and merely reference it from FlamingoHD. This is useful when using FlamingoHD to manage media that you have already organised yourself.

Autosplit into Events

When importing, a handy feature is to autosplit media into different events. This is especially useful when importing media from a camera that may have been used over a number of weeks or months to cover a number of events.

This setting has three options:

  1. Off
  2. One Event per Day (All Imports)
  3. One Event per Day (Camera Only)

Reset User Alerts

This option re-enables all Alert windows that have an option to no longer display them.

Background Colour

This option controls the background colour of the main FlamingoHD viewing area.

Thumbnail density

This controls how many thunmbnails are generated for each Filmstrip.

Show Filmstrip HUD

This controls whether the little pop-up window is displayed as you move you mouse over a Filmstrip.

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5. Importing

Overview

FlamingoHD has been designed to provide you with the fastest and easiest importing workflow possible. This involves providing a very fast thumbnail preview of movies and NOT converting AVCHD movies as they are imported.

FlamingoHD also supports the importing of any Quicktime-supported video format and most images types.

Importing involves a two-step process of firstly previewing the camera or filesystem's media, then pulling the media into the FlamingoHD Library.

Camera Importing

When FlamingoHD detects an AVCHD camera mounted on the computer, it will automatically enter Importing mode and preview the camera's content. You can then choose to import any or all of the content by selecting Import All or Import Selected. Note that FlamingoHD allows you to import video and still image media from the camera, providing a far more convenient process than having to run two applications.

Filesystem Importing

Standard Importing

Standard media importing is possible via the Import Media menu option. This prompts you for a folder to open. FlamingoHD then opens that folder and shows you a preview of the media prior to importing. You can then choose to import any or all of the media in the preview.

Batch Importing

You can import large amounts of media, skipping the preview step, by using the Batch Import option. This option prompts you for a starting folder, then kicks off a background task to import all media that is found in the starting folder and all folders below it. FlamingoHD creates an Event corresponding to every folder that it finds containing support media types.

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6. Managing your content

Overview

Once you have imported some media, you are ready to manage it. FlamingoHD has been built around the concept of an Event and a Project. Events are things that happen, while Projects are your collections of media that may cover one or more Events. A media item can exist in one and only one Event, while it may be used in any number of Projects.

Event Management

All media items in FlamingoHD must belong to one and only one Event. Drag and drop of media items between Events will therefore move the media item. This applies to media held within the FlamingoHD Library, as well as media referenced by FlamingoHD (we call these External Events). Moving data between External Events will result in the media items being moved on the external location.

Events are sorted by their start date. We hope this suits most people, but if you would like Events sorted in another way, let us know and we will most likely add a Preference setting.

Project Management

Once you have your media organised into Events, you are ready to create Projects. Projects provide you with the flexibility of taking only those media items that are required into a group that will eventually be edited.

As for Events, Projects are sorted by start date.

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7. Exporting

Overview

Exporting covers all of the ways that media items in FlamingoHD can be sent to other applications for conversion and/or editing.

Send to VoltaicHD

Any media item, Event or Project can be sent to VoltaicHD. This action will utilise the VoltaicHD Output Directory (as specified in your Preferences) as the location for all converted movies. Any movie format supported by VoltaicHD can be sent. This allows convenient conversion of all media (not just AVCHD) to AIC if required. Since VoltaicHD supports conversion to all Quicktime-supported movie formats, you can easily send batches of media for conversion to the same final format (e.g. AppleTV, iPhone, MPEG2, etc)

Send to RevolverHD

Any media item, Event or Project can be sent to RevolverHD. The most common use of RevolverHD would be for the burning of AVCHD DVDs using AVCHD movies.

Send to iMovie

This option is only available to Projects. When sent to iMovie, a new iMovie event will be created using the Project name. Any AVCHD movies in the Project will be sent to VoltaicHD for conversion, while iMovie-supported media will be copied straight to the new iMovie event.

Send to Editor

This option is only available to Projects. When sent to the Editor, a new folder will be created using the Project name, under the Assets Home area as set in your Preferences. Any AVCHD movies in the Project will be sent to VoltaicHD for conversion, while all other media will be copied straight to the new folder.

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