evrExpanse Instruction Manual v.3.3.0 - updated June 6, 2023

Installation and how to use

How to Install

Install evrExpanse. Open the DMG file and drag & drop evrExpanse.app to the Applications folder.

On the first run a pop up window will show up. If you have to activate any paid licence key then insert it into the corresponding field and click Activate. For Demo just click on Try out button (no need of insert any licence key).

Prerequisites

• Python 3
• ASC MHL component

You must have Python 3 and the ASC MHL component installed. While Python 3 will have to be installed manually after downloading it from the official site web page, ASC MHL tool can be downloaded and installed with a simple click if need it (recommended).

In case you want to proceed with the manual installation, click Cancel button, open Terminal application and run the following command (see also ASC MHL repository):

pip3 install --upgrade ascmhl

If you experience problems installing ASC MHL manually or automatically using the Install button on evrExpanse, you may need to update Python 3. Go to https://www.python.org/downloads/ and install the latest release available. In case you are prompted to install the command line developer tools module, do it by clicking on the Install button. Close and re-open evrExpanse.

In case the SSL certificate to access the Gumroad server has expired on the host computer it is possible to automatically install the certificate from the repository https://curl.se/docs/caextract.html

How to uninstall

Delete (Move to Trash) the /Applications/evrExpanse.app

How to use

After clicking the Run button the main window will pop up.

evrExpanse provides two primary processes: Export and Transcode

• Metadata Export: This process allows you to extract metadata from various sources, such as different types of cameras, and import it into your preferred NLEs (Non-Linear Editing Systems) like Final Cut Pro®, DaVinci Resolve®, Assimilate SCRATCH®, Avid Media Composer®, and Pomfort Silverstack®. It streamlines your metadata management, enabling a smoother editing workflow.
• Transcode Master Files: With this process, you can transcode multimedia files into intermediate codecs, including ProRes®, DNxHR®, GoPro CineForm®, DPX®, and OpenEXR®. It supports formats such as MOV, MP4, MXF, and GoPro .360. The transcoded files retain the embedded Master file metadata and Finder Tag, ensuring seamless integration and compatibility within your production pipeline.

Combined Process: Transcode Plus©

In addition to the independent functions, evrExpanse offers a combined process called Transcode Plus. With Transcode Plus, you can seamlessly transcode your media files while simultaneously extracting metadata. This comprehensive workflow saves time and effort, ensuring a more efficient media processing experience.

Metadata Export

Select the folder:

The selected folder contains the media files to be processed. Drag and drop folder from Finder is supported.

Export format:

Select the export format for the metadata file.

The available options are: Final Cut Pro (FCPXML or FCPXMLD), DaVinci Resolve (CSV), Media Composer (ALE), Silverstack (CSV), evrExpanse (CSV), Sony Real Time Metadata (CSV) and Assimilate SCRATCH integration.

Media Composer ALE file settings

Check the default values of Format, FPS or Bin Name. By default, the value of Bin Name is automatically filled with the name of the selected folder, but can be changed.

Assimilate SCRATCH integration

By checking the "Insert the selected files with exported metadata into an existing SCRATCH project" box, an XML file containing references to the media files and their metadata will be sent to the SCRATCH Watch folder and will be loaded and processed by SCRATCH automatically as soon as the project is loaded. A copy of the XML file placed in the SCRATCH watch folder will be saved in a folder inside the processed folder named with the name of the processed folder preceded by "evrE"

Final Cut Pro XML (settings)

In the main window, clicking on the "Preferences..." button takes you to the "Metadata Export Settings" section where you can choose the desired Final Cut Pro FCPXML format (FCPXML v 1.9 or FCPXMLD v 1.10).

ASC Media Hash List integration

In the same window it is possible to activate/deactivate the creation of the ASC Media Hash lists.

In the "General settings" section you can change the SCRATCH Watch folder (already setup with the default location) and settings about the SCRATCH project name (required), group and timeline. Without an existing SCRATCH project name, upload to SCRATCH cannot complete successfully. Be careful, open SCRATCH and check the correct name of the project you want to send the media and their metadata to.

For ASC MHL you can specify the Creator's Info and the Hash encoding format: xxHash (64-bit, and latest XXH3 with 64-bit and 128-bit), MD5, SHA1, SHA256, C4.

When ASC MHL files are created any exceptions are saved in the log file evrExpanse.log in the processed folder.

The minimum requirement for the metadata export process is that one of the export formats or one of the integration (SCRATCH/ASC MHL) is enabled.

Enabling ASC MHL integration is now a minimum requirement for metadata export in evrExpanse 3.0.1. This means that if you want to create MHL files for a folder, you can simply select the folder and process it without having selected any of the export formats. However, if you want to export metadata in addition to creating MHL files, you will need to select at least one of the export formats or integrations (SCRATCH/ASC MHL) in the main window.

Master Files Transcoding

Smart mode:

This option will perform smart transcoding consisting of checking the Master video codec and audio format and deciding whether to transcode or pass-thru the stream. If the Master video codec is already an intermediate or mezzanine codec such as ProRes, DNx or CineForm, a pass-thru will be performed instead of re-transcoding. If the source audio codec is PCM (16 bit / 24 bit / 32 bit), then the Master audio stream will be pass-thru. If it is not PCM, a transcoding will be performed at the set value (16 bit / 24 bit / 32 bit).

Audio and video streams are treated independently and they can be transcoded to the desired format or passthrough. Audio streams are mapped 1:1, meaning that the transcoded files will have the same number of audio channels as the master ones.

From tests performed with Smart Transcode enabled, the whole process is up to 7x faster (2x to 7x depending on the codec profile and storage speed) on media already encoded in ProRes / DNxHR / CineForm.

Manual mode:

The Manual mode is the classic transcoding with audio and video streams transcoded at the selected settings.

Passthru mode:

The Passthru transcoding option enables 100% quality pass-through of Master audio and video streams, embedding metadata in native format and in XMP format (supported by Adobe Premiere Pro). In this mode the output container is set to quicktime except for MP4 input files which is maintained as MP4 for codec compatibility.

Although one of the peculiarities of evrExpanse is to embed the metadata of the Master files in the transcoded copies, there is an option for those times you want to speed up the transcoding: Bypass embedding of the Master file metadata.
Note that by enabling this option the transcoded file does not have all the metadata of the master file.

Preferences - Transcode Master settings

If Smart mode is selected, checking the box:

• Transcode files with uncompressed YUV format enable or disable the transcoding of uncompressed YUV files if detected in source file.
• Transcode in Smart mode with "Final Cut Pro friendly option" enable or disable the transcoding of CineForm and DNx codec if detected in source file. This option is Final Cut Pro friendly as it does not support media with CineForm or DNx codecs. When checking this option selected codec for transcoding should be only ProRes profiles.

Rotate Transcoded Files According to Source Metadata. Once enabled, evrExpanse will automatically apply the necessary rotation to the transcoded files based on the metadata retrieved from the source. This ensures that the orientation is preserved accurately. Please note that this new feature is available exclusively in version 3.2.4 or later. To update to the latest version, click on "evrExpanse" in the main menu and select "Check for Updates..".

The Rotate Transcoded Files (Auto-Rotation) feature is applicable only when a transcoding process occurs in Manual mode or Smart mode. If Passthru mode is selected or if transcoding is not performed in Smart mode, the feature will not be applied. It specifically relies on the transcoding process to retrieve the necessary metadata and apply the appropriate rotation to the transcoded files.

CPU load (only for software accelerated codecs):

This option is designed to balance the load on CPU threads to leave room for other processes to run during the transcoding process.
Hardware-accelerated codecs are less affected by this option as the transcoding process relies on the balance between CPU and GPU.

Available audio formats are: Auto (full), High, Medium, Low
evrExpanse is a multi-threaded application and the selected CPU load profiles will help to balance the workload for your needs. On Auto (full), evrExpanse will decide the best CPU load balancing which can go up to 100%. The other options will force to use the selected CPU load.

From the tests performed, the best performance is achieved with Auto or High profiles on systems up to 8 cores. On systems with a higher number of CPU cores it is better to try less extreme profiles such as High or Medium. However, you must also take into account the dissipation capacity of your Mac as the CPU performance is heavily affected by overheating (Thermal Throttling).

Master files folder:

Select the Master folder with the media files to be transcoded. The default folder is the same that has been selected on the very first step of the process (after clicking the Run button at the startup window). Drag and drop folder from Finder is also supported.

Destination files folder:

Select the destination folder of the transcoded media file. The default folder is the same that has been selected on the very first step of the process (after clicking the Run button at the startup window). Drag and drop folder from Finder is supported.

Video codec:

Select the ProRes / DNxHR / CineForm / DPX / EXR profiles of your choice. Available profile are those specified in the Apple ProRes white paper and in the Avid DNxHR specification.

• Apple ProRes
  Codec type: hardware accelerated (CPU+GPU)
  Pixel format:
  • YUV 4:2:2 - 10-bit (ProRes 422 Proxy, ProRes 422 LT, ProRes 422, ProRes 422 HQ)
  • YUV 4:4:4:4 - 10-bit (ProRes 4444, ProRes 4444 XQ) with support for alpha channel
• Avid DNxHR
  Codec type: software accelerated (CPU)
  Pixel format:
  • YUV 4:2:2 - 8-bit (DNxHR LB, DNxHR SQ, DNxHR HQ)
  • YUV 4:2:2 - 10-bit (DNxHR HQX), YUV 4:4:4 - 10-bit (DNxHR 444)
• GoPro CineForm:
  Codec type: software accelerated (CPU)
  Pixel format:
  • YUV 4:2:2 - 10-bit (low, medium, high, film1, film2, film3+ )
  • RGB 4:4:4 - 12-bit (RGB 444)
• DPX:
  Codec type: software accelerated (CPU)
  Pixel format:
  • RGB 10/12/16 bit per channel
  • RGBA 8 bit per channel
• EXR:
  Codec type: software accelerated (CPU)
  Compression: Uncompressed/Zip1/RLE
  Pixel format:
  • RGB half/float (16/32 bit)
  • RGBA half/float (16/32 bit)

Audio codec:

Available audio formats are: PCM 16/24/32 bit. When DPX or EXR codec is selected, the audio tracks of the master file (if any) will be transcoded/exported into a separate WAV file from the DPX/EXR file sequence. Each audio track can be mono/stereo/multichannel depending on how the audio tracks are formatted in the master file.

GoPro .360 resolution:

Available video resolution are: 4K (4096x2048), 5.6K (5376x2688). This option is designed to select the preferred Equirectangular resolution of the exported 360 video if any raw GoPro .360 video is processed.

everExpanse can also process the GoPro 360 proprietary file format which uses a 360-degree video projection type (Equi-Angular Cubemap projection or EAC) not directly compatible with the type of projection (Equirectangular) supported by streaming platforms or video editing applications. evrExpanse is able to converts these raw .360 files to equirectangular projection video and transcodes them to intermediate codecs embedding the master file EXIF metadata for uploading to YouTube or 360 editors, such as DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, or Final Cut Pro.

Assimilate SCRATCH integration

by checking the "Insert the selected files with exported metadata into an existing SCRATCH project" box, an XML file containing references to the media files and their metadata will be sent to the SCRATCH Watch folder and will be loaded and processed by SCRATCH as soon as the project is loaded. A copy of the XML file placed in the SCRATCH watch folder will be found in the log folder.

Destination file name:

In this box you can customize the name of the transcoded files by adding a text at the end of the name (optional).
The applied name will be: SourceFineName**evrE**CodecName_YourText.mov (es. A005C039_201101OZ_evrE_DNxHR_CamA.mov)

Processing and Results

Transcode and Export Workflow

evrExpanse offers two primary processes: Export and Transcode, which can be utilized independently based on your requirements. Additionally, there is an integrated process called Transcode Plus, which combines the Transcode and Export Metadata tasks into a single streamlined workflow.

Using Transcode and Export Processes:

You have the flexibility to choose between using Transcode and Export Metadata processes individually or sequentially, depending on your workflow. Here are two examples:

Metadata Export:

If your objective is to export the metadata of the Master files for importing into NLEs, you can use the Metadata Export process. This will generate metadata files compatible with your chosen NLE software, facilitating seamless integration and efficient editing.

Transcode and Metadata Integration:

In some cases, it may be necessary to transcode the Master files to an intermediate codec before importing them into NLEs, while also ensuring the metadata integration. In such scenarios, you can follow these steps:

1. Perform the Master Files Transcoding process: This involves transcoding the Master files to the desired intermediate codec, optimizing them for editing within your NLE software. Configure the transcoding settings to meet your specific requirements.
2. Perform the Export Metadata process: After the transcoding is complete, use the Export Metadata process on the transcoded files. This ensures that the transcoded files retain the metadata inherited from the original Master files, enabling seamless integration with your NLE software.

Transcode Plus: Automating the Workflow

If you wish to combine the Transcode and Export Metadata tasks within a single workflow, you can easily do so by clicking on Transcode Plus. This feature allows you to transcode files while simultaneously extracting metadata from the transcoded files in a sequential manner. Before applying Transcode Plus, ensure that you have selected all the necessary settings for both transcoding and metadata export to achieve the desired outcome. Note that the selected files folder for metadata export corresponds to the destination folder chosen in Transcode settings.

During each process a progress bar will be displayed.

If you need to stop the batch process, click the Stop button. When clicking the End button in the following warning message, wait for the current file to be processed. It is strongly recommended to wait for the process to shut down properly, usually a few seconds.

Results

When the process is finished, the exported/transcoded files will be available inside the selected folder.

After the process is finished, both for the Export Metadata and for the Transcode Master File, a folder is created inside the processed folder with the name evrE_FolderName.
In this folder you will find the metadata exported in the chosen formats and ready to be processed by the respective NLEs.

or you will find the files transcoded in the format and with the chosen options.

and for both processes, if required, you will find an ascmhl folder, with the MHL files inside.

Also a log file (evrExpanse.log) will be saved.

Media files and Camera specifications

File type: MOV, MP4, MXF

Camera supported: Panasonic, Nikon, Sony Alpha, Fujifilm, Canon, Sony XDCAM*, Z Cam, Kinefinity**, Atomos (Ninja & Inferno), McPRO24fps, GoPro, FiLMIC PRO, Apple iPhone, ARRI.

While Export Metadata support are restricted to the list of cameras above, Transcoding is supported for every file type supported (MOV/MP4/MXF).

For a complete and updated list of supported cameras see our Camera Compatibility Tables

How to import CSV file in DaVinci Resolve

Open a project containing clips you want to populate with imported metadata, click the media pool (make sure a red line will be visible)

Optionally, select which clips in the Media Pool you want to import metadata to.

Choose File > Import Metadata To > Media Pool... to import metadata to potentially every clip in the Media Pool, or choose File > Import Metadata To > Selected Clips... to only import metadata to clips you selected.

When the Import Metadata dialog appears, choose a metadata CSV file to import, and click Open.

When the Metadata Import dialog appears, by default, DaVinci Resolve tries to use “Match using filename” and “Match using clip start and end Timecode” to match each line of metadata in the CSV file with a clip in the Media Pool, but because "clip start and end Timecode" are not present in imported metadata you have to uncheck “Match using clip start and end Timecode” and (optionally) check “Match using source file paths".

Next, choose which Merge Option you want to use in the Metadata Import dialog.

There are three options:

1. Only update metadata items with entries in the source file (recommended).
   The default setting. Only updates a clip’s metadata if there’s a valid entry in the imported CSV file. Other clip metadata fields are left as they were before the import.
2. Update all metadata fields available in the source file: For each clip that corresponds to a line of metadata in the imported CSV file, every single metadata field referenced by the CSV file is overwritten, regardless of whether or not there’s a valid entry for that field.
3. Update all metadata fields available in the source file and clear others: For each clip that corresponds to a line of metadata in the imported CSV file, every single metadata field referenced by the CSV file is overwritten, regardless of whether or not there’s a valid entry for that field.
   Furthermore, metadata fields that aren’t referenced by the imported CSV file are cleared of

When you’re finished choosing options, click OK and all available metadata from the source CSV file will be imported.

If the media files have been tagged using the macOS Finder Tag, the information will be reported in Keyword window and in the Flags section in DaVinci Resolve.

How to import in Final Cut Pro

Importing media and its metadata into Final Cut Pro with FCPXML is pretty easy and straight forward. Just double-click on the exported file (.FCPXML or .FCPXMLD) and Final Cut Pro will automatically start and ask which library to import the files into.

Alternatively you can import the FCPXML file from the application itself.

When you select media from the browser, you will see the metadata in the information inspector. All metadata will be bundled into a new metadata set called evrExpanse.

If you open the Metadata Views window by selecting "evrApp Properties" you will be able to add the imported metadata to your liking in any existing view.

How to import in Assimilate Scratch

The import of multimedia files and related metadata in Assimilate SCRATCH is even simpler and more direct than in Final Cut Pro. In this case the integration is direct: once the export process is finished, the XML file, generated by evrExpanse, is stored in the SCRATCH Watch folder which will load it as soon as the application is started and the relative project is opened.
Make sure the project name to SCRATCH is set correctly in the evrExpanse settings and you're done! SCRATCH history populated with processed media and corresponding metadata displayed in the right panel.

A copy of the XML file is also saved in the processed files folder (evrE_FolderName) in case the XML file needs to be uploaded to another workstation.

After SCRATCH processes the XML file in the watch folder, it will write a log to the Scratch_insertlogFolderName.log file located inside the processed folder evrE_FolderName

How to import ALE file in Avid Media Composer

After having created the .ale file in evrExpanse, go to the Avid Media Composer and import the clips if not done so far. They should thereon be available as master clips.

Select the bin in the Avid Media Composer which contains the relevant clips.

Select those clips and choose “Input > Import Media…” from the context menu in the bin.

Open the “Options”, then click on “Options…” navigate to the Shot Log tab and select

“Merge events with known master clips”.

Navigate to the ALE file you created before and click “Open”.

Avid Media Composer now matches master clips and metadata information from the .ale file according to their TimeCode, Bin Name and Name of clip.

The information from the .ale file is attached within additional columns in the bin table. Some of the columns are already known by the Avid Media Composer, all unknown information will be added as custom columns.

If you cannot see any custom columns, perform the following steps:

1. Close and re-open the bin
2. Right-click in the free space of the bin window and click on “Choose columns…” in the context menu.
3. Then select and unselect columns, the custom columns from the imported .ale file you will find at the end of the list.

How to import CSV file in Silverstack

After having created the .csv file in evrExpanse, go to the Silverstack Composer and import the clips if not done so far.

To be able to import metadata evrExpanse will use the Drylab CSV import feature in Silverstack.

Select the folder or bin in the library of Silverstack that you want to import metadata for.

Then, in the “Import” menu button in the toolbar select the option Drylab CSV:

When the Finder dialog points you to select a file, choose the CSV file exported from evrExpanse and select “Open”.

There are two options to match the events in the CSV to the clips in the library:

• by Clip Name
• by Creation Date

Select Clip Name and Creation Date (Date only) and click “Continue”.

Import Section: In this step you can select or unselect the metadata that should be imported from the CSV to the Silverstack library.

evrExpanse metadata are under the sections:

• Camera Settings
• Lens and Filter
• Comment and Caption
• Append Tags
• Day Number + Day Date (as Custom 1)

Insert/Update Behavior: Choose if you only want to insert new metadata if a fields is empty or you want to force an overwrite.

Select the option in bold and click "Finish"

If the media files have been tagged using the macOS Finder Tag, the information will be reported in Tags column in Silverstack.

This is the list of metadata (in bold those exportable by evrExpanse) whose fields are mapped in the Silverstack library (sorted by Silvertack metadata section):