Avid’s 2020.12 Update Now Natively Supports H.265/HEVC

Avid has released the new version 2020.12 which includes native support for H.265/HEVC as a major new feature. This update has also improved the customization options of the software and included significant improvements in title+ as well as additional options to simplify editing work.

Being able to work with H.265/HEVC files natively in Avid means being able to import them directly to the timeline without the need to transcode them beforehand. Already in the 2020.10 update we could see how the catalog of codecs compatible with Avid was expanded, such as Apple ProRes RAW. Being compatible with H265 allows us to edit, link, play back and export media, all from the timeline.

The options for workspace customization have also been expanded, allowing us to add tools in some floating panels to adjust them to your liking. Or we can simply change the appearance of the program by modifying colors, brightness and appearance of Avid Media Composer windows and modules.

The titles section has also benefited from this new update. Two new modes have been added to Title+, Text and Move, with the shortcuts T and M. These modes help us create titles more easily and modify them more quickly and directly. You can also transcode matte keys that we already have to work with them in the project, just as it happens with titles regardless of their frame rate.

Now Avid Media Composer 2020.12 adds new options to work with ACES, being compatible with the 32-bit workflow. You can apply the ACES transformation in .clf or LUT format such as .cube to the files.

The audio mixer has also been changed and allows us to identify the audio tracks of our timeline by colors in the audio mixer and in the side menu groups. You can copy, move audio plugins from one track to another. To streamline work, we can also customize the keyboard shortcuts for some basic audio editing functions. A button to mute the volume of a track has been incorporated and the record button only appears when in automatic mode. The workspace customization options are also reflected in the audio mixer as the window can be adjusted and even indicate our priorities when displaying audio mixer elements.

When exporting our work, Avid has expanded the options and we can export in .mov, .mp4 or OpenEXR with different color space options. For audio options, you can export in AAC or PCM at 96,000Hz and 320 kbps for .mov or .mp4.