OMF’s are a great way to share projects between collaborators working on varying programs (as we’re going to explore in this article - from a video editor working in Premiere to an audio editor working in Pro Tools or Logic). These files are easy to export, but there are a few important steps to make sure the right files make it to the next step.
In an ideal world, there’d be one file that all apps could open and have a seamless workflow, but in our world not even all audio programs can use the same files. Not all audio programs can open OMFs and even some of the ones that can open them have different needs. At least the first steps are the same.
1. Navigate to File > Export 2. Select OMF…
The rest of the process has some variables, depending on what DAW (digital audio workstation) your editor works on. Below, you’ll find instructions for exporting for Pro Tools and Logic.
Exporting OMF Files
for Pro Tools
1. Title your file
2. Sample Rate & Bits per Sample: It’s best to keep these settings the same as the
original recording. If you’re unsure of this, locate one of your audio files, right-click, and select “Get Info”.
3. Files: This setting doesn’t make much difference to Pro Tools users. Selecting Embed Audio will make for the cleanest transfer - because you will only need to send 1 file.
4. Format: My personal preference is WAV files, but this can vary, so it’s best to talk with your editor to find out what they’d like.
5. Render: This is it! Possibly the most important setting to get right.
Setting this option to Copy Complete Audio Files will provide your editor with all of the full, original audio files so that they can adjust any edits, find empty ambient noise in between takes, and have more flexibility with noise reduction.
Trim Audio Files will create new audio files and only send what exists within your edit. If you’ve cut off a speaker in the middle of a sentence in your cut, the rest of that sentence will not be sent to the audio editor, leaving them with limited options.
If you’ve followed these steps - you’re done. You should now have
1 OMF file ready to be shared!
Exporting OMF Files
for Logic
1. Title your file
2. Sample Rate & Bits per Sample: It’s best to keep these settings the same as the original recording. If you’re unsure of this, locate one of your audio files, right-click, and select “Get Info”.
3. Files: This setting is very important for Logic users. Logic currently requires that the files are exported with Separate Audio selected. This will create an Audio Files folder in the same location as your OMF file. We’ll revisit how to send this in a bit.
4. Format: My personal preference is WAV files, but this can vary, so it’s best to talk with your editor to find out what they’d like.
5. Render: This is another very important step to understand.
Setting this option to Copy Complete Audio Files will provide your editor with all of the full, original audio files so that they can adjust any edits, find empty ambient noise in between takes, and have more flexibility with noise reduction.
Trim Audio Files will create new audio files and only send what exists within your edit. If you’ve cut off a speaker in the middle of a sentence in your cut, the rest of that sentence will not be sent to the audio editor, leaving them with limited options for editing and crossfades.
SENDING YOUR FILES
These steps are vitally important if you have selected the option for "Separate Audio" files. This will ensure that your audio editor receives all the files they need to complete the project.
1. Locate your OMF File
2. Find the Audio Files Folder and Log.txt file that were created along with the OMF
3. Select all 3 of these items, navigate to the File menu and select “Compress”
You will now have 1 zipped file ready to send to your editor!
Conclusion
I hope that this guide helps you through the process of transferring files for audio editing! If you have questions, or feel like I missed any important details, please let me know. If you'd like to receive a FREE PDF of this information, just fill out the form below.