Use This Avid Trick To Keep Track Of A Clip's Bin Location

At some point during your edit, you might find it useful to know (at a glance) in which bins the clips on your sequence live. This can be advantageous if you are editing a multi-faceted non-fiction video and you want to keep the various topics of your story organized. In my work at St. Jude I am often editing patient stories, and those stories are usually divided up into different sections.

Every project is different of course, but you might consider creating separate bins for the separate scenes in your story to keep your footage organized. Then, with this simple trick, you can color code your sequence to see exactly which clips are from which bin. 

First, you will want to color code each of your bins by assigning the same color to every clip in the bin. To do this, highlight all clips, then right click on the rectangle to the left of the Name column. Then select your color. See below:

Next, look for the Fast Menu (or Hamburger Menu because of its appearance) at the bottom left of your Sequence window. Click on the menu, then select Clip Color. The following dialog box will appear: 

Look for the check box next to Source (located at the bottom of the dialog box) and select it. Click "OK." Now, each clip in your timeline will display the corresponding bin color. 

I'm always interested in hearing tips/tricks for keeping Avid projects organized and efficient. If you have any tips, please leave them in the Comments section.