In my tenure as a video editor, I have done some things I am not proud of. One of the things I am least proud of is the amount of time I have spent, in post, syncing together video that was shot from multiple angles. These are years of my life that I can't get back. This manual sync is not terribly difficult, but it is terribly time consuming and boring. So it was with reserved excitement that I fired up my editing suite to test drive Singular Software's PluralEyes plug-in.
Keep it simple
The PluralEyes “plug-in” actually runs outside your NLE—similar to a standalone application. The product description is short and to the point: “It automatically synchronizes all your audio and video clips without the need for time code, clappers or any special preparation.” The interface is even less complicated: simply select the project timeline in the drop down and hit sync. I managed to get my first clip done before I even looked at the directions. Unlike many plug-ins that have lots of options that take a long time to understand, PluralEyes pretty much just has the button that says “sync.”
“Try really hard” option
In my test clips I had a two-camera shoot, the A cam ran nonstop the entire time and the B cam stopped and started several times. Each camera had roughly 25 minutes of footage, and the B cam had five clips. In my initial test PluralEyes was unable to sync the clips, so I reluctantly turned to the website for help. The website is well done, easy to navigate and has videos that go over all facets of the program. Following the directions from there lead me to an options menu where I found the check box “Try really hard.” Once I got over the fact that the programmers at Singular must have way too much fun at their jobs, I tried to sync the clips again. In this attempt, each clip took longer to process, but was 100% successful. The entire process took five minutes and resulted in a one-time line with the clips sync'd and one multi-clip. The Final Cut Pro multi-clip option is great for re-checking the sync, as well as a really powerful editing option in general.
What does it mean to me?
With DSLRs becoming mainstream and the move to tapeless workflow, I think the PluralEyes application has a big future ahead of it. One of the reasons that I haven't joined the ranks of DSLR videographers is that I like to over-shoot; I was taught very early on “tape is cheap, but missing the shot costs you.” Most of the tapeless workflows have file size or time limitations, which nets you more short clips that will have to be sync'd in post.
If you have a two-camera shoot and you net one clip from each camera, syncing the two of them is not really a big deal since you only have to do it once. However, PluralEyes acts as a huge help in a scenario— for example, with one video camera and two DSLRs shooting over the course of an hour. The video camera has one clip and the DSLRs will have one clip every five minutes so, at 12 clips per camera, now you will have to sync clips 26 times. This is not really difficult, but I would rather have dental work done than sit in the bay for hours and do that.
Conclusion
I loved PluralEyes and will be getting a copy. This is the tool I have been waiting for. I now feel like I can enter the world of DSLR video without fear of what the backend work will be like. If you do a lot of multicam shoots, then you really can't afford to not have this application in your toolbox. My only regret is that I can't use it to get back all the time I already wasted syncing video.
