Find Bin Function Tips
The Find Bin function is found by default below the Source and Record Windows in the far left of their button bars (below the Rewind button on both Source and Record Windows).
The Find Bin function has two default abilities
Record Window/Timeline: When you click the Find Bin function below the Record Window (or from the keyboard when either the Record Window or Timeline Window is active), then Media Composer will display the bin in which the currently loaded Sequence is stored. This is helpful when the Sequence Bin might be hidden under other windows, or when you might be working on several Sequences at the same time, which reside in different Bins.
On the Source Window: When you click the Find Bin function below the Source Window (or from the keyboard when then Source Window is active), then Media Composer will display the bin in which the loaded source Clip is stored. This is quite a valuable feature, and the information later will explain two methods of using it.
The context
First, an explanation of the situation and the goal:
In your Sequence, you have a shot of a white cat that you liked last week, but now you'd like to change it to a shot of an orange cat. Your documentary project is large and has 150 bins in it. You have one bin that's filled with many shots of cats, including the white one that's currently in the Sequence as well as the orange one that you have in mind. The goal is to be able to locate and open the bin of all the cats as quickly and easily as possible.
Method 1: Using the Source Window
This is a multi-step process that uses two functions.
From the Record Window/Timeline, use the Match Frame function to load the clip of the white cat into the Source Window (see the Using the Match Frame function recipe in Chapter 3, Polishing Gems).
Now that the clip (white cat) is loaded in the Source Window, press the Find Bin function on the Source Window button bar.
The Bin that holds the Clip of the white cat will be displayed (even if it's closed, Media Composer will open it) and the clip of the white cat will be highlighted. Now you know which Clip you've already used, and you can now locate the new footage you want to use (orange cat).
Method 2: Directly from the Timeline
This is a process that only uses the Find Bin function:
Enable the track that contains the clip you want to use Find Bin with (I'll call that the Target Track). In this example, it would be the track that contains the white cat. Also, make sure that no other video track selector that's above your Target Track is enabled. In other words, your Target Track must be the top-most enabled track.
On the Record Window/Timeline, use option/Alt + Find Bin.
The bin that holds the clip of the white cat will open and the clip of the white cat will be highlighted.
There's more...
If you want to make Method 2, described earlier, to work by pressing/clicking just one button, you can do this by adding the option/Alt modifier directly to the Find Bin button:
Open the Command Palette: Tools | Command Palette.
Enable the Button to Button Reassignment selection in the lower-left of the Command Palette.
On the Command Palette, select the tab labeled as Other.
In the first column of buttons on the Command Palette, you'll see a button labeled Add Option Key (Mac) or Add Alt Key (PC).
Drag-and-drop the Add Option/Alt Key function right onto the Find Bin button under the Record Monitor.
If you look very closely, you'll see a small black dot has appeared on the button to indicate that the option/Alt modifier has been added.
This is an optional step. First, map the Find Bin function to your keyboard. Then include the Add Option/Alt Key function with it.
