Multimedia Data (Audio & Video)

When we refer to multimedia data, we mean audio and video files. The difference in terms of displaying auto or video files is that there is no picture when working with audio files; the mouse clicks in handling audio files are the same. Therefore, below we describe all steps for both file formats together. For illustration purposes, most figures show video data.

Adding Multimedia Documents to a Project

As multimedia files, especially video files can be quite sizable, it is recommended to link multimedia files to a project rather than to import them.

To link audio or video files to a project, select Document > Reference External Multimedia Document from the main menu.

Linked documents remain at their original location and ATLAS.ti accesses them from there. Preferably, these files should not be moved to a different location. If the files need to be moved, you need to re-link the files to your project. ATLAS.ti will alert you, if there is an issue, and a file can no longer be accessed.

Display of Multimedia Documents

Audio wave: On the right-hand side the audio wave is displayed.

Preview images: For video files, preview images are displayed in the full preview below the video, and in the margin area. To see them, hoover with the mouse over the vertical or horizontal audio wave.

Playhead: The playhead in form of a red line shows the current position in the video or audio file.

Zoom: As the space from top to bottom of your computer screen will be too small in most cases to meaningfully display your audio or video file, especially if it is coded, you can zoom the file using the standard techniques Option-Command-Plus Sign (+), Option-Command-Plus Sign (-), or on the mouse pad pinch with two fingers to zoom in or out.

Media Controls

To start and stop the audio or video, press the space bar.

Multimedia Toolbar

Playback Rate: If you want the video to play faster or slower, you can select a playback rate between 0,25 times the original speed to 10 times the original speed.

Mark Start Position of Quotation: Sets the start position for a quotation. The short-cut key is , (comma). See Working with Multimedia Files.

Create Quotation: Sets the end position for a quotation and creates a quotation at the same time. The short-cut key is . (period). See Working with Multimedia Files.

Adding a Video Snapshot

If you want to analyze a particular situation in your video data in more detail, you can create a snapshot from it. The snapshot will be added as new image document to your project.

Load a video document and move to the desired position in the video. Click on the Snapshot button in the toolbar.