What does a blue dot on an effect in AVID Media Composer indicate?

A blue dot on an effect in AVID Media Composer signifies that the effect is not real time and must be rendered. This visual cue is instrumental in the editing process because it alerts editors that they need to render the effect before playback to ensure smooth and accurate viewing. Without this rendering step, the effect may only show as a placeholder or not play back correctly, which can hinder the editing workflow.

In AVID Media Composer, effects that are capable of real-time playback do not need rendering and will not display the blue dot. Instead, they are typically marked differently, indicating they can be played back without any additional processing. Understanding these indicators helps editors manage their timeline effectively, optimizing both performance during editing and the final output quality.