New Training Site Launches

Congrats to Scott Kelby and Kelby Training for launching a new online training site. The subscription site is a great value and offers a lot of great training on software. Coverage is mostly Adobe tools... but I have a few titles in the works with them that will also cover Apple software.

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Q. Before we get started; do I have to read all this stuff, or do you have a quick video clip that explains it all?
A. Yup, we sure do. Here’s the link.

Q. So what is subscription-based online training?
A. In the past, we’ve offered online training courses, and it was always “Pay as you go” (basically, you’d pay individually for each class you took). But now you can pay one annual subscription fee and then you have unlimited access to all our online classes.
Q. You said this is amazingly affordable. OK, how affordable is it?
A. Our annual subscription is only $199, or you can pay $19.95 a month. By contrast our online classes used to be around $70.00 each. If you took just three classes, you were already paying more than our new subscription tuition. Now, you get unlimited access, all year long, for only $199. That’s just 55¢ a day, for unlimited access to the best Photoshop and photography teachers on the planet.
Q. What makes you guys different?
A. We knew we had to do something really special to stand out from the other online training options, so we asked ourselves what is the single most important aspect of any online course. Is it the topics? The price? The technology? The quantity? The look? What is it? We think the single most important thing is “The teacher.” It’s who you’re learning from, and their connection with the students. It’s their passion, their knowledge, their ability to communicate and share in a way that makes sense, that’s engaging, and even fun. That’s why we built our entire program around one thing; bringing you nothing but the very best teachers on the planet. Period.
Q.
If the teacher provides files for us to practice along with, can we download them, or do we have to pay extra?
A.
You get ‘em without any extra fees whatsoever. It’s part of your subscription.
Q. Can I get a sneak peek at how it all works? How about letting me try a couple of lessons?
A. Sure, why not. Head over to the KelbyTraining site, and click the “Try it Now (Free)” link at the top. You can watch the first three lessons from any of the classes to get a sense of what we’re doing, how the player works, and stuff like that.



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H.264 Video in a Jiffy

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If you need to create H.264 video files fast... be sure to check out the Turbo H.264 from Elgato. This USB sized device offers a dedicated H.264 encoding chip for less than $100. In our tests... we were flying through video compression tasks. For example, we recently encoded a bunch of hour long video, each taking about 7 minutes. The speed is amazing and the quality is very good. The new software they've released even lets you customize your export templates for custom sizes and data rates (several presets for other portable media players are included).

The Best Price we've found is $89.



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Photoshop User Awards – Deadline Soon

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The December 31, 2007 entry deadline for the 2nd Annual Worldwide “Photoshop User Awards” competition is right around the corner.
If you’re chosen as this year’s
“Best of Show” winner, they'll send you and a friend on a trip to beautiful Maui, Hawaii (including round-trip airfare, hotel, and daily expenses) to get you totally inspired to have your work featured as the cover art for an upcoming issue of Photoshop User magazine.
Besides the grand prize, there are also thousands of dollars in other prizes and winners in a variety of different categories. The contest is open to any Photoshop user, anywhere in the world, but you can’t win if you don’t enter, so for all the details, visit
PhotoshopUserAwards.com.
Don’t forget to enter by midnight on December 31, 2007.

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Going to Macworld?

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I'll be going to all of Macworld conference this year. I have several classes on iWork, iLife, Photoshop, and Podcasting. I also have a lot of free time to network and mingle. Here's my Macworld page for those of you coming who'd like a chance to socialize or trade tips.

http://macworldexpo.ning.com/profile/RichardHarrington

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Podcasting Forum at Creative Cow

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If you are looking for an online forum about podcasting, then be sure to check out Creative COW. The Creative COW forums (Communities of the World) offer support for lots of different technical tools for video professionals. You can search past posts for answers or ask your own questions. Their podcasting forum is new... but has a lot of useful forum hosts who will try and help.

Creative Cow Podcasting Forum




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Prediction: 40% of Video Online by 2012

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The Silicon Valley Insider has an interesting post about video distribution online. Many in Hollywood predict that within four years 40% of all video consumption would occur outside of the television set. That's according to a poll of nearly 300 media execs by Jack Myers and video tracking firm Teletrax. The short article has some interesting insight into how the "big guys" see things.

Read the full article here.





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New Book on Video Podcasting

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Those who know me personally, know I am very passionate about podcasting. I have been hard at work for the last year on a new book on just that, video podcasting. My business partner, Mark Weiser, and I have taken many of the hard lessons learned at RHED Pixel and put them into a book. The book is full color and richly illustrated, plus there will also be a companion website and podcast launching in January.

The book ships in February, but you can get the biggest discount by
pre-ordering it from Amazon.com.


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Photoshop World Schedule Announced

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The new schedule for Photoshop World Conference & Expo is posted. Visit the updated website to see the offerings. The conference is to be held in Orlando, FL on April 2-4, 2008. Here’s the link. I'll be teaching a few classes on the show floor (which are free) as well as these great classes on using Photoshop for video and multimedia.

Motion Graphics Track:
  • Put Your Portfolio on DVD
  • Motion Control 3D
  • Typography in Motion


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Editors Retreat Coming Soon

I wanted to let you all know about a great training conference coming up, the Editors Retreat. I've been to this event five times now and it is fantastic. It's a chance to network and learn from the bet editors in the business. It is truly an amazing event and I encourage you to have a look.

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Here are some sessions I look forward to attending.

  • Scene it: Color Correction as a Storytelling Tool – Steve Hullfish
  • Keynote Presentation – Oscar-nominated Editor, Sally Menke
  • Everything You Need to Know About Audio – Coll Anderson
  • Your Professional Future: What To Do in The Next Year to Stay Ahead –Bob Donlon
  • Keynote Presentation – Emmy-nominated Editor, David Helfand


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Great Mac Shareware Bundle

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I've taken part in MacUpdate's bundle deals for a while now... here's their latest and greatest. This deal runs out soon.

“MacUpdate has partnered with 11 Mac developers to bring you a great software bundle. You can buy this bundle for $49.99 instead of $666.74, a savings of $616.75 This amazing offer is time limited so buy today.”

Here are my favorites from the bundle
  • ForkLift – A useful FTP application
  • RapidWeaver – A great website and blogging tool, how this website is made.
  • Xslimmer –Trim an applications by removing universal versions (going to just PPC or Intel) as well as Internationalization files.
  • Yep – A really cool cataloging tool for PDF files
  • SRS iWOW – Makes iTunes sound great on a laptop.
  • XMIND 2008 Pro – A mind-mapping application that helps creative types get their ideas down.
  • iStabilize – A REALLY good image stabilization program for shaky footage.
  • PulpMotion – A surprisingly useful motion graphics tool with some cool templates


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On-Camera Considerations

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Here are a few extra tips to help less-experienced on-camera talent or interviewees.
  • Bring at least one alternative set of clothing.
  • Herringbone, stripes, or small patterns do not look good on camera. Avoid vivid patterns, plaids, and geometric shapes.
  • Please keep you’re jewelry simple.
  • Do not wear bright white. Cream, eggshell, or light gray are preferred.
  • Unless told otherwise, maintain eye contact with your interviewer throughout the interview.
  • Relax.



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Final Cut Studio On the Spot – 3rd Edition is Shipping

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I am very proud to tell you that the new book Final Cut Studio on the Spot is shipping. This third edition has a ton of new things including dedicated chapters on Multi-camera Editing and HD (and the audio chapter is HUGE). In told, more then half the book is new... so if you own a past edition, this update is worth it (and if you don't have it.. then go now). This time Robbie Carman came on board with some helpful tips and tricks.


  • Optimize system performance
  • Create impressive titles with Generators, Motion, LiveType, and Photoshop
  • Work quickly with buttons and keyboard shortcuts
  • Color correct to save vital shots, and keep them broadcast legal
  • Fix and mix for professional-quality audio
  • Design and import graphics seamlessly
  • Integrate with other applications including Motion, Soundtrack Pro and Color
  • Manage media and backup strategies
  • Export and publish finished projects to tape, DVD, or the Web

Get the book
here for the best price.


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