May 2008
The Mac OS X 10.5.3 Update – What it Means to Media Folks.
Saturday, May 31 ,2008 Filed in: Apple
- Addresses an issue with stuttering video and audio playback in certain USB devices.
- Fixes an issue in which certain attached hard drives may not show up in the Finder.
- Includes additional RAW image support for several cameras.
- Improves 802.1X behavior and reliability.
- Improves reliability when using Time Capsule.
- Fixes reliability issues with authenticated RSS feeds.
- Addresses compatibility issues with Aperture 2.
- Addresses reliability issues when performing a full restore from a Time Machine backup.
You can access the update through your Apple Menu.... I’ve been running it for several days and all seems happy. Additionally, several new pro digital cameras were added for Raw support.
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Soundbooth Beta Open to Public from Adobe
Friday, May 30 ,2008 Filed in: Adobe
Adobe Soundbooth is a great tool to fix everyday audio problems and production workflows. It works well for video or Flash workflows and is built around a fairly intuitive set of task-based tools. Adobe is giving its customers a chance to play with Soundbooth CS4. If you are already a CS3 owner, the beta works until after CS4 is released. If you don't own CS3.... then it only works for 48 hours.
Here are some of the core features worth checking out:
- Arranging audio files on multiple tracks
- Making quick edits and applying fades
- Matching volume levels with a single command
- Removing unwanted noises and background sounds
- Adjusting tempo and pitch
- Recording and polishing voice-overs
- Adding effects and filters
- Previewing MP3 compression quality
- Easily creating customized music — without musical expertise
- With the new Adobe Sound Document file format you can take “snapshots” of your work-in-progress and undo changes made to your audio assets.
Get Photos from Aperture to Final Cut Pro
Saturday, May 24 ,2008 Filed in: Apple
“The Aperture to Final Cut Pro plugin lets you take your images stored in Apple's professional photo management application and send them directly to a video sequence in Final Cut Pro. From within Aperture, you can select photos, set their order and duration and select transitions between frames.”
The Aperture to Final Cut Pro plugin is a free download and is provided on an as-is basis.
Timecode Burn-in and Encode in One Step
Fortunately, a great new feature in Compressor 3 allows you to do this.
- Inside Final Cut Pro select the sequence you want to export.
- Choose File > Export > Using Compressor.
- Inside Compressor select the setting you’d like to apply to the file. With the setting active, select the Inspector window and click the Filters tab.
- Choose Timecode Generator.
- Change the settings for the Timecode Generator as you see fit.
- Apply the setting to the clip in the Batch window.
- Submit the job.
Note: If you’re trying to choose the Timecode Generator for an Apple preset you’ll notice there are no filters in the Filters tab of the Inspector. To be able to add the Timecode Generator to one of the Apple presets, you’ll have to duplicate it first (then it becomes a custom preset).
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
Useful Article About Online Collaboration
Monday, May 19 ,2008 Filed in: Resources
“A few weeks ago there was a short but interesting thread on CML-pro (The Cinematographer’s Mailing List) about how to collaborate with other creatives on a production team using web-based tools. The original poster wanted a solution – a “group scrapbook” - that would allow a small pre-production team to share images, photos and notes. Expanding on the idea a little further, it would be good to be able to communicate across the group, share schedules, comments and video.
There were basically six good solutions presented by members of the list:
- Google Sites – basically a free on-line website creator.
- Celtx – free software that links to free shared web storage specifically for film and TV productions.
- BackPackIt – subscription-based team collaboration website
- BaseCamp – subscription-based team collaboration website
- Picassa Web – on-line photo sharing
- .mac account with iWeb – simple website creation with annual subscription for serving.
I examined each of these concepts for a project I’m beginning. There are pros and cons to each approach and I figure that you might benefit from all of my legwork.”
You can check out the entire article here.
New Online Class – Photoshop and After Effects for Event Photographers
Monday, May 19 ,2008 Filed in: Adobe | Training Products
You can watch the first three parts of the lesson for free and find out more on their site. The tutorial touches upon most of the Production Premium suite. You'll learn a bit about Photoshop, After Effects, Encore, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, and the Adobe Media Encoder
I hope you enjoy it.
Photoshop World Schedule Announced
Saturday, May 17 ,2008 Filed in: Adobe | Conferences
The schedule for the new Photoshop World has been announced and I am very excited.. I'll be teaching four brand new classes that I hop you all will enjoy.
Building an Electronic Portfolio (Using DVD, Presentation Software, and Web Galleries)
Looking to expand your photography or design portfolio? This in-depth class will teach you how to create dynamic electronic portfolios to showcase your work. Learn how to prepare your images for the screen, then take them to new places such as the Internet, DVD, and Presentation software. This session will help you show your portfolio to more people with less expense. If your looking for easy and innovative ways to showcase your work, don't miss this important pre-conference session.
Creative Animation with the Puppet Tool
Looking to create animation from photos? Learn how to combine layered Photoshop files with After Effects Puppet Tool to quickly add natural motion. You can bend, warp, and animate both raster images and vector graphics, including still images, shapes, and text characters. In this session, you'll learn creative possibilities for creating animated elements for use in video and multimedia projects.
Advanced Motion Control 3D
Clients, Producers, and After Effects Artists alike have fallen in love with bringing pictures to life. Want to learn how to create movement "within" a photo? This popular class has been fully updated to show you even more techniques for using Photoshop files for creative story telling. Learn how to use 3D cameras, lights, particles, and the Vanishing Point feature to create exciting animations that capture the imagine and engage your audience.
Creative Chromakeying
The use of green-screen and blue-screen is a popular technique for both video and film special effects. In this informative session you'll learn how to create virtual environments from photos, then key your video using Photoshop or After Effects. A special emphasis will be placed upon using After Effects' powerful keying technology like Keylight as well as strategies to help with the production of the chromakey shoot.
The conference is September 3-6 in Las Vegas... be sure to check it out!
Near NYC? Check Out Rocketboom.
Friday, May 16 ,2008 Filed in: Web Video
When: Thursday, May 29, 7:00 PM
Meeting Description: We'd like to welcome Andrew Baron as this month's speaker. Andrew is best know for the hit videoblog Rocketboom. Andrew will talk about the current state of the industry; Where is the ad market at? Where is traditional media at in moving online? What options are avail to startups? What happened to Podshow and Podtec? What's wrong with Revision3 and Next New Networks?
Andrew Michael Baron is the creator and founder of the popular daily videoblog, Rocketboom. He is also the lead writer and producer of the show which has garnered international notoriety.
In Austin during the 1990s, Baron played in bands, ran a visual and performing art gallery and worked a variety of tech jobs. After receiving a BA in Philosophy from Bates College (Maine), Baron graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Design and Technology in 2003 from Parson in New York City. He was teaching graduate classes at Parsons and MIT when the notion of Rocketboom came to him. Although he has little interest in television (and did not own a TV set during the past decade), Baron has always been inspired by the implications of the democratization of media.
Great Tutorial on Vanishing Point Exchange
“Without a doubt, the best new feature in After Effects CS3 is the Vanishing Point Exchange with Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended. Creating very believable 3D movements from quite simple 2D digital photographs has to be seen to be believed, and the best thing is it’s a pretty easy process. However, there are a few caveats to keep an eye out for, so let’s take a trip into the world of two-dee three-dee!”
Check the whole thing out here.
TWIP Podcast Episode #25 - Rich Harrington’s New Aperture Book
Monday, May 12 ,2008 Filed in: Apple
We discussed the new book Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 2 (Apple Pro Training Series). Here are a few highlights:
- As both a photographer and author, his challenge in writing books like this one is to remember that the purpose of the software is not to bring something out that wasn’t there, but rather to enhance something that (for whatever reason) you couldn’t capture. We’ve all been in those situations where time is so short that you don’t get the lighting quite ideal, etc.
- Right now, use of an Aperture plug-in works much like a round-trip to Photoshop. A new version of the image is created, edited via the plug-in, and “returned” to Aperture’s control. Granted, you never alter your original image, so you never lose the ability to go back and start again on a process that utilized a plug-in. Ultimately, true non-destructive plug-ins might happen, but there’s no absolute way to know with Apple being so tight-lipped about their development process.- The book covers a wide range of output targets including prints, books, web use, iPhone, AppleTV, etc.
Episodic Viewing of Podcasts
Deeje Cooley from Adobe shares some interesting thoughts about episodic viewing of podcasts. Don't miss this great post on what's possible with the new Adobe Media Player.
“There is a better way. More and more, TV shows are being (re)distributed as RSS feeds, which allows for a completely "on-demand" experience. What's more, the coolest feature of Adobe Media Player, called "Storyline Subscriptions", takes advantage of the reverse chronological order inherent in RSS to deliver every episode of a show, in order, from the beginning, at a pace determined by each individual viewer.
“There is a better way. More and more, TV shows are being (re)distributed as RSS feeds, which allows for a completely "on-demand" experience. What's more, the coolest feature of Adobe Media Player, called "Storyline Subscriptions", takes advantage of the reverse chronological order inherent in RSS to deliver every episode of a show, in order, from the beginning, at a pace determined by each individual viewer.
Most video RSS aggregators will pull the most recent episodes of a show, which is great for news and magazine-style shows. But for story-based shows, viewers really want to start from the beginning, in order to follow the story arcs and character developments. When you subscribe to a show in Adobe Media Player, you can choose to either pull the N most recent episodes, or choose to pull N episodes starting with a specific episode, usually the first one. And of course you can change these settings, on a per-show basis, at any time.”
Be sure to check it out.
Nice Tutorial on Using Motion for Pan & Scan Effects
Wednesday, May 07 ,2008 Filed in: Apple
“Animating photos is a staple effect pioneered by celebrated documentarian Ken Burns. In this tutorial Mark Spencer shows you why you should be doing these types of effects in Motion rather than Final Cut Pro.”
Click here to watch Mark's tutorial
Review of Premiere Elements 4 (4.5 out of 5)
Wednesday, May 07 ,2008 Filed in: Adobe
AMAZINGLY CAPABLE VIDEO SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS
“You might be thinking, “What’s consumer software doing in a pro magazine?” The short answer is that if you aren’t using the Adobe Master Collection or the Production Premium suite, you probably need Adobe Premiere Elements 4. Whether you work as an advertiser, designer, developer, or photographer, you most likely have an interest in making videos or DVDs.
Sure, Adobe offers the very capable video applications found in the Creative Suite product line but for many users, it’s hard to spring for the “whole enchilada.” When I sat down with Premiere Elements, I was immediately impressed. The product offers an easy-to-use toolset that addresses the needs of many users.
Here’s the lowdown: Premiere Elements only runs on Windows machines. If you’re a Mac user, you should be looking to iMovie and iDVD ’08 to fill the same needs. On the PC side, the market has been woefully underserved by offerings from Adaptec and Microsoft. With version 4 of Premiere Elements, Adobe clearly steps up to offer a dramatic redesign, combining power with ease of use (an Adobe trademark).”
You can read the rest of the review here...
“You might be thinking, “What’s consumer software doing in a pro magazine?” The short answer is that if you aren’t using the Adobe Master Collection or the Production Premium suite, you probably need Adobe Premiere Elements 4. Whether you work as an advertiser, designer, developer, or photographer, you most likely have an interest in making videos or DVDs.
Here’s the lowdown: Premiere Elements only runs on Windows machines. If you’re a Mac user, you should be looking to iMovie and iDVD ’08 to fill the same needs. On the PC side, the market has been woefully underserved by offerings from Adaptec and Microsoft. With version 4 of Premiere Elements, Adobe clearly steps up to offer a dramatic redesign, combining power with ease of use (an Adobe trademark).”
You can read the rest of the review here...
NIN – The Times are Changing
Tuesday, May 06 ,2008 Filed in: Resources
Yesreday they‘ve releases The Slip—a new 10-track album—for free on http://theslip.nin.com/. The record is available in virtually every flavor of DRM-free digital format, all you need to do is give them your email address. The album will eventually be available in traditional formats as well. This move mirrors those of both Radiohead and Prince.
Read More...
New Aperture Book is in My Hands
Tuesday, May 06 ,2008 Filed in: Apple
Customize the Default Adjustment Set
Specify exactly which adjustments you want to appear by default in the Adjustments Inspector/HUD. Two new commands — Add to Default Set and Remove from Default Set — are accessible in the Action pop-up menu for each adjustment in order to configure these settings.
Keyboard support in Adjustment Panels
Make precise image adjustments using the arrow keys on your keyboard to drive the various sliders in the Adjustments Inspector/HUD. To activate keyboard control, click once in the numeric field of an adjustment control (such as Exposure). You can then use the arrow keys to increase or decrease values. Hold down the Option key when using the arrow keys for even more precise adjustment. You can use Tab to move to the next adjustment control (and Shift-Tab to move to a previous control).
Read More...
Fly! (Trim on the Fly)
Tuesday, May 06 ,2008 Filed in: Video
It’s possible to trim on the fly. This way you can listen for an audio edit or look for a particular visual cue. Just make sure the Dynamic trimmimg checkbox is marked.
- Enter Trim Edit mode, and press the space bar to cycle your trim. The sequence will play around your edit point and loop. The pre-roll and post-roll are set in the Editing tab of User Preferences.
- When you reach the desired edit point, press the I key to move your In point.
- Press the up or down arrow to move through the Timeline to your next edit point.
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
Adobe TV at NAB 2008 – Production Premium CS3 for Final Cut Pro Editors
Monday, May 05 ,2008 Filed in: Adobe
Caught a great presentation from Steve Martin at NAB. It's all about using Production Premium with other NLEs like Final Cut Pro. Steve is a popular trainer (in fact one of Apple's main instructors). This one is helpful...
If you want more free classes... visit the Adobe TV site.
If you want more free classes... visit the Adobe TV site.