An illustrated tutorial on how to create a grid in Motion that can be used in Final Cut, with adjustable line widths and color. These are very useful for performance videos.
Simon Says On-Prem is a secure, fast, and easy-to-use transcription system that supports all major NLEs. It’s designed for editors needing a high volume of accurate transcripts with absolute security. Here are the details.
This technique works as well or better than any other color correction technique I’ve seen in Photoshop in removing color casts. Best of all, it’s easy! (And, this also works inside Adobe Premiere Pro CC!)
There are two single-camera editing techniques that drive me nuts: Shifting eye contact and unnecessary jump cuts. Here are techniques to solve both those problems.
Victor asked me to outline an organizational structure for narrative storytelling in Final Cut Pro X. While there is no “best” way, here is a system you can use and modify for your next project, with some very cool keyword tricks.
Apple is discontinuing KEXTS in a future version of the macOS. Here’s what you need to know now.
This “cookbook” is designed to provide a checklist to quickly create, view and edit multicam sequences in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
This “cookbook” is designed to provide a checklist on how to quickly create, view and edit multicam clips in Final Cut Pro X, along with links to learn more.
An on-going challenge for traditional filmmakers is integrating vertical video into a horizontal timeline. Here’s a fast and easy option when you need something that looks good and need it right now.
An on-going challenge that traditional filmmakers face is integrating vertical video into a horizontal timeline. While there is no “perfect” way to do this, here are two easy options to consider.
An illustrated tutorial on how to create a video including a lecturer with PowerPoint or Keynote slides, using Apple Final Cut Pro X.
Live web streaming ranges from the very simple to the highly complex. The key factor is audio. Here’s a summary of options, plus a ton of links to help you do your own research.
Adobe published a guide to working remotely using Creative Cloud tools. Here’s the information and a link.
How to retain the highest image quality when exporting media from Apple Final Cut Pro X.
Burning Blu-ray Discs is possible on a Mac, but bugs in Apple Final Cut Pro X make creating Blu-rays harder than it should be. Read the workarounds here.
Color temperature is the measure of the perceived color of white light on a scale from warm (gold) to cool (bluish). We work with it every day in lighting. Here are some interesting facts about it that you may not know.
This is a detailed look at Apple’s Afterburner card for the 2019 Mac Pro. This explains what it is, what it does and when to considering buying it.
An illustrated tutorial on how to create custom effects along with custom folders to store them in for Apple Final Cut Pro X.
This is a table of updated file sizes for all iPhone video formats, based on frame size and frame rate. Use these to plan your storage needs.
Double-system sound is where you record the video on one device (a video camera, for example), while the audio is recorded on a separate device (such as a digital audio recorder). Many DSLR and video cameras don’t have high-quality audio …
Double-system sound is where you record the video on one device (a video camera, for example), while the audio is recorded on a separate device. This illustrated tutorial shows how to sync these different files and get them ready for editing in Apple Final Cut Pro X.
Keywords allow us to label a clip, or portion of a clip, so that we can find it when we need it again later; quickly, easily and with a great deal of specificity. Here’s a tutorial on how they work.
An intriguing new feature in macOS Catalina (10.15) is Sidecar. This allows you to either extend or mirror your Mac desktop on a recent-model iPad. Here’s what you need to know to make it work.
DPP today released a new research report exploring how production companies are now using the Cloud as a key production tool. Here are the details of what they found.
I’m a keyboard shortcut junkie. But, there are some very cool mouse shortcuts in Apple Final Cut Pro X that even a dyed-in-the-wool keyboardist like me finds highly useful. Here are nine of my favorites.
An explanation of what dual-channel mono is, why we use it, and how to work with it in Apple Final Cut Pro X.
Adobe announces Productions for Adobe Premiere Pro CC at Sundance 2020. Here are the details of this new, team-oriented addition to Premiere.
Adjustment layers make applying effects to multiple clips fast, easy and quickly adjustable. Here’s how to create an adjustment layer for Final Cut Pro X using Motion.
An explanation of what the audio settings mean when creating a multicam clip for Adobe Premiere Pro CC, along with recommendations on which settings to choose.
A revised article on how to create and edit multicam clips in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, where the source clips are different frame sizes.
Here’s a fast, but not intuitive, way to create the right multicam clip for editing in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
An illustrated explanation of the display options in the Viewer’s View menu in Apple Final Cut Pro X, including a new feature added in FCP X v.10.4.7.
A very cool way to animate text bullets in a single clip – with added bonus of adding emojis to any text element – in Apple Final Cut Pro X.
Blurs and mosaics are no longer effective in masking the identity of an on-screen speaker. Here’s what you need to know.
A video compression speed and file size comparison using Apple Compressor between macOS Mojave and Catalina. This will be of interest to video editors and media creators.
Retrospect 16 – powerful, flexible and, handicapped by out-of-date tutorials and an unhelpful User Guide, very, very difficult for the new user to learn.
An illustrated tutorial on how to create, apply and delete effects presets in Apple Final Cut Pro X.
An illustrated – and quick – guide to finding and deleting plugins for Apple Final Cut Pro X.
A quick tutorial on what Final Cut Pro X Library backup files are, where they are stored and how to delete them.
Larry Jordan reflects on the new 2019 Mac Pro, who it’s designed for, and how to configure it for media editing.
Post Haste can help you get organized right at the start of a project by creating folders and files automatically, and in a format you control. This free app is worth a look – here are the details.
Image Chest is a Mac app that catalogs and finds images. This is a helpful app for managing all the stills associated with a video project. It isn’t perfect, but it is worth a look. Here are the details.
You can make backup copies of Motion and Compressor. Here’s the steps you need to take.
In spite of their documentation, LaCie hard drives, when formatted as RAIDs, are not hot-swappable. Here’s a write-up from Loren Miller that explains the problem.
Smart Rendering is a media optimization strategy that speeds renders and exports in Adobe Premiere Pro CC. This explains what you need to know.
An illustrated tutorial on how to set audio clips in Premiere to dual-channel mono for more control in mixing. Plus, a very cool technique for processing audio clips in a batch!
An illustrated tutorial on how to change audio channels from stereo to dual-channel mono in Apple Final Cut Pro X, how to adjust pan, and how to process multiple clips at once in a batch.
An explanation of why creating the audio track first is essential to creating a successful motion graphic video.
A look at how much RAM you need for video editing, how to measure usage of the RAM you have, along with thoughts on how best to optimize your system.
An illustrated tutorial on how to improve the sound of the spoken human voice using EQ filters in Apple Final Cut Pro X.
