Keyboard shortcuts for Apple Final Cut Pro X that make both editing and trimming faster.
An illustrated tutorial showing how to modify a Final Cut Pro X transition in Apple Motion. This technique applies to any FCP X transition, title or generator; as well as some effects.
A first-look at the new features and current status of Simon Says, automated speech-to-text transcription for media creators.
An explanation of why rolling credits are hard to display smoothly, along with suggestions on how to improve smoothness.
Survey of applications and web services providing automated speech-to-text transcription focused on media creators.
A general analysis of when to use H.264 vs. HEVC for media compression, along with a recommendation for media creators.
An illustrated tutorial on how to use the new Auto-Reframe feature for both clips and sequences in Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2020.
The Project Manager, in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, allows you to gather all the files for a project and store them safely in one place. Here’s how it works.
An interview with Fredrik Limsater, CEO of ftrack, about their acquisition of Cospective and what it means to media creators going forward.
Due to an extreme shortage of LTO-8 tape, the growth of LTO stalled during 2019. The tape situation is now resolved, which means we can look forward to being able to archive our assets, as this article explains.
An illustrated tutorial on how to spot (locate) sound effects using Apple Final Cut Pro X.
A detailed look at the speed differences between a Mac i5 vs i7 system for video compression into H.264 or HEVC codecs. The results are surprising!
Apple updated its Pro Video codecs. These are of value to all editors, but you can’t upgrade to them using the Mac App Store. Here’s how.
Software Update often displays extra update options – if you wait for it.
Lesspain Software update Kyno to version 1.7.1, which now supports Windows, as well as finding and converting older media that is not compatible with macOS Catalina. Here are more details.
An illustrated tutorial of using Roles in Apple Final Cut Pro X to label, organize and display titles and audio clips.
A look at the impact changing video frame rates has on storage requirements.
Apple released the latest version of Compressor (4.4.5) last Monday. One of the key features in the update was improved performance. Since all of us rely on compression to deliver our final projects, I wanted to see how much improvement …
A new GPU selection feature in Final Cut Pro X positions it to take full advantage of the horsepower in the new, 2019 Mac Pro. Plus, if you are running a MacBook Pro with an eGPU, you need to read this.
The brave new world of 8K media requires a beefy computer, like the new 2019 Mac Pro. But, the hidden cost – and major surprise – is what 8K media requires in your storage. Here’s an overview of what to expect.
The Timeline Index, in Final Cut Pro X, has a variety of little-known features that make it invaluable on medium-to-large project edits. Here’s what you need to know.
Three different ways to quickly export a section of a movie from Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
Here’s a REALLY fast way to export multiple segments from the same clip – or movie.
A user-writeup of a custom shooting rig for the Blackmagic Design 6K Pocket Cinema Camera.
An interview with Rory McGregor, CEO of Cospective, developers of cineSync, about their media review and collaboration tool.
An illustrated guide to safely exporting a complete Final Cut Pro edit for archiving or transferring to different software using XML files.
An illustrated guide to exporting events and media for archiving, media asset management or transferring to different software using Apple Final Cut Pro X.
Adobe announces “Auto Reframe” at IBC 2019. Here’s more.
Recently, Linda Moore at Complete Home Spa, asked if they could contribute an article to my website. Linda suggested an article dealing with stress. I was intrigued, so I invited her to contribute. Here’s their article.
Sometimes, all you need is a printer – and the Brother HL-L2370dw laser printer precisely meets that need with great speed and quality.
An explanation of things to consider when purchasing your next computer for media editing. Written for the non-technical person who is deeply confused about what all these tech talk means.
Marker, from XMiL Workflow Tools, is a free, easy-to-use utility that displays, tags and exports lists of used or unused files in a video editing project created by Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer or Apple Final Cut Pro X (and 7).
An illustrated tutorial on how, and why, to import or export markers from Adobe Audition CC.
An explanation of when to use, or not use, “Maximum Bit Depth” and “Maximum Render Quality” in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
An explanation of when and why media is copied during import, plus a discussion of Premiere’s new Ingest option.
An illustrated tutorial on how to display Nit values for HDR projects in Apple Final Cut Pro X.
An illustrated tutorial on what HDR Tools is and how it converts HDR media for a variety of different color spaces. This effect is available in Apple Final Cut Pro X only.
A corrected look at how video file size changes as color bit depth increases.
An unpublished HDR compression guide from Adobe on how to export HDR media from Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
Raw files give us the most control over the color and gray-scale values in our image, but they create massively large files and require significant time spent color grading. Log files allow us to retain highlight detail. And LUTs allow us to quickly convert an image or clip from one look to another. This article explains what each of these are and how they relate to video editing.
This provides an overview of what High Dynamic Range (HDR) media is, where we are now, where we are going, how it works in video editing systems and links to learn more. Written for a video editor, not an engineer.
High Dynamic Range (HDR), RAW, sLog, vLog, HDR, 10-bit, 12-bit… In this short video excerpt, watch as Larry Jordan illustrates how to create custom LUTs for media in Adobe Premiere Pro using Adobe Photoshop. This is a VERY cool technique!
High Dynamic Range (HDR), RAW, sLog, vLog, HDR, 10-bit, 12-bit… In this short video excerpt, watch as Larry Jordan illustrates how to optimize preference settings in Adobe Premiere Pro to work with HDR media.
An illustrated tutorial on how to use AirDrop to move images and video from your iPhone to a Mac.
Mark Bashian, Creative Director for Bash Films, recently sent me these results of his performance testing. Since all of us are trying to figure out how to make the most of our computer gear, I found his tests to be …
A cool workaround to create DVD chapter markers using Apple Final Cut Pro X.
A detailed, illustrated, review of the LG 27″ UHD 4K Display from the perspective of video editing and still images.
This is a fascinating, illustrated look at how different media affects performance of RAM, CPU, and Libraries in Final Cut Pro X, along with recommendations on upgrades and computer systems.
A step-by-step illustrated tutorial on how to create, automate and access proxy media files in Adobe Premiere Pro CC (2018 or later).
“Wouldn’t it be great,” I thought, “if I could embed one project into multiple others?” But, as we all know, FCP X won’t allow embedding projects into others. Instead, use compound clips. And, as you’ll discover, compound clips are dynamic!
