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3117 articles.

How To Estimate the Lifespan of an SSD

There are two key questions we ask whenever we buy storage: How fast does it go and how long does it last? We’ve got a pretty good handle on SSD speeds. Trickier, though, is determining endurance (life-span). Here’s what you need to know.

Find Duplicated Media in Final Cut Pro

What causes those strange hash marks at the top of clips in Final Cut Pro? Actually, they are indicating a good thing – here’s what they are and how to turn them on or off.

Get Started Editing with DaVinci Resolve

Yes, Resolve is complex. However, at heart, it’s just like any NLE – and very similar to both Premiere and Final Cut. This covers the basics: startup, import, editing, trimming, audio levels and export.

Which to Pick: Connected Clip, Storyline or Compound Clip in Final Cut Pro

Apple Final Cut Pro has four ways to place clips: In the Primary storyline, a connected clip, a connected storyline, or  a compound clip. There are several differences between these. Here’s how to choose which to use.

How Rendering Affects Export Speed in Apple Final Cut Pro

So, I wondered whether Final Cut Pro exported faster if you rendered the timeline before exporting. The answer surprised me – most of the time, it doesn’t. Here’s what you need to know to speed your exports.

Blow Stuff Up – or Bring It Together – Using BorisFX Continuum 2024 [u]

In this tutorial, using Adobe Premiere Pro and BorisFX Continuum 2023, we’ll explore how to explode an image into thousands of particles then, even more fun, how to coalesce thousands of particles into a solid image o video.

Fixing a Second Monitor that Flashes Black

Here’s a quick trouble-shooting tip. After buying my M2 Max Mac Studio, my second monitor starting flashing to black every few minutes. Here’s what it took to fix it.

Lessons Learned Migrating to a New Synology Server

Two weeks before Christmas, my old Synology server died. Dead. I had all my data safely backed up – but on an expansion chassis that required a functioning server to access. Here’s what I learned in migrating to a new Synology server.

Get Started: Backup Your Data

At its simplest, a backup is a copy of a file, generally stored on a separate device, such that if the original file is lost, a current copy is available to take its place. If backups are new to you, here’s what you need to know to protect your data.

Key Tips to Optimize Your Mac’s Performance

Working on a Mac provides a great experience with optimal performance. Some problems might set you back, though, as your computer slows down. Here are a series of tips for ways to resolve them.

Paid Reviews: Pervasive, Pernicious, and Profitable

The rise in paid product reviews and influencers has led to an increasing distrust in product reviews. Larry Jordan has some thoughts on this.

One Click Trick to Correct Color in Photoshop

You probably learned  this trick years ago, but I only discovered it last week: You can instantly correct color casts in Photoshop with a single mouse click! (I mean… who knew???)

Find Unused Media in Final Cut Pro

Have you ever wanted to find a shot you haven’t used yet? Yeah, happens to me all the time. Fortunately, Final Cut Pro makes it easy. Here’s how to either find the media you are using, or find the media you are NOT using.

Hidden Feature: Rate Clips in Final Cut Pro

There’s a hidden rating feature in Final Cut Pro that can help you organize your clips. It’s been there since FCP was first released over a decade ago. However, in recent years, Apple has deemphasized this to the point you …

Review: Video Walls 3.0, from Luca Visual FX

Video Walls 3.0, by Luca Visual FX, is an extremely well-thought-out, highly-flexible series of 3D video wall effects. The controls are detailed and the results are mind-boggling. Even better, though, the defaults work without any modifications, so if you are pressed for time, you don’t need to tweak anything to get an outstanding effect.

UPDATE: Capturing Video from Tape for Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro

Recently, I’ve gotten a lot of email from people trying to capture video from video tape. This used to be easy… but with changes to Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro, it has become more challenging. Here’s what you need to know.

Review: OWC Express 1M2 – A New Speed Champion

For speed, solid construction, ease of use and portability, the OWC Express 1M2 is amazing. Faster than Thunderbolt, about the size of a deck of cards. Fits in your pocket. Oh… and no power brick. Here’s mu review.

Apple Final Cut Pro 7 Now Works in Mojave and High Sierra

Creative Cow reports that Retroactive 2.0 now supports Apple Final Cut Pro 7 running on macOS Mojave and High Sierra. Here are the details.

First Look: VideoProc Converter from Digiarty Software

VideoProc Converter is a highly-affordable media clip compression and adjustment software. While most of its clip manipulation and trimming features already exist in professional video editing software, its support for transcoding virtually all known video formats makes it an attractive addition to your toolkit – once it fixes problems in the Mac version.

Gifts That Matter

It’s a fifty-year-old stopwatch. It was a gift. And it brings back memories every time I use it. Gifts that matter come from the heart and remind each of us that we are important to someone else.