Free Tutorials

3066 articles.

Blu-Ray HD Blues 

A subscriber writes in asking for the best codec to use to get the great HD quality of her footage transferred onto a 4.7GB DVD, which is, unfortunately, a question with no easy solution.

Moving Markers in Final Cut Pro

Larry addresses one subscriber’s question regarding transferring chapter markers and spotlights the advice of editor Andreas Kiel, and the set of programs he’s designed to tackle this problem.

Quick Note On PluralEyes

PluralEyes was specifically designed to sync clips and create multiclips based upon their audio. However, it can also sync clips in a sequence – even if there are timecode breaks in the clips – by aligning the audio.

AVCHD Workflow

In responding to a subscriber’s request for AVCHD advice, I explain my recent change of opinion, and why I now favor using the Log and Transfer function.

FCP 7: Archiving Media with Media Manager 

When using Media Manager to archive media the key point to remember is that you need to select what you want to manage BEFORE selecting it from the menu. And, I always select what I want to Media Manage in the Browser, not the Timeline.

Save My LiveType

A quick question about preserving LiveType settings when upgrading to Final Cut Pro 7 is asked and easily answered.

Working With Subclips 

This technique explains creating, working with, and deleting subclips. It also illustrates the main reason we create subclips.

A Note on Naming Folders for Tapeless Media

In successfully working with tapeless media, I’ve developed an easy-to-implement workflow that will help prevent problems in your own projects.

Discover Final Cut Pro X with Larry

[portfolio_slideshow]

A Commentary on the Importance of Training

Ben Balser, an Apple-Certified Trainer for Digital Media, sent me the following commentary on investing the time to get trained. By way of background, Ben is a long-time educator and trainer.

An AppleScript to Send A Compressor File to Multiple Servers

How to upload a file automatically after Compressor has finished converting a file.

Step-by-Step Techniques

FCP 7: Improve Your Timeline Zooming

New with Final Cut Pro 7 are two shortcuts: Zoom In/Out at Playhead on Timeline. However, they don’t do anything until you assign them to a keyboard shortcut. But, what if you want to assign them to your mouse? This article shows you what you need to know to do it.

A Workflow for the Canon HV20

Canon’s new HV20 camera shoots a modified version of 24 frame video. Up until recently, Final Cut did not easily support this format. In this discussion learn how to capture video from this camera, as well as a short discussion of when shooting 24 fps is appropriate.

Black & White vs. Super-Black & Super-White

Video images are not the same as computer images — and what you don’t know WILL get you in trouble. This article explains what you need to know to keep your tapes from being rejected for technical reasons.

Viewing 16:9 Video in QuickTime

QuickTime can make viewing 16:9 anamorphic video a bit difficult because it always displays video using square pixels. In this article, discover the secret to getting QuickTime to show your video correctly.

Understanding Storage and Media Bandwidth [u]

As we move from the world of standard-definition to high-def video, understanding hard disk speeds and the data requirements of video formats can prevent a lot of problems. During my recent seminars, I spent a lot of time explaining hard drive speeds and video format requirements. This is a summary of what techniques I talked about.

Separating Stereo Audio Tracks in FCP For Import into SoundTrack Pro

When you send a stereo audio pair to Soundtrack, STP treats it as a stereo clip. When you send a dual-channel mono pair to Soundtrack, STP treats them as two separate files. This article describes how to switch from one to the other.

Exporting to XML

Need to get a sequence from a later version of Final Cut back to an earlier version? Here’s how to do it — though, keep in mind, that not everything will transfer.

Discussion: Using XDCAM as Archive Media

XDCAM is generating a lot of interest for its high-def quality and small size. This discussion began with a question about using it for archiving – which spawned a lot of additonal thoughts.