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Compressing Different Video Formats into One QuickTime Movie

I ran into an interesting problem over the weekend that I want to share with you because the solution is more complex than at first blush. Here’s the problem: I was asked to create a video for posting on line. The video had two components: me on camera talking, and screen shots, both of which were different sizes and formats. This article describes the process of creating a single, compressed file composed of multiple format video.

Software Review: Imagineer Systems Mocha for Final Cut Pro

When I first discovered the motion tracking in Motion 2, I was really excited. It was fairly easy to learn, easy to use, and delivered great results. Updated with more examples and lots of reader feedback.

Commentary: A Plea for Better Metadata Support

Recently, I got an email from John Bertram, an editor in Toronto, on why metadata support is crucial to the next generation of Final Cut Pro.

Using Render Manager in FCP HD or FCP 5

Tracking and removing render files is easy — when you know how the Render Manager works. This tutorial shows you how.

Managing Render Files

Final Cut creates render files for all transitions, effects, and audio mixes. This article explains what you need to know to keep these files under control and recover hard disk space at the end of a project.

Removing Filters

It’s happened to all of us. We created an effect that looked great at the time, but now, after a night’s rest, we hate it. Here are two techniques you can use to remove all the filters from selected clips.

Removing Audio Tracks From a Video Clip

Sometimes, especially when merging clips, you get more audio tracks in a Final Cut Pro timeline than you want. This article describes a couple of different ways you can get rid of them.

A Free Utility to Refresh Hard Drives

Addressing the problem of digital media “evaporating” when a hard drive is powered down and stored on a shelf, with additional advice from Bob Gobeille, who originally provided the terminal script to fix this problem.

Fun Facts About Reel Numbers

Nothing is more critical than making sure your reel numbers (or names) are correct before capturing video. This explains how to fix them when you forget.

Reducing Noise In Soundtrack Pro 2

Soundtrack Pro has the amazing ability to reduce the background noise in a clip – like air conditioners or other machine noise. In this tutorial, I’ll show you a step-by-step procedure you can use to reduce the noise in your audio. (Note: For a video tutorial of this process, click here.)

Comparing RED with DSLR Cameras

Tony asked an interesting question: what’s the difference between RED and DSLR cameras for shooting video. Good question. So I asked two experts: Philip Hodgetts and Noah Kadner. This article provides their answers.

Recording Live with Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is, most often, used for editing after the recording is complete. However, there are some situations where you need to record live and edit as soon as you can. This article talks about that and provides options to consider. There’s also some relevant reader feedback.

Adjust Audio Filters in Real-time During Playback

You have probably used Final Cut’s audio mixer to mix your audio tracks in real-time. Did you know you can do the same thing with audio filters? This technique shows you how.

Shooting 24 fps Video

Lots has been written about the benefits – or lack thereof – in shooting 24 fps video. Here’s a quick look at a complex subject.

An Explanation of RAID Levels [u]

RAIDs (Redundant Array of Independent Drives) are high-speed, big-storage products designed for video editing. However, they are often described using arcane terms like RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, and so on. This short article describes what those terms mean.

Quick-Change Audio

Here’s a technique you can use to slightly modify a voice so that it is no longer recognizable, yet still understandable. This is useful for disguising speakers, or commercial effects.

Adjusting Image Size in Compressor

Compressor does a really good job of compressing video for the web, or DVD. But, what if you want to change the image size? Well, Compressor does that too – in the Geometry tab. This article shows you how.

Improving Quality from Ripped DVDs

Ripping a DVD, which means to convert it into something that Final Cut Pro can edit, can be done a number of ways. However, not all of them yield the best quality. This article explains what you need to know to convert your DVD footage into something that can be edited, while still looking good.

Improving DV Video Image Quality In Quicktime

A reader questions why the Quicktime quality of his sequences are soft when he exports them as a mov.

Quick Note: Installing Quicktime 7 In OS x 10.6

Last month, I wrote about how to use QuickTime 7 to add audio to video. Since then, I’ve gotten several comments from people that own OS X 10.6 that they don’t have QuickTime 7 on their system.