Moving Picture News

September 20, 2006

Avid Filmmakers Make the Cut at 31st Annual Toronto Film Festival

‘Amazing Grace,’ ‘Breaking and Entering’ and Spike Lee’s ‘When the Levees Broke’ are among Avid-edited films chosen for the festival

Avid Technology, Inc. today announced that a wide variety of Avid® customers from cutting-edge independent documentary filmmakers – like Sarah Price, director and editor of Summercamp – to Academy Award® winning feature film editors – such as Dody Dorn of A Good Year –  will feature their projects at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. 

“I wouldn’t use anything but Avid to work on a low-budget documentary like ‘So Goes the Nation’,” said Editor Jeff Groth.  “On these types of projects, I need a tool that will allow me to work quickly and accurately, not waste time rendering sequences and, most importantly, not lose my media.  When dealing with so much footage (over 400 hours in this case) and a budget that doesn’t allow me to burn time searching for clips and rebuilding sequences, using something like Final Cut Pro would have been too volatile and risky.  Avid is the way to go, it manages my media, works intuitively, and allows me to focus on the story.”

Bonneville Editor Anita Brandt-Burgoyne and her assistant editor Helen Hand echo Groth’s sentiments when it comes to working on Avid for various types of projects. “Avid is always the system of choice for me when I’m working on a film, whether it’s an indie or studio feature,” Brandt-Burgoyne said.  “I’ve tried other tools like Final Cut but found it was much more complicated to perform many functions, and I really missed the trim tools that Avid offers.  The Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer systems are much more intuitive – they work like an editor thinks and Avid’s interface is very easy to navigate.”

This year marks the 31st anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival.  The 10-day long event will showcase more than 350 films from 61 countries.

Read more for a list of projects created on Avid systems...

The lineup at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, which runs from September 7-16, includes numerous documentaries, short films and feature-length dramas created using Avid systems, such as:

• A Good Year –  by Academy Award-winning editor Dody Dorn, created using Avid Media Composer® Adrenaline™ and Avid Film Composer® systems;
• American Hardcore - by director/editor Paul Rachman, created using Avid Xpress® Pro and Avid Symphony™ systems;
• Amazing Grace - by editor Rick Shaine, created using a Meridien™ based Media Composer system;
• Bonneville - by editor Anita Brandt-Burgoyne, created using Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer Adrenaline systems;
• Breaking and Entering – by director Anthony Minghella and edited by Lisa Gunning, created using Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer Adrenaline systems;
• Griffin and Phoenix  - by editors Plummy Tucker and Tina Pacheco, created using Media Composer Adrenaline and Avid Unity™ systems;
• Infamous – by editor Camille Tonilo, created using a Meridien based Media Composer system;
• Little Children – by editor Leo Trombetta, created using a Meridien based Media Composer system;
• So Goes the Nation – by editor Jeff Groth, created using Avid Media Composer and Avid Unity systems;
• Summercamp – by director/editor Sarah Price and editor JoLynn Garness, created using Avid Xpress Pro and Avid Symphony systems;
• The Dog Problem – by editor Jeff Werner created using an Avid Film Composer system; and
• When the Levees Broke – by director Spike Lee and a team of editors, including Craig Gordon of rhinoedit, using Avid Media Composer and Avid Symphony Nitris® systems.

Posted by MovingPicture at 05:23 PM

September 15, 2006

Avid and Supported Products

Once again Avid has released their support device list for all Avid Editor Products. This is a very important list of all of the decks and cameras that Avid has tested and qualifies for use with all Avid-editing products. The devices on this list are qualified for both Mac OSX and Windows XP Professional. These devices vary widely in their capabilities and limitations. Some devices may have limitations beyond those revealed in Avid'€s testing. In addition, device models are sometimes updated, which can affect test results and known issues.

Posted by MovingPicture at 05:24 PM

Firewire Deck Control Problems with Avid or Final Cut Pro

Many of the deck control problems you may encounter may have something to do with the firewire connection. A faulty cable can also cause intermittent problems.

If have you have a high-end tape machine, chances are it may have a 9-pin serial R422 connection on the back. In this case, you would benefit from purchasing a simple adapter cable that will allow your Avid or Final Cut Pro system to take advantage of direct deck control using your Deck's 9 pin RSS 422 control.

If you are using a PC, all that is required is a simple cable that converts the RSS 422 (serial) - to RS 232 (serial). (Available here)

If your computer does not have a 9 pin serial port, or if you are using a Mac. You'll also need an USB to serial adapter.

Next, all you need to do is change your device control options to use RS 422 control instead of firewire. You will immediately notice that your device will control much better than it did with the firewire cable. You will still leave your firewire cable connection to your system for Video and Audio input. You will be using the RSS 422 connection from timecode and deck control.

Posted by MovingPicture at 05:23 PM

Avid and Creative Movie Editing

Suspense, violence, and obsession are often key themes associated with director Brian De Palmas films (Scarface, Blow Out, Dressed to Kill), and his latest feature, The Black Dahlia, is no exception. Based on the James Ellroy novel, the film constructs a fictionalized, mysterious labyrinth surrounding one of the most sensationalized, unsolved murders in California history - that of Elizabeth Short, a young, glamorous, and would-be Hollywood starlet who came to be known simply as The Black Dahlia.

For added flexibility and efficiency, Pankow used a Macintosh G4 Powerbook laptop equipped with Avid Xpress Pro software, which allowed him to travel with the cut in progress to review and approve edits with creative team members, regardless of their location. Avid Xpress Pro was great for when Bill had to fly back to L.A. from Toronto to look at the digital intermediate, or to show what he had already cut to the director and try out new ideas with him, or to set it up on the mix stage in order to have a copy of the movie. The Avid Xpress Pro on the laptop saved a lot of time and made things very convenient, says Johnston.

The Avid Xpress Pro on the laptop saved a lot of time and made things very convenient.
- Lara Johnston, Assistant Editor, The Black Dahlia

Check out the offical The Black Dahlia site for the full details.

Posted by MovingPicture at 05:01 PM

Creating a Subclip in Avid Express Pro

Subclipping is a very important part of the edting process. You create subclips to make shorter and more relivant clips to edit from.

Here are the steps to take to create a subclip:

1. Load your clip into the Source monitor.
2. Mark and in and out where you would like the clip to start and end.
3. Hold down the Alt key and click the source monitor and drag the subclip into the desired bin.
4. Name the sub-clip

You have now made a more manageable clip to edit from. The great thing about master clips is that because you have made a subclip from your master clip the subclip can be expanded in trim mode to reveal more footage.

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:47 PM

Locking Your Items in Avid Express Pro

You have spent hours managing your media, making sub-clips, marking just the right in and out on your clips and then you delete the clip by accident. This horror can be avoided very easly in the Avid bin. Avid has a great way to lock your items in the bin, this is a highly underutilized feature of the Avid software. Locked items can still be edited and modified but locking them prevents deletion.

Here are the steps to lock your items in your bin:

You must first be in the Text View.

1. Display the Lock heading in the bin by going to the fast menu in lower left corner of the bin and go to headings and select the Lock heading.

2. Click the item you want to lock.

3.Navigate to Clip and click Lock BIn Selection

You can select multiple items with control click or shift click and lock them all at once.

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:44 PM

Back to Basics 2: Avid Express Pro Effects

When you already have one effect applied to a transition in a sequence, you can apply an effect to multiple transitions at the same time.

How to apply an effect to multiple transitions in the Timeline:

1. If there is not already an effect on one of the transitions, add a transition effect.

2. Enter Effect mode, for example, by selecting Toolset > Effects Editing.

3. Click the existing transition effect to select it.

4. Click above the Timeline and begin dragging to activate a selection box. Continue to drag down and either to the left or right to include additional transitions in the selection.

5. Release the mouse button when you have lassoed all the transitions you want.

6. If the transitions where you want to apply the effect are not contiguous, Shift+click any transition to deselect it.

7. In the Effect Palette, double-click the icon for the effect that you want to apply to the transitions.

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:42 PM

Back to Basics: Avid Express Pro

During my latest training session I found that getting back to basics is very important! I wrote several notes to myself about the simple stumbling blocks my last student had and thought I would share them to remind myself and anyone new to the Avid interface the important basics.

We had just finished creating his first sequence and he asked me, "How do I make another sequence?". This seemed very simple to me, since he just created a whole sequence, so I just assumed I was unclear in my explanation, but after looking at why he might be so confused, it made sense to me.

The timeline was already full with his current sequence and he did not understand that if he made a new sequence that it would not write over his current sequence. So to clarify, I reminded him of the sequence he had in the bin and then he made a new sequence by right clicking in the record monitor and clicking "Create New Sequence". A new sequence popped up in his bin and he started editing his new program. So this may seem very simple but it can be confusing if you are new to Avid.

Stay tuned for more Back to Basics with Avid Express Pro!

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:30 PM

Adding two effects to a clip in Avid Xpress Pro

Adding multiple effects within Avid Xpress Pro can be trickier than it seems. Most novice users will eventually figure out that if you hold down the alt-key, you can stack multiple effects on to of each other. This method may produce undesirable results, because holding down the alt-key will nest one effect inside another. Using this method may cause require a user to think backwards, because of the way effects are nested inside each other.

(Click to see full-size)

An alternate method is to use the 'red segment' arrow and double click on an effect icon within a video segment. This will open up the effect so you can see its nested background. You can then drop an additional effect onto the background layer. If you need additional effects you can repeat the process by double clicking on an effect segment within a nest. (V1.2).

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:55 PM

Differences in Avid Xpress HD vs Media Composer Adrenaline

The basic software interface and editing functions are practically identical. A novice Avid editor would never know the difference between Avid Xpress HD and Media Composer Adrenaline. Therefore, the same Avid editing class is applicable to both software products.

Both applications can run as software only. Just make sure you are running the software on one of Avid's qualified and recommended computer configurations.

The key functions that are only available in Media Composer are:

• A vector based paint system
  
• A 4 point motion tracker
  
• Timewarp and motion effects that can be graphed out
  
• SpectraMatte chroma keyer
  
• Film Composer toolset

My favorite features in the Media Composer software that are not available in Avid Xpress are the integrated paint system and the motion tracker. These two features really add a lot of power when it comes to compositing effects.

There are differences between the two software options, but they may not be obvious to the typical Avid editor. You can visit Avid Technology's website for complete technical specifications of Media Composer or Avid Xpress HD.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:48 PM

August 29, 2006

Corrupt files and Avid Express Pro (Revisited)

Corrupt files and Avid do not mix. The main culprit is turning your hard-drives on or off while your editing system is turned on. This has cost me dearly in the past but a different problem happened to me and it was a non-quarantined file that gave me the headaches this time! I went to open my media tool and some of the files that were in my bins and on my hard drives did not show up in my media tool. Through further investigation I found out that I had several media files that were corrupt due to my lack of allowing Avid Express to quarantine files when I was prompted to due so.

Read on to resolve this issue...

To resolve this issue: close Avid Express Pro and navigate to each hard drive and partition's OMFI Folder and delete the database files (msmFMID and msmMMOB) for every partition and empty the trash.

Relaunch the application- if upon scanning the databases an error message comes up and the option Quarantine File appears- select that and continue... Any media that is found to be corrupt will be marked with a + sign or the word BAD and will now appear at the top of the OMFI folder. I have also found it a good practice to go out and delete all quarantined media so it will not show its ugly face again.

Posted by MovingPicture at 05:52 PM

Support for OS X 10.4.7 Tiger on Avid Xpress Pro

Avid Technology, recently released an update to their popular Avid Xpress Pro software. Avid Xpress Pro Version 5.5.3 fixes an issue with the software's security dongle. Previously, customers had to return their sentinel security dongles if they were of the 'DUO type'. A 'Super Pro' dongle was required with OS X 10.4.7.

Existing Avid Xpress Pro 5.X users may download the newest 5.5.3 version for free.

NOTE: Avid Xpress Pro is NOT currently compatible with the newest Intel Macintosh models. Look for a binary universal version that is compatible with the new intel Macs by the end of this year.

Posted by MovingPicture at 05:46 PM

August 08, 2006

New Mac Pro from Apple the Fastest Mac Ever

Whether you run Avid Xpress Pro or Final Cut Pro, and you have just entered the market for a new computer, then you have to check out Apple's new successor to the Power Mac, the Mac Pro. With up to 4 million configurations possible, the Mac Pro can perform at speeds of up to 3GHz running on 2 Dual Core Intel Xeon processors.

It can also accommodate up to 2 Terabytes of storage, 16 GB of RAM, up to two SuperDrives or other optical drive (what's that? did somebody say "Blu-Ray"?), has four PCI Express slots and more I/O ports. You also have your choice of three graphics cards: the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT (256MB), ATI Radeon X1900 XT (512MB), and the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 (512MB). You can also house as many as 4 of the 7300 GT graphics cards in this machine.

If you need us, we'll be at the Apple Store, drooling...

Posted by MovingPicture at 06:10 PM

How much storage do Mini-DV files take up?

Have you ever wondered how much storage is required for mini-dv footage? In today's world, it's not as much as you might think.

Mini-DV requires approximately 1 gigabyte of storage for every 5 minutes. This may sound like a lot. But consider this, the typical retail cost of a 250 gigabyte hard-drive costs around $150.00. This means for $150.00 you can hold roughly 1250 minutes of dv storage, or 20 hours of media.

Think about this. It may be cheaper to archive all of your DV media on a hard-drive instead of tape. Hour long DV tapes can cost as much as $10.00 per tape. To give you an idea of how far hard-disk technology has advanced, take a look at this old 9 gig hard-drive that used to cost as much as $10,000. This was the price 10 years ago!

We are now approaching the hard-drive capacity that could archive all words ever spoken by human beings. That's a scary thought. Read on for some extra facts about storage capacities.

A binary decision 1 bit
A single text character 1 byte
A typical text word 10 bytes
A typewritten page 2 kilobyte s ( KB s)
A short novel 1 megabyte ( MB )
The complete works of Shakespeare 5 megabytes
A collection of the works of Beethoven 20 gigabytes
A library floor of academic journals 100 gigabytes
An academic research library 2 terabytes
The print collections of the U.S. Library of Congress 10 terabytes
The National Climactic Data Center database 400 terabytes
All U.S. academic research libraries 2 petabytes
All printed material in the world 200 petabytes
All words ever spoken by human beings 5 exabytes

Posted by MovingPicture at 06:06 PM

June 22, 2006

Avid Marquee Introduction

If you have been trying to figure out how to use the Avid Marquee Title tool and have pulled all of your hair out, then I have found a great introduction that you will find very helpful. Avid Marquee is a very powerful title tool with 3-D capabilities but it is not very intuitive. Avid has assembled this great video tutorial to get you up and running. Once you finish you will be up a rocking on a very powerful title application.

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:48 PM

Avid Bin Shortcuts

Knowing the keyboard shortcuts for any given program will greatly increase your workflow speed. Over the next week I want to give you the most shortcuts that you will need to know for your Avid NLE to become a fast an efficient editor. The bin shortcuts are very important shortcuts to know and utilize. Here is the list of general bin shortcuts:

1. Ctrl + N
   Creates new bin
2. Ctrl + A
   Selects all items in a bin or project
3. Ctrl + W
   Closes the open window or dialog box
4. Ctrl + P
   Prints active bin
5. Ctrl + D
   Duplicates selected clip, sequence, or title
6. Ctrl + I
   Opens Console window
7. Shift + Ctrl + click Bin Menu
   Alternates Relink and Unlink commands in the Bin menu
8. Alt + drag clips between bins
   Copies clips instead of moving them

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:25 PM

Avid Audio Shortcuts

Knowing the keyboard shortcuts for any given program will greatly increase your workflow speed. Over the next week I want to give you the most shortcuts that you will need to know for your Avid NLE to become a fast an efficient editor. The audio shortcuts are some of the most underused shortcuts but very useful. This shortcuts are not only shortcuts but also very necessary for performing the task at hand.

1. Alt + click Pan slider
   Snaps to Mid in Audio Mixer tool
2. Alt + click Volume slider
   Snaps to 0 dB in Audio EQ and Audio tool
3. Alt + click Audio Track Monitor button
   Selects track for audio scrub monitoring
4. Ctrl + click Audio Track Monitor button
   Solos the audio track
5. Alt + click Track Solo button
   (Automation Gain tool) or Alt + numbers 1 through 8 at top of keyboard Mutes the selected track
6. Alt + drag keyframe
   Moves selected audio keyframe horizontally in Timeline
7. Alt + click digital scrub parameters
   Opens Audio Settings dialog box

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:18 PM

May 09, 2006

Avid Xpress Pro 5.5 for Mac OS X and Avid Mojo SDI

At NAB 2006, Avid announced Xpress 5.5 and Mojo SDI. Here are some of the enhancements that can be found in 5.5:

• HD and improved format support for OS X systems
• Realtime multicam support for OS X systems
• Tapeless workflow for OS X systems
• Direct ingest of XDCAM HD over Firwire
• New film and pulldown support for OS X systmes
• AVX 2 plug-in support for deep colorspace and advanced keyframing for OS X systems
• Full-screen SD and HD monitring using the host graphics card for both Mac and PC
• Enhanced performance with HDV splicing for Mac and PC systems
• Varicam support for both Mac and PC systems

The Avid Mojo SDI allows for SDI I/O and AES/EBU digital audio I/O. Here's what it can offer you:

• SDI video I/O
• Flexible digital and analog audio
• Simultaneous output of video and effects to client monitor and tape
• Audio punch-in

You'll find the Xpress Pro software for $1,695 and the Avid Mojo SDI for $2,495.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:46 PM

April 05, 2006

Avid Express Pro and Display Settings

Avid Express has many settings that can be very confusing. Here is an explanation of your Display Settings.

DV Output Setting (not applicable to DV devices connected to an Avid Mojo):
1. Output to DV Device: Select this option if you are on a software-only system or if your system is connected to Avid Mojo but you have selected OHCI from the Device menu.
2. Format: This option is available only when you have Output to DV Device selected. Allows you to select the compressed format to be sent to the DV device.
3. Realtime Encoding: This option is available only when you have Output to DV Device selected and you are in an SD project. Also use this feature if you are on a software-only system. Allows you to enable or disable real-time effects.

More settings after the read more!

Desktop Play Delay (not applicable to DV devices connected to an Avid Mojo)
1. Frames: Available only if you are on a software-only system or if you system is connected to an Avid Mojo but you have selected Device OHCI. Move the slider to increase or decrease the amount of frame offset.

Pre-filled Frames: Seconds of Video to Pre-Fill:
1. n seconds: Type the number of seconds by which to delay playback. By accepting a delay at the beginning of playback, you increase the likelihood that the system will play the material successfully. The maximum delay is 10 seconds.

Open GL Hardware:
1. Video boards installed on your system:Select the Open GL board for your video display. Selecting hardware gives you better performance.
2. Software Open GL:Select if you do not have an Open GL video board.

Enable Confidence View: Enable confidence view if you want to view incoming or outgoing media in the Composer monitor as you are capturing media or creating a digital cut.

Maximum Real Time Streams:
1.Stream Limit n: Select the number of video streams you want to display in the Record monitor at a time.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:24 PM

Color Correction and Avid Express Pro

Understanding Color Match Control.

Both Color Correction groups include a Color Match control. This control allows you to quickly make a correction by selecting input and output colors from your images, or from the Windows Color dialog box. If you select the Eyedropper option in the Correction Mode Settings dialog box, you can also select colors from any other location within your Avid application, such as a custom color swatch saved in a bin.

When you use the Color Match control, the system replaces the input color value with the output color value and adjusts all the other color values in the image proportionally. The system also automatically adjusts the other controls in the group to reflect the change. You can set the combination of color channels or components the system uses to determine the match by making menu selections.

For example, if you want to replace the blue sky tone in one image with that in another to match the two shots, you can use the Color Match control to pick the two colors and automate the color adjustment. For more information, see Making a Correction with the Color Match Control and Selecting Match Type Options.

Because the Color Match control can display the RGB color values for any point in an image, it is useful as an information palette that allows you to check how far the colors in an area of an image depart from the color values you want to achieve.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:19 PM

March 29, 2006

Changing Frame View in Avid Express Pro

By default, Avid's Frame view displays the first frame of each clip in the bin. You can, however, change the displayed frame with a frame that has meaning to you or a frame that actually identifies the clip.

To change the frame identifying the clip:

1. Select the clip that you want to change by single clicking on it.

2. Do one of the following:
   Press and hold the K key on the keyboard (Pause), and press the L key (Play) to roll the footage within the frame forward at slow speed. To move backward through the footage, press and hold the K key and press the J key (Reverse Play).
   Press the 3 key or the 4 key on the keyboard (Step Forward or Step Backward) to move from frame to frame.

3. When you see the frame that you want use, release the keys.
   The Avid application saves the displayed frame as part of the bin configuration.
   

I find it very helpful to go through all of my clips and set them so that I have a frame that makes sense to me.

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:58 PM

Avid Express Pro Memory Error

If you are running Avid Express Pro HD 5.1 or later, you need to pay attention. Recently I have been receiving an error message that says Unable to Allocate Memory. It appeared only to happen when I had a Tail Fade or a Head Fade. The screen would go black and say unable to allocate memory in the lower right hand corner. Well, apparently Avid has heard this from a lot of editors. Avid support center has released a 4-page document that explains how to fix this problem. So far it is working for me and hopefully it will work for you.

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:51 PM

Up-rez in Final Cut Pro and After Effects

Have you been looking for ways to use your SD footage in a HD Production? Instant HD, by Red Giant Software, is a plug-in for Final Cut Pro Pro, Adobe After Effects, and Premiere that will allow you to up-convert NTSC or PAL SD to High Definition; but that's not all!

Here are some of the uses:

1. Convert web cam and cellphone source material to SD video
2. Scale SD video for pan and scan adjustments
3. Can be used with Magic Bullet software to create high-end "film-look" masters
4. Scale still images to HD

This plug-in only works with progressive, non-interlaced footage.

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:16 PM

The Playback of Various Aspect Ratios on a TV Set

There is alot of confusion out there among beginning producers concerning the playback of various aspect ratios. If your video appears stretched on television set, perhaps the video was shot in widescreen format and you are viewing on a television that only displays a 4:3 image. This article provides graphic examples of what Anamorphic and Non-Anamorphic video looks like when being delivered in various aspect ratios. At the bottom of each example is an explanation for the video's appearance. Take a look.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:58 PM

Avid, Final Cut, After Effects and Digital Juice

If you are looking to make your productions professional and graphically entertaining than look no further than Digital Juice. Whether you use Avid, Final Cut Pro or After Effects Digital Juice has the solution you are looking for. They have just introduced Editor’s Toolkit 10 and the great new sound effects library. I use Digital Juice products on a daily basis, both in Avid Express Pro HD and After Effects. Editor’s Toolkits are complete animated graphics packages for video producers. The 10 thematic Toolkits contain thousands of graphical elements that are an essential part of any production. Many of these elements are organized into matched sets so that it is effortless to create a coordinated and professional look. Avid, FCP, or After Effects editors can all benefit from Digital Juice.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:36 PM

Avid Express Pro and Capturing a non-timecode source

Being able to capture from a non-timecode source is a very real part of an editors day to day routine. The source may be VHS, CD, DAT or some other source that has no timecode. To capture this material you need to capture on-the-fly.

To capture from a non-timecode source:

1. Click the deck button in the Capture tool.
2. Click once on the Tape Name box.
3. Either select an existing tape name or create a new one.
4. Choose an option from the Timecode Source Menu.
5. Play the material and click the record button.
6. Click the record button when you are done.

This is a very simple way to ingest any material you need to edit. Just remember you cannot recapture this material with the form of timecode you selected. You must manually ingest the material again if you lose it.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:32 PM

Avid Express Pro HD and 720p 59.94 Timecode Plugin

When working with the Timecode Plugin from the Illusion Effects category of the Effects Palette, the Timecode Plugin displays a different value than the Information Section of the Composer Window and the Timecode window. This is by design.

Avid displays 60fps Progressive timecode in a 30-frame display within the Timecode window and the Information section of the Composer window. What is being displayed on the Timecode Plugin is the true 60-frame value.

For example:

If you park the timeline indicator on timecode: 01:00:00:01, the Timecode plugin will display 2 values depending on which frame you are parked on. It may display 01:00:00:01 or 01:00:00:02. When you advance one more frame, the Information display will show 01:00:00:02 but the plugin will show 01:00:00:03. This becomes more apparent when you roll the timeline position indicator closer to the end of one second.

If the Info windows display 01:00:00:29, the timecode plugin will show 01:00:00:58 or 01:00:00:59.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:24 PM

The AE List for After Effects

The AE List is a non-commercial mailing list server for Adobe After Effects that was started by Rene Hedemyr back in 1997 when the AE AOL list shut down. The AE list like having teachers, experts, and professionals residing in your Inbox but before you subscribe your current email to the list I suggest you create a brand new account that will be dedicated to the list. There are hundreds of users asking questions, answering questions, and posting new software/plugin releases; so don be surprised if you box hits the 200 mark in a few days.

If you do not want to subscribe just yet preview the archives and I'm sure you will find something that will interest you.

Link > Check Out The AE List

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:21 PM

Avid Express Pro and Split Edit

I have never taken the time to try the Extend Function to create a split edit until last week. This is a very useful tool that should not be overlooked. The extend edit function in Avid allow you to create a split edit without entering into Trim mode. Once you place your edit point you can slide the edit point to trim frames in your timeline. The great function of extend edit is that you do not lose sync and it allows you to mark edit points on-the-fly.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:15 PM

February 16, 2006

Exporting Audio Only From Final Cut Pro

When you export audio only from a sequence in FCP, all of the many tracks and clips will be consolidated into a single media file.

Read on for the step-by-step...

Exporting Audio From a FCP Sequence

1. Click on the Track Visibility button in the Video Track(s) to deselect them. The entire track should appear greyed out.

   

2. Go to File > Export > Using Quicktime Conversion.

3. Designate a place to save the file, then proceed to choose the file format that you want to save it in (AIFF, WAVE etc.).

   

4. Click on options to designate Format, Channels, Sample Rate and Bit Depth, then click OK.

   

5. Click Save to export. All of your audio clips will now be exported as a single media file.

   

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:41 PM

Frameline 47 uses MPEG-7 for Descriptive Data for Videos

The future of the internet is all about having searchable video and Frameline 47 is the first tool using MPEG-7 for creating descriptive data for videos. Created by Versatile Delivery Systems Ltd., the software brings excitement to the market by using the MPEG-7 standard. The MPEG-7 standard is and works similar to other standards such as MPEG-2 and MP3 though MPEG-7 is not a standard for audio and video but for describing content. It's similar in that as a standards such as MPEG-2 and MP3 have been used, it's allowed companies to create products based on those standards such as DVD players, MP3 players, mobile devices and media players.

The MPEG-7 standard will create easy compatibility between different player clients, software and systems because everything will be speaking the same lanquage, the MPEG-7 language. What's exciting about the MPEG-7 standard is that it's nothing like the proprietary streaming architectures of the past such as Windows Media, RealMedia, and QuickTime.

Read on for an overview of Frameline's features.

Now let's give you an overview of features you can find in Frameline 47. The application is based on four main modes: File, Edit, Notate and Present. Here are some of the features found it each mode.

File Function Features
Encode Video files to Apple MPEG-4 H.264
Convert MPEG-4 based .mov files to the .mp4 file format
Search for specific Video Files within the Asset Folder

Edit Function Features
Automatically chop up video into segments
Manually chop-up video into segments
Create Groups of segments (Groups equate to Scenes, Segments to Shots).
Name Segments & Groups.
Mark Segments & Groups

Notate Function Features
Add descriptions that apply to an entire file.
Link separate Video File together with metadata
Import descriptive data tags to the file from any 'Collection'.
Add 'Word Description' tags to individual Segments and/or Groups.
Add 'Content Description' tags to individual Segments and/or Groups

Present Function Features
Watch Video Files full-screen
Filter files according to their Content Notation
Navigate through Video Files by Segments & Groups
View the names of Segments & Groups during playback

The software is currently only available in Public Beta form for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Visit the Frameline.tv website to download the Frameline 47 application for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

If you work on the Windows platform you can expect to see a Windows Version of the software sometime early this year. You can register for the Frameline 47 Public Beta for Windows here.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:26 PM

Tools for Encoding Flash Streaming Content

Here's an overview of tools for encoding Flash Streaming content:

Sorenson Squeeze for Flash and Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite

Key Features:
*Alpha Channel Support with On2 VP6 codec
*On2 VP6 Pro Plugin Support for Mac (Plug-in must be purchased separately)
*Embedded Cue Points for Flash
*Free Sorenson FLV Player
*Improved, easy to edit Flash Player Skins templates for SWF and FLV
*Linked or Embedded FLV option for SWF files
*Global Metadata Entry on Source Files for Flash output

Learn more details about Sorenson Squeeze for Flash and Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite

Compression Master

Key Features:
*Encode videos to the Flash (SWF) format
*Encode videos to Flash Video (FLV) file format

Get more information about Compression Master

Flash Professional 8

Key Features:
*Flash Video Exporter Plug-in for QuickTime
*Advanced Encoding Options
*Embed Cue Points for FLV files
*Alpha Channel Support
*Stand-alone Video Encoder
*Includes the On2 VP6 Codec

Learn more about Flash Professional 8 features for encoding video content

Key Features:
*Turn Video into an Animation
*Includes the On2 VP6 Pro codec
*Output Video in a Custom Player Automatically
*Batch Encode Videos
*Customizable and Savable Settings and Options
*Apply Advanced Flash features without knowing Flash

Get more information about Flix Pro

Key Features:
*Export Flash from QuickTime enabled applications
*Includes the On2 VP6 Pro codec
*Export both FLV and SWF files
*Customizable Presets
*Output both Flash 8 and Flash MX FLV video
*Export SWF and FLV Audio

Learn how Flix Exporter works with Non-linear editing systems

Flash Video Studio

Key Features:
*Add Animated Logo, Image, and Text Watermark
*Add Customizable Movie Navigation Control
*Review Video effects in Real-time Preview
*Real-time Bandwidth and File Size Estimation
*Built in FTP Upload Tool
*Bath Publish and Upload Video Files

Find out what other things Flash Video Studio can do

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:17 PM

February 14, 2006

Changing the Position of a Transition via the Roll Tool in FCP

Another way to manipulate where a transition occurs between two clips is to open the Transition Editor and move the transition with the Roll Tool. For the sake of this lesson, If you do not have a transition aleady made, just Control-Click and choose to add the default transition to an edit point in your sequence.

Read on for details...

Changing the Position of a Transition

1. After you have placed a transition over an edit point in your sequence, double click on the transition to open the Transition Editor in the Viewer.

   

2. When you place the cursor over the transition in the editor, it will automatically turn into the Roll tool. If you look at the graphic above, you will see the absence of a cursor or a Roll tool This is due to the nature of the screen shot. The cursor will not show, but just in case you were wondering, the Roll tool looks like this .

3. Drag the transition to a new location.

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:46 PM

Designating Search Folders in Final Cut Pro

Reconnecting offline media is a pain, there is just no other way to describe it, but there are some things you can do within Final Cut Pro to narrow the search. You can designate which folders and drives Final Cut Pro should look in before you attempt to reconnect your offline media. If you go to Final Cut Pro > System Settings, under the tab search folders, you can designate specific areas where FCP will perform the search. This is especially great if you have a large number of drives and if you work in a SAN (Storage Area Network) envrionment.

Read On for the easy steps...

Designating a Search Folder

1. Go to Final Cut Pro > System Settings, then click on the Search Folders tab.

2. Click on the Set button to navigate to a new folder or click Set to replace a previously chosen folder or drive. Choose clear to clear any choice.

3. Click OK.

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:38 PM

Producing HD television from a laptop

Art Donahue has achieved something that many television producers dream about: he has found a way to produce a half-hour news magazine show for SD and HD broadcast from his laptop computer. Using a Dell M70 and Avid Xpress Pro software for offline and online editing, Donahue set a television precedent in November 2005 when he cut and finished “New England’s National Forests” for the Boston-area nightly news magazine Chronicle. The episode, which was filmed in HDV and edited in HD, was simulcast in letterbox SD on Boston’s WCVB-TV5, as well as in 720p HD on WCVB’s companion HD channel.

“Not long ago you needed a $75,000 camera and a $150,000 edit room to deliver a broadcast-quality show,” says Donahue, who produces an episode of Chronicle in HD every five weeks. “Now you can use a $3,500 camera and a $2,000 laptop and produce an entire show in HDV. I never thought that production would get this inexpensive this quickly. It’s very exciting, and I hope it creates more opportunities for local production.”

More > Chronicle: Producing HD television from a laptop

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:23 PM

February 13, 2006

Avid plans to sync development for Intel Macs

Avid Technology has announced its plans to synchronize development for its Mac product line in preparation for Apple's introduction of Intel-based Macs next year. By synchronizing development for both Apple platforms, Avid's initial Mac HD release is now targeted for mid-2006 for Avid Xpress Pro and Media Composer Adrenaline systems running on PowerPC Macs. Following the arrival of Apple's Intel-based systems, Avid plans to deliver the same HD capabilities offered on PowerPC-based systems to Avid products running on the new Mac-Intel architecture. This development coincides with the company's plans to achieve overall synchronization between Mac and Windows platforms by mid-2006.

via MacMerc.com

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:18 PM

NBC Relies on Avid Solutions for Torino Olympic Winter Games

Avid Technology, Inc. announced that NBC has invested in Avid video and Digidesign audio workflow solutions in preparation for the network’s broadcast of the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The solutions enable NBC to construct a comprehensive, state-of-the-art digital SD and HD production pipeline that greatly expands the video and audio workflow it implemented for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The deal also represents an unprecedented move in television history, as NBC will be the first U.S. network to broadcast the Olympic Winter Games in HD during primetime.

“This is the fourth consecutive Olympic Games where we’re using Avid solutions, and the third for graphics products that were formerly from Pinnacle but are now part of Avid. Each time we have adopted a bigger and more powerful workflow while also maintaining tremendous efficiency and reliability,” said David Mazza, Senior Vice President, Engineering, NBC Olympics. “For the 2006 Olympic Games, we will be deploying our largest shared-storage solution to date, and it will serve as the heart of our editing and graphics workflow that includes HD production and broadcasting for the first time on our main network feeds. It’s always a challenge to bring together a multitude of systems from several manufacturers, but Avid helps make the configuration seamless and cohesive. More importantly, with extremely time-sensitive production cycles for Olympics broadcasts, it’s imperative that we have the full functionality and support that Avid is able to deliver in this highly charged environment.”

Investment in Avid systems includes Avid Unity ISIS, HD editing and finishing, Avid DNxHD workflow, audio solutions, and broadcast graphics Tewksbury, MA – January 25, 2006 – Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that NBC has invested in Avid® video and Digidesign® audio workflow solutions in preparation for the network’s broadcast of the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The solutions enable NBC to construct a comprehensive, state-of-the-art digital SD and HD production pipeline that greatly expands the video and audio workflow it implemented for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The deal also represents an unprecedented move in television history, as NBC will be the first U.S. network to broadcast the Olympic Winter Games in HD during primetime.

Via Avid.com

Posted by MovingPicture at 04:14 PM

Learn Video Streaming and Compression Basics

You can learn Video Streaming and Compression Basics in a GeniusDV 1-Day Seminar in Orlando, Florida. Their next class is coming up on March 4. This class shows students how to compress their video to formats such as Windows Media, RealMedia, QuickTime, Flash, and MPEG-4. Learn about things such as 1-pass CBR, 2-pass CBR, 1-Pass VBR and 2-Pass VBR along with other compression essentials. The class takes the confusion out of understanding video streaming and compression and allows the least technical individuals to learn the tools and the process for getting video on the web.

The Video Streaming and Compression Seminar is a great introduction for Video Professionals, Multimedia Developers, Educators, Web Designers and Hobbyist that need to start adding video and audio content on-line.

Preview of the Outline for the Video Streaming and Compression Seminar
View Upcoming Training Dates for Video Streaming and Compression Class

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:47 PM

Avid takes on King Kong

When it comes to editing the big movies nothing can compare with King Kong and the power of Avid to handle it. King Kong is one beauty of a beast. With more than 3,200 final shots culled from 3 million feet of live-action footage and thousands of visual effects shots, taming this film in post was a gargantuan task, especially considering that it was shot and edited in just 18 months.

"For a project of this scale, no other systems could have done it," says Avid editor Jabez Olssen about the multiple Avid editing and shared-storage systems used to cut director Peter Jackson’s three-hour remake of the 1933 classic. The makers of King Kong called upon all of Avid’s products to get this massive job completed in the time allotted. Working with Academy Award winning editor Jamie Selkirk (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King) on the film, Olssen and a team of more than 10 assistants relied on a massive deployment of Avid gear.

Nine Avid Media Composer Adrenaline systems, two Avid Unity MediaNetwork shared-storage solutions with 9.6 TB each, and an Avid Xpress Pro system were used by production company Big Primate Pictures for picture editing, while Weta Digital, the film’s visual effects house, used two Media Composer Adrenaline systems linked through the Avid Unity LANshare shared-storage solution with 4 TB for visual effects editing. Check out the rest of this story at Avid's site.

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:43 PM

Performing a Slip Edit on Multiple Clips in Final Cut Pro 5

We have talked before about how trimming is the essence of editing and how having a firm handle on the various trimming techniques in Final Cut Pro can broaden your creative horizons, well here is another technique that you can add to your arsenal.

Read on to see how to slip edit multiple clips at once...

Slipping Multiple Clips Simultaneously

A slip edit only effects the in and out points of one clip, but in this example, we have multiple selections and will be changing the in and out points of multiple clips. Think of it as reframing the action that occurs in each clip, while maintaining their individual durations.

1. Press A to ensure that the selection tool is active.

2. Select more than one clip in the timeline on which to perform the slip edit. Keep in mind that these clips do not have to be adjacent to one another. You can hold the Command key and select any clips you like.

3. Press S to activate the Slip tool.

4. Type in a positive or negative time code number then press enter. It may feel weird to start typing in thin air, but just enter a value and the clips will be slipped by that amount. If for some reason one clip in your selection can not be slipped, none of them will be slipped. In this example, I have slipped the selected clips 5 frames forward.

Posted by MovingPicture at 01:40 PM

February 10, 2006

Using Split Edits For Dialog in Final Cut Pro 5

Whether you're cutting a piece for a magazine news show or meticulously laying down dramatic dialog, the Split Edit feature in Final Cut Pro gives you the power to set the pace and tone of a scene. The ability to overlap the audio and video of characters having a conversation is a great way to visually soften a straight cut.

Perhaps you've never paid close attention to it before, but you have see this technique used all over television and film: such as the intense reaction shot of Jodie Foster's character in 'The Silence of the Lambs' as she's being sized up by a caged Hannibal Lecter or the look of defeat in a criminal's eyes as he hears the evidence in 'CSI'. Much like many other functions in Final Cut Pro, there is more than one way to execute a split edit.

You can simply edit the clip to the time line, unlock the audio and video, then use the ripple tool to trim the audio and video, or you can designate separate in and out points for audio and video in the Viewer before laying the clip to the time line. This example will explain the latter of the two, since it may include procedures that you are unfamiliar with.

Performing a Split Edit in the Viewer Window

1. Double-Click on a clip in the Browser to load it into the Viewer. This particular exercise will work best if you use footage of a conversation between two people, but it can be performed on any clip allowing for audio lead ins to a new scene or cutaways.

2. Place the Playhead at the point where you want to make a video only in or out, then press CONTROL-I for a video in point or CONTROL-O for a video out. In this example, we have placed an in point for the audio at the beginning of the actor's conversation and placed a video out point where we want to cut to the reaction shot of the person he is talking to.

   
   
   

3. Place the playhead at the point where you want the audio in or out to be, then press OPTION-COMMAND-I or OPTION-COMMAND-O. In this example, we set the audio in a few frames before the video in and set an audio out after he had finished articulating his thought. If we were to have set the video and audio in at the same point, FCP would have then just created a typical edit point. For the sake of this example, we wanted you to see the visual difference between split edit points and the typical edit point.

   

4. The actor's audio is now longer than his video, when edited into the time line,

   

   allowing us, through the same procedure, to place the pleasant smile of the actress Amanda over the dialog of an old and dear friend as a reaction shot.

   

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:36 PM

Reveal File in Avid Express Pro

You capture all of your media into your bins and spend hours renaming files in your bins so they have meaning to you and those that will also be working on the project. This is a very important part of editing. The one major problem with this is that Avid does not rename these files on the actual hard drive. This can become very problematic if you are looking for that clip on your hard drive and it’s name is something totally different.

Well, Avid has a great solution and it is called Reveal File. In your bin highlight the clip you would like to find on one of your hard drives. Right click on it and select Reveal File. The only limitations to this are that is cannot be a sub-clip or a sequence. This will open Windows Explorer and highlight that clip. It may select just one of the audio clips or the video. You will notice a new window pops up and asks if you would like to reveal the next file. This will take you to the next corresponding file in that clip. If you have a V1, A1 and A2 then it will reveal all three clips after you tell it to reveal next file. Now you have found what you have been looking for.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:10 PM

February 09, 2006

Creating a Motion Path in Final Cut Pro 5

You can easily manipulate a clip's motion path in the Viewer Window to achieve some impressive animated effects such as the Animated Filmstrip. This tutorial will only focus on creating a motion path for a single clip.

Read more for the steps...

1. Open up the clip that you wish to use in the Viewer Window by double clicking it in the Timeline.
   
   
2. Go to the View menu in the Canvas Window and choose Image and Wireframe.
   
   
   
   
3. You will be able to see the effect more clearly if you deacrease the scale of the clip, so go to the Motion tab in the Viewer Window and set the scale to 50.
   
   
   
   
4. Place the playhead in the Timeline at the first frame of the clip that you are animating, so that you can see it in the Canvas Window. Make sure Snapping is turned on in the Timeline
   
   
5. Make sure your selection arrow tool is active by clicking on it in the tool palette or by pressing A on your keyboard.
   
   
6. While holding down the shift key, click and drag the clip from its center towards the left side of the Canvas Window so that it is halfway off screen. Holding down the shift key constrains the movement of the clip, keeping it in a straight line as you drag.
   
   
   
   
7. While in the Motion tab, you will need to expand the window pane by dragging its bottom right corner to the right. Position the Window so that it is not covering up the Canvas Window.
   
   
   
   
8. The timeline idicator within the Motion Window will be parked over the first frame of the clip that is in the Timeline area. You should see a slightly highlighted range in the keyframe area representing the clip on which you are performing the animation.
   
   
   
   
9. Locate the center parameter within the Motion tab and click on the Keyframe Button to insert a keyframe for your current clip position. You will see that two keyframes are placed at the location of indicator bar in the Motion tab.
   
   
   
   
10. This step is a little confusing and I will explain why in just a moment. Move the timline indicator in the Motion tab and snap it to the end of the highlighted range representing the clip and press the back arrow key on your keyboard once to move the indicator backward one frame.
    
    
    
    The white barrier in the keyframe area representing the end of the clip that we are working on is actually the first frame of the proceeding clip, this is why we had to move the indicator back one frame.
    
    
11. Go to the Canvas Window and Shift-drag the clip to the right of the screen. You will then see a motion path, representing the path that the clip will move along.
    
    
    
    
12. Play the clip from the beginning in either the timeline or the Canvas to review the effect.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:53 PM

Adding Shortcut Button to the Button Bar in FCP 5

If you have ever had the chance to do some editing on another editor's workstation, you will have noticed how different editors have created their own personal interface set up specific to their own particular ease of use. If you look at the Final Cut Pro interface, you will notice that there are button wells located over all the work area windows, allowing you to place shortcut functions in each of them. This ability will aid you in customizing your own personal workspace.

This enables you to be able to place the Import Files Button in the button well over the Browser or add the Add Audio Transition Button to the Timeline Button Bar.

Creating a Shortcut Button in a Button Bar

1 Go to tools > Button List

2 Drag an icon for the function that you desire from the list to the button well and release the mouse button.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:41 PM

Convert Flash to Windows Media on a Mac using Snapz Pro X

If you're looking to convert a Flash embedded .SWF file to Windows Media you won't find many compression tools to help you do it. The best solution I have for this is to use a product called Snapz Pro X which allows you to do screen capture via a movie capture mode. The makers of the product, Ambrosia Software, has a free downloadable trial version on their website that you can take for a test drive.

If you capture your video via Snapz Pro X using movie capture mode you can save to, for example, the MJPEG-A codec and then convert that video to the Windows Media format using QuickTime Pro and Flip4Mac both which are not included in the Snapz Pro X product.

Here are the steps to convert and capture your video:

1. Download and install the trial version of Snapz Pro X.
2. Open your Flash video in its player.
   
3. Start the capture using Movie Capture.
   
4. Start playing your video in your Flash player.
   
5. Stop the capture and save to MJPEG-A codec at the High Quality setting.
   
6. Open your QuickTime video (with MJPEG-A codec) in QuickTime Pro and convert to Flip4Mac.

Note: If you need the audio for your video, you might have to do some adjustments to work around that. Snapz Pro X doesn't handle both video and audio capture well in most scenarios. A good solution would be to do a video only capture and then do an audio only capture and merge the two files together in QuickTime Pro.

The Snapz Pro X product is worth the buy. In addition to capturing in QuickTime formats it has many other additional features for screen capture of still image and video files.

Links
> Snapz Pro X
> Flip4Mac WMV Studio
> Get QuickTime Pro

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:32 PM

February 07, 2006

The Revert Project Command in Final Cut Pro 5

It is not uncommon among editors to have the urge to try something new or to shift gears and go in a completely new direction while in the midst of a creative project. The curiosity of a new pathway, the willingness to come out of your safety zone is a great trait for an editor, but may we suggest that you make a copy of your present sequence before venturing off into the unknown and be aware of the Revert Project Command feature?

The Revert Project Command in Final Cut Pro Pro is a handy tool that will allow you to return the project to the state that it was in the last time you saved it. This is good for testing new waters, but not for diving in. Keep in mind that the Auto Save feature in Final Cut Prois not saving the actual project, but storing a copy of it for later restoration. So, you should not solely rely on a last ditch effort to recover your work, such as the Auto Save feature provides, for saving your work. Instead, get into the habit of frequently manually saving your work. This practice would render the Revert Project Command less practical for making drastic changes and reverting back to its previous saved state. With all this being said, it is still an excellent tool for giving you the freedom to play with a few new ideas!

1. Click on the project's tab that you are working in that is located in the Timeline.

2. Go to File > Revert Project.

3. Click OK.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:36 PM

RealMedia Video Compression using RealProducer Basic

You can experiment with with using RealProducer Basic for video compression by downloading the free version of the product from RealNetworks. The RealProducer Basic software allows users to encode videos in RealVideo and RealAudio codecs and is geared for basic level users. There are some limitations using RealProducer Basic but you can encode video for up to three target audiences for Multiple Bit Rate streaming and get your videos on-line nicely. RealProducer Basic is great for those who don't need advanced compression features.

For individuals who need professional level features such as unlimited target audiences for Multiple Bit Rate streaming, Video Cropping, adjustments for Frame Size, Frames Per Second and Frame Rate there's another product called RealProducer Plus which would be perfect for you. It 's a great compression tool with some really nice features and it's reasonably priced.

RealProducer Basic and RealProducer Plus products are available for Linux and Windows platforms.

Here's a list of supported formats:

Uncompressed AVI, uncompressed MOV, uncompressed WAV; any compressed or uncompressed file types supported by DirectShow (e.g. compressed AVI, MPEG1, MPEG2*, MPEG4, AU and AIFF); any compressed or uncompressed file types supported by QuickTime (e.g. compressed QT, MPEG1, MPEG2*, MPEG4, AU and AIFF)

Information Links:
> Download RealProducer Basic for Windows and Linux
> Learn more about Real Producer Plus features and how it can be used for On-Demand Compression and Live Webcasting

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:33 PM

Exporting an Image Sequence in Final Cut Pro

Exporting a series of images from your sequence is performed a little differently than exporting a single frame image in Final Cut Pro. You can export a sequence of images in the format of your choice via exporting Using Quicktime Conversion. Set a range in your sequence for export using in and out points.

Read on for details...

1. After you have opened a sequence into the Timeline, you can set your in and out points for export as a Numbered Image Sequence.

2. Go to File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion.

3. Designate a place where you want the files to be saved. I recommend creating a new folder for this export.

4. Click on the FORMAT pull-down menu and choose Image Sequence from the list.

   

5. Click on the USE pull-down menu and choose a setting.

   

6. Click on the Options button in the Export Window to set other options for bit depth and compression under the Options button of the Export Image and Sequence Settings box.

   

7. Click OK after you have made changes in the Options menu, in this example JPEG Options, and in the Export Image and Sequence Settings box and Click Save in the Export Window to export your image sequence.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:30 PM

Exporting to QuickTime DV-NTSC, MJPEG-A, MJPEG-B, or PhotoJPEG Prior to Encoding

If you have videos on your Non-linear editor that are destined for the web, exporting your videos as a QuickTime DV-NTSC, MJPEG-A, MJPEG-B, or PhotoJPEG prior to encoding will help you get great quality. DV-NTSC, MJPEG-A, MJPEG-B, and PhotoJPEG are all codecs found inside QuickTime on Non-linear editors such as Avid, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Using this process allows you to then take your videos into encoding tools such as: Compression Master, Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite, ProCoder, Flix Pro, Cleaner and many others. These encoding applications will produce files small enough for the web delivery.

When exporting content with these codecs in QuickTime it's mostly about the quality settings. The higher the quality setting the longer your export will take and the better your quality. For example, the PhotoJPEG codec at the highest quality setting of 100% is actually a 4:4:4 codec but if you bring down the quality setting to 75% Quality it becomes a 4:2:2 codec which is even better sampling than DV at 4:1:1. MJPEG-A and MJPEG-B are also capabable of producing 4:2:2 quality.

Do you want to know more?
> Learn more information about the DV-NTSC, MJPEG-A, MJPEG-B, and PhotoJPEG QuickTime CODECS
> Learn how to export QuickTime using DV-NTSC, MJPEG-A, MJPEG-B, and PhotoJPEG CODECS

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:20 PM

Uploading Streaming Video or Audio Files Using Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver works great for authoring web content but it also works well for uploading your streaming video and audio files.

Here's what you need to do to FTP (upload) your streaming files using Dreamweaver:

1. First create a folder for your streaming videos.

2. Open Dreamweaver and Choose New Site from the Site pull-down menu.

   

3. Once the Site dialog is open select the Local Info category and click on the Advanced Tab and give your Site a name (This can be any name you choose to use for identifying your FTP site).

4. Next, click on the folder icon under Local Root Folder and navigate to the folder you specified as the folder for your streaming videos.

5. Now click on the Remote Info category under the Advanced Tab and select FTP for Access. Type in your FTP Host information i.e 120.21.120.76 is an example of what you might type in for an IP address.

6. Type in your User and Password to the FTP location on your Streaming Server and Select test to check your connection to the Streaming Server.

7. If you have problems connecting select the check box for Passive FTP.

   If your test goes well click the OK button and then choose Done on the Edit Sites dialog window.

8. Choose Site files under the Site Pull-down Window and click on the Connect button which looks like two cables connecting. Your computer should connect to the Streaming Server. Lastly, drag your video or audio files from your local folder (on your desktop) to your remote folder (on your Streaming Server) and your done.

Note: The above tutorial is using Dreamweaver MX. Some functions in Dreamweaver 8 are different but many are the same.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:16 PM

Switching between Source/Record in Avid Express Pro

Being able to load a sequence into the source monitor is one of the great features of Avid. Taking certain elements from your sequence and applying them into your timeline is something you will find yourself doing if you work projects that require the use of the same media. The one problem you might find is how do you look at your sequence and it’s edits without loading them into your record monitor.

Avid has a great solution for this and it is called Toggle Source/Record in Timeline. The Toggle Source/Record in Timeline button allows you to view multitrack source material quickly in the Timeline for selecting and marking specific tracks. Use this all of the time to select specific portion of your sequence for editing into a new timeline. This is a great feature that you should learn to use to get the exact results you are looking for.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:07 PM

A Fix For Choppiness in DVD Video

Just recently, a question was raised to instructor John Lynn at GeniusDV concerning a DVD made from video captured from a VHS tape by way of a Canopus device. The problem was that when the producer burned the captured material to DVD, their was considerable chopiness and pixel distortion in areas where their were fast movement. Here is the response to the question, which we think you'll find very useful if you have been experiencing the same issue.

'I've recently discovered that when you burn your DVD, make sure you encode your mpg2 file using a progressive frame output. This might fix your problem '

Read more for the steps to follow...

Follow these steps:

Open your Quicktime movie into Apple Compressor.

Export it out of Apple Compressor as an mpg2 file but make sure choose (progressive frame) output.

Then import the mpg2 file into iDVD or DVD Studio Pro.

-- John Lynn

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:04 PM

Using Markers in Adobe After Effects

One of the best and easiest ways to navigate through a project’s timeline in Adobe After Effects is with markers. With markers you can jump to an exact point within your project by pushing a specific number key when using a Comp Marker or mark a certain point on a layer by using a Layer Marker.

Comp Markers
In After Effects you are only allowed to create ten (0-9) comp markers per comp; so use them wisely. To create a comp marker press the shift key plus a number from your keyboard. (Do make a note that pushing the shift key plus a number from the keypad doesn’t work, believe me I tried.)

Layer Markers
Layer markers are a little different. You can have as many of these as you want. To create a layer marker simply select the layer you want to make a marker on and press the asterisk key on the keypad. (Not the keyboard, yeah I tried that one too!) Also you can double click a layer marker and write a comment. This is great when there are multiple users on a project.

To snap to markers hold the shift key while moving the Time Marker to a desired markers.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:58 PM

Nesting Sequences in Final Cut Pro 5

You may find it convenient in the process of planning the workflow for your film to create a new sequence in FCP for each scene and later edit them together in a finished master sequence. This particular workflow could really help you in the render department by allowing you the fexibility of being able to render all of your effects intensive scenes in separate sequences.

1. Drag the icon for your current sequence from the Browser into the Viwer Window.

   

2. Go to File > New > Sequence.

3. Double-click on the new sequence icon that appears in the Browser to open up the new Timeline Window.

4. You can now set in and out points in your sequence that was previously loaded into the Viewer.

   

5. Edit the source sequence into the master sequence just as you would a clip with an overwrite or insert edit.

   

Keep in mind that you could have also dragged the sequence icon from the Browser into the timeline or have dragged the video from the source sequence into the Timeline.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:52 PM

Performing a Fit to Fill Edit in Final Cut Pro

You can perform a fit to fill edit with multiple selected clips in the Browser by marking in an out points for multiple clips, selecting those clips in the Browser and dragging the top selection to the Fit To Fill overlay button located in the Canvas Window. You can either set in and out points in the Timeline or you can simply place the playhead over the clip where you want to start the edit and FCP will replace each consecutive clip in the timeline with each clip you had selected in the Browser Window. If you have chose more clips in the Browser than you have in your timeline, then you will recieve an 'insufficient content for edit' error.

With this being said, you will likely find it much more practical to perform this procedure with a single clip at a time due to the nature of Fit to Fill procedure, which we will discuss later.

Read on for directions.

Performing a Fit To Fill Edit with a Single Clip

1. Make sure you have the destination track selected for the edit.

   

2. You can either set in and out points for the edit in the Timline or in the Canvas Window or park the playhead over the clip you wish to replace. In this example, I have chose simply to park over the targeted clip. Keep in mind that you can also park the playhead over a gap you wish to fill in the timeline as well.

   

3. Double click on a clip in the Browser to load it into the Viewer.

4. Set your in and out points for the clip.

   

5. Drag the clip from the Viewer over to the Canvas Window overlay marked Fit To Fill, then release. You will see that the clip in the Viewer has replaced the designated clip in the Timeline.

   

There is a very significant consequence to utilizing the Fit To Fill feature that is woven into the very nature of its functionality and that is: the >speed of the clip that you are editing into the sequence will be adjusted so that the clip can fill that space without changing the length of the overall sequence. For instance, if you placed a clip with a three second duration into a gap that has a duration of seven seconds, the clip will have to be played back at a slower speed in order to fill that gap. The same logic applies if the duration of the clip is longer than the duration of the gap that it is filling. The clip would have to play back faster in order to maintain the finite duration of the sequence.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:48 PM

A Quick Way to Solo a Clip in Final Cut Pro 5

While in the process of editing, you can sometimes have second thoughts about a given clip's purpose or the action that it displays. A quick way to review the clip is to solo it. We have discussed soloing a track before, but this is a single clip and this can come in handy if you have video in tracks that overlap the clip.

1. Place the position indicator over the clip in the timeline.

2. Click on the clip in the Timeline to select it.

   

3. Press Control S or go to Sequence > Solo Selected Item(s).

   

4. Play the clip by either pressing the space bar or clicking the play button in the Canvas Window. You will now see the selected clip playback and that all overlapping video tracks have been disabled.

Press Control S or go to Sequence > Solo Selected Item(s) to reactivate the other clips in your sequence.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:41 PM

Creating Streaming Videos for Flash using On2's Flix products

On2 Technologies has some excellent tools for compressing your Flash content for real-time or on-demand streaming. Here's an overview of their products:

On2's Flix Pro offers professional-quality output and an amazing array of time-saving features including the ability to automatically output cool Flash players for your video. Create video for the web, video blogs, CD-ROMs, presentations, and limitless other uses! Flix Pro is priced higher than Flix Standard and is targeted towards those that want more professional level features for encoding and authoring.

Here are some of the Features of Flix Pro:
- Supports high-quality 2-pass Flash 8 video encoding
- Flix video works without a streaming server
- Output your video in a custom player automatically.
- Batch encode your videos.
- Convenient presets to prepare your video for streaming over the Internet
- Customizable and savable settings and options.
- Apply advanced Flash features without having to know any Flash.

The Flix Exporter offers professional quality FLV and SWF video output from multiple video applications that support the use of Quicktime plugins, including AutoDesk Cleaner 6, Canopus Pro Coder (Flash 8 video only), Quicktime Pro, Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut, and Apple Compressor.

Here are some of the Features of Flix Exporter:
- Export Flash 8 video from any QuickTime-enabled application
- Supports high-quality two-pass Flash 8 video encoding
- Simple user interface requires no Flash authoring experience
- Output both Flash 8 and Flash MX FLV video.
- Easiest way to create video for the Web, presentations, and CDs.
- Outputs a SWF file or a projector file (.exe)

Flix Standard encodes virtually every type of video, audio and image file into Flash, the most popular media format on the Internet. An amazing value, Flix Standard is the perfect entry-level video encoding solution. Flix Standard is priced a lot lower than Flix Pro and is great for those that don't want to spend a lot of money. Flix Standard does not have 2-pass encoding or alpha channel support.

Here are some of the Features of Flix Standard:
- Outputs excellent quality Flash 8 SWF and FLV video using the On2 VP6 codec
- Convenient presets to prepare your video for streaming over the Internet at any bandwidth
- Link your video file to any web site
- Output an HTML page to play your video with a click of the mouse.

Flix supports the following input formats:

Video : .avi, .dv, .mov/.qt, .mpeg, .mp4, .3gp, and for PC only: .asf/.wmv
Audio : .mp3, .wav, and for PC only: wma. For Mac only: .aiff
Still Image : .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp, .psd, .tif, .pic, .tga

Information link:

> Product comparison of On2's Flix encoding products.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:36 PM

MPEG 2 Import into Final Cut Pro

Here is a little piece of software that is truly amazing! STREAMCLIP, from the comapany Squared 5, is a high quality file converter for MPEG (1,2,3,4), transport streams and QuickTime files providing movie conversions that are compatible with Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro and Roxio Toast 6 and7. Perhaps what is even more amazing is the fact that it is ABSOLUTELY FREE and is available for Windows XP as well as Mac OSX!

For all of you Final Cut Pro Artists who have tried to place MPEG 2 Files into your timeline, only to get a video track with no audio, you can be happy to hear that this ware will allow you to export the MPEG 2 file to Quicktime, AVI, DV and MPEG 4 so it can be properly imported.

Simply open an MPEG 2 file into the application,

choose the method of export, which was Quicktime in this instance,

choose the frame size and Presto! You recieve a high quality Quicktime file that you could import into Final Cut Pro with audio intact. You also have more control of the final outputted file such as compression codec, quality, field dominace, audio sample rate and cropping capabilities. You have to check this out!

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:32 PM

February 06, 2006

Using The Range Selection Tool in Final Cut Pro

We have discussed in great length the application of filters to clips to achieve a unique look, well, the Range Selection Tool opens a door to even more possibilities and flexibility. The Range Selection Tool gives you the opportunity to select only a section of a single clip without the use of through edits, enabling you to appy an effect to a selected portion of a clip and not the entire clip.

1. You can either select the Range Selection Tool from the Tool Pallete or hit the G key three times in succession to activate it.

   

2. Simply click inside of the clip and drag your selection once the tool is activated. Now you can drag an effect to this selected area and add transitions to soften it.

   

You can also adjust the selected area that contains the filter: Double-click on the clip and load it into the Browser Window > go to the Filters Tab and drag the filter in the keyframe area to a new location.

Posted by MovingPicture at 07:01 PM

February 03, 2006

Copying Keyframes Between Projects in LiveType 2

LiveType makes it quite simple to copy and paste effects, keyframes and tracks between projects. This is excellent for saving you the time of having to recreate effects you have made from scratch.

Copying and Pasting Keyframes Between Projects

1. After you have opened the project that you want to copy a keyframe from, choose the keyframe by clicking it once, then Press command C to copy it. Keep in mind that if you were copying an entire track or effect you could have simply Control Clicked or Right Clicked with a two button mouse on a track, to copy a track or to the side of a keyframe, to copy an entire effect.

   

2. Open the project that you will be copying to and position the timeline indicator over the area where you wish to paste, in the effect track that you have laid down in the new project, and press either Command V or Control Click the track and select Paste from the menu.

   

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:51 PM

Flip4Mac WMV 2.0 - Windows Media Import and Export for Mac

The latest version of Flip4Mac WMV 2.0 - Windows Media Import and Export tools for Mac users are available for customers. These tools are designed to give users of QuickTime based applications additional options for import and exporting for Windows Media content.

Here's an overview of the Flip4Mac tools:

Flip4Mac WMV Import

Flip4Mac WMV Import allows you to import Windows Media video and audio for editing or conversion to other QuickTime formats. You can import directly into applications like Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express HD, QuickTime Pro and iMovie. You can also convert files from Windows Media to other QuickTime formats using applications like QuickTime Pro, Cleaner 6 and Sorenson Media Squeeze 4.3. With WMV Import, if you can play a Windows Media file, you can import it.

Flip4Mac WMV Studio

Import and export Windows Media files using expanded preset encoding profiles. Export Windows Media files directly from your editing system or media encoding application, including Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express HD, QuickTime Pro, iMovie, Sorenson Media Squeeze 4.3, AutoDesk Cleaner 6, Compressor 2 and more.

Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro

Adds the ability to create your own standard definition, one-pass encoding profiles.

Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro HD

Adds the ability to create high definition and two-pass encoding profiles.

Note: These tools are available as an upgrade to the free Windows Media Components Plugin for QuickTime.

Learn more about Telestream and their Flip4Mac products that allow you to import and export Windows Media files from QuickTime Pro, iMovie, Cleaner 6, Sorenson Squeeze 4.3, Compressor 2, Final Cut Express HD, Final Cut Pro.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:33 PM

Customize Players for your Flash Streaming Videos

If you need to customize players for your Flash streaming videos you can use Flix Power Players. This is a package of 135 players that work with the Flix Pro Software. The Flix Pro software is available for Mac and Windows operating systems and comes with a limited amount of players.

What is great about the Flix Power Players is that they are customizable and you can add your own logo or text on the player. Some players come with draggable progress bars in which you can drag the progress bar to move the video back and forth. The are many styles to choose from. There is a cost for the Flix Power Players.

What's nice about customizable players and pre-made players for Flash is that they can be easy to work with and add a significant improvement in the quality of your web page design. In addition to the Flix Power Players, Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite comes with several pre-made players. The latest version, Sorenson Squeeze 4.3, has some some newer player templates that can be used with Flash streaming videos.

Information links:
> Customize your players for Flash streaming content by using the On2 Flix Power Players. This works with Flix Pro's automatic player output function.
> Download Sorenson Squeeze Compression Suite 4.3 to learn how to choose various player templates for Flash streaming videos.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:19 PM

Designating a New Default Setting in LiveType 2

After you have completed a few projects utilizing LiveType, naturally you will have discovered your own personal workflow and interface configurations. It is very important to know how to save you own personal configurations in order to be able to increase your work efficiency for the next project. Nothing is more precious than time when you are a working editor, except for the paycheck of course!

After you have configured LiveType's settings and interface to your liking, simply go to LiveType> Settings > Remember Settings.

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:15 PM

Upgrading from QuickTime 6 Pro to QuickTime 7 Pro

When planning to upgrade from QuickTime 6 Pro to QuickTime 7 Pro you need to know that you will need to purchase a new license key for QuickTime 7 Pro. However, the application will make authoring a lot easier and is worth the purchase. Unfortunately, The old license key that you purchased for QuickTime 6 Pro will not work with QuickTime 7 Pro.

Once you are up and running with QuickTime 7 Pro you should love it! The thing I like best is that increasing the frame size for movies becomes easier. Now for QuickTime movies, you can easily type in the width and height for the frame size you would like to adjust your movie to. You no longer have to try to adjust the frame size by adjusting the movie player window. This task many times took a long time to adjust in QuickTime 6 Pro and there is a significant time savings in QuickTime 7 Pro.

Overall, the Movie Properties window is nicely designed providing better viewing of adjustable parameters and easier accessibility through tab browsing to items such as Annotations, Statistics, Visual Settings and Other settings. Now there is a nice volume slider to adjust the volume levels. Deleting tracks and extracting tracks is also a snap with QuickTime 7 Pro. In addition, it's easier to see the total tracks, including hint tracks, without having to navigate to a drop down menu.

Additional QuickTime 7 Pro features:

• The application has capture features that QuickTime 6 Pro did not have.
• It has the ability to easily export videos for the Video iPod and iTunes, easily making your video content portable.
• The new user interface is brilliant and makes creating streaming content a more enjoyable experience.

Other related articles:

Deleting Hinted Tracks in Quicktime Pro

iPod Compression Tests with Quicktime Pro

Posted by MovingPicture at 03:07 PM

Editing To The Beat in Final Cut Pro

The slug generator and the Replace Edit function can assistant you in finding a visual rhythm for a piece of music you have laid down.

1. First, you must remap the Add Edit function to a key from the Keyboard Layout Menu. Go to Tools > Keyboard Layout > Customize.

2. Type in the words add edit into the search bar located in the upper right of the window in order to locate the function.

   

3. Unlock the Keyboard Layout by cliking on the lock icon at the bottom left corner of the window, then drag the Add Edit icon to a key to replace a function that you use the least. In this example, I have remapped my numeral 1 key. Close the Custom keybaord Layout menu.

   

4. Click on the generator menu, which is located in the lower right hand corner of the Viewer Window and choose the slug option. You will then see that slug has been loaded into the Viewer.

   

5. After you have laid down your music to an audio track, edit in the slug as you would any other clip, then use the A tool (the selection tool), to fully extend the slug. More than likely, the music that you have selected will be much longer than the slug. You can either extend the edit points for the slug clip in the viewer or keep editing in the slug clip to increase its length.

6. Lock your audio track(s).

7. Now you can press the space bar to play your audio track and hit the 1 key (or whatever key you mapped the add edit function to) to add an edit point on the fly as you find a rhythm to your music track. This will work best if have been previously familiar with the song that you are using and have become acquainted with its rhythmic variations.

8. When you press the space bar againg to stop playback, you will see that the Add Edit points have been placed into your slug track.

   

9. Place the timeline idicator bar in the middle of one of the slug clips, this will work best if you temporarily deactivate the Snapping capability in the timeline by pressing the N key, then load a video clip into the Viewer Window by double clicking on it in the Browser Window. Click the Replace Edit key and you will see that the slug where the position indicator was parked over has been replaced by the clip in the Viewer.

   

You can do this for all of the add edits you have created within the slug track, then use the Slip Tool along with various others to capture the action in the clips you have laid down and to fine-tune your sequence.

Posted by MovingPicture at 02:59 PM

January 27, 2006

MPEG-4 Whitepaper describes AVC, MPEG-7, MPEG-21, & AAC

By downloading the latest Whitepaper on MPEG-4 you can learn more about AVC, MPEG-7, MPEG-21, HE-AAC and other parts of the MPEG-4 standard. There are 22 parts of the MPEG-4 standard and we have mainly seen the implementation of popular parts such as Part 2 (MPEG-4) Part 10 (AVC/H.264), Part 3 (AAC) but there are still many more to come in the future. MPEG-4 is a standard that continues to get better and the new Whitepaper on MPEG-4 gives more detail about that.

MPEG-7 and MPEG-21 also will work hand-in-hand with MPEG-4 for providing Meta