Misadventures of Bear Episode 3: Macy and the Fish
19/02/12 18:09
My newest short, the Misadventures of Bear, Episode 3: Macy and the Fish has been released on this very site. Just click on The Misadventures of Bear and you can watch the new episode, which is her first full adventure.
This relied heavily on After Effects to remove the puppeteer from the shot, so I hope you enjoy it.
This relied heavily on After Effects to remove the puppeteer from the shot, so I hope you enjoy it.
Comments
Canon MXF ingest for FCP X
FCP.Co has the announcement of Canon having released a new MXF ingest for FCP X. Download it from Canon here.
H.265 Compression Codec in the Works
17/02/12 09:39
Maximum PC has an article on the new H.265 for Ultra HDTV which has 8x resolution or 4320p (7680x4320) or 16x bigger than 1080p. It will also have 35-40% increase in streaming efficiency over H.264, though that likely means a much bigger performance hit on processors and video cards.
Apple has Announced Snow Lion
17/02/12 08:36 Filed in: Apple
Apple has announced the next version of their OS, which now drops the mac name and is just OS X Mountain Lion. This continues bringing OS X and iOS closer together.
New features include:
Of course it doesn’t come out to till the summer so features will change, and hopefully the color finder icons will return!
AND AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR EDITORS AS FINAL CUT PRO 7 will likely no longer work on Mountain Lion, so it is time to move on.
New features include:
- Further integration with iCloud, which keeps your mail, calendar, contacts and documents in sync.
- iChat has become Messages, and includes support for messaging with iOS devices and you can download a beta today. It is still a little rough, but being able to have my iMessages synced across all my devices is very cool.
- Reminders is now on the Mac and syncs with iOS, though this should have been there from the start.
- Notes is now on the Mac as welll
- Notification Center on the Mac access with a 2 finger swipe is just like the iOS version, and looks like it will replace GROWL for notifications on the Mac.
- Share Sheets allows you to contextually aware share where you are from Safari, Notes, iPhoto
- Twitter has been fully integrated into the OS, just like on iOS
- Game Center is now integrated into the OS, and you can supposedly play some games between the mac and iOS.
- AirPlay Mirroring allows you to mirror your computer to your Apple TV.
- Gatekeeper is the most controversial new feature, initially is set to only allow apps from the Mac App Store, but can be turned off so you can install your own Apps.
- Another unannounced feature is that Sotfware Update is now gone and integrated into the Mac App Store. This one I find weird, as you don’t upgrade your iOS device through the app store, you have to go into settings to do the update, so why shouldn’t you have to go to Software Update?
Of course it doesn’t come out to till the summer so features will change, and hopefully the color finder icons will return!
AND AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR EDITORS AS FINAL CUT PRO 7 will likely no longer work on Mountain Lion, so it is time to move on.
Lensbaby releases Edge 80 Optic for Swing and Tilt
Photo Rumors has the announcement on the new Lens Baby Edge 80 Optic.
This $300 lens attaches to your old Lens baby attachment and has f2.8-f22 12 blade aperture. Lensbaby has a video on the new higher quality lens, and a very cool Swing and Tilt Simulator to show off what it can do!
This really puts Swing and Tilt in the hands of a lot more people at a much more reasonable price. Very cool.
This $300 lens attaches to your old Lens baby attachment and has f2.8-f22 12 blade aperture. Lensbaby has a video on the new higher quality lens, and a very cool Swing and Tilt Simulator to show off what it can do!
This really puts Swing and Tilt in the hands of a lot more people at a much more reasonable price. Very cool.
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peaks
16/02/12 05:05 Filed in: Adobe
Adobe has posted 4 video Sneak peaks of new technology that will be released in Adobe Photoshop CS6. Very exciting technology. I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Aja Updates Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini
Videoguys has info on AJA’s updates to it’s Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini. This is a free upgrade via firmware.
• Data Transfer via FireWire 800 - Ki Pro can now be configured for data transfer to FireWire 800-equipped Apple computers, for situations where the unit is not easily accessible for physical data removal.
• Data Transfer via LAN connection – Allows transfer of files through standard Ethernet networking for Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Super Out – Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini can now burn timecode and transport state into the video signal, providing at-a-glance status to users monitoring output, without having to check the device itself. It is also convenient for times when video is dubbed from Ki Pro/Ki Pro Mini to another source to track timecode throughout post. A user selectable Super Out (window burn) option for SDI has also been added to both Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Playlist creation – A new feature for the web UI adds flexibility in selecting clip playback order for both Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• FireWire 400 (1394a) port enabled—Provides Ki Pro support for camera start/stop commands as well as timecode values; particularly useful for HDV cameras that may lack LTC to SDI timecode outputs.
• HDMI timecode support in Ki Pro Mini for Sony NEX-FS100 and other Sony NXCAM cameras.
• ExpressCard/34 Support – Ki Pro now supports ExpressCard/34 (34mm wide) memory cards (not ExpressCard/54). Check the AJA Ki Pro support page for recommended cards.
• Additional RS-422 Functionality for Ki Pro to support use in post-production applications.
• LANC Support – Ki Pro now supports LANC, enabling camera operators to control shooting via LANC-based controllers and LANC enabled cameras.
• 1080 Variable Frame Rate Support for certain Canon camcorders, for Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Presets can now be created, saved and recalled for easier interaction with device settings in Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Continued Recording Option – v3.0 adds an option for continued recording upon video input loss. Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini will generate a status change video frame, then pick up recording automatically when a valid video signal is returned.
• Data Transfer via FireWire 800 - Ki Pro can now be configured for data transfer to FireWire 800-equipped Apple computers, for situations where the unit is not easily accessible for physical data removal.
• Data Transfer via LAN connection – Allows transfer of files through standard Ethernet networking for Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Super Out – Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini can now burn timecode and transport state into the video signal, providing at-a-glance status to users monitoring output, without having to check the device itself. It is also convenient for times when video is dubbed from Ki Pro/Ki Pro Mini to another source to track timecode throughout post. A user selectable Super Out (window burn) option for SDI has also been added to both Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Playlist creation – A new feature for the web UI adds flexibility in selecting clip playback order for both Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• FireWire 400 (1394a) port enabled—Provides Ki Pro support for camera start/stop commands as well as timecode values; particularly useful for HDV cameras that may lack LTC to SDI timecode outputs.
• HDMI timecode support in Ki Pro Mini for Sony NEX-FS100 and other Sony NXCAM cameras.
• ExpressCard/34 Support – Ki Pro now supports ExpressCard/34 (34mm wide) memory cards (not ExpressCard/54). Check the AJA Ki Pro support page for recommended cards.
• Additional RS-422 Functionality for Ki Pro to support use in post-production applications.
• LANC Support – Ki Pro now supports LANC, enabling camera operators to control shooting via LANC-based controllers and LANC enabled cameras.
• 1080 Variable Frame Rate Support for certain Canon camcorders, for Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Presets can now be created, saved and recalled for easier interaction with device settings in Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Continued Recording Option – v3.0 adds an option for continued recording upon video input loss. Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini will generate a status change video frame, then pick up recording automatically when a valid video signal is returned.
Next MacPro 16 Core and NVIDIA Graphics?
Macnn is reporting on the latest set of rumors on a new MacPro, and lets hope it is true, and Apple is staying committed to the pro market in at least it’s hardware.
They would be powered by the new Ivy Bridge 22 nanometer Xeon processors which can have 8 cores and 20MB cache, making for 16 core machines, with 32 virtual machines. And even more exciting to me is the possibility of returning to NVIDIA and their soon to released Kelper hardware. This would mean CUDA acceleration in Adobe Premiere, and hopefully the next generation Quadros being released for the mac. This could mean that Jobs fued with NVIDIA is over. Wouldn’t that rock!
They would be powered by the new Ivy Bridge 22 nanometer Xeon processors which can have 8 cores and 20MB cache, making for 16 core machines, with 32 virtual machines. And even more exciting to me is the possibility of returning to NVIDIA and their soon to released Kelper hardware. This would mean CUDA acceleration in Adobe Premiere, and hopefully the next generation Quadros being released for the mac. This could mean that Jobs fued with NVIDIA is over. Wouldn’t that rock!
Ron Mart hands on with EOS 1D X
14/02/12 05:03 Filed in: Canon
Ron Mart has an excellent must read hands on with the EOS 1D-X telling about it's new features and how well it fares with it's predecessors.
Damn I would love to get my hands on one of these, but many of my lenses wouldn't work since I have an APS-C.
Damn I would love to get my hands on one of these, but many of my lenses wouldn't work since I have an APS-C.
Canon has updated EOS Utility for Lion
02/02/12 05:15 Filed in: Canon
Canon has updated it’s EOS Utility to 2.10.4 with Lion Support. You must have the original version from your CD installed to update (can’t Canon just leave the software for full install online, you have to have the cameras to use it anyway).
AVID releases AVID Studio for the iPad
FCP.co has an article on the newly released AVID Studio for the iPad. Here is the link to it in iTunes. It is currently $4.99, but will jump to 7.99 in 30 days. Looks pretty cool. Looks higher end than iMovie for the iPad. Looking forward to trying it out.
Big-screen moviemaking comes to the touchscreen with Avid® Studio for iPad.We’ve distilled the world’s leading film-editing technology into an easy-to-use app that enables you to edit video, audio, and photos at the speed of your creativity.'
'Swiftly arrange your clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and add high-quality transitions, effects, and a soundtrack.Then share your movie directly to YouTube, Facebook, and more—or export your project to Avid Studio for the PC and continue editing with even more advanced tools.'
Easily Access Your Media
Work with any media on your device—video, audio, and photos
Access media from external devices via an iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately)
Capture video and photos from within the app
See your media organized by Albums, Events, Faces, and more
Edit
Get started quickly with how-to materials
Easily navigate your project with intuitive gestures
Swiftly arrange clips in the Storyboard
Make precise edits and trim individual frames in the Precision Trimmer
Use the Razor Blade tool to cut on the fly and delete or replace the second half of the clip
Easily replace one clip with another
Enhance
Quickly create multi-layer 3D animations, transitions, and titles with included Montage templates
Easily composite video tracks to create layered looks
Add high-quality fades and dissolves to help your story flow
Generate professional-looking motion titles and graphics with full control over text, font, color, size, position, and rotation
Create amazing Picture-in-Picture effects with full control over position, size, and rotation
Pan and zoom on your photos to create high-impact slideshows
Enjoy full-screen playback
Create Soundtracks
Use your own audio or choose from the included sound effects
Trim audio to any length, set levels, and fade audio in or out
Share
Easily share movies via YouTube, Facebook, email, and much more
Export projects to Avid Studio for the PC
Pro Technology, Pro Results
Created by Avid, the maker of the world’s leading film and music editing technology
Easy enough for the hobbyist, powerful enough for the pro
Intelligent Assistance's Premiere Pro Tools
01/02/12 05:52 Filed in: Intelligent Assistance | Adobe
These utilities for Premiere Pro by Intelligent Assistance have been out for a while, but I haven’t talked about them and think they are pretty cool and worth checking out.
Sequence Clip Exporter
PrEdit
Transcriptize
I knew they made FCP 7 utilities, and now FCP X to FCP 7 utilities, but I didn’t know about their Premiere Pro utilities. Sequence Clip Exporter would pay for itself in about a job, and the others could be even more useful, depending on the job. These are apps to keep an eye on.
Sequence Clip Exporter
It's tedious to spend days preparing shot lists and music cue sheets using EDLs. Instead, generate comprehensive reports in seconds direct to a fully formatted Excel spreadsheet for just $99 with Sequence Clip Reporter, saving hundreds of dollars of your time
PrEdit
prEdit is a dramatically new way to deal with transcripts, story and the first edit. From transcript... to paper cut... to sequence for just $395.
Transcriptize
Adobe's voice recognition technology has been locked to the Adobe CS4 and CS5 Production Premium tools. But with Transcriptize you can extract the transcription to text files, Excel spreadsheets, and place it in Markers in the Final Cut Pro clip. Now you can use the Adobe speech transcriptions in your workflow for just $149.
I knew they made FCP 7 utilities, and now FCP X to FCP 7 utilities, but I didn’t know about their Premiere Pro utilities. Sequence Clip Exporter would pay for itself in about a job, and the others could be even more useful, depending on the job. These are apps to keep an eye on.
Apple Has Updated FCP X added Multicam, 3rd Party FCP 7 Project Import
Good old Larry Jordan has a great blog post on the update to FCP X 10 10.0.3, which is another free update.
APPLE’S RELEASE NOTES
According to the Release Notes from Apple, Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3 adds the following features:
The 3rd Party FCP XML transfer apps are created by Intelligent Assistance and include 7toX and Xto7. 7toX is available for $9.99 and Xto7 is $49.99 in the App Store, and both with XML much like Premiere Pro ability to open XML files from FCP 7.
Looks like Apple is listening and has added back many of the features that are necessary for a Pro to Use this software, even Beta support for broadcast monitors, and multicam, and especially the ability to relink media to different clips. The biggest are the utilities from Intelligent Assistance, which should be free and integrated, but it is great that they are available at all.
Compressor and Motion have also been updated.
Now FCP X does become a viable editing app and successor to FCP 7, though we still don’t know for how much longer FCP 7 will run on the latest OS’s, so it is time to freeze a system to keep FCP 7 viable and be able to even export XML to be able to import into FCP X (Since it does not work with project files).
And no matter what I still think that that the basic editing techniques of FCP X is broken. The inability to have numbered tracks just would not work with the DR workflows that I cut with and make Media Composer and Premiere the real solutions available for editing with. And honestly FCP X will make more people think they are professional editors and leave the high end jobs to people who can use the other software. Sure you will still be able to make good stuff with FCP X and it does have a powerful engine with impressive features, but it’s fundamental changes to editing are not going to revolutionize the industry, but instead continue to drive people to Adobe and AVID.
I still say Apple should have released this as a new App and made a 64 bit version of FCP 7, and slowly added the new features they wanted to implement instead of this scorched Earth policy which has and will continue to alienate the high end post people.
I think the fact that the Final Cut Pro User Group is now the Creative Pro User Group says a lot. Still the updates to FCP X will mean that more people can and will use it, and I am glad Apple is actually listening to some of the complaints, but mostly I hope it means that AVID and Adobe continue to upgrade their software. After all Premiere Pro really needs to be able to do more than 4 angle multi-cam and the automatic syncing, and being able to re-sync at a later time are very cool features that it could use.
APPLE’S RELEASE NOTES
According to the Release Notes from Apple, Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3 adds the following features:
- Multicam editing with automatic sync and support for mixed formats, mixed frame rates, and up to 64 camera angles
- Media relink for manual reconnect of projects and Events to new media
- Ability to import and edit layered Photoshop graphics
- Advanced chroma keying with controls for color sampling, edge quality, and light wrap
- XML 1.1 with support for exporting basic primary color grades and both importing and exporting effect parameters and audio keyframes
- Multiple improvements to the Color Board, including new key commands, editable numeric fields, and adjustable parameters that act like infinite sliders when dragged
- Ability to reorder color corrections in the Inspector
- Reveal in Event Browser shows clip range in the filmstrip while in List View
- Batch offset for clip date and time
- Ability to search text added to Favorite and Reject ranges
- Automatic restore of projects and Events in case of file corruption
- Beta version of broadcast monitoring with third-party PCIe and Thunderbolt I/O devices
- Improves performance when editing text in titles
- Improves performance when applying an effect from the Effect Browser
- Improves key-framing behavior in the Inspector, with keyframes automatically added when moving to a new point in time and adjusting a parameter
- Modifies transition behavior so that all newly added transitions use available media and maintain project length
- Fixes an issue which affected audio solo while skimming
- Resolves issues related to using Synchronize Clips with media containing a silent audio channel
- Fixes an issue in which constant speed retiming was not properly applied when using the Paste Effects command
The 3rd Party FCP XML transfer apps are created by Intelligent Assistance and include 7toX and Xto7. 7toX is available for $9.99 and Xto7 is $49.99 in the App Store, and both with XML much like Premiere Pro ability to open XML files from FCP 7.
Looks like Apple is listening and has added back many of the features that are necessary for a Pro to Use this software, even Beta support for broadcast monitors, and multicam, and especially the ability to relink media to different clips. The biggest are the utilities from Intelligent Assistance, which should be free and integrated, but it is great that they are available at all.
Compressor and Motion have also been updated.
Now FCP X does become a viable editing app and successor to FCP 7, though we still don’t know for how much longer FCP 7 will run on the latest OS’s, so it is time to freeze a system to keep FCP 7 viable and be able to even export XML to be able to import into FCP X (Since it does not work with project files).
And no matter what I still think that that the basic editing techniques of FCP X is broken. The inability to have numbered tracks just would not work with the DR workflows that I cut with and make Media Composer and Premiere the real solutions available for editing with. And honestly FCP X will make more people think they are professional editors and leave the high end jobs to people who can use the other software. Sure you will still be able to make good stuff with FCP X and it does have a powerful engine with impressive features, but it’s fundamental changes to editing are not going to revolutionize the industry, but instead continue to drive people to Adobe and AVID.
I still say Apple should have released this as a new App and made a 64 bit version of FCP 7, and slowly added the new features they wanted to implement instead of this scorched Earth policy which has and will continue to alienate the high end post people.
I think the fact that the Final Cut Pro User Group is now the Creative Pro User Group says a lot. Still the updates to FCP X will mean that more people can and will use it, and I am glad Apple is actually listening to some of the complaints, but mostly I hope it means that AVID and Adobe continue to upgrade their software. After all Premiere Pro really needs to be able to do more than 4 angle multi-cam and the automatic syncing, and being able to re-sync at a later time are very cool features that it could use.
PVC Reviews the GoPro Hero2
The Provideocoalition has an excellent review of the new GoPro Hero2 with some video. I actually just got one of these and can’t wait to put it through it’s paces. It is an awesome and tiny little camera, and can get shots you could not get any other way.
Cinevate Sliders 30% till February 8th
31/01/12 05:56 Filed in: Cinevate
Cinevate is having a 30% off sale, and all their sliders are on sale till February 8th. Wish I could afford one right now!
JVC Unveils Pro HD Portable Monitor Series
The Provideo Coalition has an article on a new JVC Portable display, that can display 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p at different frame rates. There are 3 models ranging from $595 to $1695, all pretty good prices.
PVC takes a look at the Sony F65
| The Provideo Coalition has a first look at number 15 of the Sony F65. It is an interesting read. I hadn’t realized just how beta the camera is right now, seems much like working with a RED with many features not implemented, but on there way. Looking forward to seeing the quality of this though as it is supposed to be spectacular. |
PVC Sees Adobe Prelude and FCPUG now Creative Pro User Group!
28/01/12 09:28 Filed in: Adobe
| The Pro Video Coalition |
eMotimo Motion Control DSLR Time Lapse
22/01/12 19:19 Filed in: DSLR
| I was looking at DSLR motion Control rigs for Timelapse and found this incredible looking |
Get a 3D motion tracker for 40% off on Tuesday the 24th
22/01/12 19:08 Filed in: Article | Motion Tracker
| StrongMocha has announced |
Hurlblog has 7 Tips for HD & DSLR Color Correction
| The Hurlblog from Hurlbut Visuals has an excellent article on 7 Tips for Color Correction with HD and DSLR |
It's Official Kodak Files for Bankruptcy
19/01/12 05:10 Filed in: Kodak
| Reuters is reporting |
Video Space from Digital Rebellion for iOS
19/01/12 05:03 Filed in: Digital Rebellion
| FCP.co is reporting |
Sony's F65 CineAlta, a true 4K Camera
19/01/12 04:50 Filed in: Sony
| Creative Cow has an article |
PVC on Green Screen Lighting on the Cheap!
17/01/12 05:48 Filed in: Article | Greenscreen
Fresh DV on how to make your own Light Leaks
17/01/12 05:16 Filed in: Article
| FreshDV has a cool article on how to make your own Light Leaks |
PVC on Lytro being the new RAW
| The Pro Video Coalition has an excellent article on Lytro being the new RAW |
DSLRPro has 4 Pros talk about the Canon C300
| DSLR News has 4 Pros talk about their experienced using the new Canon C300 with video |
Corel has Updated Painter 12 to 12.1
17/01/12 05:06 Filed in: Corel
Corel has updated it’s Painting Simulator to version 12.1. People who own it can download the update here for Free.
It’s new features are:
It’s new features are:
| New and Improved Brush Sharing and Management |
Arstechnia on why Pros are moving away from Apple
Ars Technica has an article on why Pros are moving away from Apple. It talks about the whole Final Cut Pro debacle, the fact that MacPro’s have not been updated in so long, and are rumored to be EOL’ed, but it does end with quotes about how FCP X is not that bad, which may be true for some people in certain situations, but for most Pro’s it is too little and too late.
I mean my first Apple was a IIC, and then a Mac Classic and I have never looked at a Windows PC, but have been pricing them out of late, and even talked to adobe to find out the process for moving my Creative Suite license to Windows, as it is likely that Mac just won’t be around for me as a professional editor and graphics artist.
I mean my first Apple was a IIC, and then a Mac Classic and I have never looked at a Windows PC, but have been pricing them out of late, and even talked to adobe to find out the process for moving my Creative Suite license to Windows, as it is likely that Mac just won’t be around for me as a professional editor and graphics artist.
Kickstarter Project Timelapse+
15/01/12 10:06 Filed in: Kickstarter | DSLR
There is a very cool new Kickstarter Project for a Timelapse+ Timer Control for Digital DSLR’s.
This an inexpensive and impressive intervelometer that you can pick up for $129.
Here are the intervalometer features:
This an inexpensive and impressive intervelometer that you can pick up for $129.
Here are the intervalometer features:
- Take an unlimited number of photos
- Take sets of photos per interval for HDR (up to 10)
- Each exposure in the set can be set to a different duration
- 1/10 second resolution for the interval and BULB duration
- BULB ramping - shift exposure smoothly during the timelapse (to be implemented)
- Auto BULB ramping based on the light meter (to be implemented)
- Ease of use
- Flexibility and Extendability
- Durability
Sony shows Crystal LED at CES 2012
15/01/12 09:51 Filed in: Sony
Sony showed off a new television technology called Crystal LED, which is literally every pixel is a RGB LED pixel, has better contrast and a lower power consumption.
You can check out a YouTube video, or more from sony at CES at their blog.
Looks like this tech is a bit in the future, but sounds very cool, and I have seen described as between plasma and lcd. Personally deeper black is very exciting, and with individual led’s it should have pretty good color fidelity.
Now I just wonder how expensive it will be.
You can check out a YouTube video, or more from sony at CES at their blog.
Looks like this tech is a bit in the future, but sounds very cool, and I have seen described as between plasma and lcd. Personally deeper black is very exciting, and with individual led’s it should have pretty good color fidelity.
Now I just wonder how expensive it will be.
Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite adds Media Composer Support
The Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite Version 11.2, has added Looks compatibility with Avid Media Composer! You can also install a single program out of the complete installer, which as of the last version only requires one serial number.
Very cool. I love Looks, and see this as a further death nell for Final Cut Pro (and no I don’t include FCP X in that distinction, that is iMovie Pro).
FxFactory updated to 3.0
Noise Industries has updated their Flag Ship Plugs in suite to version 3.0!
This version has new Playback Ready transitions, as well as other new updated effects for it.
Still I wish they had added Premiere Pro support, as having Final Cut Pro support is no longer so important for me (yes I still use After Effects) and Adobe Media composer support would be nice as well.
Lightroom 4 Beta released, some Epic RED R3D support!
10/01/12 17:44 Filed in: Adobe
fxguide is reporting on the release of Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta. And reporting that some settings can be applied to video!
You can read about the beta at the Lightroom Journal.
It has many other new features that are pretty exciting. Check out this video at Adobe TV to see the newest photography features.
Video Support Lightroom 3 added the ability to import, manage and tag video files but as the popularity of video capture increases it’s important to provide a single, robust workflow solution that can support all of your imaging needs regardless if they’re still images or video captures. Lightroom 4 adds native playback for a wide variety of formats from mobile phones to high end DSLRs. Photographers can also apply common image adjustments to their video clips in real time. Additional video details:
- Video playback directly within Lightroom
- Video trimming (In and Out points)
- Set Video poster frame. (This is the thumbnail that appears in the grid view)
- Extract a single frame from a video as a JPEG file
- Most popular DSLR, compact camera and smart phone video formats supported including AVCHD (AVCHD is the native format for Sony DSLRs and many new Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens, MIL, cameras)
- Videos can be adjusted with a subset of the same controls we use for images.
- White Balance (JPEG Equivalent)
- Basic Tone
- Exposure
- Contrast
- White Clipping
- Black Clipping
- Saturation
- Vibrance
- Tone Curve
- Color Treatment (HSL)
- Black and White
- Split Toning
- Process Version and Calibration
You can read about the beta at the Lightroom Journal.
It has many other new features that are pretty exciting. Check out this video at Adobe TV to see the newest photography features.
JVC Introduces 4K Camcorder
HDVIDEOPRO has an article on JVC introducing a new 4K Camcorder at the Consumer Electronics Show. Check it out at JVC’s own site! It comes in at just under $5000 with a fixed lens and can record something like 2 hours of footage on one SD card at variable 144 compression. Here are the features of this new 4K camera.
- 1/2.3" Back-illuminated CMOS Sensor (8.3 million active pixels)
- Ultra high resolution F2.8 10X Zoom Lens
(F2.8 to 4,5 — f=6.7-67 mm) (35 mm conversion: 42.5 to 425 mm) - Built-in optical image stabilizer
- 4K Recording: 3,840 x 2,160
MPEG-4 AVC/H.264(.MP4) 4 Stream Separate Recording 60fps/50fps/24fps Progressive at 144Mbps - 4K recording for up to 2 hours (32GB SDHC, x4)
- JVC file utility included for combining separate streams into single editable file
- Also functions as fully featured full-HD camcorder
AVCHD progressive (.mts) 60i/60p or 50p/50i - Interval (time lapse) recording in both 4K and HD modes
- JVC's patented "FOCUS ASSIST" function
- Full HD (1920x1080) trimming function
- 3 assignable user buttons
- 2 audio channels
4K mode: AAC, 2ch, 48kHz,16bit
HD mode: AC3, 2ch, 48kHz, 16bit - Manual audio level controls with audio meter
- XLR inputs with 48V phantom power
- Large 3.5-inch 920,000 pixel LCD display with touch panel
- 0.24" Lcos 260,000 pixel viewfinder
- Records to inexpensive SDHC/SDXC memory cards
4 used in the 4K mode
1 used in the HD mode - Wired remote control capability
Personally I am excited by 4K cameras as an editor of HD material as it will allow editors to zoom in without losing quality and to stabilize shaky footage without losing resolution (past 1080 HD). This camera may not do it, but a future one will, and it will change documentary, behind the scenes and direct response shooting. Exciting.
Students and Smoke
The Pro-Video Coalition is reporting on the exciting news that students can now Smoke for free for 3 years with a Student ID! Wow, that is cheap! Now if only they would lower the normal price so us Professionals could have it in our arsenal!
Bunim/Murray drops Final Cut Pro for AVID
Arstechnica is reporting that, that top reality show producer and long time Final Cut Pro proponent Bunim/Murray has dropped final Cut Pro and is moving back to AVID media composer.
Basically FCP X is not good enough, and FCP 7 is old and gettiing long in the tooth, and with AVID now being 64 bit, they felt the need to make the move.
Due to the large volume of media generated by our reality shows, we needed to re-evaluate our editing and storage solutions. At the same time, we were looking for a partner who would understand our long-term needs,
Basically FCP X is not good enough, and FCP 7 is old and gettiing long in the tooth, and with AVID now being 64 bit, they felt the need to make the move.
PT_OpenSesame at After Effects Scripts
06/01/12 04:45 Filed in: Adobe
Paul Tuersley at After Effects Scripts has released a new script pt_OpenSesame.
This amazing script will translate projects to open in earlier versions of after effects! Adobe needs to buy this and release it! The price is $49.95 and will be worth it when you need it! Very cool!
This amazing script will translate projects to open in earlier versions of after effects! Adobe needs to buy this and release it! The price is $49.95 and will be worth it when you need it! Very cool!
Blackmagic released HyperDeck Update to DNxHD
23/12/11 11:44 Filed in: Blackmagic | AVID
MacTech has an article on Blackmagic Design having announced a Pulbic Beta of their version 2.0 software for the HyperDeck, which gives Avid DNxHD format to the device.
I actually wonder if ProRES will stay as a big format now that FCP X is no longer pro software, looks like AVID and Premiere will be the way to go.
I actually wonder if ProRES will stay as a big format now that FCP X is no longer pro software, looks like AVID and Premiere will be the way to go.
Avid Assistant Editor Handbook
18/12/11 14:38 Filed in: AVID
The AVID assistant Edtitor’s Handbook has been released.
Sounds interesting, and anything to teach assistant editors is a good thing, and I am sure there are quite a few editors who could use this as well.
The Avid Assistant Editor's Handbook provides new users a solid foundation for working in Avid, and it can accelerate an Avid assistant editor's transition to a coveted editor role. There is also a comprehensive chapter on multigrouping that details this often-used process and often-encountered job requirement.
Sounds interesting, and anything to teach assistant editors is a good thing, and I am sure there are quite a few editors who could use this as well.
NVIDIA Open Sources CUDA
15/12/11 09:53 Filed in: NVIDIA
MaximumPC is reporting that NVIDIA has open sourced the new CUDA LLVM based Compiler.
This means that people will be able to port other programing languages or port CUDA to other platforms like AMD’s or Intel’s. The others have used OPEN CL, but it is not as robust as CUDA, which is why Adobe is so reliant on CUDA for acceleration, and it is hopefully that which will push CUDA to go across all platforms.
This means that people will be able to port other programing languages or port CUDA to other platforms like AMD’s or Intel’s. The others have used OPEN CL, but it is not as robust as CUDA, which is why Adobe is so reliant on CUDA for acceleration, and it is hopefully that which will push CUDA to go across all platforms.
Blackmagic has dropped the price on a Teranex
15/12/11 08:38 Filed in: Blackmagic | Teranex
Creative Cow is reporting that Blackmagic Designs has officially dropped the price on the Teranex VC100 from $90,000 to $19.995! Here’s hoping they also incorporate the technology into future video cards!
After Effects Link for Lightwave
15/12/11 08:35 Filed in: Adobe
AEScripts has a new plug in, AE Link lightwave to After Effects Export.
This will export Cameras, Nulls, Lights and Rendered sequence into After Effects, and will update as you do more work in Lightwave!
It is $125, but well worth it if you use the two programs. Check it out!
This will export Cameras, Nulls, Lights and Rendered sequence into After Effects, and will update as you do more work in Lightwave!
It is $125, but well worth it if you use the two programs. Check it out!
Magic Bullet has updated Magic Bullet Suite to 11.1.2
13/12/11 05:01 Filed in: Red Giant
Red Giant has updated it’s Magic Bullet suite to 11.1.2 including removing Magic Bullet Denoiser. Here are their listed changes:
PhotoLooks 1.5.2
PhotoLooks 1.5.2
- Those of you installing PhotoLooks along with the entire suite may have noticed categories that show up in the Looks drawer that happen to be empty – this occurs because Looks created for Looks 2.0 used new tools and aren’t usable in PhotoLooks (yet). We’ve fixed things up for now so you wont see a bunch of empty categories – only categories that have Looks you want.
- “Save Image As” in the Photo LooksBuilder was never meant to be left in the application and was not working correctly. It has been removed completely. Use the host app you launch PhotoLooks from to save your images.
- For those of you who also use QuickLooks, there was a bug in the installer that would cause all of your QuickLooks presets to disappear after installing PhotoLooks. We’ve fixed this up.
- For those of you using Looks 2.0 in Sony’s Vegas Pro on non-English 32-bit Windows systems, we’ve fixed up the truly annoying OMP error that pops up on your screen.
- In Premiere Pro, dragging the power mask preview outline was not lining up with the actual mask. We’ve sorted this all out and it’s working great.
- The Timecode Start setting was always working in ‘Continuous’ mode – ‘Reset’ and ‘Time of Day’ were being ignored – all fixed up.
- Choosing “Original + Timecode” as the main format option was causing the timecode to be off by a factor of 100. We’ve got the math all working now and you’ll get the results you’re looking for.
- As we previously blogged, Denoiser will be temporarily removed from the Magic Bullet Suite. As of the 11.1.2 release, it has been removed and can no longer be installed through the suite installer. We’re getting really close with the Denoiser we’be been developing in-house and will get it in place as soon as we can!
Apple finally brought iBooks inline with the Kindle App
07/12/11 05:03 Filed in: Apple
Well Apple has finally updated their iBooks app to be more like the Kindle App (can anyone say scared of Amazon Fire) and it now does full screen and night modes where you get gray text on a black screen. I complained about this to Apple right away, but went with Kindle App, because I have found the grey text on a black screen very easy to read, especially at night.
Black Magic buys Teranex!
HD Magazine is reporting that Black Magic Design has bought Teranex Systems!
Wow first Davinci, now Teranex. It will be amazing to see Teranex products at a more affordable price. They always made the best conversion utilities. Wow! This is certainly good news!
Wow first Davinci, now Teranex. It will be amazing to see Teranex products at a more affordable price. They always made the best conversion utilities. Wow! This is certainly good news!
Jon Yi's Canon C300 test video
Canon Rumors has posted Jon Yi’s Test video from a pre-release Canon EOS C300. It really shows how well this camera performs, and is pretty funny as well. ll worth checking out.
I still think that the Camera is overpriced though, and should have been more around the price of a 5D body, or maybe even twice that, but $20,000 is just too much for a camera that takes EOS lenses.
I still think that the Camera is overpriced though, and should have been more around the price of a 5D body, or maybe even twice that, but $20,000 is just too much for a camera that takes EOS lenses.
Did Apple have a completed 64 Bit Final Cut Pro 8 that they scrapped?
MacGasm is reporting on a video of Richard Harrington that FCP.CO reported on and posted the video which has subsequently been removed.
Harrington said in the video:
If this is true I am totally disgusted. If it is true, Apple should have released the 64 Bit Final Cut Pro 8, and also released Final Cut Pro X as something else, probably iMovie Pro and then done what they could to implement some of the new technology as add ons to Final Cut Pro 8. They would have had a huge hit on their hands, and could have revolutionized editing, but instead they have killed Final Cut Pro as a professional editing program and made FCP X a completely consumer program. Sure it has some great technology, but it will never become a standard even if it does have some good new ideas, because it does not work as well or efficiently as Final Cut Pro 7.
I still can’t figure out why they did this to begin with. A new program that is a revolution is fine, but you should not throw out an industry standard program because you have a new idea.
Harrington said in the video:
"There was a Final Cut 8 and it was 64bit and it was done and they looked at it and said 'This is not what we want to do, this is evolutionary, this is not revolutionary' and they killed it."
If this is true I am totally disgusted. If it is true, Apple should have released the 64 Bit Final Cut Pro 8, and also released Final Cut Pro X as something else, probably iMovie Pro and then done what they could to implement some of the new technology as add ons to Final Cut Pro 8. They would have had a huge hit on their hands, and could have revolutionized editing, but instead they have killed Final Cut Pro as a professional editing program and made FCP X a completely consumer program. Sure it has some great technology, but it will never become a standard even if it does have some good new ideas, because it does not work as well or efficiently as Final Cut Pro 7.
I still can’t figure out why they did this to begin with. A new program that is a revolution is fine, but you should not throw out an industry standard program because you have a new idea.
Magic Bullet Denoiser is gone!
01/12/11 16:41 Filed in: Magic Bullet
Red Giant has announced that they have lost the rights to the technology behind Magic Bullet Denoiser. It seems Google has bought Green Parrot Pictures, and they own the technology behind Magic Bullet. So the old version of Denoiser will still work, but you can no longer download it from their web site.
They are going to make a new Denoiser, Denoiser 2, which current owners will get for free, and they promise to get the same level of denoising.
I personally hope it is more stable than the previous version, as I often have a lot of problems with it.
They are going to make a new Denoiser, Denoiser 2, which current owners will get for free, and they promise to get the same level of denoising.
I personally hope it is more stable than the previous version, as I often have a lot of problems with it.
Will Apple return to NVIDIA for Laptops?
Applinsider is reporting a rumor that Apple is set to return to NVIDIA for the next round of MacBook Pro’s. This would be great news for editors who have made the switch to Premiere Pro after the whole Final Cut Pro X debacle! I just hope the 17” adds the top of the line GeForce GTX 580M. That would be a pretty bad ass CUDA machine, and with a thunderbolt port could be a pretty serious editing system.
If this happens, maybe you will even be able to get an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 for the MacPro (if they release one more MacPro system at least), it won’t top an SLI system for CUDA, but would be a pretty serious CUDA system.
One can only hope!
If this happens, maybe you will even be able to get an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 for the MacPro (if they release one more MacPro system at least), it won’t top an SLI system for CUDA, but would be a pretty serious CUDA system.
One can only hope!
What PC to replace a MacPro if MacPro's go away as rumored
21/11/11 05:21 Filed in: Apple
I have doing research into what PC could replace a MacPro is Apple does abandon the MacPro which seems more likely with Apple’s complete shift to consumer. I had previously edited on the kick ass HP workstations, but would no longer trust them, with their waffling on the entire PC division.
Well I found these guys that create custom machines for editing. Puget Systems looks like the way to go. Especially if you go the completely Custom Liquid Cooled route.
Personally I think I would go with the new Core i7’s instead of Xeons (I love being able to have multiple CPU’s for rendering in After effects, but the price is ridiculous and then you can’t go Dual SLI with your NVIDIA cards) and dual SLI with NVDIA GeForce GTX 590 for CUDA support and likely a Black Magic Decklink HD Extreme 3D, thought a Black Magic Ultrastudio Pro might just be the right solution.
Davinci Resolve Lite 8.1.1 now has unlimited color correction Nodes
21/11/11 05:07 Filed in: Blackmagic
Black Magic has updated Davinci Resolve Lite to 8.1.1 and it now has unlimited Color Correction Nodes instead of 2! Wow! So basically the paid version just adds over HD resolution, more than one GPU to process, and more than one RED rocket card, as well as Stereoscopic 3D, noise reduction, power mastering, remote grading and sharing projects with an external database.
I really don’t feel so bad that Apple Color is gone now!
You can download from the Support section.
The Configurator for Mac OS X stills seems to be missing and now links to the PDF manual.
I really don’t feel so bad that Apple Color is gone now!
You can download from the Support section.
The Configurator for Mac OS X stills seems to be missing and now links to the PDF manual.
Gear Live on how to access your iDisk after moving to iCloud
Gear Live has a quick article on how to access your iDisk after upgrading to (in my opinion) the inferior iCloud.
Very useful since those of us who payed for Mobile Me still have our iDisk for another year!
• Open Finder and press ⌘K (Command + K) • Enter 'https://idisk.me.com/yourMobileMeName' as the Server Address (without the quotes) • Click the Connect button
Very useful since those of us who payed for Mobile Me still have our iDisk for another year!
Biscardi Creative on how to Fix DNxHD Quicktime Stutter in Premiere Pro CS 5..5.2
Biscardi Creative has a post on how to fix a Quicktime stutter with DNxHD in Premiere Pro CS 5.5.2 and AJA.
Macgasm on getting iTunes copies of the horribly protected Ultraviolet Digital Copies
21/11/11 04:57
Macgasm has a good article on how Warner is now offering free iTunes copies for those unhappy with the Ultraviolet Digital Copies included with their recent blue rays.
I was one of those people, though I had thrown out my redemption code for one movie, so couldn’t get an iTunes copy of that, but was able to get one for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Got to Ultraviolet’s Support Web site, if you too are unhappy with Ultraviolet.
Personally I already don’t like Apple’s draconian copy protection, but to add even more and have to use another buggy application to watch or badly stream digital copies does not work for me at all!
I was one of those people, though I had thrown out my redemption code for one movie, so couldn’t get an iTunes copy of that, but was able to get one for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Got to Ultraviolet’s Support Web site, if you too are unhappy with Ultraviolet.
Personally I already don’t like Apple’s draconian copy protection, but to add even more and have to use another buggy application to watch or badly stream digital copies does not work for me at all!
Stu at Prolost on Pimping your After Effects
Stu at Prolost has a great article on pimping out After Effects, what settings he uses, and some must have scripts.
On the scripts, BG Renderer is a must, at $29.99 it allows you to not only render in the background, but also to e-mail you when a render is done, so you can walk way, and know right when it is ready continue.
And of course Stu’s own DV Rebel Tools are also another must have.
On the scripts, BG Renderer is a must, at $29.99 it allows you to not only render in the background, but also to e-mail you when a render is done, so you can walk way, and know right when it is ready continue.
And of course Stu’s own DV Rebel Tools are also another must have.
Scott Simmons on Media Composer 6
Scott Simmons from the Edit Blog at the Prod Video Coalition has a must have article on Media Composer 6. It is a must read for some of it’s gotchas on ProRES.
While it can fast import ProRES footage like it can with DNxHD footage, it cannot then Consolidate ProRES footage, which means copying without recompressing, it can still only do that with Avid compressed footage. You have to Transcode ProRES footage, so it adds another layer of compression into the mix.
While it can fast import ProRES footage like it can with DNxHD footage, it cannot then Consolidate ProRES footage, which means copying without recompressing, it can still only do that with Avid compressed footage. You have to Transcode ProRES footage, so it adds another layer of compression into the mix.
Apple has released an FCPX Bug Fix to 10.0.2
17/11/11 15:56 Filed in: Apple
Apple has released an update to Final Cut Pro X 10.0.2. Here are the bug fixes:
No major new features, but at least they are doing bug fixes.
• Fixes an issue where a title may revert to the default font after restarting Final Cut Pro X
• Resolves an issue that could cause files recorded with certain third-party mobile devices to play back incorrectly
• Addresses a stability issue caused by changing the start time on a Compound Clip
No major new features, but at least they are doing bug fixes.
Speed up a slow updated Google Reader
07/11/11 19:02 Filed in: Google
For anyone else who relies heavily on RSS feeds, and Google Reader to read them, this hint is a real help. Google recently updated reader with an awful new look, and made it incredibly slow. Well someone on the Google Forums has found a solution that returns the old speed.
In either Chrome or Firefox Adblock add a new rule and enter the following text:
This should return the old speed, but getting rid of the +1 button on other sites (like it gone from 500px). Not an ideal solution, but anything to get my speed back!
And if you added a custom google plus feed to the Send To it still works.
In either Chrome or Firefox Adblock add a new rule and enter the following text:
||plusone.google.com/u/0/_/+1/fastbutton^This should return the old speed, but getting rid of the +1 button on other sites (like it gone from 500px). Not an ideal solution, but anything to get my speed back!
And if you added a custom google plus feed to the Send To it still works.