February 2006 Archives
One of the cool things about real-time streaming content is that you can find out where your streaming media viewers are located. Now when I say located that sounds kind of creepy. Let me clarify this. I mean you can see what cities and countries people are watching your streaming content from. You don't get specifics on the actual location of your viewers.
Let's move on. There's a great tool you can utilize called VisualRoute which allows you to type in an IP address and then the software will show you in the software interface what city or country of your viewers are from. You can even see the amount of network hops that it takes for your content to get to your viewers. This tool is great if you have the the time to use it.
View a Live Demo of VisualRoute to understand how the software works
Recently I had problems trying to increase audio levels in QuickTime 7 Pro. If I increased my audio levels to +6 db in the Audio Settings under the Show Movie Properties window using QuickTime 7.0.3/7.0.4 Pro and saved my movie, then closed it, the adjusted audio levels didn't remain. The audio levels instead returned to the +0 db default settings. If you're using the latest version of QuickTime 7 Pro you'll probably have the same issue.
A work around solution for this problem is to increase audio levels in your non-linear editor. Many times you can increase your audio levels in your NLE to the point right before it peaks. Make sure it doesn't sound distorted when you export your videos or record to tape.
Of course another work around is the revert back to the Quicktime 6.5.2 Pro version but then you wouldn't have all the great features of QuickTime 7 Pro. I think it's worth it to find a temporary solution for now. I'm hopeful that we will see a solution to this audio level adjustment bug in future QuickTime updates. I'll post another blog when the audio level adjustment bug is fixed.
Note: I have not tested this issue on a PC using QuickTime 7 Pro.
If you're trying to spice up your Live Webcasts using the QuickTime format then Live Channel Pro 2.2.2 might be just the thing. Live Channel Pro 2.2.2 is a Mac only product and allows users to have a video production switcher right in the software.
Some of the Live Channel Pro 2.2.2 features are:
*Support for Multiple layers
*Real-time Video Transitions
*Real-time Video Effects
*Alpha Channel Support
*Live audio mixing
*Built-in Server
*Compatibility with Real Networks Servers
*Compatibility with QuickTime Streaming Servers
*Picture in Picture
*Support multiple input sources
This software is really amazing and power-packed with many professional video production features. There are plenty of other features not listed in this write-up.
Have fun taking your QuickTime Live Webcasts to the next level with Live Channel Pro 2.2.2!
Once you compress your Flash streaming videos, you will need a Stream Hosting service to publish your videos on the web. It's costly to set up your own Flash Media Server 2 but you can get a Flash Stream Hosting package from VitalStream, Playstream or Vchange to make your life easier.
VitalStream has an outstanding Flash Video Streaming service and was one of the first companies to have such a service. Their service features a control panel that allows the less knowledgeable about authoring Flash videos to easily get there content on the web. Users can follow the prompts in the VitalStream Control panel to get their Flash Streaming videos on-line.
PlayStream has probably one of the easiest methods of getting Flash Streaming videos on-line. The company touts that you can publish your Flash Streaming videos using the PlayStream Flash Stream Hosting service in three clicks and they're right. What I like best about PlayStream's Flash Streaming Hosting service is that it works through Dreamweaver with the use of the PlayStream VideoLaunch extension. This extension gives you a button in Dreamweaver that goes directly to your PlayStream Flash Stream account. You must have a PlayStream Flash Stream Hosting account to take advantage of this feature.
Vchange has a different approach to their Flash Stream Hosting service. They don't have control panels or extensions available for use with their hosting service but offer a hand-holding approach to utilizing their Flash Stream Hosting service. They can walk customers through the process of publishing Flash content. They can even assist customers in the encoding process if needed. Of course there's an extra fee for the encoding service. Vchange has also created special pricing for GeniusDV.com subscribers and The DV Show Podcast listeners.
If you're looking for music broadcasts on the web, Live365 offers easy access to on-line audio broadcasts. Live365 is probably one of the most popular sites on the web for listening to streaming music broadcasts. There's a large amount of stations available on the Live365 website. There are both personal and professional broadcast stations in every genre that you can image.
If you are interested in taking one of the Live365 audio stations for a test drive here's how to do it. Visit www.Live365.com and when you get to the website do a search for the genre you are interested in. Once your search results are ready, click the station of your choosing. Click on the play icon when your station comes up. Stations can be played backed in iTunes and once iTunes it can be clicked on for easy access.
Learn how to broadcast your own on-line radio station on Live365.com
I recently upgraded to Avid Express Pro HD 5.x version and had issues with my Sony DSR-11 deck. if you are having issues controling you deck when trying to capture directly to the CPU from a deck/transcoder/camera via firewire, you may notice that there the deck is not recognized or communicating to the software.
This problem only occurs on the HD versions of the software (Xpress Pro 5.x or Media Composer Adrenaline 2.x). Although, this problem is specific to communicating from the CPU directly to the capture device, there have been cases when this method has rectified capture issues with a DNA device (Mojo or Adrenaline) as well.
This can be resolved by registering the DVBuffers. (this file is a part of the DIO Runtime, which is installed with the Avid software, and is essential for Avid's communication with external capture devices).
To register the buffers:
Click Start, then click Run
In the command line, type : regsvr32 DVBuffers.ax
If you typed this line correctly, a popup window will display a message "DLLRegisterServer in DVBuffers.ax succeeded" (the message may vary from version to version)
If the line was typed incorrectly, the message will report that the registration failed.
It is very important that you set up your computer to meet Avid specifications. I recently had some issues playing any 3D effects through my Avid. Every time I would hit the play without a rendered 3D effect I would get an error that would read: Standard Exception: STD:EXP. If you have come across this is error it is a very simple fix, but can drive you crazy until you figure it out. I have listed the fixes below for both single-display and Dual-View modes. Depending on the display driver the names of your settings may be slightly different Just remember to take the time to read the READ-ME file that Avid provides with each new release and keep you troubles to minimum.
To set single-display mode:
1. Right-click the Desktop, and select Properties.
The Display Properties dialog box opens.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Click the applicable Quadro tab.
5. In the pop-up settings window, click Performance and Quality Settings.
6. Click Open GL Settings.
7. From the Multi-Display Hardware Acceleration menu, choose Single-Display
Mode.
8. Click Apply and then click OK.
To set Dual View mode:
1. Right-click the Desktop, and select Properties.
The Display Properties dialog box opens.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Click the Quadro tab.
5. In the settings window, click nVidia Display Mode.
6. Select nView Modes > Dualview.
7. Click Apply, and then click OK.
This year's NAB Multimedia World includes IPTV, Mobile Devices and Web Video sessions. These are just some of topics you can learn more about during the NAB Multimedia World conference from to April 22 - April 27 in Las Vegas. NAB MultiMedia World includes a variety of educational technology conferences designed to offer a unique perspective on myriad technology industries working together to enhance the creation and distribution of electronic media content.
NAB MultiMedia World Conferences include information on:
Digital Cinema
IPTV
MoTV
Mobile Video
Web Video
NAB MultiMedia World will also include a special day session hosted by the MPEG Industry Forum and the Internet Streaming Media Alliance. In addition, there are other conferences on Technologies for Worhsip and Podcasting.
Hey all you Final Cut Pro users, here's a set of plug-ins from Digital Film Tools that may be just what you are looking for. Their results are subtle and will aid you in the persuit of a more filmic look for your projects. Here's a sample of what's inside:
Faux Film
Halo
Dual Grad
Enhancing
Low Contrast
Lens Distortion
Rack Focus
Rosco Gels
Sunset/Twilight
Defog
....and MUCH more!
Take a quick peek at this set of Final Cut Pro Filters!
Manually creating subclips from a large captured file can help you manage the footage you will be using in your Final Cut Pro sequence. After you have created subclips, you can edit them into your sequence the same as you would any other clip. After you have practiced this procedure, check out "Using Markers To Save Time In Final Cut Pro" for another effective way to manage large captured files.
1 Double click on the clip so it will open in the Viewer Window.
2 Set an In and an out point designating the subclip you wish to make.
3 Press Command U or go to Modify > Make Subclip and the subclip will be placed in the Browser Window.
If you like to edit from your laptop but would like more screen real estate when you get back to the office then Matrox has the answer for you. It’s called DualHead2Go and allows the user to connect two VGA monitors from a laptop. The revolutionary new Matrox DualHead2Go external multi-display upgrade is not a graphics card, but rather a palm-sized box that sits outside of your system. DualHead2Go takes the existing single monitor display output (i.e. external VGA output) from your system and expands it into dual display outputs, allowing you to run your Windows desktop at up to 2560 x 1024 resolution stretched across two displays. Using DualHead2Go in conjunction with the built-in display of your laptop, you actually benefit from 3 displays at a time. We are on the road a lot and I sometimes need to edit in our trailer or a camper and this is the perfect solution for me. You can also use this on a standard desktop instead of buying a new graphics card. The multi-display device is available now for only $169.00 retail. Check out the full report on the great new DualHead2Go.
Multimedia Messaging Services bring new capabilties to the mobile device market. In the past, technology known of as SMS (which stands for Short Messaging Services) made our lives better by allowing us to send short text messages via e-mail or other mobiles phones. Today a newer technology know of as MMS (short for Multimedia Messaging Services) is leading the way in providing the ability to send images, video, sound and animation in messages. MMS utilizes open standards for messaging and consumers can look to send images, video, sound and animation in messages if they purchase a device that has the MMS (Mutlimedia Messaging Services) designation. Here's a list of upcoming products that should be available in the first half of 2006 from Motorola and Sony Ericsson.
Mobile Devices that are MMS Capable:
Sony Ericsson K610
Sony Ericsson W950 - Walkman Phone
Sony Ericsson M600 Slim
Watch this video from Motorola and learn more about Multimedia Messaging Services.
Note: Products listed should be available sometime in the first half of 2006.
Other Links:
Purchase Streaming & Compression Tools from GeniusDV E-store
Previously, we had talked about using the Roll Tool to change the location of a transition while in the Transition Editor. Well, you can also perform a roll edit in the Viewer Window by activating the Roll Tool and setting your in and out.
1 Open a clip that you have edited into your sequence into the Viewer Window by double clicking it.
2 Press the R Key to activate the Roll Tool.
3 Drag your in or out point in the Canvas to roll the edit in your sequence.
If you have numerous video or audio files that need to be encoded, using Watch Folders can help you automate that process. Watch Folders work best when you have video or audio files that don't need to trimmed and when you want to apply the same compression settings and filters to your videos or audio files. The Watch Folder method of encoding is not the best solution for every situation but it sure can make things easy for you. Here's the beauty of Watch Folders. If you have 50 videos that need to be encoded, creating Watch Folders makes this process a breeze because you can use the same compression settings on all 50 videos. Once files are done encoding they are placed automatically in a folder for completed compression.
For better compression results it's better to tweak each video individually and of course that takes more time. Procoder, Sorenson Squeeze, and Cleaner all support Watch folders.
Learn how to create Watch folders in our upcoming Video Streaming and Compression Seminar.
The NBA catches on with Free Streaming Videos and I'm excited about it. I can remember visiting NBA.com a while back and attempting to watch streaming video highlights but couldn't because I didn't subscribe to the streaming video service. Back then, I thought it would be great it I could tune into streaming highlights, interviews and other content for free. Well, I recently logged onto NBA.com during the All-Star weekend and was able to watch streaming highlights and interviews for free. I don't know if the NBA streaming content is free for a limited time but I hope there is more free content to come.
What's nice about offering free on-dermand content is that makes viewing more flexible for the Internet viewer. For example, I got busy during the 3-point shootout and didn't get a chance to watch the entire contest. I was able to go back and view the parts that I missed. NBA.com has got it right. You shouldn't have to pay for streaming content. The free on-demand streaming business model is one supported by many internet users who were surveyed in the Internet and Multimedia 11 Survey of 2003. The study found that close to 60% of Internet audio and video users preferred no monthly fees with commercials. Less than 20% supported subscription based models without commercials. Since the time the Internet and Multimedia Survey 11 of 2003 was released a number of Ad-based streaming video business models have emerged. It's a great model for providing streaming content on-line.
Much thanks to Arbitron for their on-going efforts to provide great Free Internet studies and reports.
You can attend FlashForward2006 to learn about Flash Video Compression. The annual Flash conference in Seattle, Washington starts next week and runs from February 27th through March 2. FlashForward2006 is power packed with many sessions about Flash authoring but there other sessions such as: Authoring Flash Video, Advanced Encoding Strategies, High Quality Video Encoding for Flash and many other sessions on encoding Flash video.
There is also a special session on Adobe's Flash Media Server2 . This session will show you a demonstration of the new features in Flash Media Server 2, walk through the changes to license model, and show real world applications of Flash Media Server technologies, such as interactive chat, video blogging, and streaming audio/video.
Flash Media Server 2 supports playback of the latest codec found in Flash 8, the On2 VP6 codec.
Find out more details about Flash Video Encoding sessions at Flashforward2006
Compressor is great tool to use for DVD Compression. The application excellent quality for creating MPEG-2 and AIFF PCM audio files to use to author your DVD projects. You can only get Apple's Compressor application by purchasing DVD Studio, Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Studio. Compressor comes with easy to use presets but the nice thing is that you can duplicate your presets and customize them as much as you would like. You can also compress MPEG-4, H.264 and Quicktime and Dolby Digital AC-3. Compressor is great for Beginner to Advanced level compression.
For any of you Final Cut Pro users out there who are thinking about investing in a camera that shoots in 24p, here are some links to the hottest most affordable 24p options on the market!
The Panasonic DVX 100a, Canon XL2, and Sony HVR FX1 compared!
Weigh Your Choices CAREFULLY!
If you are experimenting with various combinations of filters and keyframe parameters for a given clip and you have just decided that going back to the drawing board and starting over again would be the best bet, there is a quick and simple way to dispose of the clips attributes.
Removing Attributes From a Clip
1 Click once on the clip that you have been working on in the timeline to select it.
2 Go to Edit > Remove Attributes
3 When the Remove Attributes dialog box opens, pick the attributes that you wish to dispose of, then click OK.
There's an Adobe Flash Media Server 2.0.1 Update available. The update fixes many technical issues with the Flash Media Server 2.
The scalable Flash Media Server 2 for delivering interactive multimedia applications boasts many capabilties such as Video on Demand Streaming, Video Blogging and Messaging, Live Video Streaming with Capture and Advanced Seek. Flash Media Server 2 takes advantage of the new high-quality video codec in Flash Player 8, complete with automatic detection of the client's bandwidth connection and the capability to adjust the stream accordingly.
Here's a list of other Flash Media Server 2 features:
*Automatic Player Detection
*Quality of Service Monitoring
*Playlist and Ad-Insertion Support
*Encrypted Delivery
*Logging
*Authentication
*No Client Cache
*Live Video Streaming and Recording
Information links:
Get more details on the Adobe Flash Media Server 2
Visit the Flash Media Server session at FlashForward 2006 in Seattle
Currently, there are problems with Flip4Mac WMV Studio/Pro 2.0.1 working with Sorenson Squeeze 4.3. Not to worry because a fix is in the works. Sorenson Media, makers of Sorenson Squeeze 4.3 and Telestream, makers of Flip4Mac WMV Studio/Pro 2.0.1 do a great job of updating their software and making their compression tools workable for their customers.
In the meantime, here's a fix to the problem issue.
If you are using Sorenson Squeeze 4.3 and have already installed the latest version of Flip4Mac Studio/Pro 2.0.1 then visit the Flip4Mac WMV Studio/Pro 1.0.6 download link and get the previous version of Flip4Mac. Choose WMV Studio & Studio Pro v1.0.6 at the bottom of the page to download the software. As you go through the install process for Flip4Mac WMV Studio/Pro 1.0.6 click on the Customize option and deselect the Flip4Mac WMV Player. This will allow you to keep the version 2.0.1 player which is not the source of the problem. After you install make sure you restart your computer and you should have full functionality.
Download WMV Studio/Pro version 1.0.6 to fix Flip4Mac Problems with Sorenson Squeeze 4.3.
Note: Thanks to the Flip4Mac support team for the work around solution.
We have talked previously about using markers to save time in Final Cut Pro, creating marker durations and navigating between markers, but did you know that you can also set markers for clips during the Log and Capture process? You can set in and out points for markers in the Log and Capture Window that will also appear in the Browser, Viewer and Timeline when that particular clip is displayed.
1 After you have made all of the necessary hardware connections and have opened the Log and Capture Window, Click on the disclosure triangle next to MARKERS.
2 Give the marker you are creating a descriptive name.
3 Navigate to the frame where you wish to place the In for the marker by either typing in a timecode value in the Marker In field provided or by shuttling via the Transport Controls.
4 Set an In point by clicking the In button.
5 Navigate to the frame that will be the Out point for the marker the same way you moved to the In point in step 3, via transport controls or typing in a timecode value for the Marker Out field.
6 Set an Out point by clicking the Out button.
7 Click the set Marker button to create the marker. Now, when you click on the Log Clip button this information will be stored with the file you are capturing.
There are many CD and DVD duplicators/replicators out there, so how do you choose the right one. Well I just spent the last two months producing a two-disc DVD set and had that exact dilemma. I was looking for someone that did in house replication, high-quality printing, good value, ready for retail and quick turnaround. Well, if you have these same needs than look no further than Disk Makers. They can handle any of your needs; from authoring to artwork design. Disk Makers takes care of it all. My needs were fairly simple; replicate my two-disc set, and print my artwork and package in a case with polywrap ready for retail. We all are in under pressure for deadlines and it seems like we never have enough time in a day to meet those deadlines. Disk Makers helps take off some of that pressure with an 11-day turnaround time for my 1200 disc order. They can handle any order with no minimums. Check out Disk Makers for your next DVD project
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
In understanding MPEG-4 vs. H.264/AVC it's important to know that H.264/AVC are also both MPEG-4 as well. Let me explain. MPEG-4 actually consists of 22 Parts, many of which have not been implemented yet. MPEG-4 Part 2 was implemented in real world applications first and because of that, it has become widely known of as MPEG-4. My guess is that MPEG-4 Part 2 came first because it was the least complex of many video profiles for MPEG-4 and people could start viewing what MPEG-4 content had to offer sooner. This is because MPEG-4 Part 2 doesn't require as much processor speed or memory as that of H.264/AVC because it's decoding algorithms are less complex. Now, let's talk about H.264/AVC.
H.264 and AVC are actually the same thing. They refer to another part of MPEG-4 called MPEG-4 Part 10. So you can take your pick at what you would like to call it. MPEG-4 Part 10 includes Advanced Video Coding and uses higher level profiles than that of MPEG-4 Part 2. This type of decoding is more complex and requires more computer processor speed and memory because it uses more complicated decoding than MPEG-4 Part 10.
Look forward to great things with H.264 as computers get better and memory costs decrease!
Note: Simple Profile and Advanced Simple Profile are included in MPEG-4 Part 2. The least complex to decode being the Simple Profile. AVC Baseline Profile and AVC Main Profiles are found within MPEG-4 Part 10. The least complex to decode being the AVC Baseline Profile.
Other Links:
Purchase Streaming & Compression Tools from GeniusDV E-store
You can learn Video Streaming and Compression Basics in a 1-Day Seminar in Orlando, Florida. Our 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. Our 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.
Take a Glimpse of the Outline for the Video Streaming and Compression Seminar
View Upcoming Training Dates for our Video Streaming and Compression Class
In a long sequence that you have been working on for days, it is very easy to forget if you have used a certain clip before. One quick way to check and see if that clip already exists in the timeline is to attempt to match a master clip to a clip in your sequence.
1 After your sequence has already been opened into the timline, double click on a clip to open it in the Viewer window, then park the position indicator over the frame you want to check for in.
2 Go to View > Match Frame > Master Clip or simply click on the Matchframe option in the lower left of the Viewer. The position indicator located in the Timeline will jump to the match frame in the sequence and the frame will be shown in the Canvas Window. This is but one way to search a Final Cut Pro timeline for clip.
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 and don't forget to sign up for one of our up and coming training bundles to advance yourself to the next level.
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 character's having a conversation is a great way to visually soften a straight cut.
Perhaps you've never payed 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 timeline, 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 timeline. This example will explain the latter of the two on account that 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, I have placed an in point for the audio at the beginning of the actor's conversation and placed a video out point where I 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, I set the audio in a few frames before the video in and set an audio out after he had finished articulating his thought. If I 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, I wanted you to see the visual difference between split edit points and the typical edit point.
The actor's audio is now longer than his video, when edited into the timeline,
allowing me, 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.
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.
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.
4. Stop the capture and save to MJPEG-A codec at the High Quality setting.
5. 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.
Special Note:
Ambrosia Software only manufactures the SnapZ Pro X software which handles the capturing process.
Apple Computer only makes the QuickTime Pro software which handles saving to a specified CODEC.
Telestream only manufactures the Flip4Mac WMV Studio software that allows for conversion of QuickTime content to Windows Media.
You will need to contact the manufacture of the specific product for support or technical assistance.
Find out more about Snapz Pro X which allows you to do screen capture to video and stills
Get QuickTime Pro to export your video to other QuickTime codecs and formats.
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Purchase Streaming & Compression Tools from GeniusDV E-store
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 I 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 Pro is 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 > Rever Project.
3 Click OK.
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)
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.
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
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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 you 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.
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. I use this all of the time to select specific portion of my sequence for editing into my new timeline. This is a great feature that you should learn to use to get the excat results you are looking for.
Just recently, a question was raised to instructor John Lynn 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 I 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 "
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
One of the best and easiest ways to navigate through a project’s timeline in Adobe After FX 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 marker.
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.
