According to an AppleInsider post here we can look forward to updates around NAB time. Well all I can say is it’s about time! With AVID and Adobe actively upgrading and developing their NLE software , Apple has fallen behind in features. The last major upgrade to Final Cut was almost 2 years ago. A lifetime in software years. The rumors also includes updates to Shake and Final Cut Server. Got my fingers crossed this rumor comes true.
Here’s a really nice look at the Apple ProRes codec that we are now adapting as our own. According to Gary Adcock’s tests, there are very few instances where using the HQ version is necessary. Click here to read his entire post. Bottom line… great looking video at very small data sizes.
Love when someone out there does all the hard work and all I have to do is write a little post and link to their work. In this case it has to do with encoding your video for Youtube in their new 16×9 format and HD settings. In this case, Brian Gary over at kenstone.net does the hard work and includes some handy Compressor presets as well. Download, tweak, encode, upload and enjoy.
Great thing about the blogworld is whenever you’re thinking about writing a post, chances are someone has already written about what you’re thinking, especially in this production/post-production world.
I was working on a HD project the other day where I had 4 stock shots from Getty. 1 of the shots was SD so of course I was confronted with that issue of having to upconvert the SD shot to HD. I tried every which way to do it.
1. Compressor
2. Magic Bullet Instant HD in Final Cut Pro
3. Magic Bullet Instant HD in After Effects
4. Kona 3 Hardware.
Not having used Instant HD I had high hopes that this could be done in software. While the process of using the plug-in isn’t very intuitive, it did give decent results but I noticed interlace issues in both Final Cut and After Effects. With Instant HD you’re meant to work with progressive footage only and as the file I was upconverting was downloaded from Getty in the Photo JPEG codec, I assumed it was already de-interlaced. Compressor was having the same issues as Instant HD. It wasn’t a frame rate issue, the software conversion just couldn’t give me decent frame blending on the slight panning motion in the shot. So last but not least was the Kona 3. Since the shot was originally a download, I had to output the shot to Digital Betacam first then capture using the Kona 3 hardware upconversion. I brought it in 2 ways, once with the image zoomed to fill the 16:9 frame and once with pillar bars left and right. I ended up using the zoomed version and when edited into the final sequence, it played great with the other 3 HD shots.
So this all leads me to this… Shane Ross on Creative Cow goes into great depth about using the Kona 3 to do your upconversions for you. Thanks Shane and now I know whenvever I’m given the challenge of upconverting SD to HD, I’ll always think of hardware first. If you’re lucky enough to have a Kona 3 in your workflow Shane’s article is a must read for hardware upconversion.
Handy little video tip from Tom Merritt over at CNET.
As you may know, the record companies are forcing Apple to keep selling a majority of it’s music on iTunes with DRM while over at Amazon, you can buy digital downloads without any DRM. Trying to work with DRMed music in a post world is very inconvenient. Yes we have our ways of stripping the DRM off so we can use it our timelines but it’s a pain and time consuming. One of the reasons iTunes is so popular for music downloads is because it’s a great place to search for music. Amazon is a little more cumbersome to search. So now thanks to a cool script from Advantageous mp3, search for your music in iTunes, run this script and you’ll be taken to the Amazon Music store where you can download and the DRM free music. Great little tool and hopefully someday soon we can kiss DRM goodbye for good. One last thing…requires Leopard 10.5 or higher.
For a long time there was one default application for capturing video from your computer screen on the Mac. SnapZPro has been available on the Mac for many years and while it has served us well it may be time to move on for good.
For the last year or more I’ve been using a program called iShowU from shinywhitebox software. I’ve liked the ease of use and the speed at which it will build my captures after finishing a record. One of the biggest drawbacks for me with SnapZPro is the time it takes to build the file after recording. When deadlines are tight it just doesn’t cut it, especially on long records. Well now there even more reason to make the switch.
With the introduction of iShowU HD, you now have the ability to record in HD, post directly to YouTube and other video hosting sites, record keystrokes, import directly into Final Cut Pro, plus a slew of other new features. The standard version costs $29.95 with the Pro version cost $59.95. For Leopard only so if you’re still running Tiger, you’ve got to stick with iShowU or upgrade your OS. Lots of video tutorials available on their site. Of course there are other choices for screen capturing like ScreenFlow from Flip4mac. ScreenFlow is great for doing screencasts with it’s integrated editing functionality. It’s pricier at $99 too. But for simple screen captures for use in your Final Cut sequences I don’t think you can go wrong with iShowU HD. I’m upgrading today!
Was watching MacBreak Studio last night and learned something I thought was really cool.
How many times are you in a pinch for a music track and don’t have the time to look for or the $$ for a library cut? Now we all know about GarageBand, but when was the last time you opened it up? Well the newest version that comes with iLife ’08 has a cool new feature called Magic GarageBand. If you have a new Mac then you already have iLife ’08. If you’ve got an older Mac then you might need to upgrade to get this new feature. Basically, Magic GarageBand lets you select a genre of music, pick the types of instruments and presto…instant music tracks for free.
Rather than get too much into how it works and what it does, I recommend taking a look at the episode of MacBreak Studio.
I think you’ll be surprised how easy a process it is to create your own music to the desired length you need. Be sure to stop by PixelCorps for more podcasts too!
We all know how tough it is to get smooth pans and zooms on stills and video in Final Cut Pro. Well now thanks to FxFactory you can download their free plugin and achieve those Ken Burns effects you’ve always wished for. Check out their site and demos and then download for free. Only runs on Leopard and FCP 6 and Motion 3. Time to upgrade!
Need stock shots for your RED project. Now you can find them through Artbeats. Currently there are 355 clips available for purchase in either 2K, 3K, 4K and/or Raw format. Lots or scenic shots. Prices range from $299 to $399 per clip. Go get ‘em!
Here’s a cool little app from Digital Heaven the same people that brought you those free grid generators as well as many other useful plugins
Loader makes it easy to bring in music, sound effects and graphic files to your open Final Cut Pro projects. It converts mp3s to aif for you and places the clip into your choice of open FCP project. Take a look here…
