Blog Archives

Apple Compressor 4.4.7 now supports creating a wider range of proxy files. This illustrated tutorial explains what you need to know, how it works and which to choose.

One of the headline features in the 10.4.9 update to Final Cut Pro X is a number of improvements to proxy editing. Here’s an illustrated tutorial on what they are and how they work.

The brand-new ArmorLock SSD from G-Technology is fast, secure and rugged. But, it has problems when trying to add multiple secure users to the drive. It’s a great idea that needs tweaking.

Apple continues to make it easier – though not intuitive – to bring an errant Mac under control. Here are the steps you need to take to get you Mac running right.

Here is an interested workaround to fool Apple Final Cut Pro X into importing just portions of a clip, rather than the entire clip. This is especially useful when you have extremely long media files, but only need to use a very short section.

Storage Locations, which specifies where Final Cut Pro X stores media, provides a significant and useful compromise between the security of storing all files in the library, with the flexibility of directly accessing files scattered about your hard disk.

Proxy files simplify working with video files. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to create and use them in Apple Final Cut Pro X.

In this short video excerpt, Larry Jordan demonstrates a very fast technique to copy files from an iPhone to a Mac.

Content ‘Velocity’ Is More Important Than Quality. Larry Jordan interviews Jess Hartmann, CEO, ProMax, about changes in video post-production as we emerge from the pandemic.

A backup strategy for video production and editing to make sure you can find the assets you need when you need them.

ChronoX is a very useful app for testing your system in a real-world setting to help you maximize its performance. Here’s a detailed look at what it is and how it works.

A detailed, illustrated tutorial on how to move custom Motion templates designed for Final Cut from one computer to another.

Productions were introduced by Adobe as a collaboration feature. But, even if you are a solo editor, there’s a lot to like in Productions. Here are Larry Jordan’s thoughts on Productions.

An in-depth look at the latest release of ArGest Backup 4.0 from TOLIS Group. This is specifically designed for archiving assets to LTO tape. This review uses the LTO-8 tape format.

In this short video demo, watch as Larry Jordan shows how and why to disable drive ownership in the macOS for all external storage. (Yes, you should do this.)

Thoughtful reflections from Bill Goetz, news videographer, on how change changes us.

How to retain the highest image quality when exporting media from Apple Final Cut Pro X.

Burning Blu-ray Discs is possible on a Mac, but bugs in Apple Final Cut Pro X make creating Blu-rays harder than it should be. Read the workarounds here.

A quick, step-by-step process to transfer videos from a Mac to an iPad.

This is a table of updated file sizes for all iPhone video formats, based on frame size and frame rate. Use these to plan your storage needs.

A video compression speed and file size comparison using Apple Compressor between macOS Mojave and Catalina. This will be of interest to video editors and media creators.

Retrospect 16 – powerful, flexible and, handicapped by out-of-date tutorials and an unhelpful User Guide, very, very difficult for the new user to learn.

A quick tutorial on what Final Cut Pro X Library backup files are, where they are stored and how to delete them.

Post Haste can help you get organized right at the start of a project by creating folders and files automatically, and in a format you control. This free app is worth a look – here are the details.

In spite of their documentation, LaCie hard drives, when formatted as RAIDs, are not hot-swappable. Here’s a write-up from Loren Miller that explains the problem.

A general analysis of when to use H.264 vs. HEVC for media compression, along with a recommendation for media creators.

The Project Manager, in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, allows you to gather all the files for a project and store them safely in one place. Here’s how it works.

Due to an extreme shortage of LTO-8 tape, the growth of LTO stalled during 2019. The tape situation is now resolved, which means we can look forward to being able to archive our assets, as this article explains.

A look at the impact changing video frame rates has on storage requirements.

Promise Pegasus RAIDs are causing problems when trying to run Windows 10 under macOS Catalina. Read here for the details.

Apple released the latest version of Compressor (4.4.5) last Monday. One of the key features in the update was improved performance. Since all of us rely on compression to deliver our final projects, I wanted to see how much improvement …

The brave new world of 8K media requires a beefy computer, like the new 2019 Mac Pro. But, the hidden cost – and major surprise – is what 8K media requires in your storage. Here’s an overview of what to expect.

An illustrated guide to safely exporting a complete Final Cut Pro edit for archiving or transferring to different software using XML files.

An illustrated guide to exporting events and media for archiving, media asset management or transferring to different software using Apple Final Cut Pro X.

An explanation of things to consider when purchasing your next computer for media editing. Written for the non-technical person who is deeply confused about what all these tech talk means.

A quick look at DVD Creator from Wondershare, and a conversation with Wondershare about the specific features in the software for filmmakers.

Marker, from XMiL Workflow Tools, is a free, easy-to-use utility that displays, tags and exports lists of used or unused files in a video editing project created by Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer or Apple Final Cut Pro X (and 7).

An explanation of when and why media is copied during import, plus a discussion of Premiere’s new Ingest option.

A corrected look at how video file size changes as color bit depth increases.

Here’s how to fix a problem when Apple Final Cut Pro X takes too long to display images – or displays too many images – in the Media Import window.

This provides an overview of what High Dynamic Range (HDR) media is, where we are now, where we are going, how it works in video editing systems and links to learn more. Written for a video editor, not an engineer.

An illustrated tutorial on how to use AirDrop to move images and video from your iPhone to a Mac.

A step-by-step illustrated tutorial on how to create, automate and access proxy media files in Adobe Premiere Pro CC (2018 or later).

An explanation of how Massive.io can help filmmakers transfer files faster and cheaper than older services.

A detailed look at the speed differences in exporting different versions of ProRes from Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2019. Which should you use to save time?

A detailed look at the speed differences in rendering different versions of ProRes in Apple Final Cut Pro X. Which should you use to save time?

An illustrated tutorial explaining how much of your CPU is needed to playback or render 4K media using Apple Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

A product review of the new OWC Aura Pro X2 SSD, designed as a replacement SSD for MacBook laptops. This illustrated review looks at the results of installing it into an older 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina display.

An illustrated tutorial on how to use Apple Final Cut Pro X 104.6 (or later) to convert soon-to-be-incompatible 32-bit media into something more future-proof.

Yesterday, Apple issued a mostly minor maintenance update to Final Cut, Motion, Compressor and iMovie with one big feature that is worth discussing. The new feature is that any of these three applications will now automatically detect media which will …