Blog Archives

LG makes good monitors, but, in the case of the 27UK500, if you are tall or need to tweak how your monitor looks, the 27UK500 monitor should be avoided.

Apple released new MacBook Pro laptops featuring high-performance Apple silicon chips. Given all the options, here are Larry Jordan’s recommendations for the best system for your budget.

By default, YouTube takes down any video that uses music challenged for copyright infringement. The problem is that many of those charges are fake. Even when filmmakers purchase the correct music rights, YouTube makes it very, very difficult to overcome a copyright objection. Anthony Fleming has a first-hand report.

Audio Design Desk simplifies the process of finding, placing and experimenting with audio cues for video projects. While ADD handles the basics of sound design, the creative inspiration still comes from you. The good news is that version 1.7 makes this creative process faster and easier than ever.

Seagate and Axle.ai partner to provide “Smarter Media” – edge-to-cloud mass storage with a media asset management front end. This new service, named “Lyve” is designed to provide cost effective smart media solutions for real world applications.

Last week, Adobe released a new beta version of Premiere Pro showcasing new import and export features and, more importantly, point the direction Adobe plans to take the software. Here’s what’s new.

We love the look of film, but the world has gone digital. In this guest blog, Drew Gula, from SoundStripe.com, explores the balance between digital media and creating a film look.

Business for media professionals seems to be coming out of the pandemic – but stresses such as lower budgets and insufficient work are significant obstacles for many. Here are the results of my survey, taken May, 2021.

Any M1 system is impressive, when measured in performance. What these new 24″ iMacs lack, though, is more ports, more RAM and access to 10 Gb Ethernet. These first M1 iMac systems are targeted at consumers and general computer users. While they can be used for video editing – even serious video editing – be sure you can work with their limitations before ordering a system.

In a world where videos move millions and a picture is more powerful – and popular – than the written word, a key survival skill is how well you communicate visually. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan demonstrates “eyelines,” what they are and how they help our eye explore an image.

In a world where videos move millions and a picture is more powerful – and popular – than the written word, a key survival skill is how well you communicate visually. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan explains The Six Priorities that determine where the eye looks FIRST in an image and how they help guide a viewer in exploring it.

The Lume Cube panels are solidly built, easily adjustable, and come with flexible mounting options for different situations. I bought these for myself – here’s my review.

When it comes to updating the operating system on my main production Mac, I’m a laggard. This is by intent. Still, I finally decided it was time to upgrade. Here’s what I learned in the process.

Most of us have heard of Apple’s transition from Intel CPUs to its own Apple silicon. But these new systems upend the established rules for how to configure a computer system for media editing. Here’s what you need to know about the new M1 SoC from Apple.

The Whirlwind Micmute PMD has exactly one job – to mute a microphone – but it fails miserably at it. It generates a loud noise spike every time the mute button is pushed. The details are in my review.

Every editor has their own list of features that they’d like Apple to implement. I’m no different. Over the years, I’ve been struck by five imponderable missing features in Final Cut that, try as I might, I can’t get Apple to explain why they don’t exist. Here’s my list.

“Should you upgrade?” is the wrong question. Here is a better answer on when to upgrade to Big Sur – along with links to help your transition go smoothly.

Apple’s new M1 SoC chips launched to incredible reviews – but the best is still to come, especially for media creators. Read Larry Jordan’s thoughts on this new technology.

Apple has expanded hardware acceleration on recent makes. Here’s what you need to know to vastly improve the speed of video compression.

OWC releases a new 4-port Thunderbolt 3 dock that provides more Thunderbolt ports to any Mac with Thunderbolt 3 and running Big Sur. This is actually a big deal. Here are my thoughts.

I first saw these 10 inspirational filmmaking tips from Spike Lee posted to LinkedIn.com. I don’t know who compiled them, but I thought they were deeply insightful. and worth sharing with you.

Media professionals should wait on upgrading any mission-critical systems to Big Sur until there’s time for developers to test and upgrade their software.

Technology constantly changes, but older codecs and media don’t. What do you do if you can’t play older media in macOS Catalina or Big Sur? Watch as Larry Jordan shows how to use Kyno to potentially find and convert older media.

Recently, NewBlueFX launched: NewBlue Stream, a new product designed for live streaming. In this interview with CEO Todor Fay, we learn more about the product, why they created it and who it is designed for. This is fascinating.

This article details what I learned trying to access often corrupted digital images that are 15 – 25 years old. It illustrates the software I use to recover images, video codecs that are obsolete and techniques I used to preserve media for the future. This covers AppleWorks, PICT, PhotoCD, JPEG, TIFF, audio, and video media.

You exported your video file only to find that it is WAAAY too big! Here’s an explanation of file sizes, codecs and media workflow for beginners.

An interview with Maury Rogow, CEO of RIP Media Group, on what they are doing to find work and stay creative during these difficult times.

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.

Configuring a 2020 27″ iMac for video editing, with recommendations for system components, along with a discussion of this system vs. new Apple silicon gear.

Adam Wilt shares his thoughts on why Blackmagic Design released a camera recording 12K frame sizes. And, it isn’t the reason you expect.

Voice-over work combines acting with technology to create magic. It’s your voice telling stories directly into the imagination of the listener. Here are some tips to make it better.

Apple Silicon – new CPUs from Apple – were announced at WWDC 2020. Here’s Larry Jordan’s take on what this new hardware means to media creators.

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.

An interview with Mark Harrison, managing director of DPP, on what the near-term future holds for restarting the media industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are two single-camera editing techniques that drive me nuts: Shifting eye contact and unnecessary jump cuts. Here are techniques to solve both those problems.

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

Everyone around us is scared, isolated and feeding on rumors. In spite of it all, there’s hope. And we have the technology and the skills to provide it. Ask your clients what you can do to help. Here are some ideas.

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.

This is a detailed look at Apple’s Afterburner card for the 2019 Mac Pro. This explains what it is, what it does and when to considering buying it.

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 review of “The Filmmaker’s Handbook” by Steven Ascher and Edward Pincus.

Larry Jordan reflects on the new 2019 Mac Pro, who it’s designed for, and how to configure it for media editing.

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.

Software Update often displays extra update options – if you wait for it.

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

An explanation of why iPhones don’t shoot 25 or 50 frames per second video.

Within just a few weeks, most likely this month, Apple will release the latest version of the MacOS – Catalina. First introduced at WWDC last June, this is the latest incarnation of OS X. There are three critical things you …

Thoughts on planning a video project, along with illustrations of how to use a storyboard and a downloadable storyboard that you can use for your own projects.

Recently, Linda Moore at Complete Home Spa, asked if they could contribute an article to my website. Linda suggested an article dealing with stress. I was intrigued, so I invited her to contribute. Here’s their article.

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.