Blog Archives

A bad audio mix shows that you are trying to hide something and the audience knows it. A commentary on a stage show.

An inside look at an Apple press briefing and why simplifying interfaces is essential to Apple.

A commentary on Vimeo’s erroneous decision to categorize all PAL video as HD during upload.

A detailed look at the latest versions of Final Cut Pro X (10.2), Compressor (4.2) and Motion (5.2) released from Apple today.

A summary of when it makes sense to buy a Mac Pro vs. an iMac.

A discussion from IMUG on the relevance of timecode in today’s video editing software and how it can be used to organize your projects.

A commentary on why we need to keep learning.

Part 2 of Larry Jordan’s thoughts on 2014 and what it means for the media industry in 2015.

Part 1 of Larry Jordan’s thoughts on 2014 and what it means to the media industry in 2015.

A look at the challenges of adding a media asset system to a small company. It isn’t the software; it’s the people.

A look at the new 5K iMac from the perspective of a video editor and trainer.

Further thoughts on the 10.1.4 update to Final Cut Pro X, from Larry Jordan.

A detailed review of the OWC ThunderBay 4 mini RAID, including multicam test speeds in Final Cut Pro X and thoughts on what tasks this unit is best suited for.

A commentary on the challenges of being a new user of technology; specifically related to Behringer Digital Audio Consoles.

Some SSD drives are not compatible with Mac OS X Yosemite (OS X 10.10). Read this article to see if you have a problem – or how to fix your gear if you are already in trouble.

Why are video frame rates 25 or 30 frames per second? It has to do with history, as this short article explains.

A detailed explanation of how to configure your Mac or Windows system for audio or video editing.

A commentary / think-piece on how offering subscriptions to software changes the software that’s produced.

A detailed comparison between Final Cut Pro 7 and Final Cut Pro X.

Thoughts on technology that is making optical media obsolete and the impact that will have on media creators. This also provides options to consider when planning for the future.

A description of what “personally identifiable information,” our company retains about its customers.

Examples and guidelines for using fonts and typefaces effectively in film and video projects. Applies to all non-linear editing software.

A commentary on the issues surrounding analog to digital audio conversion and the problems with using a Mackie Onyx mixer in a digital environment.

Thoughts and commentary on announcements and trends at the recent 2014 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NV.

A commentary on coping with continual changes in technology.

An analysis of the Mac Pro “sneak peek,” with thoughts on what it means for video editors.

This twelve-step workflow organizes your editing to focus on doing critical tasks first.

A commentary on how to pick the best video frame rate to shoot your project, with a look back at history.

The seven basic ideas you need to think about before starting your own creative company.

Welcome to the latest edition of my monthly Final Cut Studio newsletter for December, 2011. This newsletter provides tutorials, tips and other information essential to the interested user of Final Cut Pro.

Jack Rickard sent me a very thoughtful analysis of why he is a fan of the Cloud that I want to share with you.

Mark Whalen sent me his thoughts on Final Cut Pro X that I wanted to share with you.

Final Cut Pro X was released just over 30 days ago — seems longer than that somehow…

A quick, comprehensive definition of one of the most commonly misunderstood terms in our industry.

Ben Balser, an Apple-Certified Trainer for Digital Media, sent me the following commentary on investing the time to get trained. By way of background, Ben is a long-time educator and trainer.

Deciding whether to upgrade to Final Cut Studio 2? Read this short note first.

Not all software updates work the way they are advertised.This article describes an update approach you can use to make sure all software updates go smoothly.

This article grew out of newsletter discussions over the last few months and features thoughts from experienced tape editors.

Snow Leopard, Apple’s latest operating system, is not for everyone. But it may be for you. This article describes what you need to know in deciding when to upgrade your system.

What makes for an effective technology teacher? What should we focus on? How do we avoid the “fear of the unknown” in our students? In this philosophical musing, I reflect on what I’ve learned about teaching technology for almost a decade.

We are living in the middle of truly interesting times from proliferating video formats, monitor problems and tapeless acquisition, this article helps you make sense of the industry during a period of very rapid change.

This Q&A article discusses the reasons for hosting your own content, rather than posting it to YouTube. It also suggests ways we can get additional revenue from our projects.

This is a commentary by Larry Jordan on the announcements and background conversation at MacWorld 2006 in San Francisco, CA.

Apple just finished its event for NAB 2007 — where they announced Final Cut Server, Final Cut Studio 2 and Color! And I thought you might be interested in some more immediate observations.

Hard disks are essential to video editing. But, as this short article explains, what you thought you knew about maintaining your hard disks may not be true. Take a look.

These thoughts have been bubbling around my head for the last few months, but developed into an article as I was trying to learn a particularly tricky piece of software. After reading the manual, watching the tutorials, and taking the training, I was more confused than ever. This article is an attempt to discuss how to create effective training, and specific techniques to avoid.

Recently, I got an email from John Bertram, an editor in Toronto, on why metadata support is crucial to the next generation of Final Cut Pro.

Apple released Final Cut Studio (3) on July 23, 2009. This is a quick look at the announcement and an exclusive interview with Richard Townhill, Director of Video Application Marketing for Apple, about the new software suite.

Trying to decide what hard drive to buy? This article explains the differences between FireWire and SATA, and how to select the one that’s right for you.

Great looking chroma-keys start on set with how you light. However, once you’ve got the footage, what’s the best way to create a key. Here’s a quick sidebar that lists some other software you might want to try if you are not able to get the effect you want using the keyers that ship with Final Cut or Motion.