As I was writing about using Auditions in Final Cut Pro to compare different audio clips, I started wondering whether we could use auditions to compare different visual effects. The answer is that we can, but the process is not intuitive. Here’s how this works.
Auditions are a little-understood feature in Apple Final Cut Pro which quickly allow instant comparisons between clips. While comparing video clips is probably the most common use, even more helpful is using Auditions to compare audio clips. Here’s how.
It’s not that I don’t like learning new things. I truly enjoy testing and reviewing new products. Exploring new features. Discovering new technologies. But, golly, it’s hard to get started learning. It seems I have an “Inertia Obstacle.” And, I suspect I’m not alone.
Recently, I was asked to narrate an audio book on learning design. I needed to look for ways to convey this information aurally, while keeping the conversation casual and the content accessible. It was an interesting challenge. I learned a lot – here are the highlights.
There you are, immersed in creating your next epic – Ghost King Arising – when you are struck by a thought. “What, exactly, does a ghost king sound like?” Here are two audio effects in Apple Final Cut Pro – Alien and Spectral Gate – that you can use to answer that question.
Last week, Misha Tenenbaum, host of “TV Matters” interviewed me about my teaching practices, philosophy and thoughts on what makes a successful teacher. I really enjoyed the depth of his questions and the chance to share what I’ve learned over my career.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we shot interviews at the 2024 NAB Show. This includes gear, people and process.
This is a video interview with David Dowling, Chief Revenue Office for Pixotope. David describes the VR image they created for this year’s Super Bowl. He uses this to explain what the company does, their latest releases and how smaller shops can use it effectively.
This is a video interview with Moritz Meisel, Head of Sales for DoPchoice. He discusses the company’s lighting diffusion products, their latest products at NAB and why diffusion should be part of your lighting kit.
This is a video interview with Gorky Bolanos, Optics Product Manager for Tiffen. Here he showcases their latest announcements, including full support for Tiffen filters on iPhones, along with a new magnetic filter attachment for DSLR cameras. He also explains what a starter set of lens filters should include.
This is a video interview with Jim Tierney, CEO & Chief Digital Anarchist for Digital Anarchy. Jim discusses his latest plug-ins and the squishy nature of using AI in software; for example, what does AI even mean?
A video interview with Pierre Jasmin, Founder and CEO of RE: Vision Effects. He describes the latest updates to their visual effects tools, their focus on customer feedback and the key products of his company.
A video interview with Angus Mackay, Product Marketing Manager for Matrox Video. Angus describes Matrox image hardware and technology, their latest announcements and the challenges of displaying high quality images.
A video interview with Mitch Gross, Global Director of Product Marketing for Aputure, on their range of lighting products, new releases for NAB and the difference between lighting for smaller projects and film.
A video interview with David McGavran, CEO of Maxon, on their latest release of Cinema 4D, along with his thoughts on the impact of AI on creative artists.
A video interview with Dan May, President of Blackmagic Design – US, where he reveals more than 16 new products at NAB, including a 12K cinema camera, 6K pocket camera, the latest version of DaVinci Resolve and other new hardware.
Here’s a list of the companies we are interviewing at the 2024 NAB Show along with links to watch them.
A secondary color correction adjusts the color of something in the frame – like changing the color of a shirt. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to create these in Premiere Pro.
One of the harder tasks in color grading is changing the look of a clip when the lighting color itself changes during the shot. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to use color keyframes to change the color grade during a shot using Premiere Pro.
LUTs are a color lookup table. In this short video, Larry Jordan explains what LUTs are, how to use them to change the color of your clips, and how to properly set the new Color Settings panel in Premiere Pro.
In today’s world of digital video, the Broadcast Safe effect (or Video Limiter in Premiere) is gathering dust in a corner. But, there is a BIG benefit to using it when you have a lighting problem to solve, as this tutorial illustrates. This trick works for all the major NLEs.
In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to create and motion track a shape mask to change the color of objects in a frame. He also shows how and why to use the Broadcast Safe effect.
Masks hide things – even in video. In this short tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to use shape masks and color masks to change the color of objects in a video.
In this short video, I show how to change the color of a single object in a frame. This is called a “secondary color correction.”
3D 3D Video Polygons, from Luca Visual Effects, creates highly-adjustable eye-catching 3D effects and transitions that push the boundaries of 3D in Final Cut Pro.
Recent updates to Apple Final Cut Pro added several more mask effects, three of which I illustrate in this tutorial: Corner mask, Graduated mask, and Image mask. Here’s what they look like and how to create them.
DaVinci Resolve is a state-of-the-art color tool for video. Whatever you can imagine doing with color, Resolve can do. But, oh. my. goodness. It is complex. Here’s an overview of how to use it.
Hawaiki Keyer 5 is a high-quality, infinitely-adjustable chroma-key plugin for Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro and Motion. Offering controls that simply aren’t available on other keyers, when you need to create a truly clean chroma-key, even with substandard production, you need Hawaiki Keyer, from FxFactory.
I created a green-screen shot that was impossible to key because the foreground elements kept keying out due to reflections. Here’s how to use a solid matte in Adobe Premiere or Apple Final Cut Pro, or even DaVinci Resolve, to fix this.
Background Remover, from FxFactory, removes backgrounds behind people without requiring a green screen or a stationary background. It works in Apple Final Cut Pro & Motion, along with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. It creates amazing results effortlessly and quickly. Here’s a review.
Recently, I needed to create the effect of a spotlight on a wall in Premiere. The only problem was that the only image I had to work with was a brick wall in sunlight. Here’s how to create this effect in Premiere.
In this tutorial, using Adobe Premiere Pro and BorisFX Continuum 2023, we’ll explore how to explode an image into thousands of particles then, even more fun, how to coalesce thousands of particles into a solid image o video.
You probably learned this trick years ago, but I only discovered it last week: You can instantly correct color casts in Photoshop with a single mouse click! (I mean… who knew???)
Video Walls 3.0, by Luca Visual FX, is an extremely well-thought-out, highly-flexible series of 3D video wall effects. The controls are detailed and the results are mind-boggling. Even better, though, the defaults work without any modifications, so if you are pressed for time, you don’t need to tweak anything to get an outstanding effect.
This article takes a closer look at improving video editing and computer performance using SSDs and provide specific suggestions on the gear to buy and how to configure your system.
This guest post, from Zac Carr, goes deep into the advanced features of the Warp Stabilizer in Adobe Premiere Pro. He looks into several key advanced features of the Warp Stabilizer tool and discusses why they are indispensable for achieving smooth motion and high-quality results.
FlexClip is a cloud-based AI video editor is designed for people who know little or nothing about creating video. Jessica Miller, of FlexClip, explains what it does, how it works and who it’s designed for.
Picture This… Imagine clicking a button and having a high-quality, AI-generated image appear directly in your Final Cut or Premiere Pro timeline. It exists. Philip Hodgetts describes the software.
This morning, BorisFX announced a pivotal shift in strategic direction with the 2024 release of Continuum 2024 and updates to CrumplePop audio tools, becoming one of the first in the industry to integrate AI-driven effects into a visual effects plugin.
There is no doubt that we can create effects in Motion that won’t play in real time. But I was impressed that even complex effects with lots of moving elements did not tax an Apple silicon system. At all. Take a look.
Hosted by Larry Jordan, “High-tech Medley” presents a variety of new features and new techniques for different software. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to edit video using text transcripts and the latest features in Adobe Premiere Pro.
This is a VERY interesting article about the current state of motion capture, based on an interview with Brett Ineson, Founder and CTO of Animatrik. We discuss mo-caps impact – for good and bad – on actors, how producers can benefit from it and the current state of the technology. This is well-worth your time to read.
Bruce Wittman challenges video producers to support non-profit organizations in their area. Here’s a description of the pro bono work that he does, how he does it, and why he enjoys it so much.
Storyboards are a great way to help you think about a shot before getting on set. Here’s a great way to use placeholders in Final Cut Pro, along with Photoshop, to create simple – but flexible – storyboards.
I’m working on a project this week which requires adding a variety of over-the-shoulder images to narration. Since production hasn’t yet occurred, I have two options: Shoot a monitor on set Add the graphics later in post Since shooting a …
3D text is exciting because of its depth and the variety of textures available for each surface. But the real excitement comes when you start to play with lighting. Here’s a simple tutorial on how this works.
Digital signage is a part of everyday life – but have you ever wondered how it works? Larry Jordan goes behind the scenes at the Peppermill Hotel & Resort to see how they do it.
One of the hidden challenges in Adobe Premiere Pro is to adjust a color grade during playback. The Lumetri color panel provides tons of color controls, but no way to change them during playback. But, there IS a way. Here’s how.
“Because the creative industry sits at the intersection of arts & technology, it finds itself broken in many ways.” Larry Jordan interviews Brian Meaney, Head of Product, at Alteon, about AI, technology and the media industry.
With the 10.6.6 update to Final Cut Pro on the Mac, Apple introduced a new feature called Scene Removal Mask. What this does is remove a static background from behind an active foreground subject. Here’s how it works.
