Blog Archives

While human skin gray-scale and saturation values can vary by individual, skin color values are remarkably consistent. Here’s an illustrated tutorial on how to set skin color values to fix color problems and make on-camera talent look “normal.” This applies to all video editing software.

The latest version of DaVinci Resolve introduced the Cut Page, an interface designed for high-speed, fast-turnaround, editing. In this short tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to add, modify and remove transitions applied to clips in Resolve’s Cut page.

Accusonus has been improving audio for a long time. Regardless of where you edit your audio, ERA 6 can make it sound better. Here’s a look at the new ERA 6 bundle with automatic, customizable audio repair.

Last week, as part of Adobe MAX, Adobe released a flock of new features and improvements to Premiere Pro. Here’s a summary of what’s new.

Recently, Apple updated Motion to version 5.6, where one of the highlighted features is a new neon text effect. In this video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how this works and how you can add an effect to make it look even better.

Recently, Apple updated Final Cut Pro to version 10.6 where one of the big new features is object tracking. In this video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how this works and how it compares to the same feature in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Here’s an illustrated tutorial on how to use the new Object Tracker in Apple Final Cut Pro 10.6 to move text in sync with an element in the background. (Updated with improvement released with the FCP 10.6.1 update.)

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.

“Ask Larry Anything,” is a free-form conversation about subjects related to editing. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates the two key video scopes in Apple Final Cut Pro, how to read them and how to use them to fix color problems like color casts and dark exposure levels.

“Ask Larry Anything,” is a free-form conversation about, well, anything you want to ask. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to animate an object (a toy car) to follow a complex path along a map using Apple Motion.

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.

With the July, 2021, update, Premiere Pro now supports text with multiple strokes and shadows. If you are creating commercials, action comics or anything where “eye-catching” is a job description, you’re gonna have fun with this!

Adobe adds speech-to-text and native M1 Mac support to the July, 2021, version of Premiere Pro. Here’s the full list of changes.

Still images are at the heart of many video programs. But, what do you do if the images you are using don’t look that good? In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan showcases how to use a variety of tools to clean up an older image using Adobe Photoshop. These include straightening, cropping, adjusting grayscale levels, removing spots, and cleaning up damaged portions of an image.

Still images are at the heart of many video programs. But, what do you do if the images you are using don’t look that good? In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates how to use masks to repair an older image, add a vignette to highlight a face and use the clone tool to remove an unsightly line – all in Adobe Photoshop.

Still images are at the heart of many video programs. But, what do you do if the images you are using don’t look that good? In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates several simple ways to clean up a still image; including crop, scale, content-aware fill and straightening an image – all in Adobe Photoshop.

Voice Changer, from Accusonus, is a plug-in for most popular NLEs that creates voice effects from robot to dragon. It is fast, easy to use and a fascinating sound design tool to bring the sounds in your imagination to life.

Changing the speed of a portion of a video clip during playback is called a “variable speed change.” There’s a wide variety of reasons to change the speed of a clip, so, let me show you how to create different versions in Apple Final Cut Pro.

A fit-to-fill edit combines an overwrite edit with a playback speed change. It takes a marked clip in the Source monitor, then changes its speed to fit a specified duration in the timeline. Here’s how to create it in Premiere Pro.

A fit-to-fill edit combines a replace edit with a playback speed change. It takes a marked clip in the Browser, then changes its speed to match the duration of a clip in the timeline. Here’s how to create it in Apple Final Cut Pro.

Changing the playback speed of a clip is all the rage in video today. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates two visual effects using speed effects in Final Cut Pro that can bring a special sparkle to your next project; including instant replay.

Changing the playback speed of a clip is all the rage in video today. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to create a fit-to-fill edit, where the speed of the inserted clip is altered to match the duration you need it to fill in the Final Cut Pro timeline.

Changing the playback speed of a clip is all the rage in video today. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to create glossy slow motion by conforming a high-frame-rate clip to match the project speed in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Changing the playback speed of a clip is all the rage in video today. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to create a fit-to-fill edit, where the speed of the inserted clip is altered to match the duration you need it to fill in the Timeline in Adobe Premiere Pro.

New with the May, 2021, update to Adobe Premiere Pro, is the ability to add gradients to text. Here’s how this technique works.

New with Adobe Premiere Pro is the ability replace media in a motion graphics template. Here’s how to add media to a template, then change where that media starts playback.

“Ask Larry Anything!” is a free-form conversation about technical questions of interest to video editors. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows the best way to modify and copy titles and compound clips to retain position settings in Apple Final Cut Pro.

Maxon announces new versions of Cinema 4D, Redshift for Mac and Moves by Maxon. They also premiere a new corporate logo.

Here’s how to create a logo or shape in Photoshop, fill it with moving video in Final Cut Pro, then place that over a moving background. This works with video or stills and with any text, logos or shapes you care to use. Plus, it is fun to create – once you know how.

Adobe has made continual improvements to the color grading controls and video scopes in Premiere Pro. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to use the Hue / Saturation Curves to change the colors of a portion of an image, for example, to change the color of a shirt.

Adobe has made continual improvements to the color grading controls and video scopes in Premiere Pro. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to change the color grade as colors change within a single shot; for example, as an actor walks from daylight in to interior lighting.

Adobe has made continual improvements to the color grading controls and video scopes in Premiere Pro. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to use masks and tracking in Premiere to change the color of something in the frame – even if that element moves around during the shot.

Adobe has made continual improvements to the color grading controls and video scopes in Premiere Pro. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to use the Video Limiter in Premiere Pro to make sure your video levels stay within legal boundaries.

This is a very fast and flexible technique to add multiple images to an Apple Final Cut Pro project, think a Zoom video, where each image is in a shape that can be scaled, animated, positioned and changed quickly and easily.

Adobe has made continual improvements to the color grading controls and video scopes in Premiere Pro. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to use the new Comparison View in Premiere.

Adobe has made continual improvements to the color grading controls and video scopes in Premiere Pro. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to analyze your images using the video scopes inside Premiere.

Motion Graphic templates now support “replaceable media,” placeholders which are added in After Effects when the template is created, that can be replaced with different media in Premiere. Here’s how these work.

Keyframes create a change during playback. The options we can apply to a keyframe allow us to shape the speed and direction of an effect. Here’s an illustrated tutorial on ways we can modify keyframes in Adobe Premiere Pro.

In March, Adobe released the new 2021 versions of Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Media Encoder, and the rest of their audio and video applications. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to use the new media replacement feature in Motion Graphic templates in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Audio is a huge part of any project. But, all too often, we ignore the audio to concentrate on the image – only to discover that the emotional heart is missing. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to add, modify, fine-tune and automate audio transitions in Apple Final Cut Pro.

Auto-shrink is a new feature in Apple Motion that resizes text to fit within a specific area. This is a very useful tool when creating text graphics for Apple Final Cut Pro.

In this session, we step deeper into the 3D world of Apple Motion with a look at cameras and sets. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to move a single camera between multiple sets in Motion.

In this session, we step deeper into the 3D world of Apple Motion with a look at cameras and sets. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to add and frame multiple cameras to shoot a single scene in Motion.

In this session, we step deeper into the 3D world of Apple Motion with a look at cameras and sets. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates how to add depth of field (focus) to a camera in Motion.

In this session, we step deeper into the 3D world of Apple Motion with a look at cameras and sets. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to add a camera to a Motion project, then illustrates the difference between a framing camera and viewpoint camera in Motion.

Everything in production was perfect – except someone wore the wrong color. How do you “fix it in post” in Apple Final Cut Pro? Here are two methods: Color masks and the Hue/Saturation Curves. One of them is CLEARLY better!

Many of the titles shipped with Final Cut Pro look, um, suboptimal. Here are some tricks you can use in both Final Cut and Motion, to make your titles look a WHOLE lot better.

Motion has a virtually limitless package of lights that can be positioned for both 2D and 3D elements. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates the four different light types in Apple Motion, and how they are used.

Motion has a virtually limitless package of lights that can be positioned for both 2D and 3D elements. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates what happens when you change light settings in Apple Motion.

Motion has a virtually limitless package of lights that can be positioned for both 2D and 3D elements. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan illustrates how to light a 3D object in Apple Motion using a variety of lights.