Blog Archives

A list of all new articles for September, 2014, written by Larry Jordan for his newsletter.

Larry Jordan’s Top 25 Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts for Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

Larry Jordan’s Top 25 Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts for Apple Final Cut Pro X.

Trimming is essential to video editing. This articles provides a variety of tips to make your trimming faster and more accurate in Final Cut Pro X.

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

A detailed explanation of how to copy or move libraries, events, clips, or projects in Final Cut Pro X.

A list of all new articles written by Larry Jordan in August, 2014, sorted by category: Commentary, Final Cut Pro X, Premiere Pro CC, Product Reviews, Motion 5, other subjects and Webinars. There are 30 articles listed here in total.

A fast, safe way to convert media from managed to external (linked) using Final Cut Pro X.

A detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to divide media from one large library into a series of smaller libraries using Final Cut Pro X; along with a discussion on how to improve performance and reduce storage.

A discussion of partitioning a RAID to improve its speed for video editing.

in this short video tutorial, learn how to move projects from Final Cut Pro 7 (FCP 7) to Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) by using XML.

A short video tutorial explaining what the new Library Properties panel does in Final Cut Pro X and how it works.

An explanation of what Finder tags are, how to create and modify them, then illustrate how to use them in Final Cut Pro X (v. 10.1.2 or later).

How to improve the speed of a RAID using partitions. Simple, easy, and effective.

A detailed and illustrated guide to the new media management features in Final Cut Pro X v.10.1.2.

A discussion on the various preference settings inside Final Cut Pro X, along with recommendations on the best way to set them.

An explanation of what you need to consider, technically, when purchasing a RAID for a server or direct-attached storage. Written for the mostly non-techie.

An overview of media management for audio or video editing, on either Final Cut or Premiere Pro, for either Mac or Windows.

A step-by-step technique showing a faster way to find clips using the Find Filter box in Final Cut Pro X.

A step-by-step guide to assigning, modifying, and searching on keywords in Final Cut Pro X. This tutorial applies to all versions of Final Cut Pro X.

A short video tutorial explaining the basics of video compression. This tutorial is relevant for any video compression software.

A step-by-step tutorial on how to create a dual-boot drive on a Macintosh system.

A detailed step-by-step guide to managing projects in the new 10.1 version of Final Cut Pro X.

A detailed step-by-step tutorial on working with libraries in the 10.1 version of Final Cut Pro X.

A step-by-step tutorial on how to share keywords between clips in Final Cut Pro X.

A discussion of what contributes to hard drive speed and how to pick the right hard disk for your needs.

A video tutorial showing how to add, search for, and delete keywords, which makes managing media much more efficient.

A video tutorial on a new utility for Final Cut Pro X that automatically generates the detailed content reports required at the end of many projects.

A video tutorial illustrating how and why to use the utility “Marker” with Final Cut Pro X.

Ask the right questions to get the right answers for your interviews; on or off camera. This short article explains how.

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

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

A step-by-step guide to understanding the Gear menu to organize Events in Final Cut Pro X.

A video tutorial on creating, renaming, moving, and deleting Events using Final Cut Pro X.

A quick, step-by-step tutorial on changing project settings in Final Cut Pro X.

This is a short tutorial on how to modify and delete keyboard shortcuts.

Here’s a simple way to share the same FCP X project files between editors.

Often, we need to organize our clips manually as we figure out the organization we need to make sense of a project. Keywords are perfect for this – and very fast, both to apply and to use.

Here’s a technique that explains what and how to import and organize your files in Final Cut Pro X.

In successfully working with tapeless media, I’ve developed an easy-to-implement workflow that will help prevent problems in your own projects.

When you are working with tapeless media during production, and recording to cards, the basic workflow is to copy the card to your hard disk then ERASE THE CARD! (Sorry, I come from a tape background and that word “erase” is just plain scary…) So, it makes sense that when copying the card to your hard disk you take every precaution to do so safely. Here’s a review of a product that can help: Imagine Products’ Shotput Pro.

Where to store files is always a question. This short tip helps you determine where to store your media and project files for DVD Studio Pro.

Trying to figure out the best way to setup scratch disks is very confusing. In this dialog with Lachlan Coles, I explain ways to minimize problems. This isn’t the same thing as having Final Cut do what you want; but it does mean that your system will be both reliable and smooth.

Understanding the Media Manager is critical to successfully recapturing media, whether for creating the highest quality final master, or for resurrecting an old project. But the Media Manager is not that intuitive. This article walks you through what you need to know for successfully recapturing your project.

When I was writing my first book on Final Cut Pro a few years ago, I developed a nine-step editing workflow that answered the question: “What should I be doing right now?” However, over the years, I’ve learned more and Apple has released new software, so this nine-step process has become a bit outdated. Today I want to revisit and update it. Especially for editors that are new, or just getting back into the industry, my hope is that in following these steps, you’ll have a better way to keep track of what you should be doing “right now.”

One of the biggest challenges editors face is getting organized at the start of a project, then staying organized during a project. Here is a collection of tips and techniques from a variety of readers than can give you the system you need to get on top of your project.

A reader writes that his 10-year-old daughter is interested in editing and wants to know the best gear to buy and how to get trained in FCP. This is a great question, but the wrong question. This article explains that it isn’t the gear, its her interest. Fan that first, then buy gear second. You can read how here.

Here is a series of ten questions that new editors can ask their producers to make sure everyone is on the same page at the start of a project. This is also a useful bidding tool.

Without a doubt, the question I get asked the most is “what should I buy?” This article explains all the different gear you may need for your editing sytem along with links to companies and products to consider. This isn’t a commercial, rather it’s a tutorial on what you need to know to make some good investments.

The best way to archive your project is to organize it before you even start. This article provides a host of tips on getting organized, what to save and how to go about it.