I’ve known since RAW-format media was introduced that we could go from RAW to video, but not video to RAW. In this short tutorial, Larry Jordan explains why.
I made a mistake in this week’s webinar – Apple Final Cut Pro 11 Power Tips – when I said that ProRes did not support Log video. (I corrected this in the edited final version.) It does. WHAT IS LOG …
The new Magnetic Mask in Final Cut Pro 11 is a powerful tool to separate the foreground from background – without a green screen key – so you can alter the look of each layer independently. In this short video, Larry Jordan illustrates how to create a mask that includes multiple subjects.
In this short video, Larry Jordan illustrates three key terms which directly affect the quality of video images: Color space, bit depth and chroma-subsampling.
In this age of smartphones with incredible cameras, it is easy to take high-quality images for granted. But when working with older film prints or slides, quality is not a given; especially for images shot by non-professionals. In this tutorial, I show how to adjust scanner settings to rescue images and make them look great.
Media Intelligence is new with Premiere Pro 2025. It searches “for your perfect shot using language based on imagery, spoken words, or content with embedded metadata like shoot date, location, or camera type, all at the same time.” Here’s how it works.
The Magnetic Mask in Apple Final Cut Pro provides fascinating ways to separate foreground from background, then manipulate each separately. In this tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to use the Magnetic Mask to isolate the foreground, change the background, adjust color and add text effects.
Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts during production, something gets into the shot that we just don’t notice until it is too late. DaVinci Resolve has two effects that can quickly remove elements from a shot: Patch Replacer and Object Remover. Here’s a tutorial on how they work.
Far too often, you need to change color settings in the middle of a clip so that the colors change during playback. While you can simply dissolve between two clips, using keyframes gives you more control – allowing you to change settings multiple times during a clip. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to create color keyframes and change settings to convert a clip from daylight to indoor lighting.
All recent versions of DaVinci Resolve provide an outstanding motion tracker. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to configure a Power Window (mask) for tracking, then, seconds later, apply a secondary color correction effect. The whole process takes less than a minute and can be used with any Power Window!
The free version of DaVinci Resolve 20 is amazing. But the Studio version will blow your mind! In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan showcases four color effects only available in the Studio version of Resolve that will alter your view of reality and leave your jaw on the floor!
The Color page in DaVinci Resolve 20 is jam-packed with features to adjust color. Because of this, the page is totally overwhelming. To overcome this, Larry Jordan shows how to use four automatic features in Resolve – Auto Color, Auto White Balance, Auto White Level, and Auto Black Level – to fix common color problems without requiring learning how the rest of the Color page works.
In my webinar last week, I showed how to use keyframes in Premiere Pro to seamlessly change color in the middle of a clip using keyframes. However, as Reed Brown wrote, there’s a faster way that can be used in any NLE. Here’s how it works.
Adobe Premiere Pro has two ways to change the amount of color in a video clip: Saturation and Vibrance. In this short video, Larry Jordan illustrates the difference between them and explains which one to use when you are adjusting color in a clip. Surprisingly, the choice is not obvious.
Adobe Premiere Pro has vastly improved matching colors between shots – especially when you use Comparison View. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to display Comparison View, how to match colors between shots, then how to make manual adjustment if needed after the match.
With the 2025 release of Premiere Pro, Adobe has totally overhauled how it handles color. The new pipeline has streamlined settings, and added support for wide-gamut camera raw and log-encoded media. Here’s an overview of how it works.
Generative AI is commanding all the fear and attention in media today. But, there are a wealth of AI-assisted tools in Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve that are enabling editors to do more, rather than replacing them en masse. In this presentation to the Los Angeles Creative Pro User Group, Larry Jordan highlights nearly two dozen AI-assisted tools across all three of these applications.
A big challenge in color grading is how to handle a lighting color change during a shot. A typical example is walking indoors on a sun-lit day. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to keyframe a color change, along with how to make sure the actor’s skin tones remain correct.
Apple Final Cut Pro provides three different ways to quickly adjust the look of a clip: Looks, Color Board Presets, and Color Grading Presets. In this short video demo, Larry Jordan shows what these are, where they are located and the differences between them; including one very big advantage!
Comparison view quickly allows comparing the look of any timeline clip to the clips preceding and following it. Even better, it supports building a collection of “looks” you can use to compare any timeline clip to up to 30 timeline images. Larry Jordan shows how this feature works.
All the hype surrounding AI presents software developers making tools for creatives with a dilemma. How do they find the right balance between creating features that improve their tools versus replacing the editor?
One of the tasks editors are increasingly asked to do today is convert a horizontal timeline to vertical to post to social media. Premiere makes this process easy using Auto Reframe. Here’s how this works.
Larry Jordan and Tony Wisniewski discuss the “Zeiss look” – image sharpness, accurate color, and the contrasty nature of each lens. Tony also describes how the lenses are made and how they are designed to fully fill even the largest sensor with light.
Larry Jordan and Victor Ha discuss how FujiFilm cameras compete against mobile phones, FujiFilm’s outstanding color science, the benefits of a DSLR camera for stills or video, two new camera announcements, and how to choose a DSLR camera.
I want to add watermarks to the videos I edit in DaVinci Resolve – but I couldn’t find a “watermark” option. Then, I discovered “Data Burn-in.” Here’s how it works, how to create presets and where to use them.
Apple released the latest version of Final Cut Pro (11.1) last week, with several helpful new features Here are the details on what they are and how they work.
(Even if you don’t read the tutorial, watch the movie at the end.) Here’s how to create an animated flashlight beam that changes shape as you move it around an image, using Apple Motion.
If you, like me, scoffed when Blackmagic Design introduced their URSA Cine 17K 65 digital film camera, well, Blackmagic just published two Behind-the-Scenes video showing the camera in use. (The filmmaker quotes below are from BMD’s press release.) Now, there …
Aiarty Image Matting is an AI-powered image background remover for natural blending with new backgrounds. It excels at matting complex images with hair, fur, semi-transparency, indistinct edges, or low light. Here’s Larry Jordan’s review.
This guest post from Steven Kerr describes cinematic techniques for strong visual storytelling hold great importance in captivating your audiences and sending across the intended message. Here’s how you can achieve it effectively.
I needed prompter software to go with my Neewer teleprompter. But which to use? I discovered that what I wanted was not easy to obtain. Here’s what I picked, why I picked it and how to set it up for a Mac.
Richard needs to change the size of his images, but is worried about them getting blurry. In this tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to safely scale images in both Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, without losing image quality.
Siamack is new to Final Cut and struggling to organize her media. In this video, I provide a variety of organizational tools she can use, with a special emphasis on keywords.
Alain asked how to create an animated flashlight beam in Apple Motion. So I showed him; afterward I realized I was wrong. Here’s both what I showed Alain, then an even better way to create a flashlight effect.
This video showcases how to improve a gray, washed-out image using the color wheels in Final Cut, as well as applying different LUTs.
At first blush, Sidebar – the ability to mirror an iPhone or iPad on a Mac – doesn’t seem to offer much value. But, when you mirror the Mac on a mobile device, magic can happen.
Still images are rich in data about the camera, lens and settings used to record an image. Surprisingly, most of this information is missing in a video file. Geoff asks why?
A somewhat hidden feature in Final Cut Pro 11 is Smart Conform. Apple describes this as an easy way to “make social media-friendly versions of projects in square or vertical formats.” Apple Help states: “Smart Conform analyzes the contents of …
Last week, I demoed how to create a magnetic mask to remove a background. Later, I exported a still frame from FCP to promote the webinar. At which point, the weirdness started. Still frame exports don’t come close to matching Final Cut. Here are the details. NOTE: Fixed in FCP 11.1.1.
Editing may tell stories, but visual effects make those stories eye-catching. In this short video, Larry Jordan explains what video stabilization does, the options available, and how to apply stabilization to your own video.
Editing may tell stories, but visual effects make those stories eye-catching. In this short video, Larry Jordan what visual generators are in Final Cut, how to modify them and ways to use them.
Editing may tell stories, but visual effects make those stories eye-catching. In this short video, Larry Jordan illustrates how to use blend modes to fix image problems, enhance an image or create a surreal effect.
Twelve years ago I wrote a detailed article on how to use blend modes in Final Cut Pro. But there is more we can do now and, in this tutorial, I want to showcase four different ways to use blend …
Christopher Campbell created an amazing time-lapse image sequence about painting a large picture. Then, he asked me for ways to make this time-lapse look better. Here is a technique you can use in Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
As I was editing a recent webinar, I rediscovered three highly useful techniques that sped my work. Since these are not techniques I use everyday, I wanted to share them with you so you could save some time on your next edit as well.
Apple changed how adjustment layers for Final Cut are created in Motion with FCP 11. An adjustment layer in Final Cut Pro is a special clip to which you can apply effects that affect all layers or clips below it. The only problem is that it doesn’t exist. Here’s how to create it.
The Ken Burns effect provides automated image animation and it works for both horizontal and vertical projects. But there are several cases where keyframes work better. Larry Jordan illustrates both in this short video.
Drop zones are areas in a Final Cut Pro effect into which you can insert an image or video. But, there’s a key “gotcha” that you need to know to use them effectively. Larry Jordan explains.
Feathering converts a hard edge to a soft fade. Feathering an image out is easy. Feathering an image in, though, is much harder. Here’s what you need to know, as Larry Jordan explains.
There are four menu options to scale images in Premiere Pro. One is a really bad choice, while two aren’t bad. But one is clearly the best choice when you also want to animate image scaling. Larry Jordan explains.
