Blog Archives

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

A detailed tutorial on how to animate text along a curve, also called text on a path, using Motion 5. This isn’t obvious, but it isn’t hard, once you know how.

A detailed explanation of how to get text to flow around a shape using Motion 5.

A quick explanation of what the two performance playback preference settings control in Final Cut Pro X.

A short tutorial showing how to spell-check, find and replace title text in Final Cut Pro X.

A very fast way to verify all titles are spelled and positioned properly in Final Cut Pro X.

A discussion of where the eye looks in the frame and how to control it.

A step-by-step tutorial on creating motion effects, presets, and drop shadows in Premiere Pro CS6 or CC.

A step-by-step video tutorial on animating text and titles using a custom title in FCP X.

In this step-by-step video tutorial, learn how to animate title text in Final Cut Pro X.

A step-by-step video tutorial showing how to create FCP X templates inside Motion 5.

A detailed video tutorial showing how to style text for titles in Final Cut Pro X.

A quick tour through the Blend modes in Final Cut Pro X, with examples of the most popular options.

In this short video tutorial, learn how to animate text on a curved path in Motion 5. (This works for Motion 4, as well.)

A collection of ten fun facts about Titles and Backgrounds in Final Cut Pro X to improve your text.

Final Cut Pro X contains the built-in ability to check grammar and spelling in title text. This short video tutorial shows you how it works.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to display, or hide, closed captions in QuickTime X or QuickTime 7.

Adding timecode to clips or projects is a great way to allow clients to review your projects and relate their comments to a specific time in the project. (This process is also called “timecode burn-in” – or “burning in timecode.”) This technique explains what you need to know.

This is a very cool technique that changes the color and display of your text as the background changes.

A subscriber, creating titles for a 16×9 movie that will go to SD DVD, writes in asking whether he keep his text in a 4×3 title safe grid. In response, we look at how Title Safe is defined.

Here are a series of tips, written by a professional voice-over talent, that you can use to make sure your voice-over scripts are organized, easy to read, and run correctly to time.

Here’s a technique that can totally change how you think about sequences, nests, and the special effects you can create with them.

Adobe Premiere can create text transcripts of your media files. prEdit takes those transcripts and allows you to edit a rough cut for either Premiere or Final Cut just using those transcripts. For editors wading through a ton of material trying to find just the right quotes, this software can make your life VERY easy, as this product review explains.

Transcriptize is a new piece of software that takes the text transcripts automatically generated by Adobe Premiere or Adobe Soundbooth and formats them so people, rather than computers, can read them. PLUS, it allows you to a great trick to import those text transcripts into Final Cut Pro to speed your editing.

Here are a series of tips to create great looking text in Final Cut Pro.

Here’s another technique that grew out of a recent webinar — creating cast shadows using Boris Title 3D. Title 3D is bundled with your version of Final Cut, so you already have this installed on your system.

If you’ve tried matching text sizes between Final Cut and Motion, you’ve discovered they aren’t the same. This article explains why.

Many times we need to use the same text formatting for multiple text clips. Here’s a fast and easy way to create text favorites, including drop shadows, that make the whole process simple.

Here’s a simple technique that creates a very interesting effect using one of the ugliest generated texts in Final Cut.

Simply editing a text clip to the timeline isn’t enough. If you are planning on keying your text, use superimpose instead. This article shows you the three-step process and tells you why its important.

In this article Larry advises a subscriber who downloaded a beta version of Soundbooth and believes there may have been an error in his workflow.

How do you create and size text for video? What is the impact of interlacing? How can you make your text look as good as possible? This short article provides the answers.

What’s the best way to position text in Final Cut Pro, and why does the position shift as you change justification? This short article explains the why and how.

There’s a right way and a wrong way to position text in Final Cut Pro to get the highest quality. This article explains what you need to know.

This is a comprehensive look at how computer and video graphics are different and what you need to know to create great looking video text and graphics. This article can make your life a LOT easier!

Final Cut Pro allows you to import text into a text clip, which allows you to write your text in one place, then display it in Final Cut. The problem is, that importing doesn’t always work properly. This article describes the problem and provides a solution.

Here’s a fast way to use Keynote create text animations — especially for text-heavy clips. This is also a much faster way to create animated bulleted lists as well. This technique shows you how to make this work.

Keynote is a secret weapon in the arsenal of creating motion graphics. The problem is getting the files exported from Keynote into something we can edit. This article describes the process, along with several tips from readers.

With the release of Final Cut Studio (3), Apple signaled that LiveType was not long for this world by no longer bundling it with the suite of software. However, FCP 7 still supports LiveType files. This is a shame, as I truly like working with LiveType. This article details what makes LiveType fun to use, and features in Motion that would help us make the transition.

In researching my up-coming seminar series, I was studying LiveType and discovered two ideas which I want to share with you.

Michael Murray wrote in with a question about how to export a Final Cut Pro HD sequence for use in LiveType; which led me to think about one of the truly time-saving features of FCP HD — round-tripping.

While most of LiveType’s effects and animation don’t require keyframes, LiveType has a powerful keyframe system hidden deep inside. This article shows you how to create and use keyframes inside LiveType to create some great looking effects.

If you haven’t worked with LiveType you are missing a treat. This article shows you how to take LiveType past bouncing TV sets and sunflower characters into creating some amazing animated text effects.

Last month, I showed you how to hide someone’s identity using a traveling matte. (Technique: Creating a Traveling Matte.) This month, I want to show you a technique suggested by Tom Wolsky, where the mask, shape, and tracking are all contained on one layer, rather than two layers in a traveling matte.

Creating scrolling text in Final Cut is awkward at best. Here’s a much more flexible way to create scrolling text in LiveType that allows multiple font sizes, colors and, gasp, a pause at the end!

Martin Baker of Digital Heaven has the answer to a question regarding the creation of a 14:9 Title Safe in a 16:9 image.

A reader asked me how I organize my files when I’m creating a DVD. Well, organization best starts at the beginning of a project, so in this brief article, I outline the folders I create and where I store my files.

Final Cut’s text tools are pretty limited in the design department. But here is a simple way to make your closing credits look much more interesting without a lot of work.

Need to find some new fonts — or looking for a way to add them to your system? Here’s how.

Here is a fast way to create a sequence with burned-in timecode – very useful for client reviews and revisions. In fact, we can do this in about six steps, as this tutorial shows how.