There are two principal ways to create moves on stills for a video: the “Ken Burns Effect,” and keyframes. Both have benefits, both have weaknesses and both are used every day. Watch as Larry Jordan shows how to use each technique to create effective moves on a still image.
In this short video, Larry Jordan illustrates the differences between duplicating a project and creating a snapshot. There are CLEAR differences and one big winner.
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.
Recently, I contacted Blackmagic Design to learn which features in DaVinci Resolve 20 were powered by AI. Here’s what I learned, along with a video demo at the end of this article.
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.
DaVinci Resolve is an industry-legend as color grading software. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to transfer projects from Apple Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro into Resolve, then how to transfer them back.
We are shooting more media than ever, distributing it in more ways than ever, and continually returning to our archives for new material to feed to social media long after the original event is done and gone. I asked Sam Bogoch, CEO of Axle AI, what questions we should ask in choosing a media asset manager.
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.
One the harder color effects to create in Adobe Premiere Pro is a color change in the middle of a clip. But, it can be done! In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how this feature works, as well as how to color match different sections of the same clip.
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.
Axle AI is a media asset manager (MAM) that runs on Mac, Windows and Linux computers. In this short video, Larry Jordan showcases the features of Axle AI and how a MAM can extend the power of video editing software like Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, or DaVinci Resolve.
Finding the exact media clip that you need is only the first step. Now, you need to get that clip loaded into your video editor from wherever it’s stored. In this short video, Larry Jordan, shows exactly how to transfer files from Axle AI directly to remote clients, or into Apple Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro.
Axle AI, a multi-platform media asset manager, provides fast and efficient searches through tens of thousands of clips to find exactly the video that you need. Here, Larry Jordan how how to do searches in Axle AI.
You buy Media Asset Management (MAM) software to extend how your current video editing tool finds and tracks media. But there are a lot of options in the market today. Here, Larry Jordan presents some key questions you need to ask when deciding what to get.
This short video, presented by Larry Jordan, describes what Media Asset Management (MAM) software does, how Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve currently handle media, and how a MAM can extend what they do.
Alan has always had problems creating smooth zooms using an iPhone. In this demo, Larry Jordan illustrates the new multiple lenses and zoom features in the iPhone 16 Pro.
Jason manages multiple editors and needs to transfer sequences from Adobe Premiere Pro to Apple Final Cut Pro. In this demo, Larry Jordan shows exactly how this is done.
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.
In answer to Dave’s question, here are several trouble-shooting tips for Apple Final Cut Pro.
This video showcases how to improve a gray, washed-out image using the color wheels in Final Cut, as well as applying different LUTs.
I wasn’t going to attend the NAB Show this year. There’s just too much wrong with our industry; too much stress. That’s when I realized that attending the NAB Show in Las Vegas, this year in particular, is vital. Here are my reasons why.
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.
Editing may tell stories, but visual effects make those stories eye-catching. In this short video, Larry Jordan illustrates how to create and format 3D text. Plus, how to convert 2D text into 3D.
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.
Backups are basic to protecting your media. But what should you use for hardware, or software, and how many backups are “enough.” Larry Jordan explains the basics.
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.
Most of the preference settings in Adobe Premiere Pro are fine. But, not all of them. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows which preferences you need to change to improve performance.
A fast way to edit video programs that feature lots of interviews is using speech-to-text editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how you can quickly create and edit using transcripts, then how to turn those transcripts into captions.
Here’s a very fast technique that can reduce (or emphasize) wrinkles in an actor’s face – without resorting to plug-ins. Watch as Larry Jordan illustrates how this adjustment works – improving how an actor looks instantly!
In this short video, Larry Jordan demonstrates how to import timelines from Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Pro for color grading, then export them back out again.
This short video showcases the differences between using Lift – Gamma – Gain and Shadows – Mids – Highlights to change the gray-scale values of a clip. These differences are significant, powerful, and highly useful, as Larry Jordan illustrates.
DaVinci Resolve has a preference with a default setting that makes editing audio almost impossible. Here’s which preference to change and how to edit audio in very small increments, easily and accurately, using the Fairlight page in DaVinci Resolve 19.
The new Transcribe to Captions automatically generates text captions from clips in the Final Cut timeline. It fast and dead easy to use… except, there’s one small problem: It creates captions in the wrong format. In this demo, Larry Jordan shows how it works and how to change caption formats.
The new Magnetic Mask is nothing short of amazing. Whether you want to remove a background, improve a color grade, or apply an effect to only a portion of the clip, the Magnetic mask is your new tool of choice. This video shows how it works.
One of the questions I asked my interview guests at the NAB Show New York, was, in spite of all the stress in media today, what made them optimistic? Twelve interviews from the 2024 NAB Show in New York City.
The Fairlight audio page in Resolve has very sophisticated audio recording capability. But it certainly isn’t intuitive. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to record audio narration in Resolve.
In spite of our best efforts, all too often we have audio that has problems: too much noise or hum. In this short video, Larry Jordan shows how to use Resolve’s audio effects to fix both those problems.
So, just how well does Resolve handle multicam clips? In this tutorial, Larry Jordan decided to see how many 4K video clips Resolve could play in real-time, while still streaming a live webinar, recording that webinar and processing all this media. The answer is pretty surprising.
When working with media clips with matching timecode, the Sync Bin will automatically sync them, then display all matching angles simultaneously. This is a really fast way to build a rough cut, especially with multichannel audio, as Larry Jordan demonstrates.
