Blog Archives

An intriguing new feature in macOS Catalina (10.15) is Sidecar. This allows you to either extend or mirror your Mac desktop on a recent-model iPad. Here’s what you need to know to make it work.

DPP today released a new research report exploring how production companies are now using the Cloud as a key production tool. Here are the details of what they found.

I’m a keyboard shortcut junkie. But, there are some very cool mouse shortcuts in Apple Final Cut Pro X that even a dyed-in-the-wool keyboardist like me finds highly useful. Here are nine of my favorites.

An explanation of what dual-channel mono is, why we use it, and how to work with it in Apple Final Cut Pro X.

Adobe announces Productions for Adobe Premiere Pro CC at Sundance 2020. Here are the details of this new, team-oriented addition to Premiere.

Adjustment layers make applying effects to multiple clips fast, easy and quickly adjustable. Here’s how to create an adjustment layer for Final Cut Pro X using Motion.

An explanation of what the audio settings mean when creating a multicam clip for Adobe Premiere Pro CC, along with recommendations on which settings to choose.

A revised article on how to create and edit multicam clips in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, where the source clips are different frame sizes.

Here’s a fast, but not intuitive, way to create the right multicam clip for editing in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

An illustrated explanation of the display options in the Viewer’s View menu in Apple Final Cut Pro X, including a new feature added in FCP X v.10.4.7.

A very cool way to animate text bullets in a single clip – with added bonus of adding emojis to any text element – in Apple Final Cut Pro X.

Blurs and mosaics are no longer effective in masking the identity of an on-screen speaker. Here’s what you need to know.

A video compression speed and file size comparison using Apple Compressor between macOS Mojave and Catalina. This will be of interest to video editors and media creators.

Retrospect 16 – powerful, flexible and, handicapped by out-of-date tutorials and an unhelpful User Guide, very, very difficult for the new user to learn.

An illustrated tutorial on how to create, apply and delete effects presets in Apple Final Cut Pro X.

An illustrated – and quick – guide to finding and deleting plugins for Apple Final Cut Pro X.

A quick tutorial on what Final Cut Pro X Library backup files are, where they are stored and how to delete them.

Larry Jordan reflects on the new 2019 Mac Pro, who it’s designed for, and how to configure it for media editing.

Post Haste can help you get organized right at the start of a project by creating folders and files automatically, and in a format you control. This free app is worth a look – here are the details.

Image Chest is a Mac app that catalogs and finds images. This is a helpful app for managing all the stills associated with a video project. It isn’t perfect, but it is worth a look. Here are the details.

You can make backup copies of Motion and Compressor. Here’s the steps you need to take.

In spite of their documentation, LaCie hard drives, when formatted as RAIDs, are not hot-swappable. Here’s a write-up from Loren Miller that explains the problem.

Smart Rendering is a media optimization strategy that speeds renders and exports in Adobe Premiere Pro CC. This explains what you need to know.

An illustrated tutorial on how to set audio clips in Premiere to dual-channel mono for more control in mixing. Plus, a very cool technique for processing audio clips in a batch!

An illustrated tutorial on how to change audio channels from stereo to dual-channel mono in Apple Final Cut Pro X, how to adjust pan, and how to process multiple clips at once in a batch.

An explanation of why creating the audio track first is essential to creating a successful motion graphic video.

A look at how much RAM you need for video editing, how to measure usage of the RAM you have, along with thoughts on how best to optimize your system.

An illustrated tutorial on how to improve the sound of the spoken human voice using EQ filters in Apple Final Cut Pro X.

Keyboard shortcuts for Apple Final Cut Pro X that make both editing and trimming faster.

An illustrated tutorial showing how to modify a Final Cut Pro X transition in Apple Motion. This technique applies to any FCP X transition, title or generator; as well as some effects.

A first-look at the new features and current status of Simon Says, automated speech-to-text transcription for media creators.

An explanation of why rolling credits are hard to display smoothly, along with suggestions on how to improve smoothness.

Survey of applications and web services providing automated speech-to-text transcription focused on media creators.

A general analysis of when to use H.264 vs. HEVC for media compression, along with a recommendation for media creators.

An illustrated tutorial on how to use the new Auto-Reframe feature for both clips and sequences in Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2020.

The Project Manager, in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, allows you to gather all the files for a project and store them safely in one place. Here’s how it works.

An interview with Fredrik Limsater, CEO of ftrack, about their acquisition of Cospective and what it means to media creators going forward.

Due to an extreme shortage of LTO-8 tape, the growth of LTO stalled during 2019. The tape situation is now resolved, which means we can look forward to being able to archive our assets, as this article explains.

An illustrated tutorial on how to spot (locate) sound effects using Apple Final Cut Pro X.

A detailed look at the speed differences between a Mac i5 vs i7 system for video compression into H.264 or HEVC codecs. The results are surprising!

Apple updated its Pro Video codecs. These are of value to all editors, but you can’t upgrade to them using the Mac App Store. Here’s how.

Software Update often displays extra update options – if you wait for it.

Lesspain Software update Kyno to version 1.7.1, which now supports Windows, as well as finding and converting older media that is not compatible with macOS Catalina. Here are more details.

An illustrated tutorial of using Roles in Apple Final Cut Pro X to label, organize and display titles and audio clips.

A look at the impact changing video frame rates has on storage requirements.

Apple released the latest version of Compressor (4.4.5) last Monday. One of the key features in the update was improved performance. Since all of us rely on compression to deliver our final projects, I wanted to see how much improvement …

A new GPU selection feature in Final Cut Pro X positions it to take full advantage of the horsepower in the new, 2019 Mac Pro. Plus, if you are running a MacBook Pro with an eGPU, you need to read this.

The brave new world of 8K media requires a beefy computer, like the new 2019 Mac Pro. But, the hidden cost – and major surprise – is what 8K media requires in your storage. Here’s an overview of what to expect.

The Timeline Index, in Final Cut Pro X, has a variety of little-known features that make it invaluable on medium-to-large project edits. Here’s what you need to know.

Three different ways to quickly export a section of a movie from Adobe Premiere Pro CC.