Adobe on Adobe

New Short&Suite on AdobeTV…and a new look

By Jason Levine | May 18, 2009

A look at the new set, designed by the master, Kush Amerasinghe

Hello, my friends! As previously mentioned several weeks ago, I finished shooting Series 2 of Short & Suite with Karl Soule, and they've just released the first episode, available NOW! Read More

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Searchable Video Now Available For You To Create

The Future of Video is Searchable

By Dennis Radeke | May 18, 2009

It looks like we've taken another small step forward in making video searchable on the web easier than ever before. Recently, a page on searchable video was updated to include a downloadable excerpt from a book on making video searchable and a SWF player that you can use to embed your video with the search ability. So, while its out there, I encourage you to visit the site, check out the excellent book and of course, download the SWF player. If getting video online is your thing, connecting it to people who want to see it should be job #1. This tutorial and SWF player should help you do that.Look at the bottom of the page for the bits I'm talking about.[Production Premium searchable video] Read More

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Perfecting Green Screen Photos

Cleaning out the green on green screen

By Karl Soule | March 25, 2009

My friend Rufus Deuchler recently gave me a challenge. I started in video production working with virtual sets and chromakeying over a decade ago. I've used many different technologies over the years to remove green screens and blue screens, and found various techniques for preserving the original colors in the remaining video. However, I had never used Photoshop to do it before. It's actually quite easy using the new Adjustments and Masks panels in Photoshop CS4.Let's start with a picture of Rufus, where the green has already been removed. Look at the color of the edge of the hair, and the side of Rufus's face. It has a green tinge to it. Read More

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64 Bit

The best $300 (or less!) you can spend this year?

By Dennis Radeke | March 11, 2009

I've had some more thoughts on the ideas of 64bit and it's value in light of this poor economy. I mean what's the point of talking about 64bit if you can't actually use it? With that in mind, I set out to see how much moving to 64bit on the PC platform would actually cost the average consumer. Read More

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64 bit OS and Adobe products

64 or 32? Which one to use today?

By Dennis Radeke | March 03, 2009

I blogged on a tutorial from Event DV around editing workflows with AVCHD. In that same issue, contributor Jan Ozer wrote an article called CS4 at 64 that delves into the differences that he observed between Adobe applications and how they perform differently between 32bit Windows XP and 64bit Windows Vista. Read More

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NLEs: How Native Workflows Help You Save

A study of contrasts

By Dennis Radeke | March 02, 2009

I recently received the latest issue of Event DV, which is an excellent magazine with some solid writers. Each month they've got some excellent contributions from Photoshop wiz, Lance Gray and an editorial from Jan Ozer.Event DV also has a recurring tutorial called Cut Lines which represents how to do things with Apple's Final Cut Pro. It too is good, but I can't help but often compare how things are done in Premiere Pro (call me biased. This month's article was about how to edit AVCHD content. If you're curious to read the article, you can view it here.Author Joe McManus does a very good job of outlining the basic steps to editing content inside of FCP as well as outline one potential technical pitfall that he encountered.BUT.... Read More

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A follow up on 64-bit

What are the real benefits?

By Michael Coleman | February 26, 2009

When people ask me if After Effects is 64-bit, I am always tempted to ask a follow-up question. I try to understand what benefit they are looking to gain. The answer is usually that they want to be able to render faster, and have longer RAM previews. If you are running on multi-core system with a 32-bit Windows OS, you're likely to experience better multi-core rendering and longer RAM previews if you move to a 64-bit edition of Windows. Simple as that. If you're running a lot of ram-hungry applications, the benefit is even greater. Here's why: A 32-bit edition of Windows is limited to a total of about 4GB. Each process on a 32-bit Windows system is limited to about 2GB. By the time you reserve some for the OS and divide the remainder among all your applications and distribute some to each core for rendering in After Effects, it's sliced into relatively small chunks. After Effects isn't the limiting factor, it's your operating system. Enter 64-bit Windows. A 64-bit OS raises the roof on RAM limits, both for individual processes and the total. After Effects and Premiere Pro are both designed to take advantage of much more RAM than is available on a 32-bit system.So the remaining question is: Do After Effects and Premiere take advantage of *ALL* the RAM on a 64-bit OS? The answer is no. They would have to be 64-bit native apps to do that. You get some great benefits, and the ball is back in our court. I can't be specific about future releases, but it's safe to assume that 64-bit native applications are a matter of when, not if. But don't let this stop you from enjoying the benefits of 64-bit. Get a 64-bit OS. Fill up on cheap RAM. Work faster today. I don't want you to miss out on improved performance with CS4 apps on a 64-bit OS. Read More

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“Everyday Timesavers” in CS4 Hits Adobe TV

By Jason Levine | February 26, 2009

Hello again, my friends! Well, I'm freshly back from the very successful Nordic Production Premium CS4 tour and as mentioned, we've got some new content up on Adobe TV, specifically, new videos detailing some of the great time-saving features you can find in CS4 Master Collection. Read More

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Search or Discover?

Finding Video Online

By Steve Kilisky | February 26, 2009

Based on my previous track record, I think my credibility would be damaged even more than it already is if I were to apologize for my lack of activity here and promise to do better going forward; so I won't. I won't offer any excuses like, I've been really busy, or all the blog comment spam was driving me crazy. I simply didn't have much to say that I thought would be worthy to compete for all the things fighting for one's attention in a day. And I'm not sure that this post is particularly worthy, I'm rusty but I just felt compelled to write (or ramble as the case may be). Read More

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Thinking Vista? Think 64-bit.

By Michael Coleman | February 13, 2009

I was at an electronics store the other day and I was surprised to see how many of the new systems are sold with 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. I also noticed that a gigabyte of computer memory is now touching the $25 price range. I think this is a great news. One of the best ways to get the most out of your Adobe CS4 applications is to run them on a 64-bit operating system. Mac users have it easy because the Mac OS Leopard is only available in a 64-bit flavor. Windows users face a choice between 32- and 64-bit. I suggest walking right past 32-bit Windows and picking up a 64-bit edition of Windows Vista.The advantage to running CS4 applications on 64-bit OS is that you can install and use large amounts of RAM. Here's how it works with After Effects: When you are rendering in the Render Queue or building a RAM preview, After Effects can use multiple processor cores to render several frames at the same time. Behind the scenes, After Effects starts a process on each available core. Each process can address up to 4GB of RAM. The After Effects Help on the Web has all the details about memory and multi-core rendering.How much RAM should you have when running AE? A good rule of thumb is 4 GB per core, plus whatever you want to use for your operating system and other applications. Speaking of other applications, say you're running Premiere Pro CS4 along with After Effects CS4. Premiere Pro can also take advantage of extra RAM. Throw in a couple more gigs for Photoshop, Illustrator and web browser, and it's looking like the sweet spot is now 16-32 Gigs on a 64-bit OS.Windows users should make sure that your hardware drivers are available for the 64-bit edition of Vista. It's been a while since Vista shipped, so this is becoming less of an issue every day. Also, it's good practice to update to the latest versions of your software. For Vista, get Service Pack 1. For Adobe software, be sure you are using Premiere Pro 4.0.1 and After Effects 9.0.1. For those of you who aren't interested in moving to 64-bit, send me a comment and let me know what's holding you back! Read More

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Premiere Pro C4 and After Effects CS4 Workflow Using the NEW Native RED R3D Plug-in

Editing Native Red Camera Files & CS4

By dhelmly aka DavTechTable | December 12, 2008

The RED Importer plug-in provides full native support of RED raw files including the ability to work with RED media at resolutions from 256 up to 4k. RED files can be imported directly into Premiere Pro and After Effects and worked with in a variety of frame rates, aspect ratios and resolutions. Dynamic Link can be used to serve frames directly from Premiere Pro to After Effects and sequences can then be exported using the Render Queue in After Effects. Resolution can be assigned for RED footage as desired by accessing a global RED Source Settings dialog in Premiere Pro. For example, a low-resolution setting such as 512 or 1k can be assigned to RED media with higher native resolution. Lower resolutions provide increased playback performance during editing. Later, when editing is completed, a higher resolution sequence can be created and clips can be reset to higher native resolutions, such as 4k, for high quality export, grading and effects workflows . Read More

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Workflow Flexibility Through Final Cut Pro

Import and AAF project file exchange-new in Adobe Premiere Pro CS4

By dhelmly aka DavTechTable | November 25, 2008

An update to Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 (4.01) opens the door to even greater workflow flexibility by making it possible to open any Final Cut Pro project in Adobe Premiere Pro and by adding OMF export and enhanced AAF support. Read More

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RED Support for Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, After Effects CS4 and Encore CS4

RED Camera Adobe Importer offers RED Camera Support for Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, After Effects CS4 and Encore CS4

By dhelmly aka DavTechTable | November 22, 2008

The beta version of the RED Camera Adobe Importer Plug-in is going to be available in the next few weeks for customers to download at www.red.com/support. The plug-in brings native support for RED R3D files to Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, After Effects CS4 and Encore CS4 and allows 4K resolution native R3D files to be dropped straight onto the timeline without transcoding or rewrapping, so editors can work with a truly native, color-rich, 4K tapeless workflow on their desktop tools.To use the RED/Adobe workflow, customers musthave the RED plug-in and the CS4 product versions with the free Adobe Premiere Pro 4.0.1 update (see article below). A 64-bit operating system is strongly recommended for RED workflows. Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 has been re-architected for 64-bit operating systems to use large memory more effectively (up to 20GB of memory for Adobe Premiere Pro alone, up to 64GB of memory for a large Production Premium workflow).With the native support for RED R3D files offered by the plug-in, Adobe is furthering the integration of tapeless camera formats into its line of professional video products, and making post-production workflows faster, more flexible, and more efficient. Direct your customers to the RED/Adobe Partnership Statement and FAQ for more information.P.S. We will have a video on how we support Red on AdobeTV when it's available! Read More

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Intro to CS4 and New AVCHD Editing

The new Production Premium CS4 now supports AVCHD for Premiere Pro, AfterEffects, and Encore.

By dhelmly aka DavTechTable | October 14, 2008

Click Here for VideoWith the various price ranges of AVCHD cameras, tapeless workflows will surely reach the mainstream in the near future. I've been using CS4 internally for quite a while and have been totally converted to the new CS4 workflow.Take a look at the quick workflow video and see what's new in Production Premium CS4 and AVCHD. I also show a few more CS4 features like the new Media Browser which lets you browse media from any drive right from Premiere Pro. (The big advantage is here is not having to import unknown clips just to view them). Read More

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Register for Max 2008

Experience CS4 in-depth

By Scott Gentry | October 14, 2008

Register for MAX 2008, Adobe's annual event for designers and developers, and be among the first to experience Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 software. Join thousands of other Adobe users at special networking events, in-depth labs, and sessions that explore leading-edge techniques and technologies. This year's MAX introduces the Art Directors Invitational Master Class (ADIM@MAX)--a two-day, hands-on pre-event session which brings top art directors, designers, illustrators, and photographers together to learn advanced tips and techniques using Adobe products--and the FITC and SoDA Unconferences. Be part of the future of design. Join us in San Francisco November 16-19. Also: Buy CS4 and get $400 off the price of MAX. Learn more max.adobe.com Read More

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AJA + Adobe = Great High-End Workflows

By Dennis Radeke | September 20, 2008

I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the privilege of getting to work with high-end workflows all of the time. I go from everything to DV to Film 4K and everything in between, but clearly SD and compressed HD workflows predominate what we do. However, I have to say that I've been really intruiged with what AJA offers for Adobe products - all that you would expect and a whole bunch extra. Read on to get all the details. Read More

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New Red Camera Adobe Support

Coming From Red: Adobe Production Premium support !

By dhelmly aka DavTechTable | September 10, 2008

For a few weeks now I have been checking out the new Red Camera Adobe Importer plug-in for Premiere Pro, AfterEffects, and Encore. For their first Adobe CS3 plug-in, they've done some excellent work. Their importer plug-in makes using the native R3D file type as easy as any of the other tapeless formats we currently support with CS3. As with our P2 and XDCAM support, importing is as easy as drag and drop or you can still use the standard File>Import dialog. The Plug-in gets installed in the Adobe Common MediaCore folder and is shared by all Adobe video applications. Yes, there are plug-ins for both Intel Mac and Windows. Windows users might consider using Vista64 so they can address more than 3.6 GB of RAM for the larger frame sizes(yes - currently CS3 can only address upto 4GB of Ram on Windows ** stayed tuned ** we'll have a better answer - more on that later) Vista users, just remember to turn off all of the friendly Vista helpful messages like "Cancel or Allow?" ) Read More

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Native Red support coming to Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects

By Michael Coleman | August 04, 2008

On the heels of some great camera announcements at NAB, Red has announced new support for editing in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. This means that you will soon be able to use your native, non-transcoded R3D files directly within Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and After Effects CS3. Some RED users are buzzing about it on the RedUser.net forums. I also want to note that if you're editing in FCP, you may want to consider upgrading to Production Premium. If you have FCP and any Adobe product (After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator) you can save up to $200 on the upgrade price costing you $899. We have a special FCP website if you want more info. Read More

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Adobe’s NAB Sneak Peaks

By Hart Shafer | April 24, 2008

Another NAB has come and gone and it appears everyone at Adobe survived the crazy/great week. Well, I'm at home nursing the traditional post-NAB cold, and my feet took days to get their feeling back, but that's all just par for the course. It was a great show for us--while overall attendance was definitely down, our booth was packed. I had the opportunity to get to know a lot of customers and partners all at once, which is the ultimate point of going at all.During the show I had an opportunity to share a little sneak peak of some of the things Adobe is working on in our technology labs. We wanted to pull back the curtain just bit and show a little of what we are working on because it's important for you to know where we're going. You obviously choose the tools company you want to work with based on what they have available today. But because you invest a lot of time, energy, and money into adopting a toolset you're also interested in where they're going tomorrow. And so when you look at Adobe, you want to know we're not just committed today, but that we're thinking about the challenges you're just starting to face, or will be facing soon.If you weren't able to make NAB, or were at NAB and missed my presentation, no worries. We just posted a bunch of our theater demos to the new Adobe TV site and my technology preview can be found in the video pro section. I won't give away everything I show, but if you're an editor at least watch until I get to the speech analysis part. Good times. Then again, the last thing I showed was definitely the most popular. How's that for a tease? Enjoy! Read More

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Skillfully Talented or Talentedly Skillful

By Steve Kilisky | March 20, 2008

The video industry historically has been driven by technologists. I'm not referring to the technologists who have invented and developed all the products that allow those waves of light to be converted into electronic signals formerly and now bits, manipulated, and ultimately delivered to a growing number of different screens. I'm thinking more about all of the individuals who produced the content we consume today. Where am I going with this? Why am I being so cryptic? Do I get paid by the word to write this blog (NO I am not paid for those who don't know my sense of humor). Get to the point, Steve! What's this got to do with skills and talent?Well first lets define what my understanding of the differences are. This is probably an oversimplification (need to save on word count somewhere), but talent is something one is born with and skills are something that are not innate but you can learn. Read More

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