Apple
An updated interface, 64 bit and more 3rd party hardware support are among the highlights
By Scott Simmons | November 03, 2011
Today was the day for the Avid webcast where they announced a new version of Media Composer. Version 6 will ship on November 15 and may be one of the most important releases of Media Composer since … well version 5.0. Version 5 ushered in the big change that is the Smart Tools and caused quite a ruckus amongst old timers. Version 6 will see an updated interface. That interface is a surface change but there's a lot of under-the-hood changes as well. In fact, I think it could be said that Media Composer 6.0 is sort of like a reboot, or maybe a reset as I heard one person say. The last time we heard the term reboot when talking about an NLE was Final Cut Pro going to version X. Avid's reboot is much more subtle. It's the kind of reboot that is needed, mostly under-the-hood that builds a platform to move forward into the future without sacrificing the features we've come to use and rely on.
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With the move toward Adobe Auto Duck is doing a solid for the editing and post community
By Scott Simmons | October 28, 2011
It was just over a month ago that the post-production community was surprised by the news that the perennial workflow / transfer tools from Automatic Duck were suddenly gone. If you've been under a rock get up to speed on that news here and here. Another bombshell dropped Friday night when news broke that all those legacy Auto Duck products are now available for free.
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Thanks to Chris Portal for taking pictures and summarizing Murch's talk
By Scott Simmons | October 28, 2011
I wasn't able to make it to the October 27 Boston SuperMeet though I really, really wanted to go. With a lineup that included the editor of Apocalypse Now and The English Patient, that would be Walter Murch of course, as well as Andrew Weisblum, editor of Black Swan and The Wrestler this looked to be a craft-focused event. Of course everyone wanted to know what Murch thinks of Final Cut Pro X and thanks to Chris Portal's report from the event we now know.
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PsF footage requires special treatment in post, and its sources are growing at an alarming rate.
By Allan Tépper | October 23, 2011
Here in Part 1 of PsF’s missing workflow, I’ll define two new terms I’m introducing: benign PsF and malignant PsF. Fortunately, both Adobe Premiere CS5.5 and Apple Final Cut Pro X handle benign PsF (progressive segmented frame) automatically in the most desired way. Unfortunately, neither of these programs can handle malignant PsF properly. This means that -even with the latest software- it is your responsibility to avoid the multiple pitfalls of misinterpreting malignant PsF. You must be aware of it and take the necessary steps to counteract it. This article will cover Panasonic’s AVCHD/AVCCAM PsF status. Upcoming articles in this series will reveal the PsF status of other cameras and recorders, and the workflows & workarounds with popular editing software.
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Despite gloomy predictions from the naysayers, the Mac Mini beats the MacPro tower for video editing.
By Allan Tépper | October 18, 2011
Many readers of ProVideo Coalition magazine may recall my recent article Mac Mini w/Thunderbolt: preferred platform for many new editing systems. However, some of the readers had doubts, and one naysayer even dared to comment via LinkedIn: “This is hilarious garbage. No serious editor, in their right mind, would do this.” Another commenter via LinkedIn supposed that it would stand up for standard-definition video editing only, but would never work for HD 1080p editing. Fortunately, here is a detailed report from a very serious commercial production company in Guatemala, that has recently replaced two MacPro towers with Mac Mini i7 with Thunderbolt, together with a Thunderbolt RAID5 disk array, and a Thunderbolt-based professional audio/video i/o device. Here you’ll see the exact software and hardware configuration used, performance, and enthusiastic comments from the editor. On the other hand, you’ll even learn where not to use a Mac Mini.
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FCPX can lose its links to media (and send clips offline) if the files are modified by another application.
By Scott Simmons | October 17, 2011
I learned a hard lesson today about Final Cut Pro X after doing some roundtrip testing between FCPX and the newly released Resolve 8. That lesson was to be very careful when using clips that FCPX is referencing in other video applications. If some piece of metadata is modified in the file, even if the video stays exactly the same, FCPX may not be able to see it. Also, if you're doing extensive audio mixing in FCPX be aware that the mixed clips won't roundtrip.
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This latest update allows roundtripping to and from FCPX as well as refinements for other workflows
By Scott Simmons | October 15, 2011
The engineers over at Blackmagic Design continue their mad dash to update and upgrade DaVinci Resolve. The end of last week saw the release of Resolve 8.1. This comes after the huge 7 to 8 upgrade we saw earlier in the year but this incremental update to 8.1 adds some pretty significant features itself. Probably the headline feature is support for Final Cut Pro X's new XML format. Secondary to that but equally important to those using Resolve in a grading facility is better Avid Media Composer roundtripping and some FCP7 XML updates. Plus you can even use Resolve 8.1 as a go-between to move from FCPX to FCP& or maybe Media Composer to FCPX! That is if that need ever really arose. Read on for a list of changes and some experiments with roundtripping.
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7 Guatemalans learn to color correct and more...
By Allan Tépper | October 08, 2011
I just returned from the Republic of Guatemala in Central America, where I interpreted a class for David Catt, the original product manager at DaVinci Systems. (Since then, DaVinci Systems was purchased in 2009 by Blackmagic Design). David Catt taught 7 Guatemalans how to perform grading, including color correction and more using DaVinci Resolve. The client who recently purchased the new Mac-based DaVinci Resolve system is Julio Borrayo, president of STAFF HDTV/Alta Definición, which produces high-end TV commercials in Guatemala. This article explains the details of the system they purchased (hardware + software), installation and preparation, main points covered in the class, and the students. David Catt has agreed to join us on an upcoming episode of TecnoTur to discuss grading and the differences between different DaVinci Resolve configurations.
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As of October the crossgrade price goes up $500
By Scott Simmons | September 29, 2011
This is just a reminder that if you want to take advantage of the $995 Final Cut Pro to Avid Media Composer Crossgrade then you better act fast as it ends on Friday, September 30. This promotion has been going on since around NAB and it's been a great opportunity for Final Cut Pro 7 (this excludes FCPX) users to get Media Composer at an unheard of price. If you don't take advantage of this deal the crossgrade price goes up to $1,499.
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The first update for FCPX gains some big features
By Scott Simmons | September 21, 2011
Today was the day that many of us who've been following the Final Cut Pro X saga have been waiting for. An update hit the Mac App Store this morning that took FCPX to version 10.0.1. That update is small in number (more on that in a bit) but rather big in features as there's quite a lot that Apple has stuck into this first update to FCPX. Chief among those things is XML support that introduces a new FCPX specific flavor of XML. Second would be Roles, a new way to tag and label clips that looks to be one of those FCPX think different ideas that has real potential. And even more.
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Current Get phonetic search tool users will be able to crossgrade their license
By Scott Simmons | September 18, 2011
I missed this bit of news concerning the now defunct Get phonetic dialog search tool from AVC Software. Any current owners of Get will be able to get a free crossgrade upon the release of Boris Soundbite. Soundbite is the future of the phonetic dialog searching technology that came to market after NAB. We love this technology a lot so it's nice to see this crossgrade happening for those current Get users.
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The Complete "Flare Factory" for Motion 5 and FCP X
By Mark Spencer | September 16, 2011
mFlare is a fascinating and deep new product from MotionVFX.com, the site best known for their extensive colleciton of templates for Motion and After Effects.It's one more reason that every Final Cut Pro X editor is going to want to have Motion 5 as part of their editing and motion graphics arsenal.Rather than a straight review, in this article I'll walk you through a few scenarios for how you might use mFlare in your FCP X projects.
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The US$299 Intensity Extreme is the first bus-powered a/v Thunderbolt interface, although not the first bus-powered device.
By Allan Tépper | September 09, 2011
At IBC in Amsterdam, Blackmagic has just announced its second Thunderbolt audio/video i/o interface, the US$299 Intensity Extreme. For about 70% less in price than Blackmagic’s first Thunderbolt product, the Intensity Extreme is also the first bus-powered a/v Thunderbolt interface, although not the first bus-powered device (since Matrox’s Thunderbolt adapter is bus-powered, but it is not an audio/video interface itself, but the connection to one). When connected with a laptop (i.e. MacBook Air or MacBook Pro), the Intensity Extreme will be powered by the laptop’s internal battery via the Thunderbolt connection. This article will describe exactly what you’ll get -and what you won’t get- if you choose the US$299 Intensity Extreme interface from Blackmagic, and its availability.
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AJA's Io XT is the first professional audio/video with a loopable Thunderbolt connection.
By Allan Tépper | September 09, 2011
Today AJA announced and is showing its new Io XT audio/video interface with Thunderbolt at IBC stand 7.F11 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Unlike other Thunderbolt-capable professional i/o interfaces from other manufacturers which I have covered earlier this week here in ProVideo Coalition magazine, the Io XT from AJA is the first and only one so far to offer loop-ability (aka “daisy-chaining”) to other Thunderbolt peripherals or even standard DVI/HDMI monitors via an inexpensive adapter or cable (under US$30 in most cases). This first look at AJA’s Io XT will cover its features, specs, and pricing.
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The best overview yet of what looks to be a very powerful color grading plug-in.
By Scott Simmons | September 07, 2011
Right around the time of NAB 2011 rumors began floating around that Filmlight was going to release a Macintosh-based software only version of their Baselight color grading product. It made sense as a rumor as many other companies had been introducing reduced cost Mac versions of their products plus Baselight would already run on a Mac laptop as Baselight customers can get a Mac laptop-only license as a great learning tool. What Baselight did was surprise everyone with a work-in-progress Final Cut Pro Baselight plug-in. Now we've got a demo of the Baselight for FCP7 in action.
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By Allan Tépper | September 05, 2011
Matrox is the first (and so far, the only) manufacturer of professional audio/video interfaces to offer the possibility of adding Thunderbolt connectivity to any of their existing products which are already in the field. Matrox now offers this capability for any of the MXO2 family of interfaces, which currently include the MXO2 Mini, MXO2 LE, MXO2 (original), and MXO2 Rack. Since almost the beginning of the MXO2 family, all of the interfaces have been available either with (or without) Matrox’s Max option, which performs hardware-based accelerated H.264 encoding from within popular professional video editing and encoding applications, and with a choice of either PCIe or ExpressCard/34 interface to a host computer. As first shown at NAB 2011 and now delivering in September 2011, Thunderbolt is the third available option, allowing connection of any Thunderbolt-capable Mac. This article covers how this works, what it means, and what the upgrade will cost you (or the price of admission if you don’t yet own any MXO2 family interface).
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You can still buy seats of the pre-X version - but what does that get you?
By Chris and Trish Meyer | September 01, 2011
As has been reported and confirmed by multiple sources, you can once again buy Final Cut Studio. You won't find it (yet?) in the physical or online Apple stores; you have to call 1-800-MY-APPLE, ask for part number MB642Z/A, and pay $999 ($899 educational).Great. So? When FCP-X came out, some tried to placate the naysayers by reminding them that the new version wasn't compulsory; they could just continue to use the previous version - it's not like their licenses had been taken away. The reply was yeah, but we'll eventually need updates and support as hardware and the OS change - why continue to invest effort into a dead product? And unless Apple is about the announce the biggest mea culpa since Avid said they were abandoning the Mac (or Coke quietly took New Coke off the shelves), that part hasn't changed, regardless of whether you can buy additional copies or not. With Apple's professional video division focused on the numerous fixes enhancements that have been requested and promised for FCP-X, I just don't see them launching a parallel development effort to update FCS as well. (Let me know if you've seen job postings for Apple that indicates otherwise.)What this move probably reflects was that some large customers weren't going to switch to FCP-X just yet, and in the meantime needed additional licensed copies. And more importantly, it shows that Apple listened, and reacted. And that's something.
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FCPUG Converges on Amsterdam With HDSLR Shooters including Philip Bloom
By Clint Milby | August 31, 2011
IBC is almost here, and that means it's SuperMeet Time, and this one is shaping up to THE event of IBC. Beyond the opportunity to meet and visit with your fellow filmmakers from around the world, you'll also get to interact with Philip Bloom and Jason Levine of Adobe Systems, Editor Eddie Hamilton (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) for Avid, Michael Wohl on FCPX, Autodesk & others.
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By Allan Tépper | August 26, 2011
If you read my recent article Apple USA unfortunately segregates Mac Mini's keyboard options here in ProVideo Coalition magazine, you may now feel relief. After exploring multiple sources, I have fortunately located a USA-based company that is willing and able to offer both versions of the official Apple aluminum keyboards with the Spanish ISO layout. When I say "both versions", I mean both the wired (USB) version with numeric keyboard, and the wireless (Bluetooth) version without the numeric keyboard. Now Apple users in the USA who choose the Mac Mini and would like an official Apple Spanish keyboard (with which Apple USA does not currently offer any Spanish keyboard option) can order their desired keyboard from this company. Of course, this also applies if you want a replacement keyboard for your iMac or MacPro, or if you want an external keyboard for a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro, regardless of whether the computer currently has a Spanish ISO or any other type of keymap, and regardless of whether you run your system in English (or in any other language).
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Masters of Final Cut reveal time-saving tips and powerful techniques for editing, graphic animation, audio post, color grading, delivery and asset management.
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