education-inspiration

Archiving Final Cut Pro X Projects and Media

2013-05-14T13:23:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training talks about archiving your projects in Final Cut Pro X.

Once you've delivered your edit to your client, they've approved it and you've been paid, how do you go about saving that project and storing it...

After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 6

2013-05-12T23:38:00+00:00

Welcome to episode 6 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. This week we will be learning to collect data from multiple assets into an Array() via a loop. We are also going to learn how to set various values of comps, layers and properties via ExtendScript.

Two Questions About Video Scopes

2013-05-09T23:40:00+00:00

In this inaugural post of my new question-and-answer column, I tackle two kickoff queries about video scopes from colleague Scott Simmons, who thoughtfully saved me from having to come up with something on my own. If you have a question about color grading, postproduction workflow, or any interesting intersection of production and post, send it my way at ahurkman@procoalitions.com. I'll answer via this column as time permits.

Pro video seminars in Bogotá, Colombia on May 20, 2013

2013-05-09T13:47:00+00:00

On May 20, 2013, attendees of Allan Tépper’s Bogotá, Colombia seminars will learn about: Cameras, Internet TV & progressive multicam studios, and Responsive (self-adaptive) websites. The camera seminar will not only cover how to choose the best cost-effective...

Text Animation in Motion

2013-05-07T13:08:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, I show Steve Martin from Ripple Training a few tricks for animating text in Motion.

Text, like shapes, particles, replicators, cameras, and other objects in Motion, has a dedicated set of behaviors available for animating it in various ways. In...

After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 5

2013-05-04T19:52:00+00:00

Welcome to episode 5, this week we will be accessing renderqueue items, templates, outputmodules, as well as the file output name and path. I will also be taking the single item access approach from last week and will now show you how to access multiple items. To do this we will be...

Combining Cartoon with Brainstorm

2013-05-01T15:26:00+00:00

Ever feel like you’re getting the same old looks out of Cartoon, no matter what you try? In this third and final installment of learning how to get better results with the Cartoon effect, we will show you how to combine Cartoon with the After Effects Brainstorm module to get unexpected looks out of Cartoon, including images that look like they were created with a fine pencil, fat markers, or a photocopy machine.

Enhancing the Cartoon Effect

2013-04-30T14:48:00+00:00

In this second installment of learning how to get better results with the Cartoon effect, we will go beyond altering Cartoon’s own parameters from their less-than-ideal defaults and explore pre- and post-processing the video clip getting the Cartoon treatment.

Creating a DVD - Without the DVD

2013-04-30T13:18:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training shows us a neat trick for creating a "diskless" DVD straight from Final Cut Pro X.

Although DVDs are becoming less prevalent due to the rapid rise in web-delivered HD video, some clients still require them. Plus,...

Using Cartoon in After Effects

2013-04-29T16:04:00+00:00

As we’ve mentioned before, we updated our After Effects Apprentice video courses last year. As part of adding and reorganizing material, some movies got cut. But we hate to see anything go to waste, so we’re reposting them here for free - including a three-movie set on using the Cartoon effect.

Cartoon may be one of the most unfairly maligned tools in After Effects. Some of that is due to burn-out based on the popularity of the this look a few years ago; a lot of that is due to the less-than-attractive default settings for Cartoon. But if you’re reading this, you know to go beyond the default settings - and learning those settings is the basis of this first movie.

After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 4

2013-04-28T04:21:00+00:00

Welcome to episode 4 of the After Effects ExtendScript Training series. This week we will be diving into the After effects Object Model structure learning the order in how we can access After Effects via ExtendScript. I'll also go over some helpful tips on preparing your script...

Steven Soderbergh’s State of Cinema 2013

2013-04-27T23:54:00+00:00

I don’t have any pictures from the talk at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco today.

EDIT: I lied, here is one.

Steven Soderbergh requested that people don’t photograph or record video or audio of the talk, and I am...

Using Behaviors in Motion

2013-04-23T13:06:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, I talk with Steve Martin from Ripple Training about using behaviors instead of keyframes for creating animation in Motion.

Almost everything in Motion can be animated either with traditional keyframing methods or by using procedural objects...

After Effects ExtendScript Training: Ep. 1, 2 & 3

2013-04-20T05:45:00+00:00

Welcome to the After Effects ExtendScript Script Writing Training series. My name is David Torno and I will be taking you through the process of creating scripts using Adobe's scripting language called ExtendScript. This is a weekly series focused on teaching you, the After...

Mark, Replace, Slip

2013-04-16T13:21:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training shows us a cool trick for performing a particular kind of replace edit in Final Cut Pro X.

Replace edits are quite powerful tools for swapping out one clip in a project for another or adjusting (slipping) an...

Copying Keyframes in Motion

2013-04-09T19:58:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, I show Steve Martin from Ripple Training several different ways that you can transfer keyframes created on one object onto another.

It's easy to animate layers in Motion using keyframes, and to then adjust the animation by working in the...

Learning More About the Next Version of After Effects

2013-04-04T18:47:00+00:00

Adobe has started to “reveal” information about its next generation of pro video tools, and yesterday we wrote an overview of some of the more significant new features being slated for a future version of After Effects. But if you’re hungry for more information, and sooner rather than later, then you may be interested in some more in-depth videos we’ve recorded, plus a pair of sessions Chris is presenting at next week’s NAB show.

Time Lapse Workflows and Final Cut Pro X

2013-04-02T13:36:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training explains his workflow for creating time lapse movies from a series of photographs using Final Cut Pro X and other applications.

Timelapse photography has become very popular recently - and with the advent of...

After Effects Brainstorm: Keyframe Variations

2013-03-29T10:55:00+00:00

In the third of our rescued movies on Brainstorm, I demonstrate a much less common use of Brainstorm: to randomize keyframes. Brainstorm can essentially randomize any property you can select in the Timeline or Effect Controls panels - including values that vary over time. In this movie, I create a swarming-style animation by duplicating a layer multiple times, and then using Brainstorm to randomize the intermediate Position, Rotation, and Scale values the layers go through.

Working with Keyframes in Motion

2013-03-26T13:38:00+00:00

This week on MacBreak Studio, I get back to the basics in Motion by showing Steve Martin from Ripple Training how to create animation with keyframes.

Keyframes are the basic building blocks for creating custom animations and Motion has a variety of tools for working with them...