Systems

Working with Dual Viewers in Final Cut Pro X

On this week's MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | December 04, 2012

What’s that you say? Dual viewers? In Final Cut Pro X? Yes, it’s true - this week I show Steve Martin from Ripple Training how to enable the “Event Viewer” and I walk through a couple of examples demonstrating how you may want to use it.

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Let’s Be Safe Out There

Some are playing with fire - and getting burned - when it comes to dealing with safe areas.

By Chris and Trish Meyer | December 03, 2012

If you create content for television, it’s useful to get out of the house and see how others are actually viewing it. For example, we have all 16:9 HDTV sets and signals here, but on a recent road trip I saw far more 4:3 TV than I was expecting - as well as a lot of improperly-prepared content being chopped off as a result. Let’s walk through some of these very real-world issues.

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The iMac 2012 is finally for sale: a first look for video professionals

The iMac 2012 will likely become the preferred editing platform (even for grading) for all but the most demanding.

By Allan Tépper | November 30, 2012

Apple’s 2012 iMacs took a long time to be announced, then the 21.5" version was promised for November, and today (the last day of November) it is finally available, while the larger 27-inch version is at least capable of being ordered now. Most pro video users who consider it will likely prefer a BTO (built-to-order) version, which is available either directly from store.Apple.com (in the USA) or from the few —but important— independent dealers and pro video integrators who have access to BTO versions. In addition to its improved specs and looks, the most important difference for me (and many others) is the 75% reduction in reflectivity (less glare). Here’s a first look for video professionals.

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Broadcaster Wi-Fi Webcam: a first look

Logitech offers its first HD video camera marketed for video professionals.

By Allan Tépper | November 28, 2012

Logitech has just announced its Broadcaster Wi-Fi Webcam, the first Logitech product marketed specifically for video professionals. Although not specifically marketed towards professional producers, for quite some time the Logitech C910 with 720p HD has been used as a recommended remote host/guest camera for Mac-based remote hosts/guests (C920 for Windows-based ones), and each of those sold for under US$100 and connected via USB. Now the under US$200 Broadcaster Wi-Fi Webcam is cordless, features an external microphone input + built-in pan/tilt, internal mono mic, illumination lamp, and H.264 encoder. More details ahead in this article.

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A Light Meter Party Trick

There's one case where an incident light meter can tell you just as much about a lit surface as a reflected meter can...

By Art Adams | November 26, 2012

Incident meters can only tell you how much light is striking them, and nothing about how bright things are in the real world... except in this one situation. This handy trick for measuring the brightness of diffuse backlit surfaces may be the one way you can surprise your gaffer. Read More

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11 things I love about Vimeo Pro

I am surprised how many video professionals I meet who aren’t aware of Vimeo Pro, the US$199/year service.

By Allan Tépper | November 26, 2012

#In case it wasn’t completely clear in the title, I really love the US$199/year Vimeo Pro to distribute video for the web, mobile devices, and even for Internet connected HDTV sets. I am quite surprised to find so many video professionals in multiple countries who are completely unaware of the Pro version of the Vimeo service, which exists since August 2011 and includes many unique features not available with the free or Plus versions of Vimeo. Ahead in this article, you’ll find 11 things I love about Vimeo Pro, as a prelude to the upcoming article called Vimeo Pro’s few but glaring deficiencies as of November 2012. But first you’ll hear the good stuff that make me love it so much.

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Webinars in December: Allan T©pper will present 3 different topics live

Register and tune in for any or all of 3 sessions: Cameras, Internet Studios, and Responsive Websites.

By Allan Tépper | November 26, 2012

The first week of December 2012, Allan T©pper will be presenting 3 different topics live on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. The presentations will be on December 3rd, 5th, and 7th, and will be available at 11 am in English and at 1 pm in Castilian (aka “Spanish”) (both USA Eastern Time). On December 3rd, the topic will be How to pick the best cost effective camera for digital cinema, TV spots, documentaries, news, or modern TV studios. On December 5th, it will be Internet Studios. On December 7th, it will be Responsive Websites.

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FiLMiC Pro 2 can finally record correct 48 kHz audio!

After a very long wait, FiLMIC Pro 2 for certain iOS devices can finally record correct 48 kHz audio!

By Allan Tépper | November 23, 2012

After a very long wait and multiple requests of the developer, version 1.2 of FiLMiC Pro 2 for certain iOS devices can finally record correct 48 kHz audio! For those unfamiliar, FiLMiC Pro 2 is the relatively new incarnation of the original iOS app called FiLMiC Pro, and is offered separately for US$4.99 (or a similar amount in your region). Unlike the original version, FiLMiC Pro 2 is only compatible with later iOS devices which feature a faster processor. Ahead in this article you’ll see which exact models iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches are compatible, and some changes I’d still like made in the audio portion of the app.

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CTRL+Console still looking for funding as the Kickstarter winds down

Funding is getting close as the iPad control surface gets gestures that might make it quite usable

By Scott Simmons | November 21, 2012

It's just about a week to go in the CTRL+Console Kickstarter campaign for this cool non-linear editing control interface for iPhone and iPad. I posted about it a while back and one issue I had was that the lack of tactile control on an iPad meant the demo had the editor looking away from the screen way too often to look at the iPad. But a recent update lists out a number of gestures that will accomplish tasks without looking down at the screen. Now we're talking.

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Audio Technica BPHS1 broadcast headset with dynamic mic: review + comparison

In this article I review the BPHS1’s construction, specs, and applications, and include comparative recordings with another microphone.

By Allan Tépper | November 18, 2012

Head mounted microphones have specific virtues, including isolation, consistent distance between mouth and element, elimination of the cost & complexity of mounting gear, and -in some cases- built-in listening devices. I have been anxious to compare the BPHS1 broadcast headset with the AT2005USB hybrid mic, which I’ve already covered in three articles in ProVideo Coalition magazine, and in one ebook which is available in two languages. Thankfully, Audio Technica obliged my request and sent me a review unit of the BPHS1, so ahead you’ll find my comments on its construction, specs, applications, and cost analysis, followed by recordings, subjective analysis, and conclusions.

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Adobe has lots of blogs but Kevin’s is the best one

If you're a Premiere Pro CS6 (After Effects too) user then bookmark this useful blog

By Scott Simmons | November 18, 2012

While recently clicking around and updating my RSS feeds in the good ‘ole Google Reader I happened upon this long, long list of Adobe blogs. Adobe is a big company so it's no surprise they have a lot of people blogging about their various corners of the company but the size of that list is ridickerous. That said there are some that have either closed, haven't updated in years or have never updated at all. For Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 the blog to follow is Kevin Monahan's After Effects and Premiere Pro blog.

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LIGHT METERS: What are Incident Meters Good For, Anyway?

Incident meters don't tell you how bright things in your shot are, but it's surprising how handy they can be if you know a few simple facts about light and reflectivity.

By Art Adams | November 13, 2012

Way back when I shot film I was a serious devotee of The Zone System. I lived and died by my spot meter. I have a much harder time doing this in HD, however, so I'm rediscovering the joys of using an incident light meter. I've picked up a few new tips and tricks, and now I'm going to share them with you. Read More

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Update Alert: FX Factory moves to 4.0 and now supports Premiere Pro CS6

Long having support for Adobe After Effects this is the first time for FX Factory in Premiere Pro

By Scott Simmons | November 09, 2012

Some exciting news has just come online from Noise Industries. Their always useful FX Factory product has reached 4.0 and with that update brings first ever support for Adobe Premiere Pro CS6. All the usual suspects are there as far as the FX Factory partners. This Premiere Pro CS6 support joins After Effects, Final Cut Pro 7 and Motion as one part of FX Factory with Final Cut Pro X also being supported (although not all FX Factory products work in both FCPX and the others). The PPro support is important, not just because FX Factory has long supported After Effects but because more and more people are using PPro in place of Final Cut Pro 7.

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Small tablets (Kindle Fire HD, iPad mini, Nexus 7) for content producers and consumers

Learn all the ins and outs about the new smaller tablets, both for digital content consumers and producers.

By Allan Tépper | November 05, 2012

Back in June 2012, I published Google's new Nexus 7: a general first look for content creators and consumers. At that time, I thought I’d write a sequel with more details for audio/video and ebook distribution. However, I decided to hold off until I could properly compare it with what seemed to be coming soon thereafter: the Kindle Fire HD from Amazon and the iPad mini from Apple. Both took longer than expected (but finally arrived), so here is the roundup comparing all three for audio/video and ebook distribution, for content producers & content consumers. All of that, plus a comparison chart!

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Will CTRL+Console be an editing console that editors actually use?

Being that it's an iPad app my gut says no but I want to try it out anyway so I backed the Kickstarter project

By Scott Simmons | November 05, 2012

This is a very cool looking Kickstarter campaign that popped up a few days ago. CTRL+Console is an iOS-based non-linear editing controller that looks to be built from the ground up specifically for the task of video editing. The interface looks quite futuristic and well designed but unfortunately its downfall might be the iPad itself.

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UltraStudio Mini Monitor works with DaVinci Resolve, but should you use it for serious grading?

Picking the right monitoring interface for your editing/grading system is a very critical decision. Learn the important factors to help you make that decision in this article.

By Allan Tépper | November 01, 2012

Earlier this week, I published UltraStudio Mini Monitor: competition to T-TAP? together with a detailed comparison chart. Among many other things, that chart clarified that T-TAP does not work with the industry’s most revered grading program (DaVinci Resolve), and that UltraStudio Mini Monitor does. At US$145, UltraStudio Mini Monitor certainly won’t win any awards for Brevity of a product name, but it will certainly win one for least expensive interface for a full-raster/proper framerate interface to see your grading (or editing) results in realtime on an HD monitor or HDTV set. In fact, even if you own a DreamColor monitor and want to make it work with DaVinci Resolve as a program monitor, the sum of US$145 + US$495 for the “Band-Aid” = US$640 which still represents the least costly connection, even with the irony of the “Band-Aid” now costing more than the “wound”. But that brings us to my title question: Should you use it for serious grading?

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Review: Blue Mikey Digital

A $99 digital stereo microphone and line-in adapter for recent-model Apple iDevices.

By Adam Wilt | November 01, 2012

Mikey Digital on an iPhone 4S running Voice Memo.

Blue Microphones recently started shipping the Mikey Digital, an add-on stereo mike for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3, and iPod touch 4G (iOS 6 only), and Blue offered to lend me one for review. I'd been intrigued by earlier, analog Blue Mikeys at trade shows, so I jumped at the chance to look at—and listen to—this digital descendant. Read More

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Multi-Camera Import in Final Cut Pro X

On this week's MacBreak Studio

By Mark Spencer | October 30, 2012

The Final Cut Pro X 10.0.6 update includes many workflow improvements across the entire editing process. In this episode of MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin from Ripple Training talks with me about the new import features including the unified import window, the ability to import from a variety of cameras sources, and the ability to quickly import selection ranges. Read More

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UltraStudio Mini Monitor: competition to AJA’s T-TAP?

Let's compare the T-TAP and the UltraStudio Mini Monitor. Both offer inexpensive monitoring with proper rasters and framerates from your Thunderbolt Mac.

By Allan Tépper | October 30, 2012

Wait a minute! AJA just recently started shipping its US$295 T-TAP (I published my review yesterday) and already Blackmagic is about to deliver its new UltraStudio Mini Monitor for only US$145? C’mon! That’s less than half of the price of the T-TAP! You probably know that they are both out-only Thunderbolt audio/video interfaces. Ahead, you’ll see what’s the same and what’s different between AJA’s T-TAP and Blackmagic’s UltraStudio Mini Monitor.

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Kicking the tires on Final Cut Pro X 10.0.6

An update is made, many new features are added, the Internet rejoices

By Scott Simmons | October 28, 2012

Apple has dropped a new release of Final Cut Pro X. 10.0.6 came down from the cloud on Tuesday, October 23 and delivered on the new features that Apple discussed back in April at NAB 2012. Dual viewers, RED camera support, better audio tools and MXF support are all now a reality in some form or another. This update also saw a lot of feature improvements as well including the often requested return of paste attributes. There's been a lot of what's new and first looks all over the web since release. I wanted to take a more honest look at some of the features as opposed to just listing out bullet points.

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