While at the National Association of Broadcaster's show, I picked up a copy of Zaxwerks' ProAnimator. This product is both a program and a plug-in. It is useful for creating animated text or logos. You can import Adobe Illustrator files, 3D models, or type original text in using any system font. It's fast and easy and give impressive results.
For more info.

Join Apple Certified Trainer Chris Phrommayon as he shows you how to use the extract top and tail shortcut in Final Cut Pro to make precise edits.



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Do you like carpal tunnel? Stop clicking on each window in FCP when you want to use it and start using keyboard shortcuts! With a little practice, you’ll be flying around the different windows without clicking.

• Command 1 = Viewer
• Command 2 = Canvas
• Command 3 = Timeline
• Command 4 = Browser
• Command 5 = Effects Tab in the Browser
• Command 6 = Favorites Bin in new Window
• Command 7 = Trim Edit.
• Command 8 = Log and Capture Window
• Shift Command 8 = Log and Transfer Window

Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.

Join Apple Certified Trainer Abba Shapiro as he gives you and overview of DVD Studio Pro and explains how to use it to design and burn your DVDs.



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You’ve probably heard that art directors always look for true quote marks (“ ”). The same holds true for apostrophes or single quotes (‘ ’). But how do you access these when all you have is an engineering-style keyboard? After all, you probably knew that the key next to the Return key was for indicating feet and inches (they look like this, 6' 3’").

You access the true quote marks by pressing the following:

• Option + [ for “
• Option + Shift + [ for ”
• Option + ] for ‘
• Option + Shift + ] for ’
  

Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.

A few folks commented about my desktop pattern at a recent conference. It seems the old 'Indian head' pattern evokes some memories in many audience members.

Well the version I had comes from a Russian designer named Art. Lebedev. You'll find it and several other pieces of artwork on his posters page. For the test pattern, scroll down to the bottom and you'll find it in the right column. All are free to download.

Sometimes we miss the good old days where choosing a frame rate was an either/or decision. When it comes to HD, one area of confusion that we get asked about a lot is the difference between frame rate and field rate.


It’s common to see numbers like 720p60 or 1080i60 as part of a description.

• The first part describes the vertical resolution.
• The P or I describes whether the footage is progressive or interlaced.
• The last part describes its frame or field rate.
  

In HD video, frame rate and field rate are often used interchangeably and it can be hard to tell what someone is talking about. Here is an easy way to think of it.

• When an HD format is interlaced, the number generally describes field rate (1080i60 would describe 60 fields per second).
• When an HD format is progressive, the number generally describes frame rate (720p60 would be 60 frames per second).
  

The interesting thing is that field can describe frame too! This is because field rates are double that of frame rates. So 1080i60 footage has a frame rate of 30fps. Got it? Well, it’s not that simple. Most of the time numbers like 60 or 30 really represent fractional field rates (59.94) or frame rates (29.97) for backward compatibility with NTSC television. Math—oh, how we hate you.


Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.

If color correction and grading is important to you (we’re certified junkies) then you should really check out some of the great third-party tools that are on the market. There is some overlap between these three manufacturers, so be sure to download the demos and try things out.

• Nattress Productions: This manufacturer offers several powerful tools for processing video; in the color correction and grading space there are a few standouts. The Film Effects package offers great control over 3:2 pulldown, 24p conversion, and de-interlacing. Plus it has a great library of preset looks, proper film-style dissolves, sharpening, and gamma control. Another option is their Big Box of Tricks, which offers several filters (more than 70). The package includes several plug-ins that fix specific image problems such as noise and flicker. Plus the package offers great control over levels, curves, and image stylization effects. (http://www.nattress.com)
  

• Magic Bullet: The latest version of Magic Bullet is a suite of products that consists of three different products. Magic Bullet Looks allows for the creation of special looks that process your image. There are several presets as well as great options to customize. Magic Bullet Frames offers conversion from interlaced material to 24p. Magic Bullet Colorista allows for powerful color correction. (http://www.redgiantsoftware.com)
• Noise Industries: The Editing Pack offers several useful tools for improving video images. A strong collection of blurs is complemented by a Dewrinkler filter for improving skin. The Vignette and Matte Generator also offers several options for creating interesting power window effects. (http://noiseindustries.com)

Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.

Here’s a transition you see all the time on TV that’s easy to create. We call it the Fly By.

1. Choose your Effects tab in the Browser > Video Transitions > Slide > Push Slide. Double-click Push Slide to load into the Viewer.
2. Make the duration of the transition something short (four frames works well).
3. Change the angle to 90 for a Fly By to the right or -90 for a Fly By to the left.
4. Locate an edit point you want to add a transition to.
5. Drag the transition from the Viewer (use the little hand in the upper right hand corner) to the edit point on the Timeline. Make sure that you don’t center the transition on the edit; you want to start on the edit. If you’re not sure what you did, right-click on the transition and choose Transition Alignment > Start on Edit.
6. Position your playhead at the end of the transition you just added (it helps to have snapping on) and press Control + V to add an edit (make sure you either lock your audio tracks or toggle Auto Select off or you’ll be adding the edit to your audio as well).
7. Drag the transition from the Viewer to that edit point again, making sure it starts on the edit.
8. Repeat the process one more time.
   

Play back your Timeline and you should see the image Fly By the screen a few times. One trick to make this process easier in the future is to save the Push Slide as a Favorite.



Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.