Most people assume the worst when their edit system starts acting up. If you’re getting a signal or device control problem, it might not be your machine (or even your software). A $10 cable can tear down an entire edit session. Follow these steps:

1. Shut down the computer to avoid any improper dismounting of media drives.
   2 Isolate the suspected “problem” device.
2. Be sure to reseat both ends of the cable.
   4 If that doesn’t work, try swapping out the cable.
3. Continue to add devices until the problem recurs. Then repeat this cycle.

You might be surprised how many times this works.

Remember, there’s more than just FireWire cables; there are USB cables, RS-422 cables, monitor cables and extensions, and fiber-optic cables. Even your audio and video cables (RCA, BNC, XLR) could be culprits. “What, no video? Oops, my RCA came unplugged.”



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

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If you’re an editor, be sure to check out the Editors Retreat. This great event is a lot of fun and a wonderful learning experience (I’ve been 5 times its that good). The price is lowered, but you need to put a reservation in ASAP.

“With respect to the current economic times and in response to your requests, we are pleased to announce a price reduction for 2009 Editors Retreat. By shortening the length of the Retreat by one day, we’ve managed to cut the price from $3,150 to $2,300 without losing any of our key sessions.

The Retreat now includes:
• 4 days and 3 nights of sessions and activities
• All-inclusive resort stay
• See more here

And, a package of give-aways for each attendee worth $2,400 to include:
• A Full Pass to the 2009 NAB Post-Production World Conference in Las Vegas! (Valued at approx. $700)
• An Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium! (Valued at $1700)

With all of the give-aways and savings you actually receive more than the price of the retreat!

Join us for an amazing conference of advanced sessions, networking, creative workshops, award winning keynotes, raffles and unlimited access to representatives from Apple, Adobe and Avid!”
Registrations must be submitted before December 10th, 2009 with a 30% down payment. Visit www. EditorsRetreat.com for more info.

There are lots of shopping deals this weekend.... Here are a few that I’ve already taken advantage of.

Delkin Devices – 25% off and free shipping. This includes a Blu-ray burner, multiple types of card readers (I ordered a 4 card reader to load from 4 Compact Flash cards at once)! Use the code HOLIDAY during checkout.

equinox – Makers of useful software utilities like Coverscout (to get iTunes artwork) and several templates for OSX mail. I ordered the tube stick bundle for $99 that lets you record over-the-air digital TV signals to your Mac, then transcode them for use on iPod or iPhone. Several bundles that are 50% off.

Mophie – Get the JuicePack for iPhone and iPod Touch. Doubles your battery life and makes for a long day of web work on the device. Take 25% off this weekend. Use the code gobblegobble3G.

Hop you enjoy... I get nothing from links... this is just what I spent money on and thought the deals were good.

Author Richard Harrington demonstrates using the vibrancy slider in Aperture.

Join Apple Certified Trainer Mason Dixon as he shows you how to animate text with keyframes in Motion. Part 2 of 2.



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Want more training? Check out our DVDs.

Apple has just released a set of Pro Applications Updates which improve reliability add add new features. The applications included in the update: Final Cut Pro 6.0.5 Compressor 3.0.5 Color 1.0.3 Shake 4.1.1. Here are some of the highlights of the updates (the full list is here).

Improved High-Precision Rendering – This means improved reliability and quality when rendering still images and footage in high-resolution formats.
Improved AVCHD Support – This affects the Panasonic AG-HMC150 C and the Panasonic HDC-SD9 Camcorder
Improved Support for Metadata Imported from P2 Cards
Improved Format Support for Color – Color 1.0.3 provides support for XDCAM 422 media and for the RED plug-ins for Final Cut Studio.
Improved EDL Handling – Accuracy and reliability during EDL import have been improved.

To Download Files

A lot of new users call us up asking about that exclamation point or nice green check mark on their image. We tell them that Final Cut Pro has an Artificial Intelligence engine, and it’s approving of the shot or edit. Or, if there is an exclamation point, then there’s content that’s inappropriate for people younger than 18. They thank us and hang up the phone.

After about five minutes, they call us back and ask if we were pulling their legs. Well, Final Cut Pro does have a secret AI engine. If we told you more, we’d be put on double-secret probation, but the exclamation point and checkbox actually mean something
else.

They’re used to determine if your video is broadcast safe/legal. An exclamation point means you’re not broadcast safe, and a green checkbox or one with an up arrow means you’re okay. Now how did this get turned on? Well, the keyboard shortcut for this is Control + Z, so people often accidentally hit it when trying to do an Undo (Command + Z) or a Fit to Window (Shift + Z).



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

• 
  

Author Richard Harrington shares tips on how to do some basic adjustments to images in Aperture.

Join Apple Certified Trainer Mason Dixon as he shows you how to animate text with keyframes in Motion. Part 1 of 2.



Like the podcast? Subscribe for FREE.
Want more training? Check out our DVDs.

When placing type against a moving background, a contrasting edge is a necessity. This is often accomplished by using a drop shadow. But sometimes a drop shadow isn’t enough.

1 Use Outline Text from the Generators well.

2 Set the line width to a narrower setting (somewhere between 10–25).

3 Crank the line softness up (40 or higher).

4 Combine with a Drop Shadow from the Motion tab.

5 Reduce the Offset value so the shadow is tighter. Increase the Opacity and Softness to taste.




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

• 
  

We’ve partnered with the cool folks over at mDialog to bring you our Aperture show... now on Apple TV and the iPhone. To view our episodes on your phone, just download the free mDialog application from the iTunes App Store.

“The mDialog application is always available as a free download worldwide from Apple's App Store on iPhone and IPod Touch, or at www.itunes.com/appstore/ or click on the link on the mDialog site.”

Be sure to download and try it out.... it works great and is absolutely free.

I know some of you hate iPhone posts (sorry)....

But here’s something I just had to gush about.... The mophie Juice Pack iPhone battery is shipping. I had the original battery pack, but with the new form-factor for the 3G phones, I had to upgrade. Here’s the specs:

• Standby Time – Up to 350 hours
• Talk Time – 6 additional hours on 3G | 12 hours on 2G
• Internet Use – 6 additional hours on 3G | 7 hours on Wi-Fi
• Audio Playback – 28 additional hours
• Video Playback – 8 additional hours

This device is absolutely awesome and lets me get through a long day of business.

Join Apple Certified Trainer Chris Phrommayon as he shows you how to remove footage from either side of an edit in Final Cut Pro by extracting the top & tail.



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Want more training? Check out our DVDs.

A fundamental keyboard shortcut is using I to mark an In point and O to mark an Out point. In fact, three-point editing is the key to quickly (and accurately) assembling your rough cut. Want to really speed your way through the Viewer and Canvas? Try the following advanced keyboard Options. Combine the modifier key with I for in or O for out.

Shift – Go to In Go to Out Quickly jump to the set mark.
Useful for checking points before making an edit.

Option – Clear In Clear Out
Quickly clear a mark to change an edit. You don’t need to clear a mark if you’re going to make a new mark.

Control – Set video In point Set video Out point
Useful for performing a split edit. Only visible if a separate audio In point is set.

Command + Option – Set audio In point Set audio Out point
Allows you to make a split edit where the audio and picture change at different points.



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

• 
  

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington as he explains the importance of lighting diagrams and shows you how to make them with Omnigraffle.

I know some of you hate iPhone posts (sorry)....

But here’s something I just had to gush about.... The mophie Juice Pack iPhone battery is shipping. I had the original battery pack, but with the new form-factor for the 3G phones, I had to upgrade. Here’s the specs:

• Standby Time – Up to 350 hours
• Talk Time – 6 additional hours on 3G | 12 hours on 2G
• Internet Use – 6 additional hours on 3G | 7 hours on Wi-Fi
• Audio Playback – 28 additional hours
• Video Playback – 8 additional hours

This device is absolutely awesome and lets me get through a long day of business.

Join Apple Certified Trainer Abba Shapiro as he shows you how to make template buttons and simulate your discs in DVD Studio Pro.



Like the podcast? Subscribe for FREE.
Want more training? Check out our DVDs.

This is a great little filter to remove AC noise from a track. Usually this happens because a power line was running parallel (as opposed to perpendicular) to your audio cable when you recorded your scene.

• Leave the frequency set to 60 (as in 60 cycles) if you were shooting in the U.S. or set it to 50 if you were shooting in a country where the power is 50 cycles.
• Q adjusts the filter resonance. Higher values result in a narrower but stronger resonance, which limits the frequencies affected by the filter.
• Gain is essentially the sound pressure level (a.k.a. how loud the audio is).
  
  

What about all those harmonics? Think of them as reflections or echoes of the original 60-cycle hum. Use only the harmonics you need because you may start removing frequencies you want in your audio.



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

• 
  

Richard Harrington takes a look at a wide variety of video accessories in the Hoodman (http://www.hoodmanusa.com/) booth at Photoshop World '08.