The Most Important Piece of Paperwork for Your Projects
Project Scoping Document
( 2 - 1 0 p a g e s )- Project Name
- Executive Summary
- Background
- Project Scope (High Level)
- Project Objectives
- Deliverables
- Organizations
- Interfaces Required
- Assumptions
- Constraints
- Evaluation Criteria
- Risks
- Rewards
- Budgets
- Schedules (Due Dates)
- Project Team Readiness
- Key Roles
- Executive Sponsor
- Project Manager
- Business Experts
- Technical Experts
- Signature Lines - Sign Off “Charter”
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Video Compression Workshop – Helpful Advice (part 3)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Filed in: Apple
This is part
two of our article on effectively compressing video
for the web and multimedia. Be sure to read part one
if you haven’t done so.
Need to get your
video delivered to your audience? Then there’s
probably going to be some compression involved. Don’t
let hardware or software get in your way. Let’s take
a common sense approach to getting your video out
there.
Read More...
Pick Your Power
There are tons of compression tools out there, but the pro apps offer important features like batch processing, multiple architecture support, and customizable presets. The five most popular options are:Read More...
Video Compression Workshop – 10 Steps to Better Compression (part 2)
Sunday, July 27, 2008 Filed in: Apple
This is part
two of our article on effectively compressing video
for the web and multimedia. Be sure to read part one
if you haven’t done so.
1.) De-interlace
your video: Most video files are interlaced, which
means that half of one image is blended with half of
the next. On a Television this produces smoother
motion, on a computer it produces junk.
2.) Lower your audio standards: Most users are listening to computer audio on tiny speakers. Cutting your sample rate to 22 or 11 kHz and the sample size to 8-bit will often produce unnoticeable audio changes but huge space saving.
3.) Shrink the window: While you don’t need to make video postage stamps sized. But reducing the window to half size creates a file that is 25% the file size of the original. That’s a BIG savings in space.
Read More...
2.) Lower your audio standards: Most users are listening to computer audio on tiny speakers. Cutting your sample rate to 22 or 11 kHz and the sample size to 8-bit will often produce unnoticeable audio changes but huge space saving.
3.) Shrink the window: While you don’t need to make video postage stamps sized. But reducing the window to half size creates a file that is 25% the file size of the original. That’s a BIG savings in space.
Read More...
Convert MPEG-1 for FCP
bbDEMUX – Free
http://sourceforge.net/projects/macbbdemux
I stumbled across this great piece of freeware when stuck with an editing problem. My client had some MPEG-1 files they wanted to edit together for their website. While I was able to import them into FCPand set the timeline to 320X240, I couldn’t get the audio to import. Turns out with MPEG-1 files, the audio and video are merged into one track (muxed). This great little app does nothing more then split them apart, but that’s all that was needed and its free!
Video Compression Workshop – An Introduction (part 1)
Thursday, July 24, 2008 Filed in: Apple
Read More...
Ugly Playback in Final Cut Pro
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Filed in: Weekly Tip
After a few more questions the fix was clear. In the RT pulldown on the Timeline, settings for Playback Video Quality and Playback Frame Rate were set too low and quarter respectively. No wonder he was getting ugly playback!
If you have similar symptoms, the RT menu is often one of the first places to check. While there are many combinations here, we find that setting both Playback Video Quality and Playback Frame Rate to Dynamic will offer the best balance of real-time playback and quality.
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
Final Cut Help - Trim Edit Window
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Filed in: Podcast
I Can’t Even Open My FCP Project File” (Or Other Flaky Activities)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Filed in: Weekly Tip
Corruption can happen a
lot of places, even in Final Cut Pro:
1. Look in the Autosave Vault. Before panicking, simply try going back a few versions. Do a search for Autosave in the Finder. Look in the folders for a backup of your project file. Work your way backward through the recently saved copies.
2. Create a new user account. Create a new user account for testing purposes. This is a great way to see if the problem is a corrupt preferences file. Most Final Cut Pro preferences files are stored in the user’s settings. Open the System Preferences panel under the blue Apple. Click Accounts. Click on New User. Create one call test, and give it admin privileges. You can assign it a password or not. Only use this account for troubleshooting (you may want to keep it for the future).
Now, log out, and log in as the new user. Try opening Final Cut Pro. It should open with no active project files. If it opens, you’ve narrowed the problem down to bad user preferences (see next tip) or a bad project file.
3. Test the project file. Next, open the project file that was causing the problems. (If it was stored in the other user folder, you won’t have access to it. Log in as the original user, make a copy of the file, and move it to a shared location such as the media folder or the top level of your hard drive—not the desktop—that’s owned by the user.)
If it opens, you’ve confirmed it was the preferences. If it crashes, it could be bad media or renders, or something has become corrupt in the application or the OS.
4. Delete the render files. Delete all the render files. Don’t worry—you can rerender a lot faster than you can rebuild the project. To find render files, look on your media drives for the Render Files and Audio Render Files folders. Terminate them with extreme prejudice. Yes, it’s Apocalypse Now for your render files.
Try reopening the project. Success? If not, try hiding the media files from the project. Disconnect the media drive, or drop the media into another folder. If the project opens with the media offline, you’ve got a bad media file. (An alternative is to open the project file on another machine—same rules apply.)
5. Recapture the media. If you determine you have a bad file, you can either load/relink media back into the project in small groups or batch recapture the media from the original tapes. If you’re still getting tanked, send the project to a friend to see if it’ll open on their machine. This is the best way to determine if you’re having a hardware, application, or operating system issue.
6. Still broken? At this point, you may need to call your reseller or a consultant.
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
1. Look in the Autosave Vault. Before panicking, simply try going back a few versions. Do a search for Autosave in the Finder. Look in the folders for a backup of your project file. Work your way backward through the recently saved copies.
2. Create a new user account. Create a new user account for testing purposes. This is a great way to see if the problem is a corrupt preferences file. Most Final Cut Pro preferences files are stored in the user’s settings. Open the System Preferences panel under the blue Apple. Click Accounts. Click on New User. Create one call test, and give it admin privileges. You can assign it a password or not. Only use this account for troubleshooting (you may want to keep it for the future).
Now, log out, and log in as the new user. Try opening Final Cut Pro. It should open with no active project files. If it opens, you’ve narrowed the problem down to bad user preferences (see next tip) or a bad project file.
3. Test the project file. Next, open the project file that was causing the problems. (If it was stored in the other user folder, you won’t have access to it. Log in as the original user, make a copy of the file, and move it to a shared location such as the media folder or the top level of your hard drive—not the desktop—that’s owned by the user.)
If it opens, you’ve confirmed it was the preferences. If it crashes, it could be bad media or renders, or something has become corrupt in the application or the OS.
4. Delete the render files. Delete all the render files. Don’t worry—you can rerender a lot faster than you can rebuild the project. To find render files, look on your media drives for the Render Files and Audio Render Files folders. Terminate them with extreme prejudice. Yes, it’s Apocalypse Now for your render files.
Try reopening the project. Success? If not, try hiding the media files from the project. Disconnect the media drive, or drop the media into another folder. If the project opens with the media offline, you’ve got a bad media file. (An alternative is to open the project file on another machine—same rules apply.)
5. Recapture the media. If you determine you have a bad file, you can either load/relink media back into the project in small groups or batch recapture the media from the original tapes. If you’re still getting tanked, send the project to a friend to see if it’ll open on their machine. This is the best way to determine if you’re having a hardware, application, or operating system issue.
6. Still broken? At this point, you may need to call your reseller or a consultant.
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
Final Cut Help - DVD Studio Pro: Making a Menu - Part 2
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Filed in: Podcast
Editors Retreat Returns
Monday, July 14, 2008 Filed in: Resources
| Conferences
Recharge
Your Creativity and Craft • January 28 - February 1 •
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Now in its third year,
the Editors Retreat
has become an annual
gathering for the post-production elite. Highly
experienced editors from the worlds of film, TV
and video gather to network, exchange ideas, share
tips and of course, have fun!
Past keynotes and attendees have included such names
as Alan Heim, Sally Menke, Stuart Bass, Chris
Franklin and David Helfand as well as Apple, Adobe
and Avid experts and industry power users. Attendees
have included representatives from HBO, FRONTLINE,
MTV, Lockheed Martin, Harpo Productions and
Telemundo.
Running for 5 days and 4 nights, the Retreat offers
advanced sessions on post visual and audio techniques
and features valuable insight into emerging trends
and technologies. An equal amount of time will be
devoted to discussing the creativity, craft and
business practices of successful editors.
To ensure that only the best of the best attend,
participation is subject to an application and
screening process. Visit www.EditorsRetreat.com
for the full
schedule and more details.
WATCH THIS YEAR'S VIDEO
Rebuilding Permissions
Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Filed in: Weekly Tip
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
Final Cut Help - Customizing the Interface for Color Correction
Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Filed in: Podcast
After Effects CS3 Shape Tools
Monday, July 07, 2008 Filed in: Adobe
Learn how to use the Shape Tools to create dynamic motion graphics elements. This tutorial was recorded as part of a session at the 2007 NY Post Production Conference (www.nypostconference.com).
Motion Graphics Meets John Lennon
I was over at YouTube posting a new tutorial.... came across a great clip that mixes multiple animation styles… this is VERY cool. It’s nice to hear the man so off-the-cuff… yet wise.
“In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon’s every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon’s boundless wit, and timeless message.”
Learn more about it here (and yes… I missed this one somehow).
Aperture Book Hits #1
Friday, July 04, 2008 Filed in: Apple
| Training
Products
Well... color me
surprised.... my new book on Aperture Hit #1 on
Amazon across several categories.
I’m not sure about the Digital Music category... but it also took top spot as the best selling Mac book as well.
You can check the book out here... if you’ve gotten the book and enjoyed it, can you please post a review as well.
Thanks!
I’m not sure about the Digital Music category... but it also took top spot as the best selling Mac book as well.
You can check the book out here... if you’ve gotten the book and enjoyed it, can you please post a review as well.
Thanks!
Laugh at Bill & Steve – The Silicon Apartment
What would
happen if you locked Bill Gates and Steve Jobs in the
same apartment (like Big Brother)? Well you get the
risque comic strip – The Silicon Apartment
(PG-13).
The strip is really quite good and skewers both
sides.
When in Doubt, Shut Down and Restart
Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Filed in: Weekly Tip
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
Final Cut Help - Text in Motion: Stylizing Text
Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Filed in: Podcast
WALL-E Rocks – Two Great Mac Jokes
Sunday, June 29, 2008 Filed in: Apple
Two quick things I found hilarious for the Mac-Geeks out there.
First, there is a character in the film called Auto, who is an auto-pilot robot for the ship. The character’s voice is done by Macintalk, the speech synthesizer included with the Mac back in 1984. It sounded familiar, and I confirmed it as the “actor credit” actually appears at the end of the film.
Second, there is a scene where WALL-E reboots... and yes, it is the Macintosh startup chime that you hear. I found myself laughing out loud (and I think I was the only one within 20 rows of me who got the joke (geek!).
OT: Help Iowa Flood Victims & Listen to Great Music
Sunday, June 29, 2008 Filed in: Personal
My last
home before Washington, DC was Des Moines, IA. A lot
of friends and colleagues have been affected by
devastating floods that most have overlooked. The
short version, floods worse than Hurrican Katrina
have been battering the Midwest... few have noticed.
One of my favorite bands, the Nadas, has an online album to raise awareness and funds.
Contribute to
United Way of Central Iowa's flood relief fund while
reliving some of your favorite moments from Authentic
Records Authentic Records' Flood Relief Benefit on
Sunday, June 22. Please pay what you can for this
exclusive download. All proceeds benefit United Way
of Central Iowa.
1. Barkers Beauty - Fat Andy
2. Come Lay Down - She Swings, She Sways
3. Promise - Benjamin Wagner
4. The Friday Night Fight - Brother Trucker
5. Angels & Devils - Tony Bohnenkamp
6. Feel Like Home - The Nadas
7. Templeton Rye - The Nadas
8. The River - The Nadas
One of my favorite bands, the Nadas, has an online album to raise awareness and funds.
River Songs - Authentic Records' Flood Relief Benefit Bootleg
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1. Barkers Beauty - Fat Andy
2. Come Lay Down - She Swings, She Sways
3. Promise - Benjamin Wagner
4. The Friday Night Fight - Brother Trucker
5. Angels & Devils - Tony Bohnenkamp
6. Feel Like Home - The Nadas
7. Templeton Rye - The Nadas
8. The River - The Nadas
| The download
is free, but
donations matter. Do what you
can. |