The Video Road

After Effects is one of the most versatile apps for pushing pixels on the planet. But, what makes it a truly world-class application is how easy it is to expand its capability beyond what ships in the box.

Most people are familiar with AE plug-ins, but not as many people are aware what you can accomplish using Scripts. Scripts are written using Javascript, and can be highly useful for organizing projects, automating output, or even modifying and adjusting values within a comp. And, many many scripts for AE are available for low or even NO COST online.

Here are a couple of different links for some free or low-cost scripts:

Chris Green's Scripts: http://www.crgreen.com/aescripts/
Chris has written some nice free scripts for rendering multiple areas of a single comp, and creating lights and cameras that automatically point to a selected layer. They're free, but feel free to donate to Chris's efforts.

Jeff Almasol's Scripts: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&extid=1698043 Jeff wrote a number of scripts that are available as a free download from the Adobe site, but not many people find them. :-)

AE Scripts http://aescripts.com/ AE Scripts has some really nice scripts available at low cost (many around US$10,) including some marked "Name your own price." Some examples include scripts that provide new ways of interpolating keyframes for specific effects, get better integration between Mocha AE and After Effects, and more. Again, super useful stuff.

Posted by Karl Soule at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven't checked for updates in the past week or so, Adobe has released Premiere Pro 4.2 for both Mac and Windows. This adds support for the AVC-Intra format from Panasonic, adding to our existing award-winning P2 tapeless workflow.

David Helmly has a great video demonstrating the use of the new Premiere 4.2 features here:

Posted by Karl Soule at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As my friend and coworker, Jason Levine, heads off to the UK, here's a shiny, brand-new episode of "Short & Suite" to check out:

Jason will be presenting at the FCP Supermeet in London on Thursday, June 25th. Check it out!

Posted by Karl Soule at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the things I've noticed on Twitter is a LOT of people jumping into Adobe Premiere Pro, and feeling sort of lost from the beginning. Many people are always asking me how to get started using Premiere Pro for the first time, and I've decided to do something about it.

Continue reading "Announcing... Premiere Pro Bite-Sized Training!" »

Posted by Karl Soule at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The new season of our AdobeTV show, Short & Suite, has begun! In this episode, we've moved away from our work with Mr. Johnny Encore to go out on the road, and Jason Levine shows how he can collaborate with the other Evangelists from anywhere in the world using Adobe Clip Notes technology. Watch it here:

Posted by Karl Soule at 5:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, Adobe is announcing a new free update for Premiere Pro CS4 users. The 4.1 update contains a number of new fixes and features that will benefit a wide variety of users.

One of the most exciting new features is the new enhanced RED support. Anyone using the initial release of the RED plug-in knows that Premiere Pro uses a 'virtual proxy' system, where Premiere Pro imports and works with the full resolution R3D files, and the plug-in tricks Premiere Pro into thinking the files are a lower resolution (chosen by the user) for a good editing experience on different levels of hardware. I've edited full 4k files on my laptop (using 1/8 resolution) and had a great experience. However, the initial plug-in required Premiere Pro to shut down in order to change the working resolution of the clips.

The new plug-in and support in 4.1 eliminates all of the bothersome restarts to change the working resolution. It's all handled now in the Source and Preview monitor menus directly, and can be switched on-the-fly in the middle of editing without closing the app. Plus, the media browser now understands RED card structure, making it even easier to preview clips. Lastly, it also enables the ability to alter the color profile of the RAW clip directly in Premiere Pro! There are color, ISO, and White Balance sliders in the Source Settings panel for creating custom color profiles, and applying them across multiple clips simultaneously.

In addition to RED support, there are also new features for Avid interoperability, including support for AAF sequence import from Media Composer without having to rerender media. There's also some nice architecture fixes that finally enable CS4 to work with HD capture boards from AJA, Black Magic, and Matrox video cards.

Posted by Karl Soule at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just exchanged emails with a creative individual named Sunny Thaper. Sunny was attempting to use our trial version of Production Premium with his Canon HV30 camcorder, and ran into some difficulty.

The difficulty, unfortunately, was on our side, and I want to bring this to everyone's attention in case others have run into this. There's a small notice on the trial download site that often gets overlooked:

"The trial versions of Adobe After Effects CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, and Soundbooth CS4 do not include some features that depend on software licensed from parties other than Adobe. For example, some codecs for encoding MPEG formats are available only with the full version of these products. HDV, XDCAM, and AVCHD formats and sequence presets are not supported in the trial for both Mac OS and Windows®. Adobe Media Encoder export does not include MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MPEG-2 DVD, or MPEG-2 Blu-ray as export formats in the trial. The file importer does not recognize file types that are not included in trial mode (such as MPEG and XDCAM files). HDV is not included as a capture format in the Mac OS version of the trial."

What does this mean? Unfortunately, many of the codecs that are included in the full versions of the program are NOT INCLUDED with the trial version. This is due to licensing issues - these codecs are licensed from other companies, and those companies do not allow us to distribute them freely with the trial versions of our software.

If you are trying to evaluate any of these formats:
HDV
XDCAM
AVCHD
You will NOT be able to use the trial version of Production Premium to do so. Those codecs and timeline sequence presets don't even show up in the trial version of the software. I would recommend going to an authorized Adobe dealer and getting some time there with the full version of the software.

This is an unfortunate situation to be in, and Adobe is looking into ways we can enable customers to get a better trial experience. Many other NLE makers no longer supply trial versions because of these licensing issues. However, Adobe has been committed to keeping a trial version available.

Posted by Karl Soule at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My friend Rufus Deuchler recently gave me a challenge. I started in video production working with virtual sets and chromakeying over a decade ago. I've used many different technologies over the years to remove green screens and blue screens, and found various techniques for preserving the original colors in the remaining video. However, I had never used Photoshop to do it before. It's actually quite easy using the new Adjustments and Masks panels in Photoshop CS4.

Let's start with a picture of Rufus, where the green has already been removed. Look at the color of the edge of the hair, and the side of Rufus's face. It has a green tinge to it.

Start by loading up the ESSENTIALS workspace in Photoshop CS4. This includes the Adjustments Panel, and the Masks Panel is in a tab in the same location.

Go to the Adjustments panel, and add a new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. Click the check box to colorize. Set the saturation to about 65, and the Lightness to about 60. The Hue used will depend on the type of color spill in the original image. If you picture a color wheel, what we are doing is adding the opposite color to the image. So for blue spill, use a lemon yellow color - something around 60. For Green, use a magenta - something around 270.

Now, let's mask the color. With the Adjustment Layer still selected, go to the Masks panel, and click the button to Create a Pixel Mask. Click on Color Range, and in the Select drop-down menu, select Green. This will give us the start of our mask.

Now, go back to the Hue/Saturation panel, and play with the saturation and lighting. You want to add enough Magenta to the image to cancel out the green, but not so much that the hair turns purple. There may be areas that are not affected yet - that's because the mask isn't perfect. We'll fix that in the next step. For now, worry about the areas that are being affected, and get the saturation value in the right ballpark.

Select the mask in the Layers panel by clicking on the mask icon in the adjustment layer.

Select the paint brush, and set the brush color to white. Set the opacity to about 10%. Paint over any remaining areas where green is still showing in the hair or skin. For example, in this image of rufus, the right edge of his face is getting a touch of green spill that isn't currently being affected enough by the adjustment layer. Paint over this area. If you overpaint, and his face turns magenta, switch the brush color to black and repaint. Also, play with the opacity of the brush if necessary.

Posted by Karl Soule at 1:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adobe has just released a white paper on how Adobe is currently supporting 64-bit memory addressing in the video applications. Check it out here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/production/pdfs/cs4_production_premium_64bit_wp.pdf

I'm currently recovering from a ROCKING event here in Moscow, and I'll be traveling back to California tomorrow to attend the SF Cutters user group and talk more about 64-bit support there. Then, Jason Levine and I will be shooting new episodes of Short & Suite, our AdobeTV show. More blog soon!

Posted by Karl Soule at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My co-conspirators, Jason Levine & Rufus Deuchler, had the opportunity at CeBit to play with CS4 on some smoking-fast new systems.

Read about it all here:
http://blogs.adobe.com/jlevmedia/2009/03/cebit_comes_to_a_close_64bit_o.html

I'm running out the door to catch a flight to Moscow! See you later in the week!

Posted by Karl Soule at 5:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven't seen this yet, Jan Ozer at EventDV posted an article with some personal tests he did comparing CS4 Production Premium running both under 32-bit Windows and 64-bit Windows. The difference was astonishing.

"After correcting for the 18% difference in processor speed, the 64-bit system was 67% faster on my standard DV test file, up to 63% faster on HDV-related tests, up to 50% faster on AVCHD tests, and up to 227% faster on tests using footage from the RED camera."

Read the whole article here:

http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/News/Feature/The-Moving-Picture-CS4-at-64-52202.htm

Posted by Karl Soule at 6:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dennis Radeke just posted another great article on how the Adobe Production Premium applications can take great advantage of using a 64-bit operating system today. Here's the link: http://blogs.adobe.com/genesisproject/2009/03/64_bit_os_and_adobe_products.html#more

As I said a few weeks ago, it's the perfect time for Windows users to start migrating over to 64-bit. Hardware makers have really started to embrace making drivers for 64-bit, and with up to 128GB of RAM available, the benefits far outweigh the limits.

For Mac users, you can see all the benefits today just by adding RAM to your system. :)

Posted by Karl Soule at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Watch a bigger version here: http://tv.adobe.com/#vi+f15625v1001

Posted by Karl Soule at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past week, I had someone at Broadcast Video ask me why we have a product like OnLocation, since the capture utility in most NLE's can capture live video from a FireWire port. Oh, let me count the ways:

1. Monitoring Tools. OnLocation is much more than a direct-to-disk capture program - it also helps set up shots, detects potential problems in shots, and can make you a better shooter overall.

2. Calibrated Field Monitor. By running a short calibration routine in the Field Monitor, what you are looking at is accurate. Compare this to the average LCD display on a camera, which doesn't display accurate brightness, color, or contrast, and on many cameras, cuts off 10% of the picture.

3. RAM Buffering. Adobe OnLocation uses some great under-the-hood coding to ensure that it won't drop frames. As the video comes in, it's buffered into RAM first before going to the hard drive. Unlike the capture or log & transfer function in your NLE, OnLocation is an application that was designed as a field recorder first and foremost.

4. Live Waveform and Vectorscope monitors. These scopes and monitors are VITAL for seeing problems that may not be noticeable to the eye. If you don't know how to read these scopes, you NEED TO LEARN. They are very easy to read once you understand what you're looking at. It only takes about 10 minutes, and the benefits are huge. Go to the OnLocation Help to find out, or keep checking here for some upcoming examples.

5. Quick Back-and-Forth between record and playback. OnLocation is designed as a field recorder, so it's very easy to review shots, then keep shooting. Instantly review what you just shot. You'll stop shooting "one more for safety," and you'll leave sets with the confidence you get what you came for.

6. Continuity checking. OnLocation has a Split Screen feature that can help match recorded shots with a live camera, making it very easy to dial in the camera to match.

7. Adding Metadata. OnLocation makes it easier to add metadata into your recorded footage during acquisition. The sooner you get metadata into your assets, the more you'll benefit. Using the Shot List placeholders, you can have metadata in OnLocation before you even shoot, so you won't have to type it in later.

See what I mean? Once you start using OnLocation for shoots, you won't want to go back. It's included with Premiere Pro, Production Premium, and Master Collection for BOTH Mac and Windows, so go check it out!

Posted by Karl Soule at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

There's a new series on AdobeTv to be aware of called Everyday Timesavers, featuring Rufus Deuchler, Julianne Kost, Greg Rewis, Paul Burnett, Jason Levine, and myself. Over the next few weeks, you'll see short videos covering just a few of the ways that CS4 can save you time in everyday tasks. Jason is leading off the Production Premium videos, showing how the new Speech Search works, and can save TONS of time finding the clip you're looking for. Check it out!

Posted by Karl Soule at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's time. The perfect storm has finally come together to move to 64-bit Windows computing. For a long time, people have asked about 64-bit Windows XP, and I've never given it the thumbs-up. There were too many driver issues with it, and it was never widely adopted. Microsoft used Vista as the official crossover point from 32-bit to 64-bit, and it shows in the amount of drivers that are available for it.

You may not be aware of it, but there have been several changes made to After Effects and Premiere Pro CS4 that make switching to 64-bit Windows a really good idea. Both applications can definitely take advantage of more RAM, and the only way to use more than 4**GB is to switch to 64-bit. For example, Premiere Pro CS4 will automatically use the additional RAM in a 64-bit system by making copies of itself in memory for every 4GB your timeline needs. With RAM as cheap as it is, getting 16GB or even more is an easy way of boosting performance in Premiere Pro. But you have to be running 64-bit to do it.

Now, before you get started upgrading, make sure your system has 64-bit drivers available for it. The one disadvantage of 64-bit Windows is finding drivers. Specific Vista 64-bit drivers are necessary in order to run your hardware - the regular 32-bit drivers won't work. My home system uses an ASUS motherboard, and a quick check of the ASUS support site shows a full set of 64-bit drivers for my motherboard.

Also, make sure your copy of Vista has SP1 installed. Service Pack 1 is required for CS4, and you really don't want to be running Vista without it. Most of the posts out there complaining about Vista instability were written prior to SP1, so keep that in mind.

Once you have everything in place - 64-bit Vista running, drivers installed, CS4 installed, here are some tips to maximize performance:

* For Premiere Pro, you don't have to do much of anything. Just make sure you've upgraded to 4.01, since some of these changes were added in the free incremental update. Premiere Pro will now utilize more than 4GB of RAM in the system by making multiple instances of itself each time 4GB has been used.

* For After Effects, you'll want to go into the Preferences - Memory & Multiprocessing panel, and adjust the amount of memory per core. AE will also instance itself, but it does this per CPU core, and each core can utilize 4GB.

Here are a couple of good resources for understanding how AE uses RAM:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/9.0/WS9F936D13-E76A-41e4-BF8F-577132AB4723a.html

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/9.0/WSDD65B476-971A-48e9-A5FD-D90E9A2B996E.html

(Thanks, Todd, for the links!)

For those Mac users still reading, both of these features are in the Mac version, so you don't need to do anything special to use more than 4GB of RAM.

**4GB is the theoretical maximum under 32-bit Windows, but many applications won't be able to use all 4GB of RAM due to OS overhead. For example, After Effects can usually only access 2GB of RAM in 32-bit Windows. There's a hack to enable up to 3GB, but that's the maximum. (Hack info is in the links above, if anyone needs it.)

Posted by Karl Soule at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've already talked about the benefits of adding Premiere Pro to your arsenal of video production. Here, I'm going to give you an example of why using Premiere Pro with your FCP project can save you a LOT of time.

Here's an example of a Final Cut project with some green screen footage. I want to composite that footage in After Effects.

I COULD do this the old way - **TAKES DEEP BREATH** export the clip, create a new AE Project, Create a new comp, take time Cmd-tabbing between programs to get the settings of the new comp to match the FCP project, import the footage into AE, begin compositing, render a test shot, import the test shot into FCP, compare it to my other clips, Cmd-tab back to AE, make changes, render another clip, import new clip into FCP....**WHEW!!**

Here's the easier way using Production Premium CS4, including Premiere Pro CS4.01:

Start by exporting your project from FCP using the File-Export-XMP command. This will save an XMP version of your project.

Open up Premiere Pro. Create a new Premiere Pro project. Premiere will ask to create a new timeline sequence - don't worry about the settings. We aren't going to use the empty timeline for anything. Just use the default settings and name.

In Premiere Pro, double-click on the empty space in the Project bin. This will open up an Import window. Find and double-click on the XML file you created in the previous step. This will import your FCP timeline sequence, and all necessary media.

To activate a Dynamic Link to After Effects, right-click (or Option-Click) on the green screen clip in the timeline, and choose Send to AE Composition. After Effects will automatically open, create a new composition matching the settings of the clip, and get you ready to start keying.

When you want to see your comp in action inside your timeline, simply switch back to Premiere Pro, and scrub the timeline. Thanks to Dynamic Link, you don't need to go to the render queue first and create a file - it's ready to scrub inside Premiere Pro. To make changes, go back to AE, make changes, and jump back to Premiere Pro. Your changes update instantly.

Posted by Karl Soule at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My buddy Mark Mapes, who works on the OnLocation team, made a comment about a recent blog of mine. He pointed out that last week's blog on the Split Screen feature failed to point out the keyboard shortcut available for the Opacity setting. Using the value in the Monitor Settings panel is sort of limiting, because you cannot adjust the area of the split while adjusting the opacity value.

The way to fix this is by assigning and using the keyboard shortcuts. Go to Edit-Keyboard Shortcuts, and scroll down in the list to the Field Monitor settings. There are a couple of unassigned keyboard shortcuts for the Split Screen Opacity.

Set these values to whatever works for you, and you can adjust the opacity of the Split area without having to open up the Monitor Settings panel each time. Thanks, Mark!

Posted by Karl Soule at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last year, at the IBC trade show, I had someone come up to me and say, "You know, Premiere Pro CS4 looks absolutely fantastic! Unfortunately, I'm a Final Cut Pro editor, and can't use it." I inquired further, thinking it was a training issue, and he told me that since he defines himself as an FCP editor, he won't use other NLE tools. I was left speechless.

Another story took place at an FCP user group meeting in San Francisco. A gentleman approached me after my presentation to ask how to get Encore by itself. He was a current user of Photoshop and After Effects. When I suggested Production Premium would be the way to go, he said that would be impossible, since that meant buying Premiere Pro in the package, and he couldn't do that. What?!?

Look:

1. Using an NLE does not make you married to that NLE. There's no ring on your finger, no marriage license, no "until death do us part." (at least I hope not. I haven't read all the latest EULAs.) I can see sticking with the tools you love to use, but you are not cheating on your NLE if Premiere Pro is installed on your system.

2. Use the tool that'll get the job done right, fast, & cheap. If you limit yourself to one palette of tools, you're limiting your creativity. You'll have to sacrifice quality or speed without the best tools. Practicing monogamy to your NLE won't help you get the job done faster.

Now, for the big question: WHY? Why, if I'm happy with the way I edit on FCP, why would I want to even open Premiere Pro?

I'll give you one big reason - Integration. CS4 Production Premium is much much more than a collection of programs. One of the big advantages is the integration found between those programs, and the interoperability. Import a PSD file? Premiere does it right. See After Effects compositions mixed with footage right on the same timeline? Yep, Premiere can do it as well. Import an unrendered timeline sequence into Encore for Blu-Ray authoring? Guess what to use - that's right - Premiere Pro.

Adobe just recently (in the 4.01 update) added a new Final Cut importer into Premiere Pro. Using the XML Export option found in Final Cut, you can now edit in FCP, quickly export/import your project USING THE SAME MEDIA, and then take advantage of the integration that Premiere shares with After Effects, Encore for Blu-Ray authoring, and even better use of PSD files. Premiere Pro becomes more than a competing NLE - it's your gateway to faster workflows, more capabilities, and better creativity.

In case you do need to make some editing tweaks after exporting, Premiere Pro has keyboard shortcut presets for FCP users, AND you can customize any shortcut to match what you are used to. Just go to Edit-Keyboard Customization to change to a different preset, or choose your own set of shortcuts.

Look, if you still feel like you're being unfaithful to FCP for using Premiere Pro, don't think of it as an NLE - think of it as the "Adobe Production Premium Final Cut Importer."

If you use After Effects and Photoshop already, getting Production Premium is the cheaper way to upgrade to CS4. Plus, you'll get these added benefits. If it doesn't make you more productive, FCP won't divorce you, or hit you over the head with a frying pan. It'll still be waiting there for you. :)

Posted by Karl Soule at 4:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One hassle of the production process is trying to go back and get additional shots that match older footage. Those of you who shoot interviews know what I speak of - I've had to cut together a TON of interviews over the last 10 years, and every time I've had to go back and reshoot, there's always something different about the new footage. B-roll footage can be used to cover the jump, but it's not the same. If you want to use a jump cut or quick dissolve, there's nothing more annoying than seeing the microphone move positions, or the camera framing being off, and the subject's head gains 5 kg because of a closer camera angle.

Adobe OnLocation contains a feature to combat this problem, and it's also useful for dialing in cameras in a multi-camera shoot. It's called the Split Screen Feature.

Here's a shot of me from last week's eSeminar on OnLocation. Notice the lovely garish shirt I'm wearing. For the sake of this tutorial, I'm going to try to match this scene with my live camera.

I've made things simple enough by wearing the same lovely shirt. I had to dig the shirt out of a box buried in the back of the garage this time. I need to be sure to ask the wife about why the shirt keeps disappearing like that.

To get Split Screen dialed in, click on the flyout menu on the Field Monitor, and choose Display Settings.

The opacity of the Split is set by default at 50%, but for this exercise, I'm going to crank it up to 100%. Anything less than 100% will cause an Onion Skinning effect, which can be useful, but in this case it's too much information. Using 100% makes it clear what's from the still and what's from the live camera.

Here's the tricky part - you MUST click on items in exactly this order: Double-click on the pre-recorded clip. Pause the clip on a good frame to compare. Then, click the Split button. Click the Stop button. clicking Stop should switch left side of the screen back to the live camera.

Use the on-screen controls to adjust the size and area of the split. To match up my camera angles, I'm going to use the CS4 logo hanging on the top left corner of the green screen. Adjust the camera position until everything lines up. I'll take this moment to ditch the hat, which I can see wasn't in last week's shoot.

Just from the field monitor, I can see that the brightness of my camera isn't what it was when I shot the previous footage. Be aware that the Split is also active on the Waveform Monitor as well. I need to adjust the iris/exposure of my camera to match. With the Fv at 1.8 and the Exposure cranked up to +1, I'm seeing similar brightness values in the Waveform monitor and in my Field Monitor.

The one thing this technique won't help me with is removing the new curry stain on the shirt. Fortunately, with this shirt, it's almost impossible to notice. :)

This same technique works well in Pre-production on a multi-camera shoot. Point cameras at a common object. Hook OnLocation to Camera 1. Dial in white balance, iris, exposure, etc. Then, record a reference clip. Go to camera 2, hook up OnLocation, and compare the live feed from Cam 2 with the recorded clip from Camera 1. Split, use the Waveform Monitor, and adjust Cam 2 to match. Rinse and repeat for Cam 3, 4, etc.

Posted by Karl Soule at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In case you missed it, Hyundai ran some commercials during yesterday's Super Bowl for their new Genesis Coupe. There's a contest at www.edityourown.com that uses Adobe Premiere Express technology. You get to edit your own commercial for the Genesis, and post it online. Prizes ensue.

If you haven't seen Premiere Express before, it's an online editing technology based around Flash that enables putting together video clips, music, transitions, titles; basically all the pieces necessary to edit together a video. At the end of the process, you "publish" a playlist of your finished movie. There's no rendering involved - the player just loads your playlist of media and plays it in the Flash player.

If you'd like more information about Premiere Express for your website, check it out here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereexpress/

Posted by Karl Soule at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently, I gave an online OnLocation e-seminar to over 200 people. I had a TON of questions at the end, and couldn't get to all of them in the time provided, so here's a follow-up to some of the more pertinent questions:

Do the Qt files recorded on the hard drive have the same timecode as the tapes in the camera?
The clips have the same timecode that the camera provides. This is a good reason to continue to use tape in the camera. Remember, OnLocation doesn't impact the tape mechanism in the camera. It's there, so feel free to use it! :) If the tape isn't running, and the T/C generator in the camera isn't set to Free Run, then the recorded clips will all start with 00:00:00;00 timecode. OnLocation doesn't generate it's own timecode.

If you aren't familiar with Free Run mode, it's a great way to get unique timecode for each file, and not use tape. Many prosumer cameras like the DVX-100 or HVX200 have a free run timecode generator. you have to get used to the idea that the timecode generator is running whether you're shooting or not, but it works well with OnLo.

Does it record native DV or a compressed file?
OnLocation records what the camera provides via FireWire, which is a full-quality signal, exactly the same quality as what's recorded to tape. There's no loss in quality using OnLocation.

Could you monitor REDRaw(r3d) files using Onlocation?
The RED camera doesn't currently offer a compressed output via FireWire, which is what OnLocation CS4 requires to see a signal. There's a lot of great development talks with RED right now, so maybe this will change in a future release.

Can you pull pre-recorded video into shot list? Or does it have to be recorded directly into shot list?
It is possible to pull some clips into OnLocation from other sources for comparison purposes, but not all files will be compatible. Simply drag/drop clips from an open window into the Shot List. OnLocation will tell you if the clip is compatible or not. I've found this is most useful when using multiple OnLocation projects, and wanting to combine clips from different projects into one project.

Is the metadata contained in a XML format?
The metadata is imbedded in the QuickTime or AVI file for DV format. For HDV recording, it is stored in a separate XML file.

You said that as you did takes in the "placeholder" screen the take # would change, but in your demo it didn't change. Why is that?
Good question. Chalk it up to operator error. The shot list has two different modes of recording, which I showed: Shot-Recording Mode, and Take-Recording Mode. Somehow, at the beginning of the demo, I mistakenly selected the wrong mode. To utilize the placeholders, select Take-Recording Mode, as shown here:
Later on in the seminar, I caught this mistake, and later clips do show the takes field incrementing, but I didn't call this out. :p Bad Karl.

Can camera rec button start on location record?
YES! There's a remote record toggle control at the bottom of the Field Monitor, shown here:

Turn this on, and OnLocation will begin recording at the same time as your camera begins recording.

Will OnLocation work with the HD-SDI IO cards?
Not in the CS4 release. As laptops continue to evolve, we'll be looking at other signal formats, but for now, OnLocation only records signals transmitted via FireWire.

Posted by Karl Soule at 4:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

For those who prefer to edit with FCP, one known challenge has been working with PSD files from Photoshop. The PSD importer in FCP sometimes causes some, well, unpredictable results.

Because of this, most FCP users settle for exporting out PNG files, but this can create problems down the road if you need to modify the graphic, update text, etc.

Now, there is a better way! Adobe just recently introduced a way to import your FCP project into Premiere Pro. This is a great way to still do the bulk of editing in Final Cut, AND take advantage of the powerful integration Premiere Pro enjoys with apps like Encore, After Effects, and, of course, Photoshop.

Here are a couple of examples:

I started with a lower 3rd PSD template that was made for an NLE shootout last year. In Photoshop, I made a modified version of the file, changing the font a little bit, and updating the text. I tried importing both the original file, and a modified version of the file, into FCP:

Completely different results for each file, even though the only thing I modified was the text and the fonts used!

I then exported my edited FCP project using the Export-XML command, and imported it into Premiere Pro. (There's no special command to import the project into Premiere Pro. Just create a new Premiere project, and use File-Import, and point at the FCP XML file. Premiere Pro will do all the rest.)

Then, in Premiere Pro, I imported the same 2 PSD files. In Premiere Pro CS4, there's a new PSD import dialogue box with several different options.

For this example, I just used the "Merge All Layers" option. However, if I wanted to, I could pick and choose the layers out of the PSD file, or import the PSD into a new timeline for layer-by-layer animation.

As you can see by the pix, both PSD files import with proper transparency and text. Using Premiere Pro as a tool to import PSD files means no concerns how the PSD will look on the timeline - what you see in Photoshop is what you'll get in your project.

Posted by Karl Soule at 4:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the sake of convenience, I'm posting a copy of the Serious Magic Activation tool here: Download file Because some virus blockers tend to block anything with an .EXE extension, I've renamed it to a .123 file. Be sure to rename the extension to .EXE after you download it.

Please read all previous posts, and make sure you have any necessary updates to your legacy Serious Magic software installed before running this self-activation tool.

Posted by Karl Soule at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just got my copy of the Premiere Pro CS4 Classroom in a Book, and I'd recommend it to any Premiere Pro user. The CS4 release is so loaded with new features and improvements that this manual is a must have to get the benefit of the new workflow. For example, the New Features list is 3 pages long, with new features that touch on just about every aspect of the editorial process. And, it comes with a DVD-ROM (Windows AND Mac) with sample clips to test out. Whether you're just switching over to Premiere Pro, or have been using it since the first release, you'll see some benefit from this book.

Posted by Karl Soule at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Self Activation tool has completed testing, but won't officially make it up to the Adobe support site until after the holidays. If anyone is crunching on production work over the holidays, and needs it sooner, please LEAVE A COMMENT, and I'll send it to you. Just make sure your email address can accept a ZIP file.

For more information on how to use the tool, or why you might need it, read this post: http://blogs.adobe.com/VideoRoad/2008/12/help_for_ultra_1_and_2_custome.html

UPDATE: The Serious Magic Activation Tool is available here:

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=47&platform=Windows

Posted by Karl Soule at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adobe Encore has had Blu-Ray authoring since the CS3 release, and it works amazingly well for authoring Hi-Def content. However, there are still some "gotchas" in the professional world that warrant discussion. These gotchas aren't problems with Encore, but rather how licensing works for a couple of different technologies.

For this article, I'm going to focus on the differences between Blu-Ray Duplication and professional Replication, and how AACS is currently licensed. If you are interested in authoring that feature film to Blu-Ray and putting copies in every Best Buy, you need to know about this.

Continue reading "What's Wrong with the Blu-Ray Market Today? Part 1: Duplication vs. Replication, and AACS" »

Posted by Karl Soule at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the things I love about working with all the local teams around the world is how we all have fun at each other's expense. Recently, on the CS4 launch tour, my coworker Paul Burnett made jokes about presenting in Singapore wearing a pink tutu. Mongchee, who organizes the events in the Singapore / Malaysia region, was only happy to oblige:

Click here to download the picture.

Well, we couldn't pass up this opportunity to get even, seeing how we had the opportunity to present in Singapore that same week...

Continue reading "Fun with the Singapore Team" »

Posted by Karl Soule at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We live in exciting times in the world of Production Premium. CS4 just shipped, and there's already a free update that adds exciting new features to both Premiere Pro and After Effects. If your system isn't connected to the internet, you'll miss out on these exciting updates, so here's how to get them.

Continue reading "Staying up-to-date on CS4" »

Posted by Karl Soule at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello out there to all the Serious Magic customers who own ULTRA 1 and 2.

Starting in 2003, Serious Magic began offering the ULTRA software for sale, and it was a huge hit with our customers. There was always one point of concern with Ultra, however, and that revolved around our activation system. What would happen if we went out of business, or got purchased by a larger company?

At the time, we sent out assurances that, if one of those scenarios played out, we would make sure and take care of our customers somehow, either by releasing a patch to unlock, or issuing a self-activation tool.

I'm deeply sorry to say that we dropped the ball on this one. A self-activation tool is in the works, but it took longer than planned, and the web team shut down the activation servers a few weeks ago. I just want to express my apology again to all former Serious Magic customers that this played out in this way. We never meant for this situation to unfold like this, and we will live up to our promise that you'll be able to continue to use what you purchased for years to come.

The good news is that the self-activation tool is in testing now, and should be available very soon. For certain versions of the software, you will need to update to the latest 1.x or 2.x version first, BEFORE using the activation tool. Those updates are available here: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/ Make sure this is done first, and the process should go very smoothly.

Going forward, it'll be a good idea to put the activation tool and the 1.x or 2.x update file onto a CD, so you'll have it for any future re-installations/activations. With this new activation tool, you'll be able to reactivate an unlimited amount of times, and never need to call into support to add more activations.

I also want to reiterate that the ULTRA technology is NOT DEAD. The vector keying is alive inside of Premiere Elements 7 and Visual Communicator 3, and there's still development going on for the professional CS tools. (It just didn't make it for CS4.) As a public company, there are legal reasons why I can't share all the details, but there are good things coming.

UPDATE: The Serious Magic Activation Tool is available here:

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=47&platform=Windows

Posted by Karl Soule at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

So, RED recently announced a plug-in for Premiere Pro and After Effects CS3 that will enable NATIVE R3D support in these applications. This plug-in is just a "first step" towards a full native R3D workflow, but it's pretty exciting.

My friend and coworker, Dave Helmly, has a wonderful write-up on this initial (beta) release of the RED plug-in here: http://blogs.adobe.com/davtechtable/2008/08/new_red_camera_adobe_support_1.html#more

Posted by Karl Soule at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Recently, I was visited in my office by a disembodied floating camera. If you haven't seen the AdobeTV show "Ask the Adobe Ones" yet, go check it out. Kush Amerisinghe, asks me some questions regarding the AVCHD format.

Ask The Adobe Ones

Continue reading "The Adobe Ones Got Me!" »

Posted by Karl Soule at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today, a new Beta version of the next edition of Soundbooth was put up on labs.adobe.com for anyone to download and try out. Two of the hot new features are:

* MULTITRACKING!!! Yep, Soundbooth will support multitracking in this beta, with an exciting new way to save out multitrack projects.

* Auto Volume Leveling. Now, with a simple click, volume levels in multiple clips can be automatically adjusted to sound like the same level. This is different from just normalizing, because it also affects the noise shelf to help smooth out the sound of each of the clips.

The beta will run for 2 days for anyone, and those of you who have a license for Soundbooth CS3 can run the beta indefinitely. Go check it out!

Posted by Karl Soule at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I recently had the opportunity to spend time with the team from Cineform. Many of you probably know Cineform for their high-quality intermediary codec, and their HDV workflow add on for Premiere Pro.

At HD Expo this past month, I got to meet David Newman and some of the other Cineform people, and I got to see Prospect 4K in action for the first time, and it completely blew me away.

Before I can go through and explain exactly what Prospect 4K is, I first need to explain a little bit about the concept of RAW. It's been in the digital photography space for quite a while, but this is the first example I've seen of a video RAW workflow on a desktop editing platform.

Continue reading "More on Cineform" »

Posted by Karl Soule at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I've gotten some questions lately about how to do Time Lapse shots with Adobe tools. There's actually a fantastic way of recording Time Lapse directly off your DV/DVCPRO/HDV camera using a laptop computer and OnLocation.

Start by launching OnLocation, and connect your camera to your laptop via FireWire. If your camera isn't automatically recognized, right-click anywhere in OnLocation, choose Devices, and choose your camcorder from the list.

Starting a timelapse clip is easy - just push the red record button that has a clock face on it, found here:

By default, the time lapse option will record 1 frame per second, but you can customize that rate very easily. Click the Menu button on the Field Monitor, and look for a value called TmLps Frequency, shown here:

Altering this number will do different things depending on the native frame rate of the signal you are working with. The number refers to the amount of frames to skip before recording another frame. So, for example, this will mean different record rates if you are working with a 30fps video signal vs a 60fps video signal. The best way to determine the rate is to use the charts found in the Help menu, which I've replicated here:

Use the above chart if you are working with DV or DVCPROHD signals to determine frame rates. So for example, if I was working with an NTSC signal being recorded at 30fps, and I wanted to record a frame every 15 seconds, I'd set the value to 450. To record 1 frame a minute, I'd set it for 1800.

With HDV, there are slightly fewer choices because of the long-GOP nature of HDV. Here's the chart for HDV:

In most circumstances, OnLocation only records the I-Frames from the HDV signal, resulting in a slightly larger file size than a typical HDV file of the same duration.

Normally, OnLocation will keep recording time-lapse footage as long as there's hard drive space. However, it's possible to set a recording limit in the menu. If the TmLpse Net Frames setting is set to a value other than 0, OnLocation will record frames up to the Net Frames value and stop. For example, if I set the Net Frames value to 360, it will record 360 frames, and stop automatically.

Posted by Karl Soule at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)