Jason Levine – Healing People Daily with the Power of Digital Video & Audio

Hello again, my friends! Well, I'm freshly back from the very successful Nordic Production Premium CS4 tour and as mentioned, we've got some new content up on Adobe TV, specifically, new videos detailing some of the great time-saving features you can find in CS4 Master Collection.

This is the first roll-out, and expect new videos every week for the next several weeks or so. Join me, Karl Soule, Greg Rewis, Rufus Deuchler, Paul Burnett & Julianne Kost as we showcase workflows that can save you time, but also enhance your productivity. They're fun videos, they're quite short (hey...short & sweet) and they're a great way to learn about great features, new and old.

The first four videos can be found here:

Everyday Timesavers: VIDEO

Everyday Timesavers: DESIGN

Everyday Timesavers: WEB

Everyday Timesavers: PHOTOGRAPHY

A screen shot from my video. Get it? It's a piggy bank; saving money, etc. It's actually animated ;)

Until next time,

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hey friends! As mentioned earlier, we're now down to the final two Short&Suite episodes of the season, based around the making of Johnny Encore's Photoshop Dream Girl.

In this Part 1 of 2, follow Karl as he talks about mapping video to a 3D object in Photoshop CS4 Extended. I'll be taking you on a journey involving the original recording of the track, and how I used some original 'pieces' of the performance to create looped takes, as well as leveraging content from Audition's LOOPOLOGY library (which contains over 5,000 pieces of royalty-free material, in more than 20 styles, played on dozens of instruments...largely, by yours truly:))

If you've ever wanted to understand looping in Audition 3 or *any* program, this episode (I'm featured in the second half) will give you the fundamentals of how it works, and why it can totally change a so-so performance take into a master...truly.

Short & Suite on AdobeTV - The Making of Photoshop Dream Girl, Part 1

As mentioned, my 'favorite ALL-TIME' episode, however, is due next. It's Part 2 of 2, and you'll see why soon enough. In fact, if I can, I'll post a couple of bits form the epi, as it's got some great moments, and lots of fun, real-world stuff. Other than that, stay tuned for a posting of some NEW content that I created, specifically for (and with) my fellow Adobe Creative Suite Evangelists...very cool stuff for your eyes and ears (mostly ears, at this point!)

Until next time,

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey there, friends! Well, just a short post to let you know that two more Short&Suite episodes have been posted @ Adobe TV. The most recent episodes cover the making of Johnny Encore's "In My Heart and InDesign" video, which takes advantage of the Cartoon Effect in AECS4, and I highlight the creation of the music by getting a real gritty, dirty sound to this standard blues-based tune.

What's also special about *these* episodes, is that I wound up having to re-record new drums and hammond organ, as Johnny and I simply weren't happy with the original drummer's performance. That, coupled with a need for some 'dirty B3' allowed me to step right in and add some chops! The link above refers to Part 1 of that series. Be sure to check out Part 2 as well!

Now...my FAVORITE S&S episode is coming soon. It deals with the making of Johnny's "Photoshop Dream Girl", and frankly, I believe this to be one of my favorite recordings that I've ever done. Once again, I wound up recording new instruments and singing a whole array of backing vocals (done 50s doo-wop style) and the whole piece just really gels. In a word (or two): fricken' sweet! I might just have to post the video and sneak it BEFORE the episodes release...Hmmm...yeah, I think so...

Until next time,

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello, my friends. This is just a brief update to let you know about my latest episode of Short & Suite featuring my fellow colleague, Karl Soule, and the music of Johnny Encore & the Acrobats.

Seeing as I've been showing 'the making' of this video (live, on-stage) for some time, it's a real pleasure to let you watch *exactly* how Karl (with a little help from our friend Kush) put together the video elements, and how I mixed all of the audio. Check it out here:

Short & Suite Episode 5: I'm Your Puppet (I'm Your Tool) - Part I

This episode features some really cool techniques for getting big, loud drum sounds and phat, nasty guitars and basses in Audition 3 (using the Guitar Suite). From Alternative, to 60s Pop...we've now entered the Metal realm ;) Get ready to rock out.

Until next time,

Blog on. (and...stay tuned for an Asia Masters Tour wrap-up! Lots 'O pics coming!)

Posted by Jason Levine at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Greetings, my friends. With the end of each tour, another one waits in the wings...and this time, we're coming to Asia!

As mentioned in some of my previous posts, the three of us will be kicking off our 'CS3 Masters' tour in Seoul on the 24th June. From there, we'll venture to Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and beyond Here's a quick look at 'where' we'll be. Now, these are not necessarily the exact event dates (as we have 'other' meetings/presos planned) but this will give you an idea...(again, exact details to follow)

Seoul – June 24/25
Beijing – June 26/27
Taipei – June 30/July 1
Hong Kong – July 2/3
Singapore – July 8/9
Kuala Lumpur – July 10/11
Mumbai – July 15
Bangalore – July 17/18

I'm hoping to get links to all of the events in Asia...I've just been sent this one from our Adobe colleagues in Korea. This site already looks seriously cool! Take a look here: Adobe Masters Seoul 2008

And, if you want more (bio info, translated) check out this link: The Masters' Bios (with pictures)

Again, I'm hoping to have links to ALL sites promoting our Asian adventures, so stay tuned. I've seen some of the layouts for Singapore and KL, and they too look totally AWESOME! (nice work, teams!)

On another Adobe-software related note, my latest episode of 'Short & Suite' has been posted up on Adobe TV. This episodes follows me and Karl thorugh the process of finishing the Chroma Key You recording and music video. This happens to be one of my favorite episodes (and one of my all-time fave Johnny Encore tunes) so be sure to check it out! Rather than embed the video in this post (as my blog doesn't really display everything properly..;( ) I figured I'd just post a link, so here you go...(takes a sec to load, so be patient)

Short & Suite - The Making of 'Chroma Key You', Part 2

Oh, and here's a little pic, taken on-stage in Graz, towards the end of our 6-hour seminar. Thought you might like this one (again, taken with the internal camera on the MacBookPro)

Jase & Greg, rockin' on-stage in Austria

So my friends, hope you'll enjoy the Short & Suite episodes, stay tuned for more Asia info, and I'll look forward to seeing YOU, very soon!

Until next time,

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 1:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey everyone! Just a quick update to let you know that a new episode of my Adobe TV series, "Short & Suite" has been posted!

This time around, you'll see me and Karl Soule talk about the making (and re-making) of Johnny Encore's classic number, Chroma Key You. I'll take you through the process of re-recording a 60s classic, and adding the touches to bring a circa 2008 recording back to the sweet sound of the Summer of Love. BTW - do those background vocals sound familiar to you? ;)

Of course, this is part 1 of 2, so stay tuned for the next episode, coming soon.

Don't forget, you can also access all AdobeTV programs from within Adobe Media Player. If you haven't downloaded AMP yet, do so HERE.

And in case you just don't feel like surfing away from the blog, here's the episode:

Well, that's all for now, my friends. I'll be gearing up for the seminars in Holland and Belgium next week, but I'll be sure to keep you up-to-date as to what's happening 'on the road'.

Until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hello, my friends! Well, to say that I've been 'recovering' from NAB wouldn't really be accurate. In truth, things have gotten so busy with SO MANY other things (can't really discuss...he he he...secrecy) that I've barely had a moment to breathe...or blog. ;( So, in an effort to make up for lost time, I'm posting LOTS of great vids here...and a little late-night pic as well.

Red Shirt, Big Red Adobe DVD Case (I think I've had it since 2003!)

Yes, we've now posted a whole series of videos from different presentations conducted at NAB. The best way to check them out is to simply go to the Adobe TV Site (or, access AdobeTV through the Adobe Media Player). Either way, you'll see a whole bunch of videos from myself, Greg Rewis, Karl Miller and more.

So, here are a few 'selections' from the show...

Production Premium for After Effects Users (stay tuned to the end...and for those who were asking about "that Puppet Tool" video...check it HERE!!

Flash for Production Premium Users with Mr. Rewis

Here's an overview of Audition 3's new features (sadly, they didn't record the restoration demonstrations that I did on days 3 & 4

And there you have it. There's lots more to see from NAB, so be sure to check out the Adobe Presentations @ NAB on AdobeTV...NOW!

And before I end this blog post, I just wanted to let you know that Greg, Rufus & I are getting back on the road shortly, reprising our CS3 Master Collection tour. We'll be starting in Zurich (around the 29th, May), then onto Stuttgart, Berlin and ending in Graz, Austria (home of several of my dear friends, and the birthplace of Video2Brain)

We've also got a series of events in the Netherlands *prior* to hitting the road for the Master Collection Tour; and then...
...a month in Asia!! We'll be showcasing Master Collection Workflow in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and India (just to name a few!). Details will soon follow (along with dates and reg info) so stay tuned!!

So, until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)