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

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 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey there, my friends! It's been a few weeks since NAB, which means that we're further along into 'glorious springtime'; and all I can say is....Aaachooooo!! (gesundheit!)

Allergies. Blech!!! I have been sneezing my head off for weeks...and I'm literally going out of my mind. I mean, it's bad enough that the weather is so wacky everywhere, but on top of all that, the air quality is, well, not great either. As a result, I've got a runny nose, puffy eyes, and a constantly rotating supply of Visine, tissues, and Alavert added to my usual regimen of travel goodies (oh...and Twizzlers as well).

In any event, despite the allergy-hell that I'm in, there's a WHOLE BUNCH of cool stuff happening around CS3, upcoming events, and some *other* stuff that I just can't talk about (heheehehee). I'm so giddy about all the upcoming events, however, that I was actually full-on smiles yesterday. Want proof? Here's some pics...

Puffy-eyed and smiling...

The *usual* look, which my friend Daniel refers to as 'the Levine'

So, here's what I can tell you so far...Three events coming up in the Netherlands--Correction (puffy eyes to blame, and thanks Jeroen for catching my mistake!)...1 Event in the Netherlands over two days; 1 event in Belgium:

AV Manifestation, Hilversum. 21-22 May.

Multimania! Kortrijk, Belgium. 23 May.

Masters Tour (w/Greg & Rufus) Zurich. 29 May.
Masters Tour (w/Greg & Rufus) Stuttgart. 2 June.
Masters Tour (w/Greg & Rufus) Berlin. 3 June.
Masters Tour (w/Greg & Rufus) Graz. 4 June.

Alrighty, well, that's all the time I have for, as I'm about to hop a plane. I'll keep you posted, and keep sending all the great comments. ;)

Until next time, mes amis...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

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 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hello, my friends! You know, it's becoming increasingly challenging to come up with a new, catchy 'Title' for these blog posts...but I think this one really paints an accurate picture! LOL

In short, our four days at NAB proved nothing short of spectacular. Interest in CS3 continued to fill the seats in our theatre presentations, and with new products like Adobe Media Player and AdobeTV being centre stage (not to mention, the 'couch' experience), attendees were genuinely blown away (re: gaping mouths, in awe) by the technology, the workflow, and the overall story of the Adobe Message...Powering the Future of Entertainment.

Another 'mouth open' moment was the preview of the Reel by Paul & Christina Graff and Robert Stromberg. As mentioned earlier, these three produced a demo (compiled from footage of some of their recent triumphs, including HBO's John Adams) and literally left people in complete disbelief...for when you see that nearly EVERY SHOT in the aforementioned and subsequent films was in fact 'composited together' in After Effects CS3, well, it's just a sight to behold. Unfortunately, I'm not able to post a clip (or I would)...so all I can say is...see it for yourself. If you can check out John Adams, the Golden Compass, 3:10 to Yuma (or just IMDB search their names for more) you'll see what I mean. But seriously...John Adams? It's fricken incredible. I've now seen the reel (and the show) multiple times..and the fact remains, as John Lennon once said, "Nothing is real." The Power of Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended and After Effects CS3.

So, a real short update, but just wanted to end on a positive note. Thanks to all of our customers and freelancers for presenting on stage (alongside me, Greg Rewis, Kevin Towes, Karl Miller, Bob Donlon and others) and we look forward to seeing you again, sometime, somewhere, on the road.

Until next time...

Blog on.

PS - Many people were asking when I'd be doing an Audition 3 training series. For the moment, there's nothing scheduled...but if you want to learn about workflow (and see some really cool techniques for producing, mastering, and finishing audio) check out my Adobe TV series starring yours truly, Johnny Encore & Karl Soule entitled "Short & Suite". And if that's not enough, you can still purchase my Audition 2.0 training video from Total Training.

Posted by Jason Levine at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think the title really says it all. Hello, my dear friends. Today marked day one at the show, and it was packed city! Even my 9am presentation on Production Premium (note: the doors only open at 9am!) was full by 9:15am. Preso after preso, crowds were wowed by CS3, both showcased by evangelists and customers. I must also say that we have some of the greatest customer presos (and footage being shown) at the booth this year, EVER...much of it showcased in glorious, full-on HD 1080.

What was also extremely cool about today was that I was able to connect with some of the 'readers' of my blog from all parts of the world, and share some additional stories, shoot the breeze, and get to meet some of the 'faces behind the comments'. Thanks to all of you for coming up and introducing yourselves.

Post show, clad in Adobe-gear, and spreading the message...

And that brings me to the button that you see above. This year, we've got this new tag-line for NAB...Adobe's Got My Back. We've got four days to spread these buttons like wildfire! So if you don't have one, come up to the booth and get some! We'll have 'em on hand (cause after all, we've got your back!)

I should also point out that i had a lot of questions (and really great comments) related to my new show on Adobe TV with my colleague Karl Soule, featuring Johnny Encore & the Acrobats. Many have stated that they've been waiting for me to do another training series on Audition (3). Well, timing is definitely an issue...but in the interim, check out our show Short & Suite. There are some great tips on mixing, mastering and noise reduction in these first two episodes (not to mention, all of the incredible techniques Karl used for assembling the video, literally shot in one short session) and, well, the music (and the stories around it) are just hilarious. It's all about Johnny Encore...and he'll rock your world. ;) (oh...and you can scrub through the content; so even if you don't watch the whole show in one sitting, you can always scrub back to the point where you left off.

And on that note, I'm off to prep some materials for my class @ the Post Production Conference tomorrow (run by FMC). It's a class on getting Great Results with Soundbooth CS3, and will feature some workflows between Premiere Pro & Soundbooth. All of the FMC sessions are in the NORTH HALL (complete opposite end of where our booth is) and these are register-only (ie, not free)...but, there may still be open spots and I look forward to chatting up Soundbooth and talking about restoration, effects, and music creation with Soundbooth Scores.

So, until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Hello my friends! Well, today marks a special day for a number of reasons. As stated above, NAB has officially begun, with the conference-proper commencing on Monday, 14 April. If you're around, we'd love to see you! So be sure to check out the Adobe Booth located in the South Hall, SL3220.

On the main stage, you'll get a chance to see yours truly, along with many of my fellow Adobe colleagues. We'll also be featuring some Adobe Trade Show regulars like Jacob Rosenberg (Filmmaker, Premiere Pro Master), Steve Holmes (After Effects wizard), Rich Harrington (Photoshop & Video Guru) and more. Also, we'll have some really cool customer presentations, showcasing real-world workflows of Adobe products, in every facet of the industry (from commercials, to film, to broadcast TV). Check it out!!

Continue reading "NAB, Post-Plane Nausea, and My 1-Year Blogiversary" »

Posted by Jason Levine at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello my friends! Well, the big secret has now been revealed...Adobe TV is LIVE!!

And what exactly is AdobeTV, well, you can check it out for yourselves here, but in a nutshell, you'll be able to 'tune in' to a variety of shows, all hosted by Adobe Experts and associates alike (including, of course, *all* of the evangelists!) and learn about cool new ways to use Adobe products.

For my series entitled Short & Suite (co-shared with fellow evangelist and compadre Karl Soule) we'll step you through an entire workflow of creating the 30-second masterworks of recording artist and industry icon, Johnny Encore. The first song we recorded for the series was his latest hit entitled, "I Used Photoshop Today".

You can watch Episode One right here, beginning with Karl:

And here's Episode Two, where I start :

Now, I should also mention...though a lot of what I'm talking about deals with Stereo Processing, unfortunately (as you may see, appearing briefly when I begin) these episodes are being broadcast in MONO. ;( This was not a limitation on our broadcast end, and future episodes will definitely be broadcast in true stereo. But hey...that doesn't really matter, as you can still learn about the methods and techniques that I used, and really begin to understand the beauty of working in Audition 3.

So there you have it...Johnny Encore & the Acrobats, in the flesh (so to speak). The coolest thing about all this? We'll be posting new episodes every month with new videos, new songs, and new techniques, all using CS3, Audition 3 and more!

You can also check out videos by my fellow colleagues Greg Rewis, Rufus Deuchler & Tim Cole, Julieanne Kost, Russel Brown and more!

I've got some AdobeTV watching to do (after all, I *do* need to see how I looked on camera!) so until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi all. Well, this will be a rather short post (as I've just left the Netherlands, heading back to the US for a bit) but I *did* want to chat about my recent FAME experience, as well as some sad news regarding other 'local' record shops .

So, as I've mentioned before (and even blogged about), I love this store called 'FAME'. It's probably the last great record store around, anywhere. For years, I've been going there (and dropping mucho Euros!) and they've ALWAYS come thru. Every bizarre, esoteric thing I've ever looked for, I've found (at least 9/10 times)...but my last two visits did NOT reflect this average. What *is* happening??

The weird thing was...the selections I was looking for weren't even terribly 'bizarre'...these were some fairly standard things by some pretty common artists...and they just hadn't re-stocked their catalogs. ;( This is sad, and more sadly, probably a preview of things to come. I mean, let's face it: the record store concept is old and tired...and dying slowly. This saddens me to no end -- but that's just the way it is. That being said, I *did* manage to pick up a couple of re-issues that I've been waiting on for sometime (all Jazz, all MCA/Impulse or Atlantic Jazz remasters, including John Coltrane, Coltrane Jazz - incredible remaster, had the old version and it was STILL great!, Ellington & Coltrane, another classic, and one that I knew (and owned on Vinyl) in the Berklee days, Billy Cobham's Spectrum (another fusion classic, with the late Tommy Bolin on axe), and a few more.) All in all by no means a depressing experience (and FAME once again redeems itself!) ...but again, things have changed.

Continue reading "The Decline of FAME (and the modern record store)" »

Posted by Jason Levine at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Hello, my friends! Time has simply flown by, here in the Netherlands...but it's been very productive indeed. And now that I can 'reflect' (via the blog), I though I'd take a little snapshot (showcasing my pleasant, happy mood) and re-tell the tale of the last 4 days... (whilst listening to some Last.FM)

Reminiscing about a fab week in the Netherlands....

I spent the first two days conducting presentations with Greg Rewis to some of our Valued Added ReSellers for the region. What was unique about this particular group of VARs was that they were primarily non-Adobe (in terms of what the sell on the 'Production' side) and these sessions were an opportunity to showcase to them the workflows and integration in CS3. For this, naturally Greg and I tapped our resources from the recent 'Master Collection' tour and showcased all the coolest, real-world workflows for ingesting/authoring, producing and deploying content. Needless to say, these sessions were FAB - great interest, great 'Wow'-factor, and it looks like we've definitely 'inspired' many of them to take a taste of (and begin selling) CS3 ;)

Now, upon arriving in Amsterdam, it was snowing like crazy. Bizarre, for sure. So much so, in fact, that this has been documented as the coldest 'Easter Holiday' in more than 100 years!

I *should have* photographed the landscape, taking the train in from Schiphol to the city (as it was early in the morning, and just blankets of white snow! I swear, it looked like Bergen, Norway, or something like that!). However, I was a bit too tired (and too 'post-plane') and just didn't manage to snap any pics. I *did*, however, snap a bunch on the next day @ the Adobe Amsterdam office...

From the entryway of the Adobe office in Amsterdam. Wickedly snowing!

Evangelists in the snow...in late March?

Continue reading "VARs, LiveTV, Publishers, CS3! (and FMS3)" »

Posted by Jason Levine at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello my friends! Well, today I'm writing from the airport (or I should say, the Evangelist's *other* home) and today I'm @ Dulles in D.C., en route to the Netherlands. Greg Rewis and I have a busy week ahead of us, meeting with a whole series of VARs and performing training on CS3 (in what they're calling, "Train the Trainer" Sessions) as well as some special VIP events for one of the top broadcast companies in Holland...more on that later!

Ok...but what's this Blog Title all about? As many of you know (as I believe I've mentioned it before)...I have HORRIBLE motion sickness. Horrible motion sickness. Which is ironic, considering that I spend more than 65%-75% of my life on planes!! But yes, it's true. I hate boats (even imagining the 'smell' of the water, or the 'smell' of diesel fuel *whilst* on the water can make me hurl!), I don't do cruises, I don't do rides @ Disneyland or any amusement park, and taxis (particularly in New York) can often make me go *green* in a matter of seconds. I hate the backseat of a car, and again, even thinking about a fully-populated sedan (with 2 in the front and 3 or 4 in the back) can really make me physically ill...JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!

But, it's never really a problem (at least, the plane and taxi thing) as I always take an over-the-counter medication called 'Dramamine' (note: I *still* won't do boats though; even with the pills!). So you can imagine my surprise today (when flying from the desert to Dulles) when I awoke about 15 minutes before the plane landed and found myself, well, NAUSEATED! Ick. Back of my neck got all sweaty, I had to turn the little airvent DIRECTLY on my face, my heart was racing, and a quick glance at myself (in my phone screen's reflection) revealed that my normal color had turned formally, uh, green...

...and this all got me thinking..., "Was my 'stash' of Dramamine a little out-dated?". I literally stock-up every few months or so; but with so much flying (and going thru box after box) I kinda lost track of the 'newest ones', and even found myself hitting my 'reserve packs' (which I had buried deep in my laptop bag/suitcase thing). Which further caused me to investigate the packaging...and that's when I noticed it...EXPIRES MARCH 2008.

Well, they weren't kidding were they? LOL. Damn. I mean... my last flight from NYC was *also* mildly pukey...but I really hadn't thought much about it (as it was SERIOUSLY turbulent). But this...well, let's just say, "Thank goodness I read the packaging."

The good news? NO...I *did not* vomit (only once in my life, actually) and the moment I got off the plane, I immediately bought NEW Dramamine, and then followed that by guzzling a Quad-Venti Latte from Starbucks (I know...what the heck is wrong with me? Not only does coffee seem to 'soothe' my stomach, but I can also fall immediately asleep after drinking four shots of Espresso...the Evangelist life, my friends!

So, that's the exciting news on this Easter Sunday!! LOL. Read your labels, people. And remember...even Dramamine can go bad. LOL. But here I am, Happy Again, @ the lounge in Dulles...

Knowing that NEW Dramamine is ready and waiting for me...

So, now feeling a little less-green, and way more happy to be flying again...

...until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hello all. Well, today marked the final day of the CMA/CBI conference in New York. This time around, I focused my sessions around Photoshop CS3, Video for the Web, and Premiere Pro/After Effects CS3. Oddly enough, CBI has always been one of the biggest audiences for Audition...but somehow, they didn't manage to schedule any Audition sessions ;( Oh well. Thankfully, I *was* able to demonstrate Audition 3 at the CBI Fall Conference; but it really would have been great to show it here as well (especially since I had a few students come up to me, asking about it: they had seen me at previous events, and wondered what else was new)

Joining me here at CMA was my colleague John Schuman, who focused his demo on producing rich, interactive Flash content for the Web, and other Web workflows. I hadn't seen John in a while (last time was Max Barcelona, and then briefly in San Jose, back in December) so it was really great to catch up and share some recent 'tales of the road'.

So, I'm due to present in about 8 minutes, which means...this will be the end of the post!

Until next time (and off to the Netherlands in a few days)...

Stay tuned for more, and as always...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 07:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hello my friends. Well, yesterday I wrapped up my sessions at the NBS-AERho Convention, held in Anaheim, CA; and what a blast it was!

As I expected, the students were engaged, interested, and hungry for all things CS3; but more specifically, engrossed in the concepts of cross-media workflows. Presenting a combination of Production Premium workflow (a 4-hour session), as well as breakout sessions on Photoshop CS3 Extended, After Effects/Premiere Pro, and Audition 3, this gave the attendees a really nice overview of 'what's new', but also with a nod towards the future of Media and 'Publishing 3.0'.

And that's why I simply LOVE this particular convention. In talking to students, both during the Q&A and after the sessions, it's always enlightening to hear their 'curiosities' about 'what really gets you a good job' these days, and 'how do you make yourself truly valuable' in the highly competitive world of Media, Publishing and Broadcast. By sharing stories with them about my own experiences, as well as those acquired in my recent dealings with customers and VIPs (at events in the Nordics & Germany), this gave them a real sense that they're moving (and proceeding) in the right direction (and if they're not at present, what they need to do to get there); and more importantly, that diversification of knowledge (in both applications, workflow *and* classic techniques) is truly what makes them a hot commodity. Again, being able to share that, first hand, and really see their reactions is quite simply worth it's weight in gold. Being able to personally provide that level of inspiration? Priceless.

So, as many of the students had taken some photos at the show, I mentioned that if any of them sent them to me that I would be happy to post them...

Jase with NBS members, Lane & Angie

Thanks to Lane J. for sending me the pic.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank the organizers of NBS-AERho, and a special thanks to Dr. Bruce Mims. Bruce and I met many years ago at NAB, and we've been in touch ever since (his specialty is in audio production; needless to say, we've had *many* longform chats about all things audio!). Anyhow, it was he who first brought NBS to my attention, and I just wanted to express my gratitude.

In any event, I'm 'grounded' for the moment, but tomorrow afternoon I'll be off to New York to present at the CMA/CBI Spring Convention. Prepare yourselves for the power of CS3...

Until next time,

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hello everyone! Just a quick update here to let you know about some of the events happening this week.

It's a very special time for me, as I get to re-visit some of my good friends at the NBS-AERho Convention, this year held in Anaheim, CA.

The National Broadcasting Society caters to both faculty and students alike, and I'll be doing a series of presentations on Production Premium workflow (a 3.5 hour session), point product demos and web-to-video workflow, and a few highlight sessions on Photoshop CS3 Extended (for Video) and Audition 3. I'm hoping to shoot a little blog video from there, so stay tuned!

Folllowing NBS, I'll be heading off to the 'other' coast, where I'll conduct a series of presentations for the CMA/CBI Convention. You may remember the 'big' CBI convention held earlier this year in October; well, this is it's 'baby brother', so to speak (College Media Advisors/College Broadcasters Inc. holds two conventions a year, giving people twice the opportunity to attend). At this event, I'll once again be covering production workflows (as it relates to broadcast journalism, as well as the tools/workflows needed for real-world broadcast applications). There are also several features on Production Premium, Photoshop, After Effects, Flash and Audition 3.

I hope to see many of you there! Again, it's always such a pleasure doing these College broadcast conferences; I truly look forward to some great, heavy Q&A with the attendees! Bring your questions, and be prepared to feel the power of CS3 in production!

So, until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, just a quick note from the airport, en-route to the US. I'll be home in about 12 hours, and yet, I already hear the road beckoning again...(in about 8 days!)

That being said, there are couple of cool things that have cropped up over the last two days. First, the CREATE or DIE interview has been posted! It's a long one, but very informative, and quite funny. You'll get to see the three of us playing off of one another (albeit, at 9:30am!) and it's definitely worth a watch (if you've got the time). Bring popcorn...

CREATE or DIE - The Adobe Evangelist Interview

Also, another video cropped up on YT, taken of yours truly during our seminar in Hamburg. Hair model? What *was* I thinking...LOL (works every time!)

Why oh why was I having such trouble with my microphone that day? These things just happen. That's what I get for wearing the hair down, I suppose. Back to my Euro-bun!

Ok, well, that's about all the time I have for now. Just a quick 'Auf Weidersehen' to all our friends, colleagues, admirers, and fellow Adobe-philes. We'll see you soon, and stay tuned to the blog for upcoming events in the US, Netherlands, Germany & Austria!

Until next time, meine Freunde...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 02:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well my dear friends, the tour has ended. After a 4am wakeup & departure, we left Hamburg & headed to Wien. We wrapped yesterday evening and it was once again a very inspired audience (and this time, our A/V was without issue!). As is often the case, the 'final' show usually leads to some very funny, impromptu one-liners, new jokes, and occasional 'breaks from the norm' (during the presos), and indeed, there was a bit of that. ;) Pure fun, enlightenment and entertainment, and providing a bit of Master Collection inspiration. Also, we had a great deal of questions during the breaks, and it's ALWAYS great to meet face-to-face, and really discuss the issues (and the likes/dislikes) of our users. THIS is what really makes the show!

So, I put together a little video to thank EVERYONE, and to let you 'see' a bit of the appreciation Greg, Rufus and I received in all the cities. Spreading the love, indeed...

Well, there you have it. I'll be returning to Germany & Austria for an Educational Video tour (end of March/early April) so stay tuned for info regarding that. Also, I'll be presenting in the US (for a change) at some broadcast education conferences (again, details to follow), and then Greg and I will be back in Europe, heading to the Netherlands.

So, until next time, meine freunde...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Guten morgen, Meine freunde! Yesterday proved to be another great day, despite some technical difficulties early on in the seminar. You know, you sometimes just have to roll with the punches, and technical glitches happen...period. But, it's how you keep the flow going that makes all the difference in the world. Enter Adobe Master Collection Evangelists! ;)

So, without skipping a beat, the seminar started on time, and we just worked thru the issues. It was another packed house yesterday, with people filling the aisles. In fact, we were oversold on the event, so CanCom set up a projector and sound system in the cinema lobby so additional attendees could watch the show.

Naturally, I snapped a couple of pics (including the now ubiquitous 'panorama'). In fact, Rufus had just completed a Designer event in Munich over the weekend, and did something *new* with his panorama...he left it 'uncropped'. Now, as a designer, he totally can pull-off that level of creative license. I decided to take his lead, and go 'designer chic'...so here's the 5-picture, auto-aligned panorama of the cinema crowd...das ist cool, ja?

My Rufus-inspired, un-cropped Pano of the Hamburg crowd

as you see, we evangelists tend to inspire one another as well!

All of this was done without flash, so here's another snap of us, in action, taken from the desk.

And then there were three...

In any event, it was another great day, with lots of good feedback after the show. Thanks again to everyone in Hamburg. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

And on that note, it's off to Vienna! This will mark a truly 'rock & roll' kind of experience, as on this day, we literally fly @ 7am, arrive Vienna @ 8:20; step off the plane, grab a taxi, off to the venue, do interviews and the show (8+ hours), and fly out to another city the same night. Good stuff. Could use more groupies though! lol

Incidentally, the second journalist (Thorsten Wulff) filmed our interview, and already posted it on YouTube. Here are Greg and I, giving a brief synopsis about 'what we're doing' on the tour...thanks, Thorsten!

So Meine freunde, until next time...

Danke, Auf weidersehen, and Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 02:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Hello my friends! Well, Greg, Ruf & I are now back in München, and quite a 36 hours it has been.

This post, unlike any other, will detail the sometimes 'strange goings-on' in the world of traveling evangelists; it also highlights the good of man that still exists in the world (and once again, re-affirms my love for Europe)

Now, I had mentioned in one of the previous blogs that we did an 'on camera' interview with Create or Die. At the end, they had me play some music, but sadly, the guitar was out of tune. Cut to yesterday's chaos Which I'll detail in a moment), and I was feeling rather blue (though, still Zen!)... So, I dug up this little test recording (done on my older Nikon camera, a short while ago) where I did a little number from The Doors...Blue Sunday. It seemed appropriate at this time:

Continue reading "Breadcrumbs..." »

Posted by Jason Levine at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

hallo, meine Freunde! Es war ein großer Tag in Köln! And if that didn't translate properly, what I was *trying* to say was that it was indeed a 'big day' in Cologne! With nearly 480 attendees, the Master's Tour really took a leap forward, and continued on the theme of inspiring the masses with the Master Collection workflow.

Rufus, Greg & I were in particularly good form today (with me, bursting into song, in German, singing David Bowie's "Helden"), and the 6 hours simply flew by! With a packed house (particularly during the middle section) we continued the theme of producing a website, an interactive PDF, and a DVD (with content created in Dreamweaver, InDesign, After Effects, Photoshop & Soundbooth) all from scratch, highlighting each step of the workflow process, and how we 'shared' the materials (back and forth) to create the 'final result'. Greg also managed to tag on a little about SPRY, which the audience REALLY enjoyed and appreciated.

I tried to take a bunch of photos and stitch them in PSCS3 as we've shown before. It was a little difficult (as the theatre was quite dark, and as you'll see, big spotlights were shining directly on us) so it was quite hard to 'capture' the natural light in the room (as there wasn't much) without completely blowing out the images. But still, this little auto-aligned/blended image will give you an idea of the packed house...

480 of our closest friends, in Köln...

Now, picking up where I left off on the last blog, today I continued with showing all of the Photoshop CS3 Extended integration, both via Vanishing Point Exchange, and with all of the new things you can do with Video in a PSD (ie, using tools like the healing brush, etc, as well as the application of Smart Filters for non-destructive processing of the video, across the entire duration! Wickedly cool) and people *really* understood the benefits. I wrapped up that section by showcasing a new Puppet Tool demo that I just worked up the other day, beginning in PS (using quick select), cutting out my subject, cloning in the background, and then going to town in AECS3. It never disappoints, forever changing the way people think about still photography...at least, that's what I ALWAYS say. Again, to my friends who attended...remember to use this feature for Good, not Evil! LOL

Following that, it was more integration with PPro/Dynamic Link, and bringing Soundbooth into the mix to repair audio (visually) using Photoshop tools. Again, a big winner with the crowds, and people really understand the concept of 'visually' repairing sound using Photoshop tools. Add to that the "louder" button, and adding Flash Cue Points (for subtitling in Fl CS3) and you've got a really cool workflow there. Again, taking advantage of the new caption component in Flash, Greg and I show this and it goes over big! Everyone should be doing this; if for no other reason than to make your sites (with video content) fully accessible! (want to know more about accessibility? Go to Stef's site)

Of course, my portion typically ends with showing the Adobe Media Encoder (and all of it's export options) including the new 'hit' of the week...the fact that we can export BLU-RAY from the Premiere Pro timeline *and* Encore CS3. Whereas Blu-Ray (and High definition DVD in general) seemed to be slightly 'under-the-radar', now that HD-DVD is no more, people are REALLY reacting to the fact that we do Blu-Ray. Very, very cool. ;)

So, because Rufus missed out in the video yesterday, and you only caught 'a glimpse' of his head in the previous photo, I figured he really deserved a spotlight shot here. Done without flash (and while he was in mid-demo) I think this captures the intensity of the presentation... But if you want the jokes, you'll have to attend the sessions! He was totally on a roll today! He literally had me and Greg laughing out loud during the preso. Great stuff, and great day had by all.

Rufus Rocking in Köln...

And on *that* note my friends, I think I'll end this post here. Our next stop will be Hamburg, and then onto Vienna for more CS3 Masters magic. Thanks again to all the attendees; thanks for all the great questions and feedback; thanks for the cheers and applause; and thank you to all for letting us come to your city and present the 'way's of the CS3 Master Collection.

Vielen Dank für alles

'Till next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Hello, my friends! Well, I actually began this blog yesterday *during* the seminar (right from the show floor, in between *my* speaking parts!) but Greg, Rufus and I were constantly 'vamping' (with random jokes, etc.) and quite simply, we were just having a great time showing 'new' pieces from each of our demos that I just didn't get to finish!

So, in short, the tour has been an incredible success so far. Over 360 attendees in Munich, and approx. 250+ in Frankfurt! And let's not forget...this is a 6 HOUR SEMINAR! We're keeping people entertained, enlightened and engaged for 6 hours? Yes indeed. Thanks to EVERYONE who attended; you are all rock-stars!

As for the content, well, I focused largely on application integration, beginning with OnLocation CS3 (on Vista, using the MacBookPro, of course). This app proved to be one of the big highlights of the event, with MANY questions following the first break (all related to when it will be on the MAC!). And, showing live cutting in Premiere Pro *whilst* capturing into OnLocation really blew people's minds! Granted, thanks to the Intel processors in the MacBooks (and thanks Intel, for being one of our sponsors!) it really is possible to successfully capture, do a rough cut (while still capturing) play, review, scrub, and continue to the process over and over. It was awe-inspiring for many, and it performed like a charm.

Following OL, I bounced over to Leopard and began the theme of the Master's Tour by segueing from Photoshop CS3 into literally every other Production Premium Application. This started off with creating lower-thirds on Videos in PSCS3; animating text and objects, with Layer Styles...and then showing how to take it a step further by bringing the newly layered PSD (with Video layer) into After Effects CS3. Once again, leveraging people's Photoshop knowledge to do great things in AE, even if they're not AE users. This too garnered great reactions, and people were talking to me afterwards about d/l'ing the AE demo and wanting to get started! This also included using some of the animation/background presets, along with Shape Layers and integration with Bridge. Good stuff, and it keeps them wanting more!

From there, I would later segue into Premiere Pro, showcasing some more integration with After Effects via Dynamic Link (doing Green Screen work with Keylight, adding backgrounds, re-purposing the lower-third that we created earlier, also via Dynamic Link) and all the while, driving home the idea that we're using ALL of these applications together, using the same assets, in this really smooth, integrated fashion. People get it, and it never disappoints in terms of the reactions (smiles, cheers, screams of joy!)

So, there is indeed much more that occurred, but I'll have to end this post now, as we're do for a couple of press interviews before this next show kicks off in about 2 hours, here in Köln (oh yes, on the Cinema floor once again, pre-show time!).

In the meantime, here's a little vid, from the train, taken last night, after the show... Oh, and NICE still frame! YouTube, please allow us to change the poster frame for uploaded! Argh...I just look bad mid-video!! lol (damn narcissist that I am!)

Until next time, thanks again to everyone in Munich and Frankfurt. Can't wait to see you all again! And, if anyone took any video of the event (I saw a few of you!) let me know, and perhaps I can post some of your clips (appropriated credited, of course!) .

Oh...*and*, the three of us conducted a interview yesterday for CREATE OR DIE. They filmed it. It rocked. As soon as I have a link, I'll post it. It was truly a riot! ;)

Jase & Greg, going to Köln

Jase with Rufus peaking out in the background

Auf Wiedersehen, meine Freunde!

Blog On.

Posted by Jason Levine at 06:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Hello my friends! Well, once again we're out on tour. This time, Greg Rewis and I are joined by our fellow evangelist colleague, Rufus Deuchler. Over the next two weeks, we'll be hitting several cities in Germany & Austria, showcasing the entire Master Collection, and demonstrating a really fab, fully-integrated workflow, building up a project from Conception to Delivery (in this case, the AQUO Beach Tour assets that we've talked about). A similar presentation was first premiered at MAX Chicago & MAX Barcelona. We've taken that and augmented it a bit (condensing 8 hours to 6 hours) to provide a really concise, point-to-point presentation, highlighting everything that CS3 Master Collection has to offer.

I'll be posting more over the next few days (currently, in our first stop, Munich). If you'd like to attend and want more info about the tour (sponsored by Cancom) check out these links...

CANCOM Presents: The Adobe Masters Tour

and, for some quick bio information on 'we' evangelists...

CANCOM Master Presenters

So, for now I'll simply bid you adieu and say, Auf Wiedersehen!

Just before leaving for Munich, with my new Danish ProDesign Specs!

Until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello again, everyone. As promised, a final little post, right on the heels of the final day of this Nordic tour.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's been a totally fab trip, with universally great responses, comments, visits, chats, information-gathering sessions, and good times amongst colleagues. A big shout-out to all of our Adobe colleagues in Sweden, Denmark, Finland & Norway (namely, Matthias, Kenny, Per & Mikael) and a special thanks to all of our new friends and fellow Adobe-philes who attended our seminars over the last few weeks. You know, it's really our users that keep us doing what we do, and furthermore, continue to provide the inspiration to do greater things; thanks for hosting, and we hope to see you again soon!

That all being said, there was one more 'event' to attend before heading back to the states. A colleague of ours, Kasper Krogh from the Hello Brand agency is moving to New York (and subsequently launching a Hello Brand office there). He was kind enough to invite us to his 'going away' party. Indeed, it was another great time, chatting with fellow designers, developers, and genuinely inspiring people. Thanks Kasper, and we look forward to catching up with you in the Big Apple!

Anyway, here are some snaps from the last two days in Oslo; some from the VIP event, and a few from the seminar the following day. As captured by Greg's camera lens, I was really in full-on healing mode...all day. In fact, I believe there are a couple of blogged vids from the day's performance. I'll have to add a link to those later (oh...*and*...the Stockholm shows will be available via web stream soon, so stay tuned if you want to check out those series of presos)

So, in no particular order, a look at the final days of the tour (with hair down, for a change...)

Stef talks standards to the crowd

Mike fills the VIP crowd with AIR...


Greg Delivering and Inspiring with the CS3 Message

Greg & Jase do a little Adobe Media Player

Full-on Healing...In Oslo, 31Jan08

The Many Faces of Jase (healing, inspiring, training and such)

Now, if you're looking at the picture of me in the bottom-right hand corner of the 'Many Faces' pic and wondering, "What in heaven's name am I doing"... Simply: Greg had mentioned to the crowd earlier on that for this final performance, they really needed to participate; and more importantly, they needed to be loud; and really, they just needed to let their 'inner American' come out. (several immediately replied with "WootWoot" and "YeeHaw"... YeeHaw indeed!)

So, when I re-entered the stage, I wound up referencing the same comment (because I thought it was so funny--and so did they!)...but I immediately began seeing these weird flashbacks from "Alien" in my mind, and somehow wound up simulating my 'inner American'...coming out of my chest (well, not really...just poking a finger thru my shirt)...in full 'Alien' style (complete with personal sound effects---ah yes, people that know me know that I'm one sound-effects type dude!)...People were just rolling in the aisles laughing (as was Mr. Rewis)...Again, a good time, and immediately following that momentary diversion, I showcased creating lower thirds with animated text and objects in Photoshop CS3 Extended (and further expanding on that through editable layers styles in After Effects) ;) You see, keep 'em smiling, keep 'em learning; keeps them inspired (and *never* tired)...a key to the 4-hr seminar series.

But...the best part about this *whole* series of seminars was that I was able to showcase the fact that web designers, CSS wizards and Flash developers alike can do *all* of these cool things with Production Premium CS3 -- leveraging the knowledge, tools, and techniques they ALREADY possess. That's a key message, really, and from the responses we've received, it's clear that they really got it. Whether going OnScreen, OnLine or OnDevice, it's Sky's the Limit..and they want to begin working with it ALL (Master Collection, that is!)

And on *that* note, my friends, I will call it a night. Again, thanks to everyone involved, and we'll be back on the blog, shortly, reporting somewhere else in the world. Next stop: Dallas, Texas....and something to do with Johnny Encore (remember him??)

So, until next time...

Believe...in CS3 (and yourselves)...and Blog On.

Posted by Jason Levine at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

As I'm sitting here, Mike Downey is finishing his presentation to 70+ VIPs here in Oslo, Norway. Tonight's event, like the ones held in Helsinki, Copenhagen & Stockholm, is catering to 70 of the top Web Designers/Flash Developers and reps from their respective agencies, all in an effort to showcase new technology, existing cool stuff in Master Collection CS3, and talk about some *new* Adobe tools and technologies, like the Adobe Media Player and Adobe AIR. The crowd tonight has been intense, and the responses, once again, have just been stellar. Mike, Greg, Stef and I all found our strides tonight...and the audience was rolling! Loving it! Thank you, Oslo. It was our pleasure. ;)

But, of course, it's not over yet, and we've got our full seminar tomorrow. Expect another blog post either tomorrow night or over the weekend (including some pics from tonight's event, held at the Kongresscentre, here in downtown Oslo).

Earlier this morning, however, whilst sitting on the plane, I suddenly got the urge to record a little video (normally, I'm sleeping). So, here we are, mid-flight, en-route to Oslo taken around 11am...**

**note: planes are NOISY! I denoised and brought up my voice (which was already faint) but decided to subtitle this video, just for added accessibility (Stef will be proud!)

But back to yesterday's seminar in Helsinki: quite simply, another great success (with great Q&A from some of the 250+ attendees). Following it's completion, the nighttime found us walking around the city, visiting a familiar restaurant, and re-visiting a semi-familiar pub. ;)

First, to celebrate the 'almost end' of this tour, Greg, Stef, Mike and I, along with our colleagues Kenny (from Denmark) and Mikael (from Finland) went to the famous garlic restaurant...blogged about back in November. I can only say that the garlic-haze that followed (and, of which I was totally prepared this time around) was EVER SO GOOD, ONCE AGAIN! Damn, that place is awesome! I can't tell you enough, how good the food is. Escargot, Garlic Beer, Garlic Schnaps, Garlic Pork, and even Garlic Coffee (a new one; didn't have that last time). It just fricken' rocked. No other way to put it! And the garlic-haze has nearly dissipated...nearly. lol

Following the dinner, we decided to visit the Absolut Ice Bar. Now, Greg and I have been to the classic Absolut Ice Bar in Stockholm, (in fact, my current promo picture that is circulated for our events was taken there!) and we wanted to check out the one in Helsinki. It's a little smaller, but still icy, cold, and very groovy, with cool lighting, ice sculptures, ice tables, and smooth euro-trance playing in the background.

Seeing as we took a bunch of pics, I figured I'd just post them all...so here are some of the moments at the ice bar...

Kenny, Mike, Stef & Jase enter the cold!

Absolut-ly Cool Backlighting (changing as Greg snapped the photo)

Absolut Evangelists On Ice (what *is* that face I'm making?)


Greg Re-enacts a scene from "Christmas Story" (but didn't get stuck!)

"They call me Hagrid; keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts"

The touring crew, 29Jan2008, Absolut Ice Bar, Helsinki

So there you have it, my friends. I must again take this opportunity to thank our colleagues from Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, not to mention all of the fab people who came out to see us, both at the VIP events and at the seminars. Stay tuned for more over the weekend, as we're going to try and take (and post) more photos from tonight's 'performance' (and also, some possible 'video' of the event as well!)

Until next time...

Blog on.

Posted by Jason Levine at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hello again, my friends! It's been a busy week, and I suppose that's why it's taken me nearly that long to get another blog post completed! However, this one will be chock-full of pics, as Greg and Mike have been taking dozens of pictures at each venue, all with Greg's new Canon G9. Now, I'll tell you ahead of time...this is going to be one wickedly long post!!! Prep yourselves...but it's totally going to rock ;)

So...the schedule. Well, after the last post, we had just completed the VIP event in Stockholm. The next day, Greg and I (along with Stephanie Sullivan) presented to around 300 people, over 4 hours. We showcased the 'new' web/video workflow, with an emphasis on standards and 'best practices' for web design & creation. The audience was indeed fired up, and we got a couple of very cool shots from the venue. Probably the coolest thing was the screen...check out that pic of me on the stage. This was a classic theatre in Stockholm (the Skandia Drottninggatan) and the stage and screen were simply massive! Very grandiose, and a fab day indeed...

Jase on-stage @ the Skandia