Review of Premiere Elements 4 (4.5 out of 5)

May 07, 2008 Filed in: Post | Gear

AMAZINGLY CAPABLE VIDEO SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS
“You might be thinking, “What’s consumer software doing in a pro magazine?” The short answer is that if you aren’t using the Adobe Master Collection or the Production Premium suite, you probably need Adobe Premiere Elements 4. Whether you work as an advertiser, designer, developer, or photographer, you most likely have an interest in making videos or DVDs.

Sure, Adobe offers the very capable video applications found in the Creative Suite product line but for many users, it’s hard to spring for the “whole enchilada.” When I sat down with Premiere Elements, I was immediately impressed. The product offers an easy-to-use toolset that addresses the needs of many users.

Here’s the lowdown: Premiere Elements only runs on Windows machines. If you’re a Mac user, you should be looking to iMovie and iDVD ’08 to fill the same needs. On the PC side, the market has been woefully underserved by offerings from Adaptec and Microsoft. With version 4 of Premiere Elements, Adobe clearly steps up to offer a dramatic redesign, combining power with ease of use (an Adobe trademark).”

You can read the rest of the review here...

NIN – The Times are Changing

May 06, 2008 Filed in: Business

One of the first bands I fell in love with during college was Nine Inch Nails (actually back then, it wasn't a band). The seminal record, Pretty Hate Machine was a mash-up of Prince Samples and Orchestral Scores from Stephen King and Clive Barker films (along with many other sounds). Since then Trent Reznor has continued to evolve/

Yesreday they‘ve releases The Slip—a new 10-track album—for free on http://theslip.nin.com/. The record is available in virtually every flavor of DRM-free digital format, all you need to do is give them your email address. The album will eventually be available in traditional formats as well. This move mirrors those of both Radiohead and Prince.

Read More...

Fly! (Trim on the Fly)

May 06, 2008 Filed in: Post

10-17Fly

It’s possible to trim on the fly. This way you can listen for an audio edit or look for a particular visual cue. Just make sure the Dynamic trimmimg checkbox is marked.

Enter Trim Edit mode, and press the space bar to cycle your trim. The sequence will play around your edit point and loop. The pre-roll and post-roll are set in the Editing tab of User Preferences.
When you reach the desired edit point, press the I key to move your In point.
Press the up or down arrow to move through the Timeline to your next edit point.

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

On Set Printing

May 06, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington explains the benefits of having a portable printer for when you need printed documents while on location.

Adobe TV at NAB 2008 – Production Premium CS3 for Final Cut Pro Editors

May 05, 2008 Filed in: Post | Resources

Caught a great presentation from Steve Martin at NAB. It's all about using Production Premium with other NLEs like Final Cut Pro. Steve is a popular trainer (in fact one of Apple's main instructors). This one is helpful...

If you want more free classes... visit the Adobe TV site.

Laptop Essentials

April 29, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington explains which essential laptop accessories to always keep with you when you are on the road producing your podcasts.

Adobe Media Player Article Gets Longer Legs

April 28, 2008 Filed in: Post | Business

The fine folks over at Layers Magazine have also published the article: Does the World Need Another Media Player? This time its had the benefit of being scrubbed by an editor (not just spell-checker). You can read it here: http://www.layersmagazine.com/column_adobe_mediaplayer1.html.

A few folks have commented on the length of the article... here’s the Spark Notes version:

Flash Video is getting really popular
The Adobe Media Player will be easier for corporations, schools, and government to use due to Adobe's greater acceptance over Apple (and especially iTunes).
The media player supports several models that are attractive to content creators
The media player supports very rich statistics on media consumption
The application is going to move onto all sorts of devices and platforms in the near future.
If you are a podcaster... I predict the Adobe Media Player will have as great of an impact as iTunes did on podcast consumption.

The article is long... but worth the read... I promise.

Interesting Video to Explain Podcasting

April 27, 2008 Filed in: Business

Lockernome Comments on Adobe Media Player

April 25, 2008 Filed in: Business

Resources from Adobe E-Seminar

April 24, 2008 Filed in: Post

I taught an Adobe E-Seminar yesterday called "Creating a Graphic Identity for your Web Video and Dynamic Media." The class itself will be posted next week. Here are a few resources I identified during the class.

1. Two motion graphics projects.
2. Advice on rendering in After Effects.
3. Resource Slides
4. Photoshop for Video Podcast (free)
5. Producing Video Podcasts show (free)

The two books mentioned are Producing Video Podcasts and Photoshop for Video.

Adobe TV at NAB 2008 – Photoshop CS3 Extended for Video

April 24, 2008 Filed in: Post | Resources

Want 30 minutes of free training on Adobe Photoshop CS3? Adobe had me in their theater at NAB giving lessons. Here's a recording from one of the days so you can see what was taught.

If you want more free classes... visit the Adobe TV site.

Adobe Demos Future Technology at NAB

April 24, 2008 Filed in: Business | Production | Post

Following up on my "Really Cool Adobe Announcements" post...

Adobe has actually posted their "secret" presentation from NAB. Hart Shafer talks about four cool things Adobe has up their sleeve.

You SO need to watch this... trust me. BTW (for those of you waiting... they did show OnLocation for Mac in this demo).

School of Podcasting Interview about Video Podcasting

April 23, 2008 Filed in: Business | Book | Production | Post

Thanks to the School of Podcasting for having us on the show. I had a chance to catch up and talk with the host about what folks need to think about when moving into the world of video podcasting. The interview also features my co-author (and business partner) Mark Weiser.

You can get the interview for free right here (http://www.schoolofpodcasting.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=330803) and you should also check out their other shows which offer great perspective.

Does the World Need Another Media Player?

April 23, 2008 Filed in: Business

Adobe released the Adobe Media Player software on April 9, which allows a customizable, cross-platform media player experience. Built using the Adobe AIR runtime, the media player harnessed the power of Flash to create a rich media experience. To complete the experience, Adobe adds support for both RSS feeds and H.264 video, two of the open standards used by the podcasting movement.

What does this all mean? I had a chance to sit down with Deeje Cooley, who serves as an evangelist for Adobe’s Dynamic Media Organization (and formerly as the product manager for the Adobe Media Player). Cooley was tasked with bringing the product to market and he shared insight into Adobe’s motivation for the product and goals for its role in the market. Unlike competing products, the Adobe Media Player has chosen to focus on being a video-only player.

“The growth of video online, the dramatic growth of flash as the video delivery mechanism of choice… there was a ripe opportunity to take advantage of all these events around the industry,” said Cooley. “We started to build an RSS aggregator and quickly recognized that video was going to be a significant media online and so it became a video RSS aggregator. And so that’s really the birth of the Adobe Media Player.”

MUCH MORE AFTER THE JUMP

Read More...

Really Cool Adobe Announcements

April 22, 2008 Filed in: Business | Post

Adobe showed some awesome stuff at NAB. My favorite was a future version of Premiere that transcribes your footage, then makes the transcription searchable for both editing and publishing to the web. I was going to do an in-depth write-up.... but then I got busy (still will).

In the meantime. Check out this article for details.
http://www.peachpit.com/blogs/blog.aspx?b=a75e92b0-f44f-4dfb-9eb4-96920bcaddc1

Time to Comment on Advertising and Measurement Standards

April 22, 2008 Filed in: Business

The Association for Downloadable Media just unveiled Advertisement Unit Standards and Download Measurement Guidelines. They'd like public comments on both. They encourage public comments in order to refine and enhance the documentation. The public comment period will end on May 16, 2008. You can download and comment on the draft standards for advertising and measurement here. The open comment period will conclude May 16, 2008.

China Balls (Lighting)

April 22, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington shows you the china ball, an affordable soft lighting source.

Come See Me at New Media Expo

April 21, 2008 Filed in: Conferences | Production | Post

I'll be presenting at this year's New Media Expo in Las Vegas. The event runs August 14-16 and I hope you can come out. My class is called:

Producing Video Podcasts with Multiple Cameras
Want to cut down editing time and give your show more polish? Learn how to create video podcasts using multiple cameras. Join veteran podcaster Richard Harrington as he shows how to harness multiple angles to improve your show. From concerts and live events to demos and interviews, multiple cameras will help you tell your story. Learn how to setup and match your cameras as well as essential editing techniques. This workshop will make multi-camera productions a snap.

Get Your Free Podcasts in One Convenient Place

April 21, 2008 Filed in: Education

Apple iTunes just promoted my company to network status. You can find all of our "in-house" technical training podcasts on a single page now.

I encourage you to take a look at our several shows.

Understanding Adobe Photoshop – iPod and HD – A general interest show about Photoshop for beginners and intermediates
Photoshop for Video – iPod and HD – A show about creating graphics for video pros and motion graphic designers
Producing Video Podcasts – iPod and HD – A show that offers both production and post tips for making video for the web
Final Cut Help – iPod – Weekly tips about using Final Cut Studio

Remember, the podcasts are totally free, all we ask is you post a review to the iTunes store and tell a friend.