#1 – Build It Right

#2 – Make a template

1. Have an empty document open sized for your editing system (see above).
2. Create a new (empty) layer, and name it Safe Title Area.
3. Select All by pressing Cmd+A (Ctrl+A).
4. Scale the active selection to 80% by choosing Select>Transform Selection, and then typing in 80% in the Options bar for width and height. Press Return (Enter).
5. Load red as the foreground color. Then choose Edit>Stroke and specify four pixels centered. This is the title safe area.
6. Lock the Safe Area Overlay layer by clicking on the Lock icon in the layer’s palette.
7. Save your work.

#3 – Pick a cool font

• SERIF vs SANS-SERIF: Serifs are the little hooks on type. Serifed type (think Times) uses thick and thin strokes. Sans-Serif (think Helvetica) uses even-weighted strokes. Sans Serif usually reads better for video. If using serifed fonts, look for a bold or black version and avoid lines thinner that 3-pixels.
• Style: Write 10 – 20 words down that describe your video. Get input from your client too. Use these words for guidance when looking at fonts.
• Free or Paid: Free fonts (and overly cheap) fonts often have partial character sets. This may be an issue if you need special symbols (such as & ™ © or • ). You get what you pay for, but don’t worry, several independent font foundries sell great fonts for less than $25 per font.
• Keep it in the Family: Some fonts belong to families (regular, bold, black, italic, etc). This is useful as you can use one font family and mix styles. This leads to a consistent design in your titles. If you want to mix fonts NEVER use more then two fonts in a title graphic.
• Format: Many fonts come in different formats. Macs have historically used Postscript while PCs have used TrueType. Macintosh OSX can now read many “PC” true type fonts with no problem. A new format OpenType is also starting to pop up for sale.
• Kerning: Some professional fonts have had the spacing between characters carefully tweaked. This balanciong is called pair kerning. If your type appears improperly balanced you will need to kern it. Move between characters using the left and right arrows. Hold down the Option key (Alt key) and press the left and right arrows to tighten or loosen pair-kerning.

#4 – Use good color

• Avoid highly saturated colors. Bright reds and yellows will cause problems in video.
• Use contrasting colors; if you were to use a color wheel, these would be colors opposite each other. If you want to use three colors, draw a triangle on the color wheel. Digital Anarchy sells a great product called ColorTheory that makes it easy to pick color combinations for two or more colors.
• Pick up the Pantone book on color trends. This book offers interesting color combinations that always seem to end up the latest fashion.
• Mix light and dark colors to maintain contrast. Dark on dark and light on light are VERY hard to read.
• Use a contrasting edge on your type (such as a shadow or glow). This will improve readability.

#5 – Make it layered

• Use photos of textures in your bars. I often take pictures of light, reflections, lighting, water waves, etc. and mix these in with my graphics to add a natural depth. Simply place the texture above your bar and press Cmd + G (Ctrl + G) to group it. The texture is now applied just to the bar area below.
• Use blending modes to achieve better looks. This is perhaps Photoshop’s coolest feature. While you can pick them from a list in the layer’s palette, I find it easier just to experiment. Highlight the layer you want to blend, pick the move tool (V), then press Shift + + or Shift + - to cycle through blend modes. Experiment, have fun, trust me it works!
• Use layer masks to blend layers together. Use black and white gradients on your layer masks to create smooth transitions in mixing layers.
• Fill an empty layer above your bar with a solid color or gradient. Tint your bar by setting this layer to the Color or Hue blending mode.

#6 – Layer Styles are your friend

1. Create a new layer and name it Flat. (It will be created by default right above selected layer.)
2. Press Option+[ (Alt+[) to select the layer below to be flattened.
3. Link to the layer named Flat.
4. Choose merge linked from the palette’s submenu.
5. Press STOP. (You can choose Option (Alt)+Merge Linked instead for targeted flattening).

#7 – Make it Readable

1. Choose View> Actual Pixels.
2. Press the F key twice to go to Full-Screen mode.
3. Press Tab to hide your palettes.
4. Stand up from your computer and look at it from the far corner of the room. How’s it look?
5. Press the F key and tab to return to normal.

#8 – Make it See Through

1. Turn off all layers you don’t want in the final graphic (including the background or placement image). Create a new (empty layer) and highlight it.
2. Hold down the Option (Alt) key, choose Merge Visible. A composite layer is now created.
3. Turn this layer off by clicking on the Eye icon.
4. Hold down the Cmd (Ctrl) key and click on the layer name in the layer’s palette. The marching ants should encircle the layer.
5. Switch to the Channels palette and click on the Save Selection as Channel button. Only have 1 alpha channel per document or your NLE will get confused.
6. Choose File>Save As to Save A Copy as a PICT or TARGA with an alpha channel included. Photoshop 7 users who need TARGA files should download the free update to fix a bug with transparency

Project Scoping Document

• Project Name
• Executive Summary
• Background
• Project Scope (High Level)

• Project Objectives
• Deliverables
• Organizations
• Interfaces Required
• Assumptions
• Constraints
• Evaluation Criteria
• Risks
• Rewards
• Budgets
• Schedules (Due Dates)
• Project Team Readiness

• Key Roles

• Executive Sponsor
• Project Manager
• Business Experts
• Technical Experts

• Signature Lines - Sign Off “Charter”