Video Compression Workshop – Helpful Advice (part 3)

July 30, 2008 Filed in: Post

This is part two of our article on effectively compressing video for the web and multimedia. Be sure to read part one if you haven’t done so.

Need to get your video delivered to your audience? Then there’s probably going to be some compression involved. Don’t let hardware or software get in your way. Let’s take a common sense approach to getting your video out there.

Pick Your Power

There are tons of compression tools out there, but the pro apps offer important features like batch processing, multiple architecture support, and customizable presets. The five most popular options are:

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MPEG Streamclip

July 29, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington shows you the powerful, free compression tool MPEG Streamclip, available from www.squared5.com.

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Great News for Adobe Media Player 1.1

July 27, 2008 Filed in: Post | Business

Want to know more about the updated Adobe Media Player? Head over the Deeje Cooley’s blog for the straight info from Adobe.

There’s a lot of great things happening here for content creators.

Deeje-WhatsNewInAdobeMediaPlayer11813.flv

Deeje-WhatsNewInAdobeMediaPlayer11813.flv

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Video Compression Workshop – 10 Steps to Better Compression (part 2)

July 27, 2008 Filed in: Post

This is part two of our article on effectively compressing video for the web and multimedia. Be sure to read part one if you haven’t done so.

1.) De-interlace your video: Most video files are interlaced, which means that half of one image is blended with half of the next. On a Television this produces smoother motion, on a computer it produces junk.

2.) Lower your audio standards: Most users are listening to computer audio on tiny speakers. Cutting your sample rate to 22 or 11 kHz and the sample size to 8-bit will often produce unnoticeable audio changes but huge space saving.

3.) Shrink the window: While you don’t need to make video postage stamps sized. But reducing the window to half size creates a file that is 25% the file size of the original. That’s a BIG savings in space.

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Convert MPEG-1 for FCP

July 24, 2008 Filed in: Resources | Post

bbDEMUX – Free

http://sourceforge.net/projects/macbbdemux

I stumbled across this great piece of freeware when stuck with an editing problem. My client had some MPEG-1 files they wanted to edit together for their website. While I was able to import them into FCPand set the timeline to 320X240, I couldn’t get the audio to import. Turns out with MPEG-1 files, the audio and video are merged into one track (muxed). This great little app does nothing more then split them apart, but that’s all that was needed and its free!

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Video Compression Workshop – An Introduction (part 1)

July 24, 2008 Filed in: Post

Successfully getting a video file delivered to your audience usually means it will be compressed (heck it’s often compressed just so we can work with it in the first place). Making the video file available to your target audience is your goal, but the challenges of hardware, connection speed, and even operating system can affect the decisions you make. Let’s take a common sense approach to getting your video out there.

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AJA Data Rate Calculator

July 22, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington explains how to use AJA's Data Rate Calculator to figure out how much hard drive space you will need for your next video production.

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Directors Boards

July 15, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington shows you a handy free utility called Directors Boards that can help you get your shot organized.

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Editors Retreat Returns

July 14, 2008 Filed in: Conferences | Education

erlogo

Recharge Your Creativity and Craft • January 28 - February 1 • Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Now in its third year, the Editors Retreat has become an annual gathering for the post-production elite. Highly experienced editors from the worlds of film, TV and video gather to network, exchange ideas, share tips and of course, have fun!

Past keynotes and attendees have included such names as Alan Heim, Sally Menke, Stuart Bass, Chris Franklin and David Helfand as well as Apple, Adobe and Avid experts and industry power users. Attendees have included representatives from HBO, FRONTLINE, MTV, Lockheed Martin, Harpo Productions and Telemundo.

Running for 5 days and 4 nights, the Retreat offers advanced sessions on post visual and audio techniques and features valuable insight into emerging trends and technologies. An equal amount of time will be devoted to discussing the creativity, craft and business practices of successful editors.

To ensure that only the best of the best attend, participation is subject to an application and screening process. Visit www.EditorsRetreat.com for the full schedule and more details.

WATCH THIS YEAR'S VIDEO

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Editors Retreat Returns

July 14, 2008 Filed in: Tips | Education

erlogo

Recharge Your Creativity and Craft • January 28 - February 1 • Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Now in its third year, the Editors Retreat has become an annual gathering for the post-production elite. Highly experienced editors from the worlds of film, TV and video gather to network, exchange ideas, share tips and of course, have fun!

Past keynotes and attendees have included such names as Alan Heim, Sally Menke, Stuart Bass, Chris Franklin and David Helfand as well as Apple, Adobe and Avid experts and industry power users. Attendees have included representatives from HBO, FRONTLINE, MTV, Lockheed Martin, Harpo Productions and Telemundo.

Running for 5 days and 4 nights, the Retreat offers advanced sessions on post visual and audio techniques and features valuable insight into emerging trends and technologies. An equal amount of time will be devoted to discussing the creativity, craft and business practices of successful editors.

To ensure that only the best of the best attend, participation is subject to an application and screening process. Visit www.EditorsRetreat.com for the full schedule and more details.

WATCH THIS YEAR'S VIDEO

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Rebuilding Permissions

July 08, 2008 Filed in: Resources | Post

This sounds like something from etiquette class, but this little activity can save hours of headache throughout your system. In the Utilities folder in the Applications folder, there’s an application called Disk Utility. Under the First Aid tab there’s a button to repair permissions (Repair Disk Permissions). Select your drives and let it rip. You should run it a couple of times. It’s amazing how so many of those little quirky problems will go away.

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

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On Set Audio Issues

July 08, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington explains some of the most common audio problems you might find on set and how to avoid them.

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After Effects CS3 Shape Tools

July 07, 2008 Filed in: Resources

Learn how to use the Shape Tools to create dynamic motion graphics elements. This tutorial was recorded as part of a session at the 2007 NY Post Production Conference (www.nypostconference.com).

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When in Doubt, Shut Down and Restart

July 01, 2008 Filed in: Education

Things can and do go wrong. A simple reset to your system is often the best way to “cure” software problems. Don’t just click Restart, however; let the system fully reset itself by shutting down. As a favorite engineer used to tell me, “Shut down, count to 20, restart—if there’s still a problem, then call me.”

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

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Keyboard Shortcuts

July 01, 2008 Filed in: Podcast

Author and video podcaster Richard Harrington explains the importance of keyboard shortcuts and how you can most efficiently use them in your NLE program.

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