GeniusDV.com

Student Profile: Marquis Wilson

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:01:01 -0800

This week's student profile features a past Avid Media Composer student, who was recently excited to tell us about one of his latest success stories. Meet Marquis Wilson. Marquis is from Alvarado, Texas, and completed his training with GeniusDV back in 2008. Marquis has a passion for video production in terms of helping individuals and companies market their products and services. He wanted to share one of the greatest tools he learned from taking certified training at GeniusDV.

As a producer of live stage and sporting events, the need for more than one shooting angle is imperative. Much time is consumed to digitize and file scenes, and then trying to surf through various clips for the right cuts. Marquis says, "I am excited to say however, that using precious mega hours looking at camera angles on multiple video tracks is a thing of the past. John Lynn at GeniusDV, introduced me to the MultiCamera Mode feature in AVID Media Composer. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I recently filmed and edited a ballet stage play using four cameras, (quad split). No doubt in my mind, I was 75% quicker on the timeline simply because I could choose the best position from the source window where all of the shots from every angle were represented simultaneously."

keep reading for more of Marquis' tips...

Software for De-interlacing Video

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:01:01 -0800

The term 'interlaced video' may cause chills to the seasoned video editor. There are a variety of ways to 'deinterlace' video, but depending how you go about the process may lead to inferior results.

Today, you'll mostly likely encounter an 'interlacing' problem when viewing 'standard defination' mini-dv video on the web, or viewing a QuickTime file playing SD media on a computer screen.

I stumbled upon a free program called 'Deinterlacer' by JES Schotsman. So, I ran through a quick test using it's default parameters. Here are the results. Wow!, I'm sold.

This is a typical example of what an interlaced frame looks like from an interlaced SD or HD video source. Notice how the image looks blurry from displaying both fields of video on a single frame.

Notice the difference, after the video has been deinterlaced. You'll also notice that 'JES Deinterlacer' also runs a color correction algorithm to automatically for color contrast.

Using Keyframes in Avid Marquee Title Tool

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:01:01 -0800

Manipulating Keyframes in Marquee can sometimes turn into a complex process. Here is a quick tutorial to help simplify the process. If you are new to Marquee, I recommend that you read my Basic Marquee animation tutorial and then come back to this article. I’ve found it’s best to use Marquee’s animation mode to create a basic path, and then manually manipulate individual keyframes later.

Just about everything in Marquee is keyframeable. This makes Marquee extremely powerful when it comes to manipulating lights, colors, shadows, 3D distortion, and movement. The trick to manipulating keyframes is to simplify the process by only displaying the keyframe graphs that you need to adjust. Here are the steps to displaying keyframes in Marquee.

Creating a Backup Copy or Clone of Mac HD

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:26:51 -0800

It's time to revisit the popular Carbon Copy Cloner program that allows you to create an exact copy of your source machine onto an external hard drive.

I recently tested this by backing up my Mac Book Pro running Snow Leopard. It took about 1 1/2 hours to back up 80 Gigs to my portable pocket drive running at 5400 RPM.

The latest version also allows you to create incremental backups that can be scheduled. You can even back everything up to a remote Mac on a Network. To create a backup of your entire sytstem, just hook up an external drive and set it as the target. That's it!

To test the copy, you can boot your Mac directly off the external drive by holding down the option key while you restart your Mac. This will allow you to choose your external drive as the new Boot Drive.

Okay, so how must does this software cost? Guess what, it's free! Yes, you read that correctly. Bombich Software makes this very clear by running an occasional banner within the software program. I recommend that you donate to Bomich Software for this amazing program.

If you plan on cloning several machines using Carbon Copy Cloner there's one catch. Keep in mind those machines will be EXACT copies of each other. This means, they will inherent all the same user names and passwords. They'll also have all the same programs with the same serial numbers. This means, you may have reset the serial numbers on certain software products that have license restrictions.

Photoshop for Video

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:01:01 -0700

The newest versions of Photoshop now support image editing on video files. The only catch is you must have the â€˜Extended Versionâ€™, meaning Photoshop CS3 Extended, or CS4 Extended. All of the creative suite bundles ship with the extended version. Photoshop is a must have application for any video editor. Don't get me wrong, you'll still need your favorite non linear editing system such as Final Cut Pro or Avid to the majority of your video editing.

You can use Photoshop's extensive array of tools to perform color correction, and rotoscoping. You can also use Photoshop's filter gallery to apply filters directly to a video file. Itâ€™s easy to get carried away with Photoshopâ€™s ability to edit video files when you have the ability to create additional video layers, keyframe your effects, etc., That being said, youâ€™re probably better off doing most things directly within your favorite video editing software.

Iâ€™ve found Photoshop incredibly useful when I need to process a video clip with one of Photoshopâ€™s built in filters. You can easily create painted effects by using Photoshop's filter gallery.

Processing video files with Photoshop is now incredibly easy. In the past, it was quite tedious if you wanted to apply a filter to a video clip with Photoshop. It involved a complex process of creating a droplet would run would a script to process an image sequence. Now, it couldnâ€™t be any easier. There is basically only one important step so you donâ€™t have to process each frame independently.

Here are the basic steps for applying a filter to a video file in Photoshop.

Sketchup Training

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:01:59 -0700

One of our newest 2 day training classes, Google Sketchup, will be offered at our Orlando training facility November 5th & 6th, 2009. We are offering a special price for the November class!

Google's Sketchup is an amazing 3D modeling program that has users from all walks of life from professionals to first timers. Whether you're an architect, civil engineer, or filmmaker, you will be astounded at what Sketchup can do for you. And the best part? It's one of the easiest programs out there to learn and use. With Sketchup, you can build everything from basic 3D models to entire scenes with a virtual walk-through, and it allows you to add your 3D elements into your video projects.

Other features of Sketchup is the ability to facilitate the placement of models in Google Earth, which is a great tool for video producers when trying to figure out where your shadows lie at a specific time of day during a video shoot. Another great feature is the ability to use the 3D Warehouse, which lets users search for models that are created by other users and lets users contribute their own models to the warehouse.

There's no limit to what you can create with Google's Sketchup. There is a limit however to our class size, so call today to reserve your spot!

Produce a Windows Media File on your Mac

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:36:19 -0700

I ran into a situation the other day where a client needed a Windows Media file for playback in a PowerPoint presentation on a Windows machine. I edit on a Mac and I am the OS X does not come native with any type of Windows Media codec. You will need to download a plug-in for your Quicktime player that will allow you to export to this codec. The answer is Flip4Mac.
Flip4Mac is a great, free, plug-in provides Windows Media video and audio playback in the QuickTime Player for your Mac OS X. It not only allow you to playback media but it also provides you the abilty to export. It is simple to use and the only requirment you need for export in Quicktime Pro (Standard Quicktime will allow playback only). Simpy open your media in Quicktime and navigate to File>Export>Windos Media File. There are several settings to choose from so choose the one that fits your end user. Download Flip4Mac now so you will be ready when you need to export to the Windows Media Format.

Requirements for Flip4Mac:

-Intel or PowerPC G4 and G5
-Mac OS X version 10.4 or later
-QuickTime version 7.0 or later
-QuickTime Pro version 7.0 or later (for exporting movies in Player Pro, Studio, Studio Pro and Studio Pro HD)

Invert Key for Spectra Matte Effect in Media Composer

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:15:58 -0700

In case you've taken notice. Avid's new Spectra Matte keyer allows for incredibly accurate keys with minimal adjustments.

If you are a seasoned Avid Media Composer or Avid Xpress user, you probably remember the old legacy â€˜Chroma Keyâ€™ effect. If youâ€™re like me, you remember that it was a tortuous process of trying to obtain a good key. Most of us ultimately gave up and used a third party keyer like â€˜Ultimateâ€™ or â€˜After Effectsâ€™. Finally, those days are over with Avidâ€™s new Spectra Matte keyer.

If youâ€™re still stuck using Avid Xpress, you are out of luck. I highly recommend that you upgrade from Avid Xpress to Media Composer while Avid still offers an upgrade program. The new Spectra Matte keyer is worth the price of the upgrade.

Also, I noticed in the latest revision of the 3.5X series of Media Composer software, you can now promote the old chroma keyer to the new Spectra Matte keyer. Click on the promote to Spectramatte button in the lower right corner of the effect editor to use the new keyer.

It also seems the old legacy Chroma Keyer is now using the same Algorithm as the new Spectra Matte code which produces excellent Chroma Key results with minimul adjustments

The new Spectra Matte keyer has been out for awhile, but thereâ€™s one key element that seems to be missing. The ability to invert the key is mysteriously missing from the Spectra Matte keyer. This may not sound like much, but itâ€™s a critical function if you want to create the â€˜Pleasantville effect.â€™

Animation Marquee Lights

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:10:57 -0700

The 'Marquee' title tool within Avid Media Composer is a fantastic titling program. In addition to creating stunning 3D titles, you can also use Marquee for other types of effects. Since Marquee is resolution independent, you can import high resolution pictures directly into Marquee without losing any resolution.

Now, you may be asking yourself, why not just use the Avid Pan and Zoom effect that is available within the standard Media Composer effects. Well, Marquee offers the additional benefits of lighting, and true 3D space. This means you can rotate your photos in Z space, and add lighting effects. Better yet, you can have an unlimited number of layers.

This tutorial will give you the basic steps for adding lighting to a picture imported directly into Avid Marquee title tool.

DVD Authoring with HD Media

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:45:01 -0700

When it comes to DVD authoring we are in a very unique time. It is relatively inexpensive to purchase a High Definition camera and many editors are facing the dilemma of what is the best work flow for getting their HD media converted to SD but also possibly output a Blue Ray disc.

The first thing that needs to be done is an export from your editing application. Once you have edited your high-def sequence, it is important that you export it in the appropriate codec for the best quality and for use in all of the different formats. If you are working on an Apple then I have found the best codec is Quicktime using the Apple Prores 422 HQ. This gives excellent results in either SD or a HD Blue-Ray disc. If you are on a windows machine I still recommend using Quicktime but just use the Photo Jpeg settings. I know it is tempting to use the Animation codec but this codec is must to large for compression software and it is unnecessary to achieve the desired results. If you want more info on Codecs check out Codec resource, it lists all of the codecs and what they do. Just check across the top for the type of sampling you require.

Video inside text using Avid FX

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Adding video inside a title or graphic is a very simple task if you are using Boris FX.

For those of you who are Media Composer Users, "When I talk about Avid FX, think Boris FX red.' Same exact thing. For Final Cut Studio user's you'll have to purchase Boris Red software seperately.

Even though this Giant Crawling Title effect can be created outside of Boris FX, you may find it easier to use because it's resolution independent. This means you can create titles that exceed the resolution of your sequence. Another great thing about Boris FX (Avid FX) is that you can use the Boris FX engine. You don't necessarily have to use it as a plug-in.

Read on to see how to add video to an Boris FX title.....

Best Microphone for Voice Over

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:07:09 -0700

Which microphone should I be using?

Excellent question. There are so many microphones in the market today for so many different uses. Without boring you to tears on the aspects of each kind, let me just cut to the chase on which is best for you in the studio.

Every sound engineer would agree that you MUST have a large diaphragm mic to record with if you want to get every little sound. The difference? Night and Day. Large diaphragm mics are built to pick up the lightest sound and still be able to handle the harshest.

If you are going to do voice-over work, or recording vocalists and instruments, the large diaphragm is the way to go. I recommend a microphone with that has at large a once inch diaphragm.

My recommendation to have a fabulous microphone and not send you to the poor house is the Audio Technica AT-4040. For just $299.00, you get a great mic that will handle the highs and lows that need to be put into the sound environment. The AT-4040 has proven to be a workhorse for me in my studio for every aspect of the genre. I use this microphone for all my recording into Soundtrack Pro 2 and it works excellent. Any one working in music or video production that wants quality for their audio, this mic is for you.

Avid and Keying with the SpectraMatte

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:08:01 -0700

I have been working on a project recently the involved several Green Screen shots. In the past I have always used Adobe After Effects for all my keying needs. The Keylight plug-in in After Effects is very powerful keyer with great results but it does require skill and knowledge to get desired results. It also requires that you export your footage out of the editing program and import into After Effects and then when you are done you need to export out of After Effects and back into your editor. This is very time consuming and creates extra files on your hard drive that you will need to delete later to save space. Well, Avid Media Composer has one of the most amazing Keying systems I have seen to date, the SpectraMatte.

Exporting Sequence for DVD with RGB Levels

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:24:31 -0700

When exporting a QuickTime movie from Avid Media Composer, you may want to take a quick look at your color levels. Chances are you may be exporting with â€˜safe broadcastâ€™ levels. The RGB equivalent of broadcast levels are 16 (black) â€“ 235 (white).

Save Broadcast levels are only necessary if you plan on â€˜broadcastingâ€™ your program. For example, if youâ€™re producing a Â½ show for Sportsman Channel.

If you are producing a project that is going directly to DVD, or a multimedia movie, you may want to consider adjusting the range of luma levels. Otherwise, the blacks won't be 'super black', and your whites will be slightly 'grey'.

You can see the difference in this example when the luminance levels are stretched ot use the entire luminance range of 0-255 instead of 16-235.

The black levels on the left are washed out as a result of using a maximum luminance value of 16.

An easy fix is to apply a â€˜color effectâ€™ to a top most track within the Media Composer timeline. This will allow you to adjust the luminance levels for an entire sequence, without have to place the same effect onto each segment. This is also referred to a â€˜submasterâ€™ effect. Better yet, youâ€™ll only need to render the top color effect.

Using Avid FX or Boris FX Engine for Avid Media Composer

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:01:00 -0700

All retail versions of Avid Media Composer ship with a program called Avid FX. When you see Avid FX think Boris FX, thatâ€™s because itâ€™s the same exact program.

Iâ€™ll warn you, if you plan on regularly using the Avid FX plugin, youâ€™ll want to make sure that you have a beefy machine with plenty of RAM. Avid FX is much more than a software plugin, itâ€™s an entire compositing program. When it comes to building complex effects Avid FX is extremely useful.

However, one issue you may run into is the amount of time it takes to create good looking composites. Plus, the rendering time can be extremely long. The saving grace is that you can run Avid FX as a stand alone engine.

This means you can build your entire animation on another computer. Iâ€™ve found this process can actually save a lot of time, especially since you donâ€™t need to tie up your Media Composer software while building your effects sequence. Plus, the Avid FX engine will run much master outside of the Media Composer software. Running the Avid FX as a plugin while Media Composer is running is a big drain on your systemâ€™s resources.

This Avid FX engine as shown above is the same exact interface as the Avid FX plugin.

Hereâ€™s a quick tutorial on how to use Avid FX as a plugin. For this example, weâ€™ll build a six sided spinning cube using Avid FX.