http://www.dvguru.com DV Guru http://www.dvguru.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.dvguru.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/30/final-cut-pro-keyboard-shortcuts/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/30/final-cut-pro-keyboard-shortcuts/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/30/final-cut-pro-keyboard-shortcuts/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Software, Post-production, Beginner, Intermediate

Knowing your keyboard shortcuts will take you to the next level in your mastery of Final Cut Pro. For some help with memorization, try printing out this shortcut document and keep it on your desk while you edit. Thankfully, it's nicely organized so you can learn a block of shortcuts at a time. Thanks to Flippant for the tip.

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]]>editingfinal cut proFinalCutProflippantkeyboard shortcutsKeyboardShortcutspost-productionsoftwareBrian Liloia2007-01-30T17:00:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/11/a-complete-audio-recording-starter-kit/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/11/a-complete-audio-recording-starter-kit/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/11/a-complete-audio-recording-starter-kit/#commentsFiled under: Audio, Gear, Intermediate

Guy Cochran from DVCreators.net reviews the Rode to recording package. If you are looking for a kit that has everything you need to capture great sounding audio, then listen up. This comes with:

• (1) RODE NT1-A Microphone
• (2) EVENT ALP 5 Biamp Powered Monitors (studio speakers for the laymen)
  
• (1) PRESONUS INSPIRE Firewire Audio Interface
• (1) STEINBERG CUBASE LE
• (1) SONY ACID XMC
• (1) PRO PAK Software Suite
• (2) 10' premium RCA cables
• (1) 25' premium Mic Cable
• (1) RODE TRIPOD tabletop mic stand
• (1) Comprehensive Setup Manual

At the end of the episode Guy gives you a taste of what it sounds like and it sure sounds beautiful. What would you expect to pay for something like this? $2,000? $1,000? How about $750 from the DV Creators store. He certainly makes a persuading case.

Watch the video after the break or download the higher quality M4V.

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]]>audiokitmicmicrophoneproductionrecordingrodesonysoundsteinbergtripodxlrRussell Heimlich2007-01-11T10:24:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/freshdv-video-review-of-vfgadgets-pro-gripper-quad-camera-mount/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/freshdv-video-review-of-vfgadgets-pro-gripper-quad-camera-mount/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/freshdv-video-review-of-vfgadgets-pro-gripper-quad-camera-mount/#commentsFiled under: Gear, The Shoot, Intermediate

Matt and Kendal have an excellent video review of a car camera mounting system from VFGadgets. Installing the device didn't seem to induce much confidence from them because of the give and the cheap plastic bolts. But when they did use it in a shoot, the mount worked. I have to admit the results were better than what I would have hoped for from what is a prosumer piece of equipment. Also check out the resulting video from the test, it is better a lot of specs I have seen.

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]]>carfreshdvpro gripper quad camera mountProGripperQuadCameraMountvfgadgetsAjit Anthony2007-01-10T16:11:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/07/jvc-announces-full-hd-camcorder-with-fujinon-lens/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/07/jvc-announces-full-hd-camcorder-with-fujinon-lens/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/07/jvc-announces-full-hd-camcorder-with-fujinon-lens/#commentsFiled under: Cameras, Intermediate

JVC is wasting no time announcing new camcorders but we saved the best for last. Today JVC announced a full 1080i, 3-CCD, hard-drive camcorder aimed at consumers. What sets the JVC unit apart from the crowd is the inclusion of a Fujinon lens commonly used in many high end professional camera systems. More specs include:

• (3) 1/5-inch CCDs
• Total pixels: 2032 x 1116 (equivalent to 2.27 million pixels)
• Number of effective pixels: 1952 x 1096 (equivalent to 2.14 million pixels)
• 16:9 aspect ratio

Expect to see the HD Everio GZ-HD7 sometime in April. The price wasn't mentioned but my guess would be around the $1,000 mark. According to CamcorderInfo.com this thing will go for $1799. Boy was I off. CamcorderInfo also got their hands on a picture.

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]]>camcordercameraCCDCESFujinonFull HDFullHdharddriveJVCRussell Heimlich2007-01-07T04:20:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/02/see-how-easy-it-is-to-upgrade-your-mac/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/02/see-how-easy-it-is-to-upgrade-your-mac/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/02/see-how-easy-it-is-to-upgrade-your-mac/#commentsFiled under: Hardware, Post-production, Intermediate

Guy Cochran from DVcreators.net shows around a Mac Pro tower. Everything is laid out in a clean and organized fashion which makes it easy to add more power to your machine in a snap. See how to add a new hard drive, add some RAM, and swap out a PCI card; all of which any novice computer user should be comfortable with. Crack open that case and have a look around. Don't worry, your Mac won't byte.

Mac Pro Hardware Upgrade Made Easy (5:27) 48MB

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]]>ApplecomputerMacProramtowerupgradeRussell Heimlich2007-01-02T09:26:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/31/sony-hdr-fx1-against-fx7/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/31/sony-hdr-fx1-against-fx7/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/31/sony-hdr-fx1-against-fx7/#commentsFiled under: Cameras, The Shoot, Intermediate

This German website (translated) compares two similar Sony's HDV offerings. The FX7 is the newer version of FX1. There are quite a few differences between the two cameras. The biggest difference is the FX7 1/4 Cmos chip vs FX1 1/3 ccd chip. The site has plenty of stills and some video from both cameras.

I have used FX1 and was generally impressed but this is when HDV was first hitting the market. But now HDV is quite common and the difference between the cameras is growing. According to the stills in the article, I prefer the FX7, even if it leans a little on the consumer saturated side (Sony classifies this as a consumer camera). But I cannot get over the lack of XLR inputs, the Canon XH A1 is a couple of hundred dollars more and it has those features.

(via HD For Indies & FresHDV)

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]]>canon xha1CanonXha1cmosfx1fx7hdvsonyAjit Anthony2006-12-31T20:51:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/29/color-bars-and-calibration/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/29/color-bars-and-calibration/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/29/color-bars-and-calibration/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Post-production, Beginner, Intermediate

We all have different equipment and different methods of getting our productions to "look right". The best thing to use for viewing output is a production monitor, but it's worthless unless you calibrate it properly. The tips and techniques section the Videomaker vidcast, episodes 31 and 32, contains some good discussion on color bars plus shows some of the how-tos of calibration. If you are new to post-production or just need a little refresher, I recommend you check out these 2 episodes.

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]]>calibrationcolorcolor barscolor settingsColorSettingsmonitorproduction monitorProductionMonitorvideomakerSheila Ward2006-12-29T11:55:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/doug-bressler-of-doogtoons-shows-you-how-he-creates-animation/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/doug-bressler-of-doogtoons-shows-you-how-he-creates-animation/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/27/doug-bressler-of-doogtoons-shows-you-how-he-creates-animation/#commentsFiled under: Production, The Little Guy, Editing, Software, Web, Intermediate, Online

I discovered a new internet TV show called Viral the other day which focuses on what TV shows are available on the internet and often takes a behind the scenes look at how the show is made and the video producers and actors behind it.

About 7 minutes into the first episode of Viral (see below) you get a quick lesson from Doug Bressler of the animated show DoogToons. Doug shows you how he records in voice and brings it to life in animated characters. He first records spoken audio using GarageBand on a Mac and then exports the audio as an aiff file. He then does a rough drawing of a cartoon bear and loads it up in flash to animate it taking you briefly through the tedious part of syncing up the characters mouth movements with the audio.

Here is the video, you'll need to get to about 7 minutes in to see Doug at work.

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]]>animationdoogtoonsflashChris Tew2006-12-27T13:08:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/20/quick-audio-performace-tip-using-soundtrack-pro/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/20/quick-audio-performace-tip-using-soundtrack-pro/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/20/quick-audio-performace-tip-using-soundtrack-pro/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Audio, Software, Post-production, Intermediate

I never paid much attention to Soundtrack Pro for whatever reason, but I digress. This helpful tutorial will get you started on sending audio from within Final Cut Pro to the application, removing some noise, and bringing the sound files back into FCP. Of course, this is not the end-all be-all tutorial for correcting for noise in your audio, but it will help to give you a better sense of how you can use Soundtrack Pro in conjunction with FCP to have better control over the quality of your audio. Useful stuff.

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]]>audioeditingfinal cut proFinalCutPropost-productionsoftwaresoundtrack proSoundtrackProBrian Liloia2006-12-20T18:27:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/18/create-an-underwater-scene-from-scratch/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/18/create-an-underwater-scene-from-scratch/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/18/create-an-underwater-scene-from-scratch/#commentsFiled under: Intermediate

While everyone wishes they were Jacques Cousteau you can get one step closer by faking an underwater scene. In this video tutorial you will see what it takes to make a believable underwater scene from scratch using Photoshop. There is no narration and the tutorial is sped up but I think you will be able to get the gist of things. A great exercise you can try out with the new Photoshop CS3 beta.

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]]>adobehowphotoshoptotutorialUnderwaterRussell Heimlich2006-12-18T06:17:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/16/silverstack-beta-release-image-sequence-viewer-editer-and-man/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/16/silverstack-beta-release-image-sequence-viewer-editer-and-man/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/16/silverstack-beta-release-image-sequence-viewer-editer-and-man/#commentsFiled under: Production, Editing, Software, Post-production, Intermediate

Pomfort has released a beta version of its new SilverStack software for viewing managing and exporting image sequences. Pomfort say that the software has been built in collaboration with the movie industry and it makes use of the powerful graphics capabilities of the Max OS X.

The SilverStack beta release is on a first come, first serve basis so if you want to give it a try you need to get in there quick. Normally the software would cost $200 or $525 depending on the configuration; I have no idea whether you get the software for free or at a discounted price when it is released if you take part in the beta testing. A full release is expected in January.

[Via MacMinute]

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]]>Chris Tew2006-12-16T21:11:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/avchd-converter-from-canopus/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/avchd-converter-from-canopus/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/avchd-converter-from-canopus/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Software, Post-production, Intermediate

AVCHD has been touted by Sony and Panasonic as the next step in prosumer codecs. So DV, then HDV and now, supposedly, AVCHD. Part of the initial lack of excitement was that none of the NLE's was able to support it. It was only a matter of time, that problem was to be resolved.

According to this Press release in Japanese, and then translated at Digital Camcorder News, Canopus "will be releasing a new AVCHD converter product that will convert your footage into an editable format. However, because of the fact that it converts it into the 'Canopus HQ Codec,' it is unlikely that the files will be usable outside of Canopus' Edius NLE systems." Sadly, I am not aware of any Mac Canopus products and I am guessing that is not going to change but this is the first step of many that will bring AVCHD to the fold.

The most exciting thing about AVCHD is that it fixes my biggest complaint with HDV, the mpeg-2 sound compression. So here is hoping this starts a trend by NLE's to support AVCHD.

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]]>avchdcanopushdvAjit Anthony2006-12-13T17:14:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/05/color-sampling-demystified/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/05/color-sampling-demystified/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/05/color-sampling-demystified/#commentsFiled under: Production, Cameras, Editing, Post-production, Intermediate

Barry Green, one of the original guru's from over at DVXuser.com has put together an informative article that tackles the frequently seen by rarely understood subject of color sampling. Simply put, color sampling is used as a way to compress the image through the blending of individual pixels. Can't pull a decent key from your MiniDV footage, well color sampling is the culprit. The article makes use of some clever illustrations to break down each different form of the compression. If you haven't been put off by all the tech jargon and would like a simple explanation of a fairly complex subject head over to DVXuser for the full story.

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]]>barry greencolor samplingdvxusergreenscreenREDred oneMike Burgoyne2006-12-05T12:29:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/30/run-after-effects-effectively-on-intel-macs/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/30/run-after-effects-effectively-on-intel-macs/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/30/run-after-effects-effectively-on-intel-macs/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Hardware, Software, Post-production, Intermediate

Currently, Adobe has not released an Mactel compatible version of After Effects 7. Nothing new here as Adobe, like other giant software companies, is usually late with the these things (I'll try not to get into a rant). AE 7 is supposed to be able to run in Mactels by using Apple processor virtualization software called Rosetta. But for whatever reason, AE 7 users (unlike 6.5) has had memory buffering issues. So Graham Jones came up with a very simple solution:

• Closed all other Rosetta apps and processes, lowered the memory settings WAY down (max memory to 30%, Max RAM Cache to 15%)
• and this thing renders like smoke! On the latest render, it rendered more than TWICE as fast as the G5 or Mac Pro in AE 6.5! After rendering the same file in AE 7 on the Dual G5, I found it to be still 40-50% faster.

Check the article for other smaller notes. For the rest of the discussion, follow this thread at Creative Cow.

(via HD for Indies)

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]]>adobeafter effects 7AfterEffects7applemacmactelAjit Anthony2006-11-30T14:31:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/27/another-red-interview-graeme-nattress-and-stuart-english/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/27/another-red-interview-graeme-nattress-and-stuart-english/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/27/another-red-interview-graeme-nattress-and-stuart-english/#commentsFiled under: Cameras, Software, Intermediate, Pro

In his continuing interviews with the Red camera staff, Mike Curtis interviews two important people on the software side of things: Graeme Nattress and Stuart English. Very interesting read even if you have been following everything like I have. My favorite question and answer is this:

Mike: It has been said that with Redcine, you can convert to offline, edit, then come back and convert for online - but other than manually coming up with a list to re-convert (which could be ridiculously daunting on a feature), how will conform be more realistically doable? As in automated? I see this as a HUGE potential stumbling block to the proposed workflow."

GN: We're looking to automate this with RED Pull List, which will take a NLE EDL or XML file, and create a new project in REDCINE with just the clips you need to tweak or re-render out to a higher resolution. RPL is still in early stages of development, but I think you can see how this will help enormously.

Another indication of how good the Red team is about giving what filmmakers need.

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]]>graeme nattressGraemeNattresshd for indiesHdForIndiesredredcineredcodeAjit Anthony2006-11-27T00:28:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/26/multicam-sync-in-final-cut-pro/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/26/multicam-sync-in-final-cut-pro/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/26/multicam-sync-in-final-cut-pro/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Software, Post-production, Intermediate

Need to do a some multicam editing in Final Cut Pro but your footage is all out of sync? Here's a guide that might help you get started. This is not a beginners guide to multicam editing, it assumes you already know the basics. Its purpose is to help you setup the footage if the cameras were not timecode synced and some of the cameras were stopped/started during the shoot. It ain't pretty, but manually syncing up multiple clips never is.

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]]>final cut promulticammulticam editingMulticamEditingsyncSheila Ward2006-11-26T23:07:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/26/how-to-read-an-edl/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/26/how-to-read-an-edl/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/26/how-to-read-an-edl/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Post-production, Beginner, Intermediate

What the heck is an EDL you say? A simple way to put it is that an EDL (edit decision list) is a way to transfer information about a project you've edited to another editing system. It contains the basic "blueprint" of the edit such as clip in/out points, transitions, etc. There's a great post over on The editblog that shows you what information is included in an EDL and how to read it. Because new formats are gaining popularity, you may never have to deal with a .edl file. But chances are if you do any post production with the outside world you will. Either way, this is good basic information to know.

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]]>edit decision listedlvideo editingSheila Ward2006-11-26T21:32:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/23/film-school-in-a-box/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/23/film-school-in-a-box/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/23/film-school-in-a-box/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Post-production, Beginner, Intermediate

Now here's a way to learn how to edit. Film School in a Box provides you with all the assets you need to edit your own version of the movie "The Confession" in Final Cut Pro. You don't have to worry about scripts, shooting, importing footage or any other details, they've done all the work for you. You receive your project on an external hard drive, all organized with 11 different camera angles to work with, the shooting script and camera reference map. Two versions are available, the Gold Edition for $279 and the Platinum Edition for $449 (this pricing only good through Christmas). The differences in the editions can be found here and you can also get a Preview Edition for $19.95 if you want to see what its all about before dropping the larger bills.

It took a lot of work shoot all the footage and organize everything in a FCP project so all you have to do is sit down and start editing, so the pricing is not bad at all and you're getting a hard drive in the deal too. I really like that this lets you concentrate more on the creative side of editing instead of the technical click-here-to-do-something tutorial stuff.

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]]>editingfilm schoolFilmSchoolfinal cut protrainingSheila Ward2006-11-23T12:07:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/21/avid-vs-fcp-nesting/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/21/avid-vs-fcp-nesting/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/21/avid-vs-fcp-nesting/#commentsFiled under: Editing, Software, Post-production, Beginner, Intermediate

In yet another installment of his Avid vs. Final Cut Pro series, Scott Simmons takes a look at the nesting functions of both editing applications. Nesting refers to the collapsing of multiple layers of video and audio clips into a single layer, making for easier management. FCP allows for the nesting of multiple audio and video clips into single layers, and with these nested sequences, editors can easily apply multiple filters or other effects. In Avid, nesting takes on another definition: it refers to the technique of applying multiples effects to just a single clip. It is Avid's 'Collapse' function that most closely reflects the nesting of FCP, where multiple layers of video can be squashed down to a single layer. However, audio cannot be collapse in such a fashion. Educational!

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]]>avidavid vs. fcpAvidVs.Fcpeditblogeditingfcpfinal cut proFinalCutPronestingpost-productionscott simmonsScottSimmonssoftwareBrian Liloia2006-11-21T18:26:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/19/switch-sound-conversion-software/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/19/switch-sound-conversion-software/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/11/19/switch-sound-conversion-software/#commentsFiled under: Audio, Software, Post-production, Intermediate, Pro

Switch is a sound audio conversion software for both Windows and Mac platforms (it is possible to run it with Unix). The app can be as simple as drag and drop or as fancy as command line automation (allows up to 32000 files to be converted in one batch). It works with almost all audio formats. MP3 encoder supports constant or variable bit rates from 8 to 320kbps with optional error correction and stereo modes. WAV encoder supports sample rates between 6000 and 196000Hz in PCM as well as a number of other audio codecs. Prices start at $39.

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]]>switchAjit Anthony2006-11-19T16:05:00+00:00