New Stuff - Cool Stuff
October 6, 2014
In This Issue
Become a Member
All Kinds of Cool Stuff
Boris FX: BCC Motion Key
Boris FX: BCC Wire Remover
Motion: Create and Animate Masks
FCP X (v.10.1.2): Complete!
Top 3 Lists
Compressor 4.1 Training
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WELCOME BACK!

Larry Jordan Adobe MAXX - The Creative Conference - started this weekend, but the big events are later today. I'm spending the day there and will file at least one new blog about what I learn. Adobe is cranking on all cylinders with soon-to-be-released updates to all their audio and video applications. I'm looking forward to seeing what they announce. And, as soon as I learn it, I'll share it with you - here, in my blog.

I took much of this weekend off traveling with my wife down to Julian, CA, to see if we could lose some of this ridiculous heat (and... we couldn't).  However, last night, I watched a community performance of "The Villain Wore a Dirty Shirt," a melodrama put on by the local Julian Triangle Club. This was the 58th year they've performed a melodrama as a way to raise money for college scholarships for local kids.

This wasn't a professional performance. Heck, I've seen high schools do a better job. But, what made the evening worth-while were the performers. They were having so much fun up there, "puttin' on a show," that they didn't really care if they were polished. They wanted to make us laugh and have a good time. Granted, even for a melodrama, some of the actors redefined "over-the-top" and, true, the director was calling out missed lines from the wings ... but it was FUN.

All too often, in our struggles to find the perfect gear, the perfect cast, the perfect... anything, we lose sight of the fact that much of what we create can and should be fun. Hard work? Sure. Still, underlying all the hard work is sharing our ideas and creativity with others.

Remember, the next time you are up to your neck in alligators, that you got started by thinking that all this work would be fun.  (Smile...)

Two (plus one) new articles this week. More in a bit.

A SHORT DELAY

Generic newsletter bulletLast week, I reported that some of the alleged quality differences reported for Adobe Media Encoder were the result of bad testing. I also said that I'd have an update with new testing this week.

Except, I've been too busy to get the work completed. I'll publish the results as soon as I can. I'm sorry for the delay.

SHORT NOTES

Julie Hill, over at ArtBeats, sent me a note about their latest title: Epic Storms, which is available as stock footage. Shot by Phil Bates in 5K resolution using a RED EPIC camera, the demo reel alone has me heading for shelter.

Learn more here.

Small notes bullet Kevin Mayberry, part of the PR team for Promise Technology, told me that Promise "just introduced two new storage solutions with Thunderbolt 2 technology: the Pegasus2 M4 SSD and the SANLink2 10G SFP+.

"Maximizing the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2, the Pegasus2 M4 SSD is a 2TB (four x 500GB SSDs) Thunderbolt 2 RAID storage device that fits in the palm of a hand and can be transported to remote locations with ease. PROMISE's new SANLink2 10G SFP+ is a Thunderbolt 2 to 10GbE optical bridge adapter - bringing excellent performance and expediting content delivery to remote locations."

Learn more here.

LAST WEEK'S WEBINAR:
TIMING IS EVERYTHING (in Editing) 

Generic newsletter bullet Last week's webinar was pretty darn cool. Following in the steps of our earlier Editing as Storytelling webinar, which set records for popularity, this week I talked about Timing is Everything; which is another in our series on the Craft of Editing.

In this session you'll discover:
  • What is a story and how to improve it
  • Editing rules to keep you out of trouble
  • The 180-degree axis rule
  • How shot order changes the meaning and emotion of a scene
  • How shot angle and shot height change the emotion of a scene
  • How to recognize and leverage pacing
  • How to use reaction shots to improve the dramatic intensity of a scene
Download the webinar here.

And, remember, subscribers can watch any webinar FREE at any time in our Video Training Library. Save money and subscribe today. 

THIS WEEK'S WEBINAR:
VIDEO COMPRESSION COMPARISON
Generic newsletter bullet There's been a lot of talk recently comparing image quality and compression speed in video compression software.

In this webinar, I look at different software tools to see how they work and how to optimize your settings. I'm still compiling the final list of products and subjects, I'll start by looking at both Adobe Media Encoder and Apple Compressor.

In this session, you'll discover how to optimize your settings, improve compression speed, and create great looking compressed video.

Registration to the live show is free but we have a limit of 100 seats. Act fast! Sign up here.

FEATURED BUZZ INTERVIEW: REALITY TV

Buzz newsletter bullet This week's Digital Production Buzz was amazing. First, because it marked the first time our weekly session was video-recorded and, second, because of our guest.

The folks at Moviola recorded the entire session and will broadcast it Nov. 6.  Mike and I never looked so good.

But, our guest was the REAL highlight: Luis Baretto. Luis is a very active producer/director/editor of reality television for PBS and high-end cable networks.  During our interview, we talked about producing reality shows. Then, in the extended interview coming next month from Moviola, we continued looking at how reality TV is shot, edited, financed and distributed. One of my key takeaways was discovering what makes a great reality TV "participant."

Luis has tons of experience and he shared a lot of it with us in this interview. If you are interested in the reality of producing shows for cable or reality TV, you need to listen to Luis. This was a fascinating interview.

Listen to Luis' interview here.

Listen to the entire show here.

Thanks to the folks at Take1 Transcriptions, you can read, as well as listen to each show. Read this week's show transcript here. (You'll also find show transcripts on each Buzz show page.)

TWO (PLUS ONE) NEW ARTICLES THIS WEEK!

Generic newsletter bullet Two new articles this week - plus one more that lists all the new articles I wrote in September, in case you missed an issue of the newsletter.

I get a lot of requests for tips and shortcuts. So, this week, I listed my Top 25 Keyboard Shortcuts for Apple Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

And, as always, I've updated our Top 3 lists.  Enjoy!
ARTICLE: FINAL CUT PRO X
Larry's Top 25 Keyboard Shortcuts 
 
Are you wasting time dragging the mouse when you can be blasting through your edit using keyboard shortcuts?

Or, are your favorite keyboard shortcuts the same as mine?

If you are looking for faster ways to work, or just wondering if you and I are using the same shortcuts, take a look at this article.

I assembled this as a table to make it easier to print.

ARTICLE: ADOBE PREMIERE PRO CC
Larry's Top 25 Keyboard Shortcuts  
 
In the interest of equal-time, here are my Top 25 keyboard shortcuts for Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

If you think I missed shortcuts which are more helpful, be sure to add them to the comments section at the bottom of the article.

To me, shortcuts make my editing faster so I can concentrate on the fun stuff, like crafting the story or taking a nap.

ARTICLE: SEPTEMBER COLLECTION
All My New Articles, All In One Place  
 
I started this last month, and it proved to be very popular.

Here is a list of all the new articles I wrote in September - in case you missed an issue or overlooked something you wanted to read.

Articles are grouped by software.

ALL-NEW AND UPDATED!! 
FINAL CUT PRO X 10.1.2: COMPLETE 
              
This title contains everything you need to learn Apple's
Final Cut Pro X v.10.1!
 
This title includes both:

* FCP X: Workflow & Editing

* FCP X: Effects

 

All in one place, for one great price!

 

Start with initial setup and media management to editing, effects, and output, there's no finer training on the market.

* Need to get started in a hurry? We condensed everything you need into one chapter.

* Need to learn just the new features? We've got you covered.

* Need in-depth training on everything you need to know to become a video editing pro? Start at the beginning and work your way to the end.

You'll be amazed at how much you learn!

THIS TRAINING INCLUDES ALL THE NEW FEATURES IN THE FCP X 10.1.2 UPDATE
(It is also current for the 10.1.3 release)

Over 200 movies, more than 22 hours of training! Each movie is laser-focused to get you the information you need exactly when you need it. (The average movie length is about seven minutes.)

One title - everything you need - available right now.

TOP THREE + 1 LISTS 
   
Here are the most popular articles, webinars, and audio interviews for the past seven days across all my websites.

Articles

This list expanded to the Top 4 to add some variety:
For an index of all our articles, visit here.

 

Webinars

This list is based on the webinars watched most often by our monthly subscribers. For a list of all our webinars, visit here.

 

Digital Production Buzz Audio Interviews   

For a list of all Buzz audio interviews, click here. 

BRAND-NEW TRAINING
Learn Apple Compressor 4.1
   
Apple continues to update Compressor with an all new interface, improved compression settings and better monitoring. This application has some much new stuff inside that we went back and re-did all our training for the new version.
  • Better organized
  • More informative
  • Tighter focus on making your images look great.
NEW TRAINING NOW SUPPORTS
COMPRESSOR 4.1.2

These days, everything we do ends up on the web.
Which means that if we don't know how to compress our video to make it look good, all our work during production and post is wasted.

In this in-depth video training, Larry Jordan shows you how to make the most of Apple Compressor 4.1.x.

Whether you are a new or experienced, this training will help you make your media look and sound great!
We are committed to providing the highest quality training at the lowest possible price and distributing it as widely as possible.

From subscriptions to individual downloads to free techniques and articles -- we've got your back.  And there's lots more to come.

Thanks!

Larry Jordan
Larry Jordan & Associates
P.S. I always love hearing from you. Feel free to write.