The Panasonic AG-HPX255 Camera and BT-LH1850 Monitor By Jeremiah Hall
The AG-HPX255 is a hand-held 1/3 2.2 megapixel 3-MOS camera. It uses P2 cards. It records full 1920x1080, 10-bit 4:2:2. It is also capable of being used in a studio environment, thanks to a remote terminal compatible with Panasonic's AG-EC4 Paint Box remote control. Not bad for a camera that lists at $6,995.00. The BT-LH1850 is 18.5" monitor. It has a resolution of 1366 x 768. It's big enough for multiple people to look at, while being small enough to carry around to shoots. It has a built-in vectorscope, as well as a waveform monitor for RGB signals. ...Read More »
EYES IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD..... By Douglas Spotted Eagle
With the new Oregon Scientific ATC Chameleon, syncrhonized video with two channels/angles in a single stream is quick and easy. This camera is unique in that it features dual lenses, shooting two views to a single stream that may be displayed either side by side or over/under. This allows not only for POV, but reactions to the POV. The large button allows even the most thick mitten or glove to turn on/off the camera. Powering up the camera also starts record mode....Read More »
BENQ GW2450 By David Hague
In the video world monitors are probably more critical than any everyday old computer monitor is. Serious photographers who play with Photoshop will know what I mean. Calibration is everything. Which leads me neatly to the BENQ GW2450 which landed on my desk today. ...Read More »
AKITIO ENCLOSURE By Ko Maruyama
The Akitio Neutrino U3+ enclosure is for everyone, and more specifically for some than others. Like many other enclosures of its kind, it supports a nice array of connection standards. The function is what you'd expect from an external hard drive enclosure. The Neutrino U3+ has the added benefit of being designed beautifully, and fits as a companion to your other Mac hardware....Read More »
The Panasonic AC160 By Heath McKnight
The Panasonic AC160 really surprised me, and not because I wasn't expecting such high quality -- I was -- but because for the price point (between $4100 and $4799), I was sort of expecting a small camera, like the Sony NX5U or some of the smaller Canons. This is a larger, but not heavy, handheld camera that's about the same size as the Panasonic HPX250. Images are crisp in full HD 1080p, the controls are simple to use and it does well in low light with its 1/3-inch 3-MOS sensors, and you easily can customize looks. The multiple frame rate and recording options are also superb, helping make this a quality camera for shooters involved with film, run-and-gun video, documentaries and more....Read More »
Twixtor: 30p to 24p in After Effects By Jeremiah Hall
Twixtor, from Re:Vision Effects, Inc., has been around for a while. It works with Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro (X and 7), Autodesk combustion, flame, Maya Composite, Avid, Foundry Nuke, Sony Vegas Pro, and several others. It changes speed, timing, and frame rates of footage (frame rate conversion is currently only available with After Effects or Combustion). Twixtor does this by warping and interpolating new frames from the original footage using RE:Vision's proprietary tracking technology to calculate every individual pixel's motion in a sequence....Read More »
PluralEyes - Sound Synching Software from Singular Software By David Hague
Singular Software has a range of sound synching software available. PluralEyes is the flagship. It works specifically with particular nominated software so you must obtain the one that suits your software. PluralEyes will only play with Green Valley Edius, Adobe Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, Apple's Final Cut Pro and Avid's Media composer. For each of these editing program, Singular Software provides a specific set in instructions which, at first to me at least, sounded a bit arcane, but in fact turned out to be easy to follow. The end result is an additional sequence inserted into to your project with the sounds all lined up....Read More »
Corel VideoStudio Pro X5 By David Hague
While it is still fair to say that Corel has struggled in the video editing market, I suspect the latest carnation of VideoStudio Pro X5 will change all that. And oddly enough, I say this not because of any improvement over its standard video editing approach as this retains the 3 step approach that many programs of this type use - Capture, Edit, Share. No, not at all. This version has some truly ground breaking features....Read More »
Edius 6 By David Hague
If you are looking at graduating from a basic Windows NLE to something more, shall we say, grown up, and have Premiere, FCP, Vegas and AVID on your list to check out (no I know that FCP won't run under Windows but some people DO change platforms you know), certainly add EDIUS to that list. There is a free download available at the website which is fully functional and lasts for 30 days....Read More »
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 for the Videographer By Jeremiah Hall
I have never used the previous versions of Lightroom, since most of my time was taken up with Avid, After Effects and Final Cut Pro. When I needed to do something with stills, I used Photoshop. When I got the chance to try Lightroom 4, I jumped at the chance, but I was more interested in the video capabilities than I was in the photographic features and tools. Lightroom 4 will not be replacing Premiere or Photoshop, it's not designed for heavy photo or video editing. You can't cut your movie masterpiece with it. But if you're a DSLR shooter, I can see it becoming a very useful tool in your arsenal....Read More »
Matrox Thunderbolt Adapter By Heath McKnight
Matrox recently released their Thunderbolt adapter, which can be purchased at their site, or added to your order of one of their devices, like the MXO2 boxes. This is a significant little box, because you can use a MXO2 device with a Mac that doesn't have a PCI Express card slot or ExpressCard/34 slot by connecting the adapter to your Mac and the MXO2 box. I'll also talk briefly about Matrox's new software update allowing their devices to offer broadcast monitoring with the latest update of Final Cut Pro X....Read More »
PluralEyes, An NLE Essential App By Heath McKnight
After spending time with Singular Software's PluralEyes, I can say without a doubt, that I wish this software was available in the early days of Final Cut Pro and other non-linear edit systems (NLE). PluralEyes will easily sync video and audio, which is very useful when you have multiple sources of footage, but only one great track of audio. It does it quickly and efficiently, saving editors hours of time trying to sync the audio with all your video sources....Read More »
Boris Soundbite for Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro By Heath McKnight
Soundbite from Boris FX is an excellent dialogue search tool developed in conjunction with Nexidia, a company focused on speech analytics. You can search for specific words and phrases easily with Soundbite, then import into Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro, making it easy and quick to edit hours of interviews for a project. Producers, writers, one-man bands and interns can rejoice while searching through hours of interviews. Say so long to logging video!...Read More »
Review: Samsung's Galaxy Nexus a sweet smartphone By The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ' As fans of Google's Android mobile software well know, each new version is named after a sugary treat, such as Gingerbread or Honeycomb. Android is about to get even sweeter with Ice Cream Sandwich ' a smooth, feature-rich operating system that will run first on the delectable Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone. The combination of Google's s........Read More »
OWC 16GB RAM and 240GB SSD Drive Upgrade for 2011 Mac mini By Heath McKnight
Other World Computing (OWC, www.macsales.com) sells some the best and most affordable upgrades for Mac users, such as RAM, hard drives and more. I've heard stories of just how fast a solid state drive (SSD) is compared to a standard drive found in a Mac, and I wanted to see for myself. More RAM and a faster hard drive is always great for video editors to work faster and more efficiently. Plus, can my new 2011 Mac mini really accept 16GB of RAM? Read on to find out....Read More »
Final Cut Pro X: Setup, Plus Importing & Organizing Footage By Heath McKnight
It's been close to three months since Final Cut Pro X came out, and I wanted to write up some first impressions here regarding the setup of Final Cut Pro X, plus importing and organizing footage. I'll do another article on my first impressions of editing and exporting in the very near future. Right off the bat, I will say that this is a journey where Final Cut Pro (FCP) hasn't gone down before, and I'm actually excited about this new way of thinking when it comes to non-linear editing (NLE)....Read More »
Field Test: Canon XA10 By Steve Turner
The XA10 has a boxy kind of look to it that speaks professional - functional rather than sleek. Landcruiser rather than Porche in its looks. Canon managed to get the test camera to us in time for two weeks camping and four wheel driving through Arkaroola and the Flinders Ranges, some 700kms north of Adelaide. I used the XA10 for everything and gave it a serious workout. The results speak for themselves. ...Read More »
AV3's Get for Final Cut Pro By Heath McKnight
AV3's Get for Final Cut Pro is a dialogue search tool that makes it easy to search for soundbites, by using specific keywords you're searching for, and the metadata that Get creates when it analyzes your footage. You won't need to sit in the edit bay for hours taking notes and transcribing interviews! Get does the work for you, making it easier and faster to focus on video editing....Read More »
DVD Burning Software - Free vs Paid? By Rob Boirun, BurnWorld
When you are evaluating the very best free software for DVD burning on Windows it's important to understand what is offered inside a free version over a paid version. While this article will explain several free burning apps and their benefits, I'll also explain a few paid options as well, as to what they offer over the freeware counterparts....Read More »
DaVinci's Resolve from BlackMagic Design By Kevin McAuliffe
On thing that I love about Post Production, especially at the Pro-sumer and above level, is that as computers get more powerful (and cheaper for that matter), we are now starting to get access to gear and applications that only used to be reserved for specialized machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and required an obscene amount of man hours to learn not only the hardware, but the software as well. Thankfully, those days are gone....Read More »
The Panasonic AG-HPX255 Camera and BT-LH1850 Monitor
The AG-HPX255 is a hand-held 1/3 2.2 megapixel 3-MOS camera. It uses P2 cards. It records full 1920x1080, 10-bit 4:2:2. It is also capable of being used in a studio environment, thanks to a remote terminal compatible with Panasonic's AG-EC4 Paint Box remote control. Not bad for a camera that lists at $6,995.00. The BT-LH1850 is 18.5" monitor. It has a resolution of 1366 x 768. It's big enough for multiple people to look at, while being small enough to carry around to shoots. It has a built-in vectorscope, as well as a waveform monitor for RGB signals.
...Read More »
EYES IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD.....
With the new Oregon Scientific ATC Chameleon, syncrhonized video with two channels/angles in a single stream is quick and easy. This camera is unique in that it features dual lenses, shooting two views to a single stream that may be displayed either side by side or over/under. This allows not only for POV, but reactions to the POV. The large button allows even the most thick mitten or glove to turn on/off the camera. Powering up the camera also starts record mode.
...Read More »
BENQ GW2450
In the video world monitors are probably more critical than any everyday old computer monitor is. Serious photographers who play with Photoshop will know what I mean. Calibration is everything. Which leads me neatly to the BENQ GW2450 which landed on my desk today.
...Read More »
AKITIO ENCLOSURE
The Akitio Neutrino U3+ enclosure is for everyone, and more specifically for some than others. Like many other enclosures of its kind, it supports a nice array of connection standards. The function is what you'd expect from an external hard drive enclosure. The Neutrino U3+ has the added benefit of being designed beautifully, and fits as a companion to your other Mac hardware.
...Read More »
The Panasonic AC160
The Panasonic AC160 really surprised me, and not because I wasn't expecting such high quality -- I was -- but because for the price point (between $4100 and $4799), I was sort of expecting a small camera, like the Sony NX5U or some of the smaller Canons. This is a larger, but not heavy, handheld camera that's about the same size as the Panasonic HPX250. Images are crisp in full HD 1080p, the controls are simple to use and it does well in low light with its 1/3-inch 3-MOS sensors, and you easily can customize looks. The multiple frame rate and recording options are also superb, helping make this a quality camera for shooters involved with film, run-and-gun video, documentaries and more.
...Read More »
Twixtor: 30p to 24p in After Effects
Twixtor, from Re:Vision Effects, Inc., has been around for a while. It works with Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro (X and 7), Autodesk combustion, flame, Maya Composite, Avid, Foundry Nuke, Sony Vegas Pro, and several others. It changes speed, timing, and frame rates of footage (frame rate conversion is currently only available with After Effects or Combustion). Twixtor does this by warping and interpolating new frames from the original footage using RE:Vision's proprietary tracking technology to calculate every individual pixel's motion in a sequence.
...Read More »
PluralEyes - Sound Synching Software from Singular Software
Singular Software has a range of sound synching software available. PluralEyes is the flagship. It works specifically with particular nominated software so you must obtain the one that suits your software. PluralEyes will only play with Green Valley Edius, Adobe Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, Apple's Final Cut Pro and Avid's Media composer. For each of these editing program, Singular Software provides a specific set in instructions which, at first to me at least, sounded a bit arcane, but in fact turned out to be easy to follow. The end result is an additional sequence inserted into to your project with the sounds all lined up.
...Read More »
Corel VideoStudio Pro X5
While it is still fair to say that Corel has struggled in the video editing market, I suspect the latest carnation of VideoStudio Pro X5 will change all that. And oddly enough, I say this not because of any improvement over its standard video editing approach as this retains the 3 step approach that many programs of this type use - Capture, Edit, Share. No, not at all. This version has some truly ground breaking features.
...Read More »
Edius 6
If you are looking at graduating from a basic Windows NLE to something more, shall we say, grown up, and have Premiere, FCP, Vegas and AVID on your list to check out (no I know that FCP won't run under Windows but some people DO change platforms you know), certainly add EDIUS to that list. There is a free download available at the website which is fully functional and lasts for 30 days.
...Read More »
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 for the Videographer
I have never used the previous versions of Lightroom, since most of my time was taken up with Avid, After Effects and Final Cut Pro. When I needed to do something with stills, I used Photoshop. When I got the chance to try Lightroom 4, I jumped at the chance, but I was more interested in the video capabilities than I was in the photographic features and tools. Lightroom 4 will not be replacing Premiere or Photoshop, it's not designed for heavy photo or video editing. You can't cut your movie masterpiece with it. But if you're a DSLR shooter, I can see it becoming a very useful tool in your arsenal.
...Read More »
Matrox Thunderbolt Adapter
Matrox recently released their Thunderbolt adapter, which can be purchased at their site, or added to your order of one of their devices, like the MXO2 boxes. This is a significant little box, because you can use a MXO2 device with a Mac that doesn't have a PCI Express card slot or ExpressCard/34 slot by connecting the adapter to your Mac and the MXO2 box. I'll also talk briefly about Matrox's new software update allowing their devices to offer broadcast monitoring with the latest update of Final Cut Pro X.
...Read More »
PluralEyes, An NLE Essential App
After spending time with Singular Software's PluralEyes, I can say without a doubt, that I wish this software was available in the early days of Final Cut Pro and other non-linear edit systems (NLE). PluralEyes will easily sync video and audio, which is very useful when you have multiple sources of footage, but only one great track of audio. It does it quickly and efficiently, saving editors hours of time trying to sync the audio with all your video sources.
...Read More »
Boris Soundbite for Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro
Soundbite from Boris FX is an excellent dialogue search tool developed in conjunction with Nexidia, a company focused on speech analytics. You can search for specific words and phrases easily with Soundbite, then import into Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro, making it easy and quick to edit hours of interviews for a project. Producers, writers, one-man bands and interns can rejoice while searching through hours of interviews. Say so long to logging video!
...Read More »
Review: Samsung's Galaxy Nexus a sweet smartphone
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ' As fans of Google's Android mobile software well know, each new version is named after a sugary treat, such as Gingerbread or Honeycomb. Android is about to get even sweeter with Ice Cream Sandwich ' a smooth, feature-rich operating system that will run first on the delectable Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone. The combination of Google's s.....
...Read More »
OWC 16GB RAM and 240GB SSD Drive Upgrade for 2011 Mac mini
Other World Computing (OWC, www.macsales.com) sells some the best and most affordable upgrades for Mac users, such as RAM, hard drives and more. I've heard stories of just how fast a solid state drive (SSD) is compared to a standard drive found in a Mac, and I wanted to see for myself. More RAM and a faster hard drive is always great for video editors to work faster and more efficiently. Plus, can my new 2011 Mac mini really accept 16GB of RAM? Read on to find out.
...Read More »
Final Cut Pro X: Setup, Plus Importing & Organizing Footage
It's been close to three months since Final Cut Pro X came out, and I wanted to write up some first impressions here regarding the setup of Final Cut Pro X, plus importing and organizing footage. I'll do another article on my first impressions of editing and exporting in the very near future. Right off the bat, I will say that this is a journey where Final Cut Pro (FCP) hasn't gone down before, and I'm actually excited about this new way of thinking when it comes to non-linear editing (NLE).
...Read More »
Field Test: Canon XA10
The XA10 has a boxy kind of look to it that speaks professional - functional rather than sleek. Landcruiser rather than Porche in its looks. Canon managed to get the test camera to us in time for two weeks camping and four wheel driving through Arkaroola and the Flinders Ranges, some 700kms north of Adelaide. I used the XA10 for everything and gave it a serious workout. The results speak for themselves.
...Read More »
AV3's Get for Final Cut Pro
AV3's Get for Final Cut Pro is a dialogue search tool that makes it easy to search for soundbites, by using specific keywords you're searching for, and the metadata that Get creates when it analyzes your footage. You won't need to sit in the edit bay for hours taking notes and transcribing interviews! Get does the work for you, making it easier and faster to focus on video editing.
...Read More »
DVD Burning Software - Free vs Paid?
When you are evaluating the very best free software for DVD burning on Windows it's important to understand what is offered inside a free version over a paid version. While this article will explain several free burning apps and their benefits, I'll also explain a few paid options as well, as to what they offer over the freeware counterparts.
...Read More »
DaVinci's Resolve from BlackMagic Design
On thing that I love about Post Production, especially at the Pro-sumer and above level, is that as computers get more powerful (and cheaper for that matter), we are now starting to get access to gear and applications that only used to be reserved for specialized machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and required an obscene amount of man hours to learn not only the hardware, but the software as well. Thankfully, those days are gone.
...Read More »
Vegas Pro 10 Available Now
