… for Codecs & Media

Tip #167: 3 Tips to Picking Stock Footage

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Three things to consider when looking at stock footage.

Topic $TipTopic

Wipster recently shared these stock footage tips:

1. Go for story-driven footage

Rather than settling for searching on multiple sites for stand alone stock video shots that “kind of” look similar to one another, look for story driven footage. Story-driven shots are ones that show the same subject in action and also provide multiple shot types of similar action.

2. Use high quality, Raw or Log Footage

When searching for stock footage, look for clips that enable high resolution downloads, like Raw, Arri, Red or Phantom. You won’t have to sift through a library full of less-than-stellar quality or overused footage to find what you’re looking for.

3. Don’t pay per clip. Go unlimited

Your film’s budget can easily go through the roof if you pay per clip. This is why we recommend using footage sites that use single umbrella licensing and unlimited subscription models.


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… for Codecs & Media

Tip #150: USB Bandwidth

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Different versions of USB provide different amounts of bandwidth

Topic $TipTopic The speed of USB has increased significantly since its initial release. For example, USB 1.0 was released January 15, 1996, with a maximum speed of 1.5 MB/second. Compare that to USB 4.0 which was released August 29, 2019, with a maximum speed of 5 GB/second! USB4 is based on the Thunderbolt 3 protocol.

However, recently, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) renamed virtually all USB versions and made things REALLY confused. Here are the new names and speeds of the different versions of USB.

Old Name Released New Name Speed
USB 2.0 April, 2000 USB 2.0 Up to 60 MB/sec
USB 3.0 Nov. 2008 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Up to 625 MB/sec
USB 3.1 July, 2013 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Up to 1.25 GB/sec
USB 3.2 August, 2017 USB 3.1 Gen 2×2 Up to 2.5 GB/sec
USB4 August, 2019 USB 4 Up to 5 GB/sec

NOTE: Keep in mind that all versions of USB, except for USB4, are optimized for small file transfers and generally don’t provide all the bandwidth that the spec calls for. I don’t recommend any version of USB earlier than USB 3.2 for video editing.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #236: Faster Color Correction

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Custom shortcuts make color grading a LOT faster!

Apple Final Cut X color grading shortcuts
Color grading shortcuts that don’t have keys assigned.

Topic $TipTopic Iain Anderson writes in MacProVideo:

There are several color correction commands that are inaccessible, if you don’t create custom keyboard shortcuts for them. For example, open Final Cut Pro > Commands > Customize and search for Color. Then, assign shortcuts to:

  • Apply Color Wheels
  • Apply Color Correction from Previous Edit
  • Apply Color Correction from Two Edits Prior
  • Apply Color Correction from Three Edits Prior
  • Color Board: Toggle Correction on/off

Suddenly, all your color corrections will go a LOT faster!


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #215: Tricks to Moving Stuff

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Copy or move … it’s your choice.

The Copy -or- Move media dialog box
Checking these saves time, but requires more storage space.

Topic $TipTopic

You can easily drag clips or projects from one Event to another in the same library. Keep in mind that you can’t store the same clip in more than one Event.

But, what happens if we want to move media or projects between libraries? Well, we have options:

  • We can COPY them
  • We can MOVE them

When you copy an item from one library to another, the corresponding files are duplicated on the storage device that contains the receiving library. When you move an item from one library to another, the corresponding files are moved from the library file in the first storage location to the library file in the second location.

Copying or moving items between libraries lets you:

  • Use multiple libraries on the same storage device to organize a large number of active projects and media assets.
  • Work on your project and media files on a different Mac that has Final Cut Pro installed.
  • Back up your project and its media files to a storage device, a network volume, or other storage media.
  • Allow multiple users to access your media in an external folder on shared storage.
  • Free up space on your Mac or storage device.

HOW TO COPY

To copy one or more selected clips from one library to another, simply drag them. Or choose File > Copy Clips to Library.

In the resulting dialog, you can choose to copy optimized or proxy media. If you decide not to do this, you can always recreate it later.

HOW TO MOVE

To move one or more selected clips from one library to another, press the Cmd key while dragging. Or choose File > Move Clips to Library.

Again, moving provides the option of also moving optimized and/or proxy media.

EXTRA CREDIT

NOTE: If you have created or customized any Final Cut Pro effects, transitions, titles, or generators in Motion, set the storage location for your Motion content to In Library before starting any copy or move operations between libraries or storage devices. Otherwise, the Motion content is not included in those operations. Regardless, you must manually track and move any third-party (FxPlug) content, because it is not managed within the Final Cut Pro library.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #213: Secrets of the [Hidden] Delete Key

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Two different ways to delete clips.

The two different delete keys on a Mac keyboard.
Two delete keys on a full-size keyboard. (Arrow points to Return.)

Topic $TipTopic

Whether you edit on a laptop or full-size keyboard, there are two Delete keys at your disposal. One is above the Return key, indicated by the red arrow in the screen shot, the other is… hidden.

The big Delete key, which deletes going backwards, is the normal delete key for most Final Cut operations. In addition to deleting text as you would expect, it also deletes clips.

The smaller Delete key, next to the End key, deletes going forward. You can quickly see the difference by deleting text from the middle of a paragraph. The big difference in Final Cut, though, is when you use this smaller key to delete a clip: It deletes the clip AND replaces it with a gap. Many students find this very distracting.

When deleting clips, the big Delete key always changes the duration of the timeline. The small Delete key does not.

EXTRA CREDIT

The forward delete key exists on laptops, too, but it’s hidden. Simply press the Fn key (in the lower left corner of the keyboard) while typing the big Delete key.

Cool.


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… for Random Weirdness

Tip #155: Change the Dock Icon to Show Disk Activity

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Monitor disk activity directly from the dock.

Change the Dock icon in Activity Monitor.
Activity Monitor must be running for the Dock icon to display data.

Topic $TipTopic

There’s a “hidden-in-plain-sight” option in Activity Monitor that allows you to monitor your system in real-time directly from the dock.

  • Open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities)
  • Choose View > Dock Icon
  • Pick what you want to see

Most of the time, I’m monitoring either Network or Disk activity.

NOTE: Keep in mind that Activity Monitor must be running to see these icons. However, you don’t need to have any of Activity Monitor’s windows open.


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… for Random Weirdness

Tip #149: The Five Types of USB Connectors

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Sigh… It’s no longer “one plug fits all.”

Five types of USB connectors.
Five types of USB connectors.

Topic $TipTopic

Not only are their different versions of USB, there are also different versions of USB connectors. Ever wonder how many different USB connectors there are and what they are called?

Well, here’s the answer:

  • Type A
  • Type B
  • Type C
  • Micro USB
  • Mini USB

Most computers use Type A or C, depending upon their age.

Most large peripherals use Type B, while smaller devices use either the micro or mini connectors.

Now you know.


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… for Random Weirdness

Tip #148: Which USB Version Does Your Mac Support?

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

When in doubt, look it up.

Use System Preferences > Hardware > USB to determine your USB version.

Topic $TipTopic

Yes, the USB plugs on the back of your computer all look the same. However, here’s an easy way to find out what version of USB your computer supports.

Go to the Apple logo in the top left corner of your computer.

  • Choose About This Mac
  • At the bottom of this window, click System Report
  • In the display that follows, click Hardware > USB

This panel displays more than you will ever want to know about your USB ports and connected peripherals, including the version of USB your system supports.

Cool.


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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #222: Offline Does Not Mean Inaccessible

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Organize clips without needing media.

The Edit Offline File window
This window allows adding metadata to any offline clip.

Topic $TipTopic

NOTE: This tip originated in the days of capturing media from video tape, but it can still be helpful in working with today’s huge media files.

Normally, when we think of “offline clips,” we think of media that is inaccessible. While it is true that we can’t edit or playback offline clips, we can still organize them.

For example, Control-click an offline clip and this menu appears, which allows us to add metadata (labels) to any offline clip. Then, the next time these clips are either connected or relinked, all this information remains available because it is stored in the project file, not with the clip itself.

The benefit of using this screen is that you can transfer a project to another computer – say a laptop – to add this information, without having to copy and carry all the media files as well.

EXTRA CREDIT

The Metadata panel in Premiere (Window > Metadata) has far more fields available, which can also be used for both online and offline clips.


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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #221: Shortcuts to Extend and Trim Edits

Larry Jordan – https://LarryJordan.com

Power shortcuts to speed trimming.

Topic $TipTopic

It is almost always easier to drag an edit point. But it is faster and, more often, more precise to use a keyboard shortcut. Here are some trimming and playback shortcuts that can speed your work.

NOTE: With the exception of the first shortcut, all remaining shortcuts do not require you to first select the edit point. Plus, all these tricks assume you have sufficient media handles for the trim.

 

 

 

Shortcut What It Does
E Move the selected edit point to the position of the Playhead. (A roll trim.)
W Ripple trim next (downstream) edit to the position of the playhead
Shift – W Extend the next edit to the position of the playhead (no gap)
Option – W Trim the next edit to the position of the Playhead (leaves a gap)
Q Ripple trim the previous (upstream) edit to the position of the playhead
Shift – Q Extend the previous edit to the position of the playhead (no gap)
Option – Q Trim the previous edit to the position of the Playhead (leaves a gap)
Shift – K Play around the Playhead
Shift – Space Play from slightly before the In to slightly after the Out
Cntrl – Space Play from current Playhead position to the Out

NOTE: Preferences > Playback determines how far before an edit and how far after an edit the playhead will play.


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