Tip #1534: Faster, Focused, Final Cut Pro Help

… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1534: Faster, Focused, Final Cut Pro Help

Final Cut help can now be downloaded and/or searched.

The Apple Final Cut Pro logo.

Apple made two significant changes to the Help system in Final Cut Pro in the 10.5 release. Both will help you find the information you need faster.

HELP IS NOW SEARCHABLE

From within Final Cut, choose Help > Final Cut Pro Help. This opens the online Final Cut Pro User Guide.

In the search box in the top right corner you can now enter a search term.

Press Return to see the results.

HELP IS NOW DOWNLOADABLE

You can now download the entire Final Cut Pro User Guide as a PDF to our system.

Control-click Download the PDF at the bottom of the Final Cut Pro User Guide Welcome page.

NOTE: Here’s the link. The Guide is 43 MB in size.

Tip #1528: A Better Way to Replace JPEG Images

… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1528: A Better Way to Replace JPEG Images

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

How you replace one image with another makes a difference.

Scott was having a problem:

I use Final Cut Pro to edit a lot of videos with JPEG slides in them. I find that, somewhat randomly, if I have to replace one of the slides by using “Replace with Retime to Fit,” the JPEG I’m replacing will move the order of the previous clip. It’s odd… sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.

The solution was changing how Scott replaced the images. JPEGs are still images, there’s nothing to “retime.”

So, instead of using Replace with Retime to Fit, I suggested that Scott use Replace from Start. This matches the duration of the timeline image, without moving other clips out of position.

Problem solved.

Creativity, Random Weirdness

Tip #1527: Directing Advice from Denis Villeneuve

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1527: Directing Advice from Denis Villeneuve

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Fear of failure is far worse than failure itself.

Behind the scenes of ‘Arrival’ CREDIT: Paramount.

This article first appeared in NoFilmSchool.com. This is a summary.

NOTE: The heart of this article is a video interview with Denis Villeneuve on how he directs.

Overcome failures by acceptance. In thinking about creating a sequel to Blade Runner, Denis said that you have to accept the fact that you can, and (likely will) fail, and that that’s okay. Accept that fate, and once you do, you become free. To get rid of the pressure of potential failure, you need to accept that it can happen, place less focus on it, and just put your mind toward creation. That is the only way you can create without boundaries.

Create tension with realism. Villeneuve says that one of the key elements for tension is that you need to make people relate to the narrative through the subconscious mind. Villeneuve says that you have to bring in something for your audience to relate to, and give them a clue to create suspense about something that will happen. Make the audience wonder.

Strive to create poetry. Villeneuve says that at the end of the day, the reason why everyone goes to see movies is to be moved by the poetry of the image. That, he says, is because those images had a profound meaning. That meaning is orchestrated by the movement of the camera, the light, the design, and the elements that create an invisible meaning. To Villeneuve, this is poetry.

The original article is linked at the top.

Media, Random Weirdness

Tip #1525: Monetize Images Using Blockchain

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1525: Monetize Images Using Blockchain

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

NFTs verify ownership and provide potential royalties.

(Image courtesy of Alesia Kozik, at Pexels.com.)

This article, written by Alejandro Medellin, first appeared in Shutterstock.com. This is a summary.

The seemingly-overnight meteoric rise in popularity of NFTs (non-fungible tokes) has confounded many, including myself, begging the question: What are NFTs? Are they a cryptocurrency, a form of digital media, a speculative asset? The answers are no, kind of, and yes.

NFTs are digital assets whose ownership is verified by thousands of computers around the world using blockchain technology. Turning a regular digital asset into an NFT is called “minting,” which “tokenizes” the digital asset on the blockchain. NFT’s are sold using cryptocurrency, so the buyer and seller need a cryptocurrency wallet to participate in the transaction.

The digital asset itself is no different than non-NFT media, but its verification on the blockchain gives owners of the NFT legitimacy. While some people may buy NFTs because they like the content, many are treating NFTs as speculative assets, which are purchased because they may increase in value and sold for profit. With many NFTs selling as one-offs or in limited quantities, the digital scarcity increases the value of an NFT over time.

When an NFT is sold, and the transaction is verified on the blockchain, owners have digital proof of their purchase. That doesn’t mean they own the original asset or the copyright for that asset. They just own access to the NFT version of that thing, which is verified and cannot be changed unless sold. The blockchain verifies the transaction, which acts like a digital receipt that validates ownership of the NFT.

NFT ownership can be bought and sold, which is verified each time on the blockchain, but the original creator of the NFT is permanent. Typically, artists receive payment once when they sell their artwork, but selling an NFT is different. Each time an NFT exchanges hands, the original creator of the NFT receives a cut of the profit, which is a royalty payment. With the hope that NFTs appreciate in value over time, creators could make more on royalties than the initial price of the NFT.

The entire article is worth reading – as NFTs are simply another revenue source for our digital assets. The link is at the top.

Random Weirdness, Workflow

Tip #1524: The IP Video Revolution in Here

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1524: The IP Video Revolution in Here

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

The second video revolution is here: IP.

The evolution from baseband to IP turned into a revolution in 2020 for the broadcast and streaming industries as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic forced operations to double down on remote production workflows and technologies. Video technology companies and producers have turned to IP-based production like never before, embracing its efficiency, flexibility, and ability to meet rapidly changing requirements cost-effectively.

PrimeStream just released a new white-paper: “The IP Broadcast Revolution” that discusses this transition. The white paper takes a closer look at this massive paradigm shift. We trace the IP revolution from RF and baseband to IP, from satellite and microwave antennas to SIM cards, and from the broadcast operations center to the cloud. From there, we introduce the Primestream IP Broadcast Network Operation Center™ (NOC), which is enabling the future of video workflows through powerful solutions such as Media IO and Xchange™ Media Cloud.

The white paper is only 7 pages long, profusely illustrated and easy to read.

White paper link.

Apple Motion, Creativity

Tip #1533: Point At: A Little-Used Behavior

… for Apple Motion

Tip #1533: Point At: A Little-Used Behavior

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Point At has one element point at another, no matter where each of them moves.

Behaviors > Basic Motion > Point At settings (top) and a red arrow “pointing at” the blue bean.

Point At is a Basic Motion behavior that you may not have used. Mostly, because Fade In/Out, Spin, Throw and Motion Path are more obvious and clearly useful.

But Point At does one thing none of these others do: it takes an element and points it at another element, no matter what each of them does in terms of movement.

For example, in the screen shot, the blue bean is moving across the frame from left to right. The red arrow is rising from bottom to top.

Using the settings in the Point At Inspector (top of screen shot) the red arrow will point at (track) the blue bean as both elements move around the frame.

Very cool!

EXTRA CREDIT

Imagine you have a product shot moving around the frame, with a cloud of arrows, or clapping hands, or exclamation points all moving around it randomly while at the same time pointing to the moving product shot. The Point At effect would be applied to all the objects that “point at” the product shot.

Apple Motion, Creativity

Tip #1532: Align: A Cool, Unused Behavior

… for Apple Motion

Tip #1532: Align: A Cool, Unused Behavior

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Align tracks an element closely or loosely with another element.

Behaviors > Basic Motion > Align settings (left), with the effect applied; along with the options in Align and To menus.

Align is one of those Basic Motion behaviors that you probably never use. Mostly, because Fade In/Out, Spin, Throw and Motion Path are more obvious and clearly useful.

But Align has some very cool traits. Align forces the element to which it is applied, to align itself with whatever element you drag into the “Object Well” (indicated by a blue bean in the screen shot).

We can align objects by:

Center
Anchor Point
Left edge
Right edge
Top edge
Bottom edge
Upper Left corner
Upper Right corner
Lower Left corner
Lower Right corner
And a custom setting

What makes this effect especially cool is when you apply animation – say a Throw behavior – to the object that is the focus of the alignment AND you change the Transition setting for Align to, say, “Ease In,” the Aligned object will slowly drift toward the focus, then follow after it as it moves.

The more you play with the Transition and Alignment settings, the more fun you’ll have in creating organic movements.

EXTRA CREDIT

Here’s an example. Let’s say you animate a logo to move across the screen. Using Align, you can have a flock of stars (each with the effect applied) slowly become attracted to the logo and travel with it as it moves.

Apple Motion, Creativity

Tip #1531: Motion Titles for FCP are More Than Text

… for Apple Motion

Tip #1531: Motion Titles for FCP are More Than Text

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Title templates can contain anything a Motion project can – including video!

Title templates can contain text, shapes, gadgets, animations, even video. These are full Motion projects.

When you create a title template in Motion for use in either Motion or Final Cut, you are not limited to only using text. You can actually do far more. Anything you can put into a “normal” Motion project, you can put into a title. It’s just that the title is saved in the Titles browser for use in Final Cut as a template.

The screen shot illustrates a title containing:

Text
Spinning gadget
Animated shape using Behaviors
Gradient colors
A zoomed-back background video
Lighting using Spot and Point lights

Don’t get creatively trapped into thinking titles are only text.