… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #1823: Big New Features in Adobe Premiere

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

M1 support adds speed, captions available to “All App” subscribers free.

The new Create Transcript dialog window in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Topic $TipTopic

Adobe released a significant update to Premiere Pro in July that supported speech-to-text and native M1 Mac support. Here are key details taken from Adobe’s press release.

Available now, Speech to Text in Premiere Pro gives creators all the tools they need to make captioned videos the new standard. With Speech to Text, Premiere Pro is the only NLE offering an integrated and automated workflow for creating transcriptions and captions. Speech to Text is, on average, 5x faster than other captioning workflows and is included at no additional cost for subscribers.

As well, native support for Macs powered by M1 in Premiere Pro, Media Encoder, and Character Animator, accelerates those applications on the latest Macs. New text and graphic capabilities give storytellers more creative tools for titles and captions. Across the release, and in public Beta, there are improvements for collaboration, color, and performance.

Speech to Text

Speech to Text includes support for 13 languages, and early access users around the world have confirmed the impressive accuracy of their transcriptions. When changes are needed, such as correcting the spelling of names, users can easily edit the text in the transcript. When the transcript is ready, Speech to Text automatically creates captions on the Timeline, leveraging the power of Adobe Sensei machine learning to match the pacing of human speech. Once the words are on the Timeline, captions can be customized using the design tools in the Essential Graphics panel.

Speech to Text is included with a Premiere Pro or Creative Cloud all apps subscriptions at no additional cost, enabling Premiere Pro users to increase the value of their video content easily and efficiently.

Premiere Pro on M1-powered Macs

Premiere Pro and the Adobe video apps enable editors and content creators to leverage the latest Mac hardware so they can keep up in a fast-paced world. With native support for M1 on Mac , Premiere Pro runs nearly 80% faster than comparable Intel-based Macs. As users upgrade to M1-powered Macs, Premiere Pro is ready for them. Along with Premiere Pro, the July release includes M1 support for Media Encoder and Character Animator. Premiere Rush and Audition received M1 support in April and May, respectively. And M1 support for After Effects will be introduced in public Beta later this year. After Effects integration features within Premiere Pro, such as Dynamic Link and Motion Graphics templates, have already been optimized for M1-powered Macs.

Here’s a link to all the new features.


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… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1816: Synchrimedia Updates MovieCaptioner

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

MovieCaptioner creates, imports and exports captions.

Image credit: Synchrimedia.

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Captions are increasingly important, not just for new media, but existing files as well. Synchrimedia makes MovieCaptioner, an after-the-fact caption software for Mac or Windows computers.

NOTE: I’ve used this software on my own projects.

It can create captions manually, or import 18 different caption formats. It supports 25 different caption export formats. Last week, they released a free upgrade optimized for Big Sur. Other new features in the upgrade include:

  • New 1-Minute Intervals Transcripts option under the Edit menu. Displays all captions for each minute of video instead of timecode for each caption. It is also an available option under the Multi-File Export option.
  • Restored the left/right arrows for the buttons that maximize or minimize the share of the screen either for transcribing or editing (the 2 buttons next to the Duration timecode display above the movie). With Catalina and Big Sur, these arrows were missing.
  • Fixed a bug where the Caption Row is sometimes unpopulated, preventing captions from displaying in Preview mode.
  • Fixed a bug where the last transcribed caption was not being displayed if all captions were not yet transcribed.
  • Timecode will now continue to run in Preview mode even past the last caption.
  • Removed a stray alert in the Split Caption button that was for development purposes only.

The software is $49 single-user – 50% off from now til Sept. 6, 2021. (10-user and site licensing is also available.)

Here’s the link to learn more. A free trial is available.


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… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1815: The Early Years of Cable TV

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Local cable TV in the ’70’s meant small budgets and a lot of patience.

The author operating a Shibaden/Hitachi camera in 1979 at 16 years old. (Image credit: Dan Slentz)

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Dan Slentz writes in TV Technology about the early days of cable TV, which got its start providing a shared television antenna to communities with no access to broadcast television.

NOTE: My first paid position out of school was working in cable TV in Billings, Montana. I got hired and fired the same day. But, that’s a different story…

In 1977, the author writes, I was 14 years old and desperately wanting to work in radio or TV. At that time, being 14 really eliminated radio, plus I had a squeaky “kid voice.” Our local cable TV system was one of the earliest in the country and the local person with foresight to start a cable system, Claude Stevanus, would recognize the need for “local TV.”

In the mid-70’s, cable TV local origination/access was more common, but the facilities seemed to run about 10 years behind the technical curve of broadcast TV. In 1977, we had quads, film chains with color Norelco cameras, and our TBC was an Ampex and probably 8RU tall. We had two B&W General Electric cameras with lens turrets, and one Sony Color Trinicon; yes… a studio with two B&W and one color, (plus color film chain: 16mm film and 35mm slide).

If we were doing multi-camera work, this meant we put the main TBC in monochrome, or we were switching between color and B&W cameras! Yes, even in monochrome, you could certainly see a difference in quality between the GE B&W and Sony color camera running in monochrome.

My job was to get there as quickly as I could to help put together the news. This included putting removable plastic letters “in a menu board” for stocks, weather, etc., since we had no CG for this use. This method required luminance keying a camera tilting down while keyed over a slide. A steady arm was needed for the tilt or the words/letters would slightly bounce side to side.

Though it was cable TV, the cable operator ran some return copper paths to the headend and would end up putting a channel 2 modulator in our production truck. On the events where we would go LIVE from a remote location, we’d have to connect to a known return-path location. Someone would turn off the cable modulator at the station and the remote modulator would turn on. This would be like a TV broadcaster driving around with a back-up transmitter and turning it on from their remotes, but it worked!

EXTRA CREDIT

Reading this was like reading about my younger self. If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’ll appreciate the retrospective. If you are new to media, you’ll wonder how we ever survived.


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… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1814: NHK: 200 Hours of Olympics in 8K

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

8K coverage available only in Japan.

Image credit: NHK.

Topic $TipTopic

TVTechnology.com reports that, with the start of the Olympics, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK will achieve a major milestone on its roadmap for 8K UHDTV as it presents the international spectacle to Japanese viewers on its BS8K (Broadcast Satellite 8K) channel in 8K.

For the 2021 Summer Olympics, NHK plans about 200 hour of 8K UHD coverage, including broadcasts of the opening and closing ceremonies and seven events, including swimming, athletics and judo. It also plans 8K coverage of four Paralympics events: athletics, swimming, badminton and wheelchair rugby.

NHK began work on its Super Hi-Vision 8K television system in 1995, showing the world the incremental progress it was making on development of the concept and technology at special exhibits during major international industry gatherings, such as the NAB Show and IBC.

8K UHD is the pinnacle of the TV viewing experience. From a resolution point of view, it creates pictures with four times more pixels than 4K UHD (7,680 x 4,320 pixels vs. 3,840 x 2.160 pixels, or 33 million pixels vs. 8 million) and 16 times more than HDTV.

NHK’s 8K UHDTV coverage of the 2021 Summer Olympics will only be available to viewers in Japan.


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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #1811: Transcriptive Rough Cutter

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Transcriptive creates a text-based editing system for Adobe Premiere transcripts.

The new Caption panel in Adobe Premiere Pro 2021.

Topic $TipTopic

First reported by NewsShooter.com, link, Digital Anarchy has released a new take on its intelligent transcription products called Transcriptive Rough Cutter.

Rough Cutter for Adobe Premiere is built on Digital Anarchy’s Transcriptive AI plug in, and it automatically and instantly creates new video sequences by analyzing text transcripts. The edits in the sequence perfectly match the edits in the transcript so this lets you create an instant rough cut, complete with a timecode associated with each word.

Video editors can edit sequences and clips by simply editing the text of the transcripts it generates. Premiere Pro editors working with a sequence of one or more clips can use the transcript text to literally cut video and create new sequences; text edits in the transcript will be reflected as edits in the video, precisely at the points in the text where words, phrases or even paragraphs were deleted. This creates a new assembly or rough cut that reflects the edits made on the original text.

Transcriptive Rough Cutter can use transcripts from Transcriptive-A.I., Adobe Sensei (A.I.) Captions, human transcripts, and other types of transcription.

In a recent blog post, Jim Tierney, CEO of Digital Anarchy, also detailed how to move transcripts from Adobe Premiere Pro to Transcriptive and back.

“If you want to make use of the Adobe transcriptions anywhere but in the Premiere’s Text panel… it involves several steps (instead of the one-step process it should be).”

“Their new Caption system is in the release version of CC 2021. So if you’re trying to get captions out of Transcriptive and into Premiere, you can do that with any version of CC 2021. Since this is easy, just Export out of Transcriptive and Import in Premiere.”

His blog then details how to get transcriptions out of Premiere for review and editing in Transcriptive, then back into Premiere for actual captioning.

Here’s the link to the Digital Anarchy blog.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1808: A Fast Way to View Captions in Final Cut

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

The Timeline Index Captions pane is new – and a fast way to check captions.

The Timeline Index > Captions pane.

Topic $TipTopic

Here’s a fast way to see all the captions in your Final Cut Pro project, along with an equally fast way to correct them.

Here’s how this works:

  • Open the Timeline Index (Shortcut: Shift + Cmd + 2).
  • Click the Captions text button (lower red arrow in screen shot).
  • All captions in your project are displayed, along with their starting and ending timecode.

NOTE: This would be a good time to point out that the Timeline Index would be even more helpful if it could float outside the main FCP interface; say, to a second monitor….

  • To select a caption and jump the playhead to it, click the caption icon or name once.
  • To edit a caption, double-click it.
  • To change the position of a caption, use the same editing techniques you use for clips in the Timeline.

EXTRA CREDIT

While you can create multiple caption tracks for the same project, you can only have one caption track active at a time.

If you have multiple captions, say for different languages, go to Timeline Index > Roles and activate the caption track you need by checking it.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1807: Create Your Own “Edit Checklist”

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Instantly view either completed or still-to-do tasks.

The marker dialog (top) and the Timeline Index (bottom).

Topic $TipTopic

Final Cut Pro supports creating a personal “To-Do” list during your edit – that’s dynamic and built directly into the Timeline. Here’s how.

As you edit clips into the Timeline:

  • Create a marker (Shortcut: M) anywhere you want to leave yourself a note about a task.
  • Double-click a timeline marker to open it and enter a description (top screen shot).
  • Click the middle icon at the top of the Marker dialog (top red arrow). This converts a marker into a To-Do marker.

NOTE: To mark a task as complete, check the Completed checkbox.

  • Open the Timeline Index (Shortcut: Shift + Cmd + 2)
  • Click the Tags text button (middle red arrow).
  • To view all To-do markers, click the icon indicated by the left lower red arrow.
  • To view all completed markers, click the icon indicated by the right lower red arrow.

EXTRA CREDIT

You can also check a To-Do marker as completed by clicking the marker icon in the Timeline Index list.

To jump to a marker, click its name, not the icon, in the Timeline Index.

To remove one or more markers, select them in the Timeline Index and press the Delete key.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1801: Apply Effects to Multiple Clips – Fast!

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

The Timeline Index is a very powerful, yet underused tool.

Timeline Index (top red arrow), Clips text button (middle red arrow) and Video button (bottom red arrow).

Topic $TipTopic

There is a very fast way to apply the same effect to multiple clips scattered throughout a timeline. But, it isn’t very obvious. Here’s how it works.

After editing your clips into the Timeline:

  • Open the Timeline Index (Shortcut: Shift + Cmd + 2)
  • Click the Clips text button (middle red arrow in the screen shot).
  • Click the Video text button (bottom red arrow).
  • To select a single clip, click the clip name.
  • To select a range of clips, click the first, then Shift-click the last.
  • To select a discontinuous group of clips, click the first, then Command-click the remaining clips.
  • Each time you select a clip name it is also selected in the Timeline.
  • To apply an effect to all selected clips, find it in the Effects Browser, then double-click it.

EXTRA CREDIT

If you drag the effect onto a clip, it will only be applied to the clip you dragged it onto.


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… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1798: Product Reviews of the Un-reviewable

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

NewsShooter reviews the production gear you never knew existed.

Yup, it’s the Røde Thread Adapter

Topic $TipTopic If you are looking for product reviews of production gear that go way, WAAY deeper than cameras and big-name software, check out NewsShooter.com.

On the current home page of NewsShooter, you’ll find reviews of:

  • Camera cages
  • Lighting brackets
  • Monitors
  • Lenses
  • Focus pullers
  • Thread adapters

Thread adapters? How can you find enough words to fill a review of “a handy little device that can be attached to bags or other equipment so you always have a set of thread adaptors with you.”

But, they do.

This is a fun website for the geek in all of us.

Here’s the link.


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… for Random Weirdness

Tip #1797: 5 Truths From an Indie Producer

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Planning, budgeting & contacts. The pillars of producing.

Image courtesy: Lilla Le Dieu.

Topic $TipTopic

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

I’m Lilia Le Dieu, a freelance producer, and I’m sharing a few lessons learned throughout three years in the creative industry. I have worked on short films, features, commercials, and music videos in the U.S. and Belarus.

My short films have collected over 50 official selections in international film festivals. Today, I’m sharing some knowledge that could be useful for other filmmakers, especially for those working on non-union shoots.

  1. Over-preparation is key. Murphy’s Law works hard, but it works overtime when it comes to filmmaking. In my experience, being extra OCD about every little thing and having a backup plan for it pays off. Have insurance, literally and figuratively.
  2. Fire [the] wrong people for the job, before it’s too late. If you’ve hired people, and they start to disappoint during pre-production, do not wait until the fire catches up. Talk to them, resolve conflict, or fire them and move on.
  3. Budgeting is everything. The art of budgeting should be taught in schools because so many things go right when you prepare for the costs and allocate money efficiently. This skill is usually honed when you’ve dealt with projects of different sizes. In my practice, contractors that ask for unreasonably high payments usually are not as competent as you might think.
  4. Don’t underestimate post-production. Listen, it’s not hard to edit and color grade a film. What’s hard is to meet the deadlines/budget, keep the vision consistent without sacrificing quality, and make the most of the footage you have. You can fix it in post. This argument is definitely valid for music videos.
  5. Reach out to EVERYONE. Filmmaking is a joint effort, impossible without the help of other talented collaborators. Once I find the right people, we stick together, as I make sure to attach them to every project. Don’t be afraid to contact someone who seems way out of your league. Also, do the opposite. All of us have started somewhere.

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