… for Visual Effects

Tip #1291: Top Ten Tips of 2020 for Visual Effects

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

It is fascinating to see what readers find interesting!

Topic $TipTopic

During this last year, The Inside Tips published 975 tips and techniques covering six subject categories:

  • Adobe Premiere
  • Apple Final Cut Pro
  • Apple Motion
  • Codecs & Media
  • Random Media Weirdness
  • Visual Effects

Here are three “Top Ten Tips Lists:” The first shows the most popular tips covering Visual Effects. The second list shows the Top Ten most read tips across all categories. The third list shows the highest rated tips across all categories sorted by votes.

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
FOR VISUAL EFFECTS

  1. Tip #413: Mask Multiple Clips with an Adjustment Layer
  2. Tip #329: Blurs and Mosaics are No Longer Safe
  3. Tip #592: Make Zooms More Interesting
  4. Tip #396: Mask Your Microphone
  5. Tip #723: 5 Highly Creative Edits
  6. Tip #418: What is an Anchor Point?
  7. Tip #435: Faster Rotoscoping for Still Images
  8. Tip #728: Improve Landscapes with Gradients
  9. Tip #572: Tips to Create Better Titles
  10. Tip #674: 51 Free Accent Animation Graphics

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


 

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Views)

  1. Tip #479: Copy and Paste Masks in Premiere
  2. Tip #283: AAF vs. EDL vs. OMF Export
  3. Tip #413: Mask Multiple Clips with an Adjustment Layer
  4. Tip #474: DNxHR vs. ProRes
  5. Tip #329: Blurs and Mosaics are No Longer Safe
  6. Tip #592: Make Zooms More Interesting
  7. Tip #957: Apple Supports VP9 in macOS Big Sur
  8. Tip #1135: Boost and Smooth Dialog Levels
  9. Tip #715: How to Reset FCP X to Fix Problems
  10. Tip #342: Uses for Emoji in Final Cut Pro X

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


 

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Ratings)

  1. Tip #742: The Best Advice to Keep Your Cool
  2. Tip #614: What is the Alpha Channel
  3. Tip #580: The History of Storyboards
  4. Tip #911: The Skin Tone Line is Your Friend
  5. Tip #515: Using the Active Camera Menu
  6. Tip #631: Get Freelance Work From Video Marketplaces
  7. Tip #1056: Move a Mix from Audition to Premiere
  8. Tip #624: Not All Captions Look Alike
  9. Tip #581: Create Colorful Lighting for 3D Text
  10. Tip #398: Use Watch Folders in AME for Automation

NOTE: Each tip was rated 5 out of 5. They are sorted by the number of votes each tip received, with most votes listed first.


Please rate the helpfulness of this tip.

Click on a star to rate it!

… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #1290: Top Ten Tips of 2020 for Adobe Premiere Pro

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

It is fascinating to see what readers find interesting!

Topic $TipTopic

During this last year, The Inside Tips published 975 tips and techniques covering six subject categories:

  • Adobe Premiere
  • Apple Final Cut Pro
  • Apple Motion
  • Codecs & Media
  • Random Media Weirdness
  • Visual Effects

Here are three “Top Ten Tips Lists:” The first shows the most popular tips covering Adobe Premiere Pro. The second list shows the Top Ten most read tips across all categories. The third list shows the highest rated tips across all categories sorted by votes.

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS FOR 2020
FOR ADOBE PREMIERE PRO

  1. Tip #479: Copy and Paste Masks in Premiere
  2. Tip #283: AAF vs. EDL vs. OMF Export
  3. Tip #523: What is Multicam Flattening?
  4. Tip #948: What’s a Rectified Waveform?
  5. Tip #621: Color Management Secret in Premiere
  6. Tip #737: 5 Interesting Audio Preferences
  7. Tip #470: Improve Chroma-keys in Premiere
  8. Tip #911: The Skin Tone Line is Your Friend
  9. Tip #803: Optimize the Audio Meters
  10. Tip #511: Relink Missing Media in Premiere

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


 

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Views)

  1. Tip #479: Copy and Paste Masks in Premiere
  2. Tip #283: AAF vs. EDL vs. OMF Export
  3. Tip #413: Mask Multiple Clips with an Adjustment Layer
  4. Tip #474: DNxHR vs. ProRes
  5. Tip #329: Blurs and Mosaics are No Longer Safe
  6. Tip #592: Make Zooms More Interesting
  7. Tip #957: Apple Supports VP9 in macOS Big Sur
  8. Tip #1135: Boost and Smooth Dialog Levels
  9. Tip #715: How to Reset FCP X to Fix Problems
  10. Tip #342: Uses for Emoji in Final Cut Pro X

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


 

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Ratings)

  1. Tip #742: The Best Advice to Keep Your Cool
  2. Tip #614: What is the Alpha Channel
  3. Tip #580: The History of Storyboards
  4. Tip #911: The Skin Tone Line is Your Friend
  5. Tip #515: Using the Active Camera Menu
  6. Tip #631: Get Freelance Work From Video Marketplaces
  7. Tip #1056: Move a Mix from Audition to Premiere
  8. Tip #624: Not All Captions Look Alike
  9. Tip #581: Create Colorful Lighting for 3D Text
  10. Tip #398: Use Watch Folders in AME for Automation

NOTE: Each tip was rated 5 out of 5. They are sorted by the number of votes each tip received, with most votes listed first.


Please rate the helpfulness of this tip.

Click on a star to rate it!

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #1289: Top Ten Tips of 2020 for Codecs & Media

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

It is fascinating to see what readers find interesting!

Topic $TipTopic

During this last year, The Inside Tips published 975 tips and techniques covering six subject categories:

  • Adobe Premiere
  • Apple Final Cut Pro
  • Apple Motion
  • Codecs & Media
  • Random Media Weirdness
  • Visual Effects

Here are three “Top Ten Tips Lists:” The first shows the most popular tips covering Codecs & Media. The second list shows the Top Ten most read tips across all categories. The third list shows the highest rated tips across all categories sorted by votes.

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
FOR CODECS & MEDIA

  1. Tip #474: DNxHR vs. ProRes
  2. Tip #957: Apple Supports VP9 in macOS Big Sur
  3. Tip #416: Closed Caption Formats for Social Media
  4. Tip #561: Optimize Compression Settings for YouTube
  5. Tip #746: What is HDR Rec. 2020 PQ?
  6. Tip #458: Video Compression Settings for YouTube
  7. Tip #883: Don’t Turn Your Hard Disk Into a Camera
  8. Tip #866: A Better Way to Upscale Media
  9. Tip #591: In-Depth Overview of USB
  10. Tip #508: Pick the Best Audio Format for Editing

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


 

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Views)

  1. Tip #479: Copy and Paste Masks in Premiere
  2. Tip #283: AAF vs. EDL vs. OMF Export
  3. Tip #413: Mask Multiple Clips with an Adjustment Layer
  4. Tip #474: DNxHR vs. ProRes
  5. Tip #329: Blurs and Mosaics are No Longer Safe
  6. Tip #592: Make Zooms More Interesting
  7. Tip #957: Apple Supports VP9 in macOS Big Sur
  8. Tip #1135: Boost and Smooth Dialog Levels
  9. Tip #715: How to Reset FCP X to Fix Problems
  10. Tip #342: Uses for Emoji in Final Cut Pro X

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Ratings)

  1. Tip #742: The Best Advice to Keep Your Cool
  2. Tip #614: What is the Alpha Channel
  3. Tip #580: The History of Storyboards
  4. Tip #911: The Skin Tone Line is Your Friend
  5. Tip #515: Using the Active Camera Menu
  6. Tip #631: Get Freelance Work From Video Marketplaces
  7. Tip #1056: Move a Mix from Audition to Premiere
  8. Tip #624: Not All Captions Look Alike
  9. Tip #581: Create Colorful Lighting for 3D Text
  10. Tip #398: Use Watch Folders in AME for Automation

NOTE: Each tip was rated 5 out of 5. They are sorted by the number of votes each tip received, with most votes listed first.


Please rate the helpfulness of this tip.

Click on a star to rate it!

… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1288: Top Ten Tips of 2020 for Apple Final Cut Pro

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

It is fascinating to see what readers find interesting!

Topic $TipTopic

During this last year, The Inside Tips published 975 tips and techniques covering six subject categories:

  • Adobe Premiere
  • Apple Final Cut Pro
  • Apple Motion
  • Codecs & Media
  • Random Media Weirdness
  • Visual Effects

Here are three “Top Ten Tips Lists:” The first shows the most popular tips covering Apple Final Cut Pro. The second list shows the Top Ten most read tips across all categories. The third list shows the highest rated tips across all categories sorted by votes.

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
FOR APPLE FINAL CUT PRO

  1. Tip #1135: Boost and Smooth Dialog Levels
  2. Tip #715: How to Reset FCP X to Fix Problems
  3. Tip #342: Uses for Emoji in Final Cut Pro X
  4. Tip #778: Delete Render Files to Save Space
  5. Tip #437: Secrets of the Skimmer
  6. Tip #837: A Simply Useful Shortcut
  7. Tip #601: FCP X: Color Wheel Secret Tip
  8. Tip #816: A Baker’s Dozen Better Shortcuts
  9. Tip #870: Change the Look of a Dissolve
  10. Tip #438: Secrets of the Precision Editor

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


 

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Views)

  1. Tip #479: Copy and Paste Masks in Premiere
  2. Tip #283: AAF vs. EDL vs. OMF Export
  3. Tip #413: Mask Multiple Clips with an Adjustment Layer
  4. Tip #474: DNxHR vs. ProRes
  5. Tip #329: Blurs and Mosaics are No Longer Safe
  6. Tip #592: Make Zooms More Interesting
  7. Tip #957: Apple Supports VP9 in macOS Big Sur
  8. Tip #1135: Boost and Smooth Dialog Levels
  9. Tip #715: How to Reset FCP X to Fix Problems
  10. Tip #342: Uses for Emoji in Final Cut Pro X

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.


 

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Ratings)

  1. Tip #742: The Best Advice to Keep Your Cool
  2. Tip #614: What is the Alpha Channel
  3. Tip #580: The History of Storyboards
  4. Tip #911: The Skin Tone Line is Your Friend
  5. Tip #515: Using the Active Camera Menu
  6. Tip #631: Get Freelance Work From Video Marketplaces
  7. Tip #1056: Move a Mix from Audition to Premiere
  8. Tip #624: Not All Captions Look Alike
  9. Tip #581: Create Colorful Lighting for 3D Text
  10. Tip #398: Use Watch Folders in AME for Automation

NOTE: Each tip was rated 5 out of 5. They are sorted by the number of votes each tip received, with most votes listed first.


Please rate the helpfulness of this tip.

Click on a star to rate it!

… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1223: Create a Default Effect – FAST!

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

You can also create custom effects in Motion, then make them the default in FCP X.

Control-click any effect in the Effects browser to see this choice.

Topic $TipTopic

If you find yourself using the same effect over and over again, here’s a fast way to turn it into a keyboard shortcut.

  • Open the Effects browser.
  • Control-click the effect you want to make your default video effect and choose Make Default Video Effect.

From now on, whenever you need it, select the clip, or clips, to which you want to apply it and type Option + E

EXTRA CREDIT

There is a similar option for audio effects: Control-click and choose Make Default Audio Effect.

The keyboard shortcut for these is: Option + Cmd + E.


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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #1179: Double-click & Mouse Tricks

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Double-clicking is a cool way to change the interface.

Drag the small vertical line next to the chevron to resize the Workspace bar.

Topic $TipTopic

Hidden in Adobe Premiere are some interesting double-click mouse tricks. Here’s what I’ve discovered so far.

NOTE: I’m using the Premiere Nov. 2020 update. I have no idea how long these have been in the software.

Double-click mouse tricks:

  • Double-click the header – where “Learning” and “Assembly” are located – to hide it. Single-click the small space that remains to get them to reappear.
  • Drag the small vertical line between the workspace names at the top and the right chevron arrow to expand or collapse the space for workspace names.
  • Click the small House icon in the top left corner to return to the Home screen (duh… took me forever to try this).
  • Double-click the top of the Program Monitor to bring it full-screen. Double-click in the same place to put it back.
  • Actually, double-click the top of ANY panel to expand it to full-screen.

NOTE: This last double-click is the same as pressing the tilde key – except you don’t need to worry about where your cursor is located.

These are some very cool time-savers. Share ones you’ve discovered in the comments, below.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1153: A Faster Way to Apply Keywords

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

When importing, keywords can be automatically applied based on folder names.

A composite image: Files organized into folders (left), From Folders checkbox in Media Import, Keywords assigned in Browser (right).

Topic $TipTopic

Keywords are a fast, flexible and powerful way to organize clips in the Browser. However, applying them can be time-consuming. There’s a faster way. Organize those clips that are not copied from a camera card, into folders.

NOTE: For camera card files, rename the folder that contains the camera card files, without renaming the media files themselves.

In the Media Import window, check Keywords > From Folders (see screen shot).

Then, when the clips are imported, keywords are automatically assigned to each clip based on its folder name.

NOTE: If you select a folder that contains other folders (see screen shot) all folder names are assigned as keywords.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1147: A Faster Way to Apply LUTs

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Adjustment layers are created in Motion and affect all clips below them.

The Custom LUT effect with a custom LUT applied to an adjustment layer.

Topic $TipTopic

Normally, we apply LUTs (color Look-Up Tables) to an individual clip. But, recently, a reader suggested a faster and better option – use an adjustment layer.

You may be familiar with adjustment layers in Photoshop. These are special layers that, when you apply an effect to them, change the look of all the clips below them.

Premiere has adjustment layers, but FCP X doesn’t… officially. However, they are easy to create in Motion.

NOTE: Here’s a tutorial that explains how.

The benefit to adjustment layers is that we can apply a LUT to the adjustment layer to change the look of all the clips under it. This makes it extremely easy to create a look for an entire project and, by tweaking just one setting, affect a whole flock of clips at once.

Apply an adjustment layer above your clips in the timeline, then apply Effects Browser > Color > Custom LUT to the adjustment layer.

Next, in the Inspector, apply the LUT you want. (See screen shot.)

NOTE: This effect won’t allow you to apply camera LUTs, but does allow applying any creative LUT you want.


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… for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Tip #1004: A Faster Way to Jump

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

We can jump to a specific timecode, or move to a spot relative to where we are now.

Click the blue numbers (bottom), then enter a new timecode to jump the playhead there.

Topic $TipTopic

As projects get bigger, finding faster ways to move around means you can get more done in less time. Here’s a cool trick.

Click directly on the blue timecode numbers at the bottom left of of the Program (or Source) Monitor, then enter the timecode where you want to move the playhead.

Press Return and the playhead jumps there instantly.

EXTRA CREDIT

Enter timecode as HHMMSSFF, without punctuation.

Type +, followed by a number and Return, and the playhead will add that duration to the current playhead location and move right.

Type , followed by a number and Return, and the playhead will subtract that duration to the current playhead location and move left.

If you enter a number greater than your frame rate, Premiere will automatically calculate the correct duration.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #997: A Faster Way to Jump

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Click the timecode then enter the timecode where you want to jump the playhead.

Click the timecode (top) then enter a timecode to “jump” the playhead.

Topic $TipTopic

As projects get bigger, finding faster ways to move around means you can get more done in less time. Here’s a cool trick.

Click directly on the timecode numbers at the bottom of the Viewer, then enter the timecode where you want to move the playhead.

Press Return and the playhead jumps there instantly.

EXTRA CREDIT

Enter timecode as HHMMSSFF, without punctuation.

Type +, followed by a number and Return, and the playhead will add that duration to the current playhead location and move right.

Type , followed by a number and Return, and the playhead will subtract that duration to the current playhead location and move left.

If you enter a number greater than your frame rate, FCP X will automatically calculate the correct duration.


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