Not all of us work in broadcast, but many of us have seen projects canceled when an initial showing didn't generate immediate success.

Depth of field (focus) can be added to any camera in Motion; though it is off by default. Here's how to turn it on and adjust it.

Replacing an undercast or overexposed sky is one of those techniques that, if your client sees you doing it once, they’ll want it every time! Luckily, there are plenty of tools built-in to DaVinci Resolve that make replacing a sky a breeze. Here's a tutorial.

According to the latest beta builds, WebM is coming to Apple Safari. Learn more.

Here's a fast way to improve the look of a cloud-filled sky, using a simple gradient and a blend mode in Premiere.

You've seen it from time to time, the mysterious red box in Final Cut's Viewer. What the heck is it?

Tanya Jones has written an excellent - and short - essay on the challenges of diversity on a film set. There's good and bad - and reasons for hope. Learn more.

One of the most powerful, but little known, features in Apple Motion are its lights. These can benefit video clips in ways you might not expect.

MotionArray.com recently published more free After Effects tutorials on their website, with a special focus on text and typography.

ProRes RAW can be edited in Final Cut, Premiere and Media Composer. But, not Resolve. However, there's a workaround.

This was a tricky problem. What happens when caption timecode doesn't match sequence timecode? The answer is: Nothing - or - a LOT!

There's an option in Final Cut Pro's Editing Preferences called "Reference Waveforms." What are these things?

To make Frame.io's newly launched "Camera to Cloud" service work requires a combination of hardware. Here are details.

The default light in Motion is "ambient." But there is much more flexibility when you add custom lights. Here are the four types.

Unreal Engine is now creating photorealistic environments for media production on set. Actors see what they are doing without waiting for post. VFX Pros share their opinions on what's next.

When compressing H.264 media, the profile you pick determines what you get. Here's what the profile options mean.

Both H-264 and HEVC support 10-bit media, but only if you get the settings right. Here's what you need to know.

Berta asks: "Using FCP X, can I save my library and project files to one external drive while using a second external drive for media?" Here's the answer.

Shure asked the FCC to overturn its decision and dedicate a UHF channel to wireless mics. Or else there may not be any space left for productions.

This in depth bundle of training videos, hosted by Larry Jordan, covers everything you need to know to make the most of this powerful motion graphics program.

Mank co-producer and VFX Producer Peter Mavromates shares his thoughts on creating the visual effects in "Mank."

intoPIX announced the launch of its JPEG XS Plugin for Adobe Premiere for video editing and live streaming. Learn more.

There's a fast way to change Motion settings in the Program Monitor. Here's a trick that prevents changing the wrong one.

Most of us know that the audio meters measure the volume of our sound. But here are some facts about the audio meters you may not know.

SAG-AFTRA, PGA and JPC agree to resume media production in LA starting Feb. 1. Here are the details.

Reflections in Motion are off by default. Here's how to enable them.

Red Giant, now a part of Maxon, announced "Demystifying Post-Production: Shooting for the Grade." Free color training sessions in February.

Here's a quick update on Adobe Premiere Pro's support for Big Sur and M1 Macs.

Adobe announced new features in the latest releases of Premiere and After Effects. Here are the details.

Normally, when we need a dissolve in Final Cut, we type Cmd+T, adjust the timing and move on. However, there is a wealth of creative options if you know where to look.

For those interested in careers as documentarians, you’ll need to get used to filming undercover and undetected. Here are some tips.

Normally, you set essential project properties when you create a project using the Project Browser. But, what happens if you need to change project settings after the project is created?

If there’s a buzz phrase right now in visual effects, it’s “machine learning.” VFXVoice interviewed the experts to learn more.

Al asks: "I'm running 10.8.5 and have the Adobe CS6 suite. Can I use Adobe Media Encoder to convert my video to 64-bit so it’s usable on the newer Macs?"

The Timeline Wrench icon provides many ways to customize the timeline in Premiere. Here are your options.

When you want to change the speed of a clip, the Blade Speed option is a really good place to start.

Nearly every new camera has the ability to film in 4K (even action cameras and phones!). So, this poses a question, “Should anybody be filming in 1080p anymore?” The answer is surprising.

Motion doesn't support texture mapping on objects, BUT, there's a clever work-around you can use for 3D objects that delivers a similar result.

In 1982, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner set a distinctive tone for the look and feel of many sci-fi future film noirs to come. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how the effects were created.

Last week, Streambox introduced Spectra, a high-performance streaming virtual media encoder. Now, remote editors can access high-quality images without proxies.

Motion keyframes in Adobe Premiere Pro support changing the speed of movement as you approach or leave the keyframes. Here's how.

It's a small thing - but this new feature in the 10.5 update to Final Cut Pro can improve the look of your clips in the timeline; especially if you are editing on a very large screen.

New tech is great. But it is still the person behind the camera that makes a difference. Here are 15 composition techniques that can improve any story.

One of the missing features in Motion that bothers me most is a lack of video scopes. Still, we can maximize the quality of our images without relying on scopes using Levels. Here's how.

Filmworkz launches a new website and new pricing for six color grading tools. Learn more.

The Flip Over transition in Adobe Premiere has several hidden settings that can make this transition more interesting. Learn more.

In the past, when we needed to render or export a file, the software in the NLE did all the work. This worked, but took a long time. Now, we are moving to CPU- and GPU-accelerated encoding. Here's what you need to know.

The Comparison Viewer displays two timeline images side-by-side, which can simplify color grading and other tasks where comparing two images is helpful.

It can be hard to find the right place to look for cinematography inspiration. Let us narrow your gaze to five exceptional photo books.

All motion paths in Motion are a straight line. Here are three easy ways to add a curve.

New ‘deep fake’ face-swapping videos seem to go viral on the internet with increasing regularity. But what does this technology mean for visual effects?

OK, I admit, I was playing. But I discovered something very intriguing about SSDs. Watch.

Here's a quick tip that allows you to move connected clips or storylines using only the keyboard.

Here are three "Top Ten Lists" for 2020: By readers, by ratings and by subject. This is a fascinating group!

The next time you start Motion, check out the Compositions in the Project Browser - you'll find tons of creative ideas hidden there.

Among the many aliens showcased in director Luc Besson’s "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" are members of the Pearl, humanoid-like creatures who live in a picturesque beach setting. Here's how they were created.

When you switch to List view in the Program panel, clips and sequences are sorted into rows and columns. This gives you lots of ways to look at the elements of your project.

Latency is directly tied to spinning storage media - the traditional hard drive - and determines how quickly you can access your data.

This holiday season, add some emojis to spice your visuals. Here's how to add, adjust and size them in your next project.

Here are three "Top Ten Tip Lists" for 2020: By readers, by ratings and by subject. A look back at highlights from the past year.

Editing is powerful, but good editing takes time, patience, and practice. Here are five tips to make it better.

Motion has a full range of lights and, more importantly, lighting presets that can add drama and visual interest to any scene. Here's a quick way to animate them.

VFXV provides an in-depth look at the visual effects industry's transition into more complex effects for TV and streaming services.

AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) is a format for digital recording and playback of high-definition video. An AVCHD file is actually not a single video file, but a hierarchical file structure dcontaining multiple video clips. Learn more.

The process of adding an alpha channel to an image - as a developer - is highly complex. Fortunately, we don't need to understand how the channel is added to take advantage of it. Here's an overview.

You may have noticed "Automatic Speed" in the Retime menu. What does this do?

This article - "Essential Tips for Filming Indie Sci-fi on a Tight Budget" - focuses on a sci-fi film. However, these tips apply to just about any low-budget film. Learn more.

Motion provides two hidden options which can simplify rotating a clip. Discover them here.

Ben Eshagpoor of beMotion.dESIGN shows you how to turn your kids into Super Heroes using Premiere Pro and After Effects.

In Tip #1246, I illustrated how to use some hand-painted fonts in Premiere. The problem is that these fonts are all black. How do you change their color?

QuickTime is a very flexible media container, but, when it breaks, it breaks badly. Here are several ideas on how to repair or convert QuickTime files.

I use Generators > Shapes frequently in my projects - especially the arrow. However, if I don't pay attention, when I scale the arrow smaller, then drag it around the screen, it disappears. Here's why.

Scenes: they're the backbone of every story, whether it be TV, film, or even on the stage. But, what should be in every scene?

Motion has some very dramatic lighting presets built into it. But, to use them, you need to turn the ambient lights off. Here's how.

Motion tracking, in its simplest form, is the process of tracking the movement of an object within a piece of footage. Here's how to do motion tracking six different ways.

There's a little known effect in Premiere that can turn any video into a 3D button. Here's how to use it.

The process of adding an alpha channel to an image - as a developer - is highly complex. Fortunately, we don't need to understand how the channel is added to take advantage of it. Here's an overview.

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

Taglines intrigue audiences. Loglines sell films to investers. Learn how here.

The alpha channel represents the transparency of each pixel, the same way color channels represent the amount of color in each pixel. But, how do you interpret what the alpha channel display shows?

Adobe has created a series of courses to help After Effects users become more proficient. Here's a list and a link.

When Adobe Media Encoder completes a compression job, it flags the task as Done and won't recompress it - unless you know this simple trick.

You may have seen the "Clean Aperture" check-box in Apple Compressor and wondered what it does and when to use it. Here's the answer.

The Timeline Index is an underutilized feature of Final Cut Pro X. But, if you take the time to explore it, you'll find all kinds of interesting things it can do. Here's a quick list.

Filmic Pro updates the already stellar version 6 to now support 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR on the iPhone 12. Learn more.

It is very easy to get disoriented when working in 3D space in Motion. Here's a tip that helps me stay oriented.

OFX. Many visual effects tools reference this - but what is it?

Compression is getting faster due to new chips supporting hardware acceleration. Here's the latest news.

Quick Export is new with the Nov. 2020 update to Premiere and provides a fast way to create H.264 files. Here's how it works.

Most of the time, the tips for this Tip Letter focus on production. Mostly. Recently, I came across a fascinating article on the history of clapperboards that fits right in. Take a look.

Last week, Apple updated Motion to version 5.5 to support macOS Big Sur, along with the upcoming switch to Apple silicon. But there's more to the update.

DaVinci Resolve 17 - over 100 new features and 200 improvements - include visual effects. Here's the list.

Many editors have questions about media compression. Here are two upcoming free webinars that can help answer them.

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

When adding effects to audio clips in Final Cut Pro X (or Motion), the order in which those effects are applied makes a difference. Here's what you need to know.

Last week, Apple updated their suite of video applications to support Apple silicon, as well as Big Sur. Here's what's new.

I first saw these 10 inspirational filmmaking tips from Spike Lee posted to LinkedIn.com. I don't know who compiled them, but I thought they were deeply insightful.

One of the new features in Motion 5.4.7 is 3D objects. They are their own category in the Library. Here's a better way to give them texture.

Toolfarm.com has created a series of video tutorials on using AutoDesk Maya 2020. Here's the link.

Ian asked: I shoot/edit in the UK at 25/50 fps with images up to 4k. At times I have B-roll either from an iPhone or GoPro 8 shot at 30 fps 4K. Should I retime these to 25/50 fps before importing or let Premiere do the job?

Lane is creating a 30-minute Christmas program. He's also worried about the ultimate file size. Here's why this is a misguided place to worry.