We often focus on the art of editing, but what about the art of not editing? Here is a list, and links to, the top ten one-take music videos, according to MotionArray.com

Whether you draw a line with the Paint Brush or the Pen tool, once you've drawn the line, you can still make changes to it. Here's how.

Shooting a screen almost never looks right. A much better option is to replace the screen with a whole new image. Here's a tutorial that explains how, using After Effects

At the bottom of the Wrench menu in both the Program and Source Monitors are the Overlay and Overlay Settings menus. These provide very useful information about your clips during editing. And they can be extensively customized.

HDV was one of the first, if not THE first, consumer-oriented HD video format. As such, it was an eye-opening opportunity to discover the benefits of HD. However, compared to media formats today, HDV has three serious limitations.

If you need to create a highlights reel with slow-motion effects, Instant Replay can save you a ton of time. Here's how it works.

These five interviews break down what it’s actually like to be a seasoned producer in Hollywood, with comprehensive insight into how to get started and how to truly grasp that, in the film industry, producing is ultimately a business role.

Since it's first release, Motion has used "A" to activate keyframe recording, which causes no end of grief. Here's how to fix it.

Rumors abound about Apple's work in Augmented Reality (AR). Another article in this newsletter talks about Mixed Reality. And we are currently wrestling with how to tell stories using Virtual Reality. Here's an explanation of all three terms.

There's a setting that can be applied to either Ambience or Sound Effects that enables them to better match the image. Here's where it's hidden.

Be careful copying files from a camera card, otherwise you can turn your hard disk into a camera. Here's what you need to know.

We all know that we can change the duration of a clip, title or transition by grabbing an edge and dragging. But, there is a faster way - using timecode. Here's how.

A number of major video productions have managed to continue despite having their workflows disrupted by COVID-19, TV Technology writes.

Control-click any element in Motion's Viewer and you'll see the option to "Make a Clone Layer." Um, what is a clone layer?

Built into Photoshop is a very capable lighting effect generator. This is particularly useful when you need to convert a stock footage image into a background plate for a green-screen key, then match it to the lighting needed for your story. Learn more.

One of Adobe's goals over the last several releases was to simplify the Premiere interface. This took the form of removing buttons. But... what if you need one of those buttons back? Here's how.

Normally, up-rezing standard definition media to HD - or beyond - is an exercise in blurry pixels. However, Topaz Labs released Video Enhance AI - which is worth a look.

There's a hidden feature in the floating Keywords palette that makes applying keywords to selected clips, or ranges, much faster. Here's how it works.

Saul Zaentz gave an interview on what film producers do. Here's the link.

In the top right corner of the Motion Viewer is a small "grid" icon. Ever wonder what it does? It's pretty amazing...!

Special effects have come a long way since the black and white films of yesteryear. Nevertheless, there’s still a handful of techniques pioneered over a century ago that are still alive and well in Hollywood today.

You probably know that you use keyframes to animate effects and that you can create keyframes in the Effects Panel. But... there's a faster way, hidden in plain sight.

Here's a chart that compares how file size changes as frame size increases - up to 8K.

There's a huge benefit to clearly naming the folders where you store media before you import them. The reason? Keywords. Here's the secret.

Shooting on long lenses is an easy way to capture normal actions and make them appear as dangerous stunts. Because, ultimately, a director’s first duty is making sure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day.

OK. This has no social redeeming quality whatsoever, but it made me laugh. Here's a cool trick using the Bulge filter.

Here's a list, published by TheRookies.co, of free VFX software to get you started learning new skills.

Another hidden feature inside Premiere is the voice-over recording settings. To quickly create narration scratch tracks, nothing beats recording directly in Premiere. Here's how.

One of the key reasons for transcoding highly-compressed camera masters into an intermediate (or mezzanine) format is to make the media more "efficient." But, what makes some codecs efficient and others not?

A hidden feature for any library in Apple Final Cut Pro is: "Consolidate Media Content." You only see this option when Control-clicking the library name in the library sidebar. Here's what it does.

I've written a lot about frame rates, with my key point being that changing frame rates in post is, almost always, difficult and unsatisfactory. This PremiumBeat article describes where they came from and how they are used.

Using the Pen or Paint Brush tool we can create lines with curves. In this tip, learn different ways to adjust how those curves looks.

Here's a tutorial that illustrates how to quickly and securely transfer files from an iPhone to a Mac using a free utility from Apple.

The default video transition is a cross-dissolve, but you can change this at any time. Here's how.

VP9 is a codec, supported in Windows, Android and Linux, but not Mac or iOS, that was designed to improve compression efficiency while reducing file size. Learn more here.

Have you ever wanted to reset a clip quickly; say, to remove an effect or position change? You can. Here's how.

What is a fluid tripod head exactly, do you really need a fluid tripod head and how does this kind of tripod head work? Here are some answers.

Hidden at the bottom of the Material section for 3D text - below where you select surfaces - are additional controls that allow changing the texture of each surface. Learn more here.

Recently, I was playing with the fascinating Spectrum plugin from Luca Visual FX. Learn more and get a free trial here.

As I was researching last week's webinar on Adobe Premiere, I re-discovered two tips for faster imports and easier clip organization. Here they are, again.

Final Cut Pro X creates render files whenever you apply an effect to a clip, or change a setting in the Inspector. These render files take up a lot of extra storage space. Fortunately, it is easy to get rid of them, here's how.

Importing media from an iPhone into a Mac is fast and easy ... if you know the secret.

Have you ever selected a clip in Motion, then looked at the source media controls in the Inspector? Yeah, me neither. But there's some cool stuff there. Take a look.

Wondering how to create a specific effect? Or hoping to find a faster and easier way to create the effect you see in your imagination? Here's a great place to go first.

A hidden feature in Premiere is the ability to save projects whenever Auto Save creates backups. However this feature is off by default. Here's how to turn it on.

We know that proxy files help when editing large files. But, what actually is a proxy file?

Here's a tip that I discovered this week: if you add chapter markers to a clip, then wrap that clip in a compound clip, the markers won't export. Learn more.

Documentary filmmaking is a cinematic style dating back to the earliest days of film. While there’s a lot of variation within, these are the six main categories of the genre into which all documentary films can be placed.

Simulation behaviors perform one of two tasks. Some Simulation behaviors simulates a real-world phenomenon. Other Simulation behaviors affect the parameters of objects surrounding the object to which they’re applied. Learn more.

Using controls in the Basic Correction section, you can correct video that’s too dark or too light, and adjust both the hue (color or chroma) and luminance (exposure and contrast) in your clip. Here's how the Basic Color Correction controls work.

Adobe Media Encoder (AME) has new Adobe Stock encoding presets in the latest (May, 2020) update. Here are the details.

Final Cut Pro provides video and still-image analysis options that can automatically balance color in video and detect people and shot angles in video or still images. This tip discusses your available options.

The fisheye look has been a go-to staple of cinema for ages. And while fisheye lenses can stylistically express both openness and containment, as well as distort perceptions of height, size, and importance, wide-angle lenses also have a very practical purpose. They’re great for filming in small, tight places.

Apple Motion has two behaviors that seem to do the same thing: Throw and Motion Path. What's the difference?

This trick was invented by Ansel Adams almost 100 years ago. You can use it yourself to improve exterior shots. Here's how.

Starting with macOS 10.15 Catalina, Premiere Pro, Audition, and Adobe Media Encoder no longer support the capture of DV and HDV over FireWire. Here's what you need to know.

HDR capture and displays are capable of brighter whites and deeper blacks. There are two formats: HLG and PQ. Here's a quick overview of PQ.

Starting with the FCP X 10.4.7 release, Final Cut now supports multiple GPUs. And, using preferences, you can pick which GPU it uses for render and export. Here's how.

Can you afford to lose your media? Here's an effective backup strategy to keep your priceless media safe.

The Sequence Text behavior animates text attributes; such as scale, position, color, opacity and so on. Learn more.

Watermarks are used for branding, identification and to deter theft. In this article, learn about the two types of watermarks.

The alpha channel defines the amount of transparency each pixel contains. Here's how to display it - and what the colors mean.

One of the new features in Final Cut Pro X is the ability to export multiple projects at once. Here's how.

Framing and composition are essential concepts to understand if you want to get incredible footage in the first place. Here are seven rules that can help.

There’s no limit to the number of behaviors you can add to an object. Multiple behaviors applied to a single object work together to create a final animated effect. But, what happens when you have multiple behaviors, keyframes and simulations applied? Here's how Motion handles this.

Eran Dinur's experiences as a visual effects supervisor who works on a variety of film and TV projects caused him to write "The Filmmakers Guide to Visual Effects." Here are five VFX tips to consider.

Working with stills in Adobe Premiere Pro is a little bit of a different workflow than when you’re editing video. With images, you’re often dealing with a variety of resolutions and framing, you may event want to add some movement. Here are some tips.

The alpha channel determines transparency in a clip. However, no compressed codec supports alpha channels. Here are codecs you can use.

Hidden inside Final Cut Pro X is the Event Viewer, which allows us to compare images in the browser with images in the timeline. Here's how to turn it on.

Adding subtitles to your clips on YouTube expands the number of people that can benefit from watching your projects. Here's how to add subtitles and closed captions.

Normally, you need to decide when you first create a Motion project whether you want to save it as a template for Final Cut Pro X. However, there's a hidden menu that gives you other options. Here's how.

Visual effects is not some software magic that works with any footage. Here are 10 quick tips on the importance of having appropriate video content in order to help easily create more realistic visual effects.

Have you ever wondered if your hardware is optimized for Premier Pro? The System Compatibility Report holds the answers.

So, what is bit depth? Well, essentially it determines the range of possible colors your camera is capable of capturing. Here's a quick tip to learn more.

You see them listed at the top of every library: Smart Collections. But, what are they and how can they help us? Learn more here.

The intrepid team at MotionArray has compiled a glossary of film terms. Here's a sample that relates to the gear on set.

Evan Fitzer's tip isn't really a tip, per se. He's just pointing out that Motion has two different workspaces available. And the second one is really useful.

With these FREE motion graphics, you can easily add elegant motion and animation accents to your titles and designs in any project.

This is a summary of what the icons and colors mean in the Productions folder in Adobe Premiere.

An alpha channel is essentially any channel other than the channels that define color values for pixels in an image. Here's a quick description.

You can add a cast shadow to any clip, however it is most effective with text. Here's how to create it.

Typically, a sizzle reel is a three to five minute summation of your story’s main plot points, narrative approach, direction, and introduction to your main characters. Learn more.

Virtually all the effects in Final Cut Pro X were first created in Motion and saved as a template for Final Cut Pro X. This means that, in many cases, if you don't like the default settings, they are easy to change. Here's how.

Did you know that a Bezier curve is a subset of B-splines? Nope, me either. Here's a short description of B-spline curves.

SRT closed captions are designed for readability and flexibility, not formatting. Avoid problems - read this first.

Ever wonder what Raw files actually are? Here's a quick description.

Here's a fast - but hidden - way to store the same clip in more than one event.

What exactly is a video tripod, and how does it differ from one that’s used primarily for shooting still pictures? Basically, it’s what’s on top that counts—namely the head. Learn more here.

Clones are an easy way to make multiple elements all look the same and change their look in sync with each other. Here's how they work.

It's a simple thing that confuses a lot of people: What's the difference between crop and trim?

By default, when you scale (resize) an image, Premiere maintains the aspect ratio. This means the image gets larger or smaller, but retains its overall shape. But, what if that's not what you want?

The problem with mobile devices is that the bandwidth that connects them to the web changes as they move from one cell tower to another. This becomes important when watching movies that are longer than 10 minutes.

Recently, I was writing a tutorial on how to create, add and modify closed captions for Final Cut Pro X and I discovered this cool trick.

Traditional lenses project a circular image onto a rectangular sensor to create an image. A tilt-shift lens allows us to modify where that circular image lands in relation to the sensor. Learn more here - along with an excellent demo video.

The Fill filter replaces an element in Motion with either a solid color or gradient. Here's how it works.

Autodesk published a searchable list of keyboard shortcuts for both Flame and Smoke, organized by function. Find them here.

The folks at Juiced Systems have created an excellent overview of USB. Here are their key takeaways.

Tracking adjusts the spacing between letters. This is a helpful technique for titles in video because opening letter spacing often makes text more readable. Here's how.

Normally, we can only store one clip in one event. Here's a new technique that allows us to create independent copies of media without increasing storage needs.

When picking an HDR monitor, here are some top considerations, along with a link to learn more.

You are probably familiar with using Fill and Outline for shapes. But there is a wealth of other options hiding in Shape Styles. Here's a look.