All of us a familiar with how scaling works: as you scale an image it gets larger or smaller. But, there's a little known setting you can tweak that will make your zooms or rotations much more interesting. Here's how.

Stacking timelines not only speeds your workflow, but will also help you keep a bird’s-eye view on your work. Here's a closer look at this technique.

Apple ProRes codecs provide a combination of multistream, real-time editing performance, impressive image quality, and reduced storage rates. Here's more about what they are.

Split screen videos can be a fun stylistic choice for a variety of video types, but they also allow you to display more information on-screen than a single clip. Here are some options to consider.

Used lenses provide a cost-effective way to get quality equipment, but know what to look for before you buy. Here are ten tips from Karl Taylor.

There's a hidden lighting secret in Motion for 3D text that is worth learning: colored light! At the top of the screen shot is an example of lighting 3D text with colored light. Here's how to create it.

Dappled light doesn't require a lot of fancy gear. It only requires about $4. See the results here.

Robert Withers shares his thoughts on the challenges of finding a system to run FCP 7 and Premiere CS6.

We've all heard of codecs. These convert audio, or video, from analog into digital signals and back. Just as codecs are the heart of digital visual media, they are also at the heart of VoIP, with an interesting limitation.

Optical Flow is a way to generate artificial frames to smooth extremely slow motion video. Here's what you need to know.

Caleb Pike, with DSLR Shooter, provides seven tips to improve your shooting by thinking like an editor.

Apple Motion keyframes have a lot of flexibility in their playback options, if you know where to look. Here's a quick tip to discover the secret.

Ryan Connolly, at Film Riot, came up with five in-camera effects you can easily do yourself.

Ever wonder what Frame Reordering does in Apple Compressor? Me, too. So, I did some research. Here's what I learned.

In the top-left corner of the Timeline is a wrench icon. This contains a wide variety of configuration settings to enable the timeline to look the way you want for your style of editing.

With Final Cut Pro, you can use keyframes to create simple changes to audio over time, such as fading the volume or an effect in or out in the middle of a clip. The Range Selection tool makes adding keyframes faster.

Here are five tips to avoid the catastrophe of a badly-run video shoot.

Of all the keyboard shortcuts that have ever existed in the history of the world, NONE have bothered me more than these two in Motion. Fortunately, there's a quick and easy fix.

"Line boil" animation is where lines in an animated figure shiver, or "boil,"" as though every frame was drawn by hand. It gives life and energy to a line drawing by emphasizing rough edges. Here's how to create it.

Flattening disconnects unused multicam clips from the timeline. The big benefit is that it decreases the load on your storage system during playback. Here's what you need to know.

Since the release of macOS Catalina (10.15) older media based on 32-bit codecs no longer plays. If you were able to convert all your media before updating, great. If not, read this.

A hidden feature in Final Cut is the ability to assign multiple shortcuts to the same menu option. Here's how this works.

For several years, I ran the "Creative Truths Contest." This invited readers to send in aphorisms that best represent the editing process. Here are five of my favorites.

One of the challenges in using cell phone cameras is that too much of the image is in-focus. The amount of the image that's in-focus is called "depth-of-field." We use depth-of-field to control where the eye looks first in the frame. Here's a way to fake it.

There are two ways to pivot a camera: around the tripod or around the subject. Here's a quick tip to explain the difference.

Nesting combines multiple elements, like clips, into one "thing," called a nest. It’s easier to perform a task on a single nest than repeat the same task on multiple clips. Nests are not only more organized, they are also more efficient. This is the basic theory of nesting in Premiere Pro. Here's how to create a nest.

Media can go offline for a variety of reasons. However, once you show Premiere where the media went, relinking is straight-forward. Here's how it works.

"Broadcast Safe" refers to luma and chroma levels that are within long-established bounds required for broadcast, cable and digital cinema. The problem is that most digital cameras - both still and video - record levels in excess of these amounts. This tip describes your two options.

Understanding microphone technology can help you pick the right mic for your project. Here are some tips.

Here's a very cool way to create a time-warp effect. I've never used this in real-life, but I teach it in all of my Motion classes, because it is fun to play with and teaches an important lesson. Here are the steps.

A chroma-key removes a background by making all the pixels of a certain color transparent so we can put something else in its place. But it doesn't need to be green. Here's why.

One facet of standard definition digital video was that pixels were not square. This caused all kinds of issues. Learn why here.

Color wheels adjust all three color elements of a pixel: gray-scale, hue and saturation. Each wheel affects one-third of the image: shadows, mid-tones and highlights separately. Here's how they work.

You may know that we can set audio level keyframes quickly by selecting a range within a clip, then dragging the audio level line up or down. But did you also know you can use this same trick for visual effects? Here's how.

Day for night interiors can be tough. However, with the right approach, you can sell the effect by controlling, shaping, and cutting out the daylight. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Text with animated video inside it is always fun to watch. Motion makes it easy to fill any text with any background. Here's how. (Part 1 of 3)

A tilt-shift blur simulates depth of field or the softening of edges with distance from a source. Here's what it looks like.

Your Mac holds hundreds of fonts, here's a quick tip to help you find your favorites.

There are two ways to apply the same mask to more than one clip: an adjustment layer or copying and pasting a mask. Here's how to use copy/paste.

The Range tool in Final Cut Pro X can speed your edits, if you know its secrets. These tips will help you decide if this tool is useful to you.

Brian Thomas has a tip to boost the performance of older laptops - and it doesn't cost any money!

Rigs are used to pass controls for Motion template effects from Motion to Final Cut Pro X. But they are also useful in Motion, itself. Learn more here.

Pre-visualization is critical for any visual project. The script is your foundation, while the art for pre-production is the frame that rests upon that foundation.Learn more about it here.

Premiere's Sequence Settings panel is daunting. Even experienced editors scratch their heads over some of these options. Fortunately, Premiere has two fast ways to configure a sequence. Learn more here.

Ogg is an open-source container format for media assets. Here's a quick sketch of what you need to know.

The Skimmer in Final Cut Pro X allows us to quickly review clips in the Browser. But, did you know it has a hidden feature that's just a keystroke away? It does.

A common misconception among aspiring or soon-to-be filmmakers is that you need a lot of huge, expensive lights to really pull of a professional, cinematic look. That was true once, but not anymore. Here are some tips.

Text can move around paths or shapes. This tip explains how to get text to follow a path.

A vignette, in film, darkens the edges of the frame to focus the attention of the eye on the brighter portion of the image at the center. Here are more thoughts on its use.

If you are posting audio to your web site, streaming it live where bandwidth requirements make a difference, or posting it to services that charge for storage, you want to make your audio file as small as possible, without damaging quality. Here's what you need to know.

Once we have a rough cut complete, it is often necessary to move or replace clips in the timeline. Here are two tricks - swap and replace - that make that easier.

... for Apple Final Cut Pro X Tip #392: How to Use a Second Display with FCP X Larry Jordan - LarryJordan.com The Secondary Monitor display menu only appears when you have a second monitor connected. This tip is from an Apple…

Research is essential to any documentary. Strong research ensures a successful and captivating documentary film. Here are some resources to consider as you research your own projects.

If you find yourself creating the same projects over and over in Motion, here's fast way to create a template to speed your work.

A "retro" look is one that looks like your footage was shot years ago, using older technology. Red Giant Universe provides three different plug-ins to help you achieve the look you want.

The best way to control the levels in your dialog is to use the Multiband Compressor filter. This raises the softer passages in your audio, without causing the louder passages to distort. Here's a simple way to use it.

Tip #427 showed how to create LUTs using Photoshop. However, what if you need more, or want to create a radically different look for your media. That requires a 3rd-party LUT utility. Learn more here.

Each color wheel in Final Cut Pro X has four controls. These color controls can apply either to a selected clip, a group of clips, or a mask within a clip. Here's what they do.

The nighttime exterior shot is one of the greatest challenges for filmmakers on a budget. Nighttime exteriors typically require a ton of powerful lights (and generators) to illuminate your scene, but what if you don't have the budget?

Ordinarily, clicking the Play button plays your project from the current position of the playhead to the last frame. However, you can change the play range of your project by modifying the In and Out points in the Timeline. Here's how.

Chroma key compositing is the actual technique of layering two images together based on color hues. Today, we use both green and blue. Read here to learn which is the best choice for your project

You've editing a flock of clips into your sequence in the Timeline - only to discover a problem. Fixing all these clips at once is what master effects are designed to do. Here's how.

QuickTime and MXF are often described as media "containers." But, what is a container? Here's a quick definition.

Rendering is the process of creating temporary video and audio files for segments of your project that Final Cut Pro cannot play in real time. Here's how to render all, or part, of your timeline.

Picking the right location can make all the difference for your film. Here is a list of 12 tips to consider, from "The Guerrilla Film Makers Pocketbook," when trying to find the right location on a budget.

Blurring the alpha channel allows you to blur a foreground object into a background element. Here are two filters that can help.

Using some fancy new AI, DaVinci Resolve 16 can take your 60p footage and slow it down significantly by guessing what would be in-between the missing frames. Here's how.

Hold frames are still images created in a clip in Premiere's timeline that allow you to pause the action. There are two versions of a Hold frame - here's how to create both.

The Frame Size setting in Apple Compressor determines precisely how your images are scaled during compression. Here's what the settings mean.

It started in macOS Sierra, but for those, like me, who didn't notice, we can now add emojis to titles in Final Cut Pro X. It couldn't be easier - here's how.

Shooting a video interview can be one of the most challenging aspects of the filmmaking process. Here are seven tips to take your interview skills to the next level and avoid nasty surprises on set.

You may have missed the memo, I certainly did, but we can now add emojis in any field that accepts text; including layer labels! Here's how.

These four quick steps will improve skin tones in Resolve, without damaging the rest of your color grade. Here's how.

Most of the time, when the time comes to export our finished project, we select File > Export > Media. Sometimes, though, we need to move our project to a different program, say for color correction or audio mixing. Which export option should we choose?

The color wheel that we use virtually every day was invented by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. Here's a quick trip back in time.

There are two options when importing media into Final Cut Pro X: "Copy to library" and "Leave files in place." Which should you use?

Peter McKinnon, writing in DigitalRev, shares eight different tips we can quickly use on set to create a different look or fix a problem. Discover them here.

Rigging is the process of creating effect controls in Motion that can be used in Final Cut. Normally, you create a rig, then add a widget (effect control), then add one or more snapshots (settings for the widget). Here's a faster way to work.

Here's a tip to make your light and smoke effects look more believable.

Here are the results of an initial compression speed test using Apple Compressor comparing Mojave with Catalina.

An Adjustment Layer is a special kind of video clip that is placed above one or more clips in the Premiere timeline to which, when you apply an effect, those effects apply to every video clip under the adjustment layer. Here's how they work.

You know those project "tags" that appear on the Info screen when you Share a project? Well, not only are they displayed during export, but they are embedded in the metadata for your project on export. Here's how to change them.

Here are five tips from Camplex Fiber Optic Solutions to help fiber optic cables provide years of reliable performance.

The purpose of the "Snap Alignment to Motion" behavior is to keep moving objects, like arrows, pointing in the direction of their movement, regardless of how their position changes. Here's how this works.

A "chromatic aberration" effect separates an image into it three main color components - red, green and blue - then shifts each one horizontally by different amounts. Most NLEs have some form of color shifting. Here's how a version from Red Giant Universe works in Premiere.

Smart rendering is, essentially, media optimization before and during editing. It allows you to create better quality output by avoiding re-compression where possible. Here's what you need to know.

It is often necessary, especially if you are working with different clients, to have earlier versions of Compressor available to you. However, only one version of Compressor can be active on your system at a time. Here's how to create an archive.

It is often necessary, especially if you are working with different clients, to have earlier versions of Final Cut available to you. However, only one version of FCP X can be active on your system at a time. Here's how to create an archive.

Activity Monitor allows us to measure up- and down-load speeds over the network. Not just to the Internet, but servers as well. Here's how.

Use the Stabilize tracking behavior to smooth shaky motion in a movie or image sequence. Here's what you need to know to use it.

A tracking mask allows you to put a moving object into a different background. Mocha Pro 2020 makes this much easier than before. Here's how.

Comparison View is a relatively new feature in Premiere that allows you to compare two different frames in the same sequence at the same time. Here's how it works.

As media creators, there's a lot of confusion over whether we should use H.264 or HEVC to compress our files for distribution on the web. Here's my current thinking.

The Library in Final Cut is the master file that holds everything related to a project. However, what you may not know is that you have a lot of control over where FCP X actually stores files for a library. And many of them don't even need to be in the Library! Here's what you need to know.

Larger production companies use a system of naming and organizing media to enable editors to find the media they need quickly. If you are looking for a system, here's one that works for me.

Motion Blur softens the edges of moving objects. Whether you use it or not is purely a matter of personal taste. But creating it is easy in Motion. Here's how.

A split edit describes an edit where the audio and video edit at different times. Here's a fast way to create one.

It is impossible to over-state how important flat, even lighting is to creating a clean chroma-key. However, these four tips also need to be considered

There's a simple, effective little utility that quickly exports an unlimited number of stills from FCP X. Learn more here.

The Pro Video codecs benefit all Mac-based editors, but they aren't available through the Mac App Store. Here's how to get them - free!

The easiest and best way to move sequences from Premiere to ProTools is AAF. However, the audio track labels are wrong. Here's what you need to know.