The team at ToolFarm, a leading third-party reseller of After Effects Plugins and visual effects tools, published a blog showcasing tutorials to improve working with Mocha Pro. Here's a summary.

New in the 14.4. update to Adobe Premiere Pro is the ability to export proxy files, instead of high-resolution camera masters. The only problem is, it doesn't work. Here's what you need to know.

Human beings are more sensitive to changes in darker region compared to changes in brighter regions. This has a direct impact in both SDR and HDR. Learn more.

New with the 10.4.9 update is the ability to stabilize 360° video. Here's how.

A tagline is a short phrase marketers use to sell a product experience to a customer. Here's an article from PremiumBeat showing how to make these work for you.

While we can't apply textures to 3D objects in Motion, then have them move with the object, we can create the illusion of texture mapping, Here's how.

Here's how to download fonts from Google Fonts and use them in all of your personal and commercial projects for print, video, or anything else.

Hidden, but accessible with a keyboard shortcut, is the Zoom tool. This is often faster than using keyboard shortcuts to zoom into the timeline! Here's how.

Steven asks: I want to produce a deliverable HLG movie that I can watch on my HDR TV, an LG OLED. What format should I use?

Another problem that surfaced with the 10.4.9 update to Apple Final Cut Pro X is that chapter markers can no longer be exported - the checkbox is missing.

The folks at NewBlueFX announced a new program specifically designed for live streaming, with graphics integration: NewBlue Stream. Learn more.

Motion has a filter that can create a unique, visually-interesting background out of any still or video clip. Here's how to use it

Here's an interview with Zac Dixon, creative director for Identity Studios, on how they grew from an apartment to a team of amazing creative professionals.

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

With the June, 2020, update to Avid Media Central, Premiere Pro editors can now connect and collaborate with Avid editors—no matter where they are located. Learn more.

There's a tool hidden in Final Cut that offers a faster way to select the best section of B-roll for your projects. We know how to trim the edges of a clip. But, Final Cut also allows us to trim the content of a clip - using the Slip tool. Here's how.

ND (neutral-density) filters reduce the amount of light passing through a lens, making it easier to shoot in brightly-lit conditions. This articles illustrates how they can help your shots.

Nothing adds character to text like making it look worse. A lot worse. A hidden feature in Motion makes "distressing" your text simple and fun. Here's how.

Adobe posted a series of tutorials on how to repair footage in After Effects. This webpage has sample files and short video tutorials.

The Slip tool is one of those tools in Premiere that you either use constantly, or you puzzle over what it does. For me, it's my favorite trimming tool. Learn more.

In a recent update, Apple added support for ProRes RAW in Compressor. Learn more.

Hidden in an unusual place inside Final Cut Pro X is Comparison Viewer. This can make effects like color matching a whole lot easier. Here's how it works.

If you, like me, were skeptical about the value of "vertical video" (that is, with an aspect ratio of 9:16, rather than 16:9), Apple, in conjunction with director Damien Chazelle, has created a video that will change your mind.

A key group of new features in the 5.4.6 update to Motion are 60 new 3D objects in the Motion Library. Each of these elements can be rotated in any direction, unlike video, which is always 2D.

We can create LUTs using Photoshop. However, what if you need a radically different look for your media? That requires a 3rd-party LUT utility. Learn more here.

Last week, Apple continued the evolutionary growth of Compressor – to version 4.4.7 – along with updates for FCP X and Motion. Here are the details.

There's a feature in Premiere that's turned off by default that you might want to enable if you use markers a lot. Here's what it does.

With the latest update to Final Cut Pro X, we can now quickly apply audio crossfades between two or more selected audio clips. Here's the process.

According to the emails I'm getting, Blackbird is "the world’s fastest, most powerful professional cloud video editing and publishing platform." Learn more.

The Anchor Point is that part of an element that determines where it will scale or rotate. By default it is at the dead-center of an element. Here's how to move it.

Motion Array is an all-in-one professional filmmakers platform, with unlimited asset downloads, exclusive Premiere Pro plugins, real-time video collaboration and more. Here's an overview.

The work area bar is a hold-over from the days of slower computers, but, even today, it can save you time. Here's how to use it.

Last week, Apple introduced support for the VP9 codec in Safari (Mac version) in the fourth beta of macOS Big Sur. Learn more.

You've been editing like a mad fiend and the project is done. Now, you need to gather everything together for final backup and archiving. But, with media and files scattered across your system, just how are you going to do this? Easy, watch.

Jourdan Aldredge has compiled an excellent discussion on the benefits and challenges of 8K. This new format is coming - now we need to get ready.

I've written before that working with audio in Apple Motion is a frustrating experience. However, this hidden interface makes finding and timing multiple audio clips a lot easier.

These 10 quick and easy After Effects tricks are essential for any motion designer!

A new feature in the July, 2020, update to Premiere Pro is the ability to close all projects EXCEPT the one you are working on. Here's how this works.

Apple released a developer video focused on the benefits and performance of moving to Apple GPUs for upcoming Macs. Here are links and details, especially for graphics and games.

Most of the time, when you make changes to a clip in the timeline, it does not change the source clip in the Browser or any other iterations of the source clip in the timeline. With one exception...

Cision recently discussed how to promote your blog content across social media platforms. This included Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Learn more here.

When you use the Freehand mask tool to hide, or reveal, portions of an image, you are actually creating a Bezier curve. This leads to some very interesting options.

FXFactory publishes visual effects software and tutorials for major NLEs. If you haven't visited their News & Tutorials website, your are missing some great tools.

One of the most powerful color correction / grading tools that we have is the skin tone line. Once you know how to use it, it is easy to quickly fix color problems and make your on-screen talent look great.

Macroblocks are at the heart of MPEG and H.264 video compression. But, what is a Macroblock?

The key concept you need to understand about 360 VR video is that you edit as little as possible. However, you can still add transitions. Here's how.

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.