Archive for January, 2012

MacBook Multiple Displays (Monitors)

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Tips:

  • It can be done, easily.
  • Need a [Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter]
    • (Not to be confused with Mini DVI to VGA Adaptor)
  • Under Boot Camp > Windows 7:
    • Initially, it chose to “mirror” (identical, not reflections) the displays, with the external display as the primary, and the laptop’s own display as the secondary, its resolution reduced to match the primary (and aspect ratio to match also).
    • Instead want “Extended Desktop” with laptop as primary and at its normal full resolution.
    • On a standard Windows PC there are keyboard keys to switch between such modes, but the MacBook keyboard has no obvious equivalent
      • Maybe some web-trawling could reveal suchlike, but my initial search revealed nothing.
    • Desktop >RtClk> NVIDIA Control Panel
      • Set up multiple displays
        • MacBook’s own display is listed as [Apple Color LCD], as Display [2].
        • RtClk one of the “screen” depictions and select [Extend desktop on this display]
        • (Now I had extended desktop, but in the wrong order, i.e. with external as prmary)
    • Control Panel > Display > Change display settings
      • Can drag-swap the two displaysinto the  order you prefer.

Mac: iPhoto: Library/Storage & Local/NAS

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Given an iPhoto library on a Mac, how could/should it be used in combination with external storage such as a NAS?

  • How copy files between them, e.g. where does iPhoto store / reference its content?
  • Is there any way to set up iPhoto to automate/simplify backups or synchronisations?

Answers (I found / discovered by experiment):

  • iPhoto stores photos in a specialised iPhoto Library object, kind of like a zipfile you can’t open or expand.
    • The full path is [/Users/xxxxxx/Pictures/iPhoto Library]
    • But the only practical use of that knowledge is that, via [Finder > Get Info], you can see the iPhoto Library object size change as you import etc. photos.
      • e.g. I tried it and initial size was “4.5 GB on disk (4,493,054,358 bytes)”, then after adding a few photos it increased to “4.51 GB on disk (5,501,769,018 bytes)”
  • To import photos to iPhoto library:
    • iPhoto: [File > Import to Library]
      • It’s OK to select a folder
        • e.g. NAS had folder [20017_01_27], among others, under a[photos] folder.
    • But the imported photos were not grouped into Events.
    • Tried importing again and it highlighted that some were already in the library, gave option to skip them.
  • backing-up the iPhoto library:
    • iPhoto Help
      • Use Time Machine
      • Use an iDisk
        • A “virtual disk” that is part of a MobileMe account.
      • Burn to DVD etc.
      • {Nothing about external drives}
      • {I guess then there is nothing in iPhoto specially suited to my wishes, so I just backup as I would any other stuff}

iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

My girlfriend has one of these, ethernet-connected to her router and thus available on her home network.  However, in order for any computer, Windows or Mac (what about linux?) to access it, it is necessary (aside from any hacky-workarounds that may possibly exist) to install the Iomega Home Storage Manager.   This makes volume(s) offered by the NAS appear, on the Mac in Finder under SHARED, or on a Windows machine as additional drive letter(s).

To acquire the Iomega Home Storage Manager, go to https://iomega-eu-en.custhelp.com/app/platform/p/1031,1043 or else try https://iomega-eu-en.custhelp.com/ and click on [Desktop Network Storage > Home Media Network Hard Drive].  May need to establish and login-to an iomega support account (free) first.

I wondered at first about enabling the NAS as a Mac OS Time Machine (backup) disk.  An iomega article I saw suggested that should be possible, for iomega firmware 2.0 and above.  But the disk as it stands is NTFS-formatted – because when it was set up we had only Windows machines.  Now that disk contains much material in that NTFS.  I guess it might be possible to partrition the disk e.g. to keep the existing NTFS and add alongside it a HFS+ partition for Time Machine to use.  But it’s guesswork that carries risks (of disruption/damage to existing contents).  We want an easy geeking-minimal life, so maybe better to repurpose that NAS and get a purpose-made Apple Time Capsule instead. Either way, the evening wears on, so I’ll shelve that idea/investigation for now…

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3D Worlds in After Effects

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

I want to put someone inside a virtual world (based on their own paintings), ultimately to be rendered out as a Stereographic 3D movie, but with development in progressive stages/generations, initially based on readily available standard tools and techniques, later proceeding to specialist 3D modelling apps etc.  How to proceed?  Some possibilities that come to mind are:

  • Initial development using only “Planar 3D” as in After Effects
    • I believe this is possible to some extent, using native features of AE.
    • In my earlier post on Adobe Production Premium CS5.5 – Orientation, I noted the existence of Mocha LE, a tracker, included inMocha 2.6, the awesome roto program with a tightly integrated planar tracker.
      • {The planar tracker is (primarily?) ..used as a “roto assist” to speed up the roto process…
        ..and also the tracking data can be exported to a wide variety of programs such as Nuke, After Effects, Combustion and many more for corner pinning, stabilizing, and match move that suite.
  • Subsequent development using “Full 3D” as in Blender etc.  Some relevant previous entries in this blog are:

So I did a web-search: Google: [after effects 3d]

World / Object Creation:

  • http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/building-a-3d-world-in-after-effects
    •  Real (green screened) rap artist and audients, where the rap artist appears on a virtual a giant stage surrounded by replicated audients.
    • Explains the conceptualization, storyboarding, and high-level aspects (no screenshots) of designing a world capable of representation in After Effects, along with building and testing experiences.
  • http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/fake-3d-after-effects
    • How to make a truck out of a single flat surface with cut-out sections and folds.  Like you would make one out of a single sheet of cardboard (like a cornflake packet).
    • Links to tutorial and support-files.
  • http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/3d_city/
    • Similar to the truck, flat sheet (“texture”, obtained from an actual photo, realigned and stretched to remove perspective effect in photo) folded into a 3D building object.
    • Video tutorial and project files are provided.
    • {VideoCopilot.net has both free stuff (tutorials etc.) and pay-stuff.  Well-worth a check-out.}

Tracking:

  • DaVinci Resolve Lite – free
  • http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1003284#1003284
    • Re: After Effects Tracking (by Todd Kopriva, Adobe Tech. Support, on Jul 10, 2011)
      • If you have After Effect CS5, you have mocha—and it’s often the easiest and best way to do tracking for the purpose of compositing.
  • http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/1006635
    • Q: “Mocha, or Camera Tracker?” (by andrew donaldson on Sep 8, 2011)
      • {Mocha (LE) comes with CS5.5, Camera Tracker is a third-party add-on}
      • I need to create something similar to this:
      • …. would liked to use similar techniques, especially with the web pages tracking the buildings in city shots.
      • I have tried to use mocha to track the side of a building, but its not proving ideal. Obviously the motion tracker inside AE won’t give me the depth/perspective.
      • So what’s the best way to do this?  … Is Syntheyes/Camera tracker the way forward?
    • A1: (by ben g unguren on Sep 8, 2011 )
      • The general rule of thumb is that Mocha works great if your graphics are ATTACHED to an EXISTING surface (like a logo on the side of a building, or changing the words on a sign). If you’re trying to add something in 3D space (like graphics that “hover” around the building, and seem to actually be there), then you need a 3D solution.
      • Mocha and AE’s internal trackers give you 2D solutions. Mocha’s solutions are a bit more sophisticated, producing corner-point information that mimics 3D, but [this is key] it doesn’t produce a 3D camera.
      • Syntheyes and similar apps will give you an animated 3D camera as well as target points that simulate the world you’re tracking (target points for the ground, buildings, etc — whatever you’ve managed to track and can get a 3D “solution” for). This is A LOT more information than what Mocha or AE’s internal tracking can get you.
      • One other point: when the camera is only panning and tilting (not actually changing it’s own position) then a 2D solution can (sort of) mimick a 3D camera solution. So if all you’re doing is panning and tilting, then you could track that in Mocha, then use that data to animate objects (that are given perspective, for instance). You would be able to achieve a lot of the graphics in the video you linked to using that technique, as they’re using a lot of static cameras.
    • A2: (by Tudor “Ted” Jelescu on Sep 8, 2011):
      • I agree with Ben.
      • In most of the shots from your example Mocha can be used. I suspect that some of those shots where not really video files, but still images cleverly transformed in a 2.5d comp where camera moves can be animated in AE – so no tracker there.
      • Here’s a good tutorial for what Mocha can do:

Generally:

NovamediaDiskSupressor & Vodafone Dongleware

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

My girlfriend’s MacBook laptop, at every system-startup, was giving the error popup: “To open NovamediaDiskSupressor, you need to install Rosetta. Would you like to install it now?”.  Caution dictated a negative user-response to this.  It was just plain annoying.

Web-search (on full error-message) revealed NovamediaDiskSupressor to be non-mal, but to be a support software needed by Vopdafone’s cell-wireless dongle of a couple or so years ago.  I don’t know if Vodafone have improved things since then, but I also had issues with it under Windows 7, where its firmware installed drivers incompatible with that OS.  So basically the whole dongle was a nuisance.

How to uninstall it (from Mac OS Snow Leopard):

  • I dragged the Vodafone app to Trash
  • …BUT :
    • that is not sufficient, further cleaning-up required, as below…
    • Also, when I tried to empty the trash, error popup said: `The operation can’t be completed because the item “Mac_SwapperDemon” is in use’.
      • Maybe it will work following reboot?

According to advice posted at http://benmenson.blogspot.com/2009/12/removing-vodafone-malware-that-spoils.html, repeating that at http://tumblr.mloughran.com/post/173997552/removing-vodafone-malware-that-spoils-the-snow-leopard:

  • Remove the following from /Library/LaunchAgents/
    • cn.com.zte.usbswapper.plist
    • de.novamedia.NovamediaDiskSupressor
    • {Those were the only entries in this folder}
  • Remove
    • mac_swapperdemon
      • from system preferences user > accounts > user login items
      • {BUT no items were listed there at all, let alone that one}
  • Remove
    • /Library/Application support/Vodafone
    • /Applications/Vodafone mobile connect
  • Update: also discovered some kernel extensions to remove
    • sudo rm: {OR just Trash them via Finder, I discovered}
      • /System/Library/Extensions/USBExpressCardCantWake_Huawei.kext
      • /System/Library/Extensions/ZTEUSBCDCACMControl.kext
      • /System/Library/Extensions/ZTEUSBCDCACMData.kext

Adobe Production Premium CS5.5 – Orientation

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Questions:

  • What should and does it consist of?
    • Including anything non-obvious e.g. “tucked away”, “additional Downloads”, “obscure” etc.
  • ???

Answers (as far as I can tell…):

  •  _Support & Communities
    • Looks at first sight like any application’s Help dialog, but on deeper inspection is also connected web-wise and answers to questions are not restricted to Adobe products.
  • After Effects
    • In contrast to Premiere, which is for conventional light-touch editing, this is for heavier effects and compositing etc.
    • http://shisko.blogspot.com/2007/09/creating-trees-in-after-effects.html
      • …AE is a “2.5d” application. The worldspace is 3d, but any imagery you have (discounting 3rd party applications such as Invigorator and such) is “flat”.
        • (As opposed to 3D Modelling apps such as 3dsMax, Blender)
  • After Effects Render Engine
    • Render farm: Network rendering with watch folders and render engines.
    • Previously, it was possible to install render engines on as many machines as wished, but not so under CS5.5, where a separate serial number must be obtained for each machine.  For small guys like me that makes it pretty useless.   It seems likely that a more flexible option will exist in future versions.
  • Audition
    • Audio editor, derived (many years ago) from CoolEdit.
  • Bridge
    • A combination of media file manager, media manager, metadata editor, also does some kinds of media processing.
    • Can be run standalone or from within apps e.g. Premiere: [File > Browse in Bridge…]
  • Color Finesse
    • A multi-host (including Premiere & AE) plugin that goes above and beyond typical NLE color correction.
    • On my system it only appears to be available under AE.
  • Device Central
    • Simulates media appearance etc. on a range of devices such as cellphones.
  • DigiEffects FreeForm
    • Manipulate a flat object into almost any shape using displacement maps and meshes in 3D space.
    • Examples: flowing cloth, animated loose filmstrips, rippling fluids, terrain flyovers, welded metal, morphs, reveals.
  • Encore
    • DVD authoring.  Menus can be created in Photoshop (using special layering techniques).
  • Extension Manager
    • Manage extensions (broadly like plugins) associated with various Adobe programs.
  • ExtendScript Toolkit:
    • Adobe workflow command-script editor
    • An IDE (along the lines of Visual Studio) for scripts in Adobe Bridge, itself serving to automate workflows involving multiple Adobe applications.
  • Flash Professional
    • A multimedia authoring program to create content for Flash-enabled platforms/devices.
  • Flash Catalyst
    • A designers’ tool for creating the user interface for Rich Internet Applications.  Primary function of being a GUI composer for Adobe Flex components.
    • Can import Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, or Flash XML Graphics (FXG) files.
  • Help
    • A help resource not only with local help-documentation but also capable of searching beyond, even beyond Adobe, to find solutions.
  • Illustrator
    • Vector graphics editor e.g. useful for typesetting and logo graphics design. It is the companion product of Photoshop.
  • KeyLight
    • An advanced chroma-keyer, tackling reflections, semi-transparent areas and hair.
  • Media Encoder
    • Encodes audio and video media content.
  • Mocha
    • <<Stand-alone tracking and roto tool to help solve problematic shots challenging the built in tools of After Effects and Final Cut by bringing advanced planar tracking and matte creation tools>>
      • Planar tracking
        • Track a plane(-ish) surface in 3D space e.g. as it translates, rotates, perspective changes.
          • Typically more robust and capable than points-tracking.
          • Great for moving subject or tracking camera.
          • Overkill when the only (relative) motion is due to camera pan/tilt.
        • http://blog.davidesp.com/archives/230
    • e.g. select an area then it uses any detail there including texture to get a fix, and follows changes in translation, rotation, perspective etc.
  • OnLocation
    • Direct to disk recorder / logger also acting as monitor with waveform monitor and vectorscope.  And no doubt much else.
  • PhotoShop
    • Such a big noun that it became a verb…
  • Premiere Pro
    • Primary editing app, with emphasis on productive cutting and smooth playback etc., minimising the need to render, leaving heavy effects and compositing etc. to AE.
  • Story
    • A collaborative script development tool/service. There is an application for working alone on an offline version and a web-based service where you can sync up with an online version.
  • Ultra
    • Vector-keyer (simple-to-use effective chroma-keying) that was once a standalone app by Serious Magic, now available as a plugin within Premiere (but not AE).  I get the impression it is regarded (or at least branded) as simple to use but ultimately less sophisticated/capable than KeyLight (???).
    • Serious Magic used to highlight its capabilities regarding reflections, semi-transparent areas and hair…
  • Utilities
    • ExtendScript
      • An integrated development environment (IDE) for the creation and debugging of JavaScript code for Adobe Bridge, to facilitate workflow-enhancing automation of tasks between elements of Creative Suite.
    • PixelBlender
      • A simplifying basis for implementing image processing algorithms (filters or effects) in a hardware-independent manner, taking advantage of parallel processing / GPU etc.
      • Downside to commercial developers is that code using it may be more visible / understandable.

Avid Media Composer: 5.5 to 6.0 Dongle-Update

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Wasn’t sure what to do.

  • 21:00 UK time, I phoned USA support-line, via Skype, they advised me as follows:
    • Go to www.avid.com/upgrade
      • Avid Media Composer System Upgrade
        Trade Activation ID for Dongle Updater.avd
      • Requires an Activation Code.
        • That is the code beginning “MCA”, which came by email along with various product keys or whatever.
        • My such email was from 23 Nov 2011.
      • Also requires othe rinformation e.g. regarding the dongle “System ID” and “Serial No.”
      • I did that and clicked the [Submit] button
        …Nothing happened for a minute or two…
        …Then eventually…
      • Avid Media Composer System Upgrade PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!
        • Congratulations! You have successfully upgraded to Avid Media Composer 6.0.
        • Click the Download button to generate your dongle updater file.
        • System ID: xyz is now registered, including the customer information you have provided.
        • Dongle Updater Instructions
          Please follow the instructions below to update your dongle.
          1.Save the dongle updater file to your system. This file authorizes your dongle for specific upgrades. The updater file extension is .avd.
          2.Double-click DongleManager.exe. The Dongle Manager utility starts.
          { Mine is located at [C:\Program Files (x86)\Avid\Utilities\DongleManager] }
          3.Click the Update tab.
          4.Click the Open button, navigate to the dongle updater file, and then click Open.
          5.Click the Upgrade button. Your dongle is updated.
          6.Click the Scan tab to view the results of your dongle scan.
        • For additional information or to download the latest Dongle Manager application, please refer to the following tech note.
          (Current versions of the software come installed with the Dongle Manager.
    • There is also a blow-by-blow tutorial on this procedure at www.avid.com/dongle , complete with download links for the Dongle Updater applications for Windows and Mac.
  • It worked!
    • As it turned out, the version on the laptop where I did that was MC 5.5, but it still ran OK with the MC-6.0-updated dongle.

Camera etc. Setup Tips from DSC Labs – makers of ChromaDuMonde (CDM) Charts

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

There is a wealth of information and advice at the following, e.g. covering basic camera alignment and calibration, camera-matching and green screens.

http://www.dsclabs.com/tech_tips.htm

  • Using a DSC Chart
  • “Real World Use of DSC’s Fairburn 3-D Chart”
  • “Exposure for Sony S-Log with New DSC Chart”
  • “Selecting Production Parameters to Ensure that Picture Quality Accommodates the Intended and Possible Future Imaging Systems”
    • Methodical approach to configuring the camera’s matrix.
  • “Establishing a repeatable baseline reference”
    • Includes S-Log
  • “Matching Multiple Cameras”
  • “Skin tone Waveform Levels”
  • “Compromise between Color Accuracy and Signal Noise”
    • While full saturation on all colors results in the most accurate color reproduction, it can introduce more noise than is acceptable for our purposes.
    • We have found that a reduction of about 20% in green and cyan saturation (moving the green and cyan signals 1/5 of the distance towards the center of the vectorscope) is a good compromise between color accuracy and signal noise.
  • “Do You Waveform Monitor the Lutted Image or the S-Log?”
    • I waveform the S-Log, the LUTs on set can wack out the waveform … and …. are … for comfort viewing only.
    • The S-Log is my neg
  • “Matching the Sony EX-1 with more costly Broadcast Camera’s”
    • Unless you have a calibrated monitor, calibrated chart that is correctly lit and so forth, you can tweak all you want and not come up with the result you would like.
    • One thing that is a must with HD is avoiding washed out high-lights
  • “Continuous Light Sources”
    • There is a growing trend to use fluorescent, LED and discharge light sources for film and video production.
    • One of the problems faced by these light sources is the lack of continuous spectrum activity
  • “Red One and CMOS Static”
    • Every time you change a lens on a digital camera such as the Red One, be sure to check the sensor for dust. The single CMOS sensor has a static charge that attracts dust (just like DSLRs).
    • When dust is left on the sensor it appears as a soft grey blob in the image. This is not always visible on small displays and might not be noticed unless you see your work on a large display or projector.
    • Use a loop {loup?}  to magnify the sensor before blowing gently with a blower bulb or compressed air.  If blowing won’t remove the dust, then use a brush designed to clean DSLR sensors, but use it with great care.
  • “BackFocus”
    • when performing a “flange-back” adjustment (as Back Focus is sometimes called) the Iris should be FULLY OPEN (so that) the depth of field is minimized
  • “Are Six Colors Enough?”
  • “Varicam Detail”
  • “Noise, Green, Cyan, and Saturation”
  • “Tips on HD”
  • “Motion Artifacts”
  • “Green Screen Technique”
    • I light the screen to 55-60 units on the scope and then use the vectorscope to check and make sure I’ve got lots of saturation. I’ve always had success that way.
    • It’s really more about making sure there’s more green (by 30 or 40 units) in the screen than anywhere else in the image.
  • “Creating a Look”
  • “Aberration”
  • “Color Bar Symmetry”

Very-Fast Fourier Transform (VFFT?)

Friday, January 20th, 2012

A mathematical step forward likely (eventually) to improve media processing & encoding, among other things:

Dramatic Structure & Flow

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Just “Blog-Bookmarking” a great written tutorial:

Nokia N95 Variable Frame-Rate

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

I came across some old videos I shot on a Nokia N95 and pulled these into Adobe Premiere.  However the individual video clips were each listed with a different framerate, hovering vaguely around 29 fps (27.08 up to 29.45).   Questions:

  • What does that even mean?
    • From web-search, it sounds like it’s an average, and N95 framerates within a given recording can vary wildly
      • e.g. between 6 and 38 fps.
  • How do various apps etc. handle such material?
    • YouTube:
      • In 2009 at least, it sounds like YouTube went for the minimum fps in any such clip.
    • Adobe Premiere
      • Seems to go for the average
        • I dragged a N95 clip on the “New Sequence” button and the resulting sequence had the clip’s average framerate.
      • Presumably just duplicates/drops frames as required to maintain the Sequence’s framerate.
    • GSpot (video analyzer):
      • For a clip reported by Adobe Premiere to be 28.81 fps, GSpot reported it to be 29.412 fps.
        • Misleading info from one or other or both…

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Carbonite – Online Backup

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Carbonite was drawn to my attention by a colleague, Mr. True, while we were discussing cloud-based services.

So here I just web-trawled a little. From that, it sounds like:

  • One must be wary of the “small print” about throttling.
    • Then again could anyone reasonably expect massive video file type storage for such a low price?
  • One alternative is Mozy
    • Some people find this better in terms of bandwidth,  service level and applications quality
    • It has apps for both iphone and android.

http://www.carbonite.co.uk/company

  • Carbonite automatically backs up new and changed files. You don’t have to do anything
  • One of Carbonite’s key advantages is offering unlimited backup for one fixed price
    • e.g. £41.95 / Year
  • PC & Mac
  • Carbonite for iPhone allows you to browse and share files from your iPhone.
  • Carbonite uses the same technology as banks to encrypt your data making it completely secure so only you can ever see it.
  • We have our own data centers where the the disk arrays are far more reliable than your computer’s hard drive.
  • Limitations?
    • “Bandwidth throttling – Yes (35GB, 200GB)” (?)
    • “Default max file size” (?)

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22910253-Rant-Carbonite-Backup-is-not-unlimited-as-they-claim

  • 2009-08-23, thedragonmas:
    • I have used both Carbonite and MOZY. I had Carbonite for 2+ years, worked as advertised, had over 450 gigs backed up no problem, always maxed out my connection. However, problem came from their client, which is a buggy piece of shit.
    • Switched to mozy, managed to re-back up all 450 gigs in 2 months using my Sprint EVDO Cellular (I get awesome speeds on my data card!).
    • Real problem with Carbonite is, when you select to backup “Everything” it in fact, does NOT backup everything. Such as video files, files over a certain gig size and what not, which will then need to be done manually.
      With MOZY, when I told it to backup EVERYTHING, it DID BACKUP EVERYTHING!
    • I am now a happy MOZY Customer. I am now pushing over 1tb of backed up data.
    • Only problem I have now, is if I need to restore my data, you get 30 days to restore your data before it is removed from their servers, and my present internet connection, that is not possible
  •  2009-09-11, Kramer:
    •  I was uploading about 5GB/day for the first 50GB or so and then was throttled back significantly after that.

Video Surveillance & Multi-Webcam Software

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

I saw in the Sony Vegas forum that GiveAwayOfTheDay (GAOTD):

  • Zebra-Media
    • http://www.zebra-media.com/zebra_media_surveillance_system.html
      • Video surveillance and motion capture  software.
      • Some key features are: unlimited cameras (including IP and USB cameras), motion detection, SMS and MMS and Email alerts, play sound file (useful on motion detection), adjustable sensitivity for each zone, record on detection, save video into archive or file with automatically or manually selected compression, record on schedule, registration of all events continuously by intervals or on motion detected, password protection, adding a text, time stamps, watermarks to your video.
      • For each video frame, if motion is detected, the Alarm event occurs, that returns a global motion ratio, depending of the number of cells in which motion has been detected, and the level of motion in each cell
      • A sensitivity grid is applied on video frames. You can adjust the sensitivity of the detection, and mask out areas of the camera view to avoid false alarms. When the camera captures video frames in a dark environment, it is possible that the electrical background noise of the CCD video cell creates fake motion detection events. It is possible to reduce the sensitivity of to the video noise by enabling the Reduce Video Noise option. When an alarm condition is detected, the program can sound an audible alarm, or send you an email with a photo. Automatically capture photos, or record video in compressed files. Surveillance System includes an advanced player that allows to play video clips, capture video frames and perform frame overlay. Each camera has its own individual monitoring and recording settings. All settings, such as alerts, photos, and video recordings can be turned on and off using the built-in scheduler. All monitoring and alert events are logged with date and time stamps. Each camera has its own scheduled on(off) times. Building upon the interface options introduced in MS Outlook, scheduler includes event recurrence control and customizable Date Navigator. Access to all data is provided through a well encrypted password

Some alternatives indicated by reviewers:

  • iSpy:
    • http://www.ispyconnect.com/
      • Open Source
      • iSpy uses your cameras, webcams, IP cams and microphones to detect and record movement or sound. Captured media is compressed to flash video or mp4 and streamed securely over the web and local network. iSpy can run on multiple computers simultaneously and has full Email, SMS and MMS alerting functions and remote viewing
      • iSpy is probably the worlds most feature-rich surveillance software. Some key features are: Unlimited Cameras and Microphones (including IP and USB cameras), Motion Detection (3 types), Motion Processing (4 types), Record on Detection, Record on Schedule, Record with Audio, Remote Access, Network Audio Broadcasting (via iSpy Server), Password Protection, Desktop Recording, Automated YouTube Uploading, SMS and MMS and Email alerts
  • YawCam
    • http://www.yawcam.com/
      • Yet Another WebCAM (software).
      • Yawcam is a webcam software for windows written in java. The main ideas for Yawcam are to keep it simple and easy to use but to include all the usual features.
      • Yawcam features:
        • Video streaming
        •  Image snapshots
        • Built-in webserver
        • Motion detection
        • Ftp-upload
        • Text and image overlays
        • Password protection
        • Online announcements for communities
        • Scheduler for online time
        • Time lapse movies
        • Run as a Windows service
        • Multi languages

MacBook Pro (2009): FireWire 800 Issues Under Boot Camp > Windows

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Back in early 2010, I bought a MacBook Pro.  Like my existing Mac Pro desktop it had a FireWire 800 (FW800) port, but unlike the Mac desktop that port would only function under Mac OS, not Boot Camp > Windows.  The desktop had Windows XP 32-bit while the MacBook had Windows 7 64-bit.

In a prolonged attempt (the latter half of 2010) I did a lot of searching, browsing, emailing, phoning and conversing to try to find out if it was “just me” or a recognised issue.   The main source of misleading answers to the effect that many had never had that problem was that those same people had never tried (saying that at the start would have been a more useful answer).  Or else my question got “pidgeonholed” into a standard one about booting from an external drive – something I was definitely not trying to do. Next, it seemed that some older laptops had a different chipset, by Texas Instruments, and those did not have the same problem.

One workaround some people employed was to go via a FW800 ExpressCard adaptor.  But that only works on certain models and certain versions of Windows it appears.

In conclusion, the issue appears to remain in force, it’s not “just me”, and sadly there is little prospect of it being fixed.  I had this vain hope that maybe newer macbook models or newer Boot Camp releases might have sorted things a bit.  Doesn’t look like it…

(more…)

EDL-Associated Apps on Mac OS

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

These are the applications  listed when, in my Windows VM on Mac, I did [RightClick>OpenWith] on a [.EDL] file:

  • Avid:
    • ALE
    • EDLManager
  • Apple:
    • Color

Sony Vegas Timeline-Structure Export & Repair via EDL

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

Here I look at the advantage/point of Sony Vegas’s options for exporting the project/timeline/sequence structure.

Rebuild Project:

  • Question: Can one export (in some form, possibly partial) a Project (sequence/timeline) from Sony Vegas 10 that can then be imported to other NLEs or versions of Sony Vegas ?
    •  A couple or so years ago (Vegas 9) I determined it was not practical to exchange between Vegas and FCP.  But time has passed, attention has shifted away from FCP to other NLEs (chiefly Adobe Production CS5.5) , and for various reasons, earlier versions of Vegas are more attractive to me than the latest batches.
  • Part-Answer:
    •  Yes for [File > SaveAs > EDL] / [File > Open (Same kind of EDL File) ]
    • Can open even in previous versions of Vegas.
    • But not everything gets reinstated – e.g. Project settings, Text, Pan/Crop.

Repair:

  • Can repair a project by doing this.
    • In my case, a video pan was “snatching”, not smooth.
    • The process of Opening a Vegas-EDL [.txt] re-created “peaks” sidecar files [.sfk] for each media file.
    • Somehow, the pan played more smoothly after this (possibly due to this or some other effect of the “new project”

(more…)

Adobe Premiere: Building & Editing a Sequence

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

I’ve begun by re-creating from-scratch a project which I already have in Sony Vegas.

  • Media Browser:
    • aMedia > DoubleClick
      • Goes to Source Monitor
  • Source Monitor:
    • Adjust In/Out points e.g. as per [View Details] window in Sony Vegas
  • Drag from Source Monitor to Timeline
  • Use timecode from elements in Sony Vegas project as a starting-point.  Drag Dissolve transitions (Effects) from bottom-left hand pane in between clips.  Trim transition to preference, either by drag or numbers.  Pretty easy.
  • Timeline:
    • [Clip > RtClk > Scale to Frame Size]
      • Then drag scale/pan/crop rectangle to required size/zoom level.
  • [File > Export > Media]  = Ctrl-M
    • This created [C:\Users\David\Documents\Adobe\Premiere Pro\5.5\Sequence 01.avi]
  • Renamed the Sequence as [Intro]
    • Now it saves to [Intro.avi] or the following time to [Intro_1.avi]

Pretty intuitive really.  Next I’d like to find the levels and color correction features, then (following the inevitablegrain created by that process) some means of running the Neat Video temporal denoiser.

XDCAM-EX in Adobe Production Premium CS5.5

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

I have a project shot on a Sony EX3.  SO I have XDCAM-EX footage.

Opened an Adobe Premiere project, set its Sequence settings to XDCAM EX HQ 1080i50

  • Wondered immediately what that implied.  Like OK the source is XDCAM-EX which is Mpeg2 encoding inside a MP4 container, but why does the Sequence care how the source is stored?  Surely it only needs to know things like the format is 1080i50 then it can store any intermediate files in DNxHD or Cineform or whatever Adobe prefers.  I am very confused by this kind of thing, just as I was in FCP.  Maybe it’s obvious or maybe “I think to much”.
  • Adobe has a thing called Import and it can (I discovered) accept MP4 files from XDCAM-EX’s BPAV folder-structures (deep down within the CLIPR subfolder).  But I know that is a stupid way to go. The MP4 files are but the “essence” that is “stitched together” (mixed metaphors or what?) by the likes of SMIL and XML files.  It’s only at the latter level that smooth continuum happens.
  • Enter Adobe Premiere’s Media Browser. I “knew” there had to be something like that.  I discovered it via http://wwwimages.adobe.com/www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/premiere/pdfs/cs5-premiere-pro-sonyxdcam-wfg.pdf which itself I discovered via Bing search on [sony xdcam-ex adobe premiere cs5.5 workflow].  OK to get XDCAM-EX footage into an Adobe Premiere project you do [WIndow >Media Browser] or else Shift-8, then don’t expect some window popping-up or anything, just instect the [Media Browser] tab at the lower-left of the GUI screen.  Drill-down to the required recording and double-click.  The media appears in a Source Preview window (I wonder but don’t mightily care what Adobe calls it).
    • OK I do care a bit really, and according to an Adobe video tutorial, it’s called a Source Monitor.
    • Initially it was too zoomed-in, presumably displayig at 1:1 (pixel).  “Zoom to Fit” was but a right-click away…
  • You can drag from Source Monitor to the Timeline or to other places.
  • I tried that with some EX3 footage where I pan across the front of the famous Wembley Stadium, UK.  In Sony Vegas (my erstwhile “comfortable old shoe”) it snatches and drags.  In Adobe Premiere, as in Sony Clip Browser, it pans smoothly.  Guess where I’m heading…

Colour Spaces: YUV<->RGB, 601/709 etc.

Friday, January 13th, 2012
  • 601/709
    • http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/Colorimetry
      • Usually (video content) is created in RGB, but stored as YCbCr.
      • Upon display it will be converted back again to RGB.
      • This means that two color conversions will take place. The problem is that there are different ways of doing this conversion. If the two color conversions are not the same, the displayed content won’t be the same as the original content.
      • So when converting YCbCr to RGB upon display, the correct color conversion standard (Rec.601 or Rec.709) must be used, namely the one which was used when storing the content.
      • (Rec.709 and Rec.601 are short for ITU-R BT.709 and ITU-R BT.601.)
      • ~ When a Rec.601-encoded YUV is decoded using Rec.709, the picture is more saturated and also red is shifted a bit towards yellow.
      • ~ When a Rec.709-encoded YUV is decoded using Rec.601, the result is a less saturated clip, with red shifting towards magenta and blue shifting to cyan.
  • YUV Color Space
    • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YUV
      • Has images showing how increasing Y also changes the colour (which is how I end up with “pizza-faced” people if color curves over-used).
      • …and how some colours become unrepresentable
        • No yellows at low Y
        • No reds or blues at high Y
  • Lab Color Space

Mobile Video Editing Hardware: Thoughts, Ideas & Dreams (continued)

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Following-on from my earlier post, Mobile Video Editing Hardware: Thoughts, Ideas & Dreams, where I considered an eventual migration from my laptop to a luggable PC, my thoughts veered (possibly having spotted cash-icebergs among them) towards an alternative solution:

  • Use the laptop for lightweight editing & compositing.
  • Use the desktop as a number-crunching RADI-attached server.

The two could be linked by:

  • Remote access / remote sessions (some of which via smartphone)
  • DropBox, e.g. have an active folder where I can drop Adobe Premiere XML and have it processed remotely by Adobe apps installed there.

Some links:

  • http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/11/virtualisation_at_home_part_2/
    • (There’s no equivalent “_part_1” page.  I guess it’s just “Part 2” of that guy’s story).
    • DIY virtual machines: Rigging up at home, by Trevor Pott, 11th January 2012 14:33 GMT
    • Personal Virtual Machine (PVM) (in use) for about seven years with retail boxed version of Windows XP.
    • VM has been moved from virtualization platform to virtualization platform over the years … the most recent incarnation … inside Hyper-V.
    • …nothing beats Windows Server 2008 R2. It comes with a top-notch virtualisation platform (Hyper-V), and added RemoteFX support with Service Pack 1. You can still use the desktop operating system for all your HTPC needs, and a single Server 2008 R2 Standard license allows you to run both a host copy and a single virtual instance of Server 2008 R2.
    • In my case, the host instance does little more than play movies on the projector via VLC. The virtual instance of Server runs my Plex media server, and aggregates my many storage devices into a single share using DFS.
  • Shuttle Inc (Taiwan)

Mobile Video Editing Hardware: Thoughts, Ideas & Dreams

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Want a mobile “suitcase” editing system, something more (and more expandable) than a laptop but not too expensive.  Primarily to be used for Adobe CS5.5 for media enhancement / editing / compositing etc.

Nearest I found was NextDimension’s range around $7000 I think (but just guesswork – could be way off – would need to get a quote).   That would (if true) be around £4500 at current rates.  Plus import…  NextDimension call such machines “flextops” (Maybe they coined the term? Google searches on it mostly come up with them.)

Apart from the (mil/broadcast-lite but me-heavy) price, it might possibly be undesirably heavy to lug around much.   If so (just guessing, not assuming), it would make more sense to go for a modular quick-setup system.  So, starting to “think different” in this direction:

  • Standard tower, capable of taking new CUDA etc. graphics cards etc. as they emerge, but no need for more than say a couple of disks, maybe if SSD could even get away with just a single disk? (For system and media – inadvisable for traditional disks of course, what about for SSD’s?  I have much to learn about SSD’s though).
  • “Laptop-Lite” to talk to it.  With robust shuttered-stereoscopic HD monitor.
  • Gigabit network to NAS fast storage (SSD and/or RAID ?).

Maybe in that case it would be far more logical/affordable to use an existing laptop as a client working together with a luggable tower server, sufficiently light and robust for frequent dis/re -connection and travel.  And remote access of course (no heavy data to be exchanged, assume that’s already sync’d).  And some means to easily swap/sync applications and projects (data) between laptop and tower, giving the option to use just the (old) laptop on its own if needed.  All such options are handy for the travelling dude (working on train, social visits etc.) who also occasionally has to do heavy processing.  Then would just need a protective suitcase for the tower, plus another one for a decent monitor for grading etc.

I certainly won’t be spending anything just yet, but it’s good to have at least some kind of “radar”.

(more…)

Apple Mac & FCP -> Windows & Adobe

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

rvideo: Ruby video transcoding library

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Ruby

  • http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/
    • <<Ruby is…A dynamic, open source programming language with a focus on simplicity and productivity. It has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write.>>
    • Ruby is also totally free. Not only free of charge, but also free to use, copy, modify, and distribute.
    • My MacBook has a copy of it, at [/usr/bin/ruby].  No idea if it came with Mac OS or an application, but it’s there.
  • http://code.google.com/p/rvideo/
    • rvideo
      • Ruby video transcoding library
      • RVideo is a Ruby library inspects and processes video and audio files by providing an interface to free Unix tools like ffmpeg.
    • Demonstration of usage
      • A few examples:
        • file = RVideo::Inspector.new(:file => “#{APP_ROOT}/files/input.mp4”)
        • file = RVideo::Inspector.new(:raw_response => @existing_response)
        • file = RVideo::Inspector.new(:file => “#{APP_ROOT}/files/input.mp4”,
        •   :ffmpeg_binary => “#{APP_ROOT}/bin/ffmpeg”)
        • file.fps        # => “29.97”
        • file.duration   # => “00:05:23.4”
    • To transcode a video, initialize a Transcoder object.
      • transcoder = RVideo::Transcoder.new
    • Then pass a command and valid options to the execute method.
      • recipe = “ffmpeg -i $input_file$ -ar 22050 -ab 64 -f flv -r 29.97 -s”
      • recipe += ” $resolution$ -y $output_file$”
      • recipe += “\nflvtool2 -U $output_file$”
      • begin
      •   transcoder.execute(recipe, {:input_file => “/path/to/input.mp4”,
      •     :output_file => “/path/to/output.flv”, :resolution => “640×360”})
      •   rescue TranscoderError => e
      •   puts “Unable to transcode file: #{e.class} – #{e.message}”
      • end
    • If the job succeeds, you can access the metadata of the input and output files with:
      • transcoder.original     # RVideo::Inspector object
      • transcoder.processed    # RVideo::Inspector object
    • Even if the file is processed, it may still have problems. RVideo will populate an errors array if the duration of the processed video differs from the duration of the original video, or if the processed file is unreadable.

Twixtor: Extra NLE’s can be Added-On to License

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Adobe After Effects (AE): Tutorials e.g. on AE Fundamentals

Thursday, January 5th, 2012
  • http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/202/883396
    • i was self taught for after effects, as many were before non-linear editing became so affordable that any school could afford to start up a digital media program (even jr. high/middle schools).
    • you might look into an after effects book by chris & trish meyers called ‘creating motion graphics’ (i actually didn’t have that book when i was learning, but i’ve since heard that it’s one of the best for learning ae).
    • total training has a good series after effects of tutorials
    • lynda.com is good resource too.
    • and, of course, there are lots of ae tutorials here at the (creative) cow.
    • aharon rabinowitz has many geared towards the fundamentals of ae. look into some of his workflow tuts and other earlier ones where he covers some basic essentials.
  • Book: Motion Graphics with Adobe Creative Suite 5 Studio Techniques, Richard Harrington and Ian Robinson

FFDshow and How to Enable/Disable It

Thursday, January 5th, 2012
  • http://www.ehow.com/how_10015764_disable-ffdshow.html
    • How to Disable FFDShow
    • Launch FFDShow on your computer. If you installed FFDShow as part of another codec pack, the FFDShow application might not have its own program folder on the “Start” menu. In this case, open a media file in Windows Media Player, and the right-click the playing video. Click “More Options,” and the “DVD” tab in the Options window. Click “Advanced” to display the FFDShow window
    • Click “DirectShow Control” in the left pane of the window. Enable the “Don’t use FFDShow in” option, then click “Edit.”
    • Click the “Add” button, and browse to the executable file for the media player application in which you want to disable FFDShow. For instance, to disable FFDShow in Windows Media Player 12, in Windows 7, browse to the “C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe” file. Highlight the file, and click the “Open” button
    • Click the “OK” button in the “Don’t Use FFDShow In” window. Click “Apply,” then “OK” in the “Properties” window. Close Windows Media Player. After you restart Windows Media Player and launch a media file, the program no longer use the FFDShow codecs

TV Text (Size,Colour,Timing) Guidelines

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

AviSynth and Motion-Estimation-Related Processing by QTGMC & MVtools 2

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Looking for some user-friendly top-down explanation of sensible uses of AviSynth.

See Web-Research further below.

I expect to update this post. (more…)

Sony Vegas & Satish’s Frameserver

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

DebugMode FrameServer (DMFS) can be made to work with Sony Vegas 8-10 on a Windows 7 64-bit system:

Sliders (Camera Grips)

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

In brief, the best candidate for me seems  to be Kessler’s Philip Bloom Signature Series variant of their Pocket Dolly (actually a slider).  In addition to hand-cranking (with damper) it has the possibility of adding on motorised control, including for timelapse.  On the other hand there is also the Stealth varant, which benefits (in my opinion) from black colour (as opposed to crimson/pink for the Bloom variant) but lacks the crank handle.  I have no experience, hence no idea how useful a crank handle is.  Like the Bloom variant, it can be motorized.

Issues / Requirements (not in order):

  • Length
    • Doesn’t have to be all that long, sometimes only 2 feet (about 0.3 metre) is sufficient.
  • Support
    • Will it mount to a standard tripod?
    • Need it be supported at each end?
  • Strength
  • Smoothness
  • Drive (Possibly):
    • Manual crank
      • Possibly with damping or inertia (most likely a flywheel)
    • Motor
  • Noise
  • Size (can be carried on a plane?)
  • Weight (can be carried on long walks?)

(more…)

Canon D500 DSLR Camera: Magic Lantern & External Monitor

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

 Can the Canon D500 be connected to an external monitor?

Not tried it yet – need to purchase a HDMI Type C cable – but it sounds like one way or another it could be coaxed into doing so.  My web-research leading to this view (right or wrong) is below.

(more…)

Vodafone USB Modem Stick

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

I have a Vodafone USB Modem Stick (cell broadband dongle) which was obsolete even when I received it (free/gratuit).  Its design intention was you plugged it into a computer and, like some storage devices (e.g. memory sticks) the computer installed its driver software and you were ready to go.  In practice however it does not work either under Windows 7 or Mac OS Snow Leopard.  Some things report failure to install and/or the machine crashes if yoy try to boot up with the dongle already plugged in, or if plugged in after restart, a message requests further restart.  There is no way out into a state where it can perform its main function.

The dongle is a Vodafone K3765, which I have heard is actually an Icon 411 made by Option .  It will allegedly run on Windows 7 but not pay-as-you-go.

I wonder if a newer version of the dongle (and any associated application software or drivers) is available.  Then again, what’s the point if I can use the phone, especially as it’s less hassle all round (fewer technical complexities and hence possible issues, simpler purchasing all-in-one contract including data). Maybe I should just get it crushed?

(more…)

iPhone as CellPhone Modem

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Here in the UK at least, on my Vodafone contract that includes data connection.  No special apps available (at least on App Store) or needed.

All you have to do is:

  • Go to iPhone’s [Settings > General > Network > Personal Hotspot] enable that function (default is OFF).
    • Select [WiFi & USB Only]
      • Unless you really want BlueTooth.  I choose instead to keep things simple cable.
    • Connect the iPhone to the computer via its USB cable.
      • On Windows 7 (which is what I have), a dialog opens asking if Private/Public.
        • I chose [Public] since it’s connecting to the internet.  I assume (don’t know for sure) that’s appropriate here.  The safer option in any case.

(more…)

Velocity Remapping/Retiming by Motion Estimation: Alternative Tools

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

What tools are available for this?  What are their relative merits / costs (in all senses)?

  • First I tried Boris RED but encountered issues.
  • Next I investigated AviSynth, discovering two approaches:
    • MSU’s Frame-Rate Convertor (FRC)
    • MVTools2-based scripts; the latter was the more complex but for me it worked best.
  • Next I looked at MotionPerfect, which I purchased years ago from Dynapel back in Standard Definition days.
    • Nowadays sold by Gooder Video
      • They sell version 4.3.1
      • I have version 4.3.0
      • I updated it to 4.3.1
        • That shows a different icon/logo to the Dynapel version of that same product.
        • It works the same as far as I can see.
  • Another day(s):
    • Boris RED (4 & 5) via NLEs
      • Adobe
      • Avid
      • VegasAfter Effect
    • Kronos ??
    • Twixtor ??.
      • Some people claim this is the fastest motion-estimation-based method.
    • Avid ???
      • e.g. locate the (years-old) Avid velocity / warp envelope demo featuring a surfer ???

(more…)

Velocity Remapping/ReTiming by Motion Estimation: Boris RED: Experiments Continued

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Boris RED 5.0.6: Retiming & Velocity experiments continued.

A new day, restarted the Boris RED 5 (Engine), started a fresh project, altered many settings.

No success.  Always the same issue: if frame-interpolation happens, due to pseudo-increased framerate or pseudo-slomo, then exported frames are in the wrong order.  Only if neither framerate increased nor velocity reduced does it look correct.

I give up until a fix or workaround appears…

(more…)

Boris: Keyframes Relative or Absolute (Selectable)

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Keyframes: Stretching or Constant (Option)

  • http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/15/858761
    • With “Keep Keyframe time” enabled, the effect timing remains the same if you change the length of the effect.
    • Disable this function to stretch the keyframes to fit the new effect length.

Boris: Retiming: Initial Websearch (Orientation / Terminology)

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

(more…)

Velocity Remapping/ReTiming by Motion Estimation: Boris RED

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Velocity Remapping/ReTiming by Motion Estimation (“Optical Flow”) in Boris RED

Questions (as for any such app / method):

  • Can it do it?
  • How easily?
  • How robustly / flakily?
  • Quality of Result?
  • Productivity e.g. processing time in relation to real-time?

Answers:

  • Yes it can in principle do it, via the BCC Optical Flow filter
  • However when I tried it I encountered some practical difficulties:
    • Boris RED 4 succeeds in exporting broadly the expected result (e.g. to AVI-VFW-Cineform) but that result has a slight blemish in the form of flickering, as if (possibly) original frames are slightly brighter than derived frames.
    • Boris RED 5 fails to export the result in a usable form.
      • I tried various containers and codecs.
    • I have reported these and other issues, to Boris FX (via their Support Form).
  • For my situation, until these issues are addressed, the question of “Productivity” is academic.

(more…)

Avid: Media Composer: User-Experiences (Promotional)

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Graphic / Pen Tablets, e.g. Wacom Intuos 4

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Web-research about graphic tablets – having seen and heard of their use by many editors, e.g on Avid and Adobe.  Bear in mind however that tablet computers like iPad might become (or already have become?) game-changers…

  • Graphic / Pen Tablet:
    • Google: [graphic tablet avid media composer]
      • http://community.avid.com/forums/t/84575.aspx
        • Mouse vs. Graphics Tablet
        • CyberCat, Sun, Jun 6 2010 5:10 PM
          • Has: Avid Media Composer 5.5.2 | Windows 7 x64 | i7-990x | GTX 580 | 24GB DDR3 | GA-X58A-UD3R
          • Q: I’ve noticed that most editor’s I’ve worked with tend to use graphics tablets instead of mice for their input device. I would imagine there are many on this forum who do as well. I’m just curious why this is, are they just more comfortable to use, or more accurate or what? I’m considering getting one if they’re worth it.
        • Responses:
          • It’s just a matter of which tool you’re more comfortable with. If you’re considering installing a tablet, do some searches on this Forum for Waacom, as there have been conflicts using them, and specific driver versions needed to solve the problem
          • I’ve used graphics tablets for many years and we have several here — 2 Wacoms, Calcomp large format and Acecat wired.. The Wacom Intuos 4 is excellent. It is indispensible for Photoshop, Painter, etc., and I feel lost without it regardless of the software http://intuos.wacom.com/Americas/?gclid=CMP6hMaQjKICFQNinAodNG0EUQ
            • This link is to a great overview/chooser for a set of variants of the Intuos 4 tablet.
              • I like the Wireless one. Seems the most useful when not at a desk
                (e.g. in bed or on a train).

                • Available from Amazon UK for under £300
                • One user recommends putting acetate on its surface before use. This reduces scratches and also reduces nib wearout. Several users report (unexpectedly quick) nib wearout as an issue.
                • Some users report issues with the wireless (BlueTooth). One responded with advice: Make sure on at least the first 4 charges, that you fully charge the battery, and use it till it runs out of battery (not just red light) rinse and repeat this process, and you’ll be fine with the wireless.
                • Some users were concerned that the tablet doesn’t come with a bluetooth receiver (e.g. USB stick?). Not a concern for my MacBook which has it built-in.
              • The Wacom Tablet changed the way I interact with the Avid application. For me, it’s much faster and intuitive for my hand to simply move right to the spot on the screen I need and click. No more dragging a mouse along. I feel like I’m moving faster and the carple tunnel I was developing has gone away.
    • http://www.wacom.eu/index2.asp?pid=245&lang=en
      • The Wacom Intuos4 pen tablet

Avid Media Composer: Practical Usage in Productions

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1nl-LFwziI&feature=related

  • MC 5.0
  • User and Beta-Tester experiences.
    • They like the (fairly new) Smart Tool
    • AMA is useful for producing on-set rushes and quick edits
      • They mention a Mac (..Book?) being used on-set, taking footage from a P2 card.
      • They show a card from a DSLR being plugged into a Lexar outboard card-reader.
      • {? I wonder if subsequently they ingest/import it in “traditional” fashion, e.g. to take advantage of media management and to minimise risks of obscure issues down the line ?}
    • 01:50 shows Steven Sprung, ACE Editor (Dispatch, Entourage). He looks a bit like me.
    • More than one editing-suite scene shows a graphic tablet being used.
    • [02:12] shows some track labels/assignments.
      • It can be instructive to see how others do it.
    • [02:14] et seq: Smart Tool
    • [02:14] Audio
      • e.g. level meters on each track
      • Track-based RTAS effects etc. are useful to help indicate to the sound department approximately what the editor requires artistically
    • [03:48] Editors (can be) on set 12-14 hours/day might also take work home on laptop.
    • [03:39] Graphic tablet shown as part of edit suite. Which one is it? How useful?
    • [03:59] Matrox MXO Mini enables use of a standard TV as monitor, including calibration tools (what kind?).

Sliders

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Trailers (for Sale or Rent) and Caravans

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

While discussing trailers and caravans etc. with my father, he mentioned that the legendary comedian/presenter Ade Edmonson had been on TV with a series where he travelled britain with a small caravan towed behind his car.  So I thought I’d look into it (the type of caravan that is…).  Here are the links I found helpful:

About Ade Edmonson and his particular caravan:

Caravan Introductory Elements:

Purchase:

Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium: Adobe Premiere: Help in Getting Started

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

VST Plugins with Adobe Premiere

Monday, January 2nd, 2012
  • http://premierepro.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology
    • <<<
    • If you want to actively prevent Premiere Pro from using one or more VST plug-ins, create a text file called Blacklist.txt listing the filename of each plug-in one per line. Put the text file in the same folder as the plug-in files, one blacklist file per folder. The blacklist file is read only when Premiere Pro starts up.
      • You must restart your computer for the Blacklist.txt to work.
    • ….there is a limit to the number of VST effects that can appear in the list in the mixer panel, however all supported VST effects should appear in the list in the effects panel.
    • If some VST effects are not available in Premiere Pro when you expect them to be, search your hard drive for a file called Plugin Loading.log after configuring your search to find hidden files. The log may tell you why a plug-in is not being loaded.
    • >>>

VST Plugins

Monday, January 2nd, 2012
  • http://premierepro.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology
    • <<<
    • If you don’t have any VST plug-ins there are a number of them at:
      • http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php
      • http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/classic-series.php
        • (Great Reverb, Compressor/Limiter, Delay, EQ and more… They sound good as well).
      • at http://www.elementalaudio.com you can download a free VST ‘effect’ called “Inspector” which will monitor your audio as you play your sequence, and, among other things, tell you by how much you have exceeded the 0dB maximum permitted level. You can then reduce the monitored fader by that amount and be confident there should be no clipping. It comes remarkably well documented (for freeware) and the help file is worth a quick check through. And another tip – if you export just the audio of your project with the “Inspector” vst window visible, it will provide the analysis of levels and clipping at high speed – on my PC, in about 4 mins for a 40 minute .avi – and the results it gives correlate with analysis in Audition, so it appears you can depend on it. In my test file, it showed that the level needed to be reduced by 0.4dB to avoid clipping – which was the amount by which I’d pushed the fader up before running the test. Using this method it would appear you don’t have to sit glued to the meters all the way through your project to avoid clipping.
    • >>>

iZotope Ozone 5 in Adobe Premiere?

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

I am a novice user of Adobe Premiere.  Having installed iZotope Ozone 5 I expected it to just appear as one of the audio filters.  However I saw no sign of it.

Web-research:

  • http://help.adobe.com/en_US/PremierePro/4.0/WS1c9bc5c2e465a58a91cf0b1038518aef7-7f0fa.html
    • <<<
    • Premiere Pro supports the Steinberg VST (Virtual Studio Technology) audio plug-in format so that you can add VST audio effects from third-party vendors. Premiere Pro includes VST plug-in effects that are available in both the Audio Mixer and the Effect Controls panel. Track-based VST plug-ins may provide additional controls. Apply VST effects the same way you apply other audio effects to tracks or clips.
    • In the Effects And Sends panels of the Audio Mixer, VST effects appear in the Effect Selection menus. In the Effects panel, they appear in the Audio Effects bin so you can apply them to individual clips. In most cases, VST effects appear in the Audio Effects bin and track type that corresponds to the number of channels the effect supports. For example, stereo VST effects appear in the Audio Mixer track effect menus for stereo tracks only, and in the Stereo bin in the Audio Effects bin in the Effects panel. After you apply any VST effect, you can open a window with all of its controls. You can leave multiple VST editor windows open as long as you want, such as when automating effects, but Premiere Pro closes all VST editor windows when you close the project.
    • If you previously installed a VST-compatible application other tha Premiere Pro, Premiere Pro finds VST effects in the VST folder that already exists. Inside the Plug-ins folder of the Premiere Pro application folder, there is also a VSTPlugins folder with plug-ins that are used only by Premiere Pro.
    • Note: When you use a VST effect not provided by Adobe, the specific control layout and results of the plug-in are the responsibility of the plug-in manufacturer. Adobe Premiere Pro only displays the controls and processes the results.
    • >>>
  • http://forums.adobe.com/thread/682375?start=0&tstart=0
    • <<<
    • I use a set of VST plugins by Voxengo with 32-bit CS4. I recently upgraded to 64-bit CS5. So, I went and snagged the 64-bit versions of these Voxengo plugins. I put them in the C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Pro CS5\Plug-ins\en_US\VSTPlugins\.
    •  Here’s the info in the Plugin Loading.log file:
      •  Loading C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Pro CS5\Plug-ins\en_US\VSTPlugins\Elephant.dll
        Loading from the registry…
        The plugin was successfully loaded from the registry.
    •  Yet, the plugins do not show up in the mixer or in the effects list.
    •  I do not get any error messages. Also, I’m using Vista.  Any ideas?
    •  If you’d like to try the plugins yourself, there are free trials here:
    •  Thanks! – Jamez
    • >>>
    • <<<
    • I tried the 8 free Voxengo plugins in Premiere CS5, all of them 64bit and they did not show up.  Curiously enough, these 8 plugins are listed at ehe Adobe websiste  here: http://www.adobe.com/products/plugins/premiere/.
    • I tried the 32bit versions with Soundbooth CS5 (which is a a 32bit app) and they did not show up there either.
    • >>>
  • http://premierepro.wikia.com/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology
    • <<<
    • If you want to actively prevent Premiere Pro from using one or more VST plug-ins, create a text file called Blacklist.txt listing the filename of each plug-in one per line. Put the text file in the same folder as the plug-in files, one blacklist file per folder. The blacklist file is read only when Premiere Pro starts up.
      • You must restart your computer for the Blacklist.txt to work
    • If some VST effects are not available in Premiere Pro when you expect them to be, search your hard drive for a file called Plugin Loading.log after configuring your search to find hidden files. The log may tell you why a plug-in is not being loaded.
    • >>>
  • http://forums.adobe.com/thread/679366?start=0&tstart=0
  • http://forum.recordingreview.com/f44/plz-help-me-abt-izotope-ozone-plugin-18721/
  • http://forums.adobe.com/message/2970290#2970290

    VST Plugins: Folder & Registry Entry

    Sunday, January 1st, 2012

    Trying to understand why Ozone 5 will/won’t show up in various Windows 7 applications,  I discovered that:

    The folder on my system is:

    • [C:\Program Files (x86)\Vstplugins]

    The corresponding registry entry is:

    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Wow6432Node > VST > VSTPluginsPath
      • The name [Wow6432Node] sounds somewhat unprofessional, but I checked on my system and indeed that’s how it is.

    In Registry Editor:

    • In left-hand “explorer” pane, dial-down to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Wow6432Node > VST]
    • At that location:
      • Name: (REG_SZ) = [VSTPluginsPath]
      • Value: (REG_SZ) = [C:\Program Files (x86)\Vstplugins]

    iZotope Ozone: Purchase (& Reasoning)

    Sunday, January 1st, 2012

    Seems a little pricey, but worthwhile in my case because it addresses two requirements that have been nagging me (before I discovered that product):

    • Has intelligent compressor, maximizing loudness and minimising dependence on manual tweaking (eqials time in post).
    • Has good-quality reverb.

    It’s a plugin (DirectX /DLL), no standalone application.  Hosts / plugin formats:

    • The manual refers (Page 119) to <<Pro Tools, VST, AU and MAS versions of Ozone … (and) DirectX version>>
    • The website
      • Plug-in formats:
        • Pro Tools 7.4+ (RTAS/AudioSuite), VST, MAS, Audio Unit, DirectX
      • Plug-in host compatibility:
        • Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo, WaveLab, GarageBand, Logic, Audition, SONAR, ACID, REAPER, Sound Forge, Peak, Ableton Live, and many more
        • Does not mention:
          • Sony Vegas (even though I found it works in this)
          • Adobe CS5.5 Production Suite e.g. Premiere.  Can it work with this and its siblings?
    • c