December 16, 2024

Last week, my lead story asked for comments on how to estimate how much time it takes to edit a project. The comments were AMAZING. So, here's the same story with more than 15 detailed comments to help improve your estimating skills!

Link: How Long Does It Take to Edit a Video Project?

Thanks to everyone that contributed. Feel free to add your comments - the more we share, the more all of us learn.

Johnnie Thek emailed me about Ken Kobre's new edition of "Videojournalism: Multimedia Storytelling for Online, Broadcast and Documentary Journalists." The second edition of this 384-page book is heavily illustrated along with hundreds of links to more examples and stories.

Link: Video Journalism: Multimedia Storytelling

TOP NEWS STORIES THIS WEEK

The news is on my home page, updated as new stories roll in. Eight news items this week.

REMINDER: I updated Final Cut Pro - Complete training to include the new features in FCP 11 and reduced the price to only $49.95! I will be removing this Final Cut training from my store at the end of this year. So, if you want to add this to your collection, please do so now.

Link: Apple Final Cut Pro 11: Complete

I'm back from my trip to LA and have TWO NEW WEBINARS edited and waiting for you! The first - "Essential Workflow in Adobe Premiere Pro" - illustrates two workflows: Text-based editing and visual editing. Import to edit to titles to color fixes, this covers everything you need to know to get started.

Link: Essential Workflows in Adobe Premiere Pro v25

My second webinar is last Wednesday's "Ask Larry Anything!" This spanned a discussion on the impact of AI, the status of Final Cut Pro, and detailed tutorials on Premiere Pro. It was a fun session and the last one this year. Webinars will restart in January with a look at effects in Final Cut Pro.

Link: Ask Larry Anything!

Tutorial #1 this week is a short video on feathering edges in Photoshop. This technique changed recently, so I illustrate how to soften an edge either out or in.

Link: Feathering Image Edges in Adobe Photoshop v25 [v]

Tutorial #2 reflects a change that Apple made in Apple Motion that affects how adjustment layers for FCP are created. Here's what you need to know now.

Link: Create an Adjustment Layer for Final Cut Pro 11 Using Motion 5.9

Tutorial #3 shows how to use compound clips when working with drop zones in Final Cut Pro. Drop zones are containers visual effects use to display media. But there is one big workaround you need to know to use them effectively.

Link: Using Drop Zones in Apple Final Cut Pro 11 [v]

Tutorial #4 shows how to scale images safely in Adobe Premiere Pro. There is one - generally bad - choice that you need to avoid.

Link: Better Ways to Scale Images in Adobe Premiere Pro v25

Tutorial #5 presents three techniques to work faster in Premiere. I re-learned these last week as I was editing the two webinars that I released today.

Link: Three Techniques to Work Faster in Adobe Premiere Pro

Tutorial #6 is a guest post on the importance of optimizing audio levels in post-production.

Link: Optimize Audio Levels Using Professional Sound Mixers in Post

This coming week I'm testing a new HDD RAID that I just bought. Yeah, I'm running out of storage space. We hear all these technical terms - RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, HFS+, APFS, Thunderbolt 2, 3, 5... I want to see what the performance differences are between them. The gear arrived last week. I'm looking forward to learning what impact these settings have on us getting our work done efficiently. 

Playing with new toys is always fun! 

Until next week, stay healthy, stay hopeful and edit well.

TUTORIALS & REVIEWS

» How Long Does It Take to Edit a Video Project? (Commentary)

  » Editors from around the world share their estimating techniques.

» Using Drop Zones in Apple Final Cut Pro 11 (Tutorial)

  » Drop zones are easy - until you need a clip to start in the middle.

» Create an Adjustment Layer for FCP Using Motion 5.9 (Tutorial)

  » Apple changed how this works. Here's the new technique.

» Feathering Edges in Adobe Photoshop (Tutorial)

  » Recently, Adobe changed how feathering works. Here's how it works now.

» Three Techniques to Work Faster in Premiere Pro (Tutorial)

  » Three hidden techniques I re-discovered during my edit last week.

» Better Ways to Scale Images in Premiere Pro (Tutorial)

  » Four options: One bad, two better, one best.

» How to Optimize Audio Levels in Post-Production (Guest Post)

  » Abdul Jabbar describes the importance of creating good audio in post.

TOP 4 TITLES LAST WEEK