Larry Jordan's Newsletter: Oct. 2, 2023

October 2, 2023

Last week, Apple released macOS Sonoma, the latest major version of the Mac operating system. At almost the same time, Apple updated macOS Ventura to 13.6, released a public beta of Sonoma 14.1 and updated Final Cut Pro to 10.6.9. Needless to say, there are problems. This article has more details, but, if you don't have time to read, the short answer is: Never be in a hurry to upgrade!

Link: Caution: Don’t Hurry to Upgrade

With the release of Sonoma, a major era in the life of the Macintosh ends: PostScript and EPS files are no longer supported. Almost forty years ago, the Mac sprang to life due to the magical confluence of PostScript, Quark Express and the Mac. The long-foretold end of PostScript should not go unremarked.

Link: Requiem for PostScript, EPS and the Magic of Type 1 Fonts

In the news:

Blackmagic Design recently announced the public beta of DaVinci Resolve 18.6. DaVinci Resolve 18.6 adds support for the new Blackmagic Camera cloud workflow. This allows sharing project libraries and media files with Blackmagic Cloud. This means if anyone adds media to a project, everyone else gets it within minutes. The secret is a proxy workflow as Resolve automatically creates and uploads proxies first. Then it can also upload the original media, if needed.

Link: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

DJI released the Mini 4 Pro drone. The new Mini series uses OcuSync 4 for up to 12.4 miles of transmission range, and the tri-directional obstacle avoidance is updated to an omnidirectional design, providing complete protection. When it comes to imaging, the Mini 4 Pro's camera now offers up to 4K 100fps resolution support for 4K slow motion.

Link: DJI Releases the Mini 4 Pro Drone

Cinedeck is offering a free webinar Oct. 4 recapping their IBC announcements: Live Replay, Live Logging and ConneX. Registration is free.

Link: https://share.hsforms.com/1e3pILYYIRSagQ8cc0JuJgw4hrr8

Webinars will return later this month.

As I was writing this week's issue, I realized I haven't looked into the latest new features in Adobe Premiere Pro. Time to fix that. Here's what I learned.

Link: New Features in Adobe Premiere Pro

What with today's challenging business environment, it is easy to feel a bit down-hearted. So, here's something playful that is both easy and fun: Lighting 3D text in Final Cut! Between texture and lighting, 3D text in FCP is fascinating.

Link: Being Playful: Lighting 3D Text in Final Cut Pro

Welcome to October! Fall finally arrived here in the Northern Hemisphere. It's my favorite season. I'm not sure why. Clearly, summer is warmer and sunnier. And fall does presage the coming cold of winter. Still, fall is my favorite time. Perhaps is the crisp snap to the air, or the brilliant fall colors, or - perhaps harkening back to my youth - the sense that "things start again" in the fall. For whatever reason, I find fall rejuvenating - filled with the potential of good things to come.

For us, as media creators, it's a time of new software and new hardware to help us tell our stories. Yes, we are beset by challenges, but fall reminds us that change also brings opportunities to find new ways to solve existing problems. Fall is a time of transition - a time of clearer focus and renewed resolve. A sense that "things are starting again."

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