Crop/Distort

Hey y'all,

Is there some sort of grid that I can open in my canvas to help me make sure the different smaller "boxes" of video are the exact same size?

Like how I can divide the screen into 4 and make sure all 4 crop/distort boxes (what are they called?) are the exact same size and in the right place.

Thanks,
E

Might try DH Grid from Digital Heaven. Free

[www.digital-heaven.co.uk]

Thanks -

Exactly what I was looking for!!!!

I'm just not sure how to get it into my canvas, other than opening it in the viewer and overwriting it above the clip on the timeline that I want to start working with. Any suggestions?

Yep that's how it works. DH_Grid is a generator, just drop it onto a higher video track and adjust the controls as desired.

Martin Baker
www.digital-heaven.co.uk
NEW! BigTime resizable timecode display for FCP

if you want them exactly exact,
get all the boxes close to how you;d like them,
then open them in the viewer
go to the "Motion" tab
check the settings in "Basic Motion",
particularly "Scale, and "Centre"

open all the clips to get a sense of what;s happening in there and where they're not matching,
and tidy them up.


cheers,
nick

I always use numbers in the Motion tab when I want accuracy. Dragging the Wireframe with the mouse is much faster, but doesn't give this kind of accuracy. If you're doing a quadrant layout, each clip should be at 50 per cent size, and all the integers for center should be the same, with opposing positive/negative values. Top left would be Negative X, Negative Y; top righ is Positive X, Negative Y; bottom left is Negative X, Positive Y; and bottom right is Positive X, Positive Y. If you have more than two integers in your co-ordinates, you're not centered.

The numbers don't lie!

If any of you recall my similar queries back in February, I'll be re-opening that nightmare of "different letterboxing settings source tapes" project for a revision next week, so thanks for the refresher.

Love that Motion Tab,

Marla

Or, if you're in a hurry, make one box at the correct size, then paste attributes onto the other three boxes, including the basic motion. This will stack the clips on top of one another in (say) the top left hand corner.

Now use the wireframe mode in the canvas, grab the clip that is supposed to be in the top right corner and the one that goes bottom right, hold shift and drag them right. Holding shift will constain the path in a straight line, so they will be excatly in line with the left one.

Now grab just the bottom right hand clip, hold shift and drag down.

Now grab the bottom left picture (its still under the top left clip) and shift-drag down. This is the only adjustment you have to watch carefully, as it is perfectly in line with the top left clip, but you have to judge where the bottom edge goes. The grid is good for this.

Or - another very quick method I just remembered. Make a mask in Photoshop with transparent areas where you want the clips to appear. The just dump your clips underneath the mask. This is also good because you can adjust the framing of each clip as the edges are hidden by the mask.

Thats a great tip/trick Jude! Wanna write it up in American language and I'll put it in the lafcpug newsletter and you will become instantly famous and world renowned and be showered with riches.

:-)

This is the kind of job where I think Digital Heaven's DH_Box plugin comes in handy. I did four TV spots with split-screens and that filter sped things up remarkably, with faster and much more powerful zooming and keyframing than the features available under the Motion tab.

"American language"?? What isn't "American" about the way Jude described it? I think he could be richer by making it more Ozzie.

y'know.

mate.

;-)

Scott

American language always contains the word "bitchin."

No problem Mike. which one did you like? The shift drag or the photoshop mask? I'll be sure to make it ..erm.. bitchin. lol

>>I think he could be richer by making it more Ozzie<<

I have said this a few times, but it seems to get kind of glossed over, so I'll say it again. I'm not a he. I'm a she. Not that it really matters in forum land, but I kind of feel like I should say so.

I never used to have this problem before Jude Law. Damn him and his chiseled good looks and charming ways.

> I have said this a few times, but it seems to get kind of glossed over, so I'll
> say it again. I'm not a he. I'm a she.

I never knew that!

Jude Law's not to blame. Paul McCartney is.

Anyway, nice to make your acquaintence again!

Girl Power!

Some day I'll tell the All-Girl Editing story about, of all things, HBO Boxing promos.

Oops, sorry, it was Showtime....

And I tagged this on the wrong post...but I'm sure y'all can figure out this refers to Jude's post about being a she, not a he...

;-P

The photoshop mask Jude. Thought that was WAY bitchin.

:-)

I had been on a marathon West Wing DVD binge and I noticed that this show was primarily edited by women.

I think editing's one of the few technical positions in film that doesn't have a boys' club mentality. The DP on my thesis film at film school was a 23-year-old woman and she caught some disrespectful b.s. from the 1st AC. I fired him after a weekend. Two-thirds of my editing mentors have been women, and they're all fantastic.

Quote

I think editing's one of the few technical positions in film that doesn't have a boys' club mentality.

It depends on which end of the spectrum you are dealing with, derek.

In my experience, many technical-types don't care, as long as you can talk the tech, you are allowed to play. This seems to be, as you have noticed, regardless of gender.

Those who can't or choose not to "talk tech", also regardless of their own gender, tend to assume that only those with the correct chromosome can or should.

I've been treated poorly by many women and men in this field who are mostly on the Pre- and Production side of the business simply because I'm not a guy. Their assumption tends to be that if they can't wrap their heads around it, then how could I, a GIRL, possibly be able to really comprehend? (and with the women, it's usually because I'm younger than they are...)

I've been treated fabulously by many men and women in all levels of production, but mostly post-production because they know just by talking to me that I can do my job. Many of them have given me wonderful chances to prove myself, and because of their help, support, and belief in my capabilities, I was able to achieve many things at an early age.

It's a bittersweet experience, actually. In the course of one day, on too many occasions to count, I went from being a star editor capable of pulling off the same effects and having mastered many of the same editing techniques that made my colleagues superior editors to being just "a little blonde thing, and isn't it so cute that she thinks she can edit?", simply depending on who was in the room. It's not the lack of faith in my abilities, it's the condescension. One can usually overcome lack of faith in abilities by just doing your job and doing it well. Condescension usually doesn't go away, no matter how good you are.

> Condescension usually doesn't go away, no matter how good you are.

Condescension is often a symptom of lack of confidence or too much of it...

To me, camera has always been the worst stronghold of the Boys' Club. The ratio of male-female DPs I've met has been about 12 to 1. Sound recording, editing and producing, more like 50-50. Special effects is another area where it's lopsided -- male-female ratio of probably about 10 to 3 in my own experience.

Anyway, our satisfaction will come of showing them what we can do. Whether we are men or women.

Quote

our satisfaction will come of showing them what we can do. Whether we are men or women

Amen to that, sister...er, brother, er...well, um....you know!!

;-P

Hear Hear!

Sisters and brothers in post, unite! There are disbelievers and jerks all around this business, and the others, but talent and skill always wins in the end.

I am going through a very rough time of it at my current job, hopefully none of my work-colleagues read this forum, but I've just crossed over to be beyond caring too much... detaching, and looking for something WAY better.

I came so close last week to a great gig, a reality series union gig, it got down between me and someone else, they got it, and now I am just trying to remember that that was a big groovy reminder that opportunity is right here, under my snoot, and that I just got to keep showing up and liberation from abusive careless bosses is imminent!

Experiencing worse than condescending sexism from the producer I have done great work for for 3 and a half years now, it's more like abusive humiliation. Some ugly stuff, and just jaw-dropping to me after all I've done. Big eye-opener in terrms of respect and the lack thereof. Time for me to jump back into the freelance flame...

Sorry for the riff-rant, slightly off topic too...

BTW, that photoshop mask thing IS great - I think you suggested it to me in February too Jude, though I thought it was a version of a mask in FCP, didn't remember it being a ps thing...

OK derekmok, fess up: are you a sister or a brother? Just curious, ok to keep your identity incognito if you prefer, of course!

Marla-in-NY

> OK derekmok, fess up: are you a sister or a brother? Just curious, ok to keep
> your identity incognito if you prefer, of course!

I'm a guy. (I've been meaning to ask Michael H. to change my name so it's not bunched together with no caps, but I never got around to it)

At a certain point, we all have to self-evaluate and set a market price. The key to getting respect is demanding it. I just raised my rates with one of the companies I worked for because the previous rate wasn't high enough. They had to listen or I would walk. It all comes back to the "charging too little" discussions we've had several times in here -- producers will *never* give you more if they can wring the work out of you for less, so I always remind myself that I'm not the one driving a Mercedes-Benz, and there's no reason for me to "take a cut for the team".

Happily, I've not really experienced much sexism in my life. Apart from the normal crap from drunken boys, about the only thing I can recall is my band conductor not letting me play drums in Primary school because I was a girl and he let a girl try once and she was no good. I mean .. right. That makes sense. You moron.

Anyway, it didn't matter because one of the boys who did get to learn taught me on the side. Trickle down learning

I did have a client look right through me the other day at the studio, but I think that was probably because I wasn't famous and he was scouting for 'important' people to chat to. Obviously as the person about to cut his commercial on an hourly rate I wasn't that important.

I dunno why I don't get more crap. Maybe it's because I'm such a good swearer. There's a point system for it here in Oz. Also I threaten violence quite regularly.

I should try the swearing thing...

;-P

Isn't it goofy how the subject of the e-mails still read "Crop/Distort"?

Women get cropped out of the tech side, and their abilities are distorted by certain ignorant views.

Time for a new thread, perhaps!

> Happily, I've not really experienced much sexism in my life. Apart from the
> normal crap from drunken boys, about the only thing I can recall is my band
> conductor not letting me play drums in Primary school because I was a girl
> and he let a girl try once and she was no good. I mean .. right. That makes
> sense. You moron.

A list of Top 100 drummers of all time two years ago only had one woman on it. Blech. That same list actually left out Levon Helm, as well. But what about Janet Weiss? Laurie Wall?

Anyway, I gotta tip my hat to the ladies since Beth Kling and Michelle Harrison were both major mentors in my career, and Jude has shown me some marvelous tricks in here.

Jude Cotter wrote:

> I dunno why I don't get more crap. Maybe it's because I'm such
> a good swearer. There's a point system for it here in Oz. Also
> I threaten violence quite regularly.

You go girl!

>A list of Top 100 drummers of all time two years ago only had one woman >on it. Blech. That same list actually left out Levon Helm, as well. But what >about Janet Weiss? Laurie Wall?

Yeah,and what about Maureen Tucker??? Who was the one woman who was mentioned, btw?

I used to be a great and frequent combination-swearer. I made an effort to stop, perhaps I oughtta reconsider returning to my foul-mouthed downtown-Detroit roots... then again, a grammatically proper, gently voiced threat of imminent violence might command even greater respect, thanks for the idea Jude!

And derekmok, you made me laugh with that crop/distort analogy.

It's now hot NY, it is burning hot all of a sudden, really nice but makes ya wanna be LAZY. Think I'll go to the "newly released old" Melville flick tonoght,
Army of Shadows... Anyone seen it?

Marla

> Yeah,and what about Maureen Tucker??? Who was the one woman who
> was mentioned, btw?

Cindy Blackman, drummer for Lenny Kravitz.