|
|
All the news now and in your digital future
Show all posts by user
Post here if you are offering a job or looking for a job. Check the lafcpug Talent Directory first if you are an employer. Lots of good talent in there
Re: Red on Black Text Issues - 12 years ago
As a rule, red on black usually looks like a$$. In print production, when you lay red text on top of black it 'vibrates' and makes it a little hard to read, especially if you choose a small type size. In video your eyes still see the vibration and you also see the nasty jaggies that often accompany red-colored type. You can try to mitigate it by using a sans-serif typeface in a very LARGE type siby John K - Café LA
Re: OT: Who's using Blu-ray for archiving? - 12 years ago
I already have some bare drives laying around.... maybe it's time for a Drobo.by John K - Café LA
Re: OT: Who's using Blu-ray for archiving? - 12 years ago
strypes Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- >So I use RAID 1 external drives. And everything else is backed up, including my own system drive. And those Raid-1s, do you just turn them on every few weeks so that the drives aren't languishing? JKby John K - Café LA
Re: OT: Who's using Blu-ray for archiving? - 12 years ago
Great discussion guys, thanks for the info. Strypes and Derek, are you guys both using LTO for archiving now? JKby John K - Café LA
OT: Who's using Blu-ray for archiving? - 12 years ago
Time to clean off the RAID and archive a few large projects. Was about to buy another stack of bare SATA drives but then I read Larry Jordan's warning about keeping them on the shelf for long periods of time (loss of magnetic signal). I can't afford an expensive tape backup system right now wondering if any of you are trusting your data to BR optical media... JKby John K - Café LA
Re: Weird: QT Pro output is cleaner than Compressor's - 12 years ago
That was it! Thanks Strypes! Yeah it was 480x270, an odd size. When do you think we should enable Frame Controls - when it's an odd size, or anytime you resize to a smaller frame? JKby John K - Compressor - Media Compression and Conversion
Weird: QT Pro output is cleaner than Compressor's - 12 years ago
Working at E3 right now, have to compress my outputs to client specs for their web site. They asked for H.264 saved as an MP4, 1100 kbps at a custom size. They told they normally compress using Quicktime Pro - opening their SCQTs and using the 'Export' command. I tried to set up a custom Compressor setting with the exact same specs and tested both methods. The QTPro output is definitely cleaneby John K - Compressor - Media Compression and Conversion
Re: specs for delivery of Quicktime files - 12 years ago
Hi Lisha, The response your "people" gave you doesn't make any sense. When I get footage from my clients, it's usually in the format it was shot in - DV, HDV, DVCProHD, XDCAM - or converted from a raw format into something I can edit, like ProRes. At no point is the bitrate ever an issue; it's simply 'set' into the recorded format and it's not something you usually try and alter.by John K - Café LA
Re: QUICKTIME & SNOW LEOPARD - 12 years ago
I see what's happening. iDVD still does NOT read anamorphic video files correctly. So if you export 16:9 anamorphic video from FCP it gets squished to 4:3 when you drop it in. Apparently this has been happening for a while now; I had no idea because I only use DVD Studio Pro now (worth learning IMHO, it saves you a lot of headaches). The process you describe (changing the video size) was oby John K - Café LA
Re: QUICKTIME & SNOW LEOPARD - 12 years ago
Was your video working fine (ie appearing 'normal') before you upgraded? This may have nothing to do with QT&SL, and everything to do with your project settings. Let us know what format you were working in and what your sequence settings are; we need more info to dissect this. Since it's impossible for a video to be in BOTH 4x3 and 16x9 at the same time, your sequence was probably not setby John K - Café LA
Re: AJA IOHD - great condition, $3K - 12 years ago
Forgot to add: local LA area pickup or we can arrange shipping; still have the original box and packing materials.by John K - lafcpug Market
AJA IOHD - great condition, $3K - 12 years ago
I'm selling an IOHD unit, barely two years old and in great condition. Upgraded to latest firmware. Will throw in an extra long FW800 cable if you want it! Asking $3,000. JK B&H Link for AJA IOHDby John K - lafcpug Market
Re: Sorta off topic FCS, but Mac question about beloved Disk Warrior. - 12 years ago
Don't compare this process to the olden days of OS9 (where you could just strip out extraneous System folders), OSX is a whole different beast. Just do a regular install from your OSX disk and don't sweat it. You can de-select other languages and extra printer drivers, otherwise there's nothing else to "cut." JKby John K - Café LA
Re: Production script breakdown - 12 years ago
QuoteSo ... its basically a method for "estimating" the amount of script that gets shot on a daily basis. OR/and letting you know if your behind schedule or ahead of schedule while you are shooting Yup, pretty muchby John K - Café LA
Re: Production script breakdown - 12 years ago
Because a scene in a script doesn't start or stop neatly at the top or bottom of a page. It often spills over onto another page so in order to accurately measure how much space a scene occupies you divide a page into 8ths. So a scene that starts at the top of page 1 and only goes to the very top of page 2 is NOT 2 pages long, it's 1 1/8 pages long. And your next question is: WHY is a page counby John K - Café LA
Re: FCP or Compressor? - 12 years ago
Via Firewire you pretty much have to capture at the same format it was shot in (in that case, DV @29.97). If you shot at 24p then it will have the filmic look to it already and (as Strypes said) editing at 29.97 would make no difference. Had you shot it at 24PA you could edit at 23.98 but it would look the same visually. Correct me if I'm wrong, but nothing you can do in Compressor really givby John K - Café LA
Re: .mov's - shouldn't these play in DVD player? (for non tech client) - 12 years ago
iDVD can't use the MPEG-2/ac3 files that you made in Compressor. Those have to be used in DVD Studio Pro, Toast, or another DVD authoring program. Not sure why iDVD won't import your QT file, so I think DVDSPRO is your best bet. JKby John K - Compressor - Media Compression and Conversion
Re: OT-Ditching the G5 -need great specs for HD Mac Pro - 12 years ago
There might -- MIGHT -- be new Mac Pros coming out soon. Only because there's new Intel chips out and the line is due for a refresh. But if you need something now then don't wait, just get the best model you can afford (and buy tons of RAM from a 3rd party, it's cheaper than Apple). JKby John K - Café LA
Re: Steve Jobs and FCP - 12 years ago
Just saw this. Wow, three sentences from Steve! Looking forward to the next "awesome" release. JKby John K - Café LA
Re: Flash bulb effect filter, generator or transition. - 12 years ago
That just looks like a custom lens flare effect to me. You could use the lens flare generator in AE to make one that pops up like that one, with custom colors even, then export with an alpha channel and place it where you want it. JKby John K - Café LA
Re: h.264 & FCP 6 - 13 years ago
I second what Andy said, use MPEG streamclip instead of Compressor; it's faster for converting the footage. Keep the frame size (1920x1080, right?) and frame rate the same as the source clip, but change the codec to Apple ProRes. I've heard that ProResHQ won't make much difference in this case, so someone correct me if that's wrong. Streamclip can also do batches, so you can set this up to runby John K - Café LA
Re: Filter to fix/improve bad skin - 13 years ago
I still use the 'Skin Smoother' plugin from DFT's 55mm plugin set, although they sold it to Tiffen and it's now available from them. I don't see 'Skin Smoother' specifically listed but I'm sure they've replaced it with something better. Not cheap I'm afraid... JKby John K - Café LA
Re: Vanishing people trick - 13 years ago
Only because it might be relevant, I wanted to post the link to a spec commercial I worked on -- our entry for the Louisiana Hot Sauce contest. It features at lot of people exploding, their bodies completely disappearing. The effects are no great shakes (it's just the 'Big Blast' emitter from Motion), but the shooting process was fairly straightforward: shoot separate plates of the scene with andby John K - Café LA
Re: OT: Blu-ray on Macs soon? Don't hold your breath. - 13 years ago
QuoteDave MorrisonI'm assuming you mean not being able to order a pre-configured Mac from the Apple Store with a BR burner in it, right? Yes. I would look at any of the bundles offered by OWC, I think they work pretty well. Apple has supported BR burners in the new FCS but I doubt they'll offer any as BTO until they actually implement the BR standards into their hardware to allow playback.by John K - Café LA
Re: sped up DVCPRO HD 720p24 footage plays stuttery - 13 years ago
Are you checking it on an external monitor? Try running your external video out to an HDTV and see how it really looks (you can never judge by the Viewer window). Also, have you tried doing the time remapping in Motion? It has tools that provide better (and smoother) results IMHO. JKby John K - Café LA
OT: Blu-ray on Macs soon? Don't hold your breath. - 13 years ago
Just saw this in an article about Apple's latest, internal town-hall meeting. Steve Jobs apparently said that "Blu-Ray software is a mess, and Apple will wait until sales really start to take off before implementing it." So, are sales really not taking off? I know there's been slow growth but I feel like BR is finally starting to get some real penetration into the market. In any casby John K - Café LA
Re: OT: Apple Tablet - 13 years ago
It does have video out, but via the dock connector. Even if there was an iPod>miniDisplayport adapter (is there such a thing?) I bet it would only support playback of media and not desktop mirroring.by John K - Café LA
Re: FCP to Blu Ray - 13 years ago
I've had no luck with sending out AVCHD discs so far. A lot of the older BR players won't play them. a PS3 will, along with some of the newer players. If it's critical, I think it's best to get a proper BR burner and make Blu-Rats to send out, rather than risk making a coaster that won't work on the other end... JKby John K - Café LA
Re: OT: Apple Tablet - 13 years ago
And of course, the inevitable question: "what does this do for me?" (the content creator) For now, not much. Personally I'll buy one if and when I decide to start reading books on a screen (rather than say, a Kindle), or if they develop a REALLy good universal remote app I can use for my home theater. That said, my WIFE might love one since she hates carrying a laptop (thin? cheap? cby John K - Café LA
Re: Recreate digital TV noise? - 13 years ago
@ Kevin, yeah but it's same old analog-style bad TV (static, roll, waves) and not modern glitches, pixelation, etc.by John K - Café LA
