Edit Easy It’s interesting that editing software of all levels has gained features unimaginable even a couple of years ago, while becoming easier to use at the same time. This is the case with Corel VideoStudio Pro X2. For a lot of quick editing jobs, there’s really not much this progra

Editors are dirty little tricksters. Yes, we pull all sorts of illusions behind our viewers’ backs. Some people might even say all editing is a “trick.” I define editing as the manipulation of audio and visual elements to tell a compelling story. If we accept that all editing is

How many of us have received homemade gifts over the years and wondered why someone would take the time and effort to make THAT? I still have the hand-made "Santa's Workshop Tissue Holder" I received a few years ago because I felt guilty disposing of it. I have a better idea for using

NOISE INDUSTRIES ROLLS OUT FXFACTORY AWARDS COMPETITION Editors and Visual Effects Artists submit their best FxFactory projects and win BIG! Noise Industries, developer of visual effects tools for the post-production and broadcast markets, announced the launch of the FxFactory Awards 2008 contest. D

Not sure if many of you have heard about Microsoft's new development in video editing technology, but I just ran across a couple of very impressive articles about it. The idea is to be able to edit on a 3D surface by flattening it. This is very new to the consumer market and I found it interesti

Capture Pod Focus Enhancements’ FS-5 direct capture device marks a sea change in how we use video. Not only does the device capture video from a Mini DV or HDV camcorder, it allows editing directly on the computer it is attached to, and it also allows something very revolutionary – the

As video producers transition into the 21st century, we have an opportunity that no other filmmakers or mediamakers have had in the past: we can edit on the set. Even if celluloid film editors of yore dragged their large and bulky Moviola or Steenbeck film-cutting machines onto the set, they would h

People love movies, and many people love them enough to want to watch movies about the movies they love. Special features are any additional audio, visual or interactive media that exist beyond the original version of a film on a DVD. These features may be items such as extended versions, director&

Speed Demon, Part 8 It seems like every new computer that comes through our doors is now the fastest. Or using the most bleeding-edge technology. HP didn’t disappoint us with its latest workstation, the xw6600. It utilizes Intel’s newest Xeon processor and chipset, and it delivers great

For years, we video producers have had to deal with how we share our videos with our associates or clients when we want to discuss changes, and where to go next. Weve mailed VHS tapes and DVDs and waited for their response. Weve made low-rez e-mail and FTP links and waited for their comments. Severa

From start to completion, Charlie walks through the basics of achieving a Green Screen effect. View the TranscriptSetting up a chroma key wall like this greenscreen behind me is one of the Holy Grails of video production. Sometimes you just want to replace the background with something

Without a doubt, you see chromakeys used countless times – probably every time you watch the news on TV – and perhaps you aren’t even aware of it. Chromakeying is a process widely used throughout the television industry to merge (composite) one image (often a live one) with previ

Disc Makers Forte Sometimes, it’s the simple things that we find most comforting. We love times when we find little things we never really noticed before that make us realize just what we have been missing. The Disc Makers Forte, in an odd way, is a duplicator that’s just different enou

Marrying Ease and Fun Together Version 12 of Pinnacle’s popular Studio editing software offers 3 levels: Pinnacle Studio ($49), Studio Plus ($99) and Studio Ultimate ($129). Registered Studio users can upgrade to Plus for only $69 and Ultimate for $99. We tested the Ultimate version. Pinnacl

Many editing software programs offer a variety of colorful scopes to help enhance the hue, color, and brilliance, among other editing tweaks. But how do they work? I recently took a documentary I was editing on a 24″ iMac and brought it to a Mac Pro tower with dual 17″ NEC monitors and

Every day on TV and in the movies, we see conventions of editing that build upon the hard work and genius of those who have come before. Actually breaking editing down into its constituent parts and figuring out how they work, however, can be very difficult. Although we see so much of it, we donR

The Sound of Music- And Speech Enjoying a good set of speakers on your desktop is a joy many have yearned for. I’m not talking about the “high quality” multimedia speakers that came bundled with your computer. I’m talking about real speakers. I’m talking about speakers

So … you now know how to shoot video, light a scene, direct actors – you even know how to write up a model release. What’s the next tool that can add extra life to your productions and carry you just that much higher in your video producing realm? I’ve often thought that I&

In the days of olde, a videotape deck was an important member of your video editing arsenal. Believe it or not, it is still an essential tool for many editing situations. I may be dating myself a bit, but I remember the heavy days of carrying a videotape recorder on my shoulder for those early cons

Four of the most dangerous words in the video production lexicon are “fix it in post.” Easy for a director or cinematographer to say, but who is going to feel the pain? The editor and, most probably, the audience. Matty Libatique, the cinematographer of Requiem for a Dream, said, “