ScreenFlow 3.0 rises above ordinary screen capture utilities

One of the best ways to explain a tricky task to someone—whether it’s replacing spark plugs in a car or using an image editor to clean up an old photo—is to simply show them how it’s done. Telestream’s ScreenFlow 3.0.1 can certainly help with the latter. This amazing app helps you create computer-based tutorial videos by recording your screen activity (along with narration), which you can then share online with friends and fans.

ScreenFlow opens to a very small preference panel that lets you configure your recording. In addition to screen activity (recorded by default), you can choose to capture audio from any available mic as well as directly from the computer. ScreenFlow also allows you to capture video from your iSight camera while it records screen activity—a clever inclusion that lets you connect visually with your audience rather than exist only as a disembodied voice. Clicking the record button starts a five-second countdown, and then you’re on stage.

The quality of the resulting screen recording is top-notch. I attempted to bog down the app by recording screen activity, audio from the computer, and video from my iMac’s iSight, all while playing music and 720p video files within iTunes. ScreenFlow captured it all, with scarcely a skipped frame. Impressively, screen activity and user audio and video are captured as separate clips.

ScreenFlow sets itself apart from other screen capture utilities by including a capable video editor. Once you’ve wrapped up your recording, the video appears in an editing window that is very similar to iMovie. (ScreenFlow’s user interface is cleaner and feels much more intuitive than iMovie, however.) As with most video editors, ScreenFlow supports multiple audio and video tracks, listed vertically, that flow left to right along a standard timeline. Clips can be split, trimmed, and repositioned, and like iMovie, ScreenFlow allows you to add animated transitions between clips.

At the right of the video editor, you’ll find a collection of properties that let you configure different aspects of the clips you record. Video Properties let you resize clips, adjust opacity, or add a reflection, while Audio Properties allow you to adjust volumes, apply effects and remove background noise from a clip (which can effectively remove the hum of the computer often captured by the internal mic).

However, it’s the screencast-specific properties that really add shine to ScreenFlow. Under Screen Recording Properties, you have the option to turn on and off the mouse cursor, increase the cursor’s size, and add a click effect to help your viewers see where you’re clicking the mouse. (The radar effect displays an expanding red circle that brilliantly calls attention to each click.) Meanwhile, Callout Properties let you isolate a part of the screen to further focus the viewer’s attention. You can highlight the foreground window by dimming and blurring the background, for example, or enlarge the area around the cursor as you click from place to place. It’s all handled expertly by the app. Other properties allow you to annotate your screencast with text, arrows, and shapes.

Once you’re happy with your screencast, you can export it using a variety of presets such as iPad, Web, and Windows Media. And happily, ScreenFlow can streamline your workflow by publishing videos directly to YouTube and Vimeo.

It’s also worth pointing out that you’re not limited to screen recordings. ScreenFlow can be used to annotate other video files such as movie clips or gameplay videos—all you have to do is open an empty document and add the media you want.

Source is
http://www.macworld.com/article/163151/2011/10/screenflow_3_0_rises_above_ordinary_screen_capture_utilities.html

Import camera videos directly into iMovie '11

To us, a video shot with a camcorder and a video shot with a DSLR or compact camera are essentially the same thing: a video file stored on a memory card. But to iLife, they're different: iMovie was designed to import footage from devices that primarily shoot video, while iPhoto was designed to import images from still cameras.

By necessity, iPhoto can import video files shot by still cameras. Since iMovie can't import those files directly, it offers a bridge: In the Event Library, click the iPhoto Videos item to view movies stored in your iPhoto library. (You may be asked to let iMovie generate thumbnails of those movies to see them properly.)

However, this approach doesn't give you the advantage of organizing movies into iMovie Events. When you need more clips for a project, you have to keep returning to the large list of iPhoto Videos. One solution is to copy iPhoto videos to your existing iMovie Events—but then you end up with duplicate clips on your hard disk, taking up a lot of valuable space.

There's a better way. Instead of taking a trip through iPhoto, it is possible to import movies created with still cameras directly into iMovie '11. Here's how:

iMovie imports the drop box items after you launch the program.

1.   Quit iMovie if it's currently running.
2.   Open one of the unheralded heros in Mac OS X, the Image Capture application.
3.   In Image Capture's sidebar, select your camera or memory card in the Devices list (if it is not already selected).
4.   Locate the Import To pulldown menu at the bottom of the window, and choose Other.
5.   Navigate to the iMovie Drop Box folder, which is located in your Home folder at ~/Movies/iMovie Events/iMovie Drop Box/. Click the Choose button.
6.   Command-click the movies you want to import to select them.
7.   iMovie imports the drop box items after you launch the program.
8.   Click the Import button. The files are copied to the iMovie Drop Box folder.
9.   Launch iMovie. (iMovie seems to check the folder only when the application is launched.)
10.   A dialog appears saying there are drop box items waiting. Click Import Now. You're prompted to choose or create an Event, as you normally do when importing video. The clips are moved to that Event and appear in the Event Browser.

Use Image Capture to import movies directly to iMovie.

Admittedly, that's a lot of steps, made slightly frustrating by the fact that Image Capture doesn't remember other folder locations the next time you open the application. So, to streamline the process for the next time, create a simple Automator workflow specifically for Image Capture.

1.   Launch Automator and, in the initial dialog that appears asking what type of action to create, choose Image Capture Plugin.
2.   In the Actions list, select Files & Folders.
3.   Drag the Copy Finder Items action to the right-hand column.
4.   Click the To pop-up menu and specify the iMovie Drop Box folder.
5.   Save the Automator file with a descriptive name like Movies to iMovie.

The next time you launch Image Capture, choose your workflow from the Import To menu.

This simple Automator action makes the import process easier

Sure, I'd like to see iMovie import movie files directly from still cameras in a future version. But in the meantime, this workaround allows you to put the video clips directly into iMovie without dealing with duplicates in iPhoto.

Source is
http://www.macworld.com/article/163004/2011/10/import_camera_videos_directly_into_imovie_11.html

Some PowerDirector 10 Tips

Cyberlink PowerDirector 10 is a video editing software program that typically comes bundled with a JVC camcorder. However, you can purchase PowerDirector separately on the Cyberlink website (see "Resources"). PowerDirector allows you to import or capture your video, edit it, enhance it and produce a polished product. Tips on how to add titles, color boards and transitions will help you in producing a great video.

Transitions

Transitions help to enhance the production of your video by allowing you to create effects like fade-ins and fade-outs. The "Transition Room" contains all of the transition effects that can be applied between video or image clips in the workspace. However, you may also apply transitions within one single video by simply "splitting" the video into separate clips directly from the video track on the timeline. To split a media clip, select the clip you want to modify. Place your cursor at the position at which you want to split the clip, and click "Split." The clip is split into independent clips that can be moved or modified separately in the workspace. Transitions may then be applied to as many of the split sections desired. Splitting a video or audio clip does not delete any portion of the content. Both halves of a split video or audio clip can be stretched back to any length up to the original duration.

Colorboards

Color boards are often used to create a color background at the beginning or end of a video. They are an excellent complement to a title because they help make the title stand out. To add a color board, click the "Media Room" icon on the left of the screen to open the "Media Room" in the "Library." Select "Color boards" from the "Filter" dropdown list. The current color boards appear in the library. Select a color board, then add it to the workspace. You may do this by dragging one or more color boards to a desired position in the video track. When adding clips to the video track, you cannot leave an empty gap between the last clip and the new clips you are adding. Clips added to the end of the video track follow immediately after the final clip in that track.

Titles

Titles can be added to the beginning of the video with or without a color board, directly on the video clip, and at the very end of the video with or without a color board. Note that color boards can only be added at the front or the end of the video. Additionally, you can select different effects for your titles as you desire. Click on the "Title Room" icon to add a title. The title effect options will appear in the window, and you can choose whether to add an effect or leave the title plain. Whenever you set an option in the "Title Designer," a preview of the effect is instantly displayed.


Source is
http://www.ehow.com/list_7483044_power-director-tips.html

Sony MoviEZ HD review

Sony's Vegas range of video-editing software excels with its swift, precise operation, but we still struggle to find the time to edit our home videos. MoviEZ HD is designed for people who want edited videos without the effort of actually editing them.

It looks nothing like the Vegas family with its single-screen interface and bare minimum of controls. At its simplest, producing a video involves importing source videos and photos and a musical soundtrack, choosing one of the 10 styles and clicking Save movie. However, there are some clever touches that help the finished results veer away from the gaudy, incomprehensible messes that tend to come out of these instant-results editors.

MoviEZ HD condenses the video editing process to three simple steps

Videos and photos can be automatically ordered by date and reordered by dragging and dropping. It's also possible to mark sections of each video with thumbs up and thumbs down buttons to dictate which bits should be included or rejected. For photos, you can define where the main area of interest is to assist the pan and zoom effect, or define start and end positions manually.

Another strength is the styles themselves. As well as the usual headache-inducing frenetic video-clashes, there are simpler styles that lay off the fancy transitions and effects to let the videos and photos speak for themselves. There's some control over the styles, too, with options for cutting rate, response to music, transition type and various creative colour effects.

Importing music would be easier if the file browser had built-in playback, but it's easy to trim and combine tracks. The Personalize dialog box handles intro and end titles, narrations and various global options to customise the behaviour of the automatic edits.

The MagicMoments editor makes it easy to define which bits of a video you want to keep or discard

There are a few areas where MoviEZ feels a little unrefined. Longer credits didn't fit on the screen unless we entered carriage returns manually. Photos automatically displayed embedded captions, but this meant that our slideshows had the words "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" across every photo. A spam-style blacklist of ignored phrases is needed here. Videos often cut to a different part of the same video, showing almost exactly the same view. This so-called jump cut technique wasn't so bad in the busier styles, but in slower productions it looked odd. There are comprehensive export options including YouTube, Facebook, DVD, iPhone and iPad, but the frame rate doesn't automatically adapt to match the source footage.

Performance and reliability weren't up to Sony's usual high standards, either. We experienced quite a few crashes while testing, and rendering projects with footage from a Panasonic G3 AVCHD camera sometimes took hours when it should have taken minutes – one three-minute project took 18 hours. We discussed this with a representative from Sony and he recognised it as a bug that needed addressing. We would urge AVCHD camera owners to try the demo before buying, but licensing restrictions mean the demo can't import AVCHD files.

Most consumer video-editing software integrates this kind of automatic editing. Sony's decision to spin it out as a separate application feels much more focused but lessens the likelihood of users progressing to manual editing techniques. However, the results we got from MoviEZ gave us much less compulsion to resort to manual controls. This is a fun editor that aims to do one job well. Despite a few bugs and rough edges, it generally succeeds.

Source is
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/software/1288051/sony-moviez-hd

How to Make Templates for PowerDirector 10 Ultra

PowerDirector 10 Ultra is a video editing and DVD authoring program produced by Cyberlink. Although the application has many built-in features, users have the option to customize certain elements like DVD menu templates. PowerDirector users can do this when they launch the "Menu Designer" module.

1. 
   Launch PowerDirector 10 Ultra. Click the director's chair icon. Choose "File" and select "Open" from the menu. A file selection window will deploy. Search for your project file. Select the item and click "Open" to load the project into the program.
2. 
   Click the "Create Disc" tab and the DVD menu template library will display. Select a preferred menu template and click the "Modify" button to begin customizing it. The "Menu Designer" module will display.
3. 
   Click the "Set Background" icon. A file selection window will deploy. Search for an image to replace the default menu background. Select the item and click "Open." An image re-sizing dialog box will deploy. Choose from the "Crop," "Letterbox" or "Stretch" options to size the image for the menu background.
4. 
    Click the "Change Text Properties" icon. Scroll down the "Menu Properties" library and choose a color for the menu text. Go to the "Disc Menu Font Properties" toolbar and set the typeface, size and alignment of the menu text.
5. 
   Click the "Set Button Properties" icon. Scroll down the "Menu Properties" library and select a preferred layout for the menu buttons.
6. 
   Click the "Save" icon to store the custom template in PowerDirector. It will be available in the "Menu Designer" module for future projects.

Source is
http://www.ehow.com/how_10006998_make-templates-powerdirector.html

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus review

Opting for a consumer video editor doesn’t necessarily mean going short on features, especially if you choose MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus.

The program comes packed with high-end functionality, from the full HD support, to the 99 editing tracks, the multicam and 3D editing options, powerful sound editing tools, and wide range of output options: file, DVD, Blu-ray, YouTube, Facebook and more.

And this latest version has more than 60 new features. Movie templates make it easy to create professional trailers; image interpolation delivers smoother slow-motion effects; export presets help ensure you produce the precise video file you need; and a host of performance optimizations deliver major increases in speed, from faster load times, up to 10x faster image stabilization, or 3x faster AVCHD export thanks to CUDA and OpenCL support.

Sounds impressive, but what would all this mean in practice? We took a closer look.

Interface

After a straightforward installation, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus presents you with a familiar three-pane interface: video clips, transitions and effects top-right; preview window top-left; and your movie timeline displayed across the bottom of the window. Which works for us, although if you prefer another arrangement then panes can be dragged to rearrange them, or you can output your preview to a TV or a second monitor, leaving more space for the timeline and general editing tasks.

The media pool is similarly well-designed. You can jump straight to a common media folder (Videos, Pictures, Music), use an Explorer-type view to browse elsewhere, or launch a search tool to locate particular clips, and you’ll see their thumbnails displayed right away.

At least, that’s the idea, although we found the program wouldn’t generate thumbnails for all our .MOV sample files. Explorer and other programs displayed them correctly (even Movie Edit Pro did once we added them to the timeline), though, so we’re not sure what the problem was.

All our other media files were clearly visible, though, no real surprise as the program supports all the main formats (including Stereo 3D videos, audio files and images). MPEG-4, MPEG-2 and Dolby Digital Stereo licences have to be activated manually, but there’s no charge, the small licencing fee last time has gone.

Better still, in one notable addition to this version, you’re no longer restricted to the default tiny thumbnails. A Zoom button immediately above the media pool allows you to choose from 6 thumbnail sizes, anything from 48 pixels wide to a giant 240, which makes it much easier to spot some videos.

And once you’ve chosen a clip, a Jog button allows you to preview it frame by frame, and a quick double-click will add it to the storyboard or timeline. The missing thumbnails were annoying, but if you’re not working with similarly affected source files then you should find the core interface intuitive and easy to use.

The Basics

Getting started can be as easy as dragging and dropping any clips you need onto the timeline, then right-clicking a clip of choice to perform some action on it.

There’s capable scene detection, for instance. You get configurable image stabilization, which MAGIX claims is up to ten times faster than before; we didn’t test this specifically, but it is quick, just a few seconds for short clips (under a minute). And the versatile audio cleaner includes a DeClipper, DeHisser and excellent DeNoiser, a 10-band equaliser, compressor and stereo tweaker, all of which are both highly configurable and easy to use.

A “Find and remove ads” option tries to remove adverts from recorded TV. Results can be good for 16:9 movies as Movie Edit Pro will detect the presence (and absence) of the black stripes at the top and bottom of the screen, though it’s less reliable with other material.

And if you want to quickly apply some simple effects then you can add a pan or zoom, or maybe insert the movie’s date as a title in the opening few seconds, in just a couple of clicks.

There are some complexities here. The trimmers, in particular, are less than intuitive and it takes a little experimentation to figure out how they work. But for the most part MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus offers a good set of features that will have you producing your movie right away.

Effects

The download version of MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus only includes a few effects, to keep its file size down. And while there’s plenty of additional content available for free, downloading could take a while. The transitions pack is 135MB, for instance; extra title effects are 44MB; there’s more than 1GB of menu templates in three different files, and the list goes on. A fast Internet connection is a major plus here.

With everything downloaded (eventually), we found more than 100 transitions under the oddly-named “Fades” tab. These are categorised a little vaguely -- instead of “Slide” or “Spin”, say, you get sections like “Standard”, “Movement” or “Effect fades” -- so at first it can take a while to find what you need. But there are plenty of stylish choices (which now include sound), they’re easily applied by dragging and dropping them onto the appropriate transition point, and right-clicking this later allows you to tweak details like the transition length.

Clicking the Effects tab reveals plenty of additional options. There are a host of corrections, for instance: brightness, contrast, gamma, colour, sharpness, red-eye and more. Movement effects allow you to size, move, zoom, rotate, mirror and otherwise manipulate the movie. You can add fun effects from rain and snow, to thought bubbles, animated fish and other objects.

Advanced options include an effective chroma key, many picture-in-picture options, collages and more. And the Titles tab is just as packed with options, with over 200 styles on offer (including many 3D effects).

The sheer volume of possibilities is initially overwhelming, and a poor effects viewer doesn’t help. You can’t resize the effect thumbnails to better see what they do, for example, and the thumbnails won’t always rearrange themselves to fill the available space, so there’s some unnecessary scrolling.

The effects themselves are easily applied, though, and once you start work it won’t take long to figure things out. With the titles, say, you just choose a title style to see a preview, double-click to apply something you like, type your text in the editor, and that’s it – you’re ready to go.

Authoring

Once your movie is finished, then MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus can export it in many different ways.

You’re able to save it as a 2D video in MPEG2, MPEG4 or WMV formats, for instance; as a 3D movie in WMC anaglyph or side-by-side formats; or ready for use on a mobile device (iPod, iPhone, iPad, Android phones or tablets). Format and device support isn’t exactly extensive, but it covers the basics.

The program can also upload your creation to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, or MAGIX own Online Album, ready for sharing with others.

Selecting “Export as media player” saves the movie in a web-ready form, both a video and HTML file linking to a video player, so it’s immediately ready for use on your own website. Though, bizarrely, there’s no progress bar, so after clicking “Save video” the program appears to have locked up until it finally finishes.

And of course there’s the usual ability to author DVD and Blu-ray discs, complete with a selection of animated and HD menus. There aren’t many of these, but they can be customised quite easily, and you can buy more online if you like (a typical price might be $1.99 if the disc is solely for private use).

More new features

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus includes many new features, and the claim that it’s “on average 3x faster” (thanks to support for GPU-based acceleration) seemed particularly appealing. It’s true, too -- the program is noticeably more responsive in just about everything it does. But, of course, the competition is also accelerating, and in particular we found CyberLink’s PowerDirector 10 outperformed Movie Edit Pro in most areas, from launch time to rendering.

This new version can still improve your productivity, though, especially with the new Movie Templates. Choose from multiple styles (Action, Adventure, Love Story, Travel etc) and an appropriate storyboard appears, with soundtrack, effects and animations already added. Drag and drop your own clips onto the various placeholders, enter your own credits, and you could have a professional movie trailer ready in minutes.

The revamped travel route animation is another highlight, a great way to produce TV-quality animations showing your travels around the world (or just your local neighbourhood).

New frame interpolation support means that you can slow down a clip considerably, but still deliver quality results, as the program will generate intermediate images for you.

And there are many smaller additions dotted around, like the ability to view the EXIF data of images in the media pool, or the option to resize the heights of individual tracks according to your editing needs. Most of these are well-judged and genuinely useful, though, and they all play their part in creating what is a significant step forward for the Movie Edit Pro name.

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus may have a few limitations and technical annoyances, but these are more than outweighed by the plus points: it's packed with useful features, highly configurable, generally easy to use and a significant step forward from the previous version. If you're looking for lots of functionality as a bargain price, then take the trial version for a spin - it could be just what you need.

Source is
http://betanews.com/2011/10/24/magix-movie-edit-pro-mx-plus-review/

Final Cut Pro X: Three Tips from a Top Trainer

The Manhattan Edit Workshop has been getting a lot of calls for Apple Final Cut Pro X training, says Apple Certified Trainer Ari Feldman. That’s why it’s holding its first FCPX class, a hands-on intensive, on July 9th and 10th.

To prepare, Feldman has been spending a lot of time with the new software. “Man, is it different,” he says, praising its much faster performance. He also likes the new markers feature, which lets producers place to-do items within a project. Markers can be set as done or not done.

Much is missing, of course, like multicamera editing and XML export, but Feldman notes that Apple has promised to get those restored with an upcoming update.

Many experienced editors, including Feldman, are having difficulty adjusting to the trackless timeline. “That’s a new one on me,” he says, although he’s reserving judgment on whether or not he likes it until he’s spent more time with it.

At the moment, the user forums “read like an angry mob,” says Feldman, something he predicts will blow over in six months to a year as Apple provides improvements. Until then, plenty of people, both experienced and new to Final Cut, will need training.

“It’s the most polarizing piece of software I’ve ever seen,” he adds.

To help you adjust to the radically new Final Cut Pro X, here are three tips that Feldman has discovered:

Scrub with the S Key
With FCPX, Apple has introduced a simple way to scrub through your footage without moving the playhead. Press the S key on your keyboard to turn the feature on. Then, you can move your mouse over your footage to scrub through the video. Press the S key again to turn the feature off. “It’s a faster way to scrub through your footage,” says Feldman. Afterwards, your playhead is exactly where you left it.

Reverse Your Ken Burns
Adding motion to still photos (the Ken Burns effect) is possible in Final Cut Pro 7, but Feldman especially likes how simple and intuitive it is with FCPX. Zooming in or out on a photo is a snap. But there’s also a Swap button on the interface that lets you reverse the effect you’ve created. This is a great timesaver when you change your mind or want to play with different effects.

Duplicating a Project
Creating duplicates of a project has baffled some users, since FCPX lacks a Save As menu item. The solution is to hit command-D to bring up the Duplicate Project window. This lets you create a duplication on another hard drive, duplicate a project and all of its clips, or duplicate a project and only the material used in the timeline. It’s the FCPX version of the Media Manger from previous versions of Final Cut, says Feldman.

Source is
http://www.onlinevideo.net/2011/06/final-cut-pro-x-three-tips-from-a-top-trainer/

Nero 11 multimedia productivity and disc-burning software

Nero Video 11

Nero will be a familiar name to many people who have been using PCs for a while: it's a ‘multimedia suite' that started off as a set of tools to make CDs and DVDs but it has grown a lot in recent years.

The new version 11 is a collection of 10 separate programs that focus mainly on organizing and editing photos, music and video files, as well as providing additional features such as file back-up and data recovery - and the burning of files onto CD or DVD has also been relegated to one of these ‘additional features'.

The three main programs that form the core of the suite are Nero Kwik Media, Nero Video, and Nero Backitup. Kwik Media replaces the Media Hub that was introduced in Nero 10, and provides a more streamlined central station for organizing music, photos and videos on the computer into albums and slideshows.

The Backitup program gains a new Live Backup option that can be set to automatically back up either an entire hard disk or disks, or just a specific set of files. However, it's the Nero Video editor that gains the most interesting new features in this upgrade.

Some video-editing programs provide the user with two editing options - a simple ‘storyboard' mode that allows them to quickly arrange video clips into the required sequence, and a more complex ‘timeline' in which they can perform more precise editing and special-effects work.

Nero Video 11 introduces a new Express Editing mode that combines aspects of both methods. It's still possible to create a quick storyboard sequence simply by using the mouse to place video clips in the required order. However, the Express Editing mode also includes simple controls that allow the user to edit their clips in other ways too.

For example the program has quick tools to adjust the length of clips, rotate or resize the video image, or adjust the volume of the audio soundtrack. This approach works well, as it allows you to quickly perform common editing tasks without delving into the more complex timeline mode (which is still there for advanced users if they want it).

Inevitably, a suite like this tends to be jack-of-all-trades but master of none, and it's true that Nero 11 can't compete with the in-depth editing features to be found in more expensive, dedicated programs such as Adobe's Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements.

However, for people who don't want very advanced editing and just want a basic set of tools for working with music, photos and videos, and for keeping files safe, Nero 11 is a good-value product.

Source is
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/review/2115579/nero-multimedia-productivity-disc-burning-software

How to Edit Video on the Cheap?

Buying the latest, greatest high-def camcorder or Digital SLR camera can be expensive, but the software you use to edit your footage doesn't have to be. A number of free or low-cost video editors do a very respectable job of prepping your home movies for sharing with friends, family, or the rest of the world.

1. Windows Live Movie Maker

Microsoft's Movie Maker has been available at no charge for years, but the latest Windows Live version is a very respectable video editor. In addition to the usual basic editing tools, Microsoft Movie Maker lets you add video themes, music, titles, and credits--and apply a few transitions, some pan and zoom effects, and various visual-effect filters. You can publish finished projects to Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube, or export them to your hard drive in 1080p HD or any of a range of other resolutions. If you've invested in a great HD camcorder and you're editing on a budget, Windows Live Movie Maker is a great tool to start with.

2. Video Spin

Pinnacle’s Video Spin is another smart choice if you're on a tight budget. You can download it for free and take advantage of Video Spin's straightforward interface to edit video quickly and efficiently. You can split, trim, or combine movies, and add transitions, text, and even a soundtrack. Not all features are free forever, though. After 15 days, you'll have to buy different codec packs (for around $15 each) to continue editing certain video formats.

3. Serif MoviePlus Starter

Serif launched MoviePlus Starter as a free version of one of its more advanced video editors. The Starter edition is far from the most full-featured video-editing software you can buy, but it'll do the job unless you're looking to edit a blockbuster movie. You can use MoviePlus Starter to insert fades, wipes, and transitions, as well as to fiddle with captions, titles, and credits. You can experiment with a "picture in picture" effect, add three (or fewer) video or audio tracks at once, and edit your video content quickly and easily. Beginners will love the built-in help system and the simple drag-and-drop interface.

4. YouTube

Editing video online might not be an ideal scenario, but if you're already in the habit of uploading lots of clips to YouTube, you may find it easier to do your editing with YouTube's own online video editor. The new YouTube editor lets you trim the beginnings and ends of videos, and adjust the brightness, contrast, and color to your taste. The editor includes a video stabilization feature to help reduce the shakiness of handheld footage, and it has 14 style effects like black-and-white and sepia. Once you've finished editing, the YouTube editor's software makes posting your projects to your YouTube account and sharing them with others very easy.

Source is
http://www.pcworld.com/article/241855/how_to_edit_video_on_the_cheap.html

PowerDirector 10 Is a Worthwhile Update

Version 10 of CyberLink's PowerDirector is easily the most impressive update of the video-editing powerhouse in a while. It comes with a host of new features; the already quick rendering is even faster; and it now offers comprehensive support for 3D video, including tools for editing, converting, burning, and more.

The first difference you'll notice between PowerDirector 10 and any of the earlier versions is the startup dialog in 10, which gives you access to the Magic Movie Editor, a quick-and-dirty, template-based automatic video creation wizard; the SlideShow Creator, which applies the same concept to photo slideshows; and the traditional timeline-based advanced editor. Anyone looking to create a movie or slideshow as quickly as possible will appreciate the new startup dialog--but you can disable it and boot directly to the advanced editor if you prefer.

Notable improvements under PowerDirector 10's hood include faster rendering and h.264 encoding engines, plus OpenCL support. OpenCL (Open Computer Language), is an technology that uses the computing power of GPUs (or any other processors in your system) for tasks that the CPU normally handles by itself. If you have a decently fast graphics card with OpenCL support, the technology can speed up your operations noticeably. CyberLink has also improved its SVRT (Smart Video Rendering Technology) to give you more feedback on the optimal output format; it retains the previous versions' talent for skipping reencoding material whenever possible.

Support for 3D editing is the sexiest new feature, but you also get some other noteworthy additions: time-lapse simulation; a new plug-in architecture with ten effects from NewBlue; drawing tools; and the ability to superimpose animated drawings over video. This last feature is a great tool for presentations of all kinds. The included beat recognition for audio tracks, in conjunction with the implementation of visual keyframe markers, greatly simplifies synchronizing audio and video clips.

A number of notable features introduced in earlier versions are preserved here: up to 100 video tracks; a separate wave editor; excellent basic editing tools; standard effects such as lighting, saturation, and particle effects; timeline editing; wide audio and video codec support; and an online community where you can download effects and see other people's handiwork. You can even view the timeline of other user's projects online.

PowerDirector still has some minor foibles. For instance, though the program could capture from my TV tuner, it didn't recognize the QAM channels. Also, I wish that PowerDirector would continue to play video when I move the locator, and that the locator would reposition itself when I click on empty space in the timeline. Another welcome addition would be the ability to drag material from Windows Explorer directly onto the timeline instead of having to add it exclusively to the library. After all, many music programs let you do this.

You'll need as much as 6GB of system memory to work with high-definition files in PowerDirector 10, especially if you want to apply advanced FX, convert to 3D, or perform other data-intensive tasks. Basically, as with any other video editor, the more memory you have, the better.

PowerDirector 10 is a worthwhile upgrade to an already powerful consumer-grade video production tool, and if CyberLink doesn't watch out, it will soon be competing with professional-level products.

Source is
http://www.pcworld.com/article/242058/powerdirector_10_is_a_worthwhile_update.html

Sony Launches Vegas Pro 11 Editing Software With New Titler Pro 3D Titles Tool

Award-winning NLE software provides comprehensive GPU acceleration, NVIDIA 3D vision support and new titling technology

Sony Creative Software, a leading global provider of professional editing and authoring applications, today announces the latest upgrade to its Vegas™ editing technology. Vegas Pro 11 adds significant performance improvements to the award-winning NLE, courtesy of OpenCL™ and highly optimised GPU hardware acceleration for video processing and rendering.

Vegas Pro 11 is the world’s first Windows based OpenCL NLE, broadly supporting the open standard for core video editing operations, video FX, and rendering. New features include NVIDIA 3D Vision support for single-display 3D computers such as the VAIO F Series 3D laptops and L Series 3D desktops, an enhanced video stabiliser tool and new software tools for creating animated titles.

“Sony continues to be a leader in developing professional content-creation applications that are extremely powerful, yet easy to use,” said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software. “With the addition of GPU acceleration, Vegas Pro 11 streamlines the video editing experience by providing smoother previews and faster rendering times, ideal for industry professionals who work on tight deadlines where every second counts. Utilising the OpenCL standard, customers will find that even very affordable GPU solutions from AMD and NVIDIA offer workflow enhancements that provide between 2 and 4 times faster rendering speeds, with equally as impressive performance gains during video playback.”

Vegas Pro 11 Feature Highlights:

GPU Accelerated Video Processing – Working with OpenCL-supported devices from AMD and NVIDIA, Vegas Pro 11 uses GPU acceleration for the core video processing engine, video FX, transitions, compositing, pan/crop, track motion, and encoding, providing a significantly faster workflow.

· Sync Link – More powerful than Event Grouping, this comprehensive editing feature enables users to easily organise and synchronise events on the timeline. Secondary audio and B-roll video clips can be edited independently of each other while remaining in sync with the primary clip.

· 2D and 3D Text Tools – Quickly create dynamic and visually stunning text animations and effects within Vegas Pro 11. Add 3D titles with the new Titler Pro from NewBlueFX; a great addition to the stereoscopic 3D workflow. Users can manipulate text, down to the character level, on the X, Y, and Z axes. Stylised 2D motion can be applied to text events using the Titles and Text tool or with the improved ProType titler.

· Advanced Video Stabilisation – Featuring motion analysis on all three camera axes, this new stabilisation technology allows users to reduce jittery or shaky video caused by hand-held recording devices, as well as eliminating rolling shutter problems inherent in most CMOS camera imagers. Stabilisation is now implemented as an OpenFX plug-in which provides greater flexibility and power.

· Improved NVIDIA 3D Vision Support – Users can now edit on single-display 3D computers including VAIO F Series 3D laptops and VAIO L Series All-in-One 3D desktop systems.

New Render Template Filtering –New render dialogs create a more efficient environment for searching and filtering render templates speeding up the workflow for finalising output formats.

Industry-Leading Innovation, Broad Format Support

Sony Creative Software continues to innovate with world-class support for 3D technology and strong integrated video and audio tools through its latest version. Vegas Pro 11 improves on its “no transcode, no re-wrap” heritage by adding native format support for stereoscopic 3D MVC and MPO files from Sony camcorders and DSLRs. By eliminating the transcode and re-wrap process required by other applications, Vegas Pro 11 users can save valuable production time, minimise storage requirements, and preserve the pristine quality of the original source material. Other natively supported codecs and formats include XDCAM, XDCAM EX™, HDCAM-SR™, NXCAM, AVCHD, AVCCAM, RED R3D, RED EPIC, and AVC-based .MOV and RAW files from popular DSLR cameras. Native P2 support is also available with an optional plug-in. Users now have the option to render to the AVC/MP4 file format which includes progressive file download support for streaming purposes.

Vegas Pro 11 easily handles complex projects with multiple formats and mixed resolutions, from standard definition to 4K. The intuitive, integrated stereoscopic workflow in Vegas Pro 11 enables novices as well as experienced editors to produce compelling 3D content without the added expense or complexity of aftermarket plug-ins.

“Vegas Pro meets the high standards required for our films, including managing and processing 4K 3D workflow,” said Jean-Jacques Mantello, director of the acclaimed IMAX theater films “Dolphins and Whales 3D,” “Sharks 3D” and “Ocean Wonderland,” distributed by 3D Entertainment Distribution. “We’ve come to expect a consistent level of quality from Vegas Pro.”

Source is
http://3droundabout.com/2011/10/5232/sony-launches-vegas-pro-11-editing-software-with-new-titler-pro-3d-titles-tool.html

CyberLink PowerDirector 10 Ultra Review

Feature-packed and easy to use, CyberLink PowerDirector has always been one of the better consumer video editors. Of course there’s always room for improvement, though, and the latest version, PowerDirector 10 Ultra, has some very interesting additions.

Full 3D editing support allows you to import 3D videos and photos, or convert 2D media to 3D, then enhance these with 3D effects, titles, transitions and more. New 2D effects include a time-lapse tool, or support for recording hand-drawn animations (signing your name, say), and playing them back within a video.

Plug-in support delivers 10 new "art effects" (“hand drawn”, "pastel" and so on). And there are smarter audio tools, more video sharing options, and ease of use improvements, as well as speed boosts which could see movie rendering time cut in half.

Sounds good. But how does the program behave in real life? We took a closer look.

Interface
Launch PowerDirector 10 Ultra and you’re presented with a familiar three-pane editing interface: media files, effects, transitions and more are displayed top-left; an excellent preview window (including the option to preview in a secondary 2D or 3D display) is top-right; and there’s a 100-track timeline across the bottom of the screen, where you may drag and drop clips and effects to build up your movie.

Four buttons at the top of the screen offer further guidance. By default the Edit option is selected, but you may also click Capture, to import media directly from DV or HDV camcorders, webcams, microphones and more; clicking Produce allows you to turn your movie into a video, or upload it online; and Create Disc presents a host of disc and menu authoring options.

This isn’t an entirely perfect arrangement. You can’t simply use the Media Room to browse to a folder and examine its contents, for instance: you have to import particular files or folders, and then view them. We’d appreciate more thumbnail size options (right now you get 80 pixel, 100 pixel, and that’s it), and initially at least the sheer number of buttons and right-click options can be intimidating.

In general, the interface is well-designed and easy-to-use, though, with tooltips and quality documentation to walk you through any initial problems. And some useful new additions will further simplify your life.

Video clips on the timeline may now be displayed as continuous thumbnails, for instance, helping you see where scenes start and end. Right-clicking the timeline ruler at a particular point allows you to add a custom-named timeline marker ("At the beach"). Other media files snap to these, making it easier to precisely position your content.

And similarly, the new Automatic Beat Detection tool can analyze a soundtrack and add its own timeline markers to highlight major changes, helping you synchronize effects and transitions with your music. This isn’t a magic solution -- if the track varies only subtly then you may get no markers or way too many -- but with the right source material it could save you a lot of time (and it only takes a few seconds to try).

3D Editing
The biggest headline addition to PowerDirector 10 Ultra is probably 3D editing; the program has fallen behind here, but this release sees CyberLink do a good job of catching up with the competition.

There’s reasonable support for importing 3D video and image formats, for instance (MVC .MTS, dual stream AVI, side-by-side, over-under, MPO and JPS are all covered). Sometimes the program doesn’t realize you’ve opened a 3D file, though, so you have to inform it of this fact manually (these can be hard to recognize but it’s still annoying).

You’ve no 3D source material? Not a problem: CyberLink’s TrueTheater 3D technology (imported from PowerDVD) automatically converts 2D movies to 3D. In our tests the quality of the end result varies greatly depending on your source material, but you can at least tweak it by dragging a "scene depth" slider, and if nothing else it’s a fun way to enhance old home movies.

And once you’ve got your 3D clips then they can be enhanced in various ways. Click the Effects tab, say, and you’ll find 19 attractive, if slightly gimmicky 3D-specific effects (snow, fireworks, bubbles and so on); there are also 10 3D transitions, 10 particle effects and more to keep the theme going.

The existing title, particle and PiP effects can also be given a 3D touch, though this isn’t exactly obvious (with titles, say, you must open the Title Designer, click the Animation Properties tab and check "Enable 3D depth").

And when it’s finished you may export your masterpiece as 3D video (MVC, half or full-size side-by-side or anaglyph formats); upload it directly to YouTube as a 3D movie; or author a 3D DVD, BD or AVCHD disc. (PowerDirector only provides 2 3D menu templates but it’s easy to create more, and doubtless you’ll soon be able to download plenty for free from CyberLink’s DirectorZone.)

This is genuine end-to-end 3D editing, then. Most of the 3D effects are nothing special, though; and some of the 3D options are a little hidden, so it can take a while to figure out what you need to do. Still, the new 3D abilities are a worthwhile addition, and we’ll be interested to see how they develop in future.

Effects
If you’re more interested in what you can do with 2D movies, then one notable addition this time around is the new support for plugin-based effects.
The only currently visible sign of this is the inclusion of an Art Effects category ("Air Brush", “Pastel”, "Metallic" and so on). While not the kind of effects you’ll use every day, they can deliver spectacular results, and most are very configurable. (The "Metallic" option allows you to set the base metal colour, and provides 5 other attributes you can tweak via sliders.)

Of course, the whole point of supporting plugins is that an application becomes more extensible, and disappointingly, PowerDirector isn’t there yet: CyberLink says the ability to add other NewBlue plugins won’t arrive until a “future version”. A pity, but the 10 new Art Effects are welcome anyway, and this does at least hold some promise for future developments.
Elsewhere, the Slideshow Creator wizard has a new time-lapse style.  Import your sequence of photos, choose the duration of each image and (optionally) the number images to skip between each displayed photo, and that’s it: your finished video will be ready within moments.

And in a useful creative touch, the Picture-in-Picture Objects room has been extended with new Paint Animations, allowing you to record hand-drawn animations and include them in the video. So it’s easy to, say, draw an arrow to highlight something of interest in a shot. Or you could capture a dynamic clip of your signature gradually appearing, save this as a PiP object, then just drag and drop it onto the end of everything you create: very convenient.

Performance
PowerDirector has always been one of the fastest consumer video editors, but of course rendering is still a lengthy business -- so it’s good to see CyberLink has continued to focus on performance.

Startup time proved excellent on our Intel Core i7 test PC (running 32-bit Windows 7), for instance, at 5.6 seconds. (For comparison, the new MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus averaged 12.75 seconds.)

New OpenCL support means that effects preview and rendering now benefits from GPU-based hardware acceleration, and this can have impressive results. We used 9 1080p clips to create a 3×3 video wall, and incorporated a couple of effects; without OpenCL the project took 45 minutes and 15 seconds to render as an H.264 clip, with OpenCL this dropped to 20:34 – a 220% speed boost.

You won’t necessarily see this improvement every time, of course: if you’re using less clips, or don’t employ effects which support OpenCL (possible, although 48 do), then the benefits over previous versions won’t be as apparent. Although you shouldn’t feel short-changed. Simply joining 4 full HD MP4 clips took 13:04 in MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus; PowerDirector 10 did the same job in 4:12, more than three times as fast.

And if all the video output options confuse you, then the new Intelligent SVRT (Smart Video Rendering Technology) dialog should help: in a click it shows you the most appropriate and efficient video profiles for encoding your project. This isn’t always useful information -- you may already know exactly what sort of video you need, and it doesn’t always tell you which profile will be faster anyway -- but it only takes a couple of seconds to display, and is still a feature worth having.

Other Features
There are plenty of other new features in PowerDirector 10, too.
Launch the program, for instance, and you have the option to choose one of three editing modes: full-featured, Easy (the old Magic Style Movie Wizard) or Slideshow Maker. In theory this will help beginners create clips more quickly by jumping straight to one of the automated wizards, but for most people it’ll just get in the way, and they’ll probably check the box to avoid ever displaying it again.

Much more usefully, heading into the Audio Mixing Room now reveals a button which can normalize the volume of multiple audio files in a click: very handy, and not before time.

There’s more content available: more video tutorials, and more slideshow templates. CyberLink’s DirectorZone site (integrated with PowerDirector) now includes more than 200,000 templates, effects and menus; tracking down the best of these can take a while, but it’s still an extremely valuable resource.

And once you’ve finished, PowerDirector 10 can now output 3D discs (DVD, AVCHD, BD) and upload to more websites (YouTube 3D, Vimeo, DailyMotion), as well as supporting the regular disc, YouTube and Facebook options.

The performance improvements alone are enough to justify moving to PowerDirector 10, then. And the new 3D support will be a welcome bonus to many. But even if we ignore those, there are plenty of other smaller tweaks which provide new creative possibilities and will help to make you just a little more productive. 

It’s an impressive package which reaffirms PowerDirector’s position as the leading consumer video editor: if you’re unhappy with your current editor, particularly for performance reasons, then you really should give PowerDirector 10 Ultra a try.

Source is
http://betanews.com/2011/10/15/cyberlink-powerdirector-10-ultra-review/

Automated Video Editing Site Makes Movie Magic Out of Raw Footage

Devices proffering video capture are nearing ubiquity. Hence, so too are lackluster, unedited video clips. Magisto to the rescue.


The Israel-based startup is launching to the public Tuesday with an automated video editing platform. Magisto’s promise: Give us your unedited footage, and we’ll give you a short movie that you can proudly show off to friends and family.

In fact, that’s nearly all there is to the site. You can upload up to 16 video files, add a title and soundtrack — select from available tracks or add your own — and then sit back and wait for an email to notify you that your mini movie is ready to be shared (in testing this took 20 to 30 minutes, depending on video file size).

Magisto is not for the artistically-inclined, obsess-over-every-detail video editor. It’s for average Joes and Janes who don’t have the time or interest to bother with learning or using complicated editing software.

“The average person doesn’t edit videos,” says Magisto co-founder and CEO Oren Boiman. “So they either post long boring videos nobody wants to watch, or they save them on their hard drive — unwatched, unedited, unshared. We made Magisto to give people a way to take their videos and turn them into movies that are fun to watch and easy to share.”

The startup is keeping mum on its secret sauce, but does say that its proprietary technology is designed to automatically find the best footage in your videos. The technology is said to recognize faces, understand the difference between people, objects, pets and landscapes, and even capture the intent of the filmmaker.

Magisto’s magic formula, from what we’ve seen, works impressively well — so well, we’d like to see the startup release mobile applications for quicker uploads, and remove its branding at the end of finished movies.

Coinciding with Tuesday’s launch, Magisto is announcing that it has raised $5.5 million in a Series B round of financing.

Source is
http://mashable.com/2011/09/20/magisto/

Final Cut Pro X Take Two

This time I’m working on a major project so I need to know if Final Cut Pro X is up to the task.

Firstly the bad news. Version 10.0 on my Mac just could not do Titles. I couldn’t change any of the text attributes – font, size, colour, etc. which meant that any form of text generation inside the program wouldn’t work. I tried a few workarounds and dropped in on relevant forums where others had similar issues but with no success. Luckily version 10.1 arrived before I gave up, and the problem disappeared.

Over a few days of heavy use I have had to restart the program twice when it was starting to run a bit too slowly. Otherwise, no other major problems.

Things I’m not yet convinced about are the themes, most of the transitions and some of the video effects. They’re all still a bit too iMovie for my liking. But there are enough alternatives for me to do what I need. And, in the life of a major piece of software, it is still very early days.

One difference between X and previous versions is the use of Events and Projects instead of Bins and Sequences, but this soon becomes second nature. I have my media files sorted by the date they were imported into the program, which I’m finding useful in this project as it logs my progress into one-day units.

Once I got used to the Magnetic Timeline concept I found it really useful for keeping things in sync. Not having tracks as such was a bit weird at first but I soon adapted. Ancillary files – sound FX, narration, cutaways still sit above or below the main storyline and can be repositioned, edited or muted very easily.

The speed at which FCPX fires up (30 seconds for a 30-minute project) and renders in the background is pretty impressive, although at times I found it better to wait until the progress meter told me background rendering was finished. But there were nothing like the wait times in previous versions.

Although I miss not being able to connect directly to Photoshop or an external sound editor the program now has a definite one-stop shop feel. All the music and sounds on my Mac are accessible as are all my photos.

In addition to the FCP audio FX I also have access to every audio effect from Logic, the Mac system and third-party ring-ins. I needed to simulate the baritone sound of a large seabird but I only had a soprano seagull. With two effects – pitch shift and EQ I had a reasonable sounding facsimile in seconds.

When I needed to quickly lay down a rough narration to enable me to place stills and clips in the right place, I USB-connected my trusty old Røde Podcaster and recorded directly into the timeline via a neat little window which immediately recognised the mic and showed input/output gain sliders. Simple.

For this project I don’t need to connect a camera as I am using files from disk. But just to be sure I tried out my little Kodak Zx1 which I had used for stills and HD video on a recent trip to Thailand. While Final Cut did not recognise the camera (I didn’t really expect it to) I could still import footage from the disk icon which the connected Zx1 placed on my desktop. Or I could have slotted the camera’s SD card into my Mac and loaded the files directly from that.

There’s even another way. While I was away I had been transferring my video and stills to my iPad. I connected this to the Mac and Final Cut treated it like a camera, showing files in the camera browser ready for import. Nice.

The resize, reposition, trim, crop and distort functions work really well either manually or numerically for that fine tweak.

A quick and dirty Ken Burns effect offers a start and an end frame which I can adjust to suit. There’s even a reverse button so I can start with the end and end with the start. If I wish.

The video editors are really impressive. One of the video clips had a little too much camera movement which I was able to quickly suppress. Another clip had an exposure problem which was also quickly fixed with level sliders monitored on a histogram. Another clip needed stretching a a few seconds to fill a gap. Easy, with a little help from my friends . . .

As I mentioned in my first piece the video tutorials by Final Cut Pro X expert (if anyone can be an FCPX expert yet!) Michael Wohl in the macProVideo.com series have been my lifeline. And this has continued. I find myself returning to these snappy, sharply-focused mini lessons time and time again. I reckon I’ve saved myself hours of anguish and lost production time this way. Highly recommended.
So there you have it. I’m even more impressed than I was after my first go at FCPX. Each day I become a little more comfortable with the vast array of tools available and certain basic routines and shortcuts are quickly becoming instinctive.

It’s really well designed software with a beautiful interface – very Apple. I’m also enjoying a bit of poking around at the end of the day to uncover new features.
But there’s still so much to learn. I have the feeling I’m not even halfway into what FCP X can do. I haven’t yet tried the Precision Editor, the Auditions feature, Color Balance or Audio Match to name but a few. But that’s all to come. I’ll report on my progress when this current project is finished.

I think Steve would be pleased with his last major software production. I certainly am.

Source is
http://www.macworld.com.au/blogs/final-cut-pro-x-take-two-38513/

PowerDirector 10 Adds Speed, 3D Video Editing

PowerDirector 10

CyberLink PowerDirector 10 is the latest release from the Taiwan-based software house, and it adds the one capability on which it had fallen behind—3D video. The new version also opens up some distance in an area where PowerDirector already held the lead—speed.

PowerDirector can now import standard 3D file formats for both video and still images, such as MVC, dual-stream AVI for video, and MPO and JPS for still images. These formats are used by 3D cameras such as the Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W3. After importing, the software will be able to perform many of the standard video-editing techniques used on standard video content—trimming, as well as adding titles, transitions, and effects. After your 3D video's just the way you like it, the Ultra version of PowerDirector will be able to upload it directly to YouTube 3D.

Not only can PowerDirector now work with existing 3D video and photo content, but it can convert 2D to 3D. Though this practice has a dubious history, CyberLink has improved it greatly, as demonstrated by the latest version of its PowerDVD video-playing software.

In addition to 3D, PowerDirector 10 adds even more speed, with its new TrueVelocity 2 rendering, an enhanced H.264 encoder, and support for OpenCL. This last provides a standard method of taking advantage of graphics hardware from both AMD and Nvidia to accelerate video processing.

The new software also adds and improves on some of the more end-user-focused features, such as a time-lapse tool, one click audio level normalization, the ability to record paint animations, and an audio beat marker to align animations with music.

PowerDirector 10 is available for download from cyberlink.com in two editions, the $99.95 Ultra, and the $69.95 Deluxe, which lacks the 3D capabilities, 64-bit operation, and the ability to import AVCHD. Look for a full review of PowerDirector 10 on PCMag.com in the coming days.

Source is
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394470,00.asp#fbid=0V4MFNGV1ji

Corel enters new dimension with MotionStudio 3D

Corel, maker of the popular VideoStudio Pro and PaintShop Pro franchises, has today released its newest title, MotionStudio 3D. As Corel's first entry into the animation and motion graphics software category, MotionStudio 3D targets multimedia enthusiasts looking to create stunning title sequences and basic 3D animations. While it's not quite a big-budget Hollywood workhorse, the program certainly appears to be good at what it does.

On top of its basic 3D titling and text animation capabilities, MotionStudio also includes a powerful, yet simple particle effects tool that recreates the appearance and movement of elements like bubbles, fire, smoke, and snow. One-click features like this are sure to attract casual users who aren't necessarily motion graphics wizards. The program also includes tons of animation presets, and lets you manipulate light sources, mimic motion blur, and adjust depth of field among other aspects.

And for the prosumers out there, MotionStudio 3D also boasts some rather powerful import and export capabilities. It can handle vector and raster graphics, and lets you easily work with files from other 3D applications. Meanwhile, it can output to a wide variety of video and still image formats including GIF and Flash (SWF) for the Web. And as expected, MotionStudio lets you easily output projects as 3D anaglyphs viewable with 3D glasses, or as side-by-side images playable on compatible 3D TVs.

Source is
http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-20109171-12/corel-enters-new-dimension-with-motionstudio-3d/

Tips: Get to grips with Final Cut Pro X

Apple's latest video editor is very different from the previous version.

Surf the new colour correction tools

Highlight a clip in the Timeline – choose Show Color Board from the menu beneath the wand. There are separate windows for adjustment of Color, Saturation and Exposure. Fine adjustment is achieved by using the arrow keys, and adjustments can be made in real-time as you play the clip. Furthermore, you can choose from a wide selection of presets, accessed via the gear icon at the bottom of the Color Adjustment window.

Time and again

Control-click a clip in the Timeline and choose Retime. On first glance it appears the speed controls in FCP X are quite limiting - the menu reads Slow 50%, 25%, and 10%. Furthermore, Fast is 2x, 4x, 8x and 20x. Don't be deceived – you can have any speed you want. Apply the Slow or Fast setting of your choice. Drag either end of the Retiming slider and the centre indicator will show precise speed changes as you drag.

Kill space invaders

With background rendering switched on eventually render files will fill up your hard drive. This is unnecessary as you really only want to keep those files which are required for the edit. In the Project Library highlight a project and choose the File menu – scroll to Delete Project Render Files. You can choose to delete Unused Render Files Only or All Render Files.

Source is http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/index.cfm?FeatureID=3305492

Sony Creative Software Releases Vegas™Movie Studio Visual Effects Suite

Sony announced the availability of Vegas Movie Studio Visual Effects Suite. Combining the high-performance video and audio editing tools found in Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 with the high-quality special effects of HitFilm Standard, from UK-based experts FXhome. The Vegas Movie Studio Visual Effects Suite provides a comprehensive solution for aspiring filmmakers and video editors to create premium special effects for their creative projects.

"To differentiate productions found on the big or small screen, users require impressive visual effects that go beyond what's included in typical stand-alone software applications," said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software. "Vegas Movie Studio Visual Effects Suite meets the needs of budget-minded filmmakers and hobbyists who desire the capability to create movies with stunning visual effects utilizing world-class applications that are now available at affordable prices. We not only provide an award-winning editing platform, but combine it with a powerful solution that provides an incredible array of animated effects, color grading options and realistic particle generators."
Vegas Movie Studio Visual Effects Suite is an easy-to-use video and audio editing program that enables filmmakers to effortlessly add cinematic effects to their projects. With a robust visual effects toolset – including 3D compositing and green screen capabilities – the Vegas Movie Studio Visual Effects Suite gives users everything they need to produce and distribute high-quality content to popular online services like Vimeo®, YouTube™ and Facebook®.

Key Features in Vegas Movie Studio Visual Effects Suite:

• 2D Layer Compositing – Blend layers together to create visual effects such as invisibility, with intuitive and sophisticated layering tools
• Genuine 3D Compositing – Add pre-designed 3D particle effects like smoke, fire, explosions and shockwaves, plus extra layers of realism with automatic lighting and shadow effects
• Numerous Effects Filters – Choose from a versatile collection of 40 different filters to blur, warp, color-correct and stylize videos to their specific needs
• Green Screen Removal – Remove green screens from difficult source video and replace them with new video backgrounds to create convincing composited shots  
• 3D Gunfire Generator – Safely and inexpensively create fully 3D muzzle flashes to augment action sequences

Source is http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-creative-software-releases-vegas-movie-studio-visual-effects-suite-130177558.html

Final Cut Pro X Update

Apple has begun the long, difficult journey towards repairing the damage caused by the Final Cut X debacle.

After stunning the professional editing community with a product that's missing many essential features, Apple has made a small step in the process of replacing those missing essentials. The most important new addition to FCPX is XML support which offers some measure of backwards-compatibility as well as compatibility with other platforms. It's far from ideal but at least it's something. Perhaps more importantly, it's a signal that Apple is trying to fix things.

Apple has a serious task ahead if they want to save their reputation among professional tastesetters (and let's not argue for now about that "if").

As I write this news item, a video editing seminar is being held in a city very near to me, at which editors are learning about the main options for migrating away from Final Cut Pro. The promotional blurb began with this:

Following the demise of Final Cut Pro as a professional editing application, digital editors are left with some big questions. Which platform will win their hearts?

Whether or not you agree that Final Cut Pro is dead in the professional world, this is a clear indication of the sentiment that still exists months after the failed launch.

Apple, for its part, is hoping you'll be patient. If you're still undecided and haven't tried it yet, you can get a free trial of Final Cut Pro X here.

As for our opinion on the whole thing? Hopefully we'll have a video out in the next couple of weeks discussing the impact of Final Cut Pro X and how it's going to affect us at MediaCollege.com.

Source is http://www.mediacollege.com/forum/content.php?79-Final-Cut-Pro-X-Update