Search by keyword or full-text

EFFECTS ARTICLES

New ! Review: Sheffield Softworks Retouching Filters
Sheffield Softworks creates filters specifically designed for video retouching. They have a suite of products - Electronic Makeup Artist, Digital Coverup, and Look Sweet - which make the process of fixing your video much simpler, In this article, we take an in-depth look at each of the three, illustrate how it can best be used, and show you how to use it. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 5.1x, 6, 7.x)

New ! Viewing Video Fields
By default, Final Cut only displays one field of video - this makes images much easier to view while editing. But, sometimes, you need to see both fields. This very, very short article explains exactly what you need to know. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 4, HD, 5.0x, 5.1x, 6, 7.x)

New ! Commentary: A Love Letter to LiveType
With the release of Final Cut Studio (3), Apple signaled that LiveType was not long for this world by no longer bundling it with the suite of software. However, FCP 7 still supports LiveType files. This is a shame, as I truly like working with LiveType. This article details what makes LiveType fun to use, and features in Motion that would help us make the transition. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; LiveType v. 1.x, 2.x)

New ! Technique: Creating A Vignette
Vignettes are a great technique for highlight something, or softening edges. This article explains how to create a vignette in Final Cut Pro, as well as some ideas on how to adjust it to create different effects. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 4, HD, 5.0x, 5.1x, 6, 7.x)

New ! Technique: Generating a Gradient
Gradients are a smooth ramp from one color, or shade of gray, to another. Gradients can be easily created in Final Cut Pro, but the button to do so is very hidden. In this article, I show you how to create a gradient, how to adjust it, and provide some ideas on what you can do with it. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 4, HD, 5.0x, 5.1x, 6, 7.x)

Updated ! Improving the Look of your Graphics and Text.
This is a comprehensive look at how computer and video graphics are different and what you need to know to create great looking video text and graphics. This article can make your life a LOT easier!  (Published: May 2006 - Updated: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 4, HD, 5.0x, 5.1x, 6, 7.x)

New ! Technique: Understanding Gamma Settings
Gamma settings control the gray-scale midpoint. The reason this is significant is that Macs, video, and Windows all use slightly different settings. This means that video that looks good on one system, may look washed out or too dark on others. Snow Leopard, however, has changed the rules. In this article, I explain what gamma is, how to use it, and where to set it. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 7.x)

New ! Creating an SD 4:3 Center Cut from HD 16:9 Footage
Here's the problem. You have high-definition (HD) 16:9 footage that you need to create a standard-definition (SD) 4:3 full-screen image. This means that you are going to lose some visual information on the sides of your image. What's the best way to do this? This article explains what you need to know. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 5.1x, 6, 7.x)

New ! A Method of Decreasing Audio Echoes
One of the hardest emails to read starts: "After years of work, I'm finally ready to submit my project to a festival. All I need to do is get rid of the audio echoes and I'm done." The sad part is that is not a lot that can be done to reduce echoes -- except for the ideas in this article. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 6, 7.x)

New ! Improve Your Timeline Zooming
New with Final Cut Pro 7 are two shortcuts: Zoom In/Out at Playhead on Timeline. However, they don't do anything until you assign them to a keyboard shortcut. But, what if you want to assign them to your mouse? This article shows you what you need to know to do it. (Published: Mar. 2010 ; Final Cut Pro v. 7.x)