Guest-written by Beata Dumaplin.

Don’t know how to do something? Confused by the high tech lingo in your instruction manual? No problem! Nowadays, we just grab our nearest internet capable device, plug in our favorite search engine and click the ‘go’ button. You will find links to dozens of different sites, lists and columns of instructions, but if you need a visual guide, you’re going to be looking for a video.

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Last week we looked at one new tool for tidying up your videos in post-production.  The Fix it in Post DVD is Videomaker’s answer to the eternal question, “Oh no, this footage is messed up! What do I do now?”  We like to think that the Fix it in Post DVD will help answer any post-production mess that you could encounter, from washed out colors to shaky camera work.

But we know that’s not really the case: There’s always going to be some new problem that you’ve never encountered before, that we didn’t have the time or foresight to cover.  What then?  What if you need more help?

We were worried about just that situation, so we put our heads together and came up with something brilliant. It’s the Fix it in Post Ultimate Toolkit.  It’s got all the same great info about fixing static-muddled audio, ramping up bland colors, deinterlacnig footage, steadying nausea-inducing shakes, changing frame rates,  and subtly erasing unwanted objects  — plus a ton more that we weren’t able to cram onto a single DVD. This is the package for when you come back with footage that you just know will need A LOT of help.  It’s the big guns of post-production fix-its. In fact, it’s more than that. It’s the big TANK of post-production fix-its.

The Fix it in Post Ultimate Toolkit has all the best goodies for assuaging your post-production worries:

Edit Like the Pros #1 (eDoc)

Get your act together! Everyone wants to “edit like a pro”. But what does that really mean? Learn how to use your space and time effectively.

Edit Like the Pros #2 (eDoc)

Beginning editors concentrate on how to do the tasks of editing well. The professionals change their perspective. Learn how to shift your perspective from simply “how to do things” to how things should be done.

Fix It In Post (eDoc)

If the footage you just shot has problems, all is not lost. You can fix it! Ever get a sinking feeling when you review your footage and discover problems? Maybe it’s a sound you do not want or a camera shot that was too jittery. A lot of things go overlooked while shooting, only to show up as problems during the editing process. The good news is that your footage is probably salvageable with the proper techniques.

Scoping Out Your Video (eDoc)

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?

Fix it in Post (DVD)

This DVD covers all the constant bugaboos of video creators: Washed-out color, shaky camera work, hisses and hums and annoying electrical noises, even the dreaded visible boom mic. But the worst part? No matter how careful you are, you’re sure to meet them time and again over the course of your video career. Learn how to stop them! Adobe software is used as demonstration software, but this DVD teaches theory and techniques that can be used in most current editing programs.

Rotoscoping  (Multimedia)

Do you want to make your hero fly? Stand your talent behind a virtual news desk? There’s nothing you can’t do with the right tools and skill-set. This tutorial teaches you how to realistically do this using rotoscoping tricks with Adobe After Effects.

Color Correction (VOD)

We look at how to read color scopes and monitors, use color correction tools to fix your footage and use secondary color correction to make sure your footage looks its best.

Compression Connection (Multimedia)

If you want your video to sound professional, you need to use compressors. This tutorial explains the process and how to compress your audio for the best sound results. This is a segment from Editing, part of our popular multimedia tutorial DVD-ROM series.

Color Correction 101 (eDoc)

A few simple steps can save an improperly-shot scene or improve one that is less than brilliant.

Color Correction 201 (eDoc)

Ever want to enhance a washed-out sky or push the color on a less-than-vibrant hill of grass? This eDoc covers working with Secondary Color Correction aspects such as Filters, Style and Color Enhancement.

Not to toot our own horn, but we’re really happy to finally be able to offer this toolkit.  Fix it in Post DVD is a great tool, but, if you’re like me, you know that you need a lot of post production help.  Some video creators have a sharp eye for detail; they like to carefully and meticulously dot every i and cross every t. If that’s your personality, you’ll still make some mistakes — it’s inevitable — but you’ll be able to catch most of them before you make them.  But if you’re a shoot-from-the-hip rebel who’s more attuned to worrying about the big picture…well, you might need a little extra help in post-production.  (Don’t feel bad if that sounds like you — I always get so excited during shooting that I end up with a bunch of problems that need fixing in post!)

Learn more about the Fix it in Post Ultimate Toolkit.

Visit the Videomaker headquarters in Chico, Calif. for three days of hands-on training. In February 24-26, we’ll instruct you behind the camera or on the computer with the Basics of Video Production or Intensive Editing Workshop. Take the opportunity to get expert advice, techniques from our team, then, actually put it in practice.

The Basics of Video Production Workshop gives the beginning videographer a huge leap into the biggest areas of production – pre-planning, post production, shooting and lighting techniques. You’ll be using our equipment and teaming up with others that are learning just like you.

The Intensive Editing Workshop is just that, intensive. We’ll be teaching with Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 on HP EliteBook 8760w workstations. Three days of in-your-face editing… well, maybe side by side is more like it, but you’ll get details on one of the most widely used editing software programs and plenty of time to answer your questions.

We’ve hosted people from across the continent here at Videomaker, so we may be your connection to Chico too. Space is limited, so if it’s too late for this month or the subject matter doesn’t float your boat, consider our other workshops, we are planning many more this year so check our schedule.

Videomaker’s Intermediate Editing Webinar will take you beyond simple cuts and transitions and teach you techniques that will allow you to advance your basic video editing skills. Our web presentation focuses on multi-camera editing, simple compositing, filters and effects and more; helping you in your quest to create polished and professional-looking video.

Following the session, all registrants will receive a copy of a special report. Additionally, we will be including live Q&A throughout the event; our team answering your questions. This event starts at 11:00 AM (PST) on Wednesday, Dec. 28, so be sure to sign up soon!

Check out Videomaker’s weekly Webinar Training Series for other sessions taught by our experts. Our webinar series features a wide variety of video production and post production topics including Advanced Shooting, Green Screen and Special Effects, Documentary Production, Lighting for Video, and much more.

Chalk this one up to the “we’ll believe it when we see it” category but according to IBM researchers, controlling computers with your mind is only 5 years away. To be fair, there are already many tests that have confirmed the ability to control simple computer functions with one’s mind but a fully functional mind-controlled operating system still seems a long way off – not to mention a bit scary. One of the most innovative companies in this field called emotiv, already has a non-invasive headset that can be worn over one’s head with several sensors. This headset allows users to control a computers, toys, and other electronics based off of the electrical thought patterns in their brain. The video below from TED.com shows how this amazing technology works. What’s interesting is that emotiv is able to achieve this without having to cut any hair, applying any gels, or more importantly, drilling into one’s skull. Given the advanced state of this technology already, it’s easy to see how it could become mainstream in gaming and to overcome disabilities.

What’s equally as exciting is what this technology could hold for video editors. If an editor were able to color correct, drop a track’s volume, select a clip, insert graphics, change editing tools, and organize files all with a simple thought, then the complexity barrier of editing software would be effectively gone. How great would it be to never  have to remember pesky keyboard shortcuts or dig through countless folders to find an effect?

That being said, there are some obvious challenges for this technology. For starters, every editor would have to have full concentration when cutting a project together. One stray thought about what you’re having for lunch and your entire project could end up as a tribute to a bowl of soup and a fresh salad. This also brings up an interesting point…how would one multitask when using this technology? Would it be possible to listen to music while making a cut or to talk to a client while color correcting footage? No technology will ever be adopted in the video editing world unless it makes your project look better or get done faster. These are all questions that will need to be answered before this technology ever becomes useful to video editors. Even so, I’m sure my fingers will thank me some day when I no longer need to do mash the Control, Alt, Shift, and Y buttons in order to “quickly” insert a null object into an After Effects Composition.

As we trek around the NAB show in Las Vegas, we have found that Autodesk, Inc. is now shipping two new products – Autodesk Smoke 2012 for Mac OS X software, an all-in-one editorial finishing tool with a robust, integrated 3D visual effects toolset. And the Autodesk Flame Premium 2012.

Smoke 2012 for Mac OS X

Smoke provides an all-in-one editorial workflow by combining powerful finishing tools with the familiar workflow of a nonlinear editor (NLE) to reduce complexity and streamline finishing of high-quality content.

“Smoke has Action [the 3D compositing environment of Smoke], and I use it for every project,” said Rob Lederman, senior compositor/editor at North Avenue Post in the United States “I get the majority of my keying, lighting and compositing done there, and the ability to control shadows, add light rays and lens flares, and all the Flame FX tools basically eliminate the need for third-party sparks/plug-ins.”

Key Features:

• Autodesk Smoke 2012 enhancements — a redesigned 3D lighting system in Action that produces cast shadows and realistic 3D lighting artifacts, support for geometry cache animation import from Autodesk animation software via Autodesk FBX software, and Flame FX creative and technical tools for common finishing tasks

• A comprehensive stereo 3D (S3D) toolset for editing, monitoring, compositing and delivering S3D projects

• Integrated tools for color correction, keying and advanced 3D compositing

• Conform and finishing workflow with Apple Final Cut Pro and Avid Media Composer via AAF and XML import

• Support for native media from H.264 from DSLRs to full-resolution R3D media For feature information and videos, visit the Autodesk Smoke for Mac site, and for video tutorials, visit AREA, the Autodesk digital entertainment and visualization community. Read the rest of this entry »