What you Need to Know about White Balance
Yeah, yeah, I know your camera, phone or whatever says it has automatic white balance and you don’t need to get into all that technical stuff right?
Well to some degree that’s true.
However if you look at the footage more experienced users are getting from the same equipment as you and you are thinking theirs is so much better… then maybe you might want to take a look at this video.
Remember, a camera cannot “see.”
Only eyes can see and when it comes to seeing what is really there then there is supposed to be a human involved in the process somewhere along the line!
Sci-Fi Color Grade Tutorial
So the following tutorial is done in Premiere Pro but just about any reasonably equipped software will be able to accomplish what is being shown.
It is a pretty straightforward technique for getting that “scf-fi” look into your project.
Just keep in mind that although it is described that way you can use in any situation where you want that kind of dark, creepy, bluish effect.
At the beginning of the clip you will see the beginning concept of just dropping out all the color and adding the blue.
Bear in mind that by itself that will look pretty bad so make sure you go through the whole thing to get everything re-balanced.
It is a slightly advanced tutorial and you will need access to a curves setting in your color correction/grading tools but in the end it is not all that hard to do.
10 TIPS to Improve Audio in Your Videos
These guys generally operate at a fairly high professional level so often I don’t end up including their videos in the Friday Roundup.
This week is a little different. I thought they would go with a bunch of expensive high end tips and equipment for getting good audio but I was wrong!
Most of the audio tips in this video are doable by the average person and its all good advice. Include link to wind noise solution.
PowerDirector – Problem Solving – Lengthen Music
This is the third in a series by Sharper Turtle on troubleshooting a few different types of problems you may come across when doing the final tweaks on your project.
In this one he deals with the problem of having a music track that you like but is too short.
As he goes into dealing with the problem within AudioDirector from CyberLink don’t worry!
At the end he shows you how you can do it using free software as well and of course the software he is using is Audacity.
Debugging Video Editing Problems
5 VEGAS Video Editing Tips to Help You Edit Better
Not all of the tips in the video below are actually specific to Vegas which is why I have included it in the Friday Roundup.
Of course if you are using Vegas then woohoo! You win!
If not there is still some solid advice in there for you.
PowerToys Utilities are Back for Windows 10
Back in the bad old days… say around the time of Windows 95, Microsoft used to include some utilities in their operating system called Power Tools.
Basically they were a bunch of tools that advanced users could use to tweak the operating system to their liking.
One way that a lot of people would use it, and by “a lot of people I mean me, would be to disable the gazillion background processes that Microsoft loved to run with no purpose at all.
Now obviously because everybody really liked those tools Microsoft eventually got rid of them!
The good news is that the Power Toys are back!
They are now available as open source on Github.
So if you want to party like it’s Windows 95 go check it out.
How to Archive Projects for Safe Keeping – CyberLink PowerDirector
This is a complete run through of the Project Archive feature in CyberLink PowerDirector.
I think PowerDirector is one of only a few software programs that offer this or at least offer it in a really useful way.
The Archiving module can take any completed project including all the associated assets within it and pack it all up into one self-contained folder.
Once you have that folder you can save it off to an archiving storage drive then delete all the original assets from your main drive.
It’s a great way of keeping your computer clutter free whilst retaining the ability to go back to the project at a later time.
Unconventional Vlogging Tips to Try
Not really sure why the Filmora guys branded this with the “vlogging” label.
Basically it is a bunch of suggestions and demos of some unusual shots and shot angles you can use to spice up any of your videos.
How to Make Cinematic Time-lapses
This is a good central reference video on the subject of creating good looking time lapse videos.
It covers the vital yet often poorly explained shooting stage.
How to import the shots you have and how to out put to a time lapse sequence.
Beware there is some math involved but don’t let that put you off!
Additionally there are some examples of some special effects you can use to spice things up a little.
It is all done in Filmora Pro but from what I have seen any video editor will have most of what you need to get the job done well.
Lights Out Effect Tutorial – Filmora Video Editor
This is just a simple physical effect that really only requires a cut to achieve.
However it does rely heavily on having a mounted or fixed camera and the participants moving reasonably accurately in the shooting stage.
Filmmaking Challenge: Make a Psycho Movie in 3 Hours!
This is another “challenge” video from the guys at Cinecom.com and before you check it out I just wanted to clarify why I include these videos in the Friday Roundup.
I don’t actually expect anyone out there to replicate the effects or sequences they put out on a regular basis.
I mean sure, you can have a go at it if you want but the real reason is this.
These guys have a good understanding of shooting and editing videos.
By giving themselves these challenges they have to go through a problem solving process based on that knowledge.
We as the viewers of their videos get to see them go through that process of problem solving and we get to learn new stuff.
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