Jul 2006

iMix #4 - Radio & TV

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Continuing my mixtape habit.... I invite you to listen to an iMix (a collection of songs arranged around a topic). Just click this link to visit the iTunes music store and you can here a little part of the soundtrack of my life.

Radio & TV features some songs for those who work in the film/video/broadcast industry. A little satire, a few good beats, and some nice instrumentals. Seems that all my iMixes run with a theme... but I guess all good mix tapes do.

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I posted this iMix here as it relates to the video industry... if you like this feature, be sure to check out Raster|Vector, the computer graphics blog.



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Avid Goverment Training Symposium a Success

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Thanks to all the great folks we met at the Avid Government Training Symposium. It was wonderful to catch up with so many diverse users and see how those in the public sector are harnessing the power of video. RHED Pixel spoke about production issues as well as integrating Adobe Photoshop and After Effects into the editor's workflow.

Thanks to
Future Media Concepts and Avid for putting on the event and to all who attended. If you need conference notes from our sessions, visit the Handouts page.



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Tutorial: Create Once, Distribute Anywhere

Friday, July 28,2006 Filed in: Adobe | Education
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A brand new tutorial on building graphics for multiple video formats just went online. You'll find it on DV Magazines website in both online and print formats. Learn how to work in HD, but also create for multimedia, DVD, and Podcast distribution. This is useful in you need to generate multiple animations on a budget or deadline.

The tutorial uses Adobe After Effects, and is not version specific. If you'd like some extra resources, visit the
Raster Vector site as well.


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Windows Media Works on New Macs... Finally

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Mac users can now access Windows Media files... for free. Telestream has updated Flip4Mac, so it works with the new Intel-based Macs. Telestream has a series of QuickTime components that enables Mac OS X users to play, import and export Windows Media files using QuickTime-based applications. Mac users can access the free player from Microsoft's website, while those creating pro vide will want to check out the different options at Telestream's site.



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Get Your Sport on in Las Vegas

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For those of who work in Sports media (or if you live near Las Vegas), you should attend the C4-Sports conference. The event is billed as an explosive vision of sport. The conference is aimed towards those working for professional and collegiate sports teams, sports media experts in production, editing, content creation, and distribution, and IT and communication professionals from sporting arenas, stadiums, and facilities. They will explore state-of-the-art media technology solutions designed to improve performance, create revenue-generating opportunities, and increase profits

Richard Harrington will be teaching three conference sessions as well as two free classes on the trade show floor.



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After Effects @ Work – Long Delayed, But On It’s Way!

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Are you an intermediate to advanced After Effects user? If so, the coolest book ever is about to ship. I recently edited a book called After Effects @ Work. It features top designers like Trish & Chris Meyer, Mark Coleran, Ken Locsmandi, Rachel Max and Dave Phillips. Join eleven well -known AE designers and teachers as they teach you real-world secrets. You'll get an inside glimpse at 11 projects and see what an expert can do using just the tools that come on the After Effects CD-Rom and a budget of $10,000 or less. This book is a hybrid of case studies, tutorials, and inspiration. It's like eleven internships in a box. I'm really proud of this one and excited that it is to ship the week of July 16. To order, go visit Amazon for the lowest price.


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Good DVD to Learn From

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So when I first saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith I thought it was a good action flick with a little romance thrown in and some pretty funny characters (in other words a perfect Hollywood formula flick). It was filled with well-orchestrated action scenes and neither my wife or I regretted the $18 it cost for the two of us to go to the movies. And that's where it ended. Except I picked up the DVD today (perhaps it was the well orchestrated Brangelina ploy - the stars of this film). But the Two disc Mr. & Mrs. Smith - Unrated contains a way above average amount of useful DVD extras. including some scene and storyboard deconstructions and the film maker sharing looks at alternative approaches and scenes. Sure you've seen that al befor, but it is very wel-done here and as a visual storyteller, I actually learned a few things. Consider picking it up, but be sure to get the two-disc edition.



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Cool Free Fonts

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Looking to expand your typographical toolbox? Then be sure to visit Dinc Type at the unique URL www.GirlsWhoWearGlasses.com. The site is sassy and filled with great fonts. The unique thing is that while fonts are free, the selection frequently changes and fonts appear then disappear. Its like an incredible import shop where everything’s free, but the inventory keeps changing. Bookmark and keep checking back as their fonts are absolutely fantastic.



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The Master of Trivia Comments on DVD Trivia

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For those of you who make DVDs, it’s always good to get a fresh opinion. What do people really think of all those ‘extra’ features? Who better to comment on DVD trivia then Ken Jennings?

In his
blog, he recently weighed in on both DVD Extras and access to catalog titles. Ken’s blog is funny and insightful and surprisingly addictive (much like his Jeopardy run).


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It’s all About Covering Your Assets

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Apple launched Aperture, then Adobe announced Lightroom. Leave it to Microsoft to get in on the fray. iView Multimedia is now part of Microsoft. Micrsoft has picked up three products: View MediaPro, iView Media, iView Catalog Reader. As people gather more and more photos, movies, and other digital files, keeping track of them all gets even harder. Yan Calotychos, has written a letter about the Microsoft deal which you can read here.


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Spot the Fake

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How good are your eyes? Sure in the good old days you could spot the fake dinosaurs and Spiderman was a stunt man in a suit for every shot, These days we are inundated with photorealistic CGI on TV and in cinema. Just how good are your senses? Head over to Autodesk (makers of 3D Studio Max and Maya) to take this quiz. I got 8 out of 10 on my first try... take a look and stretch your brain for two minutes. Thanks to Scott Simmons for the story.


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Useful Website for AE and 3D

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From Germany comes a very useful site on After Effects and several 3D animation tools. The site is named for its creator Mylenium, who is an animator as well as a forum host over at Creative Cow. Be sure to check out his useful site for a ton of free resources (as well as a few affordably priced ones as well). I've personally around downloaded some of his easy to use 'Looks' to stylize footage in Adobe After Effects.


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Richard Harrington on Inside Mac Radio

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I got a chance to appear on the July 1 edition of Inside Mac Radio. I was on to promote the new book on iWork ’06 and to offer some tips on using iWork and iLife. It was a quick interview, but I think we got some good information out for the loyal listeners. If you'd like to hear the episode (it's free), just click here. Inside Mac Radio offers both a daily version that's a short news blast on all things Mac and a two-hour Saturday program that airs live in some markets and is ready to download in others.


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