I bought my first copy of Adobe After Effects
I’ve also upgraded to versions 7, CS4, CS5, and CS6. I’ve spent dozens of hours watching all kinds of tutorials on lynda.com, tutsplus, and elsewhere.
So how come after all these years, when it comes to motion graphics, I’m still such a novice?
I think the answer is twofold.
I received some important feedback regarding my post from several weeks ago, MediaStorm Guide to Downloading from YouTube and Vimeo. “JY” writes, “KeepVid actually doesn’t work great on Mavericks because it has Java disabled/uninstalled.” This is true. Because Java has been used to launch attacks on Macs in the past, Apple decide to not pre-install it on OS X 10.9 (Mavericks). You can still download the software but for security reasons you may choose not to. Fortunately, when it comes to downloading videos, there are a plethora of alternatives to keepvid.com. We received recommendations for the free ClipConverter as well as MacX YouTube Downloader. A tutorial for the latter can be found here. My good pal Leandro Badalotti suggests the Torch Browser, which allows for downloads from more sites than just YouTube. Let us know what alternatives you’ve found in the comments below and thanks, as always, for the feedback.
Last week I started a project that incorporates previously produced material. The client stores this footage on YouTube and Vimeo. Once I’ve selected the clips I’d like to use, they will send me the Final Cut Projects and raw assets so I can use their material accordingly.
But it takes time to procure these files and as always, the clock is ticking. You’ve probably been in this situation yourself.
Rather than screen-capture the files with QuickTime or iShowU, my workaround is to download directly from the aforementioned sites. This is far faster as I don’t need to rerecord in real time.
I use the free service keepvid.com which allows the user to download videos directly from sites like YouTube and Vimeo. This works via a bookmarklet—a few lines of javascript—that sit on your browser’s bookmark bar.
To begin, load keepvid.com in your browser.
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This article is part of a series of posts with tips and tricks from our producers' experience working with Adobe Premiere Pro CC after years of working in Final Cut Pro. To read more about why we made the switch, check out this post. One tool I often overlook when editing is the slip tool. My buddy Tim McLaughlin reintroduced me to its power last week. The slip tool allows you to change the in and out point of a single clip without affecting it’s duration or the duration of adjoining clips. Your project length stays the same. Activate the slip tool with either the shortcut key Y or by clicking on its icon in the toolbar. Next, hover over a video clip and you’ll see that your cursor change to the slip icon. Hold down your mouse and drag forward or backwards inside the clip, don't move the clip itself. You’ll…
The writer John Gardner once described a good novel as a “long and continuous dream.”Picture editing at its best, works similarly. It’s an immersive experience. When I think about picture editing, I think of the exact moment one image changes to the next. It’s here that meaning is created, in the viewer’s attempt to make a connection between two different pictures [1]. That “blink” is likewise the foundation of cinema. Picture editing for me is an intuitive process—I’ve been called slow but I think deliberate may be more accurate. I’m obsessive, trying and retrying dozens of variations until one feels right. It’s not always easy to articulate exactly how or why something works because like a dream, the best edits often provoke the viewer precognitively. Nevertheless, here are some questions I ask myself as I work: Does the image advance the story? Does it create forward movement in the narrative by offering…