Free After Effects Tutorials

I won't spend a lot of time on motion graphics software because they tend to be a bit beyond the reach of a novice video maker. (According to Wikipedia, "Motion graphics are graphics that use video and/or animation technology to create the illusion of motion or a transforming appearance.")

However, while Adobe After Effects is the most popular program available, the ability to animate still graphics has crept into most non-linear editing programs.

Here's a great After Effects tutorial web site - rhys-works.com. The site was created by Rhys Enniks, a native of the UK.



In addition to being a gifted motion graphics artist, Rhys also has a knack for presenting complex technical information in an easy-to-understand way. And the fact that he's only 20 years old make his web site and work all the more impressive.

Free Software to Edit Still Images

Here are some free programs to clean up still images before dropping them into your edit timeline. The first is Gimp, "a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring."


Gimp is another commendable example of the open source community working to make useful applications freely available. They also prevent predatory development and distribution practices by software companies.

Another free program is Photoscape, "the fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos." Google also offers its own free application, Picasa. Finally here's a link to an article which lists a number of other free programs for image editing.

Most of these applications allow you to edit, resize or crop an image in order to match the screen size and resolution of your video. Each also offers an excellent opportunity to get your feet wet in digital image editing without dropping any cash.

Adobe Premiere Keyboard Shortcut of the Week

Here's a way to speed up your work flow and be more organized. Adobe Premiere Pro (and most non-linear editing applications) enable you to "batch capture" your video clips - the "automatic, unattended capture of multiple clips from a DV device".

Because the process requires that you first log your clips, batch capturing helps you become better organized and better aware of your content. Logging is the process of reviewing your footage, selecting in and out points, and even taking detailed notes on the content and quality of each clip. A common mistake of inexperienced video makers is to dive into editing without having a clear edit plan for the project, or a good idea of which shots will work in a piece as well as which won't.

After saving your logged clips, highlight those you want to capture and press the "F6" key.


In Premiere Pro the application will prompt you to proceed and then to insert the tape which contains the source footage.


Click "OK" and let the computer do the rest of the work.

The "Ken Burns Effect"

While the technique of adding motion to still photographs has been around for a long time, it's now referred to as the "Ken Burns Effect" because the documentary filmmaker applied it with such popular success.

Here's an excerpt from Burns' Civil War series which demonstrates the effect:





One thing this clip demonstrates is how judiciously zooms and pans are added. The point is that just because you can add motion to a still image, it doesn't mean you should. As Burns describes in this Pointer Online article, "What we seek is meaning, and any movement, however dazzling or frenetic, if it doesn’t have meaning, it doesn't have a place."

Pointer Online touts itself as "everything you need to be a better journalist". The site includes plenty of useful articles on reporting, writing and photojournalism. You can learn more about Ken Burns' work at the PBS web site.

Adobe Premiere Keyboard Shortcut of the Week

Here's the easy way to import media into your Premiere project. Hold down the "CTRL" key and press "I".



The import dialog box will immediately appear and you're ready to go.

Choose the Right Microphone

In the past I've ranted about the lame quality of most built-in camcorder microphones and the importance of audio in a video production. Assuming your camera will accept an external mic, (and I hope it does) here's a link to Audio Technica's, "A Brief Guide to Microphones". The company provides an excellent basic primer on how and why microphones work, and which mic is best for the job at hand.

I'll also add that you should purchase the best microphone you can afford. Speaking from experience, you can get burned going cheap on a microphone purchase that in the end doesn't work well.

In my experience Audio Technica's equipment is affordable and of very good quality.
And while cameras and recording formats seem come with unsettling regularity, a good mic will last for many years.

"Crossing The Line"

Violating the 180 degree rule is also known as "crossing the line". The rule states that the camera must stay on only one side of the subjects in a scene. An invisible line runs through the space of the scene.



Wikipedia writes: "This schematic shows the axis between two characters and the 180° arc on which cameras may be positioned (green). When cutting from the green arc to the red arc, the characters switch places on the screen."

Here's a YouTube video by Peter John Ross that shows how the rule works.

Adobe Premiere Keyboard Shortcut of the Week

Dragging the CTI (Current Time Indicator) from clip to clip in the timeline can really slow things down. You can quickly move through the timeline by using the "Page Up" and "Page Down" keys.

"Page Up" moves backward. "Page Down" moves the CTI forward.