[Tim Kolb]

You can customize shortcut keys for nearly anything you want. Anyone who wants to do that much without a mouse is probably a former Avid editor…

There is a shortcut key map for Avid Express, but you would probably still have to designate your own for some functions.

There isn’t much an application can do to slow you down of course, but you do have to understand how the metaphor of the software design works to get the most out of it.

I don’t work with a client in the room very often in my business, but I had a producer a while back that was used to working with an Avid editor. He commented at some point on how “fast” Premiere Pro was relative to the Avid. I don’t happen to think that either system is fast or slow as such, but each application has areas where it shines and the editing process is as fast as the user is comfortable with the workflow, and how effectively each user takes advantage of what each application can do.

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

If you exposed the shot so that the tunic isn’t separated from the background…you’re pretty much out of luck…if it’s out of focus on top of that…schedule the re-shoot.

First, moving the subject away from the background so the light on the subject doesn’t all fall on the background would help. If the background is darker, your foreground person stands out better.

Second, focus is difficult to fix in post. If there are a lack of sharp edges, the software can’t really guess where they should be (particularly if the shot is overexposed or flatly lit and everything is white). All you might get is high contrast, blurry footage.

Third…if the suit is “shimmery”, it’s over-exposed. If the karate person was the main subject, you want to take care to maintain detail in his suit. Once this is recorded over-exposed, that detail is lost. No software plugin can bring back detail that isn’t there.

Editing software isn’t designed to be able to fix every possible thing that can be affected by shooting mistakes…I really do think your best bet is to re-shoot using a monitor so you can see what the picture looks like and separate him from the background and simply watch the exposure more closely.

Without seeing the footage, I’m guessing based on your description, and I’m sorry I don’t have better news.

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

I would say the easiest way to get the square picture shape would be using a 4 point garbage matte. Then simply do the obvious positioning with the Effect Controls…

I think you’ll find PPro will handle the task.

…do they have a domestic service person for the center square?….or maybe a dog?

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

Realtime anything with MPEG2 will be the domain of hardware for a while…the Matrox system would almost certainly do that in real-time (if not quite a bit faster).

PPro does have a direct Export>DVD function from the timeline where you simply do the straight burn with no menu, but it’s not RT, though the faster the system, the faster it would be…

Lately I’ve been using the little consumer software from Ulead, called Movie Factory. I’ve had excellent playability luck wth DVD+Rs. I think you can download it for 35 bucks. Again, not real-time in the respect that you watch it happen on a monitor, but fast enough to get most short jobs done for client proofs very quickly.

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

[Larry Sherwood] “The Axio would give someone who was doing a lot of editing some serious speed advantages, but the file format is proprietary…moving the media files to another computer entails conversion.
Not sure what you mean by this, I use my Axio files in AE all the time and there is no file conversion. AFAIK, using the Matrox codecs to render in AE will have accelerating rendering via the Axio hardware.”

Hi Larry,

I have no doubt that what you say is true, but what I wrote was…”moving files to a different computer.”

I’m sure that AE works with Axio media files on the system, but are they universal? AE work is often collaborative and multiple artists can trade files back and forth, so unless anyone he works with has an Axio, I’m saying that taking the Axio media to another computer without an Axio will most likely require a change of filetype…right?

…also I’d be curious about the AE render help the Axio supplies…is it competitive with high end cards from nVidia for instance? My point was trading the $8K spent on the Axio for bigger processors and a high end graphics card would probably have a bigger impact on his self-noted 90% of his work…which is AE.

I have no Axio to “grind”…(eeeewwwww….sorry…couldn’t resist). I’m just looking at it as an After Effects user and thinking optimization for that use. If he needed serious RT uncompressed editing for 90% of his work, I’d say Axio was a great choice.

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

Typically I’ve found it most effective to go back and make three word docs, one each with a column on it. Then you paste as three text objects and line them up.

That’s about the best solution I can think of for a short turnaround…

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

Does it stop at the same place every time?

I’m not tuned in to what the limitations of the tryout version are…

You are renderng/exporting to a drive with adequate space?

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

Well, a non-proprietary system is always the most future-proof in my mind. A general-use DeckLink card isn’t only cheaper, but also is very versatile.

The Axio would give someone who was doing a lot of editing some serious speed advantages, but the file format is proprietary…moving the media files to another computer entails conversion.

If you do go with the Decklink card, you can invest more into the computer itself…processors, serious video card, etc….which affects your After Effects work, which would be useful 90% of the time according to your post…the Axio accelerates the 10%.

I don’t have much to say on pricing…it’s all over the place depending on where you buy, etc., but it seems to me from what you’re saying that the Decklink/general purpose configuration would be best for you.

…my opinion.

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

How exactly are you having trouble with alignment? Are the tabs not being read?

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net

[Tim Kolb]

Unfortunately handling large quantities of stills has never been one of Premiere’s or PPro’s strong points.

Thanks for documenting your experience so others can work around when the time comes…

TimK,

Kolb Syverson Communications,
Creative Cow Host,
2004-2005 NAB Post Production Conference
Premiere Pro Technical Chair,
Author, “The Easy Guide to Premiere Pro” http://www.focalpress.com
“Premiere Pro Fast Track DVD Series” http://www.classondemand.net