NoFilmSchool » apple

Paper by FiftyThree is a Simple, Elegant, and Powerful Sketch App for the iPad

Joe Marine — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:26 +0000

I’m a sucker for great design, so when I got a chance to test out the Paper app for the iPad, I was immediately struck with how well-designed and beautiful it was. It’s not often that you can open up a piece of software, not read any of the directions, and immediately start creating lush sketches, drawings, and paintings. Not paintings in the normal sense of the word, but this app does watercolors in such a realistic and intuitive way that it almost fools me into thinking I’m a real painter. One of the creators, Andrew S Allen, has had his work featured here before. He runs Short of the Week, and I got a chance to talk to him a little bit about the app and what might be in store for the future. (more…)

Give Your Clips Metadata Automatically with the iPhone/iPad App QRSlate

Joe Marine — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:30:10 +0000

I’ve used (and unfortunately paid for) a couple of iPhone slates in the past. They both worked in their own ways, but they weren’t really as good as the real thing. The one positive that I’ve enjoyed from these slate apps is that they can be much easier to read, whether you’re in the dark, or your AC is getting sloppy with their handwriting. QRSlate is a whole different animal. So if you’re looking for a new slate app to go with that new iPad, this one can give you automatic metadata when you transfer your footage. It’s a pretty clever solution to help save you time and aggravation in post. (more…)

Temporal Noise Reduction on the New iPad and How It's Essential for Small Sensors

Joe Marine — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:00:00 +0000

On the left is a breakdown of the new iPad camera, and it has quite a few internal elements and an IR filter that should make for some quality 5 megapixel photos. While it doesn’t have the wow-factor that the iPhone 4S’s 8 megapixel camera does, it has something else that you may find interesting – and it was only hinted at during Apple’s press conference introducing the new iPad. That something it called Temporal Noise Reduction. I’ll explain what that means and why it’s important for small sensor cameras. (more…)

Why the New Apple TV, iCloud, and 1080p iTunes Affect Filmmakers More Than the New iPad

Joe Marine — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:59:49 +0000

In addition to the”new” iPad announced yesterday, Apple also rolled out a whole host of other updates to its “iProducts.” The Apple TV was updated to 1080p, as was iTunes, and iCloud now includes the ability to buy movies and play them from any Apple device. In addition certain apps were updated including iLife, iMovie, and Garageband, and a brand new app for iOS was introduced called iPhoto. But it’s really the new 1080p iTunes and iCloud that could do more to affect filmmakers in a specific way than the iPad. (more…)

'New' iPad Sets the Standard with 2048 x 1536 Resolution

Joe Marine — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:44:53 +0000

Well, Apple always finds a way to be “different,” and they’ve certainly done that with the introduction of the new iPad. The new iPad is called…iPad. It remains to be seen if we’ll get an explanation into why they didn’t decide to continue with the numbering system – or a whole new naming system – but it’s clear Apple wants to start over again and has now created a slight confusion among consumers – as the iPad is far superior than the iPad 2. If you despise Apple, at least stick around for the conclusion. (more…)

Movie Draft Review: Promising (and Affordable) Screenwriting Software with a Bright Future

Ryan Koo — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:51:37 +0000

For screenwriting, I’ve been a long-time Final Draft user, but I’ve never been a huge fan. It’s like the Microsoft Word of screenwriting software — ubiquitous and adequate, but not something you’re particularly excited about. I’ve been using it since Version 4, and it has definitely improved since then, but for a $250 program I’ve never felt that it has evolved as much as I’d like. What am I looking for? More structuring and outlining tools. This is where Movie Draft comes in. Note that it’s ~~Mac only~~ available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, it’s rated nearly 5 stars in the Mac App Store, and it only costs $30. (more…)

Apple Adds Multicam Support (And a Way to Open Final Cut 7 Projects) to Final Cut Pro X

Ryan Koo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:59:54 +0000

Apple today released an update to the controversial Final Cut Pro X, adding multicam support, advanced chroma keying, media relinking upgrades, and enhanced XML support. There’s also a third party app that — get this — actually allows you to import Final Cut Pro 7 projects. FCPX is now at 10.0.3, and while I’m not sure this will make anyone give up their copy of 7, it’s a step in the right direction (and a significant upgrade for current X users). Here are the details: (more…)

The Latest OS X Lion Hackintosh Recommendations for Video Editors

Ryan Koo — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:45:24 +0000

One of the reasons I haven’t updated my How to Build a Hackintosh guide (which, I should note, is even more popular now than the DSLR Cinematography Guide — probably because most people have the PDF of the Guide and don’t need to visit the latter as often) is that my machine has been working perfectly and so I haven’t feel the need to constantly search for new components. However, I recently upgraded my machine to OS X Lion (it’s working great), and so I also updated the guide to reflect an easy way to do it, courtesy Unibeast from Tonymac: (more…)

How Final Cut Ended up at Apple: an Excerpt from John Buck's 'Timeline: a History of Editing'

Ryan Koo — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:20:56 +0000

Did you know Final Cut wasn’t actually an Apple product but a Windows program written by Macromedia that Apple purchased? Did you know Apple purchasing Final Cut was a result of Adobe rebuffing Apple over a Mac version of Premiere? Did you know Apple was in danger of going under when it purchased Final Cut? Even if you already knew all of these things, the particulars of how Final Cut ended up in Apple’s hands is a fascinating story for anyone interested in video editing. John Buck’s $4.99 book Timeline: A History of Editing (also available on iBooks) tells the full tale. There’s also a Volume 1 book, which covers editing up until the digital age. Let’s take it back to 1998: (more…)

How to Build a Hackintosh with OS X Lion Natively (no Snow Leopard Required)

Ryan Koo — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:39:48 +0000

Since OS X Lion was released, if you wanted to build a Hackintosh (and I would like to think the tutorial on this site is the most comprehensive how-to out there), you had to get your hands on a copy of Snow Leopard, install that, and then upgrade to Lion. There were often complications along the way, to the point where I refrained from upgrading to Lion. Thanks to tonymacx86, however, hackintoshers can now grab Lion from the Mac App Store and install it natively from a USB drive. Here’s the blurb: (more…)

What Will the TV of the Future Look Like? Updates for Google TV and Rumors about Apple TV

Ryan Koo — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:43:43 +0000

When I originally wrote, “Google TV is what independent filmmakers have been waiting for,” in retrospect I forgot the “is” at the beginning of the sentence and the question mark at the end. So far the answer to that question has been, admittedly and unfortunately, a resounding “no” — so much so that, despite being sent a Google TV by Google (in part because of writing that article), I still haven’t set it up. But when it comes to independent film distribution, the TV is the final frontier, and whether or not Google TV version 1 made an impact, version 2 is currently rolling out this week and looks to improve things significantly. Oh, and rumors are flying that Apple is apparently getting into the TV game for real (the current Apple TV is nothing more than a hobby). (more…)

Is Apple Canceling the Mac Pro?

Ryan Koo — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:16:42 +0000

Despite the scheduled release of new Intel chips appropriate for a new Mac Pro, reports are surfacing that Apple may cancel the Mac Pro line. The full-sized, overpriced Apple desktop hasn’t seen an update since July of last year and makes up such a small percentage of Apple’s sales that company executives are reportedly considering giving the machine the axe. Also consider the prosumer-ization of Final Cut Pro and the release of a simple, low-cost high-speed interface like Thunderbolt. Here’s what the AppleInsider report says: (more…)

How Does the iPhone 4S Video Quality Compare to the Canon 5D Mark II?

Ryan Koo — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:20:55 +0000

The new iPhone 4S shoots 1080/30p video. No, I’m not saying you should use it to shoot a narrative film, but in terms of ubiquity we’re going to see a lot of footage from the 4S going forward — as an indicator of this ubiquity, the iPhone 4 is the single most popular camera on flickr. Those blurry cameraphone videos used on the news for eyewitness reports are certainly going to be a lot sharper, but how does the much-hyped new lens fare against the video quality of a Canon 5D Mark II? Here’s a shootout video from Robino Films, who set both cameras up on the same tripod and rolled simultaneous video: (more…)

'Life's Change Agent' Visits Steve Jobs Too Soon

Ryan Koo — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:58:39 +0000

As you surely know already, Steve Jobs passed away today, and while it would be easy to say Steve just made technological gizmos, those gizmos have always been tools — valuable, elegant tools that just work and enabled millions to do inspiring, efficient, creative work. These tools fundamentally changed the way we interact and create every day. In the following speech at Stanford, Steve called death “life’s change agent,” saying it “clears out the old to make way for the new.” Steve was himself a change agent, making way for the new with his life’s work, but he deserved so much more time than the 56 years he was given. Below is his inspiring speech from 2005, as well as a quote that I feel applies to all creatives trying to find their way without knowing exactly where they’re going: (more…)

Apple's iPhone 4S Adds 1080p Video Recording, Fast Lens, and Gyro Stabilization

Ryan Koo — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:11:07 +0000

I know the rest of the internet is already clogged with news about the new iPhone 4S — which looks the same as the previous iteration, the iPhone 4 — but there are some video-specific features worth noting. The 4S ships with an 8 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor that records 1080p video at 30 FPS. With an f/2.4 aperture and a gyro for video stabilization, those movies shot on iPhones should start looking a bit better. Per usual with Apple promo videos, the new iPhone spot is rife with “amazing,” “incredible,” and every other hyperbolic term in the dictionary, so here it is starting with the part focused on its photo/video capabilities: (more…)

Upstart Screenwriting Application Movie Draft Looks Promising

Ryan Koo — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:30:34 +0000

First of all, industry standard screenwriting software Final Draft is $70 off until Sept 30. But thanks to @navesink on Twitter, I found out about a new screenwriting program that brings some appealing changes to the table. Movie Draft SE is available through the Mac App Store for just $30 (“for a limited time,” though I don’t know how limited of a time we’re talking) with some very promising features. It’s also available for Windows and Linux. Chiefly I’m interested in the modularity of the scenes and the navigation sidebar, as demonstrated in this video: (more…)

Apple Adds XML Interchange* to Final Cut Pro X with First Update

Ryan Koo — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:56:51 +0000

XML import/export has finally made its way to Final Cut Pro X in a 10.0.1 update Apple released today. This brings, ~~yes, a form of backwards compatibility for Final Cut Pro 7 users~~, as one can now import and export rich XML files from FCPX. Unfortuantely — and I initially misunderstood this — “rich XML” does NOT work with Final Cut Pro 7 (more on this after the jump)! But also among the new features are GPU-accelerated export rendering (as opposed to just playback), Xsan support, and a camera import SDK (to allow developers to write plugins for specific cameras). Apple’s Richard Townhill, senior director of applications product marketing said of the release: (more…)

Adobe's Mac Video Apps Up 45 Percent Thanks to Final Cut Pro X; Buys IRIDAS SpeedGrade

Ryan Koo — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:35:57 +0000

Since Apple introduced the much-maligned Final Cut Pro X, Adobe’s Mac Video apps have reportedly enjoyed a 45% boost in sales. This is in all likelihood partially thanks to Adobe’s offer of 50% off for Final Cut Pro users (Avid editors are also eligible). Perhaps as a result of this newfound confidence, Adobe has also purchased IRIDAS, a company known best for their high-end SpeedGrade color grading software. (more…)

Edit Like It's 2009: Apple Quietly Re-releases Final Cut Studio (for Full Price)

Ryan Koo — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:56:04 +0000

After days of rumors, it’s official: according to Apple, “a limited quantity of Final Cut Studio [are] still available through Apple telesales to customers who need them for ongoing projects.” What’s the big deal? Apple had previously pulled all copies of FCS from the shelves, and this represents a capitulation to the ongoing demand for their two year-old NLE in the face of negative reactions to FCPX. I thought Walter Biscardi put it best: (more…)

What Filmmakers Should Know About Upgrading to Mac OS X Lion

Ryan Koo — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:43:57 +0000

Apple’s OS X Lion was released this morning, but just because it’s Apple’s latest and greatest OS does not mean filmmakers should upgrade (right away, at least). Here’s what filmmakers should know: Final Cut Pro 7 will work in OS X Lion, despite it being discontinued (though word is they’re making additional enterprise licenses available). Final Cut Pro X will work on Lion too, obviously. But what about other filmmaker-specific applications? (more…)