» Posts Tagged ‘apple’
CTRL+Console App: Turn Your iPad into a Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro 7/X Editing Console
If you’ve ever worked in linear tape-to-tape editing, there’s a good chance you’ve dealt with an edit controller device that has jog or shuttle wheels. With everything being software based now, many have simply reassigned to a keyboard the tasks that used to be associated with a console. Well, short of buying an expensive console to interface with your NLE or remembering dozens of keyboard shortcuts, what’s a video editor to do? That’s where Jeff Chow’s CTRL+Console iOS app comes in. Click through to check out the Kickstarter video. More »
It’s always a bit sad when tried-and-true tech or transfer protocols go the way of the Dodo Bird — to utterly date myself, I can remember thinking Zip Drives were the future — or maybe frustrating is more the word I’m looking for. According to Mac World, Apple’s announcement of 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros and new iMacs all exhibit what very well could be the setting of a trend in Apple’s products — the absence of FireWire ports. Keep reading for how on earth we’re going to deal with this. More »
It looks like it’s RED Day here at NoFilmSchool. Both Sony and RED have been making a lot of noise in relation to new products (or price reductions). We’ve got the new F5 and F55 cameras, and a new 4K recorder from Sony, and while we can’t be sure of the final price just yet, it’s clear RED and Sony both view compressed formats as important (even if one might say 1080p/2K is a “scam”). The new RED Meizler Module, which features all sorts of wireless controls and proxy recording, now officially supports ProRes. Another major milestone for RED, they’ve also released the cheapest media available, a 48GB SSD, and it’s in stock in the RED store if you’d like to order it. Click through for more details. More »
Apple’s Final Cut Pro X has slowly been getting up to speed after a somewhat underwhelming release last year. Each update has brought features users were expecting in the first version, but it’s still a good sign that they’re coming. With the recent 10.0.6 update, Apple has made a few key additions and changes that may just make you reconsider the editing application for future projects, including native RED support. Two of the major additions, dual viewer windows (Event and Timeline), and override connections, will certainly be helpful to those who like working in a more traditional manner. Click through for videos showing off both of these features. More »
What's Coming in the Next Mac Pro? Predicting Apple's 'Pro' Future
It’s no secret that Apple has neglected to update the Mac Pro line in any significant way since 2010. In fact, both the iMac and the Macbook Pro have gotten a few major revisions just in that time span, and many have turned to building Hackintoshes to satisfy the growing need for professional equipment (and to save a few bucks). We’re getting word from CEO Tim Cook that one should be coming in 2013, but the details have been vague. A Facebook page was started by Lou Borella, a freelance editor/animator, to bring together professionals looking for Apple to address this growing issue. Now that the new Apple philosophy is becoming more clear, Lou has addressed the state of Apple and the Mac Pro line, and what he thinks will be coming in the next version.
This is a guest post from Lou Borella. More »
Really skinny hardware isn’t the only type of tech Apple’s been cooking up recently. They’ve also updated FCP X to 10.0.6 with a host of new features, including native, real-time (on most machines) support for R3D files thanks to a new plug-in and some nifty background rendering. This means big-savings on time for FCP X/RED users — especially with the assist of a RED ROCKET — plus an upgrade in quality if you’ve been using proxies. For the plug-in and update download links, plus a video demonstrating just how easy this could make things for you FCP X editors out there, read on! More »
Apple announced a new and faster iPad today (less than eight months after the new Retina iPad), along with an entirely new product line, the iPad mini. For most filmmakers though, that’s an appetizer to the main course — which happens to be brand new computers, including a new Mac mini, a 13″ Macbook Pro with a Retina display, and new (incredibly thin — pictured left) 21″ and 27″ iMacs. We didn’t get a Retina iMac like many were hoping for (or a new Mac Pro for that matter), but the fact that they squeezed an entire computer inside such a thin housing is a remarkable feat. Click through for the rest of the details. More »
Thanks to Hollywood Camera Work’s new app Shot Designer, you can now design and block camera coverage of your scene almost as fast as you can think it — even on your mobile device. An intuitive interface allows precise control for plotting (and animating) all the essential aspects of shooting your scene in a classic top-down diagram style. A limited (single-scene-at-a-time) release is available for free, and the $20 Pro version has some key perks too. Read on for the intro video and a more detailed list of Shot Designer’s features. More »
RED’s new Meizler Module was recently introduced, and it does almost everything you think a module should be able to do. It’s wireless functionality and proxy capabilities are the main selling point, but RED is also developing their own app that allows control of a RED EPIC or SCARLET through an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Here is another video from Sean Ruggeri at RED giving a brief overview of the Meizler Module as well as the new REDsync app: More »
This is a guest post by Whitney Adams.
There are literally thousands of apps on the iOS and Android platforms, and plenty of them are actually useful for filmmakers. Having some of these apps is like having an entire production office or studio in your pocket. App developers have created tools for all different skill levels, so whether you are just starting your career or have been at it for a while, there is an app for you. Here are 5 that just might make your filmmaking experience more productive: More »
An Apple Design Award winning iPad app that I reviewed back in March, Paper, has received a major update that makes the drawing program even easier to use. The latest update has put the emphasis on organization, and it’s clear that the team at FiftyThree are dedicated to making the app as simple, functional, and powerful as possible. There aren’t any major overhauls in this release, but for an app that already did a lot of things right, I don’t think it really needed any. Check out the video below for more info on the release. More »
A Complete Guide to Setting Up a Home Color Grading Suite
This is a guest post by Cinematographer Ryan E. Walters.
As Moore’s Law continues to make technology more accessible to the masses, it is time to start exploring what it takes to build your own grading suite at home or in your office. Before reading the rest of this post, I recommend that you check out How To Get The Most Out Of CS6, DaVinci, & Your Mac Pro, as this article continues to build on what I’ve outlined. So let’s get started shall we? More »
Adobe to Natively Support Apple Macbook Pro Retina Display with Software Updates
In what will surely be welcome news for those who routinely use Photoshop and Premiere, Adobe is planning to natively support the higher resolution display of the new Macbook Pro (as well as any other HiDPI displays in the future). While there are certain creative applications that immediately supported the Retina resolution with software updates (namely Apple’s Final Cut Pro X and Motion), Adobe was not able to offer this support right away. For those who are loving the extra screen resolution, it’s disappointing to then have to open Adobe products only to see them not share the same crispness as the native apps. Not all Creative Cloud applications will receive support (at least at this time), but you can read the full list of programs that will get software updates below. More »
Last we heard, Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote an e-mail shortly after the WWDC stating that Apple is “planning a new Mac Pro for later next year.” Now, it looks like there is some additional evidence to support this assertion in Mountain Lion’s configuration files, and it also points to a significant potential hardware change in the Mac Pro update: More »
A Colorist’s Perspective: Practical Comparisons of DaVinci Resolve and Apple Color
This is a guest post by Tristan Kneschke.
With the release of Apple Color several years ago, the once-niche field of high-end color grading trickled down to the average user. When Blackmagic released DaVinci Resolve on Mac it became more obvious that color grading was the next big wave. Having already been grading professionally with Color shortly after it was released, I quickly decided to invest in a traveling DaVinci Resolve Mac Pro tower. The client demand for color grading in particular, and a traveling station specifically, has grown my business at a rate I never thought possible. Now, with Resolve 9 nearing its official, non-beta release, Blackmagic has separated itself even more from Apple’s killed product. More »
We posted a DIY stabilizer not too long ago that should actually prove to be very capable, but if building your own isn’t something you’re interested in (and you need one specifically designed for a smaller camera), some brothers from Cambridge, MA have come up with their own stabilizer that is specifically designed for that purpose. While it will work well with camera phones like the iPhone and compact cameras, it can also handle smaller mirrorless cameras and DSLRs like the Canon T2i. Check out the intro video below, but if you want a discount you’ll have to hurry ($140 vs. $180 at retail), as the Kickstarter campaign is ending at 6:53pm Eastern. More »
We’ve already talked about the death of Flash on this site, and even Adobe’s efforts to help people transition with their Flash to HTML5 conversion tool. Adobe said they were going to be releasing one more update for Flash at the end of 2011, but it’s clear now after a recent announcement that it’s the end of the road for Flash on mobile devices, as it won’t be supported any longer when users update to Android 4.1. But what does this really mean? More »
We’ve all used shot lists on set (or most of us, anyway), and the one inevitability with all shot lists is that they’re going to change. Whether you’re way behind or way ahead, shot lists help you and the Assistant Director (if you have one) figure out where and when you’ll be shooting next. It’s usually a given that something will have to change with the shot list and it’ll be crossed out or erased and rewritten. It’s amazing that in 2012 this is still predominately how things are done for one simple reason: because it works. Well, a new iOS app called Shot Lister wants to change the way we’ve been doing things for the last 100 years of cinema, and it’s got a few tricks up its sleeve that just might convince you. More »
So if you were one of the many professionals (or enthusiasts) that were disappointed by the almost non-existent Mac Pro update, and a little jealous of the attention that the Macbook Pro received, there may be some hope after all. This should be taken with a grain of salt, but it seems that people are getting emails from a certain Mr. Cook who just happens to be the CEO of Apple. In these emails, Tim Cook describes Apple’s philosophy and its dedication to professional users — not relying on sales to dictate where particular product lines are headed (though that seems slightly hard to believe). There was also a New York Times article from David Pogue and a Forbes article confirming those same words, that new iMacs and Mac Pros are coming. The only real question is when? More »
If you were one of those vocal supporters looking for an answer from Apple regarding the Mac Pro, you’re in luck (sort of). Today, along with Retina Macbook Pros, Apple updated its Mac Pro towers. Unfortunately, it seems like Apple is moving further and further from the high-end professional market. Though additional resolution can certainly benefit professionals, many pros need a machine that has easily upgradeable parts, and is able to scale to their needs. If your work requires a Mac Pro, your options with Apple will be limited compared to the competition. More »
Ben Howling: The quality of some of the shots blows me away. Cinematic with a capital … Luke Neumann on Canon 5D Mark III RAW Video and a Comparison with the RED …
Ben Howling: guys, this is awesome. i really appreciate it. Luke Neumann on Canon 5D Mark III RAW Video and a Comparison with the RED …
Steven Huber: I had the pleasure of gaffing for Tom on the last two of days of "Palindro… 'Palindromes' DP Tom Richmond: 'The Grammar of Filmmaking is a Good Place …
Catullus: Have been thinking a lot about story structures in terms of D&D games … Five Screenplay Transition Tips to Improve Your Script from John August &#…
Richard: What an amazing metaphor! How inspiring is that. 'Palindromes' DP Tom Richmond: 'The Grammar of Filmmaking is a Good Place …