» Posts Tagged ‘software’
Regular readers know I’m a fan of Red Giant Software’s post-production plugins, as they offer a lot of value for the money (and that’s when they’re at full price). Because their tools are such a good match for DIY and indie filmmakers, this week I’ve got a special deal from the Red Giant folks: the color grading plugin Magic Bullet Quick Looks, normally $99, for only $25. 75% off. No catch. Quick Looks is a great way to get really dramatic results with just a click of the mouse. I can show you better than I can tell you: More »
It was a big deal when Premiere Pro CS5 introduced native HDSLR editing, because it removed the need to transcode h.264 video to a more editable format like ProRes. However, just because you can does not mean you should. After editing a couple of projects in Premiere without transcoding, I’ve since started using Magic Bullet Grinder to convert to ProRes anyway, because shuttling and scrubbing in the timeline is much more responsive on transcoded footage. I’ve found that Red Giant Software’s multi-core, dead-simple processing tool ends up saving a lot of time in the editing session. So whether you’re editing in FCP and need to transcode, or just want to speed up your editing, here’s a 30% off coupon for Grinder — a NoFilmSchool exclusive! More »
When Divergent Media’s Scopebox was released a few years ago, it was a $700 piece of software that was fairly unique at the time: a way to turn any Mac laptop into, well… a box of scopes. Waveforms, vectorscopes, and RGB parades were handy on-set aides, and though similar to Adobe OnLocation (now bundled as part of Premiere Pro), the fact that the forthcoming version 3.0 of the software will drop the price from $700 to $99 makes it a new ball game. More »
The previously announced upgrade to Adobe’s Creative Suite, version CS5.5, is now shipping. From individual titles all the way up to the $2,599 behemoth known as the Master Collection, the new programs are available as instant downloads (well, depending on the speed of your connection). Direct links: Adobe Master Collection CS5.5, Adobe Production Premium CS5.5, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5, Adobe After Effects CS5.5, Adobe Audition CS5.5.
Some have pointed out that many of Final Cut Pro X‘s much-lauded new features are not really that “new.” This backlash seems to happen with every Apple product, perhaps out of response to the rapturous reception with which Apple fanboys greet the superlative-laced presentations. In the case of FCP X, the criticism is that FCP X’s list of new features (seen on video) have been around for a while in other editing applications (notably Premiere and Vegas). But a list of features does not an editing program make. It’s not what features you include in a piece of software, it’s how you design them. Read on for some thoughts on intuitive design and a few full resolution screenshots of the new Final Cut Pro X. More »
Since Apple showed a new version of Final Cut Pro behind closed doors, the internets have been flooded with all manner of speculation as to what is so groundbreaking about the latest update to FCP. Idle speculation alert — if you’re not a Final Cut-based editor or you simply don’t care about what could be, feel free to skip this post — we’ll get proper news soon enough. But because there are a lot of FCP editors out there — and because so many folks are throwing ideas at the wall — I thought I’d share a few of the ideas floating about. More »
How to Use The Foundry's Storm to Color Correct RED Footage (Free This Week)
The Foundry is best known for high-end compositing tools like Nuke, but they’re set to release their latest application, Storm, on March 1st. Storm is a much-needed low-cost “RED Production Hub,” which will retail for the very reasonable price of $375 — reasonable considering it’s not only designed to help log and process the .R3D camera originals, but it’s also meant to be a post-production solution that will take RED-based edits all the way through final color correction to delivery. If you’re interested in the RAW workflow and want to play around with some .R3D files in Storm, here’s your chance — it’s in free public beta until March 1. And if you don’t have any .R3D files to work with, I’ve got you covered there as well: More »
Singular Software’s PluralEyes is the go-to plugin for editors who need to ingest footage from a dual-system shoot. When the audio was recorded on a separate recorder, and the recording medium lacks proper timecode (like, say, any HDSLR), PluralEyes analyzes the on-camera (low quality) audio and automatically syncs it to the audio recorder’s (high quality) files. Voilà! To date, this software has only been available as a NLE plugin on the Mac, because DualEyes — the same technology in a standalone software package — was only available on Windows. Now Singular has released DualEyes for Mac, which lets you sync your files and bring them into any NLE (Final Cut Express or iMovie, for example). It’s also discounted for a limited time (since expired): More »
Scenechronize is a browser-based production tool that breaks down scripts, prints sides, helps with scheduling, and does a number of other production tasks that I don’t have experience with myself. It looks similar to Movie Magic Budgeting, except Scenechronize is a web-based, and instead of a flat price of $500 it’s modular and is priced anywhere from free to $2,800. In the works since 2006, the program’s creators claim Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures are already using it. An example screen: More »
Many of us watch movies via Netflix, Hulu, and other services instead of ever waiting for a disc to spin up. And when’s the last time anyone went to a Blockbuster? With DVD winding down, Apple has famously sat out Blu-ray, with Steve Jobs calling the format a “bag of hurt.” With iTunes and Apple TV, Apple has worked towards eliminating the CD and DVD, respectively. Will the launch of today’s Mac App Store do the same for software on disc? More »
GridIron Software has released Flow 2.0, a collaboration/syncing/management application that enables people to share and sync files over a network. Dubbed a “project operating system for creative professionals,” the free “Flow Essentials” version comes with 4GB of online secure storage, allowing remote file storage, versioning, and team collaboration. More »
MacHeist is a website that sells a lot of Mac applications in a bundle for less than the normal price of one of the individual apps. In the case of the currently running “nanoBundle2″ promotion, it’s seven applications that would retail for $266, on sale together for a total of $19.95. These aren’t trial versions or crippled licenses; they are the full monty.
How can MacHeist do this? Well, the involved app developers get a lot less money for their app, but they’re getting less money from a lot more people. Plus they gain a larger userbase and get broad exposure from the promotion. The current bundle contains a number of handy-looking creative applications and is live until March 9th, so I thought I’d review the software contained therein from the perspective of a writer/designer/filmmaker/blogger. To get your money’s worth you’ve really only gotta find one of the seven applications useful; is the nanoBundle2 worth a Jackson? More »
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