After Effects

TO DO LIST for After Effects:

Before you begin make sure you have 1 folder with all of your files in it (all images, text, quicktime videos etc…)

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After you open After Effects, you begin by creating a new compostion

The standard size is:

NTSC DV
720x480
29.97 Frames per second
Resolution: Full

Timecode:
hours; minutes; seconds; frames

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To start having fun,

go to file -> import -> file (or multiple files)

Import as footage (or for psd documents you can import as cropped layers)
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When you have finished,

go to composition -> make movie…

when the Render Queue menu pops up:
-Render Settings: (should be) Best Settings
-Output Module: (click on lossless and check audio output if there is sound)
            -Based on "Lossless"
-Select where to Output To: (what to save it as)

Then press Render
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**Note you can (and should) put more than one Comp in a movie

Capturing from mini DV

This tutorial will cover how to capture video from mini DV tapes.

Digitizing VHS video tapes

In order to move VHS video into the computer you first need to transfer the video to mini DV tape and then capture the mini DV tape with Final Cut. Two stations in the Grad Lab have VHS decks for this purpose.

The most important part is setting up the DV deck prior to recording the VHS onto the DV. Capturing the DV in Final Cut works like any mini DV tape. Below you see what the display of the DV deck should look like when capturing from VHS.

DV Deck Display

1. Make sure the following settings a set on the DV Deck:
• Input is set to "A1." This can be changed by pressing the "INPUT SELECT" button on the right panel of the DV Deck. If you want to capture from a source other than the VHS deck you can set the input to "A2" and plug the RCA and/or S-Video cables into the plugs on the right panel of the DV Deck.
• Audio is set to 16 bit. (If it isn't you may have problems with the sync between your audio and video.) Press "SET UP" on the center panel and navigate to "AUDIO MODE" then select 16 bit.
• The record mode should be set to SP.
• Set both audio record levels both to 5. The sliders should be centered.
• Both audio channels are set for output. Press audio out until both "L" and "R" appear in the boxes next to the time code.
  
2. Make sure your mini DV tape is rewound to the point you want to begin recordings. (Probably the beginning of the tape)
3. Make sure your VHS tape is cued up to the point you want recorded.
4. Press Record on the DV Deck.
5. Press play on the VHS Deck.
6. When your done, press stop on the VHS Deck.
7. Press stop on the DV Deck.
8. You can now use Final Cut to log and capture your mini DV tape.

High Definition (HD)

HD Cameras available at AV/Desk:Sony HD - FX1Panasonic AG-HVX200 *HD Cameras require completion of HD workshop before you can check them out.

Qmaster

Qmaster is a system made by Apple Inc. that provides automated work distribution and processing power for software packages like: Shake, Alias Maya , Final Cut Pro, Compressor, DVD Studio Pro and any UNIX command-line programs ie Blener . It processes such jobs on a cluster of Mac.

Useful information for video

FINAL CUT PRO BASIC SET-UP

Ok, first thing to get right when using final cut pro is the concept of where to put your files, for the purpoposes of this blog we are going to assume that you are working from an external had drive well call this EH (also on a side note if you haven’t bought a EH yet than you should check that the drive you purchase is made to be running video editing programs with its video, some drives are not made for this and can cause you problems). So plug in your EH into the desk top, through the fire wire port on the front of the computer, and wait for it to show up on your desk top. Open final cut pro. Once Final Cut Pro is open than go to the system settings, which drops down from the Final Cut Pro HD menu. In System Settings you wan to choose scratch disks and then set.

When you’ve hit set a new window is going to pop up select your EH (external Hardrive) from the files on the left of the box and then click the New Folder option. Name this folder on you EH the name of your Video project, (this folder is where EVERYTHING that is a part of that project is going to go, all of your images music graphics Photoshop documents aftereffects video everything, this is best for your computer and your sanity.

SO inside this folder you’ll want to set the scratch disks for video and audio as well as waveform cache Thumbnails and auto save vault.

After you’ve done all this than you’ll want to go to file save as and create a new Final Cut Pro project that you will save inside your newly created folder, you may want to give this the same name as your folder.

LOG AND CAPTURE

OK here are some tips on making your first log and capture off your miniDV cassette successful. The first thing you ‘all want to is make sure that the deck in the grad-lab or deck in which ever room your in is set to line out, choose long and capture from the File menu in FCP and then choose Log and Capture. Hit the small triangle at the bottom of the log and capture window that indicates play and you should see and here your video on the screen. The simplest way begin capturing video immediately is to as you video is playing at a part you like (obviously a little before the part that you want to actually use) hit capture NOW. This will begin to capture video until you hit escape.

CREATIVECOW.NET

Sign up for creative cow it is the best video resource that I know of on the web for answering questions about every type of video electronic media. Awesome resource.

These are pod-casts that answer questions about FCP

http://cowcast.creativecow.net/finalcutpro/index.html

HD FIRESTORE

Here are two pages MICAS own video department have written up about importing from the firestore into Final Cut Pro as well as some general info about the fire store and a link to the Creative cow forum discussing the Fire store.

http://www.focusinfo.com/solutions/catalog.asp?id=150

http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/newviewposts.cgi?forumid=193

COMPRESSOR

So when you ready to export your video and burn a sleek DVD, you want to go to FILE > export using compressor. Once in compressor you’ll want to make sure that you select your sequence in the top left hand corner of the compressor preview window. This window will usually open with something that says sample movie, and once you’ve chosen your film then the color bars will change to an image from your film or black if you have black at the head of your piece. In the Batch monitor near the bottom of the screen under source media you should see the name of your project. Next to that is the setting section that has a small box with two arrows pointing up and down click on that box.

For a film that’s less than 90 min you’ll want to choose best quality DVD 90 min and then (depending on what aspect ration our video is in) 16:9 or 4:3. And then select ALL. Later you’ll want top select the Dolby sound track in the batch box and delete it.

So you’ve deleted the Dolby sound track and all that’s left to do now is to assign where you want to save the files (this is why those yellow warning signs are there) so in destination choose your hard drive and that’s it! Soon you should have a file ready for DVD studio pro.

BURNING LOOPED DVD

All right this is the basics of what you are going to need to know in order to burn a DVD in DVD studio pro. First open DVD studio pro and in the window drop down choose configurations> advanced. With the mouse click on the assets tab in the left hand corner and select import. You going to find those files you just compressed and then select them. Once there in DVD studio pro, drag them into the time line (this looks about the same as the timeline in final cut), make sure to select both of them at the same time (you can hold shift to do this). Next click in the graphical section in the upper left hand corner and while that are is selected, delete the menu box, and then in the disk menu in the lower right hand corner set first play> track 1> chapter 1. Then activate the time line while clicking in the grey area, then go to the lower right hand box (now it says track at the top and select end jump> track 1 > chapter1. at the top of the main project box click simulate and watch your DVD automatically play and loop. if you like it close the simulator click BURN, and call the Whitney.

ANIMATING STILLS IN QUICKTIME

So here is a quick hint for a way to quickly animate stills that you’ve just imported from your camera or drawings from a scanner or what ever it is you have. The only thing is that you have to make sure that your still image files are numbered sequence as in img001, Img002, img003, ect ( most digital cameras will do this for you automatically and you in my opinion should also go into the setting of your camera and change it so that the number are always going up, so that they don’t reset them selves back to one ever time you reset your memory card).

Import the stills in a folder, then launch quicktime. You want to go to file "open file" then set a frame rate, quick time will assemble the images into a sequence that you can then export as a quick time movie.