DC Metro Final Cut Pros

Integration is an Apple strength. Most Mac users understand the advantages of integration by virtue of the iLife Suite, which offers seemless export/import/transport of media between the various applications. Use pictures from iPhoto to create a slideshow in iMovie that is set to the beat of songs you mixed in GarageBand and that you exported to iTunes. Burn your masterpiece using iDVD or post it on your iWeb site. Integration.

Final Cut Pro users also have powerful integration capabilities in Final Cut Studio, via the “roundtripping” process. Roundtripping to and from Color involves: (1) cutting a sequence in Final Cut Pro; (2) preparing the sequence for export to Color; (3) sending to Color, where it is graded and rendered; and (4) exporting back to Final Cut Pro, where it will look better, brighter, darker, cooler, hotter, sparkling, desolate – whatever suits your needs.

The above video tutorial from our colleagues at Zoom In Online focuses on the 2nd step – preparing the sequence for export to Color.

Additional resources:

• Colorist Alexis Van Hurkman breaks down the color correction workflow here – be sure to click the “Prepping Your Sequence and Media” tab for details on this step.
• Apple’s Color user manual and Final Cut Pro user manual are both interspersed with guidance on how to properly round trip.

Editor’s notes:

• Worthy of emphasis - Always duplicate your sequence before doing any significant editing, such as roundtripping. It’s cheap and easy. Option-D does the trick.
• Added Tip – When you drag your clips down to the V1 track for consolidation, use the Shift key to ensure that you maintain the clip’s position in the timeline (i.e. to avoid tiny frame movements backwards or forwards).
• What I learned: I would have thought you should just strip out any Color Corrector 3-Way filters before sending to Color, both to avoid muddying up the sequence and because Color can do a more robust grading job than even the powerful CC 3-Way filter. According to the Zoom-In tutorial, if you leave the filter in place when you export, Color (roughly) translates the settings and makes them available on the clip during grading. Now I know.

Should DCFCPUG.org add a forums page?

Our user group quickly amassed an impressive number of members, and the first meeting had a surprisingly good turnout (thanks to lots of help from industry stalwarts). But, are users looking for forums here? Or are the Apple, Creative Cow, 2-Pop and other global forums enough to scratch everyone’s itch?

Personally, I see potential for a forum containing discussions about the local scene, and maybe filling in some holes left open by the bigger forums (which can be impersonal on occasion). That said, nothing is more pathetic than a page full of forums that sit fallow – populated only with a few lonely posts by the moderators, who try desperately to invite debate.

So, forums or no forums? Please vote by adding your Comments below.

Two of our newest DCFCPUG members are learning the very latest developments concerning the foundations on which all Apple and third party applications depend every day. Look for the 3G iPhone, Snow Leopard OS among other cool and innovative features to give us more tools to maximize our digital lifestyles.

Our members are in the company of the former forty-fifth Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, who also attended the week long event in San Francisco as a member of the audience. As a Director on the Board of Apple, Inc and a prominent environmental activist, Mr. Gore no doubt kept the Secret Service busy at the event – which had 5,200 people in the crowd.

You can see the keynote in QT or HD at WWDC Keynote Address.

I’ve included an iPod low-res QT of the highlights if you don’t want to watch the full Apple video.

iPod movie

*Higher resolution highlight versions are available…

Rod -DCFCPUG.org

(Photo: Rich Media)

Need some additional handy online tools for your cinematography work? Our associates at Panavision in New Zealand have some great free reference tools that might help.

This Cinematography Reference is definitely one for your favorite bookmarks. Here are a few to get you started:

Frame and Format List
DOF/FOV/AOV Image Calculator
Illumination Guide for Motion Picture Film

Enjoy!

Rod – DCFCPUG

Attendees at our June 2nd meeting saw an interesting presentation by WiebeTech, a manufacturer of storage products and computer forensic hardware. WiebeTech is based in Kansas and was founded by James and Kathy Wiebe. Read the rest of this entry »

Our June 2, 2008 Meeting was a great success. In coming posts, we’ll be breaking down what we saw from each of the fantastic vendors and speakers (or what you missed, if you couldn’t make it down).

Please register to become a member of the DCFCPUG, and contribute to the community with your comments, suggestions, articles, tutorials, and anything else you’d like to submit for consideration!