CasablancaExpert

Webinar Thursday 12/2: Newer & Favorite Casablanca Software

NTSC Casablanca customers are likely aware that MacroSystem US is in the midst of their annual Holiday Software Sale. From now through December 12, 2010 you can purchase Casablanca software and receive another software title for no additional cost.  How many you have to buy to get one free depends on whether you're a member of Club Casablanca:

Buy 2 get 1 FREE Software for Cub Members
From Novemb er 15th through December 12th, 2010, Club Casablanca members who purchase 2  software packages will receive a 3rd (of equal or lesser value) for FREE!
 
Buy 3 get 1 FREE on All Software
From Novem ber 15th through December 12th, 2010, all Casablanca  owners who purchase 3 software packages will receive a 4th (of equal or lesser value) for FREE!

Free Webinar - This Thursday!

This Thursday, December 2nd I will be hosting a webinar (on-line web-seminar) where I detail the Casablanca software that was released in the last 12 months (since the last MacroSystem US Holiday Software Sale) as well as highlighting my favorite  and what I find to be the most beneficial software products for your Casablanca.  

The live session will begin at 10:00AM (Pacific Time) and run approximately 1-hour.  If  you register and are unable to join us live, you can view the recording of the session in the Webinar Archives on my website: CasablancaExpert.com Webinar Archives.

You can register now for this informative online learning opportunity: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/418744842

Why Do I See Wobbles in My DSLR Footage?

QUESTION: Help Chet -- I am seeing wobbles out of the moving video when using my camera, a Canon 7D.  WHen the camera moves side to side vertical lines have wobbles on it.  What can I do ?
 

ANSWER: Sounds to me like you are describing what has been called the jello effect that has been attributed to the CMOS camera sensor or more correctly their rolling shutter used to filter the light onto the light sensor - you can read more it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_shutter
 
There is no known 'cure' for this side-effect that I am aware of, except to exercise caution when capturing footage.  Apple's iMovie 11 has a Rolling Shutter compensation effect that is designed to dampen the undesired appearance but not cure it totally.

Here are two different videos posted on YouTube that show different results from the Rolling Shutter of a CMOS camera:

CMOS Vs CCD Rolling Shutter Effect + Jello Effect Kawasaki ZX-11

Curios Stroboscopic Effect

 

Animating a Blockbuster: A Peek Inside Pixar

I was catching up on my reading this past weekend and came across an article from a past issue of Wired Magazine. Good thing for my friends & colleagues this magazine has an on-line component from many, if not all, their print articles. The article is titled 'Animating a Blockbuster: How Pixar Built Toy Story 3' by Jonah Lehrer which originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of Wired magazine.

 

It is an abbreviated look inside the magic of Pixar, but some cool info nonetheless.  I found it intriguing to hear that the average frame in a Pixar animated movie takes 7 hours to render... with some frames taking up to 39 hours to render!  (I won't complain about a slow render for my Casablanca Motion 3D transitions any more).

Be sure to check out the short (37-second) video behind the Pixar campus in this on-line article as well.  You will find the article posted on the Wired website here 'Animating a Blockbuster: How Pixar Built Toy Story 3'

Coffee Klatsch Review - 11/29/2010

We held yet another edition of the Casablanca Expert Coffee Klatsch (also known as the Monday Meeting of the Minds) as we met together (on-line) this morning.

 I shared with the group some of the recent posts & articles added to both my Casablanca Expert Blog and Your Technology Tutor.

I reminded folks that the MSUS Annual Holiday Software Sale is underway (thru December 12, 2010) and that my next Public Webinar is scheduled for this Thursday (December 2, 2010).  This free web-seminar will focus on Casablanca software released in the past year and also some of my favorite software. You can register now for this online learning event here: Casablanca Expert December 2010 Webinar Registration

We spoke with Syl Renaud of Reno Video Productions who told us a little about his forthcoming webisode series (check out their Facebook page here for details)

I shared info about a website with Cyber Monday technology sales & deals and also an online article & video that makes the issue of online video codecs more clear.

The internet links (URLs) for the items mentioned above and the audio recording (available as an MP3 file) from the meeting are available for Website members to review here: Coffee Klatsch Archives

The Challenge of Monitor Mode Anomalies

One of the threads or conversaions this past week on the Cassie Tips List was a colleagues who was inquiring about the different behaviors or anomalies that are present with different monitor mode settings on the Casablanca video editor.

There are some Casablanca software products that only function in a specific monitor set-up, like CB Paint (only works in a dual-monitor mode) -- while BlueBox World will not work with a single VGA monitor.

The current conversation focuses on the apparent issues that some software products behave differently in different monitor settings.  For example some uses have discovered odd behavior and issues when using Photo Transfer in a tow-monitor setting.  I recommend folks expereicing any of those issues change to a single-monitor video setting for Photo Transfer work.

Last April (2010) I did start to cultivate a list of the issues associated with different monitor mode settings... thinking initially it would be a valuable resource for my Casablanca colleagues.  I asked for contributions from others as there is no way I could pull such a list together by myself, with all the different hardware platforms, OS versions and monitor settings. 

There are several challenges to this idea, however noble (others suggested I provide this chart/info)...
* To keep up with changes/fixes/updates would be a great challenge and without keeping it totally current it would be a dis-service to users (as well as the company, providing outdated/mis-information).
* An open list where folks would collaborate and share their observations is open to erroneous information, un-confirmed issues (which may instead, may be a result of user-error rather that software/hardware issues)

So, I think it best to utilize the manufacturer provided Release Notes. This contains the list of known (and verified) issues/anomalies/bugs with a particular version of released software. The unfortunate fact is that these notes may or may not contain all the issues that our colleagues discover after the release of a software product.  

You can find the official MSUS release notes for your particular OS version
here (for NTSC software)

Smart Edit Operating System

Bogart Operating System

Casablanca Add-on Software Updates

MSUS Software Sale Through December 12, 2010

We're in the midst of the annual MacroSystem US Holiday Software Sale for NSTC Casablanca customers.

From November 15th through December 12th, 2010, Club Casablanca members who purchase 2 software packages will receive a 3rd (of equal or lesser value) for free.

If you are not a member of Club Casablanca, when you purchase 3 software packages during this special sale time you will receive a 4th (of equal or lesser value) for free. 

Contact your Macrosystem reseller to take part in this special holiday promotion.

During this annual sale I regularly get asked my opinion for my favorite and most useful software products -- so I scheduled a Public Webinar to address this need. On Thursday, December 2nd I will share some of my favorites with their application, and I will also highlight the software products released in the past 12 months. There will also be the opportunity to ask your specific software question/s.
                                                                      
Casablanca Webinar - General Session
Thursday, December 2, 2010
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Pacific Time

You can 'reserve' your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/418744842

 

Coffee Klatsch Review - 11/22/2010

We had a good group and some good conversation on The Casablanca Expert Coffee Klatsch (also known as the Monday Meeting of the Minds)  this morning.

I kicked off out time by going 'around the horn' as I do each Monday, visiting and pointing out any news on the Macrosystem websites (NTSC customers are in the middle of the annual MSUS Holiday Software Sale) as well as recent posts & information added to both my Casablanca Expert Blog and Your Technology Tutor.

 

I reviewed briefly the Members Only Webinar held last week where I presented new information on the topic 'Getting Your Video Online'. which is now available to website subscribers here : Members Only Webinar Archive: Online Video Hosting Websites & Technology.  Of particular note was a conversation about the differences/strengths between HTML5 and Flash for website video providers.

I then shared the link to an article created this past weekend which was built from a conversation I had with a website member as he asked me how to fix a weird aspect ration irregularity he was having after creating collages using Photo Studio 2.  I came up with a fix and used it myself in a project.  This brief tutorial with the fix is available on my website here:  My Collages (from Photo Studio 2) Come Out The Wrong Aspect Ratio... Help! 

I also shared a find I made last week, a website that not only provides lots of royalty free graphics/photos/images (no surprise, there are lots of them on the internet)... but how to use this same site and harvest a large quantity of FREE copyright free images. These are great for backgrounds and images in your videos, as well as for other marketing projects (brochures, websites, etc).

I shared info about two technology components folks might find of use, both of which at good sale prices this week; the Sony 7" portable DVD player (with A/V inputs and outputs) and an Battery Backup UPS (Uninteruptible Power Supply).... both of these items at special discount/sale prices (links available in the archives Coffee Klatsch Archives). 

And we addressed a members inquiry about purchasing used or refurbished computers with a couple of suggestions.  

The internet links (URLs) for the items mentioned above and the audio recording (available as an MP3 file) from the meeting are available for Website members to review here: Coffee Klatsch Archives

Good Info in Videomaker's 2010 Camcorders Buyer's Guide

Videomaker Magazine has released their Annual Camcorders Buyers Guide.

The Guide is is a single-page PDF document (13" x 22") that is essentially a chart/grid with details on the different camcorder models they reviewed. 

The chart is broken down by camcorder manufacturer and then lists the model of each camcorder corresponding to 30 different criteria, which are mostly technical specifications like the zoom ratio, recording format, connectors and other valuable information.

What I find useful is their inclusion of a column where they list the 'data format' (6th column from the left).  This provides a definitive description of the recording format the camera uses -- this is especially important for folks working with a Smart Edit Casablanca.  The Smart Edit OS is capable of working only with those camcorders specified as DV (HDV with a faster Casablanca like a Solitaire or Renommee/Plus).

The newer Casablanca editors, running the Bogart OS Version 3 should be compatible with pretty much all the other formats (most can now be directly imported via USB connection directly thru the Record menu).

The Buyers Guide (chart) is a great place to get some basic information on the available camcorder models.  I also recommend checking the reviews at CamcorderInfo.com; In addition to specific reviews on a number of current camcorder models, they have a rating system with points based on a number of criteria.

I always recommend visit a retailer to get my hands on the specific model/s I was interested in to get a first-hand experience with the camcorder I am interested in. And the best possible scenario is if you have a friend or colleague who has direct experience with a particular camera/camcorder - you'll have feedback that may be valuable in your purchase decision.

You'll find the download-able chart here (link on page 2): Videomaker Annual 2010 Camcorders Buyers Guide.

 

Here are the categories covered in the Videomaker Annual 2010 Camcorder Buyers Guide:

Manufacturer
Model
Price
Recording Media

Media Loading Orientation
Data Format
HD resolution
Number of Sensors
Sensor Type
Size of Sensor(s)
F-Stop
Optical zoom power
Image stabilization
Internal ND Filter
Direct iris/gain control
Zebra stripes
LCD monitor (inches)
LCD aspect ratio
Standard mic input
Level controls
Headphone jack
Speaker
FireWire I/O
USB (for video file transfer) I/O
HDMI Out
SDI Out
HD-SDI Out
Wireless remote
Battery charging
Form factor
Accessory shoe

Help... my photo collages are coming out in the wrong aspect ratio!

What follows is another in a series of 'Ask The Expert' articles from CasablancaExpert.com.  Website subscribers/members are entitled to free email Q&A with Chet Davis, the Casablanca Expert!

 

Question:  I followed your short video instruction on Photo Studio 2 on creating a collage and corresponding scene (I found this a most helpful instruction) but I encountered a problem when I tried.  Unfortunately in my editor the format appears stuck in the 4:3 aspect ratio so that when a video scene was created the result was a 4:3 scene with the corresponding large black bars each side  -  quite unacceptable! 

I could not find any other means of obtaining a 16:9 collage.  Have I missed something or done something stupid,  perhaps?  My project settings are  SD or HD 16:9 format. Your help would be much appreciated.  Again I have the PAL set-up and  am using Photo Studio 2 V 2.2a.

ANSWER:  First I had our colleague (a fellow website member from the Netherlands) review this article on my website to see if his issue was addressed: Creating a collage in Photo Studio 2 that matches your desired aspect ratio ( 16:9 or 4:3)  but that provided no relief to his problem.  As I was working with Photo Studio 2 myself - creating several photo collages for a project - I too noticed the same issue he had encountered.  I thought for a few minutes and came up with a hunch, that proved successful!

I also observed the finished product appeared in 4:3 with black borders on each end... did not look good. I also checked to ensure I launched PS2 from the 16:9 project and all other settings were appropriate.  Here is what I did --- after creating my collage, I clicked on 'Create Photo' in the Collage menu .   As you may know, this makes a JPEG of your collage and puts it in the PS2 photo bin (in a folder called 'Collage').

I then went back into the Photo Studio Edit menu and found the folder called Collage.  If it's not open - open that folder and find the photo. the image you just made from your collage.

Then click on the 'Crop' button in the bottom left corner of the Edit menu make sure you have 16 :9 selected - adjust your borders so it captures the entire photo and crops off the outside edges.  Then left click OK... you will now have a Collage that is correctly proportioned for 16 x 9.  Click create seen and it would drop that new collage that is cropped to 16:9 into your scene bin!

---

You can increase your success with the Casablanca Photo Studio 2 software through the instruction offered by Chet Davis in his tutorial DVD: Casablanca Foolproof Volume 4: Photo Studio 2 Intensive.  You will find this training resource in the Casablanca Expert Online Store.

Macrosystem AG Releases new Bogart OS3 Update

On the Macrosystem AG website, there is news of a new Operating System software update. 

Using Google Translate, the post - dated November 16, 2010 - indicates that Version 3.4 is the newly released OS for Bogart based Casablanca editors (there is a notation that this version requires minimum RAM of 1024 MB).

I usually use Google Translate, but being the Release Notes for this OS update  are a PDF document the columns & formatting get all messaged up -- but at least you can get an idea of what is/was addressed in this new Bogart 3 Update.

You can also read this German>English translated PDF document (compliments of Google Translate) here: Bogart 3.4d - News