CasablancaExpert

Conversation About Forthcoming Bogart 4 OS in Coffee Klatsch Archives

Had some lively conversation this morning as part of the Casablanca Coffee Klatsch, a weekly, web-meeting for folks who are members of CasablancaExpert.com

I shared some of my recent posts on the Casablanca Expert Blog and my Your Technology Tutor.

I reviewed last week's Members Only Webinar where I presented info about sharing video (and other large) files using internet tools. The streaming video is now available in the Members Webinar Archives.

We talked a little abou the March Get Together - MGT 2011 and some of the presenters and programs scheduled for that annual event.

Our most lively conversation was around the topic of whether Macrosystem would be announcing or releasing a software only version of the Casablanca for installation on Laptop (and desktop) Personal Computers.  And then I spent some considerable time reviewing the latest announcement of the new features & benefits in the forthcoming Bogart SE Version 4 (already released in PAL)

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

If you are a website member and would like to join us for any one of the Monday sessions - please see this web page: Casablanca Coffee Klatsch

Animating Travel Maps: Question About Columbus 3

Here is a question posed on the Cassie Tips List this past week and my reply to the poster who is a Website Member:

QUESTION: I'm working with a second-hand S4000P, loaded with software. I have just begun to use Columbus 3, and am having a problem.  I have successfully used Columbus 2 in the past, but it seems either that I have forgotten how to use it, or Columbus 3 is very different.

    I quickly brought up a map of Europe, intending to set up a moving
plane from north-western Europe down to Rome, then up to Venice.  The map is there, but there is a black rectangle in the middle of it.  When I click
the green dot to change it to blue, I can drag the rectangle anywhere on the screen, but I can't get rid of it.   I need to delete the black square, and I need to set up way-points, and so far, I can't do either.

 

ANSWER:  It might be that you have what is called an 'Image Object' assigned to that way or keypoint (new to Columbus 3)

To remove it:

1. With the point selected (green) - left click on the bottom right button in the Columbus menu (push pin with x)
2. Change the pull down menu 'Image Object - Delete Object'
3. Then left click on 'Delete image object'

Another option to get your Columbus 'back to normal' is that you can click on the 'Default' button in the bottom right corner of the Columbus menu.  That will change ALL your current settings back to the 2 point factory default (this won't help with any new functions but will delete any others that might be tripping you up)

For any colleague desiring to get the maximum potential from Columbus 2 or Columbus 3 I suggest my Casablanca Foolproof Volume 5: Columbus Intensive.

To order your copy of the Columbus Intensive Tutorial DVD - you can order in my online store here http://www.casablancaexpert.com/store/products/23  (website members - be sure to log in first to enjoy your 20% discount).
 
Non-members in North America can place their tutorial DVD order with your MSUS Reseller and colleagues in the UK can order direct thru Dalco UK.

Members Webinar: Sharing Video Files Now in the Members Archives

 The webinar recording from the January 2011 Members Only Webinar is now in the Members Webinar Archives here . 

In this Members Only session, Chet presented suggestions and tips for sharing large files (video files & clips) to clients & colleagues a distance away, both some free options and some Pro (paid) services for larger files.

 

You can view the 68-minutes video now in the Members Archives, or for your convenience - Chet has posted the video on it's own page here: January 2011 Casablanca Expert Members Webinar

(you can also download the 6-page PDF document with notes and links for the services demonstrated - available on both web pages referenced above)

Members Webinar: Sharing Video Files Now in the Members Archives

 The webinar recording from the January 2011 Members Only Webinar is now in the Members Webinar Archives here . 

In this Members Only session, Chet presented suggestions and tips for sharing large files (video files & clips) to clients & colleagues a distance away, both some free options and some Pro (paid) services for larger files.

 

You can view the 68-minutes video now in the Members Archives, or for your convenience - Chet has posted the video on it's own page here:
http://www.casablancaexpert.com/articles/20110128
(you can also download the 6-page PDF document with notes and links for the services demonstrated - available on both web pages referenced above)

Hot Topic in the Monday Meeting: Field Audio Recording

We had a rousing conversation on the Casablanca Coffee Klatsch this morning -- after I made my 'round the horn' visits, sharing the latest Casablanca news and posts from my blogs: Casablanca Expert Blog and Your Technology Tutor.  

We handled some members' tech questions and then had a lengthy conversation about the use of audio recording while in the field. Several members presented how they used external audio devices (audio hard-disk and mini-disk recorders) and how they then interface them with their Casablanca video editor.

We also learned a little more about the MGT 2011, and Ken Smithers provided some expertise about his use of ProShow Producer software for photo montages (Ken is presenting a session at the MGT 2011 on ProShow for photo montages).

The audio recording along with the links to websites & products discussed today are now available in the Coffee Klatsch Archives here.

Which Class Flash Media is best for Videos & Photos?

 

This week I came across a very useful web page that makes it clear which 'Class' you should seek in Flash Media and the Reader that supports the transfer from that card into your editor

Many contemporary camcorders and digital still cameras use one of the common Flash Media (Compact Flash, SD Cards, etc) to save and transfer video and photo/image files between cameras/camcorders and computers/Casablanca editors.

You will find this class rating on the packaging or in the online catalog when searching for a new device to support your video/photo work.  This makes it more clear what 'Class' you should seek in Flash Media and the Reader that supports the transfer from that card into your editor:

Class 2 : H.264 video recording, MPEG-4, MPEG-2 video recording

Class 4: MEPG-2 (HDTV) video recording, DSC consecutive shooting

Class 6: Mega-pixel DSC consecutive shooting, professional video camera

Class 10: Full HD video recording, HD still consecutive shooting

The above info courtesy of this Wikipedia article: http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/faq/

 

What Kind of USB Card Reader Can I Use to Import Video Files?

What follows is another in my series of 'Ask The Expert' articles, comprised of questions asked by members of my website (CasablancaExpert.com).

Question: At present my card reader connected to the generation 3 cassie can only provide or input still pictures yet on my Samsung Pro815 and two smaller cameras and a Panasonic SD-7 I can take video footage direct to the Compact Flash or SD card but cannot input it into the Cassie from my card reader.

Do you know of or are you aware if there are any card readers that can connect to the Cassie Generation 3 machine that can input video footage direct from a card?

One customer who holidays frequently has to bring his camera and leads with him for me to input his video footage for editing as my card reader doesn't see or acknowledge any files on the card that are moving footage but only JPG or JPEG still pictures.

Any info or suggestions to guide me to find a card reader that could read those type of files into the Casablanca?

ANSWER:  A number of our colleagues are using USB Card Drives/Card Readers to import video files into their Bogart OS 3+ editors.

  
I am not aware of any particular brand limitation or issue, except to say that the card drive/reader should be a contemporary reader. The reason is that older USB card drive/readers were created only to move data or image files whereas the newer card drive/readers allow faster movement of data between the card and the device you're importing onto (whether it's a PC or your Casablanca editor)

Here is a useful bit of info from the Wikipedia article on USB Flash Drives:

File transfer speeds vary considerably and should be checked before purchase. Speeds may be given in Mbyte per second, Mbit per second or optical drive multipliers such as "180X" (180 times 150 KiB per second). Typical fast drives claim to read at up to 30 megabytes/s (MB/s) and write at about half that speed. This is about 20 times faster than older "USB full speed" devices which are limited to a maximum speed of 12 Mbit/s (1.5 MB/s). 

To be clear, the above article only pertains to those working with the Bogart OS Casablanca video editors. And I find this works best/only when using Bogart 3.2c and higher.

---

If you would like the opportunity to 'Ask The Expert' yourself, and have access to more than 500 articles (tips, tutorials & streaming videos) join the community at CasablancaExpert.com

 

Webinar on CES 2011 Video Innovations in the Archives

I enjoyed presenting information and insight from the CES 2011 (Consumer Electronics Show) during the Casablanca Expert Public Webinar yesterday.  I was pleased that many who joined me for the live session shared they received some really good information.

If you were unable to attend (or did not find out about the session until now) the good news is that you can view the session in the Casablanca Expert Webinar Archives.  Simply scroll down to the session labeled 'January 2011'. You will find the 87-minute streaming video along with a link to download the 4-page PDF document I put together with some notes & links to additional information I shared during this session.

And remember - you can always check out the news on my upcoming Casablanca Expert Webinars on my website here: Casablanca Expert Webinar page.

 

March Get Together 2011 - Presenters & Topics Announced

Folks in the Casablanca Community are gearing up for the annual 'March Get Together'.  This will be the 7th annual gathering of Casablanca faithful in the Quad Cities USA.  The event will be held Monday evening March 7th through Thursday evening March 10th, 2011.

You can read more and download your registration forms on the official MGT website here http://www.marchgettogether.com/2011_MGT.html

Here is the latest bulletin from Jim Meeker about the planned presentations for the MGT 2011:

 

We are still working on the actual time schedule to make it work out best, but here is a listing of the events that will be happening at the 2011 "March Get Together" in no particular order.

Tom Koziol of Wisconsin will show us how he earns thousands of dollars each year with a service to his customers that we should all be giving.  "Film Transfers" to DVD is a huge part of his business and it is amazing how much money he brings in each year from this basic service.  He has a kit that is available to show you how to set up projectors and camcorders and mirrors to obtain the best quality.  He also has brand new projectors for sale that have variable speed controls and are fully under warranty.
 
Tom insists strongly that all professional videographers should be performing this much needed service, as it will not only pay for itself in the first one or two customers, but will return an average gross of $90 to $100 dollars per hour thereafter when performed correctly using Tom's provin techniques.  Additional customer traffic and volume to an existing wedding and event business will bring awareness and bookings to a video business that could really use a boost in this economy.  

 
Ken Smithers of Kansas City  will talk about what happens when you make the move to take your business out of your house and move to a store front operation.  He calls this presentation...."So   I moved out of my house........Now What?"
 
Alan Naumann and Meloni Jeska,  of Minnesota  will talk about Video Biographies and Funeral Videography which are bursting on the scene with 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day who have the time, discretionary money, and most importantly – a story to tell!  Alan Naumann and Melonie Jeska will explain how to reach this target group and how to make them aware of your services.  In addition, discover the seven essential steps to profitably producing a Video Biography.
 
Alan Naumann of Memory Vision is recognized nationally as a leading authority on video production. In 2007 and 2008, Alan received the prestigious honor of being named one of EventDV magazine’s 25 most influential videographers in the nation.
 
After spending years in the IT/Project Management trenches, Melonie Jeska graduated with an A.A.S. degree in Digital Video & Media Production in 2007 and owns Glimpses of Life Productions, also in Minneapolis.

Roger Schutter of Michigan,.will show us all about the hottest thing going in the video world now......the DSLR.  This hybrid camera/camcorder allows greater depth of field control and because of the huge image gathering chip, generally yields better quality in low light situations. Roger will be using a DSLR for his "Making a Movie" session as well.  We'll be able to see how the DSLR works for this "Real Life"  test in movie making.
 
Dale Bishop will take us to his world of "Magic" in his audience participation event called the "The Entertainment Hour" This will happen on Tuesday evening. You don't want to miss this fun time at the MGT.
 
The Patio Party  will happen after the last program on Tuesday evening and will be held at pool side.  There will be free snacks for everyone and free soft drinks, so be sure to be there to network with  Video Producers from all over the USA.   It's free and it's fun.  You never know what's going to happen at these patio parties.
 
Jim Marcacci and H.B. Logsdon of central Illinois, will show us the world of Documentaries.  They'll talk about the planning, the shooting and editing and making the client happy with the result.   If you haven't seen an on stage performance by these two guys.....you are in for a treat.
 
 
Ron Schmidt  of Minnesota,  will demonstrate how to use the Grizzly Remote System for controlling up to three camcorders all at once by one operator.  You can control record start and stop, zoom in and out and speed, pan and tilt all from one location.  You can hide the camcorders and no one will know you are shooting the wedding or any event. All of this for a one man operation and you can monitor each camcorder's image and the output at the same time.  This is the magic world of the live mix and you can do this set up from great distances as well.
 
Roger Schutter of Michigan    for the third year will take us to Hollywood right in the Clarion Hotel.  We'll be making a very short movie using the Hollywood style  single camera method of shooting a master shot of each scene.....and then the medium and close ups and cut a ways..... to be cut in later at the editing stage. But this year we'll be doing it with a shallow depth of field Digital Single Lens Reflex camera.  ( DSLR ) Talk about the latest up to date state of the art presentation at a video convention.   This is the cutting edge and it's happening at the MGT in March.  Each of the dozen or so crew positions will be filled by our attendees.
 
 
Show Your Stuff on Wednesday evening, is when everyone who elects to send his work to Jim for pre-viewing may have his work shown to the entire group on the big screen.  Not only video productions will be shown, but things that the attendees have built or invented to make video work in shooting or editing better or easier for us will be shown by the guy or gal responsible for it. Here's your chance to really show your stuff to the group.
 
 
Tom Koziol of Wisconsin will show us the easiest way to make money for your video business.  We all have the equipment and the know how, it's just a matter of knowing what you can do with what you already have on hand to make money. Just how hard is it to copy a tape to a DVD or stills to DVD or even easier......music from records or four tracks or cassettes to CD or DVD.   It's a gold mine just sitting there in your edit bay. If an additional $60,000 a year or more isn't of interest to you.....then just skip this lecture....it's not for you.
 
Ken Smithers of Kansas City will show us how to use ProShow Producer  Ken says,  I call it, "Creating a 35 picture photo montage with music, transitions and motion in 60 seconds!" This is what I did at the Dallas  Show and I had 5 people tell me this was the ONLY reason they attended the seminar,   because of this title.   It quick.....it's easy......and it makes money for you....WOW!

I know a TON of us do photo videos and with the Casablanca it can be a little time consuming at times.  This is why I use ProShow because of the ease and speed. I may have some goodies to pass out to the attendees after the program.  We're working on that now.

 
Bob and Doug McKenzie from the great white north will be here. They are interesting, exciting and down right crazy.....but you'll be laughing on the floor and screaming your head off when these  two idiots are on stage. Don't miss this one believe me!
 
 
Chet Davis the "Casablanca Expert"  will be doing at least 4 different programs showing us the newest goodies from MacroSystem  and programs on how to use several of the newly released software programs for the Casablanca Generation Three machines. Maybe a little about Bogart OS 4 and Arabesk 5   (shh......they're not even out yet )
 
The Surprise Visitor from MacroSystem will be here Wednesday and Thursday so you don't want to miss this.  You've probably never had a chance to meet this gentleman who does all the work in Boulder and is escaping to the MGT for the first time this year. He needs this pleasant vacation away from Boulder so be sure to welcome him and thank him for coming.
 
"The Video Yard sale and Trade Event"
  This is a new feature to let everyone bring along items that they are not using any more. With the big switch to High Definition there are many pieces of equipment that a lot of us aren't using any longer and won't be needing in the future.  This Sell and Swap idea will allow us to show off things we don't need......sure....but it also gives the folks who are NOT into high definition right now,  a chance to pick up really good and valuable pieces of equipment that they need....and at a great price. If you are driving....bring the goodies with you and know what you want for each piece and we'll have price tags ready for you tag them with.

If you are flying into the Moline, Illinois airport (MLI)  just ship them via UPS or FedEx to the Clarion Hotel in care of your name and they'll be waiting for you when you arrive. If you are in business you have probably depreciated them down to practically nothing by now already and this will be a great way to give someone else a chance to get some benefit out of your old goodies.

 
"There are a couple more things in the works for this year and I'll be sure to announce them when the plans are complete.  Be sure to print out your registration forms back to back so there is only one sheet to mail to me. 

Add your serial numbers of your Cassies in the proper line on the form so you'll be ready to take advantage of the 20% off sale on all Cassie software during the MGT.  Then get the filled in forms mailed to me  before January 31st or the discount goes away on February 1, 2011 (registration info & forms here)

Remember, I'm always very happy to accept the full price when procrastination is your path to stardom. "
Jim Meeker
"The Old Timer"
Founder Of The March Get Together For Casablanca Users

Casablanca Coffee Klatsch for January 17th In the Archives!

A group of website members (subscribers at CasablancaExpert.com) participated this morning for our weekly, live check-in on all things Casablanca and technology updates & news.

I highlighted a couple of recent articles/tutorials on Casablanca Expert.com. Then I shared some of my recent posts & articles added to both my Casablanca Expert Blog and Your Technology Tutor.

I previewed the Public Webinar set for this Thursday (a Review of CES 2011 from the Video Producers Perspective) and announced the next Members Only Web-seminar scheduled for this the following Thursday, January 27th with a look at online video sharing services (FTP, Cloud Services for not playing back, but transferring large files online).

I shared how I had been using the Pro Level at Animoto for photo montages and that led us to differentiate between the levels of ProShow photo software by PhotoDex.  Several members online shared how they use (and really like ProShow software).  In fact one of our regulars - Ken Smithers of Picture This Video, Inc. - is presenting a session at the MGT 2011 on the use of ProShow to create powerful, easy photo montages.

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

If you are a website member and would like to join us for any one of the Monday sessions - please see this web page: Casablanca Coffee Klatsch