post-production
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Photographer Ben Long shares iPad photography workflow advice
Photographer Ben Long has put together an informative and detailed article for photography aficionados at Creative Pro on using the iPad for post-production while in the field or traveling for a shoot. For Long, taking a 13-inch MacBook Air into the field carries a lot of negatives in comparison to an iPad. Overall, Long says the iPad is a more resilient piece of kit in harsher environments, but of course, it doesn't offer the same kind of power that a MacBook Air does. Long notes that when the iPad first arrived, it offered an exciting, lightweight alternative for photography out of the studio, but the apps supporting a pro-level workflow did not yet exist . But over the last few months, Long notes that a few new apps have arrived on the iOS App Store (particularly Snapseed and Photos Info Pro), which offer "some important new post-production capabilities." Meaning, depending on what kind of shoot you're doing, you may be able to get away with just your camera and an iPad. For Long's workflow with an iPad, and his take on the apps he uses, do check out the article here. [Via The Loop]
University of Bath develops efficient vector-based video, says pixels are old hat
The pixel does the job for most digital imagery -- it sure makes for a fine shirt -- but it's not so hot for video, where growing resolutions chew up gobs of bandwidth. There may be a wiser strategy coming from the University of Bath, whose researchers have developed a more efficient approach to movie codecs. Their new format uses vectors to render footage with colored contours that demand fewer resources than a dot-by-dot approach. While vector-based rendering isn't original in itself, the researchers' method is supposedly unique in filling the gaps between the contours with the kind of visual quality a pro videographer would crave. The university team is confident enough that it's talking to major companies about using the codec for post-production tools, and sees it spreading to mobile devices where connection speeds and storage are at a premium. It could take years for vector-based video to catch on; if the technology ever upsets the pixel's reign, though, more than a few Vectrex owners may see it as poetic justice.
Sony: 4K isn't just about the resolution
With M. Night Shyamalan already shooting his next movie -- After Earth -- on the F65 4K camera, Sony's PR machine is going all out to assuage remaining doubters in the film industry. One of the more curious aspects of the awareness campaign is that it doesn't focus solely on the exorbitant resolution -- in fact, it gives almost equal weight to other visual promises that Sony hopes will persuade producers, directors and cinematographers to make the leap before anyone else does. What might those eyeball treats be? Philippe Ros, a DoP hired by Sony to shoot a 4K promo film, put it succinctly at a showing we attended in London this week: "Only the first row in the cinema may notice the resolution, but I'm more interested in the colors than in the 4K." According to Ros, every terabyte that floods out of the F65 per hour of filming contains color and dynamic range info way beyond what you normally get when shooting digital. The end result? Crews on the ground can relax just that little bit more, knowing that any mundane-looking scenes can be given far greater impact later. Now, even bearing in mind that Ros couldn't have said anything bad about 4K without things getting awkward, it's still interesting that he admits to being skeptical of the resolution itself. But if others on independent shoots discover the same post-production flexibility that he did, then the push for 4K might come from filmmakers rather than those further down the food chain.
YouTube unveils post-production suite, includes Instagram-like effects and shake reduction
Nothing says 'YouTube' like a grainy handheld shot that acts as a catalyst for nausea; sadly, this may all be set to change. The digital home of Home Videos has introduced a suite of new effects that lets you patch up your candid classics, even after you've uploaded them. What's more, the changes you make are non-destructive, so if your grand idea proves dreadful in reality, you can go back and undo all your meddling. The usual family-friendly sepia, cartoonify and vignette type fare -- courtesy of photo editing amigos Picnik -- are joined by some more practical tools such as brightness, rotate and the aforementioned sickness-solving stabilization. However, if your clip has more than 1,000 views you'll need to save it as a new one -- wouldn't want the next Numa Numa vid to get all discolored after going viral, now would you?
What do you want to see in the next Final Cut Studio?
It's no secret that many post-production professionals feel Final Cut Studio has been falling behind over the last two years. While Apple has taken its time developing a new version of its video suite, competitors like Adobe have jumped ahead with significant updates; some have even questioned Apple's commitment to its Pro apps and hoped that Final Cut Studio doesn't go the way of Shake. As we reported yesterday, that is hopefully going change with Apple's announcement at the Final Cut Pro User Group SuperMeet on April 12, coinciding with the National Association of Broadcasters convention.
Google buys Green Parrot Pictures, looking to make YouTube vids easier on the eye
If you can't fix it, buy someone who can. That must be Google's rationale behind this latest acquisition, as the proprietor of YouTube has just bought Green Parrot Pictures, a company concerned solely with enhancing and improving the quality of video content. Through the use of some fancy motion prediction algorithms, the Irish startup has been able to build a name for itself over the past few years, and now it's been snapped up by the biggest fish in the online video ocean. The removal of flicker, noise and blotches from poorly executed recordings sounds nice, but we're most excited by Green Parrot's video stabilization feature. With all the cameraphone video being uploaded nowadays, there's plenty of camera shake populating YouTube's archives, and the addition of such a potent post-production technique seems like a veritable boon to us. Check out video demos of the stabilization algorithm and Green Parrot's other technologies below.
Blackmagic intros DeckLink HD Studio: "world's first" HDMI / analog capture card
Although Blackmagic already tossed out a budget-friendly way to capture direct from HDMI sources via PCI-Express, now the firm is hittin' the high-end by offering up the DeckLink HD Studio to handle both newfangled HDMI-capable decks as well as component / analog renditions. Thanks to the HDMI input / outputs and the multifaceted breakout D-sub cable, users can connect a variety of inputs new and old into a single card, and it also touts the ability to "instantly switch between high definition and standard definition video connections," giving you one less reason to ditch those analog decks you just can't stand to part with. The card supports HDMI (up to 1080i), component, and 14-bit analog video, and of course, plays nice with both Macs and PCs. Those looking to get serious about capturing, but aren't quite ready to go purely HD just yet, can pick up the DeckLink HD Studio for $995 and juggle both worlds.[Via MacNN]
