Photoshop CS3 Public Beta Refresh

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 Filed in: Adobe

If you read my detailed review on Photoshop CS3 running over at DV.com, you would have heard my only complaint about the public beta is that cursors don't work well on Intel-based Macs. Apparently enough other people were bothered too.

John Nack, Photoshop Product Manager, has opened up access to a new build (version) through his blog. You can find out how to access the new version here. For you early adopters.... I hope you enjoy. By the way, the new version has more to it than that... so you may want to check it out.

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Have Look at Photoshop CS3 from a Video Perspective

Sunday, February 18, 2007 Filed in: Adobe

I finally put my thoughts to the page (well at least these thoughts). I have a detailed review on Photoshop CS3 running over at DV.com. I explore the features of the public beta that impact video professionals and motion graphic artists.

In case you missed it, things are running a little differently these days at Adobe. The company has bought into the whole "testing lab" thing-offering up notable programs for public beta, such as Lightroom for organizing digital photos, Soundbooth for audio editing, and now Photoshop CS3.
Head over to DV.com for lots of links and of course my opinions. I hope you enjoy.

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Final Cut Pro Update

Friday, February 16, 2007 Filed in: Apple

In case you missed it... Apple just released an update to Final Cut Pro. Version 5.1.3 adds a few bug fixes and minor updates:

Render File Compatibility – Render files created on both PowerPC-based and Intel-based Macintosh computers
now work properly on either type of computer. This means you can move machines without having to re-render.

Keyboard Layout Issues Resolved – Several commands to the default keyboard layout that were missing in the previous version.

Issues with Cross Dissolves in Nested Sequences Resolved – Resolves cases in which cross dissolves did not work as expected in nested sequences containing still images with adjusted motion parameters.

You will need to be running FCP 5.1 to install this update. You must have loaded it from the DVD-ROM update (it is WAY too big to download). The 5.1 update is a paid update as Apple has to ship you new media (but it is a really big update for a 'dot release' and is worth it.) Apple offers $49 upgrades and crossgrades that start at $99. This is a phenomenal opportunity to bump up to the whole studio for a bargain price.

For more information about all of the updates, visit this detailed overview.

Looking for FCP support news as it breaks? Check out the official RSS Support Feed.

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Great Tutorial on Putting AE to a DVD

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Do you need to get your After Effects project onto a DVD for others to view? Bob Donlon (a video evangelist at Adobe) offers a great tutorial on his blog. Bob shows you in detailed steps how to take an AE composition and create an auto-play DVD (one without menus that just works). This is a great timesaver and I strongly encourage you to check it out (as well as the other great stuff on his blog).

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Aperture to Final Cut Pro Utility

Saturday, February 03, 2007 Filed in: Apple

I was literally just using Apple's Aperture photo manager software for a client session. We were sifting, ranking, and sequencing images for use in a video edit. The whole process was very smooth and professional. The only issue was getting the images quickly into the NLE. Sure Aperture allows for exporting images, but all that organizational work would be lost.

Fortunately I am not the only one who thinks this way. The fine folks over at Connected Flow have released Aperture to Final Cut Pro. This free plug-in allow you to export images, pick a format, specify transitions, and send it all from Aperture to Final Cut Pro as a sequence with media. This is a super flexible exchange that allows for changes (including scaling) within Final Cut Pro.

Oh... it's free too. If you use Aperture and Final Cut Pro, be sure to check it out.

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