Short Division
I love Final Cut Pro X, but there are still a few features missing. I wanted to be able to send edited clips from my FCPX timeline into Motion 5, without having to setup the project, lookup the in and out points, and replicate that in Motion. So I made an app that lets you send a clip from Final Cut to Motion.
Just export your project as .fcpxml (File > Export XML), drag it onto the dock icon, select the clip you’d like to export, and it’ll create and open a new Motion project, setup with the right length, clip, and frame rate. It’s not perfect, but it saves a lot of time setting up projects and copying information by hand.
Please let me know if you run into any issues – it’s a beta app. I’d like to continue development on this plugin, and eventually submit it to the Mac App Store. If this app is useful to you, please donate using the button below!
If you have a Canon 5d Mark II, then you probably already have a 50mm lens that you use frequently. If you instead have a DSLR with an ASP-C instead of a full frame sensor (like the Canon t3i or 7D), you may be unsure about getting one. The Canon 50mm f/1.8 is very affordable for it’s speed (compare to the 35mm f/2.0 at $376), but with the 1.6x crop factor on ASP-C cameras, it’s actually an 80mm lens, not a 50mm.
I’ve been using the 18-55mm kit lens on my Canon t3i for about a year, but finally decided to buy the 50mm f/1.8. After using it for a few weeks, here are the pros and cons I’ve seen as of yet.
Continue reading »
Be sure to stick around for the effects breakdown at the end.
Until recently, I’ve been doing audio crossfades in FCPX by detaching the audio of one track, dragging it under the next clip, and fading each audio track. This works pretty well, but since the audio is detached, it can get out of sync. Turns out there a better way, using L-Cuts and J-Cuts. I’m sure most people already know about these, but if you don’t, I made a graphic explaining how to use them in FCPX.
- Double click on the audio track of one clip
- It drops down – notice it’s still attached to the clip
- Drag the audio clip under the other clip
- Fade the audio on both clips – you now have a nice crossfade
- If you like, you can double clip on the audio track again to collapse it back, keeping the crossfade/L-Cut intact
It’s fun and simple!
One more audio tip – right click on the audio fader to change the type of fade (linear, s-curve, +3db and -3db).
Credit to John August’s post on Final Cut Pro X which had a reference to using J-cuts and L-cuts instead of detaching audio. They were also mentioned in this helpful video about FCPX.
In case you didn’t know (many people do not).
3x digital zoom on the Canon t3i (with the kit lens) – outside the CVS in downtown Freeport.
I think the bird in that second shot didn’t like me.
I did a post last month comparing the Canon 60D and the Panasonic GH2 – the two specific models of cameras we were trying to decide between at the time. Not too long after, Canon announced the successor to the t2i, the t3i (or 600D), which we ended up buying. It arrived today, and we’re very happy with the way it’s working so far.
So I thought I’d post some of the reasons we decided to go with it over the 60D/GH2.
My family gave us an older film camera (a Canon FTb, thanks guys!), for the 50mm f/1.8 FD lens, which we were hoping to use on our new Canon t3i (more on that soon) instead of purchasing a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II ($119). The issue is, of course, that Canon cameras made after 1987 use the EF/EF-S mount, which means you need an adapter to use an FD lens with it. These FD to EF adapters sell for about $30 on Amazon, not terribly cheap, but less than the cost of a new lens.
The problem is the adapters aren’t seamless – there are two kinds, the ones with optics, and the ones without optics. The ones with optics loose a full stop of light – so an f/1.8 lens will become an f/2.8 lens – not very appealing. The ones without optics, you don’t loose any light, but you do loose the ability to do infinity focus (∞), so you’re not going to be able to focus on distant objects. Apparently the flange depths make it impossible to get the lens distance correct with an adapter.
So if you’ve got one of these lens, and don’t mind loosing a stop of light, or the ability to do infinity focus, then one of these adapters should work great. The general consensus, however, seems to be that buying a new EF/EF-S lens may be better.
Another Kickstarter project, Colin Levy (En Route, Sintel) is making the Secret Number as his senior thesis at Savannah.
Tomlin, a psychiatrist, has a disturbing conversation with one of his patients– a brilliant mathematician named Ersheim, who intends to prove the existence of a secret integer between three and four. “Bleem”
Absurd as it may be, Tomlin can’t shake the idea. It nags at him, compelling him to dig deeper, eventually unraveling his preconceived notions of time and space.
They have a great production blog with videos of the lighting setups, set building, and shooting.
Vimeo
