Streaming Learning Center

The histogram and the waveform in Apple Final Cut Pro X are effective, easy-to-master tools that provide the clear input you need to diagnose and fix the contrast issues in your video simply and intelligently. In this video tutorial, video editing and encoding expert Jan Ozer explains how they work.

I produce lots screencams, and some customers ask for a live greenscreen video intro in front of the screencam. "What's the harm," they ask? "It's only 30 seconds of video, how long will that take to shoot?" Well, if you're like me and you don't have a dedicated studio and staff for such productions, they can take awhile.

If fact, this week I had to shoot two video intros, and it took 3 hours to produce them. So, just to have ammunition for higher fees next time, I figured I would detail the gear I had to setup and configure to get the job done. As an incentive (har, har), those who stick around to read the story will also get a look at the final video.

Streaming viewers will tolerate some video degradation but expect audio to be near perfect. There are two techniques you can use to make sure that your audio loud, clear and robust. Normalization increases volume as much as possible without introducing distortion into the file, while compression makes the signal as robust as possible. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to apply normalization in Adobe Audition and Adobe Premiere Pro, and how to apply compression in Adobe Audition.

I produced a DVD in 2008 called Critical Skills for Streaming Producers, in conjunction with Streaming Media Magazine. The product is now out of date and off the market, but some of the videos included with the tutorial still have some real value. In particular, the five videos relating to lighting for streaming are a bit quaint, but still pretty useful.

So, I've decided to present them for free on the Streaming Learning Center. You'll have to work through a ten-second advertisement for my new book for each video, but hopefully, you'll find it a small price to pay for the knowledge in the video. Click over to the main story to see a short summary of each video and the actual videos, presented in play list format courtesy of Sorenson 360. You'll also find worksheets for setting up flat and three-point lighting that should also be helpful, as well as a worksheet on shooting skills that covers setting exposure with zebra stripes.

One of my favorite features in Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 is the return of Adobe Audition. In this tutorial, I detail the round trip editing workflow between Premiere Pro and Audition.

Click over to the main article to view the tutorial.

I produced a video for EventDV on new features in Adobe Media Encoder CS5.5. Here's the official description:

Video production and compression expert Jan Ozer takes a look inside Adobe Media Encoder CS5.5, exploring new features such as new presets and project drag-and-drop from After Effects and Premiere Pro and explaining how to use new features such as Watch folders that make encoding for multiple bitrates more efficient and easier to manage.

Click over to the main article to watch the video.