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Talkcast tonight, 10pm EDT/7pm PDT: Father’s Day Edition!

Happy Father’s Day! If you’ve made it through all the grilling and presentations of soap on a rope, join me for this week’s Talkcast! We shall cover the news of the last week including the grand debut of the unlocked iPhone and the possibility of the iPhone replacing the iPod touch. Of course no Kelly-hosted episode is complete without a visit to my House of Crackpot Theories, and we’ll do some rampant speculating on new hardware rumors as well.

Remember: If Kelly hosts the show, it means we have an aftershow! TUAWTF covers all manner of topics. Often silly, never recorded. Come share your stories of Dr Pepper cake and bad internet connections.

Your calls and questions help make the show the best it can be, otherwise I’m just talking to myself! To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 — during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8.

If you’ve got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Blink or X-Lite SIP clients, basic instructions are here. (If you like Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Skype users with SkypeOut credit can call the main Talkshoe number; it’s also a free call with the Google Voice browser plugin. Talk to you tonight!

Talkcast tonight, 10pm EDT/7pm PDT: Father’s Day Edition! originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: New Mac Pros and Mac Minis in August, CNet says

CNet’s Brian Tong announced via Twitter that Apple is preparing to debut new Mac Pros and Mac Minis in August. Tong added that both models are expected to have Thunderbolt and Sandy Bridge processors, urging people to wait before buying new machines.

As MacRumors points out, Tong was spot on when he said new iMacs would arrive around the first week of May. Considering he is drawing upon the same sources, and current stocks of Mac Pros and Mac Minis are being depleted, we’re willing to place our bets in his corner as well. A Mac Pro and Mac Mini refresh, along with expected updates to the MacBook Air and Airport/Time Capsule product lines, would make a very nice back-to-school press event in August.

Rumor: New Mac Pros and Mac Minis in August, CNet says originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flare for iPhone shoots ‘HDR-like’ video

Flare for the iPhone is an interesting app for video hobbyists, notable for the technical wizardry on display. It can shoot video with a quasi-HDR effect and do it in real time. It isn’t easy to apply filtering effects on the fly, and that’s just what Flare does.

Flare is not shooting real HDR. You’re not acquiring concurrent video streams of multiple exposures. What you are getting is some extreme filtering, sharpening and contrast expansion that gives you a hyper-saturated picture. Some will love the effect. Others might just scratch their heads.

The app gives you some switchable settings to determine how extreme the processing is. You can lock white balance, exposure and focus with two quick screen taps. AirPlay is supported. You’re not going to get full HD on the iPhone. Expect 640 x 360 resolution at 24 frames per second on an iPhone 4 and 16 frames per second on a 3GS. I noticed a couple of video stutters on my iPhone 4, but generally the app ran well.

Flare is clever and not overpriced at US$0.99. It’s an impressive achievement in software coding. Getting real-time video processing on a cellphone is not a walk in the park. If you like the effects, I’d say go for it, but don’t expect real HDR quality. It’s just beyond the scope of the iPhone hardware/software capabilities. On the other hand, if you’re looking for some stunning, juiced-up video, Flare might be for you.

I’ve put a few samples in the gallery, and as always, your comments are appreciated. Note that the screen grabs are not as good a resolution as what you can expect in the real world. Flare requires iOS 4.1 or greater.

Flare for iPhone shoots ‘HDR-like’ video originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Store is down (Updated)

Update: The store is back up with no apparent changes.

The yellow sticky note of doom has appeared, and the Apple Store is down. Usually, the Saturday night/early Sunday morning down time is for general maintenance, but as soon as the store is back up, we will let you know!

Apple Store is down (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 01:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jailbreak iPhone 3GS (Old BootRom) iOS 5 with Sn0wBreeze 2.8 [Untethered]

iH8sn0w has released Sn0wbreeze 2.8b2 to jailbreak iOS 5 untethered on iPhone 3GS (Old BootRom). Sn0wbreeze 2.8b2 can jailbreak iPhone 3GS (old Bootrom) iOS 5 beta 1 untethered. These are the steps…

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The AppStorm Freelance Mac App Bundle is on Sale (10 Days Only)

Every freelancer knows that a good tool can make a dramatic difference in productivity. And for freelancers productivity = earnings. That’s why I’m super excited to announce that the first ever AppStorm Freelance Mac App Bundle is now on sale and it’s packed full of Mac Apps, files and eBooks that is unbeatable value for freelancers!

Which Apps Are Included?

We’re featuring eight awesome applications that can make your life easier, and more enjoyable, as a freelancer. These are:

  • Billings – Powerful time billing and invoicing for anyone (Usually $39.99)
  • TextExpander – Save time and keystrokes with frequently used “snippet” abbreviations (Usually $34.95)
  • WriteRoom – The best distraction-free writing environment (Usually $24.99)
  • Radium – The easiest way to listen to internet radio on Mac (Usually $9.99)
  • Arq – Online backup built especially for the Mac (Usually $29)
  • LittleSnapper – Build up your own versatile design scrapbook (Usually $29)
  • 1Password – Have you ever forgotten a password? Never again (Usually $39.99)
  • Alarms – Prioritise and track your daily tasks (Usually $16.80)

Each of these is a piece of software that our AppStorm team wouldn’t hesitate to recommend, and every single one would be a great addition to a freelancer’s arsenal of apps. This week is your chance to get your hands on the whole package for a ridiculously low price!

But That’s Not All!

In addition to the above apps, we’re also throwing in a few fantastic Envato marketplace items that can help spruce up your personal website, manage clients more effectively, and craft a funky business card to promote yourself:

One More Thing…

Finally, we’re excited to let you know that anyone can grab a free copy of Smashing Magazine’s Successful Freelancing eBook, worth $9.95, just for sending out a tweet about the bundle! Head over to the bundle page to find out more, and grab your free eBook.

Don’t Miss Out! Grab the Bundle Today

This awesome offer will only be available for just over a week, so don’t miss your chance to bag your collection of fantastic apps and resources!


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After Effects This Fortnight: Part 2

There’s been even more news in the last two weeks than was seen in the earlier roundup, which became unwieldy. Here’s additional news items on tutorials, plug-ins, etc. for After Effects, NLEs and other areas of concern.

 
After Effects

Todd Kopriva has new inexpensive video series, After Effects Motion Tracking and Stabilization Workshop. For a summary on resources on Warp Stabilizer, see Warp Stabilizer for object removal. Here’s Todd’s intro:

Steve Forde noted Vincent Laforet’s RED Epic – 5K and HDRx, a summary of how he used different gear and techniques with his new RED Epic:  ”A BIG component he felt was how Warp Stabilizer in AE CS 5.5 changed how he shoots – which is dramatically cool from my perspective.”

Anything You Want by Eran Stern shows you the steps of envisioning an idea, drawing a storyboard, searching out footage, and designing a final piece. This first installment of a two-part series has tips on masking, creating shadows, and using After Effects CS5.5?s new Warp Stabilizer. The project files are available at Artbeats.

Chris and Trish Meyer added another installment of CMG Hidden Gems: Chapter 28 – Frame Rate Manipulation.

How to produce a 3D menu for inclusion on a 3D Blu-ray disc on fcp.co shares a half-hour video tutorial on creating 3D Side-by-Side menu content by Glenn Cooney from Promo Scape. This tutorial leverages free Stereo Scripts plug-in written by Christoph Keller. For more on these scripts (including other tutorials), see Stereo-3D Scripts for AE by Chris Keller on AE Portal archive. Here’s Glenn:

Mark Christiansen shared Free Stereo Footage from Artbeats, and an After Effects tutorial showing how to use it in CS5.5, with a video preview of what you’ll find in the After Effects Studio Techniques CS5.5 update, which should be available for download next week. Earlier Todd Kopriva introduced changes in his video Stereoscopic 3D Rig and 3D Glasses Effect and Chris Meyer covered Stereoscopic Tools in After Effects in-depth in his video series on CS5.5. For even more see AE Help and Todd’s blog.

Sebastien Perrier posted 3D: Exporting 2 separate stereo view in AE CS5.5 (Updated), which shares a tip from Amir Stone on how to export the full picture for both eyes when using the automated stereoscopic rig in CS 5.5. As it turns out Sebastien will be releasing a new book in French this fall: Stereoscopy in After Effects.

Trapcode ShareLog is hosting a 3D StereoCam 2 project for Stereoscopic Particular particles and a quickstart screencam by Jochem Drost (seen earlier). See also Jochem’s video tutorial on HDRV, and more on HDRV in Combining Multiple DSLR Exposures in AE and Pixel Bender filter for Screen Space Image Base Lighting.

Todd Kopriva answers Which version of my composition or sequence is used for export using Adobe Media Encoder? AME doesn’t have the niceties of the AE Render Que, and the video suite could use further tightening here, so it’s better save your project before sending a composition or sequence off to AME to be rendered (and re-export if you make changes). Colin Smith explained some of this in an Adobe TV video: 

Laurie Knapp added 2 After Effects tutorials on Vimeo: Easy Workflow For Digital Sign Replacement In 3D Footage With Non-Nodal Camera Move and Using Particle Field to Create Track Matte For Logo Transition.

RampanTV added 8 tutorials on Vimeo, including Quick Sky Replacement using Mocha for After Effects. Rampant has a very busy in the last several months making AE tutorials to promote their stock and template products.

360 Media provides a 22-minute video along with their own nice mini-roundup of camera rig resources in Towards a Storyboard / Animatic Workflow In Adobe After Effects. It refers to another roundup too, Camera Difficulties and Rigs in After Effects at AEtuts+. Here’s 360 Media:

In Shoot Off A 3D Plexus Particle Stream at AEtuts+, Lloyd Alvarez shows us “how to create a ‘pseudo’ particle stream using Plexus. I say pseudo because it’s not really a particle stream, it just appears as one. The tools involved are Cinema 4d and After Effects with these 3rd party plugins: Plexus, Trapcode Particular and VCP Optical Flares although Particular and Optical Flares could be substituted with Particle World and any lens flare.”

Andrew Devis started yet another AE Basics course. For an overview of other resources see AE beginner training resources: Mamoworld and Kevin McAuliffe start additional series. Kevin McAuliffe added videos to his series with Re-Positioning Made Easy and After Effects Mathematics, and Mamoworld added Lesson 2.

Dan Sollis posted projects and renders of Pseudo-volumetric fractal cloud in After Effects and a follow-up 3D Cloud – Particular version. For backround see Volumetric Clouds in After Effects? Here’s the psuedo-stacking example:

 

NLEs

Todd Kopriva added this video on the Video2Brain website to his summary on RED (R3D) digital cinema and Canon XF improvements in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5. It’s part of the free course What’s New and Changed in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5.

New Premiere users might not know about Audio Time Units for the Timeline, noted by Jay Kinghorn in Really Useful Premiere Pro Tip. It’s better than scrubbing in the audio Viewer with the Shift key down in FCP. For more see Multi-camera synchronization tutorial, although PluralEyes is still easier if you do this a lot.

For those of you with plugin addictions, David Roth Weiss says that, according to Phil Hodgetts, old FCP plug-ins won’t work in the FCP X 64-bit world since they are 32-bit. Of course, a long discussion ensued.
 

Miscellaneous

 
Prolost discussed Dropbox Etiquette (and earlier wrote about how he uses it to monitor After Effects renders). Also, Lifehacker explain how to Free Up Disk Space by Deleting Files in the Hidden Dropbox Cache Folder, since some users report cache files taking up over 40GB.

HD Formats: Color Model & Color Sub-Sampling, posted by Andy Shipsides on AbelCine technical blog, should help clarify a couple more of those words and numbers we see associated with HD video formats. See also the color theory articles on Colorgrader.net. For info on related issues in After Effects, see Todd Kopriva’s video summary and AE Help. Here’s Todd:

As usual, check out the newsletter at Tao Of Color Grading.com for more color resources.

Richard Harrington discusses on getting the most from your DSLR video in DSLR Video: High End Looks on a Middle Class Budget.


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