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December 30, 2024

Happy New Year!


Last week, I published a series of performance snippets from testing I was doing on the OWC Thunderbay 4 HDD RAID. This week, I have the complete performance review. There is a lot of new material here - and worth reading even if you only use one hard drive made back in 2016 - because, at the end of the day, we rely on hard drives for longer-term storage. Here's how to configure it correctly and know what to expect when you do.


Link: Review: OWC Thunderbay 4 — 4-drive HDD RAID


Ken Kobré is an emeritus (means "retired") professor at San Francisco State University. Recently, he updated his excellent - and visually-oriented - "Video Journalism: Multimedia Storytelling" to a second edition. Because I love both news and education I interviewed him to learn more. Even if you aren't a teacher, you'll find this thoughts intriguing.


Link: “Video Journalism: Multimedia Storytelling” – A Ken Kobré Interview


TOP NEWS STORIES THIS WEEK


The news is on my home page, updated as new stories roll in, but there are no new stories this week. However, I do have 231 news stories posted to this page - which is pretty amazing!


December 2024

Next week - Jan. 8 - I'll present "Visual Effects in Final Cut Pro." This webinar will demonstrate both new techniques and old favorites. While Fusion in DaVinci Resolve provides skilled artists the greatest ability to create effects, Final Cut provides the greatest range of effects for non-technical artists. Join me to learn more. As always, registration for my live events is aways free.


Link: FREE REGISTRATION - Larry's Weekly Webinar


Thinking of Final Cut, here's a short video that showcases how the Ken Burns effect works for either vertical or horizontal projects. Then, I illustrate when using keyframes is a better choice.


Link: The Ken Burns Effect vs. Keyframes in Apple Final Cut Pro 11


Next, for Adobe Premiere editors, here's a short video that illustrates how to use text transcripts to rough cut a sequence, modify a transcript, then use them to create captions.


Link: Text Transcripts and Captions in Adobe Premiere Pro v25


OH! TWO REMINDERS!! Because it is getting increasingly hard to update, I'm removing my Final Cut Pro - Complete training from my store after the first of the year. However, if you are a subscriber to my Video Training Library, it will still be available there. If you want your own copy of this extended training - more than 230 movies covering all versions of FCP from 10.4 through 11 - you have only two days left to get it for a VERY SPECIAL LOW PRICE!


Store Link: SPECIAL OFFER! Apple Final Cut Pro 11: Complete


Become a Library Member link: https://larryjordan.com/membership/


SECOND REMINDER: The price of my DaVinci Resolve 19 Master Bundle will increase after Jan. 1. So, if you want to learn Resolve and save money at the same time, now is the time to act!


Link: DaVinci Resolve 19 Master Bundle – Workflow & Editing


The end of a year - especially with the respite of the holidays - is a good time to take stock of the past year and plan for the future. Though, when it comes to the future, I can't reliably predict lunch. Still, even I can tell that we are in for a rough patch. Tools will be more powerful, but also easier to use. This means our experience won't be as important, increasing competition from less-experienced folks. AI will continue to muddy the waters with a vast gap between hype, expectations and reality. Some AI tools will enable us to work better, others will cost jobs, and still others will be laughable. Finally, as influencers and social media take center stage, the craft of editing will be less important than collecting eyeballs. 


Still, video will be at the heart of communication. Some of us will succeed, others will fail and all of us need to have a Plan B in our back-pocket - whatever that means for each of us. But, still, there are reasons for hope. Story-telling is morphing, but not going away. Traditional business models are failing allowing us to invent new ones. Audiences are growing, worldwide distribution is virtually free, and there's a hunger for stories that have not been told before. Creative voices are always welcome, though not necessarily well paid.


As Charles Dickens wrote in "The Tale of Two Cities": "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Those times apply to us, as well. 


Until next Monday, celebrate carefully, stay hopeful and edit well.

TUTORIALS & REVIEWS

» Performance Review: OWC Thunderbay 4 HDD RAID (Review)

  » How to configure an HDD RAID, traps to avoid, tricks to improve performance.


» "Video Journalism: Multimedia Storytelling" (Interview)

  » An interview with author, professor Ken Kobré.


» The Ken Burns Effect vs. Keyframes in Final Cut Pro (Tutorial)

  » Ken Burns vs. keyframes and animating stills in vertical projects.


» Text Transcripts & Captions in Adobe Premiere Pro 25 (Tutorial)

  » How to edit using text, modify transcripts and create captions.

FREE Registration

Visual Effects in Final Cut Pro 11


  • Text effects
  • Generators
  • Speed changes
  • Inspector effects and keyframing
  • Chroma-key
  • Magnetic mask
  • Effects browser effects
  • Key 3rd-party effects


Everything you need - all in one place.

Buy Now!

DaVinci Resolve 19 - Training Bundle


Get started with DaVinci Resolve 19 quickly and easily in this four-video set. In less than four hours, learn:


  • A complete Resolve workflow
  • Multicam and double-system editing
  • Edit and mix audio in Fairlight
  • Effectively use the Color page.


NEW! SPECIAL LOW PRICE: $49.95 (ending Dec. 31!)


Everything you need - all in one place.

TOP 4 TITLES LAST WEEK

ARTICLES


» Important: Format HDDs Using HFS+


» Configure an M4 Mac for Video Editing


» Review: Epson v600 vs v850 Scanners


» Review: OWC Express 1M2 SSD


» View all Larry's tutorials here.

WEBINARS


» Apple Final Cut Pro 11 - Complete


» Larry's Video Training Library


» 373b: New Features in FCP 11


» 366: New Features in FCP 10.8


» See all of Larry's webinar titles here.