Mac Video Pro from Creative Mac

REVIEW • AUGUST 29, 2001
Corel Bryce 5
3D landscaping and animation suite

I haven't even looked at Bryce since version 1 or so, so when I got a hold of Bryce 5, I was, needless to say, pleasantly surprised. Bryce 5 is Corel's 3D landscaping, modeling, animation and rendering suite that the company acquired during the dissolution of Metacreations. As with an awful lot of tools originally developed by Metacreations, Bryce has achieved something of a cult status among users, along with Painter (which Corel also owns), Poser (now owned by Curious Labs) and Carrara (now owned by TGS). There's better reason for this now than ever, as we'll get to below, as well as more reason than ever for professional 3D artists to consider Bryce as an addition to their toolset. Read More

TUTORIAL • AUGUST 7 , 2001
Varying Effects over Time in Studio Artist
How to add and reduce strokes in moving images

As one reader pointed out to me last week, it's been a little too long since our last look at Synthetik Studio Artist. I had promised I'd show you a post-processing technique that allows you to vary strokes over time. Let it never be said that Dave fails to follow through on his promises, even if such fulfillment does take some time. Now, this is not the same as making strokes longer or shorter over time. I'll cover that one in a future installment (just as soon as another reader reminds me that I'm lagging). Instead, this technique allows you to change the actual number of strokes that appear in your video. Read More

TUTORIAL • JULY 31, 2001
Final Cut Pro and Photoshop Layer Styles
How to create outline text for use in FCP 2

There are many reasons to import Photoshop files into Final Cut Pro. But if I had to pick only one, it would be to create title (CG) pages. Let's face it: The text capabilities in Final Cut Pro leave a lot to be desired! We are already in version 2.0, and we can't do a simple outline in most modes! Apple has one of the very best nonlinear editing applications out there, regardless of price. Yet it has separate text generators, each with a subset of features, instead of a single, complete one. While there's an outline text generator, the Lower 3rd generator, for example, doesn't have outline options. Read More

Q&A • JULY 25 , 2001
The Ambiguously Mac Studio
A conversation with animator J.J. Sedelmaier

If there's a consumer out there who doesn't know J.J. Sedelmaier, it's one who doesn't watch a whole lot of television. His animation studio, J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, White Plains, N.Y., is famous for its work on Saturday Night Live's Saturday TV Funhouse, with such animated shorts as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo," "The X Presidents" and "Fun with Real Audio." The company has animated Beavis & Butthead, the pilot of Comedy Central's TV Funhouse, a recent series of interstitials for Cartoon Network called "Captain Linger" and a soon to be released pilot for the same network called Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Oh yeah, they've done some commercials too. Read More

TUTORIAL • JULY 24, 2001
Combining Filters in Adobe Premiere
Using multiple effects to create a sepia-toned drawing look

If you can't find the right Premiere filter to give you the effect you're looking for, perhaps the answer lies in a combination of filters. In this clip from "Total Premiere," instructor Brian Maffitt demonstrates how to combine filters to achieve a sepia-toned drawing effect. This technique can be used to give an "old-fashioned" look to your footage, or as an eye-catching effect in its own right. Read More

Q&A • JULY 17 , 2001
Motion on the Mac
Five questions with Kaydara FiLMBOX Product Manager Sam Nelson

This month Kaydara will bring its FiLMBOX line of products to the Mac OS X platform. Previously available for SGI Irix, Red Hat Linux and Windows NT, FiLMBOX is a suite of tools that provide a hub for creative production. It's a real-time 3D content authoring and delivery tool, complete with a character engine and animation tools. It integrates character animation, live motion capture, camera tracking and audio and video tools in a single, unified authoring environment. And, as a little added bonus, it lets you commingle all of these elements in real time. Read More

OPINION • JULY 16, 2001
Talkin' Smack: The Macworld Smack Down
My annual list of demands for the Mac platform

Most of you know that Macworld kicks off this week. While the East Coast show is typically more consumer-oriented than the West Coast one, it does nevertheless offer the hope of some goodies for professional users as well. Of course, as the single most powerful journalist in the world, I am privy to some of the secrets that will be revealed this year—some pretty tantalizing ones at that—but you're going to have to wait for those. Read More

REVIEW • JULY 11, 2001
Adobe After Effects 5 Production Bundle
2D/3D compositing and effects suite

We were the first to bring you coverage of Adobe After Effects 5, with QuickTime demonstrations of the new software on the very first day of its announcement—even prior to its release. Since that time, we've given a lot of coverage to After Effects and related plugins, and now we'll take a look at the After Effects 5 Production Bundle. Read More

TUTORIAL • JUNE 19, 2001
Postprocessing in Studio Artist
Using autorotoscoping tools on 3D animations

We've spent a lot of time of the painting tools in Synthetik Studio Artist. There's still a lot more to cover in that area, but I thought we'd take a detour this week to look at one of Studio Artist's major features—its rotoscoping capabilities. Read More

REVIEW • JUNE 13, 2001

Apple Final Cut Pro 2.0
Nonlinear editing system for Macintosh

First off, by way of introduction, I should note that I'm not a Mac guy. I'm not prejudiced against the Mac, but I'm not going to praise a piece of software just because it runs only on the Macintosh. I've edited on the Mac and Windows in the past, and I've experienced systems ranging from Avid and DPS to Media 100 and Adobe Premiere in a professional capacity. Read More

TECH TIP • JUNE 12, 2001

Creating Scalable Photoshop Text for After Effects
Vectors in After Effects 5

Compositors and editors faced with the prospect of creating text in their compositions often rely on applications like Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand, rather than creating the text directly in programs like Apple Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects. Why? The text tools in NLEs and compositing applications are simply too time-consuming. Plus, creating text in a graphics application is quite simple. Read More

TUTORIAL • JUNE 5, 2001

The Eyes Have It
Modeling the human eye in Amorphium Pro

by David Nagel
Executive Producer
dnagel@digitalmedianet.com

This will be our first foray into an aspect of character modeling in Amorphium Pro from Electric Image. We're going to take it in small pieces. I want to give you a thorough understanding of how the tools in Amorphium work so that, when it comes time for doing something like the face, it will be more a matter of technique than remedial work. Read More

TECH TIP • MAY 8 , 2001
Final Cut Pro 2.0 Luminance Issues
A quick fix for problems between the RTMac and Cleaner 5

I have recently become addicted to Final Cut Pro as my editing software of choice. I can’t believe how simple yet powerful this $1,000 package is. From my recent post projects, I have discovered that this NLE does everything I need it to do and more. In some of the other NLE systems I have worked with, I was constantly sending stuff out to After Effects for graphic treatments. Not so in FCP, as I can have a practically unlimited amount of video layers to mix and layer graphics quickly and easily. Read More