Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

Fusion 8 VFX Software Free Public Beta Now Available

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Fusion 8

Fusion 8 is a powerful VFX program that is used on tons of Hollywood films like Maleficent, Edge of Tomorrow, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Amazing Spider-man 2 and The Hunger Games trilogy, as well as hit TV shows like Battlestar Galactica and Orphan Black.

Before Blackmagic Design purchased Eyeon (the previous developer of Fusion), version 7 was planned to retail for $2500. Version 6 launched at $5000.

Blackmagic released version 7 for Windows for free – with a Fusion 7 Studio version available for $995. Fusion 8 will continue that trend and, for the first time will be available for Mac OS X, as well as Windows. [Read more…]

Quick Video Lighting Breakdown

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Video Lighting Sample

One of the things I do outside of this site is serve as the visual director at my church, which affords me plenty opportunities to experiment with different aspects of video production. I recently made a change to our video set that we use for announcement videos and created a diagram to answer some questions I’ve received about what the set looks like. [Read more…]

4K Video – Is it worth it?

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NFmpJNvd4k&w=700&showinfo=0&rel=0]

Here’s a great video from Linus Tech Tips that gives some insight to the 1080p/4K debate and some practical considerations for shooting, editing and exporting in one over the other. It pays particular attention to online video use (and specifically with regard to YouTube videos) and how they use the Panasonic GH4 and Sony FS700 as 4K shooting options.

I have been a proponent of shooting 4K and editing in a 1080p timeline to afford additional reframing options (or even 1080p footage in a 720p timeline if you are limited to HD cameras). The above video, however, makes the additional argument for 4K exports even if you are working in a 1080p timeline. That’s a new consideration for me but, given how YouTube treats 4K files, is certainly worth considering and testing in the future.

For those of you who shoot video, what format do you prefer to shoot, edit and export?

[YouTube via Reddit]

These Production Promos for the Rugby World Cup Will Make Every Cameraman Smile

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL1KPB8l1N0&w=700&showinfo=0&rel=0]

In the lead up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Sky Sport released a series of advertisements featuring a lighthearted play on the camera and production crew and their readiness for broadcasting all 48 matches live.

From assembling cameras blindfolded to learning the first rule of being a cameraman, the quips in these ads will surely make you smile. Check out the rest of the series below. [Read more…]

How to Get Good Audio for Periscope

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Rode-SmartLav-for-Periscope

If you haven’t heard of Periscope, it’s the latest social media product from Twitter that allows you to live stream video from your iPhone or Android smartphone.

One of the difficulties however is capturing good audio for your viewers since it is captured on something like the iPhone. Now, the iPhone does okay in for delivering audio to Periscope when you are in a quiet setting . . . but add some ambient noise and the experience is less than ideal.  [Read more…]

DaVinci Resolve 12 is a Full Blown NLE and It Looks Incredible (and it’s free)

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DaVinci Resolve 12

One of the most impressive things I saw at NAB 2015 was Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve 12. Looking back, I can’t believe that I haven’t written about this yet. But maybe this timing is actually a little better since it is supposed to become available in the next few days.

Right now, the big three video editing platforms are Premiere Pro CC, Final Cut Pro X and Avid Media Composer. All have their fans and faithful user bases. But I think there is about to be another big player with Resolve 12. [Read more…]