DigMo! » Tutorials

Apple Motion : 3D Shadows

DigMo — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:03:45 +0000

With the new Apple Final Cut Studio comes Motion4 packed with even more features, Jerry Leer takes us step my step through generating and working with 3D shadows. This is the first of our tutorials to be in High Definition which we are pretty excited about.

If you are new to Motion check out the Motion Templates website where you will find 6 more free templates that show the new features of Motion4. Also to keep up with the latest Motion news why not follow Jerry on Twitter.

Links:
Free Motion Templates

Motion Tutorial : Reflections

DigMo — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 09:16:22 +0000

With the recent release of Apple Final Cut Studio comes Motion4. With Motion 4 is it even easier to create breath taking 2D and 3D motion graphics and is packed with a stack of brand new features.

This tutorial offers a first look at how to work with reflections.

About the Author
Jerry is an Apple certified trainer and Adobe certified instructor with over 16 years experience in post production and training. He is a freelance trainer for video and motion graphics and is currently presenting on Propeller TV (Sky 195). Jerry is presenting the IBC hands on training at the Rai in Amsterdam from the 11th to the 15th September and it’s all free. Jerry runs the brilliant Motion Template website.

If you are new to Motion check out the Motion Templates website where you will find 6 more free templates that show the new features of Motion4.

Links:
Free Motion Templates

iPhoto to Lightroom

DigMo — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:48:22 +0000

One of the nicest non photo-related aspects of Lightroom is its ability to library files without moving them to a new location. If you have an iPhone or especially an AppleTV then you will know how great it is to be able to sync photos directly from your iPhoto / Aperture library.

A number of photograph friends have cited this as a reason for using iPhoto or Aperture over Lightroom yet a solution is relatively simple.

It is possible to share the original photos (i.e. the ones straight from the camera imported into iPhoto) with Lightroom following this relatively simple process :

Show Contents

1. Access your Photos in iPhoto
Right click on your iPhoto library (users/photos/iphoto library) and select “show package contents” this will open a new finder window showing a series of folders.

The iPhoto icon is really a large folder containing your photos, meta information and revisions. You are not doing any damage to your photographs or even your iPhoto library by opening the package in this way.

2.Make Alias

Make Alias

Locate the ‘Contents’ folder, this should contain subfolders listing the various years for which you have photos. Right click on this folder and select “Make alias” you can call it whatever you want.

Now drag this alias file to your desktop or documents folder. We have to use the alias file as Lightroom is unable to open the iPhoto package.

As you will have to repeat the process if you add new photos to your iPhoto library it is worth keeping this alias file in your documents folder.

3. Import
Back in Lightroom click on the File Menu and import and then locate this alias file.

Lightroom will take you through the next steps. I opted to keep the photos in their current location to avoid duplications wasting disk space.

This can take some time depending on the number of photos in your iPhoto library. Note that the two applications don’t work together i.e. adjustments you make in Lightroom will not appear in your iPhoto library.

iPhone iMovie Orientation Fix

DigMo — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:54:36 +0000

A number of readers have emailed us about the iPhone orientation issue when their footage is edited using iMovie 09. Recording video with the iPhone is great.

As we commented here no matter what way I hold the phone the video records perfectly. When I import the footage it plays without issue in Quicktime yet when I load up iMovie it indexes my iPhoto library and the video appears. Everything is perfect until you look at the preview window :

The problem here is that i am left handed. If I record footage with the phone in right hand mode there isn’t any issue. Quicktime forgives my lefthandedness why not iMovie ?.

Fear not though there is an easy way of resolving this orientation issue from within iMovie.

Obviously it would be great if iMovie could cope with video recorded in any orientation but at least it is a simple enough fix to carry out. Load your footage in iMovie and drag the selected clip into the main project timeline.

Roll your mouse over the clip and click on the gear icon to the bottom left of the timeline. Then select “Cropping and Rotation”

Next use the arrows on the top of the preview window to rotate the footage to the correct orientation.

Once everything is the correct way up click the “done” button to complete the process.

I have been concentrating on making sure the bottom of the iPhone to pointing to the left while recording video, at least there is a fix within iMovie to ensure your epic creation isn’t lost.

Hopefully we will see an update for iMovie to resolve this issue in the next few weeks.

Update : 17th July. This issue has been resolved with the release of iMovie 8.0.4 via software update.

Glossaries in Moodle

DigMo — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:38:28 +0000

Over the last few weeks we have been exploring some of the less obvious yet massively advantageous activities available in Moodle courses. One of my personal favourites is the brilliant Glossary feature. The glossary allows teachers (and students) to build up definitions of key terms used within the course.

The benefits don’t end with a simple alphabetic list in fact Moodle offers massive value for how the terms are used. Firstly lets look at how to set up a Glossary within a course. Log in to your course and ‘turn editing on’. Click the ‘Add an Activity’ option and chose ‘Glossary’. Once you have named your glossary you are met with a number of options that offer a brilliant range of custom features.

You have to decide how you want the glossary to work. You can limit it so that only course editors can add entries to the system or alternatively you can allow students to enter definitions (that can then be approved my editors).

You can offer a rating system for definitions and even limit the rating so that only teachers can reward the entries.

One really nice feature is the ability for Moodle to analyse your resources (web pages, text files and forum posts) and if it finds words or terms in your glossary it will create a hyperlink to that actual glossary entry.

Personally I restrict glossary entries to the teacher user level. I started with only ten definitions and as I updated the VLE course I updated the glossary as I went.

I now have nine pages of definitions that your pupils can print, learn and I have opted for a term of the day on the front page of the course.

This is one of my favourite features. As you can see from the screenshot to the right we have an ICT term of the day.

The BBC Tech is an RRS feed directly from the BBC Technology pages but under this is a daily glossary entry. You can complete control over how regularly the definition updates (and the title) but it is a really nice way of offering the definitions to the students and a great question to ask “Anyone know what the ICT term of the day is ?”

This encourages students to check it out each time they visit the course.

In Moodle Glossaries can also be exported to XML which means you can share your work with other schools or course leaders. How great would it be if we shared our Glossary exports ?

Glossary units are really easy to set up and a definition of the day will work with any number of entries. A year of adding new definitions has resulted in a really useful resource for students especially when it comes to exam revision.

The glossary can also be printed for revision purposes although one thing to note is the user must click the ALL view option (see the screen shot above) for the entire glossary to print, otherwise it simply prints the first page.

Anyone made their glossaries available to share ?

Apple Motion : Drop Zones

DigMo — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:51:25 +0000

Anyone with in interest in Moving Image or video graphics will have at some time considered having a go at Apple Motion.

It is no easy beast to tame, thankfully though Jerry Leer from www.motiontemplate.co.uk has produced a special video tutorial for DigMo! readers that covers interacting with dropzones, cloned layers and text objects within a template in Apple Motion.

The Motion Template used in this video tutorial is available to download from the Motion Template Site. Check out our previous Motion tutorials here.

Jerry is an Apple certified trainer and Adobe certified expert with over 15 years experience in post production and training.

He is currently presenting on Propeller TV (Sky 195) and is head of training for video and motion graphics for Corps Business, a leading training company.

5 reasons for AppleTV

DigMo — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:41:35 +0000

I have been asked a few times, and most recently via twitter about how to get the most out of the Apple TV. With the dawn of Boxee many multimedia fans are looking at the Apple TV device in a whole new light. I am going to concentrate on how to get the most out of the Apple TV (but without the Boxee hack). Read our initial review of the Apple TV.

There is little point in covering the main features of the device as we all know what it can do.

You can buy music, TV, and Movies directly from iTunes (including rentals and HD). You can watch YouTube video and look at Flickr photographs but where we get the best from the device is through integration with our very own iTunes library. I don’t use torrents for TV or movies so on the whole I am hoping all the processes described are above board and legal.

1. Working with TV
Given the Apple TV is designed to sit in the living room the most important issue is watching recorded TV. The current AppleTV doesn’t offer any direct TV service other than buying direct from iTunes.

To get TV to the Apple TV we go via an external aerial connected to a TV device such as Tubestick (Full review) or Elgato TV device (Read our full review). This device is then connected to a Mac that does all the recording via a software application. Sounds complicated ? well the process of getting programmes broadcast on any digital freeview channel to the AppleTV is actually view easy.

As well as the benefit to the AppleTV the devices also offer the ability to watch and pause live TV and the ability to export to a range of formats including iPod, iPhone or DVD.

I have asked about my personal workflow for getting recorded TV to the Apple TV and the easiest way of demonstrating this is a flowchart (of sorts). The chart tracks the TV from source though to the Apple TV (or iPhone device). Download the chart in a viewable (PDF format 1.7MB) Here.

For a text tutorial on removing ad breaks using EyeTV 3 click here or for a video tutorial click here.

2. Home Video
Most families have an array of home video. Birthdays, Christmas, School plays all get recorded and generally don’t get too far beyond the tape or editing process. It is amazing how boring these videos are at the time of production yet view them in five years time and they have a whole new meaning.

The Apple TV offers a great showcase of home movies. If you edit the films in iMovie you can share them directly with iTunes and there is even a preset for Apple TV viewing (Share menu in iMovie). If you have already made the films and they are not ‘Apple TV ready ‘then there are a few ways you can remedy this.

Firstly if you still have the amazing VisualHub application you can drag the films into this application and select the AppleTV setting.

VisualHub has been discontinued but if you are confident there are instructions on how to build it using the Techspansion open source code (here). This will not only convert the video it will also automatically add it to your iTunes library.

The second option is a Turbo.264 device, (read our review of the HD model and our review of the SD model )again a simple drag and drop process will have your video converted quickly thanks to the additional hardware acceleration. Finally, the third option is to import the movies into iMovie, re-render and export to AppleTV.

It might sound like a bit of hassle but you will appreciate it in ten years when you are watching life experiences you had completely forgotten.

3. Family Photos
It is funny the number of people who talk about backing up their digital photos. They are probably the most precious data on their computer yet when asked if they ever look at them the reply is always the same “I really must print them out”.

I won’t get into the brilliant photo books that can be created directly from iPhoto but the Apple TV is one of the main ways we view our photos. The Apple TV can store photos synced from your iPhoto (or Aperture) library.

I prefer to set up a smart album within iPhoto that generates the photos that are displayed on the Apple TV. Photos are the only media type that can’t be streamed to the Apple TV so these will always have to synced and stored on the device.

Not only will the Apple TV use the photos as a screensaver it will automatically display the images when you are playing music. It is a great way to remember experiences while listening to your favourite tracks and the Apple TV also displays the photos in a range of exciting ways.

4. DVD and Films
The biggest wrecker of DVD disks is kids. The disks get slapped into the player, they never return to their box after being viewed and if you can find a disk 3 months after your bought it you are lucky. Welcome Handbrake. I am not sure of the specific legal issues of using this process but I personally don’t think it is wrong to Handbrake DVDs that you own.

Insert the DVD into your Mac and let handbrake do the rest. There is even Apple TV preset making the process even easier. Once the conversion is complete you need to double click the file it adds to your desktop, this will add the film to iTunes where it can then be synced with the AppleTV.

5. Streaming Media
Should you go for the larger Apple TV or stick with the 40GB. To be honest I think I could cope with the 40GB version as the Apple TV can stream TV, films and music directly from any iTunes library on your LAN.

You can only sync with one library but you can stream from any, this useful if you have a few family members with Macs and a diversity of musical taste. Setting up a share is really easy and the Apple TV Movies, TV and music automatically populate with the content.

Five key benefits without even counting YouTube, Flickr, MobileMe and the ability to rent movies in HD directly from the iTunes store. You can also control the Apple TV via the iPhone or iPod Touch remote app. Available from the iTunes Apps store (Free)). Watch Automated Home’s video review.

Click here for more information on the Apple TV.

Auto Start Apps in Leopard

DigMo — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:58:50 +0000

If you are like and prone to a little laziness fueled efficiency then having Leopard load your key applications is definitely going to be a benefit. Apple OS X has the ability to auto-run any application on start up, this video tutorial will show you just how easy it is to use.

This video is also available on our YouTube Channel.

Click on the on the  (top right of the desktop). Load the System Preferences.
Now click on the ‘Accounts’ tab. You may need to enter your password to unlock the ability to change these settings. Now lick ‘Login Items’

Adding (or subtracting) applications to this list is really very easy. Click the + button to add an application and yes, you guessed it the – to remove an application from the list.

Note : It is possible to add more than one application to the list by holding down the CMD (⌘) key while clicking on the name of the applications.

Very easy and very useful especially if you set your computer to auto boot in the morning (see the tutorial on how to do this). It means you mail, latest tweets, and RSS items can all be downloaded and waiting for you each morning.

A Greener Leopard

DigMo — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:34:16 +0000

Leopard comes with a number of energy saving options built into the operating system. This tutorial will show you how to customise these options and even set your Mac to startup in the morning as you get up and automatically shut down when you go to bed.

The energy saving options are in the System Preferences (click the Apple () on the top left of your screen).
The main window allows you to control the time at which the computer and the screen go to sleep. It is important that the screen sleep time is greater than the time limit on the visual screen saver. Leopard will warn you if this is the case and will allow you to adjust it appropriately. I have my screen saver set to load after 5 mins, screen sleep after ten and then the entire Mac goes to sleep after 15 minutes.

Even sleep mode uses up energy and Leopard offers the ability to shutdown and startup the computer at set times. This means you can have your computer turning on at 7am ready to check your email, RSS and twitter and then shutdown at 11pm that night when you are asleep.

To set these times click ‘Schedule’ at the bottom of the Energy Saving window.

Set both times and hit OK. Remember the computer still needs to be plugged in to the wall with the wall switch on to work. With a bit of tweaking you can easily have your Mac working with you in a much environmentally friendly fashion.

Right Click on Mac

DigMo — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:39:26 +0000

One of the biggest problems users switching from PC to Mac face is the perceived one button mouse. Daily I see people with crossed arms trying to hold down CTRL and click to activate contextual menus. The reality is the Mighty Mouse is considerably more than a single button mouse and right click is just a few clicks away.

The mouse options are available through the System Preferences menu (click the  on the top left of the desktop screen). Click the Keyboard and Mouse button and finally the ‘Mouse’ tab.

As well as the scrolling options you have control over 4 mouse bottons. Activating the ‘right click’ is easy, click on the right drop down and select ‘Secondary button’.

As you can see from the drop down you are not limited to just using it as a secondary button and any of the buttons can be used to call dashboard, Application Switcher, Spotlight and Spaces.

Try out a few of the options and before long you will have your mouse customised so you can jump around the operating system in seconds.

DigMo! » Tutorials

Apple Motion : 3D Shadows

Related:

Motion Tutorial : Reflections

Related:

iPhoto to Lightroom

Related:

iPhone iMovie Orientation Fix

Related:

Glossaries in Moodle

Related:

Apple Motion : Drop Zones

Related:

5 reasons for AppleTV

Related:

Auto Start Apps in Leopard

Related:

A Greener Leopard

Related:

Right Click on Mac

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