BlackmagicDesign DaVinci Resolve 15 Beta Is Mind Blowing!

 BMD just released Resolve 15 Beta and it's overwhelming! This great color grading tool has evolved into a full-on post-production in a box software.

Check the 19min. YouTube video below if you don't believe me.

https://youtu.be/84e7iCI9Jkk

Now it's very likely full of bugs and lacking many a functionality. And it doesn't have (yet) specific things we like FCPX for: Overall fluidity, Magnetic timeline, Roles, FilmStrips View, Smart Collections, etc.

Nevertheless, you have to recognize the beauty of this thing, and the beauty of where I think it's heading.

I see this new release as a full integration of all the steps in Post-prod with very advanced specialty tools just a button away: Media Manage/Edit/Color/FX/Sound/Delivery. No more clunky back and forth between departments. It's not only all under one roof, it's all under one app!

Now while we wonder and experiment with the shiny new Resolve, BMD folks will be working on Collaboration. As I foresee, editors, colorists, sound people, fx people, we will be working on the SAME Resolve project.

The editor will rough FXs in the Timeline, and "pass" them to the FX artist in an INSTANT. No more managing media, sending notes, screeners and rough comps, it's all in there!

While color, FX and audio people are working in their specialty pages, with auto-linking/management of each comp/media/project, BMD cloud will upload the newly created media in the background for all to see and use when ready. The Timeline will update AUTOMATICALLY at a push of a button, or as set in the prefs.

No more conforming as it is now BUILT-IN. And you will be able to choose when this happens: end of day, in the background, or right now!

Let's see how stable it is under stress, and where this new paradigm leads us. A lot to dig in!

Exciting times!

Motion Graphics Maps Workflow Simplified with ERSI ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud

 I am just finishing a documentary project that involved mapping several hundred locations in a series of motion graphics.

To do so, I used a combination of Illustrator, GoogleEarth, and Excel spreadsheets. Then I converted Illustrator paths to Apple Motion as explained in this post and animated.

Now with this ArcGIS Map add-on to Illustrator, I can skip GoogleEarth and instead import the spreadsheet inside the map console, and build / modify location markers directly inside Illustrator.

Building Maps inside Illustrator! Whoa!

Importing locations via spreadsheet! So easy!

Next time I need to build maps for a project I will likely use this workflow. Note that at this time though, only a few basemaps are vector graphics. The rasterized basemaps are of limited interest to me.

Check this YouTube video for a demo on how to use ArcGIS inside Illustrator.

Adobe Creative Cloud April 2018 Update

Two days before the launch of NAB, Adobe has an update for CC.

One remarkable feature is the possibility to open a Premiere project in Audition. 

You are reading this correctly: Audition can now open a Premiere project directly / natively, without the need for fancy linkage, OMF or AAF intermediaries.

- Do you read this AVID? - Do you read this APPLE?

And it supports compound media, and it adds a few niceties for good measure.

More info here: https://theblog.adobe.com/audition-updates-spring-2018/

Audition has been hard to love for me coming from Protools, and way too buggy / unstable / quirky.

ProTools is still my favorite DAW, but I will test the Premiere -> Audition workflow as soon as my schedule allows.

This could be a game changer IF and only IF Adobe also irons-out Audition quirks and oddities, and at times downright aggravating behavior.

Or maybe a better way would be to incorporate Audition into a super Premiere, ala Resolve. We shall see.

- I note that Adobe is also opening Audition to scripts... Jumping onto Reaper's toes in no subtle fashion.

Interesting times.

Adobe Encore (CS6) on macOS High Sierra

 If you are like me and need to produce DVDs and Blu-ray discs from time to time, Adobe Encore is your friend.

Of course it's been discontinued, but Adobe still offers a download from Adobe CC.

• Go to CC Manager, scroll down to Premiere Pro CC.
• Click on the little arrow at the right of the Open button.
• Here lies the installer for Premiere CS6, it will install Encore as well.

Now, on the Adobe site it says that you can uninstall Premiere CS6 and keep Encore CS6. Well NOT IN MY EXPERIENCE. Using the Premiere CS6 Uninstaller deletes Encore as well. Be warned.

So far Encore launches fine on High Sierra, will report after a real job.

NOTE: For simple DVD/Blu-ray (with very limited features), Compressor is also your friend.

Installing macOS High Sierra Onto MacPro 5,1 (cMP5,1) Patience Required!

Retracing all my steps to install a fresh macOS HighSierra on my cMP5,1 2012.

Bought a new SSD, stuck it into the Optical bay and connected it to the second Sata cable.

Emptied internal x4 Drive Bay, 16GB RAM, Radeon 5770 stock, nothing else connected but Apple Keyboard + generic mouse.

I made a USB High Sierra installer and started the computer, zapped the PRAM, it started from the USB and loaded the installer fine.

I went into Disk Util and erased the SSD using APFS. [***Do not do this! Read on!***]

Got the Firmware Update Required window:

Clicked onto Shut Down button... Nothing happened.

Went to the Menu Bar, clicked onto the Apple Logo and Shutdown from there.

Pushed and held Mac power button, LED flashed, got the long Beep, computer restarted, but no Firmware update happened.

Again got the Firmware Update Required window... What the f*^%$?

Again clicked onto Shut Down button, nothing happened.

Again went to the Menu Bar, clicked onto the Apple Logo and shutdown from there.

Again pushed and held Mac power button, LED flashed, got the long Beep, computer restarted, this time it went into Firmware Update (fat update bar instead of thin one.)

After 5 min. the computer restarted by itself, Sierra installer loaded.

Clicked Continue, then got a window "To download and restore macOS, your computer's eligibility will be verified with Apple". What???

Went back to macOS Utilities and turned on WIFI and connected to the internet. Came back to the same point...

I canceled, restarted, clicked again on install, this time it didn't show this window, go figure. Went to the installer, but it DIDN'T LIST MY SSD in the disk selection for install... !! Arrghl!

Hence do not format your SSD to APFS prior to install.

Went to macOS Utilities, Disk Utilities, tried to erase/reformat the drive to no avail (could not unmount it, and I could not see it to force unmount it.

Shutdown, removed the SSD, went to a second computer, erased the SSD, this time formatted GUID/macOS Extended.

Put it back into the computer, started again, into the installer, and bingo!

Selected the SSD and started the installation at last!

15min. later, booting into High Sierra. Success at last!

Disk Util confirms that the SSD has been erased and reformatted to APFS as part of the installation.

Premiere Pro Export Media How to Set the Proper Folder for Output Via Media Encoder (Queuing)

When I export multiple Media from Premiere, it remembers my Preset, but when I hit Queue, Media Encoder Output stubbornly points to the wrong Folder, over and over again.

Its a freaking pain having to click onto the Output Name in AME and setting the proper folder here EACH TIME as it does not remember the previous setting for some reason.

Instead, click on the Output Name in the Export Settings Window BEFORE hitting Queue.

From there, select the proper folder you want to output to. Next time you Export Media from Premiere IT WILL REMEMBER the correct Folder as the proper Output in AME.

It only sticks in AME if you set it first in the Export Setting Window. Doing it in the AME Window doesn't stick when Exporting from Premiere, unlike when you are dealing with a file.

Kind of counter intuitive, but at least this works.

Premiere Pro - Generating Peak Files & Workspaces Aggravation

I wish Premiere would not generate f*&^# Peak Files constantly. What does it even have to do this? Modern NLEs should be able to deal with this shit behind the scenes with no impact on performance.

Why on earth does PP need to do this? I worked all day yesterday onto the same project, didn't add any Media whatsoever.

Now let me tell you, the way PP manages Workspaces / Windows / Tabs is at least as arcane as the way Avid manages Workspaces and Windows. I wonder if I even prefer how Avid does it.

Adobe, this is a LAME way to deal with this, it's 2018! This is all too convoluted, we spend way too much time dealing with these freaking Windows / Panels / Tabs / Docking / Undocking / Workspaces / Layouts; find a better way already!

- And now to all NLEs manufacturers: why is it that we cannot control simple things with our VOICE? "Open file", "Get selection tool", "Cut", "Play", "Stop"? We can control our houses with our voice damn it! Why not NLEs?