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As of my freshman year, I will be posting content centered around a certain topic. You can expect my blog posts to feature well-written sentences.
Brady Bryan
Around the middle of March, I became a video editor for a retired Oberlin College professor. Since I knew the basics of Adobe Premiere Pro (despite many claiming the program along with much of the Adobe suite to be inferior when compared to similar programs) which was his criteria for editing, I figured that I would be a suitable fit for the task. The process goes as such: He uploads several clips to a Dropbox folder prior to the editing session where I am able to access and download them onto my computer. Once we are both ready to begin, we initiate a Skype call and he tells me how to edit each clip while I share my screen in order to assure that each edit is to his liking. Prior to the online collaboration, he would drive over and watch and direct me step by step which was absolutely more efficient than the online calls, but can't be helped due to the entire pandemic pressuring citizens to self-quarantine to reduce risk of contraction. The main leitmotif of the clips he uploads is light. That is, each clip is relates to light reflections, flashing colors, shadows, contrasting colors, and the like. The multiple projects we work on are typically accompanied by composed pieces that convey the tone and overall attitude of the clips. For instance, if there are many fast moving light sources that frequently change colors, the song would be whimsical and flighty in nature as if to resemble a sort of "circus-y" vibe. While one might think that being a video editor requires one to learn and master every nook and cranny of their respective video editing software to create quality works, such a notion is not necessarily true. Not every clip needs a fancy, eye-catching transition with super bright lights and flashing colors (ironically contradicting the contents of the raw footage). Simple hard cuts and cross dissolves will suit one's fancy. The key to editing is deciding whether certain clips will need more or less editing than usual, although this isn't calculable. When it comes to editing, less can and most likely will be more as destroying the original identity of the clip should be the last idea on the editor's mind. I may not know everything about Premiere Pro, but becoming a video editor has definitely pushed me towards exploring the software further in order to accomplish what my client wants with adequate accuracy. It also taught me the aforementioned lesson that excessive editing can be detrimental to the overall initial integrity of the raw footage, as well as unobtrusive editing being an optimal option in certain scenarios. With video editing, the editor will be faced with how to properly handle the raw footage optimally (avoiding destructive editing at all costs in case the previous edit was a better decision). Below is an example of a prototype of a light project that is currently being worked on. Example Recap:
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Brady Bryan
Ever wanted to create a model of your favorite cartoon character? Perhaps even for your own 3D video game? Then 3ds Max is the application for you! It is an application that allows you to do just that with a plethora of tools. It is unlike any Adobe product (unless you count Adobe Fuse) in that you work with 3D shapes (primarily that is) instead of 2D graphics. It is also more hardware heavy as a result, so don't expect it to work on an old computer. As soon as you open 3ds Max on your computer, you will be prompted with a window that features different templates. These range from a deep sea background to a forest background. As this is your first time in 3ds Max, it is recommended that you ignore the templates provided, as they will be a distraction to your firsthand experience. Simply exit the window to reappear in the standard window. You will be greeted with four different squares, each with a different angle of the same image. These are called "viewports," and will quickly become your best friend as you continue to model, as they allow you to view your product in several different ways. Inside each viewport is a grid, which serves as a basic surface to begin modeling on. The coordinates of your product are located right beneath it in terms of the "X, Y," and "Z" axes. The most common angle of a viewport (and recommended) is perspective. Just as the name suggests, you are able to view your product at any angle possible. You can maximize the size of a viewport by pressing "Alt-W." In order to pan across the viewport, simply press down on the scroll wheel of your mouse and move it around. To rotate around it, hold down the "Alt" key while panning. To zoom in and out, simply scroll up or down on the mouse respectively. If you think that navigating throughout a single viewport is troublesome enough, you'll have a harder time understanding how to model. Regardless, all of these techniques will become ingrained in your memory as you get used to using 3ds Max. You will be able to navigate without a second thought. It will take a long while before you even get to learn half of 3ds Max's tools and settings by heart. All it takes is a little willpower... Recap:
Brady Bryan
What good would a video editing program be if you weren't able to manipulate the scale, opacity, or position of a video? Rest assured, it won't be of much use. Luckily, Adobe's Premiere Pro allows you to do this, and a little more. What's more is that those options are located in one single window. Y'know, for easy access. This is one of the basic settings in Premiere Pro, so it is crucial that one learns how to do this. The effects control panel is located in the upper left corner of the application (the source window). It is the tab next to the "Source" tab (the second one). If you don't see any settings, you will have to select a video clip in your "Timeline" window. You will be greeted with several settings with blue numbers next to them. This means that you can edit the numbers, thus editing that option. Most, if not, all of the settings should look familiar such as "Rotation," "Scale," and "Opacity." Those are self-explanatory, but editing them is a little different. Increase the value in "Rotation" to make the clip turn clockwise, and vice versa to turn it counter-clockwise. Increase the value in "Scale" to increase the size, and vice versa to decrease the size. There will be two different numerical values. The one on the left changes the length, and the one on the right changes the width. The "Uniform Scale" option will be activated by default, so increasing one value will increase the other at the same time so the original size is retained. Decrease the opacity to make the video clip more transparent. You can also change the blend mode of the clip as if it were in Photoshop or Illustrator to make it appear differently. You can increase or decrease the speed of the clip by altering the value accordingly. The "Anti-Flicker filter" option decreases the flicker of an object that comes into frame, and increasing the value will decrease the unsightly effect. As previously stated, this is one of the most basic techniques in Premiere Pro, and will easily become one of the most used windows as you continue to use Premiere Pro. For instance, say that you screen-captured some gameplay, but the recording captured a little extra space. Naturally, you'd want to get rid of that. To fix this, simply open the recording in Premiere Pro, and adjust the position and scaling of the clip to the best of your ability. It is recommended that you make a note of certain presets that will display certain clips properly so you won't have to keep experimenting on the same clip to find the best display settings. Recap:
Brady Bryan
When creating any sort of video (professional or casual), one must consider the quality and fluidity of their video. Will there be music? If so, how does it affect the video? Will the video have smooth transitions? Most videos nowadays, albeit short, are jam-packed with many transition cuts to lead into a relating image or video, and are often paired with music that is synced with each transition. These videos are referred to as edits, and are very well-crafted. Most video-editing programs (usually browser based) lack the feature of video transitions. This is not the case with Premiere Pro. In fact, it is very easy to add video transitions to a video. To access the video transitions, navigate to the "Effects" tab in the bottom-left window (the window where your imported videos are located by default). Here is where all the effects are located, not just for transitions, but in general. After that, click the drop-down arrow beside the "Video Transitions" group. Inside this group are sub-folders that contain specific transition slides such as "Dissolve, Slide," and "Wipe." As one can imagine, each sub-folder is specific to it's own specialty, which is pretty self-evident. In order to apply a certain transition to your video, simply click and drag the transition from the "Effects" tab to the timeline, more specifically the beginning or end of a clip. If done correctly. you will see a transparent yellow rectangle with the name of your transition in front of your clip on the timeline. If you want to incorporate a transition into the middle of a clip, you must use the razor to divide the clip right where you want the transition to go, and go from there, as most transitions are unable to be placed right in the middle of a clip. If you want to alter the speed/duration of the transition, simply hover over the edge of the transition until you get a red fork-shaped icon and drag towards or away the opposing side of the rectangle to increase or decrease the duration, as well as the speed. You can also set certain transitions as default. This makes it so you can simply right-click on the edge of a clip and select "Apply Default Transition" to apply it. By default (how many times have I said default?), the transition will be cross dissolve, which is a simple "fade to next scene" transition. Simple right? As previously stated, it is easy to include transitions in your video in Premiere Pro, as opposed to other programs, which make things a little more complicated than necessary due to many individual settings. Not only that, but it is admittedly fun to toy around with each transition just to get a feel for utilizing transitions effectively. Most of the transitions are self-explanatory, so using them won't be a chore. Using these correctly can help you create an interesting, enticing video. so get to it! Recap:
Brady Bryan
Effects are one of the major components of any digital design that gathers the most attention. Most editing/art-based programs such as (you guessed it) the Adobe products have their own tab devoted to different types of effects. Since Illustrator is designed to create designs, it's going to have its fair share of effects. At first glance, it's effects will sound/seem very similar to some effects that you've seen elsewhere, such as "Drop Shadow" and "Outer Glow." One thing that you'll notice while viewing Illustrator's "Effects" tab is that it has a couple designs from Adobe Photoshop, as demonstrated in this image from cvdesign.org. Unfortunately, the opposite cannot be said of Photoshop having Illustrators effects. Both of the program's effects work similarly, but have their subtle differences, especially in settings. As usual, you will have to select whatever objects you want to give an effect to. There are different groups within the "Effects" tab. Some groups include "Stylize, Distort and Transform," and "Warp." Some effects have straightforward names, such as "Drop Shadow." As the name suggests, it gives whatever object or text that is selected a shadow. You can change the opacity, as well as the offset (placement) of the shadow in the settings. Another example of this is "Twist," which can be found in the "Warp" group. This effect simply twists whatever object is selected, similar to a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule. By modifying the horizontal, vertical and bend numerals in the settings (image from cdn.tutsplus.com), you can attain a similar shape. This is most effective when working with a 3D object, as the differences are more pronounced. Just by taking a look at the effects Illustrator has to offer, some official designs that use a few of them may come to mind, which may lead you to believe that Illustrator is utilized by the larger, more prominent companies. Many of the program's tools and settings can lead you to this conclusion, and for good reason since the program is extremely viable in terms of digital design. Effects are a great match with custom shapes, but you'll never truly know unless you try it out for yourself. Recap:
Adobe Illustrator is often overshadowed by it's more famous sibling Photoshop due to Photoshop's more "favorable" features, as well as being easier to understand at first glance. While both applications are favorable in certain conditions, both are extremely useful. Of course, each application has their own special features, and Illustrator has a lot of options to offer. One of Illustrator's main (and most prominent) features are the artboards.
Artboards work similarly to a canvas in Photoshop in that it displays items such as shapes on it. The main difference is that more than one artboard can be present in the workspace. This will look something like this with multiple artboards. They are essentially multiple canvases to work in. You can arrange them in different patterns to help your design. You can add more than one artboard via the "Window" tab at the top of the screen. something like (for example) a brochure or magazine. When exporting your finished product with several artboards, you can select whether or not to use artboards, meaning that all artboards will be present in the exported file instead of the ones inside the original document size. However, if you want the opposite, you can leave the checkbox unchecked. Aside for just serving as an extra canvas, artboards don't confine you to a limited amount of space (unlike Photoshop's canvas). This allows you to place items outside of the artboard, and it will still be displayed instead of hidden. While being able to have several canvases present in your workspace doesn't sound like a life-changing experience, it certainly comes in handy. As previously stated, it can help you create a layout of a brochure, magazine, or a website. This is extremely favorable as Illustrator is recommended to those that are trying to create promotional items. This truly is a feature that you will have to experiment with while using Illustrator, as the day will come when you eventually have to utilize the feature. Consulting Adobe.com will help, since it teaches the basics of properly using an artboard. Recap:
Brady Bryan
One of the main differences between Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator is that Photoshop makes bitmap graphics, whereas Illustrator creates vector images. Both type of images are very different, and can come in handy depending on what you are trying to make. Vector images utilize mathematical calculations in its placement, whereas bitmap images utilize pixels. This is made clear when zooming in on an image as the edge of a shape will either appear smooth or pixelated. Deciding on what you're trying to accomplish may influence your decision in utilizing Photoshop or Illustrator. Photos fall under the category of bitmap images (also known as raster graphics), as the image appear pixelated when zoomed in. "When using a raster program you paint an image and it's similar to dipping a brush in paint and painting," according to vector-conversions.com. "You can blend colors to soften the transition from one color to another." This is another to tell the difference between the two graphic types, as a vector image's colors will appear solid and smooth. This image provides a good visual of the differences, as well as the top image on the previous hyperlinked site. Another difference between bitmaps and vectors are the file types. The main file types of bitmap images are .jpg, .png, and .gif. The main file types of vector images are .pdf, eps, svg, and the case of Illustrator, .ai. As a result, bitmap images generally have a larger file size than vector images. In terms of creative use, bitmaps are recommended for printing ink drawings and for use in screenprint software. Vector images are primarily used for logo design, specifically for use digitally and physically (on an object). Vector images can be scaled up or down and still retain its original quality, whereas you have to convert a bitmap layer to a smart object in order to retain its quality when resizing (somewhat). Despite all of these differences, vector images can be converted to bitmap. However, the opposite cannot be said as some bitmaps cannot be converted to vector based on the process. There are plenty of other differences between the two graphic types. However, it's your call on whether or not you want to create one or the other. Recap:
Brady Bryan
It's no surprise that Photoshop has a variety of options and tools to enhance your design, and while this is common knowledge, utilizing them properly is no easy feat. Neophytes to Photoshop may not understand most of the fancy jargon and icons that appears when using a certain tool for the first time. The addition of several hundred drop down menus doesn't help either, and although that is a slightly hyperbolic statement, it can intimidate many new users. With enough explanation, however, one will not only be able to interpret the "language" of Photoshop, but will also have the ability to use them. Once understood and used repeatedly, it will become muscle memory. The toolbar is the column at the far left of the interface, and sure enough, all of the tools can be found there. What most people wont recognize on first contact is that a majority of the tools have alternate versions that can be accessed simply by right-clicking on the appropriate icon. You can tell the difference between tools that have alternate versions and tools that don't based on a small arrow located in the bottom-right corner of the tool icon. If the arrow is present, then it has at least one alternative. These are especially useful when it comes to performing a specific action that can be accomplished efficiently. When using certain tools, a "Tolerance" option will appear at the top of the screen. This describes the sensitivity of that tool. For example, lowering the tolerance of the magic wand tool changes the amount of what the tool will select, making it more sensitive and aware of differing colors. Needless to say, this is useful when the requirement of selecting a specific portion of an image is necessary. This rule generally applies to paint tools such as the brush and paint bucket tool. The amount of tolerance caps out at around 200, so you have quite a bit of breathing rooms to experiment with the tolerance option. Anti-aliasing is an option that seems useless at first, but is sometimes necessary when importing images such as pencil sketches. Disabling anti-aliasing makes an image appear sharp and clean, making it easy to fill in certain parts of the images that are bordered by faint marks. Anti-aliasing is activated by default, so be sure to deactivate when necessary. An alternative to disabling anti-aliasing is by changing an image's image interpolation to nearest neighbor, which does the same thing. Photoshop has hundreds of options waiting for you to discover them, so don't be afraid to explore. If you ever want to go back to the default interface, simply reset the workspace by going into Windows > Workspace > Reset Essentials. Make sure to visit Adobe's forums if you have any questions. Recap:
Brady Bryan
We've all seen a plethora of professional designs and logos that display words or an image with another image or picture inside it. These designs are commonly featured on postcards such as this one for commercial use, which is a primary use for layer masking in the field of business and commerce. In this vintage Florida postcard, there are different images inside each letter of the word. This was done to make the postcard look more enticing instead of featuring standard, colored text. Luckily for Photoshop users, this can be achieved through a process called layer masking. If you would like to make a vintage postcard, I recommend following this guide. However, it requires Adobe Illustrator instead of Photoshop. Simply put, layer masking is the process of revealing the background of an image/design while keeping the image(s) on the higher layers intact. This is one of the easier methods of combining two or more images to make it look realistic and professional (to an extent that is). An example of this would be adding a stop sign to a road in the desert since both components were originally separate. Layer masking is a fairly easy process. In order to do so, you must have you background image opened in Photoshop. Next, you must open the image of the person or object that you would like to incorporate into the background and adjust it so that it is in a suitable position for masking. Select the layer with the person or object and click the icon with the rectangle and circle located at the bottom of the "Layers" panel in the middle. A second thumbnail should appear beside the layer's thumbnail. Select the brush tool and confirm that the foreground and background are black and white (click the icon above the colors to go back to the default colors). Ensure that you are editing the second thumbnail by clicking on the second thumbnail, and paint over the parts of the image that you want hidden. Remember that black is used to conceal, and white is used to reveal, so if you accidentally paint over a part in black, you can use white to bring that part back. Once you are content with your layer mask, you can right click on the layer mask thumbnail and choose to apply the mask so it permanently becomes part of the layer. The best part about layer masking is that it is classified as nondestructive editing. This means that the design does not suffer from permanent edits. "Nondestructive editing allows you to make changes to an image without overwriting the original image data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it," according to Adobe.com. There are many different uses for this technique, so be sure to practice and experiment using filters and the like. Recap:
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AuthorBrady Bryan is quite familiar with blogs since he had to frequently post on his blog in 6th grade. Although its been a long time since then, he still knows what a proper blog should look like. Archives
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