lancecarr12 's List: This Week's Picks

There are times when you may want to highlight or at least placesome focus on some object or item within a video.

There are many ways to do this but one way in particular that is possible these days is to use a special effects applied only to that thing.

To get a better idea and some suggestions here is a demo of it being applied in PowerDirector.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXxZJNwvIT4

When I started using my Sony ZV-E10 for most of my footage I was interested at the time in stabilization in post production.

The reason for that was I was going to be shooting in 4K and some of the time at least, handheld.

Their solution was their own software called Catalyst Browse which takes the internal gyroscopic information embedded into the video file and uses that to correct any shake.

Well that all sounds very sciency but at the end of the day I actually use one of two tools that do a far better job.

One is the stabilization in DaVinci Resolve and the other in PowerDirector.

Here's a look at the PowerDirector tool in action.

PowerDirector Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8suEzameoI

One of the inherent problems with shooting and editing your own videos is that at some point in the process you begin to go blind to what you are seeing and doing.

Constantly going back over the same sections or scenes or even the entire causes you brain to sort of stop looking at what you are looking at and just run from existing memory.

There are two ways around this.

The first is to get someone else to watch the video before you complete the final render and have them tell you what they see.

The second is to walk away from what you think is the final product for AT LEAST 24 hours then go back and view it with fresh eyes.

Both of these are better than nothing but both are equally prone to errors or bad choices going unnoticed despite your best efforts.

Well this week I came across this video from the guys at Primal Video demonstrating a new feature in Descript that actually does the job for you.

It is early days yet and for me Descript is a bit pricey but it is an interesting feature nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WooYt_3bNNc

One of the inherent problems with any footage recorded on a smartphone is that it will most likely be recorded a specific way.

That "way" will involve a codec like H.264 which will compress the video information a lot as well as at lower bitrates to preserve space and ensure continuous recording.

That's not really such a bad thing in itself however it does introduce certain limitations for when it comes to both color correction and color grading.

Because of the lower data rates there is only so far you can push it before it all falls to pieces!

That doesn't mean you are totally unable to manipulate the color in any way but there is definitely a way to go about it to get the best results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdxIyPqsogc

One of the main problems in working with DaVinci Resolve is that unless you are a totally seasoned expert you end up in the same position.

That position is that you absolutely know that whatever it is you want to do, Resolve can totally do it.

However working out HOW to do it is another matter altogether!

Then the final insult is that once you work it out, you realize is was totally simple all along!

Anyway here's a great example of how you can create vintage titles using the bog standard inclusions in the titling module to do so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHHPXvMIR8U

A.I. driven background removal is becoming more and more common at all levels of video editing software.

However if your video editor doesn't yet have this type of tool and green screen isn't quite cutting it then all is not lost.

In the video below you can see in action a few online alternatives to remove backgrounds as well as a look at the Movavi tool in action as well.

Movavi Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDyI9X00T0E

When the world of social media started pushing all of us towards shooting video in 9:16 rather than 16:9 we all just basically flipped our phones and carried on!

The problem with that is that at a vertical video setting, the way you compose your shot changes significantly.

Here are some tips on how to shoot vertically and get great looking results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PasXPQDgmTM