Sometimes you dont know what you’d like to do but you know what you like doing

I write this post as a thought pops into my head. I often get asked for life advice, despite not feeling qualified in myself to give this kin of advise I always try and encourage a line of questioning of oneself, ones actions or things that could be considered, rather than handing out direct, do this do that advice.

I have embedded a video at the bottom of this post that is well worth a watch. It explains what is fundamentally broken and what holds back a good many of us from being great. Really! take the time to watch it.

Ok, my thought process begins with some early life choices. Deciding on my A-Levels, like many I had no idea what I wanted to do. I did know what I liked, what I was good at and the things that make me happy so I chose PE, Art and Business Studies… oh how they laughed! this is when I realized I had a bit of a what the f*/k do you know attitude, I wasn’t however massively qualified to argue with the gibes but stuck to my decision. In hindsight the ridicule came from those with a lack of knowledge in certain areas, they didn’t know the things I knew and they were those I considered well educated (the video below explains) A weaker man might have changed there mind and studied 3 coinciding subjects to meet societies pre conceptions of what would be the right thing to do.

Having finished my A-Levels I still didn’t know what I wanted to do however I knew what I liked doing. I first became a windsurf instructor, I knew I liked windsurfing, I knew I wanted to see a bit of the world, it made sense. In my off season I wrote an idea for a TV show, it got made by a href=http://www.rapido.co.uk/shows/shw.5.phpchannel 4/a and I shot off around the world filming. I then worked in TV, back to water sports, well yachting during which time I was teaching myself about websites and ecommerce as my brother and sister set up a www.innerwolf.co.uk. One more cheeky season in Egypt (windsurfing) then university to study a Media and Design for Digital Media during which time I helped take the watersports shop 2xs to being an online retailer. A quick stint as an website and marketing manager for a clothing company then up to the smoke to set up an in house video production service for a market research company. Now I am heading up the role out of our Website and Social media strategy.

My point here is that all of these things benefited very well from my choice of A-levels and more importantly what I do for a living now didn’t exist as a job when I started down this road. So, how can I take advice on my education when the people giving the advice have no concept of what the future might hold for me or the economy, you cant! and those who did take that advise, probably ended up in a job where they look at watch every day.

Sure, there are times you’ll take a knock. I got fired from the UKSA and it hugely dented my confidence. I thought questioning safety was a good thing but apparently not when you are questioning the decision of the MD. They attempted to throw me off the Isle of Wight as I influenced the other instuctors. So, draw the positives from any given situation, I’m an influencer! there’s a little take away, Ill put that in my toolbox and use that later.

Do what you like doing along the way, it might not fall into place straight away but you’re more likely to end up in the right place because if you are interested in something your learning is accelerated and people will notice, sure there will be politics along the way but stay focused on the bigger picture and let it wash over you.

Love this video!

 

Recent Changes in Digital Media viewing habits. How this affects Marketing and Advertising?

Remember when you used to have that conversation about how you read a book from left to right although pick up a magazine and flick through right to left? We know that marketing science suggests that the reader looks at a page starting in the top left, across the top and them down the right had side and we base our advertising on this. Have you stopped to think though how these habits have evolved since digital communication platforms and social media have appeared on the scene? My tweets arrive on my phone and I scroll them down, Reading from the bottom up but apply this to a forum and you confuse the reader, the reader of a forum expects to read the first comment at the top followed by the responses as they scroll the page. A controversial one, but use the same theory for a comments box under say a video or tutorial and the reader now presumes they will read the most recent comment at the top. I say controversial as I do hear a debate the other day on the way we should implement a video portal with this scenario. So you might think it stops there but like you often click on replies to threads at the bottom of a forum post to read expansion and replies to certain threads, now think about how you consume your reading on a wiki site. You read as normal but intelligent linking offers the expansion of information based on certain keywords. For those who don’t need to you carry on reading as usual but if the keyword suggest an area in which you need more data in order to support the overall subject of interesting you break the linear reading convention and branch of to better your knowledge, combine d with your browsers functionality you return to original subject and read on, a little bit wiser. This has brought a convention, if you visit for example the Apple development site the pages / PDF’s are written in this way. It’s clever, offering consumption choices one stage beyond that of the chaptering and contents in a book, improving the efficiency of how much we actually need to read.

So my first question is this, and probably one for the eye trackers! given the changing viewing patterns for the media how does effect the placements of advertising on a page? If the eye no longer follows a routine patterns and documents are viewed in very different ways, is the header banner or the right hand (column 3) the best place for the advert.

This becomes even more interesting when we add video or interactive graphics to the mix and this is something I learnt a lot about following the Chinwag forum for IPTV producers. Obviously the initial trend was to include pre, post and mid role adverting or possible and overlayed advert that reacts to a mouse action but to what extent does this put off the viewer and also with a page of content, how much does the viewers eye deviate from the video during playback? Is there a pattern or obvious place to place advertising on the surrounding page? Again one for the eyetrackers!

Just a couple of thought and questions for next time you conduct your digital marketing campaign!

Media Streaming, MacBook Pro, PS3, Xbox 360, MediaLink, iTunes Part 1

I grew tired of having loads of tech, loads of tunes, loads of software but still limited by not being in the right place or not having a lead long enough, so I set about improving my technical life. I started with my music, I have a 2.1 surround sound system plugged into my TV with an iPhone dock in it yet I hardly ever dock the iPhone and only have access to 8 gigs of music…

Streaming_Media

MacBook Pro (iTunes) to PS3
I downoaded Media Link and installed it on the Mac. Once installed go to your system preferences, register your software then under the iTunes tab make sure you are sharing your library. Use your settings here to share anything else you wish to make available. Go onto your PS3 and scroll left to the music icon, scroll down to search for media servers. Your Null River Media Link icon should appear in the menu system. Scroll down to your music and browse the folders as you would your playlist, providing the music is in a exognisable format for your ps3 you should hear tunage.

MacBook Pro to Xbox 360
I then set about doing the same for the xbox and soon gave up, Mac, Microsoft! Bad combination

iPhone to MacBook Pro (iTunes)
Apple have made a nifty little app that doesn’t ship with the iPhone software. It’s a handy little WiFi remote control available on the app store it gives you full access to you iTunes library as long as you are withing range and you HD is not asleep. Very easy to set up and most importantly FREE.

iPhone to Macbook Pro (full operating system)

Given the nature of my job a high proportion of my time is spent video editing which means I struggle to work from home or on location like many others. As an experiment I decided to play with remote desktop. I have worked for a company in the past that tapped into the company server using remote access and in turn could remote desktop to any one of the PCs as long as it was on. Security is extremely high on the company network so I began testing to see if I could log onto my laptop at home from my iPhone. I began by setting up a logmein.com account and installing the relevant software locally on the MacBook. Logmein also a produce a tidy little app called logmein ignition which provides a seamless iPhone interface to operate Mac OSX. Before I invested the £17.99 I tested the theory by merely using safari on the phone (didn’t work) I also wanted to know what kind of speeds we would be looking at. When I attempted through a Firefox browser logmein required the installation of further software and an active x control in Internet explorer. The connection from work to home on the first test went well. As you can imagine there is no delay on programs loading at the remote end but the refresh speed locally was slow. I am presuming the wireless connection a distance away from the router does not help. I am slightly reluctant to test the logmein ignition app on the iPhone as I don’t think it will be able to handle the tasks I need to perform over wifi but especially over the 3G network ( I wonder if an iPhone 3G S would help)

MobileMe
The subscription has put me off the MobileMe software. I really don’t know whether it would improve my efficiency that much that I can justify paying the recurring price tag. But, I am rubbish with dates and having a work calender and a home calender does not help. Often the email I need for some information on a particular task will be on my laptop at home.

Part 2 coming when I am considerably richer and invest in a home entertainment system.

Adobe Photoshop – Cropping, Resizing, Re Framing and saving images for web tutorial

Open your image File > Open and browse to your file

Cropping, using the crop toolCrop_Tool
If you require a thumbnail or web specific sized image, best practise would be to use the Crop Tool.

Set the size in pixels that you would like your final image to be  using the toolbar at the top of the photoshop page. Be sure to update the images intended resolution, for web you would usually choose 72 pixels/inch.

Crop_Toolbar_Settings

Example, I chose 150 px X 150 px

Next, go to your image, left click (hold) and drag your cursor over the section of the image you require.

Cropping_Windsurfing_Image
Double click on the highlighted area and the image will be resized to you new proportions.

Marquee_Tool

Cropping using the marquee tool – re framing

Select the Marquee tool from the toolbar.


Go to your image and again, left click (hold) and drag the curser over the section of the image you would like to keep.

Cropping_Windsurf_Image
Once you have selected the area, choose Image > Crop and the image shall be cropped to your chosen selection. If it is still the wrong dimensions see below.

Resizing the image
If your image is correctly framed and the proportions are correct simply resize the image.
Click Image > Image Size

Resize_Image

Constrain_Proportions
Make sure you check the box Constrain Proportions otherwise you will distort your image.

Tutorial requested by Jane Bassett of www.2xs.co.uk Windsurf and Kitesurf online shop.

Basic Filming and Video Camera Technique

Training Module – Filming Technique

Purpose
The purpose of this module is to raise the understanding of video production and emphasise the level to which we should strive to output video to clients. During this module we shall look at the production process; that’s pre production, production and post production. You will go away with an understanding of the importance of planning your video. You will learn good filming technique and also good post production practice.

Theory

Pre Production – Preparation
Callsheet (Download to come)
A simple one but often overlooked. A call sheet provides all involveds contact details, responsibilies, location details and anything else you may wish to include in order to keep everyone on the same page and the production running smoothly.
Storyboard (Advanced Storyboard (1313))
Often there will not just be you working on a shoot, in order to convey the image you intend to shoot, it is important to scetch is and make any notes to put this across.
Script / Interview technique
Interview technique for camera differs slightly from that which you may be used to.
• Coerce the subject to say what you want them to say but in their own words.
• Ask a question in a way that encourages them to repeat the question back in their sentence.
Example:
- Yes, I enjoyed it, it was really tasty! (makes no sense without the question)
- I enjoyed the cake, it was really tasty! (makes sense on its own)
• Try and get into the habit of nodding or using facial gestures to encourage the interviewee rather than verbally agreeing
Release Forms (Sample Release Form (363))
Permission from the respondent or subject to release their image to you, the production or the company.

Timecodes and striping tapesTimecode_Format
Logging, Viewing, Capturing, Batch Capture, Editing, DV to VHS Transfer, Camera to DVD Transfer

Post production paperwork
Logging (Download)

Sound

The onboard microphone is not sufficient in most situations to record good clean sound. The mic picks up the wirring of the tape and also any wind blowing across the tiny holes that cover it. We need to develop an understanding of the options and there usage.

There are two main types of microphone, cardenoid and directional. Examples of each are a lapel mic (cardenoid) often seen on a news reader or interviewee or a shotgun mic (directional) as you would see being carried by a film crew.
No matter how you obtain the sound it is essential you monitor it during recording using headphones. It would be very costly to return to the edit suite with an image and no sound.

Where would we use each?
Cardenoid_Lapel_Radio_MicLapel / Radio Mic – This microphone is best suited to the planned interview or studio interview. It will pick up sound from within a close vicinity and cut out background noise. It provides a clear sound and resonance of the chest. It’s harder to use the radio mic on location without a power source unless you have a professional sound setup.

Things to look out for
• Microphone can often rub on clothing or a moving subject. Don’t be afraid to hold up proceedings to make sure you have the sound set up correctly.
• Untidy wireing. Sometimes your subject may not have appropriate clothing and it may be hard to conceal the mic and transitter.
• Remember the foam cover is meant for windy conditions, you will not need it indoors, it will, if anything create rubbing issues.

Shotgun / Directional MicShotgun_Directional_Mic
The shotgun microphone can be used onboard the camera or on a boom pole. Best for on location and spontaneous shoots. As it is a directional mic the onboard camera can pick up sound directly in front of the camera and cuts out most sound left, right, up and down. The boom mic requires a specific sound person or appropriate stand. This microphone is extremely accurate as you can get up close to the subject and the directional properties reduce background noise.

Things to look out for
• Keep a close eye on the camera operator, as a boom mic can often appear in shot.
• An onboard boom mic will still pick up camera noise and remember you are close to the mic, although it is directional it will pick you up to some extent.
• Be aware of surrounding noise. If a dog barks, phone rings or siren goes off, don’t be afraid to stop the recording and inform the interviewer the sound is not useable.

Shotgun microphone – for impromptu Vox Pops and sound recordings, also in situations where there is a considerable amount of surrounding noise.
Lapel and transmittable microphones – Studio recordings, planned location shoots. Benefits from clear sound from the resonance off the chest but also pics up close surrounding noise (not noise at a distance)

Sound Recording Checklist (383)

The microphone plugs we use are 3.5mm (1/8″) “Mini” and XLR; both have a male and female (socket and plug) connections. In short the XLR connection carries the best signal and is considered professional standard, also benefits of the XLR connections are that they lock into place leaving less room for error or tripping in a working environment. Even with the a quality, expensive microphone, poor quality cables and recording Device will produce poor sound.

3.5mm_Mini_Jack

XLR_Connections

Image

Rule of thirdsRule_of_Thirds
The rule of thirds refers to the composition of the image on the screen.
By dividing the screen up into thirds (see figure 1) it provides guides to compose your shot
Filming for interview requires the cameraman to think about the eye line and looking space.

mis en scene
Mis En Scene- literally “placing on stage” refers to arrangement of all the visual elements

Choice of Lighting
“Texture and Colors”
Use of Space
Make-Up
Costumes
“Interiors” Used to Convey Meaning

Equipment

Tripod

The importance of a tripod should not be underestimated. It adds an instant professional look to the video. As a rule you should not start shooting handheld until you have understood and mastered filming with a tripod. Three types of tripod are shown below the key differences between tripods will be stability, levels, fastening and controls. Where you might utilize each depends on the type of filming, I base my decisions based on compact and portable or fixed and precision shoots  Also it is important to keep the equipment clean and check the clips regularly.

Basic_Video_TripodProsumer_Video_TripodProfessional_Video_Tripod

Lights

3 Point lighting system, key, fill and backlight.3_Point_Lighting_Kit
Safety, handling with gloves, flagging and gels, wooden pegs.

Key Light
This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.

Fill Light
This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.

Back Light
The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject’s outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.

Fill_LightBack_LightKey_Light

Camera

Show both cameras and explain the benefits for each. Talk about different capture formats and the benefits and intensions for each. DV, HDD, DVD explain the difference between HD and HDD (not to be confused)

I have documented the camera setting I used during most shoots
Sony Camera Settings (Download)
JVC Everio Camera Settings (Coming Soon)

Summary

Questions to ask yourself before you shoot,
Is your subject positioned correctly within the frame?
Framing – Rule of Thirds
Framing – Looking space

Where’s the sun?
Where is the sun or where is the light source? Possibly one of the most important questions, as a silhouetted image is extremely hard to correct in the edit, so it is important to think about this at the point of filming. As a rule, make sure the light source is behind you (the camera person) and not your subject. This will ensure the subject is well lit and all features are visible.
- Top Tip, you should attempt to correct a poor image by adjusting the camera and light source before fiddling with camera settings.

Does the white look white?
Cameras know what all the colors in the spectrum should look like based on its perception of white and white changes in different light. Most cameras have an auto white balance but you should familiarise yourself with adjusting the white balance. Hold a piece of paper in front of the camera with the main light source reflecting of the paper. Adjust the camera setting until the white looks white and all other colors should now look correct.

Is there any background noise?
Sound – Always check for background noise
Sound – Use headphone to check the sound that is actually being recorded

What is in the background?
Often paying a lot of attention to your subject we often forget about the background. Be sure there is no annoyances in the shot. If you are telling a stroy or filming particular respondents, try constructing your backgrounf to reinforce the story or message.

Can I see the subject clearly?
Be sure that your subject is in focus and make sure nothing is likely to obscure them during filming.

Top Tips
• Always Monitor the video through the view finder or LCD especially when lighting is affected by the environment
• Do not adjust the camera mid sentence – try and get used to adjusting (if necessary during a pause)
• Avoid moving around during the shoot, this will reduce the risk of unwanted sound, getting into shot and camera shake as floors often have movement in them.

Exercise (Set up a shoot)

Exercise One You have been allocated a room and have 20 interviews to conduct. Each respondent will be arriving in 15 minute intervals and the interviews will last between 10 and 15 minutes each. Discuss amongst yourselves and choose the best selection of equipment for this scenario and have a go at setting it up.

Exercise Two It’s a bright sunny day, you are out in a busy location and will be filming short vox pops, you cannot expect the respondents to come to you so need to been portable and quick to respond to a agreement to be interviewed.

Video Camera Review: JVC Everio GZ HD40

jvc_everio_hd40

My JVC Everio GZ-HD40 arrived the other day and I have been doing some testing and establishing some best settings for different filming scenarios. I chose the Everio for specific reasons, I wanted to move away from a tape work flow and the massive 120 gig HD provides this with a bit of future proofing thrown in for free. For personal use I wanted a compact camera that I could expand with peripherals rather than have it all on board. My largest needs were for a quality waterproof housing that would not only take a bit of a knock but also provide ease of use to film in the water and for general single person video production. The majority of housing on the Market, although are expensive don’t really do the job. If you are filming action sports it is important to know that your subject is within frame otherwise you often don’t quite get shots that don’t come about very often. The JVC WR-MG200 Everio Marine Case not only allows you to comfortably hold the camera but use the LCD display too so that even in surf you know you got the shot there and then.

So, back to the HD40. Very impressed with the camera so far. My first impression is that for a small stylish consumer camera it comes with many pro features including the 1920 PRO HD resolution and the ability to now shoot in a AVCHD format as well as to an mpeg compression, CD supplied provides quicktime codecs for editing support. Using the AVCHD codec you will expect to get 15 hrs at PRO HD resolution (XP AVC) 55 hrs at standard definition or long play (EP AVC) and 22hrs on standard play. Using an Mpeg codec you will record around 10 hrs of footage. I know what you thinking, on such a portable device what is the point unless the battery can last out. It also allows for plenty of capture time before the need to transfer across to the edit suite. I have not yet decided how I shall be archiving or keeping hold of footage as I transfer it from the camera. I shall look into the share station, but if this just compresses a viewable DVD the I shall sway towards the external hard drive or data DVD.

For those of you who like your manual settings and I know we all do, the everio will take a little getting used to. There is an auto / manual button located under the LCD display. Press and press again to switch between the two, you then control many of the settings that you may need to use immediately with the joystick located on the left hand side of the display. It is here that I discovered the tidily hidden on board lamp hidden away to the lower quarter of the lens. The rest of the settings can be found using the menu button and then choosing the option > Manual Setting. Here you will find, Adjust Brightness, Shutter Speed, Aperture Priority, White Balance, Effect, Tele Macro, Zebra and Sharpness. Enough to tweak your shot just like the pro’s.

Obviously if you intend to shoot using a Pro HD resolution you will not want your footage to be let down by the sound from the on board microphone. Although hard to see on the images, the HD40 comes with a shoe hidden under a plastic clip in plate so I invested in a Rode DVCam Directional Video Condenser Microphone which comes with a 3.5 m plug for the mic socket on the camera.

videomic_replacementI also bought a lens hood from eBay and will soon purchase extra lenses such as wide angle, fish eye and tele macro and put the camera through its paces.

One thing that I am slightly disappointed about is the lack of iLink or firewire port on the actual camera (although this is on the dock) I was looking forward to shooting some time lapse footage using Dragon Stop Motion but will need to find and alternative camera to do this in conjunction with my Apple Macbook Pro.

Beyond SEO, getting the right traffic for your product

Also see,
Introduction to Search Engine Optimisation
Beyond SEO – The right traffic to your site
An Introduction to Google Webmaster Tools
Introduction to Google Analytics and other website analytical tools
Introduction to Pay Per Click Campaigns
PPC Pay Per Click Marketing and purchase process
Integrating online video into your digital marketing strategy

You may often wonder why you might get such a high bounce rate on your websites pages and how you can improve this. For those who religiously follow their web analytics and spend time and money on ppc accounts, understanding your organic traffic can also help improve the quality of your traffic. When I first started to look into search engine optimisation I presumed it was all about achieving perfect accessibility, perfect code and checking in an seo browser to make sure your title, meta, and content achieved 100%. I later moved into the world of ecommerce and realised that it’s all very well being optimised, but it was as important,  if not more so to be achieving high positions for the right search terms and following this up with content. A real life example I  thought about recently, came about when walking past a little arcade that contained a computer shop / repairer. In the window he had placed a remote controlled helicopter. I went in and asked if he had any more helicopters to which he replied, ‘no… I just put that in the window to get people through the door’. My point is that the likilyhood of someone in the market for a helicopter is unlikely to just pop in and want their computer fixed or to buy a stick of ram. So, this is where it gets even more time consuming and complicated, whilst you think about all the points made in the introduction to search engine optimisation, you must also be thinking about the copy on the page and the words you use. For this reason, it always baffles me when companies offer to come in and optimise your site, unless they completely know your product and industries, they will optimise your site but you will attract all the helicopter buyers!

So, you will develop your own technique to get the balance right, you will often have no choice on the content of your page if you are running somebody else’s site, but you must insist on the freedom to rewrite the content. Use google adwords keyword tool to assess the key words you have used and use the traffic estimator to best drive traffic. Once you have your content choose the highest traffic drivers (keywords) to build into your h1 tags, follow this up with a similar technique for the page title, then for now copy this page title into your meta description. Based on your choice of keywords for the page content, copy 5 to 10 of the most used AND most relevant to your site into the meta keywords. Don’t make the mistake of listing as many possible keywords as you can think of into the meta keywords this will have the opposite effect and google will see it as spamming. Give it a few days and check the site in domain tools to see how each individual element we have just talked about scores. Once you start tweaking things, monitoring is extremely important, record your figures and make one change at a time, if you see an improvement then implement it site wide. If you see things get worse you know what had this effect and you can change it straight back.

Intoduction to Search Engine Optimisation – SEO Learn at lunch

Using free VOIP and online chat tools to improve your companies communication

Companies often seem afraid of the word free, it seems that a paid for product and someone accountable is the popular choice, but the Internet has brought about companies that have re-invented their business model and found new ways to make their businesses profitable, which provides us with a solution that far exceeds that of a conventional business. Software is a prime example and should be used to best effect. At about the time companies banned MSN on the work computer there was a bigger lesson to be learnt from this. Employees were spending more time chatting to the friends because it was easy and a relatively private affair to do so. More importantly one of the largest companies in the world were researching how the user interacted with the platform, which led to the ability to include status updates, so others new that you were out to lunch or busy.

I recently attended a training course for an ecommerce software platform and the company had embraced free applications. Every employee on a 3 story building had Skype installed on their PC and they all had a Skype account using their work email address, resulting in that anyone could sign in from any computer (improving the ability to hotdesk for starters) but here is the scenario that got me thinking. During the session (from the training room on the bottom floor) I posed a question that the tutor could not answer, he looked at his Skype and said “frank” is away from his desk at the moment but I’ll ask home and we’ll come back to it. So, what were the real world solutions in that situation – blag an answer? A popular choice! Pick up the phone only to realize that “Frank” is not at his desk? Or physically go to the first or second floor leaving the trainee alone in the room only to find that “Frank” is currently tied up on a conference call and cannot be disturbed. In the new scenario we were able to maintain the flow of the session and when “frank” had finished having a cigy he was able to report back, the tutor was able to read the information and relay it back at a convenient time.

Sure these things have security implications but we shouldn’t be put off by the fact that the software, because of this companies have far outgrown the competition that charge for a similar service. During times of travelling budgets being cut and volumes of money being spent on video conferencing systems, there are relatively few issues to overcome to integrate into your business and how cool would it be if in later releases you could call direct to say a Polycom unit, with the simple addition of a webcam this could in theory be possible and would encourage breaking down the fear of using the high tech solutions in the workplace.

Yes, there will be bandwidth issues and a peripheral cost but I’m guessing for small companies this would not cause too many problems with modern day broadband speeds and depending on the communications set up a of larger companies you may need to increase the allocation or re-balance the bandwidth allocated to data, that’s not my area of expertise, but I have spoken to the people in the know. Admittedly, I have not calculated the ROI, but the improvement to efficiencies and potential large scale cost saving make this concept a very interesting proposition for consideration.

In particular in the context it is important to make clear your intentions of quick and easy contact with your customers. Even today there are websites out there who believe it would be more efficient to bury their contact details and even then only make an email address or contact form. Although many security fears have been broken down with shoppers and shopping online, this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Shoppers browsing a new store online will want to know if they can return an item and and exercise their consumer rights if something goes wrong. If you have a high bounce rate on your product landing pages and do not freely present your contact details, this is often the problem. At the same time it is important not to bombard your customer, provide them with the popular and most accesible means of communication and allow them the choice. If you have a chat assistant installed, watch your customers as they browse your site and identify those who need help before you initiate a chat. Undoubtidly for the less tech saavy, you are more likely to scare them off than encourage them to buy if they were not looking for assistants.

Just a thought!

Introduction to Adobe Photoshop – The Photoshop Workspace & Tools

Open PhotoshopPhotoshop_Window
Using the menu along the top of the work space go to WINDOW and untick all of the palettes except for OPTION and TOOLS

You will now open a new document. FILE > NEW > and have a look at the dialogue box. First of all give the document a name. Then select DEFAULT PHOTOSHOP SIZE from the Presets menu. Set the Colour Mode to RGB.

Photoshop_New

Place the mouse on the bottom right corner of the document. Click and drag on the small square to resize window.

Drag_Window_Corner

Now have a look at the TOOLS palette to the left of the workspace. Holding the mouse over a tool should give you a TOOL TIP. Try it for each tool to see what they do. The TOOL TIP will also give you a keyboard letter. This is a KEYBOARD SHORTCUT. Try changing the tools by using the KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS.

Photoshop_Toolbar

Click the mouse on a tool with a black triangle in the bottom corner of the square. Hold the mouse down and a context sensitive menu will appear showing you more options for the tool.

Photoshop_context_sensative_menu

foreground_backgroundTowards the bottom of the tools palette there should be a BLACK and a WHITE square. This represents the foreground and background colours, as they are currently set.

Double click the mouse on the top square. This will open a SWATCH palette. Using the mouse click in the coloured area to change the foreground colour. Experiment and see what colours you have available to you before you choose one. Then click the mouse on OK. Now you can see that the foreground colour square in the tools palette has changed colour.

Color_Picker

Now find the BRUSH TOOL and click on it.New_Brush
Notice the OPTIONS palette below the menu at the top of the workspace changes. From the OPTIONS palette you can change the brush attributes such as size, hardness and so on. Try painting in the canvas, first with one brush size then change to another. Try changing the foreground colour and the brush shape and draw an abstract design on the canvas.

Brush_toolbar

Special_Effect_BrushesWhen you drop down the BRUSH menu from the options palette you will notice a small black triangle to the right of the palette. Click on this triangle and you will drop down a menu of further choices. Try some SPECIAL EFFECTS brushes. What happens when you change the OPACITY of the brush from the options palette? Now you will select part of the image. Find the RECTANGULAR MARQUEE TOOL form the tools palette.

Marguee_Tool

Click the mouse over the canvas and holding it down drag out a rectangle. This should appear as a dashed line around the area you have selected.

Move_tool
Changing the tool to the MOVE TOOL click on the area you originally selected and drag the selection to one side. Try this a few times.

Undo_Step_BackwardNow use the UNDO command by going to the EDIT menu at the top of the workspace and dropping down to STEP BACKWARDS until the picture returns to how it was before you started using the select tool. Change the MARQUEE TOOL to an ELIPTICAL MARQUEE and make another selection. Use the CMD+C keyboard shortcut to copy the selection. Now use CMD+V to paste the selection. Changing the tool to the MOVE TOOL click on the area you originally selected and drag the pasted selection to one side.

Layers_PanelNow go to the WINDOW menu at the top of the workspace and drop down the menu to LAYERS and make sure this item has a tick by it. Have a look at this palette. It is a very important palette that you will learn to use a lot. To understand LAYERS think of each layer as a sheet of glass laid over each other. At the moment you should have two sheets of glass, or layers in the LAYERS PALETTE. The bottom layer is named BACKGROUND and the top layer is called LAYER1.

Use ALT+CMD+Z keyboard shortcut to step backwards. The top layer will disappear. When you cut and paste from an object Photoshop will automatically paste the selection to a new layer, this is what you have just deleted. Now use the SHFT+CMD+Z to step forwards. The LAYER reappears. Put the mouse over layer 1, click and drag it down to the dustbin at the bottom of the layers palette. This is another way of DELETING LAYERS.

Create_New_LayerIn a similar way you can create a NEW LAYER by clicking the mouse on the symbol of a turning page to the left of the dustbin in the layers palette.

Make sure the new LAYER 1 is selected. Now draw in the canvas as before. Click the mouse on the EYE symbol on the left of the Layer 1. This turns the layer off.

Opacity

Now try using the OPACITY control in the layers palette. This changes the opacity of the layer you have selected. There are many other ways of changing the ways in which layers can be blended together. See if you can find some of them.

Select_LayerCreate another layer as before and now paint in this one. Using the mouse drag the new top layer so it swaps places with Layer 1. In this way you can change the order of layers.

Close this document by using the CMD+W keyboard shortcut.

Basic Video Editing Technique- Premiere Pro, Final Cut, iMovie, Movie Maker etc

Time for some basic editing technique and I’ll try to make as much of this as possible applicable to all editing software where possible so you can go away and practice. In order to produce a professional standard of video output there are certain guidelines you should adhere to. Programs like iMovie make editing easy but are confusing with offerings such as page peal transitions and sepia effects etc, which are often completely unnecessary. No matter how tempting it is you should keep your editing simple, so here’s a brief guide that can be applied to many editing platforms. I work using Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro so apologies in advance to other users.

Capture and Import

First thing you need to be confident about is getting your footage onto your computer. Often the assumption will be made by the client that the footage will be available for viewing minutes after the shoot when in reality this is possibly one of the timeliest processes. With changing formats this process differs but for those still using tape you will need to find your capture window. On Premiere Pro this is under File > Capture.

premiere_pro_capture

In final cut pro it is found under File > Log and Capture.

final_cut_log_and_capture

On consumer products such as iMovie choose imovie_import_from_cameraFile > Import from Camera. If you are plugged in using a FireWire cable you should now be able to operate your camera or deck from you desktop. If you have not logged your footage and have a handy list of time codes you will have to manually grab the footage. To do this que up the section of the video you desire, press play and then record. Your clip will appear in your projects library with the rest of your media. Be sure to name your clips well to locate them in the future and if you have a bunch of clips that belong together, create a New Bin by right clicking in the library and name accordingly. If you have HDD camera you should first have the drivers and codecs installed on your machine, in theory you should be able to plug in your hardware and then drag and drop the files across into you projects folder. Once or if your file are on your local machine you can click File > Import to import your files or in most programs drag and drop them to your library.

The Timeline and Tools

Understanding the timeline and a few tools is essential for editing. Obviously the timeline is the linear holder of your chosen clips but it is important to remember that you can stack up your video and audio to create a dynamic edit. This is used for things like titling the respondent in a clip or laying down a buzz track. You can add more tracks as and when you need them by right clicking one of the tracks to the left of the timeline. This can also be done for multiple audio tracks. Dragging and dropping your clips from the media library to the timeline is simple, you can then play through the clip by hitting the play button in the right hand viewer or by hitting the space bar, notice that as your clip plays the scrubber or play head moves along the timeline. You can also grab the play head with a hold click and scroll along the timeline. For frame by frame accuracy use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard. Whilst editing, for those who are used to the arduous wait for final cut to render your timeline it is not vital in Premiere Pro. Although playback will appear blurred, you can build an entire edit without rendering the timeline and export it without a problem.

Premiere Pro Timeline

premiere_pro_timeline

Final Cut Pro Timeline

final_cut_timeline

Premiere Pro Tools Palette premiere_pro_tools_palette

Final Cut Pro Tools Palettefinal_cut_tools_pallette

Audio Transitions

Like video transitions keep your audio transitions simple and use them to mainly improve the continuity of what you hear. You should always lay down a buzz track anyway but transitions can help smooth the audio between clips. In order to ensure you leave yourself the option to use transitions, try to direct some dead sound before and after the clip when shooting by telling your actors or respondents to count to 5 and then begin or to pause for 5 seconds after each take. (where possible) Use fades at the end of clips to reduce the glitch sound and gains at the beginning of clips, use constant audio transitions to smoothly link clips, although be aware that audio from one clip might be heard in the next and not be appropriate.

audio_transitions

Manipulating Sound

When transition fall short is when you need to affect the audio often along the timeline, this is often brought about when using a sound track. You may wish to bring up and reduce the track before and after some dialogue for example. In final cut pro this is very easy using pushpins in the audio timeline, you merely pop a pushpin where you want the change to begin and one where you want it to finish, followed by moving audio level up or down. In premiere pro however, it is a little more difficult. The best way I find is to select your clip in the timeline and then click the effects tab. Drop down the levels control and make sure your play head is at the point you want the effect to begin, add a key frame and then slide the play head to where you want the change to finish, in the same way as final cut you can now drag up or down the audio using the yellow line or the level slider. Do make sure your key frame indicator is black when you make the new change using the slider, otherwise you risk automatically adding a key frame in the wrong position.

manipulating_sound

Video Effects and Transitions

As aformentioned, using transitions should be a limited and controlled affair. As a rule if there is not a reason to do, or use something then don’t do it, you will just confuse the viewer. If it is appropriate and correctly timed a straight cut will do, if this is too hard soften it with a cross dissolve or a fade to or from black. Apply the same principle for video effects, don’t use one unless there is a specific reason for stylising your video, it will just look weird.

video_transitions

Effects Tab and Key frames

As aformentioned in the section on audio,  you can effect things over time using the effects tab, the most common example of this would be the need to scale some over time or move the position within the frame. For this we would use the motion and position drop downs. In the same way as we affected the audio track place the play head at the point you wish to begin your animation and add a key frame, then place the timeline at the end point and add another key frame. Whilst the play head is at the point of the key frame your will turn black. Change your values here or effect the video in a drag and drop manner in the viewer on the right hand side. This technique is especially good for window in window video. As soon as possible try to get into the habit of changing co ordinates or percentage in the effects tab rather than manually dragging and moving the video in the preview pane. Have a notepad in front of you and record notes as you may need to replicate the size and position of another clip later on in the edit.

effects_tab_and_keyframes

Colour Correction

I shall first emphasize the important of getting colour right during the shoot, more on that in ‘Basic Filming Technique’. You can however, digitally fix your image and your controls can be found under your video effects. I won’t go into massive detail at this point but I recommend learning about brightness and contrast, saturation, curves and colour balance. Practice on images in Adobe Photoshop or Google some tutorials as you may waste hours trying to fix an image that could be corrected in seconds with a basic understanding of some image control options.

Cropping

Not a topic I originally intended to include here but as someone asked me today how to do it and with a growing trend for recording on screen tutorials, it will be handy to know to neaten up your work. Again the crop tool can be found in your video effects. Drag and drop it to your clip and manipulate the left, right up and down in the crop drop down in the effects.