Video | Glenn Ward

Installed Quicktime Plug ins and Components for video production

After recently having my first issues playing certain video codecs in Quicktime since the installation of Mac OSX Snow Leopard I thought I’d look at my installed Quicktime Components that in the past have allowed me to play most files. Obviously, Quicktime Pro facilitates many options that are grayed out in the regular Quicktime Player. I also have Premiere Pro which now facilitates many HDD camera files, Final Cut which also supports many mpeg formats and VLC Player which seems to open most files.

Flip4Mac Pro WMV
I have the Flip4Mac Studio Pro for WMV playback and export. There is Flip4Mac Player for WMV Playback, Flip4MacPlayer Pro allows you to import WMV’s for conversion to Quicktime formats although this version is not free, Flip4Mac Studio allows you to export WMV’s in the Quicktime environment but using the presets and Flip4Mac Studio Pro which allows you to create you own custom export settings. I would advise purchasing Studio Pro if you support a company that uses Video in Powerpoint as it provides the most versatility.

Visit The Flip4Mac download page here

Perian
Perian, they say is the Swiss army knife for Quicktime Codecs. I’ll be honest, I installed it and as I can play most formats I guess it helps but couldn’t evaluate it completely. Here is the list of codecs Perian supports.

File formats: AVI, DIVX, FLV, MKV, GVI, VP6, and VFW
Video types: MS-MPEG4 v1 & v2, DivX, 3ivx, H.264, Sorenson H.263, FLV/Sorenson Spark, FSV1, VP6, H263i, VP3, HuffYUV, FFVHuff, MPEG1 & MPEG2 Video, Fraps, Snow, NuppelVideo, Techsmith Screen Capture, DosBox Capture
Audio types: Windows Media Audio v1 & v2, Flash ADPCM, Xiph Vorbis (in Matroska), and MPEG Layer I & II Audio, True Audio, DTS Coherent Acoustics, Nellymoser ASAO
AVI support for: AAC, AC3 Audio, H.264, MPEG4, and VBR MP3
Subtitle support for SSA/ASS and SR

Download the Perian Plugin here

REDcode
I have REDcode installed but to be honest I have know hardware that would require using this as yet.

Visit the REDcode website here

DIVX 7 Codec
I have the DIVX 7 Component installed which adds playback of .divx videos and .avi files, there is also a DIVX 7 Pro version which allows you to create your own DIVX files but I have not yet had the need to do so so I don’t have this installed

Visit DIVX here

TechSmith EnSharpen
Since I have installed Camtasia on the Edit suites at work I have installed the TechSmith Ensharpen Codec to reduce the problems I might come across saving out screen capture video created in Camtasia and saving them to Quicktime to then import for edit into Adobe Premiere Pro.

Visit the TechSmith EnSharpen Codec page here

I’m pretty sure I have the XVID Component installed too but again am not sure whether this ever needs pulling out of the bag and if it does it probably runs nicely in the background.

For more Qucktime Components visit Apple

Integrating Online Video into your Digital Marketing Strategy

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

Everyone is banging on about the power of video and how companies can use it in deliverables, and as part of their Marketing collateral and I agree, it is a powerful tool, without it I would be jobless, but before you start to plan your next epic, pause to think about it’s delivery and the cost implications of this.

I have spent a year now developing a video service in a company and to some extent an industry that until recently could not see how video could benefit the product. The main issue has not been producing the video or encouraging execs to come up with new ways in which to use video, it has been the means of delivery. Like any digital marketing there is absolutely no point in producing something that is not viewed by a high volume of people and more importantly, performs a function. Similarly to the everyone creating a Facebook page merely because they can mentality, putting video out there and doing it badly has the adverse effect on proving your understanding of the landscape and damages the brand rather than enhances it.

So what are your options? Well of course you can invest in a bespoke video delivery platform, buy something off the shelf that meets the companies needs but this is large initial step and a large spend, especially if you have not been involved in video in the past. Much like eBay is no longer an online garage sale, blogs are no children’s online diaries, Youtube is definitely not an online repository for unprofessional home videos, in fact Youtube is now one of the largest online search engines and any digital marketer cannot ignore this.

So how do you make it work for your product? Well, while you cannot set out to make a viral video, you can maximise the exposure you receive from your production by setting clear objectives and planning far beyond that of uploading your one video to an account on YouTube and hoping people might come across it. My biggest rule is allowing people to decide upon their own browsing habits. Don’t dictate to them how they should arrive at your product because you’ll loose them at the first awkward click routine or navigation that takes more than a few seconds of their time. Although many of the online spaces provide a quick and easy means of providing link building to your website, pay every one due attention, think about the usability issues and make sure there are no awkward, dead or complicated links to your pages. Don’t presume that a person will take the time to navigate to the correct page on your site if you dump them on your homepage. More often than not they won’t complete this part of the journey.

So, back to video. Take time producing your online space whether it be on YouTube, Vimeo etc. Remember that just uploading it is not enough, promote your video with appropriate means, social media, press releases, email marketing etc. If you have produced your video well and it does the job then send the user to the relevant page on your site and to your product.

If you are in doubt about your video, usability or quality of the landing page then don’t do it! Unfortunately it’s far easier to damage a brand than it is to build it.

Apple Quicktime removes the Mpeg2 playback component

Apple, what are you doin to me? QuickTime.. the one program I thought I could trust in the world of video. The program that I thought I could make play most videos has slowly been getting worse as apple moves their programs more towards the consumer market than the professional but this takes the buiscuit.

Why have you removed the MPEG2 playback component? I have hundreds of videos produced by the company and external agencies which now apparently are not movie files and it really messes up the playback of .tod files which up until a couple of weeks ago I played fine with the JVC Everio plugin.

Their is a solution! Apple will sell the MPeg2 playback component back to you for a bargain $19.99 but why? Who made this ridiculous decision to reduce the power of Apple programs! Come on let’s not turn into windows media player! Come to think of it, Powerpoint supports mpeg2 and no other mpeg codec.

Please ReTweet until someone at apple reads this.

XBox 360 – Playing Video Files from an Extenal Device

Similarly to the Playstation 3 you can play regular video files on your XBox 360, here’s how.

Plug in you Hard Drive to a USB port,

Go to My Xbox and scroll right to your Video Library square / button/ tab what ever you call it,

Choose Portable Device with the USB symbol by it,

You should be able to see the folder structure on the hard drive, browse to the video you want to play,

The next screen will show the title of the file, hit Play, you will get a message telling you a media update is required (about 4 meg) you will need to sign into Xbox live, if you haven’t already, do so and hit Play again.

Choose Download Update and the Optional Media Update the Confirm Download,

You’re done, go back and play the file.

If you want to know how to do the same with your Playstation 3 See Here

Playstation 3 – Playing Video Files and Movies on your PS3

In the past I have exported my DVD’s to play on my iPod or laptop while I am out of the country or out and about to save carrying them all around with me. I wanted explore ways to play these on the television.

Using the PS3 plug the hard drive into the USB port. On the Playstation scroll over to the Movie symbol then scroll down and locate your USB Device next press Triangle NOT the Cross and choose Display All you should now be able to see all the files on your device. Navigate to your video and hit X.

If you want to know how to the same on your Xbox 360 the See Here
and if you want to learn how to stream your media from your Macbook Pro to your PS3 See Here

Adobe Premiere Pro – Scratch disc options, Same as Project, Documents or [Custom]

When setting up a project on Adobe Premiere Pro, the second tab on the New Project window presents you with the option to set your Scratch Disc. This is where all your supporting files including your videos will be saved to your Hard Drive or external drive.

Saving to your Documents folder only seems to cause issues. If you know you will have multiple projects open the files will get lost very easily lost or even corrupted. If you use a machine with multiple log ins then projects will not open when signed in as a different user. I recommend using the Same as Project option or if you wish to be even tidier create a separate folder within your project folder to separate them further.

This also means that if you need to move your project onto a different machine to work you can. All the relevant files can be transferred by copying one project folder without breaking any links to supporting files.

Understanding the difference between Interlaced and Progressive scan video

When purchasing a video camera or choosing your project settings in your editing software you may come across the dimensions followed by an i or a p for example 1080i or 1080p. This stands for interlaced and progressive scan.

The difference between the two are as follows. If you imagine you video is built like a brick wall, in layers known as fields. In an interlaced video each field is offset not dissimilar to the brick wall. You have probably noticed this during moments of fast motion where you see lines like a comb at the edge of the moving subject.

Interlaced video should be deinterlaced for your final product. In Final Cut this is done by applying a deinterlace effect, in premiere pro it can be done as your send your media to Adobe Media Encoder.

Progressive scan video already has the fields aligned resulting in a much crisper image and less things to think about at edit. Be sure if you are working with progressive video not to deinterlace your video when you export it. It will reduce the quality.

If you wish your final video to be displayed on a computer monitor then always deinterlace your video or use Progressive.

You can also De interlace video in Quicktime Pro, Window > Show Movie Properties > Video Track > Deinterlace

Adobe Premiere Pro – Controlling Sound and Volume Level over time

There are two main ways to control the sound levels in Adobe Premiere Pro over time outside of a simple constant gain, expositional fade transition.

Firstly, it is not straight away that obvious that this can be done in the timeline in much the same way as in Final Cut Pro and the use of pushpins.

Locate the button to the left of the timeline and highlight it. You should now be able to place pushpins along the levels line.

Place the playhead where you would like your fade or gain to begin and then click the grey diamond where you see the text “Audio” to the left of the timeline. You will notice a pushpin / keyframe appear on the audio track and the grey diamond turn black.

Move the playhead and the diamond will turn grey again, place the playhead where you would like your fade to finish and add another pushpin / keyframe in the same way. Grab the level beyond your second pushpin / keyframe and drag it down.

You have created a gradual fade over time.

The second way is much the same as creating motion with images and takes place in the effects tab. If you have the Show Clip Keyframes drop down selected, you will notice this in the timeline to. With your clip selected place your playhead where you would like the fade to begin.

Expand the levels controls under effects and locate the stopwatch symbol. Press this and a small black diamond (keyframe) will appear in the clip timeline. Drag the playhead to the end of the fade and repeat. You should now be able to reduce the levels beyond your second keyframe without affecting the sound before the first. The diagonal fall between the two signifies the fade over time.

Adobe Premiere Pro – Selecting audio or video independently in the timeline

In Final Cut pro you are probably used to toggling on and off this button in order to break he linkage between audio tracks and video tracks. It is not as obvious in Adobe Premiere Pro although once you know how it makes sense and it might even be easier to incorporate the action into your editing.

Simply hold the alt Key while clicking either the audio or video track. You will notice only one is selected, you can now move this independently from the other, delete a track or copy and paste it. Note if you move the track a indicator will appear showing just how many seconds and frames you are out of sync from the original partner.

Understanding Resolution and Frame Dimensions – Video, Web and Print

Resolution seems to be a subject that baffles a lot of people with different platforms (TVs, monitors, mobiles) different mediums (video, print, web) and also different pixels per inch which effects the overall size and quality of your image.

Let’s start with pixels per inch and keep it basic. Pixels per inch is the amount of small dots of color per square inch. As a rule 300 pixels per inch is the bare minimum for print while 72 pixels per inch is suffice for web based output, admittedly as PC monitors resolution has increased over the past few years I often find myself producing an image with a 150 px per inch in order to produce the better results. It all depends on your intended output. For video output I did a few tests in order to confidently advise you for best results. I created two identical images in Photoshop with the same physical dimensions, I used the Film and Video presets found after hitting new. I produced one at 72px and the other at 300px and saved them out as a png, I then brought the two images into Adobe Premiere Pro in separate time lines, I exported them using the same full quality DV setting and then oped them up side by side and played them. I asked my colleagues which they thought was produced with the higher res images and they consistently couldn’t identify it. In this case it seems that the resolution of the input file does not noticeably effect output.

See (URL Coming Soon)… for more information on export settings using Adobe Media Encoder and other such programs.

Print Resolution
With print resolution as mentioned earlier, 300 px is the minimum px per inch for a decent quality. When setting up your workspace you should be concerned with the physical size of the output, for example A4 is 210 mm x 297 mm with 300 px. Photoshop has presets for most print outputs so have a look and familiarise yourself with these.

Web Resolution
When I began studying my Design for Digital Media Minor, the standard size to construct a website was around the 800 px wide. The resolution of computer now vary and this size meaning that the websites began to look very small in the browser. By analysing google analytics user traffic it soon became obvious to design you site to a greater width. Today popular website width sizes are above 1000 px wide although many more dynamic CSS driven layouts will be sized based on a percentage of the browser window for consistency. As mentioned before you graphics should have a pixel resolution of 72 px per inch and above.

Screen Dimensions
640 x 480
800 x 600
1024 x 768
1280 x 800
1280 x 960
1600 x 1000
1680 x 1050
1920 x 1080

Video Resolution and Dimensions
There are two aspects to take into account here. The production of graphics for your video projects and the resolution you wish to output your video for the intended viewing platform. The production of graphics I touched upon earlier so let’s get to know video dimensions. The landscape has changed recently with the emergence of multiple mobile platforms alongside the popularity of High Definition on the consumer market.

Television Dimensions
There are 3 main television dimensions you should be aware of, there are variations but combinations i.e. widescreen (also see …) but use these as a starting point.
DV Pal, 720 x 576
Consumer HD, 1280 x 720
Pro HD, 1920 x 1080

Blu Ray and HDTV Dimensions
720 x 576
1280 x 720
1440 x 1080
1920 x 1080

Other Device Dimensions
There are many other devices now on the market that are all geared up to display video so often we might want to output at a format suitable for these.
Mobile Phones (3GPP)
128 x 96
176 x 144
320 x 240
640 x 480

iPhone
450 x 360
600 x 480

iPod
640 x 480 Large
320 x 240 Small

Sony PSP
320 x 240
368 x 208 High Quality

Other mobile frame dimensions, 176 x 208, 176 x 220, 208 x 320, 240 x 320 and 352 x 416.

Web Video Dimensions
Youtube
SD 640 x 480
Widescreen HD 1280 x 720
Widescreen SD 640 x 360

Myspace Video
320 x 240

Yahoo Video
320 x 240

(Dimensions may vary slightly)

Aspect Ratio
At this stage I just want to distinguish between what i mean by dimensions and how it differs to aspect ratio. All the dimensions I have touched upon up until now have referred to a 4:3 aspect ratio, this means for every 4 vertical pixels there are 3 vertical pixels. Most will have come across widescreen by now in their digital lifes and this has an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Installed Quicktime Plug ins and Components for video production

Apple Quicktime removes the Mpeg2 playback component

XBox 360 – Playing Video Files from an Extenal Device

Playstation 3 – Playing Video Files and Movies on your PS3

Adobe Premiere Pro – Scratch disc options, Same as Project, Documents or [Custom]

Understanding the difference between Interlaced and Progressive scan video

Adobe Premiere Pro – Controlling Sound and Volume Level over time

Adobe Premiere Pro – Selecting audio or video independently in the timeline

Understanding Resolution and Frame Dimensions – Video, Web and Print

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