Feature Stories
Tutorial - The Sword and the Light
With the immense popularity of the Star Wars franchise, the light sword seems to have become the most recognizable special effect in cinema history.
Blu-ray Wave: State of the Technology
Not since Beta versus VHS has a format war been so hotly contested. When the dust settled, Blu-ray Disc won against HD DVD. So the war is over... now what?
Media Matters: Blank Media Guide
It's easier now than ever to fit large quantities of video into a very small physical space. For you to be able to acquire video, you need media of some kind, whether it's videotape, optical media, a hard drive or even a memory card.
2008 Video Capture Cards Buyer's Guide
Capturing video is easier than it has ever been. The choices available to you are plentiful. Of course, picking the right card that will suit your needs is not easy. This primer will help you pick the video capture card that is right for you.
Video Horror Stories
Everyone's done it... didn't record audio at an event, copied over an important tape, forgot to white balance... all the things we here at Videomaker tell you not to do. Now it's your turn to come clean and expose your goofs, gaffes and gotchas to the world in our annual Video Horror Stories.
Departments
Quick Focus
Seeing RED? How 'bout Scarlet?... Fair Use Guidelines Receive a Facelift for Online Videos... Sing Happy Birthday, for a Fee.
New Gear
hot off the presses
CyberLink PowerDirector 7 adds features... ExpoImaging's ExpoDisc Video is a white balancing aide... Synology's Disk Station DS508 is a 5-bay SATA network-attached storage device.
October 2008
Table of Contents
Columns
Viewfinder
Long-Form Sharing
Long-form video sharing + network attached storage = a new TV channel. Veoh.com was the first video-sharing site to feature long-form videos (>10 minutes), but when YouTube embraced long-form video, it was big news for people making video. Another development has been happening slowly, so it hardly appears as a blip on the news radar. It's about couches and TV sets.
Basic Training
Cutting on Action
One of the advantages of living at the end of 100 years of motion picture editing is that we have access to the collected wisdom of many film and television editors.
Directing
The Director and the DP
As a solo artist, what happens when you land a gig with a budget for crew? Your most important relationship will be with your Director of Photography.
Editing
Scoping Out Your Video
Many editing software programs offer a variety of colorful scopes to help enhance the hue, color, and brilliance, among other editing tweaks. But how do they work?
Audio
Surround Mixing Secrets
Surround Mixing Secrets... Nearly every motion picture, DVD and many TV shows are mixed in surround sound. Even sporting events use the technology to place the viewer inside the arena.
Test Bench
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Software Review
Adobe Visual Communicator 3 Visual Presentation SoftwareStreaming Video Made Simple... Adobe Visual Communicator 3 turns your computer into a production studio with streaming video capabilities. -
Camcorder Review
JVC Everio GZ-HD40 AVCHD CamcorderJVC has capitalized on the demand for smaller, smarter technology by giving shooters multiple formats to choose from and an endless amount of shooting time. -
Software Review
proDAD Adorage Vol. 7: CGM Power Transition SoftwareA powerful, fun-to-explore video transition program... Implementing transitions is not the easiest part of video work. Working with a lot of effects can get intimidating, especially if you're just getting your feet wet with video. ProDAD understands and presents its family of Adorage products, a line of transition products that includes volumes such as Particles and Lights, Universal Tricks, Diamond Composites, Power FX Pearls, Eyecatcher FX and Particles and Objects. -
Microphone Review
RODE NTG-3 Shotgun MicExcellent performance and value in a shotgun microphone.... RODE is a well-known Australian manufacturer of microphones, whose products tend to deliver more sound than their prices might suggest. -
Camcorder Review
Canon Vixia HV30 HDV CamcorderShoot a Canon... The HV30 is a good camera. It captures really good images for its category. And, even though it isn't tiny, it will fit nicely in a small bag or even an oversized coat pocket.
