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OK, now I get it

Spaces… didn’t get it, didn’t try it, til today.

WOW! What a concept!

In a nutshell, OS X has the ability to create virtual screens for you. You create a matrix of screens, assign applications to a specific screen then manage your work by going to specific screens. Yeah, it sounded too complicated to me as well.

Here’s what I did:

1) Created a matrix of 2 wide by 3 deep of screens and added the Spaces element to the menu bar

2) I assigned Safari to screen 1

3) I assigned Transmit, Textmate and CSSEdit to screen 3 (vertically right below screen 1)

4) I assigned XyleScope to screen 5 (vertically down again)

Now I quickly move from screen to screen by clicking on the Spaces menu bar element. Its easier to do then to describe. The reason why I mentioned the vertical aspect is that it seems easier for me to keep track of what is on which screen by thinking of my Web edit environment as three vertical screens. My Final Cut environment could be vastly different.

I also made Preview open documents in Screen 2, this way, I can have eBooks open all the time and switch over to review something very easily.

Try it out, slowly then you’ll start to Spaces in a whole new light!

Simple video
showing what I mean. Watch the cursor as I move between screens, each time the cursor goes to the menu bar, I select another screen.

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Compressor (and multiple cores) is your friend

This is a big deal.

In addition to what this note says note says, you can use other computers to render your files. It has taken me a little while to figure this out. This tutorial describes just using one computer but you can do the same for multiple computers. I did try this on a Dual 1GHz G4 and it slowed things down, so make sure that the additional computers have sufficient power.

Read the tutorial to learn a bit more, here’s my overview:

1) Install Compressor and QMaster on your non-FCP computer and use the Quick Cluster option. It will make things much easier. On the FCS 2 install disk there is a installer just for this action.

2) When you want to compress, click Submit and select your FCP computer to serve as the cluster controller.

3) Sit back and watch your files get rendered in 1/4th the time.

I use a MacBook Pro because I need the portability. I used to use a MacPro Quad 3.0… now I use both when I need to render video. What a lifesaver.

As for Digital Rebellion? Great site for video! Thanks, Jon!

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iMovie 09 and Ken Stone

iMovie 08 was a bit controversial on introduction last year. It was substantially different than the previous versions of iMovie, so much so it angered most heavy users. It was clearly a version 1.0 release and Apple was atleast kind enough to keep the old version iMovie HD around so we could still use it.

This January, iMovie 09 was released and this new version has made all the difference in the world. Many of the missing or incomplete features were fixed and some significant additions were made, most notably “precision editing”.

I’ve used all of the previous versions of iMovie, Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro. I must say this new version is a lot of fun to use.

So where does Ken Stone come into this picture?

Ken Stone has a great video website called www.kenstone.net. On it he has great articles, reviews and tutorials on all things video. His focus is pro video and I’ve learned a great deal from his site.

Ken has published a significant review of iMovie 09. He recognizes the application for what it is. He states; “[iMovie] ’09’ is truly an amazing application, much more able and sophisticated than it would first appear. Automated video import process, browser organization, clip skimming and editing, text and animated titles, transitions, video effects, backgrounds, sound effects, audio control, voiceover, green screen, background music, speed control and direction, photo manipulation (Ken Burns effect), markers and chapter markers, color correction, waveforms, themes, animated maps, video stabilization, picture-in-picture, L-cuts, Precision Editor, full screen playback, the list goes on. iMovie is a full fledged editor, I think that you are going to be surprised at what it can do and how intuitive it is.”

If you are interested in video and you use a Mac, I strongly recommend two things; take a look at iMovie 09 and read Ken’s review. As he said, it won’t replace FCP but it might make some projects a whole lot easier!

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I love it!

So I wanted to add a picture to my header… not a problem. BUT! Now the picture and my blog title were in conflict. Because the header photo was half dark and half light, any title color would look great on one side but not the other. Sigh.

Here’s where it got fun!

Using Safari 4’s Develop menu (enable using the Advanced Tab in Preferences), I used the Web Inspector to see if I could drop the title to just under the photo, oops, move it to the right, and make sure the Search widget lines up at the bottom, change the color, FINIS!

I love it! Update the CSS file with my desired changes and life is but dream!

Well except now I see I have to make just one more tweak…