So, I wrote a script that would take an STL, and split each line of text into 2 lines, as close to the middle as possible. To get started, download subtitleSplit.py and unzip.

To use subtitleSplit.py, open up Terminal on a Mac, and run the following command-

python /path/to/subtitleSplit.py -f /path/to/original.stl

This will split each line and spit it out into Terminal. To save this, you can either use the “>” trick, or specify an output file.

python /path/to/subtitleSplit.py -f /path/to/original.stl -o /path/to/new.stl

The default maximum characters per line is 35, but you may need to change that, depending on your text size and font. You can set that with the -m flag.

python /path/to/subtitleSplit.py -f /path/to/original.stl -o /path/to/new.stl -m 45

For coders, this file contains a class called SubtitleSplit, which contains more options than are available through the command line.

Let me know if you run into any problems.

A new window would be available in the NLE, called Variables. There, you would create a new variable with the following attributes:

• Type (number, text, file, boolean)
• Scope (Project, Sequence)
• Default value (This would be where you set the values of project variables, and set what sequence variables would display before they are set on the sequence.)

Then, if you want to use a variable, you simply drag that variable from the Variable Window to where ever you want to use them. Variables would need to be built in to the NLE at a very root level, so that variables would be accessible by default from anywhere, including third party plugins.

Sequence variables would be set from within Sequence Settings. A pane would display all the variables in the sequence, and you could set them easily.

Example 1: you need to take the same commercial and make 4 different versions, each with a different phone number that comes up in 2 places.

1. Make a sequence that is completely ready to go, except the phone number.
2. Make a new text sequence variable called PhoneNumber, with the default to (555) 555-5555.
3. Add a text generator to your sequence, and drag the PhoneNumber variable to it. Format the phone number how you want it.
4. Repeat for the second place the phone number comes up.
5. Duplicate the master sequence 4 times.
6. In each one, change the PhoneNumber variable to the correct phone number.
7. Output.

Example 2: You need to output 2 versions of your show- one with titles, one without.

1. Make a new number sequence variable called TitlesVisible with a default of 100.
2. Add the TitlesVisible variable to the Opacity of each of the titles in the sequence.
3. When everything is done, duplicate the sequence, and set the TitlesVisible variable for that sequence to 0.
4. Output each.

Using variables would take a bit of planning and foresight, but could save a lot of time in the long run. It would have to be integrated very well to be useful.

I see this as being very easy to use, yet very flexible. It should allow for variables in variables (so, a text variable could be used inside of a file path).

Would you find this useful? How would you use it?

I “Mark In” at the end of a good soundbite I want to keep, “Mark Out” at the start of the next clip, and “Extract” to get rid of what I don’t want. I then back up the playhead, and preview the edit. If it’s not perfect, I have to undo, tweak the edit points, extract, and preview again.

After doing this dozens of times, I realized I need a new playback method.

We are already used to “play to out” and “play in to out”, but I’m suggesting “play to in, play from out.” In effect, this would be previewing what would happen if you extract from in to out, skipping over the video between the in and out points.

This would use the same preroll and postroll settings as “play around” does, allowing you to easily preview an edit before actually making it.

And while we’re at it, a “Play to In” function would be useful as well.

Try it out

To try out the Waveform Art filter, download it here, and then copy it to /Library/Application Support/Final Cut Pro System Support/Plugins. It will appear in the Waveform Art folder in your Video Effects.

What it does

Here’s the normal waveform for the built in Circle generator-

And here is the same circle, with the Waveform Art filter applied-

This works best with large text and simple shapes. Complex images don’t translate well, as it is a black and white image, and has rather poor resolution (only 256 horizontal lines). Also, you may want to bring up the display brightness to better see the image.

Threshold

You can also change the Threshold parameter to tweak the image. Here’s a picture of me with the threshold at 60, 90, 120, and 150.

Randomize

There is also a “Randomize” parameter, that attempts to distort the image in the canvas, while leaving an image in the waveform monitor. Due to the constraints of how the waveform works, it can’t be nearly as distorted as I would like. I was hoping to have a jumble of noise that reveals a secret image in the waveform monitor, but I don’t think it’s actually possible. The final image also suffers some quality loss. Here’s the circle with Randomize checked.

Let me know if you actually find a use for it!

The Empixx Awards may not be the Emmys, but I’m still proud to be recognized by other professionals.

One day, I realized that I was working at a company with “Editing” in the company name, that my business card said “Editor”, but I was spending much less than half my time at work actually editing.

In looking at what I was actually doing as a professional editor, I realized I had picked up a lot of tricks for getting done with the menial tasks. These tricks helped me get back to the edit, and get back to story telling.

I’ve started to share these tips, tricks, and hacks with others, at my new site, Back to the Edit. Check it out, pass it around, and let me know if there are any parts of your job as an editor that you’d like to see sped up.

I am happy to be back on the market as a freelancer, and while I’ve stayed busy so far, I realized a new reel would keep the work flowing in. I’d love to hear what you think!

“The Outsider’s Guide to the CrashTest Nation” is a young adult book for non-readers, by Rho Mack.

I worked with the author to capture the playfulness, mystery, and suspense of the novel in a book trailer she could use to market the book, including a Kickstarter campaign to fund the book’s art.

I made heavy use of Motion’s emitters for the clouds and various rains.

This was done on a tight budget, so I did things like use my iPhone as the mic, and used my laptop as a green screen.

Shoots that require taking bites of donuts are fine by me.

There are several signs that a composited image is being dissolved incorrectly. First, you can see through things that should be solid. Second, white parts of the image seem to lag behind everything else in the race to black, causing a glowing effect.

Here’s an example- I’m green screening this lovely woman over her company’s logo and a beautiful background.

Here’s my layers- Background on the bottom, then the logo, and then the woman.

It’s all good- until I need to fade in and out. The sloppy way is to simply put dissolves on each individual track.

Quick and easy, right? Maybe, but you end up with a fade that looks like this-

Suddenly, the talent has a red moustache from the logo. She has also turned into a ghost, letting the background shine through her. The white in the logo seems to glow abnormally. Sure, this all happens in less than a second- but it is enough to ruin the idea that the talent is actually in front of the background. You can pull the best key in the world- but if you do this, it reveals the fact that it’s all fake.

So how do you do it correctly? There are two ways. My preferred way is to add slug to a track above the rest, and fade it in or out.

This keeps everything properly composited, in the correct visual order.

Another method is to nest the layers, and then fade the nest in and out. Again, this keeps everything in the proper order.

Here is a loop of the wrong way to dissolve:

And the correct way to dissolve:

These are all very helpful things to have, but if an editor can’t find them, what’s the use? Why not add them to the Final Cut Pro help menu?

Note- this is serious, under the hood stuff. Don’t do this unless you are very comfortable, and have all necessary permission from your boss, system administrator, professor, and spiritual adviser. Keep a backup of FCP, just in case something goes wrong.

Also, I’m still on FCP6, so I can’t guarantee this works in later versions.

To start, copy Final Cut Pro.app from your Applications folder to the Desktop. On your desktop, rename it to “FCP HACK.app”. We will work on the hack version, to make sure we don’t permanently mess anything up.

Right click “FCP Hack.app”, and choose “Show Package Contents”. This puts you inside of the Final Cut application. Navigate to Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Final Cut Pro Help/. Open up HelpMenu.plist in a text editor- TextEdit will work, but I prefer TextWrangler.

The Help Menu in Final Cut pulls from this XML file (actually, a PLIST file, which is like XML, but isn’t actually valid XML). Each menu item is between “” and “”. To add an entry to the list, simply copy an entire section (including the starting “” and the ending “”) and paste it where you want it to go. Replace the necessary strings, and you’ll be good to go.

Here’s the full entry for the “Final Cut Pro Support” menu item, that open up the support web page.

<dict>
<key>Title</key>
<string>Final Cut Pro Support</string>
<key>URL</key>
<string>http://www.apple.com/support/finalcutpro/</string>
</dict>

The format is a key, and then a string. Basically, this sets the “Title” key to “Final Cut Pro Support” and

Here is the full entry for the New Features menu item.

<dict>
<key>Path</key>
<string>New Features.pdf</string>
<key>Title</key>
<string>New Features</string>
</dict>

To add a new file, put it in the “Final Cut Pro Help” folder. Change the path string to the file name. You can also link to any file or application on the system, by putting the absolute path to the file in the path string. For instance, if the file is on the desktop, you can change the path to “/Users/username/Desktop/filename.jpg”. Note that “~/Desktop/filename.jpg” will not work. Also, note that if the computer has multiple users, make sure that all the users have permission to view the file.

To put in a divider line, put in the following code- “”.

Once you are done editing the file, save it, and launch FCP Hack.app. Test out your new menu options. Here is my menu, with links to my Web site, and to open Final Cut Server.

If everything is working as it should, you can rename the application to Final Cut Pro.app, and place it in the Applications folder. I would suggest backing up the original program, just in case anything goes wrong.

A side note- I don’t know if this hack would survive an upgrade, but my guess is that it probably won’t.