The Music Producer's Creative Guide to Ableton Live 11: Level up your music recording, arranging, editing, and mixing skills and workflow techniques Lakatos
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This book is dedicated to my wife, Sandra I also would like to thank all my friends who have been subjected to my incessant chatter about my research for the book A special thanks to Elizabeth and Mark for the use of their stylish wedding video footage.
– Bruce G Macbryde
Contributors
About the author
Bruce G. Macbryde is an independent trainer for Final Cut Pro with over 20 years of experience, from the original release of the legacy version of the software in 1999 through to the update to Final Cut Pro X in 2011, and now the current version, 10 7 Bruce gained a marketing certificate from TAFE NSW in 1984. After receiving this qualification, he was employed by TAFE as a tutor of marketing and marketing research courses for several years. He was a contributor to articles in Australian Computing magazine while working as an importer of IT at the time of the introduction of the Macintosh to Australia, in 1984 During a seven-year spell in Wellington, New Zealand, he established ECONET, an official Apple reseller, while also teaching courses in Adobe Photoshop, PageMaker, Illustrator, and commercial Microsoft software packages within the New Zealand polytechnic system On his return to Sydney, he was employed as NSW sales manager for the Australian Authorized Apple distributors, from 1998 to 2004 He was later employed by Appleauthorized resellers as a training manager for Final Cut Pro and other Apple-developed software from 2004 to 2009. In 2004, he established Wedding Media Productions as a wedding video business in Sydney, Australia He is a YouTube creator on his VideoTutors channel, with over 500 published video tutorials.
About the reviewer
Ravin Apte is a seasoned video editing and post-production trainer with an impressive three decades of experience in educational TV program production As an Apple-certified trainer for FCP X and a DaVinci Resolve 18-certified trainer, Ravin brings a unique blend of technical expertise and creative insight to his teaching approach. His proficiency extends to training both undergraduate and postgraduate students at leading media training institutes
Ravin has made significant contributions to the educational field as a cameraman for numerous national and international award-winning educational TV programs Ravin invented a computercontrollable lighting system for TV studios, a groundbreaking achievement that earned him an Indian patent in 1995.
Table of Contents
Preface
Prologue
Part 1: Planning
1
It’s All about the Media
Technical requirements
The Users folder
The definition of a video file
Aspect ratio
Bit rate
Bit depth
Resolution
Where Final Cut Pro libraries are stored
Why use an external disk for libraries?
Camera footage
Photos/stills
Music
The library concept
The plug-in folders
Video formats
LOG video
The HDR format
RAW video
Interlaced video
ProRes
H.264/H.265
Which video format is best for which purpose?
Audio formats
Second monitors
Having different windows on each display
Types of disks
How much storage is enough?
Summary
2
Organizing Media
Understanding libraries and events
When and why to log clips
Favorites
The rating as a favorite method
The adding to favorites method
How to use Favorites
Understanding Keyword Collections
Creating Keyword Collections
Adding shortcuts to Keyword Collections
Smart Collections
What is a Smart Collection?
Adding a Smart Collection
What are folders?
Templates
Creating templates
Using the Search functionality
Filtering method 1
Colored lines on browser clips
Analyzing for people
Markers
Removing media from categories
Browser filters
The filters
Sorting the browser
The Open Clip view
Using the Open Clip function
Shortcuts for media actions
Transcoding media
Exploring clip and library information
A method of exploring clip information
Exploring Settings/Preferences
Summary
3
Planning the Video Story
A story is a journey
What are the types of stories?
Why classify stories?
What are the types of plots?
What you should remember when planning a story
Knowing your target audience
Planning the edit with the target audience in mind
Creating storyboards
Planning for different types of videos
Documentary videos
Interviews
Wedding videos
Social media videos
Instructional videos
Summary 4
Pre-Editing a Rough Cut
The steps from importing to rough cut
Steps in video post-production
Who does what?
The browser or the timeline
Initial assembly or rough cut
Ingesting the media
Setting up media folders in the Finder
Importing media directly
Logging
Categorizing the clips
Grading the clips
What are projects?
Adding clips to the project
Connected clips
Three-point edits
The timeline
The skimmer and playhead
Timecode
The timeline index
Roles
The initial assembly
Assembling audio- or image-focused videos
Don’t over-edit!
The rough cut
Adding scratch music
Placeholders
Alternatives to placeholders
Duplicating projects
Summary
Part 2: Editing
5
Refining the Rough Cut
Understanding the remove, replace, and add actions
Using the to-do marker
Using the audition feature to replace clips
Understanding the timeline view tools
Ripple edits
Roll edits
Slip edits
Slide edits
What is pacing?
Consider these conventions
Tools that aid pacing
What is the Total Running Time (TRT)/picture lock?
Summary
6
Fixing and Enhancing the Audio
Understanding audio in the browser
Reading the audio meters
Audio in the timeline
Sub-frame audio fine-tuning
Audio filters
Expanded audio
Fixing audio vocal problems
Ambient background noise
Voices with variable volume levels
Wind noise
Echoes
Distorted voices
Ums and ahs, coughs, and sniffs
Suggestions for correcting audio
Settings for the audio meters
Simple methods to increase low volume
Loop playback
Removing room noise
Removing high and low frequencies
Sweetening male and female voices
Reducing the music
Using XML files
Exporting with audio-only roles
Audio tips and tricks
Summary
7
Titles, Effects, and Generators
What are titles?
Animated titles
Adding text to a title
What are generators?
Backgrounds
Elements
Solids and textures
What are effects?
Effects categories
What are transitions?
Two categories of transition
What are Plug-ins?
Problems with Plug-ins
Summary
8
Setting Up and Editing Multicam
What is multicam?
What events use multiple cameras?
How multiple cameras are synchronized
Suggestions for filming to suit multicam editing
Audio
The two-minute rule
Color balance
Settings before multicam editing
Importing and categorizing media
Creating a new multicam clip
Manual multicam synchronization
Multicam angle timeline adjustments
Fixing audio and video mismatches
Adjusting the angle viewer
Actions in the multicam angle timeline
Audio synchronization
Global adjustments
Audio levels
Color matching
Editing the multicam project
Setting up angles
Switching angles
Correcting the angle
Stabilization
Multicam audio
Simulating a multicam shoot from one camera’s footage
Summary
9
Project Workflows – Pace and Structure
Interviews
Pre-editing
Cutting
Restoring removed clips
Hiding jump cuts
Removing fillers
Audio in sync
Conferences and seminars
One long event
Short, independent videos
Weddings
Organizing media
Synchronizing cameras
Full-length movies and documentaries
Pacing
Continuity editing
Parallel editing (cross-cutting)
J and L cuts
Social media videos
Family holiday movies
Cutting to a beat
General techniques
Cutting angles with a green screen
Adding adjustment layers
Storing callouts
Storing titles and corporate intros
Using workspaces
Collapsing clips into connected storylines
Summary
Part 3: Using the Inspector
The Inspector Controls
The four main tabs of the inspector
The Video inspector
Section 1 – Effects
Section 2 – Transform
Sections 3 and 4 – Crop and Distort
Sections 5 and 6 – Stabilization and Rolling Shutter
Section 7 – Spatial Conform
The Color inspector
Color Board
Color Wheels
The Audio inspector
Audio Enhancements
Audio Analysis
Pan Effects
Audio Configuration
Save Audio Effects Preset
The Information inspector
Project information
Library information
Export information
The Titles inspector
The Text inspector
Text division
Position division
The Face checkbox
The Generator inspector
The Transition inspector
Summary
11
Using Built-In Plug-Ins
An explanation of plug-in terminology
Plug-ins – general knowledge
Built-in plug-ins
Using built-in titles
Using built-in generators
Using built-in effects
Using built-in transitions
Creating custom plug-ins from built-in plug-ins
Summary
12
Using Third-Party Plug-Ins
Free plug-ins
Andy’s plug-ins
BretFX Power Tools Lite
Purchasable plug-ins
Lock & Load Stabilize
PaintX
Keyper
Neat Video noise reduction
Titles plug-ins
Audio correction plug-ins
Eric Lenz
Captionator
Workflow extensions
LUTs
Uninstalling plug-ins
Manually uninstalling plug-ins
Summary
13
Using Keyframes to Animate Objects in Final Cut Pro
What is a keyframe?
Audio keyframing
Keyframing in the inspector
Keyframe conventions
Keyframing in the viewer
Adding new keyframes
Selecting linear or smooth curves
Viewer keyframe controls
Keyframing video animation
Ken Burns on steroids
Summary
14
Understanding the Principles of Color
Color theory
Color classification
Color values
The color wheel
Color wheels in Final Cut Pro
Color Board
Color wheels
Highlights wheel
Color harmony
Common color schemes
Color schemes for non-designers
Online color calculators
Monitoring color accuracy
Color-accurate monitors
Monitor calibration
Color correction and grading
Adjusting temperature, tint, and hue
Subtractive model of color mixing (CMYK model)
Using HSL tuning for color grading
Automatic color correction controls in Final Cut Pro
Summary
Using Color Scopes for Advanced Color Correction
Displaying the scopes
Waveformmonitor
Vectorscope
Histogram
The Video Scope menu
Scopes workflow in Final Cut Pro
Step 1 – exposure correction
Step 2 – saturation control
Step 3 – color balance
Color curves
Luma curve
All color curves – RGB
The eyedropper
Hue and saturation curves
HUE vs HUE
HUE vs SAT
HUE vs LUMA
LUMA vs SAT
SAT vs SAT
ORANGE vs SAT
Color and shape masks
Summary
Part 4: Outside Final Cut Pro
Your Job Role – Collaboration
Understanding the job roles in video production
The production team
The postproduction editing team
Exploring the industries that require video editors
Corporate
Social media
Movies and TV
Documentary
Commercials
Trailers
Should you be a freelancer?
How much work from a client
Type of work
The schedule
Balancing time
Intensity of work
Financial reward
The risk/comfort factor
Collaboration between remote video editors
Sending proxy and XML files
Collaborating at the same premises
Collaborating on Dropbox
Collaborating with LucidLink
VPN access to a centralized local server
Using SNS EVO with Final Cut Pro
Collaboration software
Summary
17
Supporting Software Applications for Final Cut Pro
Apple applications that support Final Cut Pro
Motion 5
Compressor
QuickTime
Preview
Keynote
iTunes and Photos
Non-Apple applications that support Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Library Manager
CommandPost
VLC
Handbrake
Audacity
Pixelmator Pro
Miscellaneous applications
Summary
18
Troubleshooting Final Cut Pro
Updating macOS and Final Cut Pro
The spinning beach ball
Fixing problems
The easy fixes
Quitting Final Cut Pro and restarting the computer
