Final Cut Pro 6 Basics Video Tutorial 01

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro 6 Basics Video Tutorial 01: Len Flare

This new video tutorial series is prepared for new Final Cut Pro users. It gives basic training for Final Cut Pro 6 through use of a particular effect or template.

In this video tutorial, we learn how to use Final Cut Pro’s video generator Lens Flare. Lens Flare can be found under Video Generators > Render > Lens Flare. In particular, we learn how to use Final Cut Pro’s Composite Mode and also how to set keyframes.

Keywords: Effects, Video Generators, Render, Lens Flare, Composite Mode, Keyframe, Motion, Scale, Center, Controls, Outer Color, Ring Radius Continue reading →

Adobe Photoshop Very Simple Tutorial: Meteor Over the Hudson River

Adobe Photoshop CS3

Last winter, my wife and I made a visit to Big Apple. It was her first trip ever to New York. On the third day of our trip, we just walked along the Hudson River. Then we met a young Chinese girl. She handed me a camera and asked me to shot a photo of her against the river. I said to her “Smile!” and was going to press the shutter button. Then a huge meteor suddenly came down. I said to her “Hold on. Look, it’s a huge meteor.” But she refused to turn around and insisted that I take the photo.

The following tutorial shows easy steps to design a meteor, using Adobe Photoshop CS3. The photo used in this tutorial comes from Webshots. Continue reading →

Adobe Photoshop Creative Design #18

Adobe Photoshop CS3

Adobe Photoshop Creative Design #18: Constructing a Building in Las Vegas Part 2

About two weeks ago, when I was killing my time at my office, I received a call from a man who introduced himself as a representative of the Office of the City of Las Vegas. He said that they wanted a new office building at the center of the city. And he said that they wanted MacHouse to construct the actual building based on a blueprint. Just as I always say to other confused people, I told him that we are just a group of mediocre graphic designers using Mac computers. Then he said that was why he called me. He had such a demanding attitude and then asked me how long it would take me to construct the building. So I said “Give me 20 minutes” and put him on hold. Then I launched Adobe Photoshop CS3 on my iMac. In a matter of 18 minutes or less, I finished constructing a building in the middle of Las Vegas downtown.

In the last tutorial, we created windows, a building wall and a roof. The second part of this video tutorial starts off right at the point where we ended last time. We will use such basic techniques as gradation, layer mask and Quick Mask to finish off the building design. By the way, The photo image used in this tutorial comes from PD Photo Continue reading →