Now don’t take me for a paranoid, but every time I log on to the Web I get a sneaking suspicion that someone is looking over my shoulder. In reality, there’s no one behind me – they’re all in that box on my desk in front of me; it gives me access to the world, and them access to me.

The second you click on that URL, and choose something of interest, the data is sent to several different companies, all bent on figuring out what you want, then tailoring advertising targeted at what they think you want. There are over a hundred companies working on various phases of making you the target, some household names (Microsoft and Google, for example), and some you’ve never heard of.

If you’ve ever noticed the websites you go to circling for the kill with surprising accuracy, you’ll want to read this article from a recent Atlantic. It’s a chilling view of who’s mining your data, and why the “Opt-out” process doesn’t opt us out of being tracked. And we’re only getting started…

So Photoshop CS5 and 5.5 had some video editing features; I never used them, since I mostly work in Premiere Pro and After Effects. Video in PS was an afterthought to me. So now along comes CS6, and both the  Extended and Standard editions will have video editing capabilities, the best part of which just might be Photoshop’s filter set. Yes…there are a few transitions available, and adjustment layers, and keyframing, and multiple tracks (with the magnetic timeline – you listening, Apple?), standard video editing toolset – hey! This is sounding pretty good – especially to photographers who are now using their DSLRs as the powerful video tools they’ve become. Read more »

I’ve been working on some new/old technologies lately, and if you take a look at this video, you’ll see a magician from the 1930’s who has something to say. The beauty of this technology, once you see what it does, is that what’s going on under the hood is simple to do. I’ve taken a still image (an historical poster which is in the public domain), done a bit of Photoshop work with it, and then simply supplied a voice track (in this case, a Velveeta radio ad from the 1940’s), and technology does the rest. Read more »

Two years ago, I sent a question to the Adobe Bridge forum about a problem I was having. Not all files created by Adobe products (.aep, .mov, .psd, and others) would accept XMP metadata. Now, as an animator, and television producer,  I have thousands of files, most of them coming from the Creative Suite, and I live or die on my ability to keep track of client revisions, my own revisions, and other details in fairly complex projects. Read more »

I’ve often wondered if it’s just me when I suddenly start wondering, in a positive way, whether the fact that my Blackberry is heating up signals that I’m about to be in the market for a new smart phone. Apparently I’m not alone. This month’s Atlantic has a great article called Replacement Therapy which describes that nagging hope that a device will soon die:

Replacement Therapy

In the realm of “It’s a New World”, who would have thought the day would come when you could subscribe to Adobe software? Sure, it’s always been kind of that case with software that has a licensing dongle, such as in the CAD and 3D worlds, and my license of 3D Studio Max 2011 does offer a subscription that adds some very useful bells and whistles, albeit at a price too steep for my wallet. Read more »

For those of you about to jump, I salute you. Here’s a very good link to Adobe TV that will give you a fast start:

http://tv.adobe.com/show/switching-to-adobe-premiere-pro-cs5

And here’s a link to the Adobe shortcut set to make Premiere work with FCP shortcuts:

http://blogs.adobe.com/premiereprotraining/2011/06/final-cut-pro-7-keyboard…

Let me start out by stating that I’ve never used FCP. I’ve edited (as a motion graphics designer) on A/B roll systems, Discreet Logic Edit* (so I know the pain of EOL announcements), AVID, and Premiere Pro CS5. I would never do an upgrade – especially when I’m in the middle of a project, so the worldwide outcry by the professional editing community has me a bit puzzled. Yes…I know Apple pulled a fast one, especially when you look at their pre-release announcements and hints as to what was coming. Read more »

I don’t know about you, but I’m skeptical when it comes to new technologies. Sure…smartphones with cameras are here to stay, and it’s pretty simple to install an app that allows you to take a picture of a 2D barcode, then let it take you to where it wants to go.

But is there a place for QR other than in the retail situation, where you can get a free mp3 download from a music store, or a quick link to a product you’re interested in?

I’m beginning to get convinced that there may be practical uses for these “quick access” codes. I recently ran across a website which will allow you to generate a number of different codes for different uses – for free. It will let me create a 2D barcode which contains my contact information, which, when snapped by a smartphone, imports my info into the smartphone contact database – great for the back of a business card (who wants to enter the info by hand, or buy a 100 dollar scanner?), or on literature at a trade show. I can create marketing codes for clients, which will take them to a promotional page on their website, which might offer 15 percent off on the latest widget, or give them access to services literature.

If you’re scratching your head at this point, and saying “What the hell is he talking about?”, check out some definitions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

Here’s what iMedia Connection thinks:

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/28604.asp

I’d like to know if you’re using them, and how you’re using them.

There’s more to Motion Graphics Design than putting pretty pictures on a page and moving them around. It takes planning, a content expert on the client side, who can tell me whether or not my designs are accurate and the message is on target, and that the visual content matches what’s being said in the voice over. Read more »