This specific tutorial is from the DSLR Video Tips series presented by lynda.com authors Rich Harrington and Robbie Carman. The complete DSLR Video Tips course is presented as a weekly lynda.com series and covers the most common questions videographers encounter when shooting and editing with DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras, from choosing a frame size and frame rate to understanding moiré.
Adorama Photography TV Presents DSLR | Video Skills with Rich Harrington. In earlier episodes Rich showed you some great gear to use and the best field work flow when shooting sync sound. Join Rich again in this episode as he shares the post-production process for the final edit in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Watch as he takes you through the steps to use Premiere's built-in method of syncing sound. Then, follow along as he explains a way to use popular programs, such as Plural Eyes, for those high volume projects.
This specific tutorial is from the DSLR Video Tips series presented by lynda.com authors Rich Harrington and Robbie Carman. The complete DSLR Video Tips course is presented as a weekly lynda.com series and covers the most common questions videographers encounter when shooting and editing with DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras, from choosing a frame size and frame rate to understanding moiré.
If want to check focus, you need to take a few extra steps. Just turning on the LCD and glancing at it won’t cut it. The small screen makes everything look more in focus because it can’t show you all the pixels at once. The reduced image size creates the illusion of a sharper image. If you want to really see what is in focus, you’ll need to zoom, and then zoom some more. If you’re using a zoom lens, zoom in as tight as possible on your subject. Zooming in on an area like the eyes works well; a button on a shirt works well too. You’ll then need to digitally zoom. Typically, you’ll find a Zoom button (look for a magnifying glass with a plus symbol in it) on your camera. Pressing it will enlarge the image on your screen and only show you part of the image. You may need to use the command dial to navigate around the zoomed in pixels. Find the detail area that you want to focus on.
Zooming in on your LCD can help you check focus before you roll a video shot.
You can then use the focus ring on your camera to tweak the focus. Make minor turns to find the ideal focus. If needed, adjust the aperture and ISO settings of your camera to refine the depth of field. When you’re satisfied, you can either press the Zoom Out button or just press the Record button to roll the camera. Be sure to check out the book — Creating DSLR Video: From Snapshots to Great Shots
DSLR video training with Robbie Carman and Rich Harrington: This episode talks about why you want an iPad for production. There is a DSLR Slate App (often used for production information, a sync point for dual system audio, etc.) which now moves all of this information to your portable device.
DSLR video training with Robbie Carman and Rich Harrington: This episode examines the essentials for DSLR video, including the BlackRapid R-Strap, a calibration target from PhotoVision, LED on-camera lights, hot shoe splitters or adapters, a mountable mini bi-directional level, hard cases for small items, and more.
The Official Canon Press Release — Video Section (Annotated by Rich Harrington)
Centered around an all-new full-frame CMOS sensor with larger pixels than those found on the EOS 5D Mark II image sensor, the EOS-1D X utilizes new HD video formats to simplify and speed up post-production work. Nice to see when they admit a problem. This is a true focus on professional workflows (which is great to see)
The two new compression formats offered on the EOS-1D X include intraframe (ALL-i ) compression for an editing-friendly format and interframe (IPB) compression for superior data compression, giving professionals the options they need for their ideal workflow. The first option is HUGE. This will mean bigger files, but fewer compression artifacts. It will also mean that the files will be easier to edit as they place less demand on the computer's CPU and GPU. Answering the requests of cinematographers and filmmakers, the EOS-1D X includes two methods of SMPTE-compliant timecode embedding, Rec Run and Free Run, allowing multiple cameras or separate sound recording to be synced together in post production. TImecode is the law that lets multiple pieces of gear to play together. This is absolutely essential to professional workflows. Canon's all new full-frame CMOS sensor ensures that video footage captured on the EOS-1D X will exhibit less moiré than any previous Canon model, resulting in a significant improvement in HD video quality. Full sensors are great for low light… not so much for outdoor shooting. Remember to keep a matte box around for filtration.
A desired feature for many documentary filmmakers using Canon DSLRs was to enable recording beyond the four gigabyte (GB) file capacity and the EOS-1D X is the answer. The new camera features automatic splitting of movie files when a single file exceeds 4GB. The new file splitting function allows for continuous video recording up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds across multiple 4GB files; no frames are dropped and the multiple files can be seamlessly connected in post production, providing filmmakers the recording time they want in the same convenient DSLR form factor. This is great and removes the artificial barrier. Pro cameras have been splitting and reconnecting files for years. Although the phrase "the same convenient DSLR form factor" is clearly a misperception. Come on Camera, make a digital back feature that makes it easier to modify the camera and add some XLR ports. The camera records Full HD at 1920 x 1080 in selectable frame rates of 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); and 720p HD or SD video recording at either 50p or 60p (59.94). SD video can be recorded in either NTSC or PAL standards. This is great… but I'd really like to see some more 720 options. From what I hear, the Canon announcement in early November is DIFFERENT, than this announcement and should be interesting.
The Canon EOS-1D X also includes manual audio level control, adjustable both before and during movie recording, an automatic setting, or it can be turned off entirely. Manual controls… what a concept (sarcasm). But hey.. it's about time and its grab to have them. Especially during the record event. A wind filter is also included. Sound can be recorded either through the internal monaural microphone or via an optional external microphone through the stereo mic input. I still suspect the internal mic is crap. Stereo mic input… crap… make an XLR adapter. What about output? Hopefully the A/V port will work. Would make the on-the-fly adjustments more useful. (See the full release here – http://usa.canon.com/cusa/about_canon?pageKeyCode=pressreldetail&docId=0901...) The camera is supposed to ship in March 2012 From what I hear, the Canon announcement in early November is DIFFERENT, than this announcement and should be interesting.
I had a revelation today on how to handle my memory cards while shooting in the field. You see when shooting DSLR video, I can burn through a lot of cards. Plus I typically have a couple of camera angles going off at once. An easy mistake to make (but deadly nonetheless) is reformatting a card that you've already shot to. So here's my surefire plan to keep things straight.
Right Pocket – The right pocket contains all of my empty cards that I wiped before the shoot. All cards are erased before you get on-set so you know if you put the card in and it has something on it, then that's footage that needs to be backed up.
Left Pocket – The left pocket contains all of the cards that have been filled up while shooting.
You're probably saying.... "Ummm... what's the big deal?" Well here's the killer memory jingle to not screw things up.
"The Cards in my RIGHT pocket are the RIGHT ones to use.... The Cards in my LEFT pocket should be LEFT alone."
Okay... I won't win a Pulitzer for that... but hopefully it'll keep me from accidentally screwing things up when shooting.
Most professional photographers have grown accustomed to the flexibility that shooting with a raw format provides. When coupled with the great control of the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in, they have great control over highlights and shadows as well as the ability to recover exposure problems.
Unfortunately, your DSLR won’t shoot raw when it’s set to video mode. This means its like the old days (note we didn't say good old days) when you had to shoot JPEG. You’ll need to dig back into your past experience (be it film or JPEG) and retrieve the knowledge needed to help you make important decisions during acquisition.
When shooting outdoors, the use of a LCD viewfinder is highly recommended. These devices make it much easier to see a display as well as judge the quality of exposure. By removing all light pollution, you can make accurate decisions.
Just because you’re working with a movie file doesn’t mean all future options are limited. During postproduction, you can further enhance your footage. The first pass is color correction, which addresses issues with color and tone. Optionally, a color-grading pass can also be done to further improve the images with stylized adjustments that affect the mood and tone of the footage and thus develop the story. For more on the fusion of photography and video, check out From Still to Motion.
In this DSLR podcast Robbie Carman and Richard Harrington discuss the various frame rates available on today's DSLR Cameras such as the Canon 7D. Learn what rates to use for proper film looks, slow motion and other special effects, PAL or NTSC.
How do you take a great still photo with your video-enabled DSLR camera? That's easy, shoot in photo mode. You'll get the best quality and even the option of using a raw format. But what happens if you've got the perfect shot, except you're in the middle of recording a video clip? The good news is that you can export stills directly from a piece of video. There's just a few limitations.
Resolution limitations of video
You might be thinking to yourself “Isn't video really low resolution?” Yes, when compared to the native size of photos taken with your DSLR, video pales in comparison. But for many uses, such as web or newspaper, you can get enough pixels out. Currently the highest resolution you’ll get exporting a still from a piece of video that originated on a DSLR is 1920 x 1080 or approximately 2.1 megapixels. While you aren’t going to make any panoramic prints of those frames you can still find a lot of great uses for them. If printing at 300 ppi, you can extract a frame that is about 6.5 X 3.5 inches.
Learn how to setup your camera correctly for the appropriate white balance, color quality, and recording format. You’ll also discover how to get better focus and create more stable shots when shooting video with your DSLR camera. Find out how to review clips, drop clips into the timeline, and adjust levels, saturation or color in Adobe Premiere Pro. Check out the whole series.
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