Sometimes you can get beautiful effects with simple techniques. This installment of Izzy Video shows you how to make a video clip freeze and then flash into a photo, using the Ken Burns effect. It’s a common effect you see in video, and you’ll see it’s quite simple to create.

This is a tutorial for the members, but you can watch the Quicktime version of the trailer here.

By the way, although I use Final Cut Pro in this video, you could likely create the same effect in nearly any editing software that allows you to do keyframing. Enjoy!

Who says that video production can’t be a family activity?

I get requests for Motion tutorials all the time, and it’s been a while since I’ve released one, so I thought we’d have a little fun in this week’s episode. In this installment of Izzy Video, I demonstrate the steps you take in Motion to turn a face into a monster’s face. The technique uses motion tracking and keyframed filters. I hope you have as much fun with this technique as we did.

You can download the video here.

Still photos can be powerful additions to your video, and adding movement to the photos can take them to the next level. Today’s episode shows you how to take the movement even further, by using an effect called 2.5D (two-and-a-half dimensions). In this tutorial, I demonstrate how to create the effect using a combination of Photoshop and Motion, but you could just as easily do it in Photoshop and After Effects, or even other software combinations.

The effect is difficult to describe. It’s subtle, and the best way to understand 2.5D is just to see it in action.

You can watch the video here.

As always, the paid members can download an HD version of this video in the member’s area. To learn more about becoming an Izzy Video Member, please visit the membership information page.

Please leave feedback and questions regarding this Izzy Video tutorial right here in the comments.

What do you do when someone wanders into your image, and you don’t have permission to include them in your video? You could try to track them down to get their permission. Or, you could try to use their image anyway (exposing yourself to risk), or you could blur their face. Most editors choose to blur the person’s face. It’s less time-consuming than the other options.

This is an easy effect to create in Final Cut Pro, as long as the subject stays still. Once the person with the blurred face starts moving, things get a LOT more difficult.

In this installment of Izzy Video I show you how to blur a person’s face in Final Cut Pro, and then I show you the easy way to make sure it stays over a moving face inside of Motion.

Very useful information for an editor. It’s an effect you tend to use frequently.

This week’s episode is for the members. If you want to learn more about an Izzy Video Membership, please visit this page.

What else is going on?

I’ve been trying to decide what I should do with all of these great links you send me via email, in the forums, or on twitter. I get so many of them throughout the week that I thought I’d post a few of them right here:

• An DIY project for a soft panel. Sure, it’s for still photography, but it would be simple to revise for a video light. Give it a try if you’d like. Just remember, Safety First!
• Greg Brown posted a video of himself working his new jib behind the scenes. In some ways, I find it more interesting than the final result.
• A free transition plugin for Final Cut Pro that creates a flash of light between video clips.
• Tim Seley and Patrick Largen posted one of the most visually entertaining songs I’ve seen. You’ll see what I mean when you watch/listen to it.

Do you have more interesting video links you’d like me to see? Please post them in the forums so everyone can see.

The Short Film Competition Is Still Going Strong

You’re running out of time! If you’d like to enter a short film into the competition, head over to PubFilms and get it uploaded. The grand prize includes a trip to Arizona for a couple days with me.

I suppose this post was more like a miniature newsletter than a blog post. Hmm… I guess there’s nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, thanks for watching and reading! That’s it for this week. I’ll see you next time on Izzy Video!

Several viewers asked me how I created shadows around the edges of the video clip in last week’s episode. It’s an effect called a “vignette”, and it’s very easy to do. This week’s tutorial is an in-depth explanation on why you might want to use a vignette, and how to create it.

What you’ll find in this video:

• When to use a vignette
• How to create a vignette in Final Cut Pro
• How to create a tracker in Color
• How to animate a vignette in Color
• How to adjust vignette settings to your liking

This video is available only to Izzy Video Members. If you’d like to watch it, please visit the membership information page to see how you can become a member and gain access to all of the past Izzy Video archives as well as this episode.

Of course you can also watch several of the free sample episodes to see if a membership might be for you.

Thanks to Amber Heckler from Norfolk, VA for requesting this week’s topic. She wrote me at izzy (at) izzyvideo (dot) com and asked:

I was wondering if you could do a tutorial on how to achieve the “300 Effect” in post production. To me the “300 Effect” is when a piece of video seems to speed up, and then slow down; mainly seen in fight sequences.

Izzy Video 108 answers this question.

Some of the topics I cover in this episode are:

• What is a variable speed change
• Time-Remapping
• Video Frame Rates
• Smoothing Keyframes

This is one of those techniques that can be a lot of fun. My children certainly enjoyed making this video!

You can watch the video here.

As always, the paid members can download an HD version of this video in the member’s area. To learn more about becoming an Izzy Video Member, please visit the membership information page.

At long last, I have responded to the zillions of requests I have received from Paid Members and Free subscribers alike: “Izzy, will you please make an episode about shooting Green Screens?”

Not only am I answering this request, but I’m taking it a step further! I’m doing two episodes on Green Screens. Part one is all about shooting and lighting for green screens. Part two will come out in a couple days, and it will be about making the magic happen in post-production, keying out the green, and creating the final composite. (It’s the last few days of the month, and I still need to release the second members-only episode for October.)

Some of the topics I cover in this episode are:

• Choosing a green screen
• The two highest priorities for chroma key work
• Reducing spill light
• Working in zones
• How different cameras impact the quality of the key
• Choosing colors

Between the two different episodes, I cover most of the mysteries regarding this difficult topic. I hope you find them useful.

This video is available in the Izzy Video Member archives.

As always, the members can download an HD version of this video in the member’s area. To learn more about becoming an Izzy Video Member, please visit the membership information page.

Thank you, Izzy Video Members!

All of you who are paid members, I can’t thank you enough. Because of you, I have now been full time for three weeks, and it’s off to a great start. I have received many emails from members letting me know that they have noticed a difference in the production quality of the episodes I released. Thank you for noticing! I have certainly been devoting more time to the content.

Podcamp AZ is next weekend, Nov. 1-2

I’m doing two sessions at Podcamp AZ this year, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I’m not sure how the sessions are scheduled yet, but I know one session will be a hands-on workshop on lighting for video, and the other session will be about how you can improve your online video. Both sessions will be one hour long, and the entire two day event is free (although donations are highly encouraged because the event is far from free to host). For more details on Podcamp AZ, check out the website.

A Quick Update: I added a promo to a separate page for anyone who might like to help us advertise Podcamp AZ. Check out the page at http://www.izzyvideo.com/podcamp.

Phew, that’s a lot of updating for one week! But I think I’m done. Thanks again for watching! And I’ll see you next time on… Izzy Video!

In this video tutorial, we’re back inside Apple’s Motion for a new tutorial. I show how to animate a drawing line on a map. This is a classic animation used to show someone’s trip around the world, but the technique can also be used for a variety of other purposes. For example, you can use it to circle something on the screen, to show the path a football player is going to run, and so on.

It’s a very simple effect to create, and I thought it might be a helpful one.

This video is available to members only.

“Masking” appears to be more complex than it is. It’s a visual effect that we frequently see in video, and it uses layers. In this installment of Izzy Video, I introduce you to the concept of “masking”. I also briefly explain what the “Alpha Channel” is.

This installment of Izzy Video is available to members only. If you’d like to watch it, please visit the membership information page to see how you can become a member.