I love screencasts because they’re fairly simple to produce, and they’re an excellent way to show something visually. However, sometimes I watch screencasts that have poor levels of quality (usually on YouTube). While I might be intrigued by the content, the production quality is low and the videos are difficult to watch because of this.

If you’re looking for a way to increase the quality of your screencasts, then this installment of Izzy Video will give you a big boost. In it, I reveal four secrets to making a high-quality screencast.

This episode is for members only. If you’d like to learn more about an Izzy Video Membership, please follow this link.

Many times when you’re shooting video outdoors, you compromise on your exposure because of the high contrast range of the sunny outdoors, and the limited contrast range of your video camera. The video clip I use in this episode of Izzy Video is a perfect example of this type of compromise. Luckily, you can improve the imagery in post production, and in this video, I show you one way to do it. It’s a technique I call faking a graduated ND filter. It’s pretty simple, but it can have a big impact.

This installment of Izzy Video is for members only. To learn more about how an Izzy Video membership works, please visit this page.

This episode answers an email I received asking me to demonstrate how to create this effect. I use Final Cut Pro in this video, but you could just as easily do it in Final Cut Express, or any video editing application that allows you to have multiple video tracks.

Also, as promised, here’s the link to the LCD font I used in the video.

This video is for members only. Members get more. A lot more.

This week’s video does a couple things. It promotes my new course, Learn Final Cut Pro 6: The Izzy Video Guide for Beginners. Also the video answers a question that viewers frequently ask me: “What is your process for exporting video for the web?”

I covered the subject a while back, but my process has changed a bit since then, so it’s a good time to update you.

As I mention in the video, this free version is much smaller than the ones available as part of my Final Cut Pro course. My course offers both HD videos at 1280×800 and Small videos at 960×600, so viewers can see everything that I’m doing on the screen.

I’m really excited about this new course. It took a long time, but I’m very happy with it. I believe it’s a great way for someone new to Final Cut Pro to learn the fundamentals of the app. I’ve already started receiving feedback from people who signed up for it yesterday right after I launched it. The feedback has been quite positive so far, and of course, I’m delighted about that!

By the way, if you’re an Izzy Video Member, then you get $20 off the price of the course. Simply login to the members area and you’ll find a coupon code. If you’re not a Member, and you’re interested in learning Final Cut Pro, this is a great time to become a Member.

You can download this video here.

Finally, if you have additional recommendations regarding outputting video for the web after watching the video, please post any comments here. I’d love to read additional strategies.

Of course, you can leave any comment you want. It doesn’t have to be an exporting strategy.

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.

This video shows how to make the magic happen in post production for green screen footage. In it, I demonstrate the fundamental steps of keying the green, adjusting the matte, and so on. Also, I show common problem areas and how to deal with them. I even posted the exact footage I use for you to download, so you can practice with the green screen techniques on the same footage I’m working with.

Although I use Final Cut Pro in this example, the principles are the same regardless of the software you’re using for your work.

I introduce three powerful filters in Final Cut Pro:

1. Color Smoothing
2. Chroma Keyer
3. Matte Choker

I also briefly touch on other concerns like noticing light source direction and color, and how to make them match for both the background and foreground clips.

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.

This installment of Izzy Video is a group of tips for Final Cut Pro, specifically regarding the canvas window. There is a little button inside of the canvas that gives you access to a number of very useful settings, and this video reviews some of those settings and how you can take advantage of them, particularly if you’re working with multiple video tracks.

Even if you’re not a Final Cut Pro user, you might find this useful because your editing application likely has similar settings.

This video is available to members only.