Over on the Avid Community forums you will find some help with technical questions or how do I? questions. One other thing you will find is a nice collection of tips for editing on Avid systems, the people over there were nice enough to gather the tips up and offer them as pdf's for download, so you can read 'em at your leisure. Some of the editing techniques are universal even if the entry is a bit old, useful tips regardless of your chosen editing system.

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If there is only one link you click on today. This should be it. Jon Yeo, one of the designers behind SKY 1's 2008 re-brand popped his head in over at Motionographer to comment on the Freefarm Showreel 2008 that was posted a few days ago. His post seems to have gone unnoticed for the most part. Let me tell you, this is the kind of thing you need to check out. Jon has posted an in-depth behind the scenes look at how this package came to life. From initial pitch frames, to logo comps all the way to the finished product. Inspiring? yes. Enlightening? absolutely. It's rare when you get this kind of access to the workflow and thought that went into creating a package like this. A must read for any Broadcast Designer. Go check it out. (Via: Motionographer comments 9/26, I'm bumping this back up cause it deserves the attention)

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FCP, Avid, a little shooting mixed in for good fun. If you're looking to polish your editing skills, The Editblog is a good place to start. There is some good stuff in here, bookmark it, love it, you know the drill.

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Alan Stewart covers the basics of working in 24p on an Avid based editing system. Explaining what 24p means, how reverse-telecinie works, and the differences between interlaced footage and progressive scan. Useful for information for FCP users as well.

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More Motion Graphics than Broadcast Design, but still loaded with useful tidbits you can adapt for your needs. Cinema, After Effects, they got you covered. A quick note about upcoming posts, we've been leaning heavily to the graphics end this last week. I think we've had a nice mix of useful nuggets to browse through, so expect the coming week to lean back towards more editing and promotions content to balance that out. We've got some good stuff coming up. A reminder for readers, if you have link suggestions you'd like to share with your fellow newshounds, you can always drop me a line here to contribute (credits and link-backs supplied in return).

Tags: Resources

A quick highlight on one of the permanent links in the sidebar. AEScripts.com is the brainchild of New York based Designer Lloyd Alvarez. Lloyd has made a name for himself in the AE community as the go-to-guy for workflow management scripts. The kind of scripts that leave you wondering why you didn't do things like this before. From Magnum his edit detection script, to his industry favorite BG Render Script, they all came about as a direct response to cries for help from fellow AE users, including his latest Zorro-The Layer Tagger. Step up to the next level of After Effects efficiency and make your way over to AEscripts.com. If you're in a giving mood make sure to buy Lloyd a beer for his efforts on your way out. (Courtesy: Jason Brown)

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Up for a quick trip down memory lane? Check out Videopia's The Joy of Interlacing. D. Eric Franks breaks down the why? where? and what? behind interlacing in video today, entertaining while educating. Understanding interlacing is a must for any video professional. Not paying attention to field order can lead to some unsightly results. Some of which we see everyday on local and national broadcasts, and it's easily avoidable. Sooo... kick back for a sec. and marvel at this thing we call Television, who knew interlacing could be so much fun?

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Float on over to AEnhancers.com for some magical C4D goodness. FREE to you, courtesy of Paul Tuersley, a set of scripts that facilitate the export of a 3D camera from After Effects into Cinema 4D. These scripts require AE version 7.0 and C4D R9.6, or greater to work. Make sure to thank Paul for his contribution to the Motion Graphics community. He has opened up a lot of options for us by taking this project on.
(Via: Creative Workflow Hacks)

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I want to take a moment and point out that starting today I will be part of the team hosting the Motion Graphics - How Do I? forum on CreativeCOW. Joining a talented group of designers who have been contributing back to the community for as long as I can remember. Please swing by to say hello and be part of the conversation over on CreativeCOW.

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Following up on a previous article. AIGA (The American Institute for Graphics Arts) founded in 1914, is an amazing resource for designers looking to expand into the world of freelance. On their site you will find a Standard Agreement that you can use as a basis for your design business ventures. While you're there look over all of the other resources they have available and see if becoming a member might be something you would be interested in. Membership does have it's benefits. (Via: Mograph.net)

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Every once in a while you run across a plug-in that makes you go WOW. Usually one that automates something that would normally be a tedious but necessary process. Light Wrapping is one of those processes. When compositing elements into a scene you should try to replicate the way light wraps around an object, giving it a more natural look, and helping to sell it as real. Jerzy Drozda (of Maltaannon.com) takes that process and simplifies it for you. A real time saver and it's cheap to boot. For some additional After Effects gold make sure to check here.

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Call it a necessary evil. Charts & Graphs! Not the most exciting News graphics to build, but important none-the-less. The people over at AE Portal News have rounded up the best of the best for you. Expression driven, nice little sliders, some slick tricks to make building these elements as easy as pie

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Can MySpace really help me get a job??? Yes Timmy, it can. If you know where to look. Oh, and if you lose those scantily clad party pics from your profile! Follow the link, type in your chosen profession, and marvel at the results. Companies have been taking note of the power of Social Networking, and are hitting unconventional places to find their next hire. Why shouldn't you? (Submitted By: Temple Muse)

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What kind of stuff do we like around here? FREE stuff! Dean Velez over at Motion Graphics Lab has graciously posted a set of 18 animated After Effects backgrounds for you to use. What's the catch? The catch is, they are only available for free until October 1st. Sooooo grab 'em while they're hot! Make sure to check out Dean's other offerings while you're there.

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Poking around a little more... I noticed that Digital Rebellion also has a blog, and not just any ol' blog, but one targeted at Final Cut Pro users! With a little bit of After Effects sprinkled in for flavor. I'm a bit late to the game with this one, evident by the pages and pages worth of juicy tidbits. None-the-less a nifty site I'll be frequenting from now on.

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Title kinda says it all doesn't it? Covering the basics, Photoshop for Video is a great starting point for those hoping to get into video graphics. The tutorials are very accessible and informative. Even if you consider yourself a pro, there might be a few things in here to help streamline your workflow.

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MotionWorks has a great cheat sheet of sorts, with some of the typical terminology you'll hear on your ventures through Broadcast. Scroll down through the comments for additional ones noted by readers. To compliment that list, Digital Rebellion has their glossary of Post Production terms that should have you talking like a pro in no time (or at least understanding them a little better). Both sites offer additional content, like tutorials and useful tools that make them both bookmark worthy.

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If you haven't already, make your way over to the Goodies section of the site. You'll find a few useful C4D setups for use in your projects, FREE of charge. Please read the terms & conditions included with the files before using them. These are News Pre-pro elements that I have set up over the years and I figured I would share them with you. Enjoy!

Tags: Resources | Cinema 4D

Continuing todays tutorials theme. Make sure to check out TVGrafx.com for a nice selection of Cinema 4D & After Effects tutorials. You can also purchase additional offerings covering C4Ds multipass rendering here. Nice stuff!

Tags: Resources | Tutorials

While not meant for serious News applications, Andrew Kramer (Video Copilot) has posted some nice CNN style lower thirds for use in your video effects projects. While your there, make sure to check out his great selection of video tutorials, many of which can be adapted for News & Promotional needs.

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Hosted by industry pioneer Joe Torelli. Apple is serving up a two-part Seminar on new and innovative ways to improve your Final Cut Pro workflow. Targeted at those in the trenches, it features tips on editing faster with shortcuts, accessing tapeless media, adding effects and more. A must watch for anyone interested in finessing their craft. Oh, and it's FREE. So go check it out!

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While we may not be a gossip site, News Blues certainly is. Usually a pay for access kinda site, they have graciously opened up their archives, FREE of charge until September 28. So get on over there and start digging. (via: idopromoz)

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From Designer Jason Brown (Owner of Global Animations) comes the first in a series of tutorials targeted specifically at those getting started in the world of Broadcast Design. Focusing on setting up the Shadow Caster feature in Cinema 4D. Jason explains a quick way to achieve higher quality shadowing in your scenes.

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A forgotten gem of the C4D community... or at least it seems to be. Deepshade has been around since the early days of Cinema 4D. When the Electric Image crowd was making their jump to the then, new and intriguing package. Serving up a plethora of pre-built shaders and lighting rigs, Deepshade was the place to go when you were in need of some quality texturing options. Eventually rolling into Maxon's main site, it is often overlooked for the great resource it really is. Bookmark it, reference it, love it!

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I know of a lot of designers looking for ways to make some extra cash. But amazingly enough most of them don't know where to start. The simple fact is that as a designer/editor you have a skill not everybody has, and depending on your work situation you could be missing out on some great opportunities. Read More...

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Here are some quick techniques you can follow to improve not only your shots, but your editing as-well. Courtesy of the Behance Network.

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After Effects giving you a headache? Jonas Hummelstrand has put together a nice collection of tried and true remedies that might help you pinpoint the issue. Troubleshooting is part of the process, and getting a little more knowledgeable on how to fix common problems may make your life a lot easier.

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Step 3: Knowing your dimensions

As important as rendering to the right codec is, if you don't have the right dimensions, frame rates or field order... it won't really matter much when it comes to delivery. SD or HD? D1, 1080i, 720p? What the heck am I building? Improper dimensions can lead to its own set of issues. Read More...

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As tape goes the way of the dinosaur more and more news content is going digital. With that comes a slew of different codecs to over complicate the process. Getting it all to work... is an art form on its own. If you're an editor or a designer in a news environment, you've no doubt run across your share of problems embracing this change. Sometimes it's as simple as the wrong codec for the hardware, or the wrong dimensions, field order or something completely different. But how can you tell without having to become an expert? Read More...

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Updates, updates! GrayMachine, known as a great resource for aspiring motion designers has overhauled their site. Loaded with awesome tutorials and in-depth articles, they have stuff you won't find anywhere else. While not specifically targeted towards news artists, the techniques showcased there can be adapted easily to any workflow.

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