Adrian's Journal

Here’s a sticky problem I get asked frequently by new Sony Vegas users. You may encounter it sometimes. Is your Event Pan/Crop window stuck in a tiny area with the rest of the Sony Vegas Windows? Do you want to make the Event Pan/Crop window bigger or open it in a new window? (You cannot do much with Pan/Crop effect in such a tight space.) Here’s how to get it out…

… in one poster. Adrian Lee Blog - http://Adrian.VideoLane.net Products - http://VideoLANE.net Service - http://VideoLane.com PS: I made the poster here… http://wigflip.com/automotivator/

I have a multi-cam video assignment coming up that requires one video camera to be stationary all the time. No pan, no zoom. Just stationary. The problem is… there is no space for a tripod. This will be a party event swamped with people dancing all over the place. So the idea is to fix my camcorder onto any overhead fixtures. The best solution is the JOBY Gorillapod , a mini flexible camera tripod...

In most video editing software, like windows movie maker, there is an effect where you can flip the video horizontally or vertically. This video effect option is either called the “Mirror” or “Flip”. However, in Sony Vegas, this effect is not as straight forward as clicking a button. Here is how to flip a video with Sony Vegas Pro 8...

Do you want to edit a DVD or maybe take out a part of the DVD to be edited with other video footages? Do you know that you do not need to buy any software to extract video clips from a DVD? You can even do it yourself. All you need is your PC with a DVD drive. In this video tutorial, you will learn how to extract video from a DVD using a PC running on Windows XP. Steps to extract videos from a DVD... How to Extract Video from a DVD for Editing

In a dimly lit reception counter just outside the wedding ballroom, I threw 3 rose petals under the table, which was of course in the shadow (very dark). Without lights, my Sony HDR-FX7 could not see anything, totally dark. My assistant’s Sony VX2000 DV camcorder could at least boost the gain to reveal the rose petals, BUT with plenty of grains. The Canon 5D Mark II did the job really well. The rose petals were brilliant red and in perfect contrast with the surrounding shadows. Best of all, there were no noticeable grains. You may need to zoom in to the picture to see the grains, but that’s fine for video. Yes, no flash was used. Canon 5D Mark II Video Sample Review

Some valuable lessons I learnt from this DVD: The size and price of a microphone has nothing to do with with the audio recording quality. Technique is more important than equipment. A shotgun microphone is good for outdoor while a hypercardioid microphone is good for indoor. A wireless lavaliere microphone is suitable for newscasting, weddings and reality shows. (I like the demonstration on how to hide the microphone wires on the talent.) Though the DVD emphasizes on good audio recording techniques, there is a chapter on how to fix bad audio in post production… using Sony Vegas Pro! Sound for Film and Television - Review

Mike Koenigs, co-founder of Traffic Geyser , appeared to be the most genuine speaker among all the internet marketing gurus that spoke at the SMART seminar organized by Simon Leung and Stuart Tan. Maybe I am biased because he was talking video and using online video to generate website traffic. He reveals the formula to generate massive traffic with online videos... Dominate the Market with 10×10x4 Online Video Formula

Wedding Video 2008 "Year-End" Promo. Book Now! Good Dates Taken Up Fast! => Reserve Your Wedding Video Package - Click Here! Reserve Your Wedding Video in Singapore Yes, that's our promo this month, November 2008. Adrian Lee Wedding Videographer Singapore

Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD Camcorder I just read the reviews (almost 100% positive) on the Panasonic Pro AG-HMC150 3CCD AVCHD 24fps Camcorder . This affordable mean machine is definitely on the top of my shopping list. It has everyting a creative videographer like me wants. Things like the built-in wide lens, professional audio input, High Definition, memory card recording and 12 hours of recording on a 32G card. I just hope the Panasonic batteries have the stamina like that of Sony and indicates its power by minutes. I declare I will be abandoning my all-time-favorite Sony camcorders for now till they come up with a better CMOS technolgy that works in low light. Read more...

How To Easily Promote Your Business With Video Do you use video for your business? Do you intend to start using video to get more sales? Today I am going to share with you how clients use my videography service for their business. I will reveal to you the top 3 simple and powerful video tips. Read More...

How My 3-minute Talk Made 6 New Referrals Caught off-guard, I was given 3 minutes to introduce myself and my company in front of 20 business owners. The result? Six hot referrals came rushing in. It feels like striking a triple-7 on a jackpot. 29 August 2008, I am inducted as a member of BNI-Rendezvous , a group made up of small business owners that give each other business referrals every week. The funny thing is… 10 years ago, I was invited to join BNI by my Navy friend, Sim Chow Boon , who was also the founder of Singapore’s BNI. Social and business networking is not something in my comfort zone. My Videography business expanded not due to any effort in networking and marketing, but by my video works being passed around and catching attention. My works speak for themselves. So 10 years on, why did I finally decide to join BNI? The simple answer is I am transforming myself from a self-employed to a business owner. I am applyin...

3 Strategies That Helped Me Get Top Google Search Position Congratulations! … to myself. My web pages made it to the first page of Google Search natural listing (non-paid) for some popular search keywords that people use to find my business. Here I will share with you the Top 3 Strategies That Helped Me Get Top Google Search Position . Some keywords even made it to the Number 1 spot! My lessons in Google Strategy paid off… 3 Strategies That Helped Me Get Top Google Search Position ...

Adrian.VideoLANE.net to Include Adrian’s Personal Blogs I am cracking my head whether to blog personal stuff other than Videography and DVD Production . My life is currently revealed in bits and pieces across facebook, twitter, blogspot and MSN. Maintaining several blogs can be tiring and you lose focus when nothing is happening in that area of life. Sometimes they overlap and you have to decide which one to write on. Writing every topic in one blog is going against what Internet Marketing Gurus have taught me. So I checked out some famous blogs and another blog with the same question . My decision? I will experiment for 3 months blogging everything here, in http://adrian.videolane.net . My personal life is made up of a wide variety of topics, including social networking, raising kids, maintaining a car, managing real estate, building a business, internet marketing and more. I will only blog the positive and the best experience. ...

New Version of SlySoft AnyDVD Released Here is an update from Slysoft with the release of a new version of AnyDVD . List of fixes and improvements: 6.4.6.2 2008 08 22 - New: Added ISO/UDF image file creation to AnyDVD ripper - New (Blu-ray & HD DVD): ISO/UDF images can be created with or without copy protection. WARNING: AnyDVD can remove the protection from protected images. Protected images are useless, if AnyDVD is not installed and running! - New (Blu-ray & HD DVD): Improved speed of AnyDVD ripper - Fix (Blu-ray): Bug in BD+ removal, if more than one title on a disc is protected, e.g. “Prison Break Season 3″, US - Fix (Blu-ray): Bug in “Remove UOPs” with some titles, e.g. “AVP2″ Region B, (UK, Germany) - Fix (DVD): AI scanner made a mistake with “The Eye”, Region 2, DK - Some minor fixes and improvements - Updated languages The update is free for all registered customers, just install the new version on top of your current version, regardless which version you h...

DV Video Encoder Type 1 OR Type 2 When it comes to rendering video to DV format, sometimes we face a delimma of choosing between DV Video Encoder Type 1 and DV Video Encoder Type 2. Here’s a quick answer for video makers using miniDV tape format. Choose DV Video Encoder Type 2. If you want to know why, read the following explanation taken from microsoft site. DV Video Encoder Type-1 Method The native DV interleaved stream that is produced and consumed in I/O with a DV device contains DV compressed video and pulse code modulated (PCM) audio data. This single interleaved stream can be stored in an AVI file as “ivas” stream (for interleaved video/audio stream). Microsoft refers to this format as a type-1 DV AVI file. Because the type-1format stores data as a single AVI stream, type-1 DV AVI files are not compatible with VfW. DirectShow, however, easily handles type-1 data streams by routing the streams to a DV Splitter filter that produces ...

Convert Any Video File To PAL DV How To Convert Any Video File To PAL DV format using Ulead VideoStudio 11. Do you want to record a video file onto your camcorder but it says your video is NTSC and cannot be done? In Singapore and in most European countries, our TV operate on the PAL system. In the USA and Japan, thier TV operate on the NTSC system. NTSC and PAL are not compatible. So you will have to convert your NTSC video file to a PAL DV format file. Here is how to convert your NTSC Video File To PAL DV format using Ulead VideoStudio 11. Drag and drop video clip on the time line. Click “Share” from the top menu bar. Click “Create Video File” . Move and hover cursor over “DV”. Depending on how your VideoStudio was installed… You may see PAL DV (4:3) and PAL DV (16:9) Or you may see NTSC DV (4:3) and NTSC DV (16:9) If you see PAL DV (4:3) and PAL DV (16:9), great, click on one of them. If you see NTSC DV (4:3) and NTSC DV (16:9), then do ...

Photo Mode Review of the Sony HDR-SR12 and CX12 After collecting my Sony HDR-SR8 (100GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder) from the Sony service centre, I stopped to test the new Sony HDR-SR12 (10 Megapixel 120GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder) and the Sony HDR-CX12 (High Definition Memory Stick PRO Duo Handycam Camcorder) I only had a few minutes of free time, so I tested these features I wanted to know: How long do I have to wait between snapping photos? How long do I have to wait for the photo flash to recharge? How many photos can I take during video recording and will there be flash? How long do I have to wait between snapping photos? I have bad experiences with slow consumer still cameras. You miss a lot of good candid moments if the camera does not react as quick as your eyes. I hesitate to buy a family still camera because of this. The Sony HDR-SR12 and CX12 seem to do fine, instant, though you need to get...

YouTube for Business: Online Video Marketing for Any Business You might like to know that “ YouTube for Business: Online Video Marketing for Any Business “ will be released on August 29, 2008. Here is how Amazon describes the book… To any businessperson or marketing professional, YouTube’s 20 million viewers are a tempting target. How can you tap into the potential of YouTube to promote your business and sell your products or services? The answers in YouTube for Business show you how to make YouTube part of your online marketing plan–and drive traffic to your company’s website. In this book you’ll learn how to: • Develop a YouTube marketing strategy • Decide what types of videos to produce • Shoot great-looking YouTube videos–on a budget • Edit and enhance your videos • Create a presence on the YouTube site • Manage a video blog • Generate revenues from your YouTube videos • Produce more effective YouTube videos Includes...

NDP08 Experience Edited to 6 minutes… August 11th, 2008 YES! I got the ticket to Singapore National Day Parade 2008 at the last minute. It was a Videography assignment to record a group of foreign delegates invited to watch. Simply edited with Ulead VideoStudio 11, here is my best experience in NDP08 in 6 minutes… The crumpled NDP 2008 ticket from my soaking wet crowded pants pocket… ...it rained! Can you spot the NDP 2008 ticket on my wall of collectibles? Adrian Lee Blog - http://Adrian.VideoLane.net Products - http://VideoLANE.net Service - http://VideoLane.com

How To Put Video On Your Website… Whether you like it or not, a new kind of internet is here. A “videoized” internet. Ten years ago, video was not common on the internet. But today, video is becoming a standard for websites. (Want proof? Google bought YouTube, the online video sharing site, for $1.65 billion in stock!) What does this mean for YOU? You must ask yourself if you are going to keep up with the new “video” standard. Because if you do, you are going to make EASY PROFITS. You see, your customers are READY for online video right now. They’ve been exposed to the idea already through sites like YouTube and other video sharing sites. And they like it. All you have to do now is start using online video. And there’s a super-useful software tool that is going to help you do that. It’s called VideoWebWizard 2.0. VideoWebWizard 2.0 is computer software program that allows you to quickly and almost effortlessly convert videos in to web fo...

Is Sony Viao Now A Better Video Editing Laptop? I Just read an interesting article about Sony Vaio’s option to remove its trial softwares. “Sony is finally taking on its crapware problem. For the past two months, I’ve been using an astonishingly light and agile Sony VAIO notebook and loving every minute of it. The best part of all was that this machine was absolutely, completely, unequivocally crapware-free, which meant I was able to be productive within a few minutes of unboxing… ”

What if we, especially videographers, have a vision of an eagle . The ablity to see details from afar. This eye improvement method is possible… I attended an eye-opening educational forum on lasik surgery last night. LASIK is about using tiny laser beams to correct poor eyesight. It claims the ability to bring eyes back to zero degrees, in other words, perfect eyesight. Going further, an enhanced laser surgery can even make your eyes see further than any human beings can. They call it the Eagle Eye vision which famous golfer Tiger Woods did. Hmmm… I was thinking what if videographers get eagle eye vision, wouldn’t that be perfect? We will be able to see and shoot things that others cannot see. The surgery is rather pricey though, like $2000 and over. It can help in the 3 most common poor eyesight problems: Short-sightedness : which happen to those who study very hard and those who do video editing everyday or rather work in front of the computer always. Can see near b...

Magic Cheryl at Open House 2008 - Home Video Magic Cheryl at Open House 2008 - Home Video My Magical Kids! Adrian Lee http://adrian.videolane.net

Camcorder Night Photography with Martini Cocktails A s an invited guest, I brought my pocket video camcorder, not my professional gear. Instead of videos, I used the handy Sony HDR-SR8 to take photos. Quite a challenge in the dark with only occasional passing beams of spotlight. The colorful array of Martini cocktails and mixes look too good to miss. Here are 5 Digital Night Photography Tips... ... read more.

Professional Memory Card Camcorders Comparison I am in the midst of deciding the purchase a new professional video camcorder. Looking at the recent models, there is a clear trend towards recording on memory cards. This is great as I have always thought tape is so obsolete in the digital world and a waste of time when capturing video. Here are three professional video camcorders I have narrowed down. They differ in image sensors, video recording format and the type of memory card used. Panasonic AG-HVX200 vs Sony HVR-Z7 vs Panasonic AG-HMC70 . Read More on my new blog...

How To Open PowerPoint PPTX Files And Convert To PPT Have you been emailed a .pptx file and cannot open it with your Powerpoint 2003. How do you open the .pptx file in your version of powerpoint? Is there a PPTX viewer? I discovered these valuable links today when I couldn’t open my daughter’s science presentation project. PPTX file extension MS PowerPoint 2007 Presentation .pptx files are created using Microsoft’s PowerPoint 2007+ application. The .pptx file format is a newer version of the original PowerPoint .ppt format. PowerPoint is mostly used for displaying digital slides during business and educational presentations. It is also widely used for displaying picture slideshows shared by email. To create/open a .pptx file, you will need PowerPoint 2007 (part of Microsoft Office suite ) or PowerPoint Viewer 2007 . How To Convert PPTX TO PPT… … so that you can open it on your Powerpoint 2003. Convert “pptx” files generated by Office 20...

If you are too busy to go shopping for your Father's Day gift, here is an opportunity. ACDSee is having a promotion sale at 50% off for its ACDSee Pro 2 Photo Manager. ==> http://adrian.videolane.net/?p=390 Just order online, download, then make a backup copy on CD. If your dad loves to take photos, he will love this tool. ==> http://adrian.videolane.net/?p=390 Enjoy! Adrian Lee Videography Blog - http://Adrian.VideoLane.net Video Service - http://VideoLane.com Online Products - http://VideoLANE.net PS: Promo Coupon expires 25 July 2008. I have gotten my Father's Day Gift. Have you? It's on 15 June 2008. ==> http://adrian.videolane.net/?p=390