Programming Notes & YouTube uploading

Just because I haven’t felt like writing much lately doesn’t mean I haven’t been working. There should be some stuff coming up in the next few days. Since I’m a newb, the video editing takes probably four times longer than it should.

Actually, I put a video up on YouTube yesterday but it was rendered so bad I deleted it and haven’t re-uploaded it. I tried a new technique and uploaded a file that was four times bigger than any previous file and five hours later when I could see it the opening was pixelated worse than my first try. Using the YouTube uploader from PowerDirector with the best quality H.264 setting works best so far.

UPDATED: PowerDirector makes me look like a noob

The Sony DVD810 Camcorder produces MPEG-2 video with an aspect ratio of 16:9, which I like and want to keep in the final video. I have four long video files from yesterday that I want to edit into several smaller chunks of about five minutes each so the files can be stored in a stock footage catalog and also so the files will be easier to edit in PowerDirector. That was the plan anyway.

The problem?  So far I can not figure out how to get PowerDirector to output an MPEG-2 file with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which means it probably can’t do it.  How ridiculous is that?

This is not good. It’s obvious that I will in a very short time have hundreds if not thousands of short stock video clips and it would be nice to have them all stored in the same format that the camcorder produces. I really don’t want to hear a workaround since it should be an option that is easily set. I guess just letting the camcorder run for thirty minutes at a time is not a good idea.  Easier on the recording and file management end; a nightmare on the editing end. Live and learn, eh?

UPDATE: My Bad. I just couldn’t find the setting. I figured you would set the option during the final production phase where the final video file is created, but the aspect ratio is set for the entire project under Edit –> Aspect Ratio like a big sore thumb. Duh. Seems kinda silly place to put it, but there ya go.

I did update to the latest build of PowerDirector before finding the setting, so that at least is a positive. Do I sound like a noob or what?

Don’t worry, I’m a pretty quick study.

Video production

Video production is a lot of work. The fun part is taking all the footage but then the real work starts.  I sure will be glad when I figure out some of the tricks of the trade as there has to be a better way than what I’m doing. Audio is probably the biggest kink in the workflow for me right now.

I am going to have to invest in some good microphones but dubbing the audio onto the video is still a lot of work. PowerDirector does not excel at working with audio so currently I edit my audio with Audigy and then import the final cuts into PowerDirector.

My hard drive is also quickly filling up with huge video and audio files. And I thought the digital photo files  were eating up a lot of space. Fortunately, hard drive storage is cheap cheap.

I haven’t given up on finishing the action based videos that have been in the works for the last few weeks, like kayak fishing and duck hunting, but I have taken a short break at trying to get anything coordinated, which for the most part wastes a lot of time without getting anything accomplished. During the break I’ve been making the refuge rounds and acquiring some better footage with a new tripod setup, which is still not great but better than anything you can take hand held. Especially at the full zoom, which is quite a bit doing the wildlife vids. I also hooked up a power converter in the truck so I can keep the view screen open without wiping out the battery in 45 minutes.  This camera, a Sony DVD810, is not going to do well with extreme zoom wildlife but I couldn’t really afford anything that would.

I’ll be at home working on video all day so I’ll most likely post more later, unless a better deal comes along.

Dock Fishing at Cap’n Popeye’s

A lot of fishing goes on over at Cap’n Popeye’s dock. Cap’n Popeye fishes off the dock quite a bit himself and Mr. Kenny is a mainstay when he is in town. Kid’s of friends come by and fish without warning, and when there are get-togethers on the bayou the kids always fish off the dock. They love it. Nothing like reeling in a nice redfish, trout, or catfish. Sometimes you can even hook an alligator, but I’ll leave that fish story for Cap’n Popeye.

I’m starting a new series of videos that will feature dock fishing at Popeye’s. When someone comes over to fish I’ll find out what kind of fishing they are doing and then work a fish story out of em. I got the idea today from watching some unintended dock fishing video that I made after the first kayak fishing trip on Bastrop Bayou several weeks ago. It was right after I scored the new Ocean Drifter Kayaks and me and Popeye took the yaks out on the bayou while Mr. Kenny fished off the pier.

We were mainly just trying out the kayaks in prep for going into Christmas Bay but we wanted to catch some fish too. We were slinging cow liver towards the bank and never got a bite. Most of our effort was spent keeping the boats from drifting off course and by the time we got the hang of it and was doing some serious fishing the sun began to set over the horizon. We are not scared of the dark, but it is nice to be able to see what you’re doing.

Back at the dock, Mr. Kenny was slinging the same cow liver but he was tearing up the catfish. He’d already let several small ones go and had a big one in the bucket. I filmed his second keeper of the evening.

I was just messing around with the Lumix FZ50’s video capabilities when I recording the video; I wasn’t even intending to use it for anything I was just trying to see how the Lumix recorded at night. Now looking at the several clips again after having used the PowerDirector video editing software a few times, I can see how I can turn an hour of crap into a few minutes of something that might be entertaining.

Here is the prototype for Dock Fishing at Popeye’s. It’s just a mashup of some old clips but the next episode will be filmed to purposefully fit the format. Character sketch, A little about fishing, A fish story, Catch a fish or two. End.

Buying consumer electronics

Man, what a scam. You will literally drive yourself crazy trying to feature shop and then price shop for an electronic gadget that you don’t happen to be an expert at.  Computer gear, no problem; video, audio, cameras and lenses is another matter. If you are researching several items for purchase at once, you may need medication. And when it is all said and done with you still don’t really know if you are buying the best kit for your money.

In my case I need a couple of lenses to compliment the Nikkor 70-300mm zoom I bought with my new Nikon D90. I have been taking my time to decide on exactly which lenses to buy since it is a one time shot to buy this stuff. If you are on a tight budget, like me, then your lens purchase represents a significant long-term commitment. There is no oh if I don’t like it I’ll just get another one.

To do the same range of photography with the D90 that I was able to do with an all-in-one like the Lumix FZ50, I need four lenses: I need a wide angle, a true macro, a mid-range zoom, and a telephoto zoom for which the 70-300 will have to suffice for the foreseeable future. If you have plenty of dough to spend the purchasing decision isn’t so difficult as there are excellent Nikkor lenses for every focal range. Excellent and expensive.

If you are trying to make a dollar stretch and are looking for the most value for your dollar, considering 3rd party lenses from Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina –  which cost about half of what the Nikkor glass will cost you — is a must and those added choices make the decision mind boggling.

Since I could still use my Panasonic Lumix FZ50 for the focal range not covered by the D90 with the zoom, I didn’t need to rush into a decision. I’ve spent the last several weeks perusing the literature. But the Lumix fell into Bastrop Bayou after the boat parade and now except for taking closeups with the D90 I am out of the picture taking business. I’ve been jonesing for about a week now to take some wide angle photos and some spider closeups.

The drowning of the Lumix was a complete freak accident. The night’s boat related events were at a conclusion and as I was deboarding with my gear the usually very secure velcro flap ripped open, loosing the Lumix. The camera bounced twice on the dock and splashed into the murky bayou water. I scooped it out with a net, retrieved the SD card and placed the Lumix on the shelf in its place amongst the lineage of image taking devices I have acquired over the years.

Since I was also using the Lumix for making video, I am also out of the video making business until I get another video camera.  As much as I didn’t care for the Lumix FZ50, it sure was versatile and useful and I sure do miss it.

As confusing as the SLR camera lens market is, the camcorder market is even worse. To get all the features you want on a non-professional device is impossible. If you find one that has about everything you want it will be lacking in some other key area.

One big problem for me is that I want an eyepiece to shoot through for when it is inconvenient to flip open the damn video screen and the majority of the new flash memory based cameras have done away with the eyepiece altogether in favor of smaller size.  And the trend towards putting the camera controls on the flip out screen or as touch screens is troubling. If you are out taking video of a fishing trip I imagine the smudges on the screen could get quite nasty. Or the tiny controls may be next to impossible to manipulate if you are wearing cold-weather gloves. Just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

I am also concerned as to how prevalent the Blu-ray hi-def format is going to be. Is anything less than hi-def, even if very good quality, going to be obsolete next year? Considering how much video is consumed over the Internet, probably not. And even if the AVCHD format does dominate, the $800 dollar cameras today will be $350 cameras tomorrow.  I am leaning towards the high quality recording of a 3ccd sensor but non hi-def, which is a bit more than just hi-def. Hi-def with a 3ccd sensor would be nice but that is way out of my price unless I would settle for recording to the MiniDV tape format, which I can’t do. No way, no how. No tape. Never.

The only other item I need to buy that could be considered big ticket is a ball head for my carry-around tripod. I have a big tripod for normal use and a small, light, yet very sturdy tripod that I use to carry my camera on through the woods. The proper ball-head for the setup  provides a whole nuther set of mind-boggling choices. You would think that ball head technology can’t be such a big deal. You’d be wrong. And ballheads can be quite pricey, too. Must do your homework before buying.

Here is a couple of things I’ve learned over the past few years to help get through the online shopping ordeal:

• When you first start your search make a list and put each product you look at on it so you can remember the items you have already reviewed. You will be surprised how after a day or two all the confusing product names begin to sound similar.  Or just more confusing. The marketers do that on purpose to keep consumers from comparing apples to apples. And to confuse them. All the crappy products have to be sold too.
• Trust yourself. Once you have ticked a particular product off the candidate list, do not let any future consideration override the decision. After a few days you may not remember exactly why the item was removed from the list so trust that you ticked it off for a good reason. The only exception to allow an override is a hands-on review.
• Be very careful of the shills on the consumer review sections. A lot of people are trying to make a living by writing reviews on line.
• Remember that many of the people posting these reviews are complete noobs and don’t know Shinola from you know what.
• Be careful of biased reviews by large media outlets who live and die by advertising. For example Microsoft spends a ton of money on advertising and there are plenty of people out there who will tell you to this day that Windows Vista is a good product.
• If you lack hands-on experience with a particular type of technology, don’t over spend on your initial acquisition under the assumption that a higher price equals the best performance. You can not know what features will be important to you and which ones are nothing but hype until you have some experience with the technology in the field. While I believe in the old saw that you get what you pay for, I think it applies more when trying to buy cheap than it does with paying too much.

Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping!

Parade video

I finally was able to overcome all the BS that goes with uploading a video. The third video I had planned to make, the Bastrop Bayou Boat Parade of Lights, is the first to be published. It can be seen at the Gulf Coast Texas Outdoor Magazine.

The software I use, CyberLink’s PowerDirector, encoded the video in YouTube’s mp4 format but YouTube obviously applied some more compression or something because the video quality is not great. But it is a start. Maybe now I can finish the first video, the Noodling video, and get it up.

The planned second video, kayak fishing, is still being filmed. I’m the only one that’s caught any fish from the kayak so I don’t have any video of anyone catching fish. Hard to finish a kayak fishing video without any video of someone catching a fish from a kayak.