Obviously, this is not an extensive list of what’s in NAB 2007, but it’s my list of things I’m interested in, and since this is my blog, I can post what I like! Just kidding.  Sorry for the attitude.  I’m only here for 1 more day and I’m kind of bummed to have to go back to reality (a.k.a. work)!

Anyhow, below is a list of products that I think will greatly improve and/or help you in your corporate media making abilities (I know they will help me).

Adobe Photoshop CS3
The coolest thing that I saw about Photoshop CS3 (Extended version) is the ability to import video into it.  That’s right.  You can now open a video file directly into Photoshop and there is even a brand new timeline to allow you to move through it frame by frame.  Why would you want to bring in a video into photoshop?  Rotoscoping baby!   That’s right.   You can remove whatever you want from the video on a frame by frame basis using all the tools you already know in Photohsop.   So you can now be a rotoscoping artist with Photoshop!  One more thing to add to your resume!  Yeah!

Adobe OnLocation CS3
Thanks to the purchase of Serious Magic, Adobe aquired what used to be called DVRack and now has been renamed to onLocation. 

With OnLocation, you can capture directly to disk, skipping “tape and capture” all together by hooking up your video camera directly to your laptop via firewire.  

It comes with a variety of scopes to use in the field to make sure you are not clipping your whites and/or blacks (waveform) and to makes sure your colors are ok (vector scope).     It also comes with a field monitor with an “underscan” button to see exactly what you are capturing (when viewing through your viewfinder in the camera, your viewfinder over scans what it is recording, and therefore, you may be getting some props, lights or other things you don’t want in your shot and you won’t noticed it until you are in the edit bay).

Adobe Ultra CS3
This is another product Adobe acquired when they purchased Serious Magic.  It is a fantastic product that I currently use since I shoot mainly in DV (I’m looking to upgrade to HD soon though).  If you do a lot of DV green screen shooting, you should definitely take a look at this product (it is now part of the Adobe Production CS3 product).

Adobe After Effects CS3
I’m not a real big After Effects user, however, with the new version, I know I will be using a new feature they are introducing quiet a bit.   This new feature is called the “puppet tool”.  Basically, the puppet tool allows you to take a static image and place “pins” on any point in that image you want and then you can animate those points by just dragging them.    This is great for doing animation on your photographs.   So, for example, you can have a picture of your son, with an alpha channel, and put pins on his feet and his hands and one in his waste.  Then you can start animating the feet and hands by just dragging the pins.   You don’t even have to create key frame the moves.  You can just start moving it and it automatically records the movements, so you can move the image to the beat of a song, or to some sound effects or in response to another layer behind it.   The possibilities are limitless.

NewTek TriCaster Pro
We are starting to look into creating webcasts at my work.   To webcast, you need many pieces to get the entire webcast off the ground and live.    One of the key pieces is a live switcher (for your cameras).  Basically, think of a live switcher as Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, but live.  You edit live, the output (or program) is your final edit.

NewTek TriCaster Pro has a very affordable product that allows you to have 3 camera inputs plus an RGB input (like a laptop) and edit between all the sources.   You can then simultaneously record to disk and convert the video to a Windows Media stream while also routing the final output (a.k.a. program) to a monitor and/or projector).    All this for only $6,000.

The product also includes the Windows Media encoder so that you can stream the final output to a host (such as Akamai) for your webcast.   It includes a title generator, overlay engine, XLR inputs, VCR/DVD inputs and the ability to watch each source, preview what’s next and final program.

Well, that’s another day here at NAB 2007 in Las Vegas.  It’s truly a media technologist’s paradise.

Until tomorrow!

Chau!