Rotate video clips from digital cameras using Streamclip, Quicktime Pro and Turn Clip in iMovie
If you are shooting video with a little digital camera like the Flip Video, it is real easy to rotate the camera ninety degrees when your are taking pictures. The problem comes later when you are editing and your video is sideways. What do you do?
If you just need to rotate the raw footage (.mpeg or .avi), then you can download the MPEG Streamclip utility. It is free! It allows you to rotate your footage. It even has the ability to restore sound to mpegs that don’t seem to have any audio when you play them on your mac. Did I mention it was free? Works in OSX and Windows.
1. Quit Final Cut Pro HD.
2. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
3. From the Go menu, choose Go to Folder.
4. Type: ~/Library/Preferences/
5. Click Go.
6. Drag the file named “com.apple.FinalCutPro.plist” to the Trash.
7. Double-click the folder named “Final Cut Pro User Data”.
There are four files to delete within this folder:
This post covers what Second Life is, how it works, and some basic user pointers/tutorials.
What is Secondlife?
Secondlife is a free 3-D virtual reality program in which users create and manipulate an alternate identity, or avatar. Users can also create objects and property, manipulating the virtual world in which the avatar exists. This virtual reality interacts with the reality outside the computer in various ways, including financially, educationally, and creatively.
Vassar College has been very active in the evolution of Secondlife, particularly in the ways that Secondlife is used as an instruction technique. Various psychological and cognitive science experiments are now conducted within Secondlife, and Vassar College has revolutionized the ways that Secondlife can be used to represent and study art in 3D. To explore the ways Vassar conceptualizes this exciting program, visit this site, which contains Vassar’s description of Secondlife and the ways we use it. The site also includes further links to Vassar’s recreation of the Sistine Chapel and to a digital performance that occurred there.
Some classes using Secondlife
160a and b. Issues in Feminism: Bodies and Texts (1) - en exploration of the body, representation of the body, and textuality with a focus on issues in feminist theory
160a and b. Approaches to Media Studies (1) - an introductory study of “new” and “old” media, with a focus on specificity and the many approaches to the study of media
If you’d like to arrange a workshop or a training for a class, contact Baynard Bailey at
New Users
If you are interested in creating a Secondlife account or are looking for helpful tips on the Secondlife World, or even if you just need help figuring out how to modify your avatar’s appearance, the Web staff has created a series of tutorials to help integrate new users into the Secondlife World. To view these tutorials, click here. For a sneaky way to get to Vassar Island if you already have an account, click here.
CSS Zen Garden and A List Apart demonstrate the artistry and the technique of CSS design
Here’s something aspiring web designers may find interesting:
CSS Zen Garden
http://www.csszengarden.com/
At any given moment, the CSS Zen garden has several designs that show how much can be done with CSS.
A List Apart
http://www.alistapart.com/
While the Zen Garden focuses on the visual aspect, A List Apart focuses on the technical aspect of CSS and web design.
Ripping Video from the Internet & Free Online Conversion
Ever needed to grab a video from YouTube for an academic project?
Or convert between audio or video formats on the fly?
Compress a video?
Now there’s MediaConverter.org!
The free portions of this website allow you to grab videos from video portals like YouTube, convert them into common video formats, and download them onto your computer for editing and use in presentations. You can also use the site to convert audio, video, and text files already on your computer between common formats and compression sizes. Check out their FAQ for more details.
Remember! It is a thin line between using videos online for academic purposes and stealing. When in doubt, consult the Fair Use Act and use your best judgment.
We have an all new piece of hardware called the PlusDeck2c that can save all those old cassette tapes of yours into digital files for your audio listening pleasure!
The following is information regarding the usage of the tape:
To Play Back a Cassette Tape
1. Insert tape into plusDeck2
2. Open plusDeck2 software on the computer
3. You can press play to begin listening (you can play A side or B side)
To Convert from Tape to Digital File
1. Click the Configure button under File Setting.
2. Choose the tape side (A, B, A&B, etc.)
3. Choose the file type you want (mp3 is the most universal, the bigger the number beside it, the higher the quality of the file and also bigger file size)
4. Then, click Convert under Tape>Digital File
NOTE: remember to rewind the tape to wherever you want to start recording from
To Save Sound from the PC
1. First do steps 1-3 in “To Convert from Tape to Digital File”
2. Under PC>Digital File, click Save
3. Name your file
4. Begin recording whatever your PC plays
In the Media Cloisters, we have a VHS to DVD converter and burner.
It is located in the back by the digital sender (the bulk emailer).
Instructions for Converting a VHS to a DVD
1. Turn on television and VHS to DVD converter.
2. Insert VHS and press “play”.
3. Pause video at point at which you want to start conversion.
4. Open DVD player and insert blank DVD. Close DVD player.
5. Press “dubbing” on the DVD player.
6. On the screen, select appropriate time limit for your conversion, highlight
“dubbing”, and press “enter” on the remote.
7. Allow video to play as the conversion happens.
8. When conversion if finished, press the “DVD/VCR” button to be in the DVD
mode.
9. On the remote, press “Home.”
10. Use arrow buttons on the remote to reach the “Easy Menu.” Highlight “Disc
Manager” and press “Enter” on the remote.
11. Highlight “Finalize” on the right, and press “Enter” on the remote.
12. Allow finalization to occur. Press “Enter” on the remote when finished.
13. Remove DVD and VHS. Your conversion is now complete.
Audacity is an open-source sound editor that works on macs and PCs. It can be used to to edit raw sound files from digital recordings, or to record live.
This Audacity tutorial was used for the Approaches to Media Studies Audacity workshop. It covers importing files, basic editing, the envelope tool and exporting.
