Fix It In Post: Solutions for Postproduction Problems
Jack James | 2009-04-08 00:00:00 | Focal Press | 236 | Digital Music
This book provides an array of concise solutions to the wide variety of problems that are faced by postproduction artists in the post process. With an application-agnostic approach, it gives proven, step-by-step methods to solving the most frequently encountered postproduction problems. Also included is access to a free, password-protected website that features application-specific resolutions to the problems presented, with fixes for working in Apple's Final Cut Studio suite, Avid's Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as other applications.
Lessons are enhanced through eye-catching 4 color illustrations throughout. Solutions are provided for common audio, video, digital, editorial, color, timing and compositing problems, such as, but not limited to:
* automated dialogue replacement, adjusting sync, and correcting pitch
* turning SD into HD (and vice-versa) and restoration of old film for video
* removing duplicate frames, repairing corrupt frames, and anti-aliasing
* maintaining continuity, removing soft cuts, and troubleshooting timecodes
* adding vignettes, removing color casts, and legalizing color
* speeding shots up or slowing shots down, and smoothing timelapse
* reframing shots, sky replacement, and object addition or removal
The book is presented in a "cookbook" format, allowing you to reference your exact problem in the TOC or index, go to that section, and immediately implement the solution featured.
* Concise solutions to a broad range of problems commonly encountered in postproduction, with solutions for problems with video, audio, compositing, color, editing, timing, and more
* 4-color presentation engages and provides vibrant visual guidance to solutions
* Application-agnostic approach provides solutions to problems regardless of the software being used
Reviews
I enjoyed this book! It is amazing to think how advanced consumer video programs have become -- saving countless shoe boxes of Hi 8 digital tapes. With Avid or Adobe editing software, and of course Jack James' book, you can correct the color fades from a child's birthday party or take some of the shakiness out of a school play, as well as awhole host of other digital demons that plague your production. If you spent a few hundred dollars on a camera, do your self a favor and pop for this book.
Reviews
This is a rare book in my collection of graphics software books because it has timeless value. By being software-agnostic (i.e., not relying on features only found in a specific vendor's software), this book presents its readers with a long list of problems encountered in postproduction together with their solutions. Note that since the book is software-agnostic, the solutions themselves are all given in a general level. For example, it will tell you to decrease the contrast in a particular step, but it won't tell you which key to press or what dialog to use. (It is assumed that you already know how to navigate your software of choice.) It is by doing so the author manages to keep the book thin (much appreciated) yet still contains a large amount of useful information (see the TOC in the Amazon preview). I especially find the chapter on compositional problems useful since I have been dealing with a lot of reuses of old material from the past. It kicks me out of the bad habit of relying on only the features found in my production softwares and instead ask what is the problem that I really wanted to solve. I really feel that if this book is not a classic yet, it will be.
Reviews
Coming from a game development background and typically rendering directly without Post processing. I've tended to stay away from this area of video post editing however this book has changed my mind. It provides a wealth of information great for someone like me. I used Photoshop for years to edit images because I know how to use Photoshop. Still trying to figure out how to use to do a video where there are 30 frames a second seemed quite daunting.
This is where I found this book very useful. It methodically takes you through a series of common but difficult problems and solves them for you. I use a PC and Adobe Premiere which is one of the applications used in the book. Just recently I have had access to a Mac and Final Cut Pro too.
I found the tutorials very useful, laid out in easy to follow steps in full color. The book expects you to have some basic knowledge of the tools you are using, so it doesn't go into detail about interface and using the computer. For me at least this was a plus. I just wanted to recognize a problem, or get an idea of how I could improve the visual quality and enhance mood, atmosphere and drama. Or remove annoying problems like interlacing lines that are common with digital video cameras, enhance or subdue the lighting naturally, or remove lense-flares and average out the lighting when light conditions change. All these things are covered in Fix it in Post.
I think this book is excellent for Intermediate to advanced users, but a beginner might want to get to grips with the software and interface first before plunging in.
Reviews
"Fix It In Post" is a good introduction to the techniques every post production professional should have in their toolbox. It's organized into groups of problems and technique areas like Composition, Digital Video, Timing, plus a Essential Techniques overview, making it an good first-grab reference when the pressure is on. The techniques are generally platform-agnostic, and use standardized terms. Most techniques are illustrated with standardized symbols as well.
Since it's platform-agnostic, no example goes into great detail. You are expected to know the basic operation of the software you're using. This is a strength, as it keeps the examples short and easy to grasp at once. The idea is to establish a basic understanding of how the core techniques are applied to real problems.
The audio section, generally, is excellent, starting with a good overview of digital audio and following with several examples of standard audio techniques useful to picture editors and visual pros - filling in edits with room tone, mixing surround from mono & stereo, fix sync issues, remove clicks & pops, etc. Alone, it's not comprehensive, but like the rest of the book it offers just enough detail to establish a standard terminology.
The color correction section is similar. It's not an in-depth treatment on the science, but it offers a solid foundation in how the core concepts are applied to actual problems. The full-color images are high-quality, and do a good job of indicating the problem and possible solutions discussed in the visual chapters.
There are sections that deal with production, camerawork, editorial and other issues. The general direction of the book is visual media production and post, so its intended audience would be visual professionals - editors, color correctors, cameramen, producers. But it's a broad enough overview of post fixes that anyone who needs to wear a few hats during production would benefit from having it on their bookshelf.
Reviews
When I started in postproduction, in 1995, my first Mac only had 32 MB of RAM, I owned the only copy of After Effects 3.0 Production Bundle in Montreal, and Photoshop didn't quite yet produce automatic drop shadows. It was way before discussion forums and user groups in my area. Let's just say that when I ran into a problem, I had to figure out by myself.
In the golden age of SD (at least mine), most of the problems plaguing graphic design were interlace issues, pixel aspect ratio and a broadcast safe color palette. The television and motion graphics jargon was being introduced, but it was still hard to navigate those waters.
In 1999 I discovered Trish and Chris Meyer, motion graphics celebrities and authors of many books on After Effects. They produced a pair of VHS tapes on postproduction problems, Videosyncracies, which thankfully answered several of my questions and solved most of my issues.
Fast forward ten years later. On top of those SD problems, which are still a pain, an editor must face a host of new ones, from digitizing to developing post workflows, as well as a forest of HD production formats. My old Videosyncracies tapes aged quite well, but I was looking for something more modern. Enter Fix it In Post, by Jack James. I had loved his previous book, Digital Intermediates, the one and only bible on the subject, and I was looking forward to discovering his new treasure trove of tricks of the trade.
Jack James is an expert on all things digital. I find his website, Surreal Road, an excellent resource on postproduction, digital intermediate systems and other professional gear.
The book's approach is simple, clear and very well structured. While not favoring a specific piece of software and delivering application-agnostic explanations, the book is split in 11 chapters relating to families of technical problems:
- Image problems cause by lenses
- Video image problems (digital or not)
- Film image problems
- Audio glitches
- Color issues
... etc.
In the beginning, James explains basic techniques that all editors should learn to master, whether it's properly reading a histogram, or image retouching using cloning techniques, à la Photoshop. Each technique is illustrated with a specific icon. Icons are then used together with film frames in order to clearly illustrate the steps to solve a specific problem. This confers a very practical aspect to the book. Even more so, since the tricks can be used in different applications, the reader needs only adapt the technique to his favorite software. This is really the book's strength, teaching you how to fix a problem by explaining what caused it, what you can do to make things right, step by step, and examples of possible results.
This is more of a reference manual than a casual read, since you can quickly find the "magic" trick that will get you out of a snag. I discovered several new tricks, like how to fix focus issues in a shot, a better way to reduce digital noise, as well as tips to produce great looking black and white footage.
The last chapter deals with what I consider the most important subject, postproduction workflows. How to conceive a management strategy for your media, as well as security and archiving, should be on top of your "to-do list", in the era of multi-terabyte HD productions. The appendix contains a plethora of up to date lists and tables, covering everything from production formats and codecs to image frame sizes, a great resource for recognizing whatever can fall in your editorial plate.
The verdict: most of the techniques covered in this book could leave the casual Final Cut Pro enthusiast by the wayside. Online editors and compositors will feel at ease with the book, and might even discover some new tricks for their arsenal. On the other hand, one can never stress enough the importance of learning: in order to master your art, you must master your tool of choice. Understanding why a problem surfaces is essential in preventing such a problem to happen again, and there lies the importance of a book such as Fix it In Post. It deserves a special place on your bookshelf, because we still often hear "we'll fix it in post".
Marc-André Ferguson
Founder
Final Cut MTL : the Montreal Final Cut Pro Users Group
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