2006 0506 Digital Juice Magazine
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Splash! MAKE A
DVD-Video, Interactive Layer Browser& Idea Book Inside!
Photoshop Layered Art You Take Apart
• PHOTOSHOP Tips from Industry Pro, Dave Cross • 5 Tips for Better VIDEO Titles • Build Better PRESENTATIONS in 4 Hours or less!
PLUS: IN USE @ JUICE— WE RATE THE AG-HVX200, PANASONIC’S NEW LOW-DOLLAR HD CAMERA
EXPERT ADVICE
BONUS!
with Juice Drops Design Library
PUBLISHER: David Hebel, Viv T. Beason, Jr. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Chuck Peters
Talk Back: Reader Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Juice News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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10
Juice Insider: Multimedia turning points by Viv Beason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SENIOR EDITOR: D. Eric Franks ART DIRECTOR: Jacqui Dawson
Make a Splash with Take Apart Art
The Juice Drops Layered Photoshop Design Library by Chuck Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Deconstructing Juice Drops Layers in Photoshop: The power is in the pieces
14
by Jacqui Dawson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Layer Comps in Photoshop CS2
A new feature that is powerful and easy to use by Dave Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
18
Juice Drops Volume Spotlight
A closer look at volume 38: pastelSKETCH . . . . . . . . 18
Layered Video Effects
23
Using Juice Drop layers in After Effects by Brent Milby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
34
Five Tips for Formatting Fonts
by Chuck Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Idea Book and Gallery: Juice Drops Layered Photoshop Design Library
. . . . . . . . . . . . 23
StackTraxx in the Mix
Not your ordinary production music by Jeff Earley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Killer Presentations in 4 Hours or Less
38
Streamlining your PowerPoint workflow by Kevin Lerner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: Pat Bailey, Geetesh Bajaj, Viv T. Beason, Jr., Graham Cohen, Alessia Cowee, Dave Cross, Jacqui Dawson, Jeff Earley, Michael Fitzer, D. Eric Franks, Rick Green, Dave Hebel, Perry Jenkins, Robert Leitch, Kevin Lerner, Matt Janowsky, Jeb Johenning, Brent Milby, Chuck Peters, Brian Pogue, Jeff Schell, Kevin Sherman and David Traube GRAPHIC DESIGNERS & ILLUSTRATORS: Brent Milby, Saritha Sugunan, P. Gururaj, V. Sridhar PHOTOGRAPHY: Perry Jenkins
Customer Showcase: Your chance to show us
what you have done with Juice products . . . . . . . . . 37
In Use @ Juice: Panasonic’s HVX200 HD in action by Perry Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Screen Shots: American Idol and the Daytona 500 by Chuck Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 DIGITAL JUICE PRODUCT CATALOG . . . . . . . 41 Juice Box: Be the first, save the most
by Dave Hebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
ORDERING IS EASY! TO ORDER BY PHONE: Call one of our friendly customer service representatives ON THE COVER: Illustrator/animator Brent Milby created the cover graphic in 3ds Max and Photoshop using elements from Juice Drops graphic #3120 from volume 31: foodFUSION.
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Monday–Friday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM EST
1-800-525-2203 TO ORDER ONLINE 24 HOURS A DAY: www.digitaljuice.com
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
DIGITAL JUICE, INC. 1736 NE 25TH AVE. OCALA, FL 34470 1.800.525.2203 352.369.0930 www.digitaljuice.com
HAVING TROUBLE?
IT'S FREE!
Most problems can be solved by visiting our extensive online support area at www.digitaljuice.com
To get every issue of
or you can email the Digital Juice Tech Support Team at [email protected] or the Tech Team is available by phone Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM EST
1-800-525-2203
Digital Juice Magazine ABSOLUTELY FREE, go to www.digitaljuice.com and click on FREE SUBSCRIPTION.
Don’t miss another issue!
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with Chuck Peters—Editor in Chief, Digital Juice Magazine
Your Chance To Make Your Voice Heard Got a question, comment or suggestion? We would love to hear it. FIRST IMPRESSIONS If you would like to ask a question, sing our praises, bend our ear, or just say ‘Hi,’ drop us an email at [email protected] and you could see it here in the magazine. You can also interact with Digital Juice and other users in our user forums @ www.digitaljuice.com/ community_forums
I
just received my first Editors Toolkit today, Editors Toolkit 10. What an amazing, impressive, simple, creative, adaptive, original, awesome, excellent, raising-the-bar package! I just want to share with you the words that popped into my head upon first looking at Editor’s Toolkit 10 in the first five seconds. It’s just amazing stuff and my [product from competitor] is going on eBay today so I can buy more from Digital Juice. I’m a fan for life now. One more thing: If I wasn’t receiving Digital Juice Magazine I would have probably never purchased. While the Website shows the products, it’s the personal connection, commitment and articles that sold me on Digital Juice. As a reader and consumer I can see that Digital Juice is a passion, and not just a $99 eBay company. —Patrick Sherman, South Sound Video, Yelm, WA Well, they say it’s important to make a good first impression, because first impressions are hard to reverse. I’m glad ETK10 passed your test. I can confidently say that you’ll only love it more after you’ve had a chance to work with it. These Toolkits rock! Best of all, most of the people I’ve talked to say that the Digital Juice products they purchase pay for themselves in just a couple productions. Welcome to the Juice family, Patrick! We’re looking forward to seeing our stuff in your productions. —CP
EXTREME SOUNDTRACKS
I
recently purchased almost your entire catalog of StackTraxx. You guys did a great job putting that music together. For the first time I feel that my music is not compromising my production. Way to go!
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
“
If I wasn’t receiving Digital Juice Magazine I would have probably never purchased. While the Website shows the products, it’s the personal connection, commitment and articles that sold me on Digital Juice. — Patrick Sherman
”
Aerial Extreme is an Emmy award winning company specializing in extreme sports such as BASE jumping and skydiving. We have won many awards for both our video production and photography. Please check out our Website at www.AerialExtreme.com. We are just wrapping up production on our latest movie entitled “Beyond Acrophobia”. It’s a 15-minute movie about the fear of heights that BASE jumpers experience. The cool thing about this film is that all the music we used was from your StackTraxx music collection, and we think it worked out exceptionally well.—Mark Lichtle, Aerial Extreme, San Jose, CA We wish you the best with your new movie, Mark. It already “sounds” like a winner to us!—CP
TOO MANY MAGS!
I
’m a big DJ fan and use quite a few of your products. I like your new magazine format with the DVD, but noticed that I have been receiving four copies every time you send out a new issue. I’m sure this magazine costs a bundle to produce and mail. I must be set up in your database under four separate entries. Anyway, the magazine is great and keeps me abreast of your new products, and the tips are very useful and concise too, but I hate to see you waste money by sending out unnecessary copies.—Alan Kolsky, Digital Video Dimensions, Novato, CA
Thanks for mentioning this, Alan! We are updating our database to fix problems like this right now. If you are getting more than one magazine, please email me directly at [email protected] and send me the one address that you would like to use as your active mailing address. This will be a huge help to us in reducing cost and waste.—CP
WHERE WAS THAT?
I
saw in one of your issues a detailed article of a 9x9x9 green screen section. Do you know which issue this is in? I am starting construction and want to be sure to follow all the advice. Thank you for your help and for all those great HD Jump Backs!— Gary Christmas, PowerJam Entertainment Group, www.NewBandTV.com Hi Gary, That article was called, Green Screen Fantasy -Building a Green Screen Wall for More Creative Shots,by Perry Jenkins. It ran in our Sept 2005 issue. You can read it online at www.digitaljuice.com/magazine. In fact, we archive every issue of DJ Mag on our Website. This online version of the mag is a great thing to know about. A lot of the articles also include audio and video examples. Unfortunately, we still can’t put sound and video on a magazine page.—CP
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JUICE’S BESTSELLERS DIGITAL GIGANTIC GIVEAWAY Juice Products* 10 Digital
TOP
01. Editor’s Toolkit 10: Multipurpose Tools III (New) 02. StackTraxx Volume 12: Corporate Stacks (New) 03. Digital Juice Sound FX Library
PRIZE WINNERS!
W
e’d like to sincerely thank all of you who entered our Gigantic January Giveaway, with a chance to win a share of over $20,000
in Digital Juice merchandise. We have picked our winners and are pleased to announce and congratulate the following folks: Grand Prize: Ann Marie Donahue (Waterford, MI) $10,000
2nd Prize: Nathan Diehl (Waterloo, IN) $4,000
• 30 Jump Backs
• 30 Jump Backs
09. VideoTraxx 2 Film & Video Library
• 11 StackTraxx
10. Juice Drops Volume 23: cleanCUTS III
• 9 Editor’s Toolkits
Again, congrats to our winners! We look forward to seeing what you do with your prizes. To the rest of you: keep watching the magazine and the Web site for more opportunities to win great Digital Juice merchandise.
04. Editor’s Toolkit 6: Corporate & Broadcast Tools 05. Jump Backs Volume 30: Simply Useful 06. Jump Backs Volume 28: Subtle Impact II 07. VideoTraxx 3 Film & Video Library 08. Editor’s Toolkit 2: Multipurpose Tools II (New)
• 3 VideoTraxx
10
TOP
Jump Backs Volumes*
01. JB 30: Simply Useful 02. JB 28: Subtle Impact II 03. JB 24: Tunnel Vision 04. JB 22: Global Impact 05. JB 25: All Music 06. JB 12: Corp/Ind Time & Money
• 1 Sound FX Library 1st Prize: D. Tyrrel Walker (Hope Mills, NC) $7,000 • 11 StackTraxx • 10 Jump Backs • 9 Editor’s Toolkits
07. JB 14: Med./Health, Educ. & Science 08. JB 21: High Impact VIII 09. JB 15: Weather & The Elements 10. JB 13: All Church
JUICER 3.0: STACKTRAXX PROGRESS REPORT
Drops Volumes* 10 Juice D
TOP
evelopment of our free Juicer 3 media management and processing software continues at a healthy pace. While the
01. JD 23: cleanCUTS III
rendering engine and search technology under the hood have seen some
02. JD 35: futureTECH
significant improvements, we think you’ll be most impressed with the
03. JD 21: businessIMPACT
improved usability of the application. Right now we’ve got a very stable
04. JD 19: medicalIMPACT
version that works with all of our audio products: the Digital Juice Sound
05. JD 32: templateCUTS
FX Library, the StackTraxx Layered Music Library and the BackTraxx CD
06. JD 37: sportsCUTS
Music Library. The interface for our StackTraxx layered music is
07. JD 24: geoIMPACT
particularly easy to use, with large, clearly labeled On and Off buttons that
08. JD 27: glassEDGE
make it fun and easy to create your own mix. Drop by
09. JD 36: naturalCUTS
www.digitaljuice.com/juicer3 to get the latest release of the Juicer 3
10. JD 01: highIMPACT
software and to find out when more of our products will be supported by
* Data from February/March 2006 Sales
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this free application which makes our media easier to use and more
JUICEINSIDER FROM THE PRESIDENT
MULTIMEDIA TURNING POINTS by Viv T. Beason, Jr.
T
his issue marks a turning point for our magazine. It’s no secret that our product line can be divided into three distinct areas: presentation, print and video. Up to this point, the video segment has occupied the lion’s share of our marketing and advertising focus. Having cut our multimedia teeth on the Amiga and the Video Toaster way back in the early 1990s, video is where we got our start.
Recently, I reflected back to when I entered this industry. It was truly a “one-man-and-a-dream” situation, like so many of our customers. I didn’t just shoot and edit, I made my own graphics and did my own marketing. I remember the hours I spent in Photoshop trying to design slick VHS album sleeves and the time I spent preparing slide presentations using PowerPoint. As we talked about the magazine, we realized that we need to cover topics other than video production. We believe that our entire media library has the potential to enhance your image, help your clients and ultimately make you more profitable. This issue of Digital Juice Magazine focuses on Juice Drops layered Photoshop graphics. This is not a new product line for us: we are nearing the release of our 40th volume now. Juice Drops are primarily created for professional print designers using Adobe Photoshop. But, they can be transformational for video professionals and Web designers as well. In fact, I know the product will change your career and your business. This issue does a fine job of showing you Juice Drops in their native print environment, but you need to watch the included DVD to see what I’m really talking about. We’re also changing the magazine by adding more content that’s not explicitly tied to promoting our products. For example, check out producer Perry Jenkins’ hands-on review of Panasonic’s HVX200 HD camcorder and solid-state recording system, which he used to shoot the video for the DVD that’s included with this magazine. We know a fair amount about the industries that we serve because of our realworld, real-time experiences of putting out consistent marketing and training materials on time and on budget. At least part of our mission is sharing that experience with you: our readers, customers and friends. I can personally guarantee we’re working harder than ever developing the next generation of multimedia content, in all of its forms. Viv T. Beason, Jr. is the president of Digital Juice and the co-publisher of Digital Juice magazine.
compatible than anything else in the industry.
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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JUICE DROPS
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Splash! MAKE A
The
JUICE DROPS Layered Photoshop Design Library
by Chuck Peters
is Art You Take Apart
G
raphic designers work with stock photos, custom illustrations
and graphic elements all of the time, but good stock art can
be a pain to find and download, expensive to buy and not very flexible to use. Digital Juice’s Juice Drops—royalty-free layered Photoshop graphics and illustrations—bring affordability, creativity and flexibility to stock art.
ON THE DVD: THE JUICE DROPS INTERACTIVE BROWSER
Figure 1
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Check out the Juice Drops Interactive Browser on the DVD. It's fun to use and will let you turn the layers on and off to get a feel for how you might use Juice Drops in your productions. To use the Juice Drops Interactive Browser, insert the DVD into your computer's DVD drive. On many computers, the video on the DVD will play automatically. You can close the player down if you've already seen it. On Apple Mac computers, use the Finder to open the Juice Drops Browser folder and double-click the JuiceDrops Interactive Browser application. On Microsoft Windows machines, right-click My Computer and select Explore. Then open the Juice Drops Browser folder and run the Juice Drops Interactive Browser application.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE
Each volume of Juice Drops contains 100 images in a particular style or theme. Above are just a few examples of the broad variety of Juice Drops illustrations.
MAY/JUNE 2006
BUDGETS AND DEADLINES Tight budgets and looming deadlines can constrain creativity and hurt the quality of your work, whether for a magazine ad, a brochure, a DVD menu or a Webpage. While most artists would love to create art-for-art sake without any conditions, the pragmatic reality is that we all need to pay our bills. It is usually impractical to start from scratch, hire a photographer or negotiate with an illustrator for a piece of art. Especially for a piece of art that you needed yesterday. That’s where stock art comes into the picture.
fantastic stock art available today on the Internet, so that’s a great place to start. But after browsing for illustrations by category or subject, you’ll often have a short list of graphics that are good, but not perfect. And you probably can’t afford to buy all of them to play around with to create some designs. When you do pick one, it’s usually delivered as a flat image, not a layered file.
There’s a lot of really
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JUICE DROPS
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
BECOMING PERFECT Whenever a graphic artist uses stock art, it’s necessary to modify it to fit the project at hand. Simple color adjustments, scaling and positioning aren’t too tough, but making major modifications can be harder and more time consuming. Isolating foreground elements, for example, can be a huge pain with pixel-level masking and painting. Juice Drops graphics and illustrations, in contrast, are already masked with Photoshop-compatible layers, which means that dozens of elements in a composition can be isolated with a click. And these elements can be individually adjusted, scaled, repositioned and recombined with elements from other Juice Drops graphics. This makes it easy
to pair the perfect foreground from one graphic with the perfect background from another one (Figure 2). QUALITY, ARTISTRY AND FLEXIBILITY The quality of the artwork in the Juice Drops library is as impressive as the collection is diverse. Owning Juice Drops is like having a whole team of artists working for you. Our artists spend days and days conceiving and creating each Juice Drop. The image we give you is just a starting point. You can remix our designs however you need to. The technical quality is excellent, with high-resolution images that will print out at 17-inches x 11-inches at 300 DPI. The complete design and layout of the graphics make them very usable, right off the disc, but the real appeal of Juice Drops is that you can re-mix the designs. Turn a few layers off to isolate a Hero element, flip and reposition layers—even combine elements from two or more Juice Drops to create completely original designs.
Figure 2 We know you’ll love Juice Drops because we love Juice Drops! We don’t just make, market and sell Juice Drops—we use them ourselves. Start with our art, take it apart and make it your own. The idea isn’t to substitute stock art to compensate for your artistic limitations, but to supply graphics and illustrations that supplement your strengths, allowing you to knock the socks off of your client (and your boss), while keeping the project on time and under budget.
In this image, a foreground element from Juice Drops #3096 is combined with some background elements from #3382 for a completely new look.
For information about Juice Drops volumes and pricing, see the Juice Drops section of our catalog on page 42 in this issue of the magazine.
Chuck Peters is the General Manager of Digital Juice.
The same Juice Drops elements were used for these three different aspects of a media campaign for a coffee shop—printed menu (far left), web page (left) and DVD menu (bottom, far left).
While we've emphasized the high-resolution quality of Juice Drops in print in this article and throughout the magazine, the graphics are extremely useful in other applications as well. We've concentrated on print since that is typically the most demanding application, but lower resolution mediums can benefit greatly in a coordinated media campaign that encompasses not just printed materials but also Web pages, video, animations and DVD menus. 1.800.525.2203 ORDER BY PHONE
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 11
MULTIMEDIA VERSATILITY
Juice Drops are totally different. You get them as entire thematic volumes of 100 graphics at a time, so they are always on your shelf, ready to use how, when and where you please (Figure 1). Like any piece of stock art, you’ll find graphics that are almost exactly what you need, but not quite. That’s exactly what makes Juice Drops better than any other stock art out there. They are put together to be taken apart. Because they are created as layered files, you can remix the layers to redesign the design however you like.
PHOTOSHOP
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
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Deconstructing Juice Drops The power is in the pieces by Jacqui Dawson Figure 1
W
hen most people look at our Juice Drops volumes, they judge the images by what they can first see: beautifully
complex backgrounds on a variety of themes and in a mixture of styles. Some of these diverse backgrounds may not appear immediately useful, despite their fine detail, while others can instantly spark a designer’s imagination. First impressions, however, cannot possibly do Juice Drops justice. Every image in this 40-volume library is delivered in layers so that you can build up or tear down each illustration to suit any type of application. In this article, I will show you how even the most complicated Juice Drops images can be useful in full-layered form or in deconstructed simplicity. Juice Drops #3549 from JD35: futureTECH, in full layered mode (above, top) and with only a few layers turned on (above).
designing a layout using Juice Drops, the first thing I do “ When in Photoshop is turn all the layers in the image off. ” INSPIRATION POINT
Juice Drops #3570 from JD35: futureTECH, with only a few layers turned on (above, top) and in full layered mode (above).
When designing a layout using Juice Drops, the first thing I do in Photoshop is turn all the layers in the image off. I then start turning them back on from the bottom up. Along the way, I turn layers back off or on as I see their position and purpose in the composition. In this way, I can get an idea of which layers I need for my project. Often, this will also give me inspiration for how to arrange text and graphics around and on top of the Juice Drops elements. By the time I am done deciding what I need, the image rarely looks like the original composition, even if I never change an element’s position, blending mode or transparency. To see a few examples of this kind of deconstructed simplicity, check out the two examples in Figure 1. Figure 2
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Juice Drops #2400 from JD24: geoIMPACT, with all layers on (at left, below) and with only 4 layers turned on (at right, below).
Figure 3
Juice Drops #3639 from JD36: naturalCUTS
LAYERS ON, LAYERS OFF
Juice Drops #3639 (Volume 36: naturalCUTS) is a good example of the layering flexibility I am talking about. For Figure 4 one project (an ad for an upscale flower shop) I used the full background as-is and STRONG FOUNDATIONS added my own text and photos (Figure 2). On a second project (packaging for a facial DRIVE DESIGN tissues product), however, I turned all but a Just like you can pull layers out of Juice few crucial layers off (see the layers palette Drops images to create isolated spot at left), because I was looking for a simpler illustrations in editorial and advertising layouts (check out “See Spot Run” in DJ and softer look (Figure 3). Magazine, October 2005, archived online at Sometimes you just need an interesting digitaljuice.com), you can also utilize the texture or pattern as the basis for a base layers in Juice Drops images as the strong layout. For the exterior sign of an foundation for a completely different kind of auto body shop, I used Juice Drops design. When you have the graphic #2400 (Volume 24: geoIMPACT) with all resources available in even just one layered but four of its dozens of layers turned off Juice Drops illustration, you have the to get a rough and rusty look (Figure 4). control to take a project in any direction. On the other hand, the fully layered image Jacqui Dawson is Juice Drops Product with its globes and wire-frame diagrams Manager and Art Director of Digital worked perfectly for a book cover on Juice Magazine. world architecture (Figure 5).
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Figure 5
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 13
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Layer Comps in Photoshop CS2
The new Layer Comps feature in Photoshop CS2 is both powerful and easy to use by Dave Cross
T
Figure 1
here’s no question that creating and working with multiple layers offers the highest level of control and flexibility in
Photoshop®. Thanks to a little-known feature introduced in Photoshop CS2 called Layer Comps, you can take your experimentation to a whole other level—including some pretty slick ways to show options to your client.
Once you have created a number of Layer Comps “ you can take advantage of them in a number if ways. ” SHOW IT OFF
Figure 2
Juice Drops images like this one (Figure 1) really show off the benefits of using Layer Comps. This image is provided with the most important elements on 11 separate layers. You can easily create different looks simply by hiding one or more layers or by moving elements around (Figure 2). Before Layer Comps, you’d have to create a bunch of separate documents to reflect all the changes you make to the layers or to compare the different options. Or if you wanted to use only one document to show your client the various options you’ve created, you’d have to make them wait while you hide and show the appropriate layers. Layer Comps change everything, by “recording” the state of the Layers Palette: visibility, opacity, layer styles and the position of the layers on the document.
LAYER COMPS PALETTE
The Layer Comps palette can be found in the Palette Well or accessed from the Window menu. At first glance it looks pretty basic because, well, it is (Figure 3). All you do is make your document look the way you want by hiding any layers you don’t want in your composition and then clicking the Create New Layer Comp button (the page icon). In the dialog, enter a descriptive name and make sure that all three check boxes are checked – that way the Layer Comp will remember everything about the state of the Layers Palette (Figure 4). If you want, you can even add a note that helps describe the Layer Comp (Figure 5). To see the note in the Layer Comps palette just twirl down the triangle beside the name of the Layer Comp (Figure 6).
Figure 3
Figure 4
POSITION
You can also move the position of individual layers within the document window and create a Layer Comp that Figure 5
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Figure 6 remembers the position of the layers within the document window (Figure 7). It’s important to note that if you move a layer up or down in the layer stack, all Layer Comps that include those layers will be affected. In other words, you cannot create a Layer Comp that changes the order of the layer stack without all of the other Layer Comps also being affected. If you want to create a Layer Comp that shows a change in the layer stack, you’d have to duplicate the layer, move it to the appropriate location in the stack and hide the original layer, then create a Layer Comp.
Figure 7 Figure 8
Similarly, you can’t change the content of the layer itself without all layers being affected. For example, if you want one variation where the contents of one of the layers is smaller, you’d have to duplicate the layer, free transform the contents and hide the original layer (Figure 8). It might sound like a lot of work but it’s actually very
simple, and allows you to take full advantage of Layer Comps. Since we’re discussing the things you can’t do with Layer Comps, let’s get the rest of that out of the way before we move on to the cool ways you can use Layer Comps. Basically it comes down to this: you cannot change the contents of the layer without it affecting all Layer Comps. That means you can’t apply a filter, change the color of the pixels, paint on a layer mask or edit a type layer without affecting all Layer Comps. In this example I wanted two different font options, so I duplicated the type layer, change the typeface of one of them and then made two layer comps (Figure 9). One other thing that’s important to note: if you delete a layer, a warning symbol will appear beside each Layer Comp that uses that layer. You’ll have to decide whether you really want to delete the layer and change the Layer Comps accordingly – if you do, click the update button to alter the Layer Comp. If on the other hand the warning symbol helps you to realize that you don’t really want to delete the layer, then Undo (Figure 10).
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Figure 11
SHORTCUTS If you’re into using keyboard
THE GOOD STUFF
shortcuts, you can assign a
Okay, enough about the few things you need to worry about – back to the good stuff! Once you have created a number of Layer Comps you can take advantage of them in a number if ways. First, you can use the Apply Next and Apply Previous buttons to look through the different Layer Comps. Each time you click one of these buttons, the Layers Palette will be altered to reflect the active Layer Comp: layers will be hidden, shown, moved or the opacity changed. If you want to look at one specific Layer Comp, click to the left of the name of the Layer Comp to apply that comp (Figure 11).
shortcut to the Apply Next and
When you save the document, the Layer Comps are automatically saved as part of Figure 9
Figure 10
(continued on page 16)
Apply Previous buttons. Just go to Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts and use the “Shortcuts For” popup menu to select Palette Menus. Twirl down the Layer Comps menu until you see Next Layer Comp and click to the right to enter a new shortcut. (It may be a struggle to find one that’s available, but with a bit of effort you can). Enter a shortcut for Previous Layer Comp, and click OK. Then you can use these new keystroke shortcuts to look through your Layer Comps.
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 15
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Layer Comps in Photoshop CS2 (continued from page 15)
Figure 12 the document and they’re ready to use at any time. Adobe included some built-in scripts that help you to use your Layer Comps in a few different ways. Look on the File menu to access the scripts: Layer Comps to Files (which makes separate files from each Layer Comp); Layer Comps to Files to PDF (which creates a PDF slideshow that can be emailed); Layer Comps to Files to WPG (which creates a Website using Web Photo Gallery). CLIENT REVIEW
In order to use the Layer Comps to Files to WPG script, you’ll have to type in the name of the style of Web Photo Gallery you want to use. If you’ve never used a WPG before, you’ll have to access it from File > Automate, check out the various styles and then make note of the name. Then you can enter the
exact name in the Layer Comps to Files to WPG dialog, choose a destination folder and let Photoshop do all the work. You’ll end up with a folder full of files that you upload to your server and voila, instant Website (Figure 12). In the good old days before Layer Comps, many Photoshop users would end up with multiple versions of the same artwork in order to have a bunch of different options. Now thanks to Layer Comps, you can concentrate on one document and create multiple options that are built right in.
Dave Cross is Senior Developer, Education and Curriculum for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), a regular columnist for Photoshop User magazine, Graphics Editor for Layers magazine and the author of Photoshop CS2 Help Desk Book.
JUICE DROPS Volume Spotlight This new feature in Digital Juice Magazine gives you a chance to see a more detailed sample of the contents of individual volumes from our various graphics and animation libraries, as well as to get some creative ideas on how to put them to use.
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JD38:pastelSKETCH
Volume 38 of the Juice Drops library, pastelSKETCH, contains a variety of abstract concepts and realistic situations rendered in a wild painterly, sketch style. Its bright colors and energetic strokes jump off the page to evoke a mood, illustrate a point or add impact to any form of print or multimedia design. As with all Juice Drops volumes, these illustrations are provided in layered Photoshop PSD format so you can isolate individual elements from the designs or rearrange the existing art to suit your purposes time and time again. Check out a few examples of what’s in the volume and how it can be used at right and below.
pastelSKETCH art in use in everyday design projects— in a magazine ad for a continuing education institute (top), as spot art for a magazine layout (above), as a background for a flyer advertising children’s art classes (right, using the same Juice Drop background as previous application) and in a promotional poster for a music festival (far right).
18 | DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
This is just a small sampling of the 100 different layered designs in this volume.
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VIDEO
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Layered Video Effects Using Juice Drops layers in After Effects Figure 1
by Brent Milby
Importing a Juice Drops graphic
J
uice Drops layered graphics might be the most versatile resource for graphic artists ever produced. That might be
considered somewhat of a bold statement, but in the next few paragraphs, I’m going to show you why this isn’t an exaggeration. My argument is from the point of view of an animator, which you might think is odd, since Juice Drops are images and not video. They were initially designed for print applications, so video and animation might be considered secondary uses. Maybe it’s my bias showing again, but I think using Juice Drops for print-only projects misses their full potential.
WHY
LAYERED
COMPS? Working with Juice Drops graphics in Layered Comps in After Effects is easy enough once you get them into the application. Ultimately, the real question you want to ask is: Why? Go online to digitaljuice.com and browse over to the electronic version of this article in the Magazine section of the site to see the short demo video that Brent created using the techniques
Most Juice Drops have layers that “ extend beyond the document canvas boundaries. ” OVERVIEW
Juice Drops are truly awesome for motion graphics. The integration between Adobe’s Photoshop image editing application and their video, animation and DVD authoring tools means that the layered format of Juice Drops works perfectly across the software suite. For example, Adobe’s compositing software, After Effects, has an immensely useful feature for importing Photoshop .psd files. You can choose to import a layered file as a flattened image or use the Import as composition feature to import the file as a composition with all of the Photoshop layers represented as layers in your composition. After Effects handles the layer positions just as if they are in Photoshop and even accounts for
outlined in this article.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
properties like blending modes, layer your computer (Figure 1). At the bottom of masks, and adjustment layers. This feature the Import File dialog, there’s a pull-down makes it easy to build a composition from menu labeled Import As with three options a layered file without having to build it by hand. With the Import as a composition feature, you can literally import the files directly from your hard disk and begin animating instantly. DETAILS
To start with, copy a Juice Drops layered PSD graphic from the source DVD to your computer’s hard disk. Fire up After Effects, go to File menu > Import > File (CTRL+I) and then select the Juice Drops image you just copied to Figure 2
The Import File dialog has three options
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Most Juice Drops PSD files (like JD#3685 from volume 36: natural CUTS, shown here) contain layers with graphic elements that extend outside the shown frame, giving you more flexibility for animating these layers in After Effects.
Figure 3
(Figure 2). Import as Composition will bring the Juice Drops graphic into After Effects without any modifications, while Import as Composition—Cropped Layers will bring the Juice Drops graphic in just as you see it. The distinction is important. Most Juice Drops have layers that extend beyond the document canvas boundaries. The parts that extend off of the edges cannot be seen, but they are there, so you can reposition those elements if you want to. The reason we did this was so that you could scale down certain foreground elements without having them trimmed off. In most cases, I like to import the layers without cropping them, since this gives me more freedom later (Figure 3). When the layers come in, the
pivot point is set to the center of that layer. In any case, the size of the composition that is created once the document is imported is always the size of the original PSD document in pixels. Once you have your layered Juice Drop image imported as a composition, you are ready to unleash your motion design skills. Move, scale, rotate and distort until you forget that Juice Drops are for print designers. Here’s another tip: convert all of the layers in your comp to 3D layers and use the After Effects 3D engine to bring your flat animations into Z-space and watch your illustrations jump off the screen.
Brent Milby is Senior Animator at Digital Juice.
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Five Tips for Formatting Fonts by Chuck Peters
D
Figure 1
igital Juice can help you create a professional look with elements
and animations that make your boring text backgrounds more
compelling. But the background is not the whole story and good titling practices are just as important as the background. The good news is that formatting fonts isn’t difficult if you follow a few simple rules. Whether you design graphics for TV, the printed page or projected presentations, these five tips will save you from the perils of faulty fonting.
Whether you design graphics for TV, print or presentations, “ these five tips will save you from the perils of faulty fonting. ” #1—BE BOLD
Figure 2
Figure 3
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When it comes to finding fonts, go for big, thick and bold (instead of small, thin and swirly) for one simple reason: readability. If something is important enough to reinforce with text, it needs to be presented in a way that’s clean, clear and legible (Figure 1). For television applications and often for presentations, become a serif sheriff: Sans serif fonts are thicker, bolder and less swirly than fonts that stand on serifs. For the printed page, serif fonts are often the way to go (pull just about any book off your shelf and see for yourself).
yellow and Pepto pink. Watch out for reds in broadcast video applications. Red tends to smear and bleed on screen.
#5—STOP SHORT
Be brief. Don’t write out long sentences or full paragraphs. Hit the highlights. Emphasize key points. Star Wars fans take #3—GO DEEP note: The long “Lucas scroll” is not a good Use drop shadows and outlines to pop choice for most of your productions. Do your text off the background, create any of us (besides our hardcore Jedi contrast and add an illusion of depth readers) remember anything beyond “...In (Figure 3). Shadows and outlines are great a galaxy far away?” There are two ways to make your titles look better, but exceptions to this rule: if you need to type they also make text easier to read in most out (1) a direct quote or (2) a disclaimer. In situations. Make sure all of your shadows either case, it is proper to have a narrator all fall in the same direction. Shadows are (or live speaker) read long titles verbatim. almost always black and have the same Long textual titles accompanied by silence level of partial transparency, too. The make viewers very uncomfortable. #2—CHOOSE COLORS distance of the shadow from the font CAREFULLY In the end, you can apply one simple causes the text to appear closer to or Choose a font color that contrasts well with farther from the background, but close is principle to all of your graphics: Every your background (Figure 2). Certain font usually better than far. If the shadow is too graphic you use should enhance your colors work well, while others can make you message and not be distracting. As soon as far from the font, it just looks silly. look like an amateur. White text on a dark the audience stops listening to the message background is almost always Okay. Bright #4—BE CONSISTENT and starts squinting at small text, cringing at yellow might be an acceptable choice if you If you’re working on a project that uses the ugly colors or reading paragraphs of text need to draw special attention to a multiple pages of graphics with text, be wise instead of listening to your message, you’ve word, phrase or phone number. Dark and templatize. Pick a look you like and stick got a problem. The best way to learn to build text on a very light-colored with it for the entire project. If your fonts better graphics is to become a student of background is fine, but it can be change in size, color, position and style from other people’s work: Don’t be afraid to hard on the viewer’s eyes if overused page to page within a project, you will imitate good design when you see it. for TV or in presentations. Some definitely look amateurish. The key to looking colors should simply be avoided at professional is consistency. To avoid errors, Chuck Peters is the General Manager of all costs. Avoid using bright copy and paste your original and use it as Digital Juice and Editor in Chief of Digital Juice Magazine. florescent green, baby blue, pale the foundation for each new graphic.
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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Idea Book & Gallery DIGITAL JUICE JUICE DROPS LAYERED PHOTOSHOP DESIGN LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JD01
JD02
JD05
JD10
JD06
JD15
JD16
JD18
JD19
JD20
JD21
JD23
JD24
JD26
JD03
JD04
JD07
JD08
JD09
JD11
JD12
JD13
JD14
JD17
JD25
JD22
JD31
JD28
JD30
JD32
JUICE DROPS VARIETY
The Juice Drops Library currently has 40 volumes, each with 100 layered PSD files. The library not only illustrates themes such as sports, family, medicine, nature and geography—to name just a few—it does so in dozens of different artistic styles. This page features a sample image from each of these 40 volumes as a handy reference for you.
JD27
JD34
JD33
JD36
JD38
JD02
JD29
JD35
JD37
JD39
JD40
Digital Juice Magazine • May/June 2006
IDEA BOOK & GALLERY
JUICE DROPS USED: JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#0205 from JD02: techXTREME
PROJECT NOTES:
This networking software package got an update with the futuristic look of this techXTREME background.
JD#0822, JD#0856 & JD#0872 from JD08: techIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES:
A high-energy trade magazine ad for a well-known data cable company, designed using elements from three different Juice Drops Backgrounds.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#0589 from JD05: subtleIMPACT
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#0425 from JD04: ultraGRUNGE
PROJECT NOTES:
This alternative trio needed edgy graphics to match the style of their music for their CD jacket & disc face.
PROJECT NOTES:
This subtle Juice Drops background, tinted to match the photo, adds just the right touch of abstract ambience for this wedding fashion catalog.
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 1-8 JB01: highIMPACT JB02: techXTREME JB03: cleanCUTS JB04: ultraGRUNGE JB05: subtleIMPACT JB06: hyperXTREME JB07: techIMPACT JB08: highIMPACT II
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JD03
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1217 from JD12: retroFRESH
PROJECT NOTES:
By adjusting the hues of the layered graphic shapes in this Juice Drops background, an entirely different springtime look was given to the composition for this fashion show invitation.
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#1098 from JD10: ultra3D
PROJECT NOTES:
This telecommunications software company took a minimalist approach to convey a strong corporate message. They added to the tech feeling of the ad by using a 3D-generated image from the Juice Drops ultra3D volume. A slight blue tint was added to the hero element in the image in order to tie it to the logo better.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1377 from JD13: peopleEDGE
PROJECT NOTES:
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 9-16 JB09: highIMPACT II JB10: ultra3D JB11: xtraGRUNGE JB12: retroFRESH JB13: peopleEDGE JB14: subtleIMPACT II
Using just simple colors and shapes along with the figures from this themed background and some artfully designed typography, the designers of this course flyer for a martial arts studio have made a classy promotional piece.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1403 from JD14: subtleIMPACT II
PROJECT NOTES:
The color tones and circular shapes of this Juice Drops background are evocative of oranges, limes and lemons—and thus make for perfect packaging graphics for this citrus-based perfume.
JB15: highIMPACT II JB16: ultraCUTS
JD04
Digital Juice Magazine • May/June 2006
IDEA BOOK & GALLERY
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#2136 from JD21: businessIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES: The simple gear line art and
gradient from this Juice Drops background serve to tastefully and easily illustrate the industry this company brochure represents.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2260 from JD20: boundlessEDGE
PROJECT NOTES:
Little was changed except the arrangement of layers in this colorful graphic when it was used for the CD disc face and envelope for a music collection from a local dance studio.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1991 and JD#1993 from JD19: medicalIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES:
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2094 from JD20: illustratedIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES:
The illustrated wooden masks from this Juice Drops illustration served as dramatic eye-catching graphics for both the billboard and the invitations advertising an international theater festival.
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By pulling layers from two different Juice Drops illustrations, the designers of this fact sheet were able to communicate their message graphically while also livening up an otherwise dry informational piece.
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 17-24 JB17: scienceIMPACT JB18: cleanCUTS II JB19: medicalIMPACT JB20: illustratedIMPACT JB21: businessIMPACT JB22: boundlessEDGE JB23: cleanCUTS III JB24: geoIMPACT
JD05
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#3023 from JD30: lifeSHADES
PROJECT NOTES:
The fresh fun illustrated elements from this Juice Drops layered image were just what this paint store wanted for their website graphics when they moved their products online.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2631 from JD26: paperCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 25-32 JB25: shadedEDGE
This Juice Drops picture paints a thousand words and when it is altered by turning off layers and adjusting colors, it paints a thousand more. The straightforward message can then come through loud and clear with a minimum of text for this anti-smoking poster.
JB26: paperCUTS JB27: glassEDGE JB28: freshFORM JB29: flowerPOWER JB30: lifeSHADES JB31: foodFUSION JB32: templateCUTS
JD06
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2870 from JD28: freshFORM
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#3036 from JD30: lifeSHADES
PROJECT NOTES: Recruitment was never
so easy. The Juice Drops art already illustrates the concept required. All that was needed was some rearranging and turning off of the illustrated layers.
PROJECT NOTES:
Even the simplest of graphic layers from Juice Drops illustrations can form the basis for a company’s whole identity— like the graphic footprint this boutique printing company used for their logo, letterhead and business cards.
Digital Juice Magazine • May/June 2006
IDEA BOOK & GALLERY
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3618 from JD36: naturalCUTS
PROJECT NOTES: JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3418 from JD34: fluidFORM
PROJECT NOTES:
The fluidFORM volume provides many options for difficult editorial projects like this magazine cover. Using the dynamic bull illustration adds meaning and attracts the eye to the cover.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#4006 from JD40: frameCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
This jewelry boutique used the frame hero element from this Juice Drops graphic to create their logo and then also pulled background ornamental elements from the same illustration to decorate their sophisticated shopping bags.
One strong illustrated element can have tremendous impact when used alone, especially for a poster with a simple message like this graphic for a local butterfly garden.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3749 from JD37: sportsCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
A number of graphic elements from this Juice Drop were used to create both the logo for an intramural basketball tournament and a promotional poster to put up in schools.
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 33-40 JB33: ethnicECHOES JB34: fluidFORM JB35: futureTECH JB36: naturalCUTS
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#4052 from
JD40: frameCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
By isolating just one small part of the layered Juice Drops illustration here, this postcard design reinforces the written message with a strong graphic element.
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JB37: sportsCUTS JB38: pastelSKETCH JB39: allFLAGS JB40: frameCUTS
JD07
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3153 from JD31: foodFUSION (coffee cup and steam), JD#3412 from JD34: fluidFORM (graphic background) and JD#4048 from JD40: frameCUTS (logo frame and glassy highlights).
PROJECT NOTES:
In this doorhanger for a radio station promotion, three dissimilar Juice Drops offer crucial background and foreground design elements for a simple but evocative composition.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3179 from JD31: foodFUSION (teacup with teabag) and JD#3830 from JD38: pastelSKETCH (background illustration)
PROJECT NOTES:
By adding a new hero element (the teacup) from a different Juice Drops illustration, this relaxationthemed background was made to immediately suit the design objective for this tea company packaging project without requiring expensive photography.
JD08
MIXING JUICE DROPS The versatility of Juice Drops really shines through when you start mixing layers from different illustrations. Each illustration is useful alone as provided, but is even more valuable as a source for distinctive elements to build your own designs. These three examples show you just a hint of what is possible.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3153 from JD31: foodFUSION (steam), JD#3308 & JD#3323 from JD33: ethnicECHOES (coffee variety logos) and JD#4042 from JD40: frameCUTS (Brick City Brew logo)
PROJECT NOTES:
Packaging projects are especially suited to using Juice Drops because of the high resolution and size of both the illustrations and the individual layers from which they are composed.
For more information about the Digital Juice Juice Drops Library, visit us online at www.digitaljuice.com or call 800.525.2203 and talk to one of our customer service representatives.
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AUDIO
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StackTraxx in the Mix
Ordinary production music just doesn’t stack up by Jeff Earley
S
tackTraxx is a revolutionary production music collection that
puts you in control of the mix. You can mute instrumental
tracks to create a custom mix of any StackTraxx song (Figure 1), but
HEAR THEM ALL There’s no need to
that's just the beginning. In this article, we’re going to take a look at
speculate about whether
how you can pull individual tracks out of a layered StackTraxx song
StackTraxx will work for you. You can browse the entire
to create the perfect score for your productions, with a minimum of fuss.
You can pull individual tracks out of a StackTraxx layered “song to create the perfect score for your production with a minimum of fuss. ” THE REAL POWER
The real power of StackTraxx comes when you separate the tracks by checking the Split Into Tracks box on the Output tab in the (free) Juicer (Figure 2). Now, when you render out the song, each instrument in the composition is saved as a separate audio file. Drop the individual files onto different audio tracks in your editing software (Figure 3) and you can independently adjust the levels of each instrument, remixing the song as much or little as necessary for your production. For example, you might create a simple underscore for a voiceover by muting the lead instruments. Let’s start by comparing two mixes I created of the song “CashFlow” from StackTraxx 12: Corporate Stacks. (You can listen to these examples online at digitaljuice.com.) The underscore version of the song that I
created still has the same energy as the full version, but by dropping out a couple of tracks, I’ve made it much easier to use the piece behind a VO. I also created a related transitional audio part from the same song. It is easy once you have separate tracks. For this example, I isolated the acoustic guitar part from the song and added a little flange to create a bumper for segment transitions. It is very different from the original tune, but it still matches.
Guitar1 and Guitar2 layers from “CashFlow” with the Drum track from “BusinessMan” to create a different feel for our underscore. In order to accomplish this, I used the Beatmapper built into Sony’s ACID software (Figure 4) to determine the beats per minute (BPM) of both songs. “CashFlow” came in at
(continued on page 32)
StackTraxx audio gallery online at digitaljuice.com, where you can hear every single song on every disc. You can even create your own remixes to see how flexible and fun the product really is.
Figure 1
Remixing a StackTraxx song in the Juicer.
MIXED UP SONGS
While the easiest way to use StackTraxx is by mixing different layers of the same song together in different ways, with a little creativity and experimentation, you can combine layers from different songs to come up with something completely new. For example, I combined the Bass,
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StackTraxx in the Mix (continued from page 31)
Figure 2
Split StackTraxx songs on the Effects tab in the Juicer.
Figure 3
StackTraxx layers remixed in Sony’s ACID.
110bpm, while “BusinessMan” was 125bpm. I muted the Drum track from “CashFlow” and bumped the tempo of the project up just a little (120bpm) to add a touch more energy. The Drum track from “BusinessMan” was a bit longer than the original from “CashFlow,” so I trimmed part of the middle of that track so that it finished on the beat with the guitar tracks. The finished remix now has a completely different feel, but is still based on the same theme. SIMPLER, SIMPLEST
Beatmatching and mixing different songs together is not for everyone, but it is certainly an option. Of course, you don’t actually need to do any remixing at all with StackTraxx: they work just like any other
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
You can use a tool like Sony’s ACID Beatmapper tool to match tempos in different StackTraxx songs.
Figure 4
traditional royalty-free song library on the market and sound great without any modifications. That’s the best part of the product: it is as simple as you need and as flexible as you want, all in one package.
Jeff Earley is Director of Digital Juice Audio Products.
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POWERPOINT
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Killer PowerPoints in 4 Hours (or less)!
How to build a great PPT presentation in less than four hours by Kevin Lerner
M
ost people dread presentation design. Tell someone they
need to make a PowerPoint® presentation and you'll likely
hear a sad list of excuses:
“I don't know where to begin!” “It takes too long!” “I don't know how to make it look good!” “I hate PowerPoint!” Let’s face it: In today’s world of short-attention spans and audiences that are hungry for visuals, the oft-maligned PowerPoint has become a helpful —even essential—tool for helping speakers communicate their messages with greater impact.
presentations don’t have to be “ PowerPoint painful and tedious to create. ” PowerPoint presentations don’t have to be painful and tedious to create. After years of creating professional presentations, both for myself and for many other professional speakers, I've come up with a time management-driven process of developing a great-looking, full-featured PowerPoint presentation (without frustration) in less than four hours. FINISH THE TALK FIRST
The key to easy and efficient PowerPoint design is to have your speech already finished, at least in outline form. Many speakers start right away by working in PowerPoint and waste precious hours tinkering with the graphics and effects. Or they think the program will help them actually create their presentation. This is not true for most people. Save yourself time and headaches by doing what you would normally do to craft a speech. When your outline is ready, fire up PowerPoint and start the clock.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
THE TEMPLATE—30 MINUTES
Creating the look and feel is one of the more fun aspects of PowerPoint, but developing a template can be a timeconsuming creative activity as well. I would strongly recommend settling on a design before you build all of your slides, and that you limit yourself to an hour (or less) for front-end design. Templates are a huge time saver, and choosing an effective template is the most critical step of creating a good looking presentation. A weak template can weaken your whole presentation. To speed development, choose a title and body master from an existing template package. In my opinion, PowerPoint's built-in templates are often overused and too generic: we’ve all seen them a hundred times before, but there are many other sources. There’s nothing wrong with starting with a stock text template and then swapping in your own background. After you have finalized a look, establish the master color
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POWERPOINT
The Presenter’s Toolkit has thousands of multimedia elements for presentation professionals.
scheme, change fonts, type sizes, bullets, body layout and line spacing. By taking these steps early on, each slide you create will automatically have consistent positioning and text size, and your presentation will maintain a polished and professional look, putting you on the fast track to completion. If you make these decisions later, you will have to go back and repeatedly making individual changes to all of your slides, not only costing you time, but also risking consistency oversights. THE CONTENT—ONE HOUR
Onscreen text is vital for effective presentation graphics. Indeed, studies have shown that structure like bullet points, phrases and quotations help people remember the core concepts of a speech. When adapting your speech to a PowerPoint presentation, it is essential to keep the textual content brief and not overwhelm the slides with bullet points, however. For this phase, just get your text divided up and onto the slides: don’t worry about layout too much. And don’t change the templates at all if you can help it. Moving around the heading may help you wedge more text on a page, but it will also destroy the consistency between slides. How much text should you have per slide? As a general rule to maintain audience attention, I like to keep my presentation moving at the healthy pace of one to two slides per minute. At this pace, a 20-minute speech would have 20 to 40 slides. Pay careful attention to the amount of text on screen. If any page is too crowded, split it onto a second page. When in doubt, I’d favor going with two readable slides instead of one crowded one.
THE GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT—90 MINUTES
The bulk of this timed presentation development process should be spent on graphics and visual design. While we are already at the two-hour mark, if you have been fast about selecting a good template and you were not editing your speech during the previous hour, you should be ahead of schedule at this point. Before you dive into finding pretty pictures and illustrations to support your text, take a quick moment to estimate how much time you have in this budget per graphic. If we have 40 slides in our presentation, we will have to hit a pace of about two and a half minutes of development time per slide for the text and graphics. By pacing yourself at this rate for development, you'll find the presentation comes together much more quickly. Some people actually work better under a deadline and setting an average time per slide may actually make it easier to develop graphics.
presentation in various iterations, making a few more enhancements each pass. The empty spots will ultimately fill themselves in. Just keep going!
For efficient graphic selection, you might use the clip-art library built into PowerPoint especially when it's linked to the Internet. There are numerous other services for good graphics, but keep in mind that you are violating copyright law if you simply grab your images, video and/or music from the Internet. Digital Juice’s Presenter’s Toolkit offers a huge selection of royalty-free elements (including backgrounds, animated elements, music and video clips) that you can use however you like. Don’t get stuck on any single graphic or thought process here. If you're having trouble, move on to the next page and return back to that trouble spot later. Keep the pace moving! I often go through a (continued on page 36)
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Appropriate graphics and clean layouts make for effective presentations.
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Killer PowerPoints in 4 Hours (or less)! (continued from page 35)
SAVING DAY
animations. These animations should not be gratuitous, but should instead be intentional and purposeful, keeping your audience’s attention on what you are saying instead of reading ahead of you on the slide.
THE
While working, keep saving new versions of your presentation to prevent any catastrophic data loss and to allow you to revert to something that was deleted. I like to save every 30 minutes and use a logical file naming convention: Filename-v1.ppt, Filename-v2.ppt, and so on.
PowerPoint’s default templates are consistent, but they are seen a lot and can be uninspiring.
TRANSITIONS AND REVISIONS—ONE HOUR
Spend a quick 15 minutes assigning transitions to all the slides. Keep it consistent, perhaps using only one transition type through the entire presentation. A simple wipe effect is a good no-nonsense effect. You should also finalize your text reveals and bullet
We’ll focus on final edits, revisions and rehearsal for the last 45 minutes of this accelerated presentation design program. Run through the entire presentation in slideshow mode to ensure the transitions and animations work effectively and identify any areas that still need refinement, making any necessary edits. Ensure the graphics are consistent and relevant to the textual material on screen.
Use the guides and grids to keep the graphics from jumping around. Make several more passes, and keep tweaking until you're satisfied. When the clock runs out, call it finished: sure, you could always tweak this or that to make it a tiny bit better, but at some point it is best to call it done. After all, the real show hasn’t even begun yet. By sticking to a focused process and defined timeframe, your presentation will be developed more efficiently and effectively than by an ad-hoc approach. It's a simple but workable strategy: plan...prepare...present!
Kevin Lerner is the Executive Director of The Presentation Team (www.thepresentationteam.com) and is a renowned professional speaker and trainer.
VIEW THIS AND PREVIOUS ISSUES OF THE MAGAZINE
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
SHOWCASE
Show Us Your Stuff!
Highlights from the Digital Juice Customer Showcase by The Editors
T
his article highlights a few of our favorite videos that have been uploaded to our Customer Video Showcase. It represents the breadth of what we’ve seen so far,
from small producers and major commercial players. Make sure you logon to
on the Customer Video Showcase—go ahead and
The Customer Showcase lets users tell their story, put the video in context and explain some techniques.
INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION
“ABACHO.DE AG”—Allie Schropp This energetic spot is a television commercial for an Internet search engine in Germany called ABACHO. Allie Schropp’s edgy and artistic style is very cool and modern and uses a lot of heavy compositing work. Besides a number of VideoTraxx clips blinking in and out at a frenetic pace, you can hear a cut up and remixed version of the song “BioTech” from StackTraxx 2: Power Stacks punching up the soundtrack.
participate. We want to see
”
PHOTO OBJECTS & JUMP BACKS
”Crossroads”—Fred Matthews Fred Matthews is a Spot Producer for Love Worth Finding (LWF) ministries. LWF can be seen on over 14,000 broadcast and cable television outlets, heard on nearly 2,000 radio station and translators and is
your stuff, too.
available in more than 150 countries around the world. Mr. Matthews’ promo spot “Crossroads” is a good example of his work and features Jump Backs animation #735 from volume 18: Extreme II and Editor’s Toolkit Photo Objects #967, #974, #979 (ETK2) and #106 (ETK1).
SEE FOR
YOURSELF We’ve provided direct links to
DIGITAL SIGNAGE AND GRAYMATTERZ
“Wheelchair”—Matt Janowsky Digital Juice animations show up in a lot of different places besides broadcast television. A few of Matt Janowsky’s submissions were produced for a hospital’s digital signage video kiosks and information displays. One interesting aspect of this series is that it uses the Animated GreyMatterz clip art characters from our Presenter’s Toolkit to draw attention to the displays by illustrating health-related concepts. The looping video shown here is a reminder to return wheelchairs to their proper location and uses the simple color wash from Jump Backs animation #262 and PowerToonz Animated GreyMatterz #107 from the Presenter’s Toolkit.
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AND
PARTICIPATE Don’t just watch the videos
digitaljuice.com to see all of these videos for yourself.
“
UPLOAD
all of the videos highlighted here in the electronic version
CHRISTMAS CONTINUES
of the article online at
“Nayandei Christmas”— Kelyneth Hall Kelyneth Hall from Beyond Media in Cancun, Mexico created a commercial for the Azcue furniture store using a number of different elements from a number of different Super Sets in the Editor’s Toolkit 9: Christmas Tools. Working with location footage and product shots, the Toolkit elements finish the production with a slick, professional appeal. This clip is in sharp contrast to the edgier Anahuac Cancun University example also submitted by Hall.
digitaljuice.com. This is only a small sampling of all of the videos our customers have submitted to our Customer Showcase, where you can see many more videos.
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE |
37
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
REVIEW
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Panasonic’s HVX200 HD Camcorder in Action The End of the Tape SEE FOR
by Perry Jenkins
YOURSELF
W
The DVD promo video that we produced with this
hen it came time to produce a new promo for our Juice Drops product line, we decided that we wanted to shoot in
camera is included in this
HD for a high-end film look. We needed something that would give us
magazine. Look for it in the
the best cinematic bang for the buck. We decided to rent the
envelope just inside the cover. It can also be seen online in the DJTV section of
reasonably priced Panasonic HVX200 handheld HD camera and the necessary accessories. In this article I’ll tell you what I thought of the camera after
digitaljuice.com. All of the
putting it through its paces in a real production so you can know what to expect if
shots of Chuck were shot
you’re interested in a similar HD setup.
by the writer with the
I set out to find an HD camera I could shoot with and still edit using our current postproduction workflow. The new Panasonic HVX200 caught my attention. I was intrigued by the P2 solid-state memory recording medium. OK, I’ll admit it: I was both intrigued and a bit nervous. I had never shot with a tapeless system before.
AG-HVX200.
The Panasonic HVX200 handheld HD camera, in front (left) and rear view (above). 38
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WHAT WE GOT
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
While the camera system is relatively inexpensive (certainly compared to a Sony CineAlta system that a big-budget Hollywood production might use), we decided to rent for this experiment. The rental package I got included the Panasonic HVX200 camera ($5,995), three 8-gig P2 cards ($1,400 each), a P2 Store hard disk device ($1,800) and multiple batteries. Total MSRP price for the package would have been around
$15,000 to buy, but, of course, street prices could be significantly lower. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Right out of the box, I was impressed with the look and feel of the camera. It’s a solid, but lightweight camera at the same time and is not entirely unlike the justly-famous prosumer DVX100 DV camcorder in feel. All the controls are placed in strategic locations that make it a fairly simple camera to operate, although it does have a lot of options. For this particular project, we chose to shoot in 720/24P HD mode. PRODUCTION
Part of the reason I went with this camera is that it’s fairly small. It’s significantly smaller than the Sony Betacam that I usually shoot with, which means that I could basically use all of my current location gear, including my tripod and dolly system. Handheld shots were also an option with the HVX200, which is a nice option
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The author shooting with the HVX200.
The 8GB version of the solid-state P2 memory card.
in terms of flexibility, but I didn’t shoot that way for this project.
The memory cards can be reused after being dumped to the P2 Store on location.
After loading the 8GB memory cards into the camera, I was ready to start shooting. I was very comfortable using the camera right away. After shooting for about 15 minutes, the first P2 memory card was full. This may seem like a short time, but we aren’t shooting 15-minute takes, so this wasn’t a limitation in any sense. GO TAPELESS AND TRANSFER
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Once the cards were full (I had three, so I got about 40 minutes of shooting out of the three 8-gig cards), the footage needed to be transferred to the P2 Store hard drive storage device and then the cards had to be erased so I could continue shooting. It worked flawlessly, but the newness of it made me nervous. Even for the smallest of productions, you’ll need to work out your own system to keep track, at all times, of which cards you can write over and which ones need to be dumped to the storage device.
Panasonic AG-HVX200 ($5,995) z 3x
z Wide-angle
(F1.6) Leica Dicomar Lens (fixed), 13x zoom
z DV25 z HD
I think the final video turned out great, but you can judge for yourself. The DVD is packaged just inside the cover of this magazine. My setups ranged from exterior to interior, mixed light to available light and
or DV50
(D5): 720p or 1080i (100 Mbps)
z Variable frame rate, including: 24, 30 or 60 z 4:2:2
color sampling
z CineGamma
and NewsGamma
color modes
POST
The footage was a bit more challenging for our VT[4] editing system to work with, but not significantly so. It was nice to not have to spend the time to capture the footage. Since we were distributing on DVD, we didn’t have any serious HD workflow issues.
1/3-inch 16:9 CCDs
P2 solid-state memory card ($1,400) z 8GB
what have you. Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of the shots that we got from the HVX200, and would have no trouble recommending it to anyone who wants to shoot HD on a budget.
Perry Jenkins is Senior Video Producer and Director at Digital Juice.
1.800.525.2203 ORDER BY PHONE
The HVX200 is small enough for ENG-class location equipment.
capacity
z Recording
time 720/24P HD-mode: 14 minutes (average)
z Compatible
with PCMCIA card slots
P2 Store AJ-PCS060G ($1,800) z Hard
Disk Drive capacity: 60GB
z USB
2.0
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 39
SCREEN SHOTS
JB01: High Impact I,#019
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Big Events, Big Graphics Jump Backs win in Hollywood and at Daytona by Chuck Peters
W
e have not one, but two exciting Digital Juice sightings to highlight this month. Both use Jump Backs animations for
major live-broadcast events on national television and both events are about as American as apple pie.
spotted a whole bunch of Jump Backs on the huge Nextel “ WeVision screens at the Daytona International Speedway. ”
JB02:High Impact II, #045
BE ON THE
LOOKOUT!
Have you spotted a Digital Juice element on TV, on a
DAYTONA 500
AMERICAN IDOL (AGAIN!)
The Daytona 500 is an American racing tradition. A couple of us here at Juice love fast cars and loud motors. DJ President Viv Beason and I were lucky enough to be in the stands at Daytona with almost a quarter of a million other fans for the 48th running of the 500 this February. We spotted a whole bunch of Jump Backs on the huge Nextel Vision screens at the Daytona International Speedway, including: #19, from JB01 High Impact I; #45 from JB02, High Impact II; and a colorized version of #267 from JB07, High Impact V.
Seeing our Jump Backs animations behind American Idol contestants is nothing new. We’ve seen Jump Backs on Idol since the days of Kelly Clarkson in the first season. Still, we never get tired of playing our favorite Idol game: “Name That Jump Back!” (Try it at home!). Jeff, from Full Production Video in Watkins Glen, NY, was the first Juice User to spot a Jump Backs animation on this season’s show. Jump Backs animation #38 from volume 1, High Impact I ran behind Mandisa, the talented performer who was recently eliminated from the contest. We
also saw Jump Backs animation #987, from Volume 25: All Music, behind Kevin Covais. The floating musical notes and watery textures really looked like they were custom made for the show. The moral of the story: Whether you’re in the grandstands at a major sporting event or kicking back on your couch at home with chips on your shirt, if you can see a TV screen, keep your eyes open. Chances are you’ll see some Juice!
Chuck Peters is General Manager of Digital Juice and Editor in Chief of Digital Juice Magazine.
billboard or in a national print ad? Send us a frame grab and a description. If you’re the first one to identify a Digital Juice element that’s being used on TV or in a national magazine and we use your find in this JB25:All Music,#987
column, we’ll mention your name and send you a cool Digital Juice Prize Pack. Send your Screen Shots sightings to [email protected].
40
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JB01:High Impact I,#038
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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Juice Drops
Hit 40
with 2 NEW VOLUMES:
JD39: allFLAGS & JD40: frameCUTS
INTRODUCING OUR TWO NEWEST VOLUMES!
JD39: allFLAGS
JD40: frameCUTS
From Belarus to Zimbabwe, Manitoba to California, this extremely useful volume has a comprehensive collection of meticulously researched world and regional flags including countries, US states, Canadian provinces, international organizations and more. Each flag is provided at the high resolution of 11.25” x 17.25” at 300 dpi, in its appropriate official proportions.
The illustrations in this volume cover a wide variety of styles—futuristic 3D abstract, realistic wood grain texture, liquid silver, etched copper, wispy feather fronds—but all have the common theme of a useful frame enclosing a large cut area. The frame elements and intricate backgrounds are perfect for many kinds of design from logo and identity to presentation and video work.
DVD 300 LAYERED PSD IMAGES $249
DVD 300 LAYERED PSD IMAGES $249
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DIGITAL
JUICE
C ATA LO G
JUICE DROPS Layered Photoshop Design Library Print Resolution Art You Take Apart uice Drops are completely royalty-free for you to use as often as you want, whenever and wherever you want. You pay once, and they are yours to use forever. If you buy just one volume, each image will cost you about $2.50, which is very inexpensive for traditional stock graphics and illustrations. Bundle specials bring the price down to less than 70 cents per image or you can grab the entire 40-volume library for about 50 cents a graphic. And we promise, when they are on your shelf in your studio, you will end up using them all of the time.
J
Check out every layer in every Juice Drops illustration in our 40-volume library using the interactive browser application included on the DVD inside this issue.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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VOLUMES AVAILABLE: JD01: highIMPACT JD02: techXTREME JD03: cleanCUTS JD04: ultraGRUNGE JD05: subtleIMPACT JD06: ultraFRESH, JD07: hyperXTREME JD08: techIMPACT JD09: highIMPACT II JD10: ultra3D JD11: xtraGRUNGE JD12: retroFRESH JD13: peopleEDGE JD14: subtleIMPACT II JD15: highIMPACT III JD16: ultraCUTS JD17: scienceIMPACT JD18: cleanCUTS II JD19: medicalIMPACT JD20: illustratedIMPACT JD21: businessIMPACT JD22: boundlessEDGE JD23: cleanCUTS III JD24: geoIMPACT JD25: shadedEDGE JD26: paperCUTS JD27: glassEDGE JD28: freshFORM JD29: flowerPOWER JD30: lifeSHADES JD31: foodFUSION JD32: templateCUTS JD33: ethnicECHOES JD34: fluidFORM JD35: futureTECH JD36: naturalCUTS JD37: sportsCUTS JD38: pastelSKETCH NEW! JD39: allFLAGS NEW! JD40: frameCUTS
TECHNICAL SPECS: • 100 royalty-free layered illustrations per volume • 1-4 DVDs per volume • 40 volumes available now • Unlimited possibilities— turn layers on and off in Photoshop, customize the design for every project
Presenter’s Toolkit The Ultimate Presentation Graphics Library $299
• 6 DVDs with 40+ GB of royalty-free content • 4900+ graphic backgrounds (1600x1024, 300 dpi PNG) • 2000 photos and 2500 photo objects • 3200+ video clips (320x240 MPEG1 Video 30 FPS) • 900+ music clips (128 kbps MP3)
• All images are 17.25" x 11.25" at 300 DPI for a pixel resolution of 5175x3375.
• 6700+ PowerToonZ illustrations • Free Juicer software for browsing,copying,special effects • Compatible with PowerPoint, , SongShowPlus, Keynote, MediaShout, Sunday Plus as well as other presentation and worship software.
• Files are delivered in layered Photoshop .psd & flattened RGB & CMYK .tif formats
$249
per volume
BUNDLE ALL 40
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SAVE 80% just $49 a volume!
or BUNDLE ANY 10 Juice Drops Volumes for just $699 Juice Drops Volumes can also be added to any MIX & MATCH
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BUNDLE
GET BOTH PTK & DJ 2.0 FOR JUST $399
Digital Juice 2.0 $199
for PowerPoint and Multimedia The Best Selling Professional Presentation Graphics Library on 1 DVD! • 2600 graphic backgrounds • 1100+ photos and photo objects • 50 video clips (320x240, MPEG1) • 60 animated elements (320x240, MPEG1) • 54,600 photo and background remixes • Compatible with PowerPoint, , SongShowPlus, Keynote, MediaShout, Sunday Plus as well as other presentation and worship software.
P R I N T / P R E S E N T A T I O N
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 43
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D I G I T A L
J U I C E
C A T A L O G
Editor’s Toolkit 1: Multipurpose Tools • 40+ GB, 6 DVD-ROMs
Editor’s Toolkits Complete Animated Graphics Packages for
• 50 Animated Jump Sets with matching animated background, template, overlay, and lower third • 50 Additional animated overlays and 50 additional animated lower thirds • 200 static lower thirds, 250 static mattes
Every Video Producer or Editor
• Thousands of stills in over 20 categories
Create a coordinated and professional look effortlessly with animations organized into matched sets. 10 Volumes • 100s of Animations per Volume • Backgrounds, Overlays, Lower Thirds, Wipes and Motion Design Elements Editor’s Toolkit 2: Multipurpose Tools 2 • 55+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs • 15 Animated Jump Sets with matching animated background, template, overlay, lower third, full screen wipe & transition • 100+ Motion design elements • 100 Wipes and transitions to match ETK1 plus 50 additional wipes & transitions • 15 Additional lower thirds and overlays • Thousands of photos & photo objects
Editor’s Toolkit 3: Wedding Tools
Editor’s Toolkit 4: High Tech Tools
Editor’s Toolkit 5: Soft & Subtle Tools
• 70+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs
• 80+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs
• 80+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs
• 20 Animated Jump Sets with matching animated background, template, overlay, lower third, full screen wipe & transition
• 20 Animated Super Sets with a High Tech edge, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes,2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes.
• 20 Animated Super Sets with a Soft & Subtle look, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes,2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes.
• More than 320 Animations in all
• More than 320 Animations in all
(formerly Wedding Editor’s Toolkit)
• 100+ Motion design elements • 20+ Additional animated backgrounds • 50+ Additional full screen animated wipes • 25 Bitstream™ Fonts
$399
Editor’s Toolkit 6: Corporate & Broadcast Tools
$399
$399
Editor’s Toolkit 7: Wedding Tools II
$399 E
D
I
T
O
$399 R
’
S
T
O
O
L
K
I
T
S
• 80+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs • 20 Animated Super Sets with a Corporate & Broadcast feel, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes,2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes. • More than 320 Animations in all
• 63+ GB, 8 DVD-ROMs • 15 Animated Super Sets with a Wedding theme, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes, 2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes. • More than 260 Animations in all
$399
44
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$399
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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Editor’s Toolkit 8: Sports Tools • 70+ GB,10 DVD-ROMs • 54 Animated Jump Sets with a network sports feel, including individual animations for Basketball, Football, Baseball, Soccer, Golf, Hockey & Tennis. • Package also includes globe and multipurpose animated backgrounds for a wider appeal. • Each set in the package contains the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 2 backgrounds, 1 overlay, 1 lower third, 1 full screen wipe and 1 motion design element
Editor’s Toolkit 10: Multipurpose Tools III Our BIGGEST and BEST Yet! 62% More Content for the Same Low Price.
• More than 320 Animations in all
$399 • 90+ GB of royalty-free content on 11 DVD-ROMs • 30 animated graphically matching Super Sets
Editor’s Toolkit 9: Christmas Tools • 90+ GB, 12 DVD-ROMs • 16 animated graphically matching Super Sets with a seasonal theme. • Each set in the package contains the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes, 1 transition wipe, 2 motion design elements and 4 animated alpha channel mattes. (Most sets also have several extra elements.) • Bonus holiday animated text elements. • Bonus video design elements with Santa Claus.
• Each set in the package contains the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes, 1 transition wipe, 2 motion design elements and 4 animated alpha channel mattes. (Most sets also have several extra elements.) • More than 500 Animations in all
$399 OR ADD TO ANY ORDER
199
FOR JUST $
EDITOR’S TOOLKIT HOT TIP:
BEGIN WITH THE EDIT IN MIND
• More than 350 Animations in all
n some cases it can be a big help to know which Editor’s Toolkit graphic elements you’ll use in your production before you shoot. For instance, if you plan to key an overlay over your talent, you might choose to shoot them to one side of the frame (or the other) so you have plenty of room for the graphic you’ll add later.
I
$399
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Overlay 2 (left, top) from Editor’s Toolkit 10 Super Set #257, works best when shooting video that is mostly on the right side of the screen (right). Centering the subject would hide too much of the action (left, bottom).
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 45
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D I G I T A L
J U I C E
C A T A L O G JB01: High Impact I The high impact volumes include dozens of different styles, ensuring you’ll find the perfect animation for any production.
Jump Backs
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
Network Quality Animation Library The royalty-free collection that just keeps growing— more variety and more innovation all the time. 30 Volumes • 40+ Animations per Volume 15-30 Seconds per Animation • Seamlessly Loopable
JB02: High Impact II Subtle or bold, retro or high tech, our high impact volumes have a sampling of many styles to suit every project. DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB03: High Impact III
JB04: Wedding
JB05: Sports
JB06: High Impact IV
When you want your next project to stand above the rest, but you don’t need a specific theme, then you want a High Impact Jump Back.
Not just for weddings! If you are looking for super soft and subtle animations you’ll definitely want to add this volume to your library.
Back by popular demand, High Impact IV continues the signature Jump Back style and takes it to a whole new level.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 56 ANIMATIONS $249
Shoot and score with this impressive collection of sports-related animations. Covers football, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, hockey, soccer, and more! DVD 49 ANIMATIONS $249
JB07: High Impact V
JB08: High Impact VI
JB09: High Tech & Internet
JB10: All American
With its mix of high tech looks and energetic style this volume stands out as one of our all-time best sellers.
Not intimidated by the success of Volume 7, this volume once again shows why Digital Juice leads the way in royalty-free animations.
Computers, binary numbers, world wide web, internet, networking, satellites, circuitry, global communication, and more.
The perfect mix of patriotism, history, politics, independence, government, military, the heartland and holidays.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB13: All Church
JB14: Medical/Health, Education & Science
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB11: Retro Clean Need the latest cutting-edge look? Volume 11 animations have simple clean lines and a crisp neo-retro feel—hip and stylish without being extreme.
JB12: Corporate/Industrial, Time & Money The title says it all, anything and everything related to industry, business, finance and time.
Subtle, tasteful animations that are a musthave for any church-related video project. Also includes soft theme-free graphics perfect for any job.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB15: Weather&The Elements
JB16: High Impact VII
JB17: Extreme I
JB18: Extreme II
These animations convey the mood of the seasons—animated fall leaves, lightning storms, clouds, snowflakes, and much more.
Taking up where Volume 8 left off, this newest High Impact volume features sophisticated animations designed for any production.
An explosion of color, light and movement— your productions will say “Look at me, NOW!” when you add this volume to your animation arsenal.
Abstract colors and radical themes—from extreme road trips to crazy roller coaster rides—move your productions from point A to B in a hurry!
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
This broad collection has a variety of animations which fit perfectly together. So many themes and looks—so many uses! DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
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JB19: Extreme III
JB20: Subtle Impact
So much action, so much intensity—you can almost hear the beat thumpin’ or the guitar grindin’ under these cool backgrounds.
The title says it all—soft styles with impact, visually interesting animated backgrounds with a variety of subtle themes. DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB21: High Impact VIII
JB22: Global Impact
High Impact VIII takes up where its popular predecessors left off, bringing you highenergy animations in a variety of styles and colors.
Go global with your next production— you can literally have the world at your fingertips—and in motion. DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB23: Clean Streak
JB24: Tunnel Vision
Clean Streak is clean, cool, and structured— animations with sharp edges, bright colors and lots of attitude in motion.
Tunnel Vision takes you for a ride down dimly lit passageways, around hairpin curves, through tubes of light—buy a ticket and get on now.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB25: All Music
JB26: Future Tech
Music-themed backgrounds that will make your productions shake, rattle and roll— get your audience out of their seats and onto their feet.
A surreal journey to the future and new dimensions—highly stylized elements and motion not found anywhere else in the Jump Backs series.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB27: International Flags
JB28: Subtle Impact II
Beautifully rendered, rippling, waving, full-screen animated flags from countries around the world.
This sequel won’t fail at the box office— soft, sleek energy boxed up for your next low-key production.
DVD 58 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
Jump Backs HD High Definition, Network Quality Animation Library • • • •
10 volumes, 20 animations per volume Full 1,920x1,080, 16:9 Resolution 15-30 seconds per animation Seamlessly loopable
VOLUMES AVAILABLE: JB HD 01: High Tech & Internet JB HD 02: Corporate/Industrial, Time & Money JB HD 03: Medical/Health, Education & Science JB HD 04: High Impact VI JB HD 05: Retro Clean JB HD 06: Extreme I JB HD 07: Extreme II JB HD 08: Subtle Impact JB HD 09: All Music JB HD 10: Simply Useful
$249
PER VOLUME
OR BUNDLE
ALL 10
VOLUMES FOR JUST
$699
(samples shown at right)
JB29: US State Flags
JB30: Simply Useful
Accurately rendered and textured full-screen animated flags from the 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia and 5 U.S. territories.
The original animations in our latest volume luminously draw the viewer right into the scene with an aesthetic palette that is just right.
DVD 56 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
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DIGITAL
JUICE
C ATA LO G
DIGITAL JUICE
SOUND FX LIBRARY
StackTraxx Layered Digital Music Library
• 10,000+ SOUND EFFECTS in more than 170 categories and 4 main classes
The revolutionary production collection that puts you in control! Just $249 per volume or as low as
• Superior 24-bit, 96kHz stereo
$49 per volume in a 12-PAK Bundle.
• WAV format lossless quality audio
VOLUMES AVAILABLE:
• Now 12 volumes to choose from!
• Keyword searchable
Vol. 1: Extreme Stacks
• 20-40 original full length songs per volume
• Over 55GB of content
Vol. 2: Power Stacks
Vol. 5: Holiday Stacks
• 1 DVD with proprietary digital layered files, 2-4 CDs per volume (CDs contain Standard Compact Disc Audio)
Vol. 6: Street Stacks
• 4-7 separate editable layers per song
Vol. 3: Serious Stacks Vol. 4: Smooth Stacks
Vol. 7: Groovy Stacks Vol. 8: Fifties Stacks Vol. 9: World Stacks
he Digital Juice Sound FX Library is the most comprehensive collection of audio effects ever collected together into a single package. Produced by renowned industry-veteran sound designers and distributed at 24-bit/96kHz resolutions, the artistic and technical quality is state of the art. The keyword searchable index makes the over 10,000 clips eminently usable, like no other media library anywhere else.
T
• 4 broadcast cuts per song—:10, :15, :30, & :60 • NEW! JUICER 3.0 COMPATIBILITY
Using the included Juicer 3.0 software you can convert to virtually any sample depth and bit resolution you might need. Compatible with both Mac and PC, the software also make searches and previews a snap.
Vol. 10: Broadcast Stacks Vol. 11: Epic Stacks NEW! Vol. 12: Corporate Stacks
$249
per volume
SOME OF THE CATEGORIES INCLUDE: NOISE FX—Alarms • Beds • Bells • Bumpers • Buttons Descends • Feedbacks • Flashes • Growls • Phasers Ricochets • Stingers • Thumps • Transitions • Whooshes GENERAL FX—Animals • Crashes • Explosions • Foley Household • Impacts • Liquids Machines • Sports Technology • Transportation • Weapons • Weather MUSICAL FX—Musical Logos • Musical Transitions Musical Textures • Musical Elements
Taking production music a step further, StackTraxx allows you to turn layers on or off creating original mixes or isolating individual tracks, using our free Juicer 3.0 software.
HUMAN FX—Attitudes • Business • Children • Commercial Common Greetings • News • Numbers • Occasions • Sports OnTheSet • Questions • Responses • plus many more.
$599
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING!
OR FOR A LIMITED TIME* ADD TO ANY ORDER
FOR ONLY
*OFFER EXPIRES June 30th, 2006
Get ALL 12 VOLUMES for just
$599
Special Limited Time Pricing!
A
U
D
I
O
P
R
O
$699 REG. PRICE
$249
SAVE $450! D
U
C
T
S
BackTraxx 1 CD Music Library Music to your ears and your budget! • 1000+ tracks of royalty-free music on 28 CDs • Full length tracks as well as :60, :30, and :15 broadcast cut versions • 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, standard CDDA format • Categories include: Atmospheric, Christmas, Classical, Corporate & Industrial, Country, Hi-Tech, Mellow, Nature, Piano, Rock, Sports, Suspense, Urban, Weddings and more.
$399 48
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
WE ACCEPT any of these major credit cards as well as your check.
VideoTraxx 1 Film & Video Library • • • • • •
3000+ Video Clips 34 DVDs • 220 GB 36 Categories Royalty-free NTSC/PAL Free Juicer Software
$599
VideoTraxx 3 Film & Video Library • • • • • •
3000+ Video Clips 34 DVDs • 220 GB 36 Categories Royalty-free NTSC/PAL Free Juicer Software
$599 VideoTraxx 2 Film & Video Library • • • • • •
3000+ Video Clips 34 DVDs • 220 GB 32 Categories Royalty-free NTSC/PAL Free Juicer Software
CATEGORIES INCLUDE: Adrenaline, All In The Family, Animal Kingdom, Around the House, At The Park, Body Shots, Business & Economics, Casino, Couples, Drugs, Medicine & Emergency, Film, Photo & Video, Good Eats, Hands, International Culture, Music & Dance, New War, Scenics, Space, Team Sports & Athletics, Workshop & Garage and more.
$599
ULTRA 2 from Serious Magic High-Quality DV/HDV/HD Keying Vector keying technology works with uneven lighting, wrinkled backdrops and frizzy hair as well as for complex keys involving smoke, glass and liquids with minimal effort. • Works with all Digital Juice animated content (Jump Backs, Editor’s Toolkits) • One-click Set Key feature allows fast set up, for better videos with less tweaking but advanced controls such as spill suppression, color restoration and edge softening can also be applied to fine tune composites.
ULTRA 2
$449
Windows® XP/2000
ULTRA MASTER SETS LIBRARIES 1-4 per library
$299
• Using GPU-based processing, ULTRA 2 can key in near-real time at HD-resolution. • Advanced features including real-time reflections and shadows, multi-point pan & zoom and plus-90 mode. • Reads and writes AVI or DV video clips from virtually any editing tool, from Avid to Adobe Premiere to Final Cut Pro.
1.800.525.2203 ORDER BY PHONE
ULTRA Master Sets Libraries 1-4 Each of the 48 sets in 4 libraries includes multiple angles, virtual flying camera shots & places to insert additional video sources or graphics. MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 49
JUICE BOX
Be the First, Save the Most by Dave Hebel
I
n April, we sent out a special email to some of our customers announcing the release of
StackTraxx 12: Corporate Stacks. We decided to try something new to encourage people to give it a try: The first 1,000 customers were able to pick it up for just $69 (regularly $249). The
DON’T MISS ANOTHER ISSUE!
orders came in fast and furious and our initial run was completely
FREE Magazine Subscription
Subscribers to the eNewsletter will be given a “ secret link to download a special unreleased piece of content from one of our media libraries—FREE! ”
• Tips, tricks and tutorials • New product releases • Insider product information • Latest specials and pricing Best of all, you can get Digital Juice magazine ABSOLUTELY FREE every month! To subscribe, just visit www.digitaljuice.com and click on the FREE MAGAZINE link on the homepage.
NEXT ISSUE
in DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE
• Five Tips for Lighting Talent • Breaking Down a Multi-Layered Video Composite • How to Pick the Right Mic • The Right Bid for the Right Client
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
sold out in two weeks flat.
We’ve decided that we will continue to try to offer “Extreme Specials” like this more often in the future, especially on new products. These deals are really good and the availability is limited, so we aren’t able to run them in Digital Juice magazine. Unfortunately, by the time this magazine lands in your mailbox, the initial run is very likely to have sold out. So the only way to take advantage of these specials is to subscribe to our new Digital Juice eNewsletter. GET STACKTRAXX 13: HIGH IMPACT FOR $69
To encourage you to sign-up, anyone who subscribes to the eNewsletter in May or June can get our hot new StackTraxx 13: High Impact for just $69. Even if our initial run of 1,000 copies is sold out by the time you subscribe. We’ll still send you a secret link that will let you take advantage of the special, but you must go to digitaljuice.com/enews/signup.asp and register by June 30th to qualify. DEAL STACKING
As I’m sure you are aware, we always have some sort of special promotional pricing going on and last month it was the Editor’s Toolkit for $199 when added to an order for another product. Most companies have some sort of disclaimer “Not valid with other specials,” but we aren’t “most companies.” Many of you quickly figured out that you could buy
StackTraxx 12 at the $69 introductory price and then add the Editor’s Toolkit 10 for $199 (regularly $399). While we can’t promise that our deals will always stack, many times they will, but you won’t know in time if you don’t subscribe to the eNewsletter. GET FREE CONTENT!
You can always unsubscribe to our eNewsletter, but we’re guessing you won’t want to. Each week, subscribers to the eNewsletter will be given a secret link to download a special unreleased piece of content from one of our media libraries—FREE! Some weeks it’ll be a never-before-seen Jump Backs animation, other times it’ll be an amazing new StackTraxx song or maybe a Juice Drops layered print graphic. This free content will be exclusively available to our eNewsletter subscribers. We always have great deals, but we’re pretty sure our competition can’t beat free!
David Hebel Founder/CEO [email protected] Sign up for the Digital Juice eNewsletter online at:
www.digitaljuice.com/ enews/signup.asp
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ALL PRICES IN US DOLLARS. PRINTED IN THE USA Att MAILROOM: Please route to Audio Visual or Art Department if undeliverable to addressee.
DVD-Video, Interactive Layer Browser& Idea Book Inside!
Photoshop Layered Art You Take Apart
• PHOTOSHOP Tips from Industry Pro, Dave Cross • 5 Tips for Better VIDEO Titles • Build Better PRESENTATIONS in 4 Hours or less!
PLUS: IN USE @ JUICE— WE RATE THE AG-HVX200, PANASONIC’S NEW LOW-DOLLAR HD CAMERA
EXPERT ADVICE
BONUS!
with Juice Drops Design Library
PUBLISHER: David Hebel, Viv T. Beason, Jr. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Chuck Peters
Talk Back: Reader Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Juice News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
8
10
Juice Insider: Multimedia turning points by Viv Beason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
SENIOR EDITOR: D. Eric Franks ART DIRECTOR: Jacqui Dawson
Make a Splash with Take Apart Art
The Juice Drops Layered Photoshop Design Library by Chuck Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Deconstructing Juice Drops Layers in Photoshop: The power is in the pieces
14
by Jacqui Dawson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Layer Comps in Photoshop CS2
A new feature that is powerful and easy to use by Dave Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
18
Juice Drops Volume Spotlight
A closer look at volume 38: pastelSKETCH . . . . . . . . 18
Layered Video Effects
23
Using Juice Drop layers in After Effects by Brent Milby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
34
Five Tips for Formatting Fonts
by Chuck Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Idea Book and Gallery: Juice Drops Layered Photoshop Design Library
. . . . . . . . . . . . 23
StackTraxx in the Mix
Not your ordinary production music by Jeff Earley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Killer Presentations in 4 Hours or Less
38
Streamlining your PowerPoint workflow by Kevin Lerner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: Pat Bailey, Geetesh Bajaj, Viv T. Beason, Jr., Graham Cohen, Alessia Cowee, Dave Cross, Jacqui Dawson, Jeff Earley, Michael Fitzer, D. Eric Franks, Rick Green, Dave Hebel, Perry Jenkins, Robert Leitch, Kevin Lerner, Matt Janowsky, Jeb Johenning, Brent Milby, Chuck Peters, Brian Pogue, Jeff Schell, Kevin Sherman and David Traube GRAPHIC DESIGNERS & ILLUSTRATORS: Brent Milby, Saritha Sugunan, P. Gururaj, V. Sridhar PHOTOGRAPHY: Perry Jenkins
Customer Showcase: Your chance to show us
what you have done with Juice products . . . . . . . . . 37
In Use @ Juice: Panasonic’s HVX200 HD in action by Perry Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Screen Shots: American Idol and the Daytona 500 by Chuck Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 DIGITAL JUICE PRODUCT CATALOG . . . . . . . 41 Juice Box: Be the first, save the most
by Dave Hebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
ORDERING IS EASY! TO ORDER BY PHONE: Call one of our friendly customer service representatives ON THE COVER: Illustrator/animator Brent Milby created the cover graphic in 3ds Max and Photoshop using elements from Juice Drops graphic #3120 from volume 31: foodFUSION.
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Monday–Friday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM EST
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
DIGITAL JUICE, INC. 1736 NE 25TH AVE. OCALA, FL 34470 1.800.525.2203 352.369.0930 www.digitaljuice.com
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Don’t miss another issue!
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
VIEW THIS AND PREVIOUS ISSUES OF THE MAGAZINE
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
with Chuck Peters—Editor in Chief, Digital Juice Magazine
Your Chance To Make Your Voice Heard Got a question, comment or suggestion? We would love to hear it. FIRST IMPRESSIONS If you would like to ask a question, sing our praises, bend our ear, or just say ‘Hi,’ drop us an email at [email protected] and you could see it here in the magazine. You can also interact with Digital Juice and other users in our user forums @ www.digitaljuice.com/ community_forums
I
just received my first Editors Toolkit today, Editors Toolkit 10. What an amazing, impressive, simple, creative, adaptive, original, awesome, excellent, raising-the-bar package! I just want to share with you the words that popped into my head upon first looking at Editor’s Toolkit 10 in the first five seconds. It’s just amazing stuff and my [product from competitor] is going on eBay today so I can buy more from Digital Juice. I’m a fan for life now. One more thing: If I wasn’t receiving Digital Juice Magazine I would have probably never purchased. While the Website shows the products, it’s the personal connection, commitment and articles that sold me on Digital Juice. As a reader and consumer I can see that Digital Juice is a passion, and not just a $99 eBay company. —Patrick Sherman, South Sound Video, Yelm, WA Well, they say it’s important to make a good first impression, because first impressions are hard to reverse. I’m glad ETK10 passed your test. I can confidently say that you’ll only love it more after you’ve had a chance to work with it. These Toolkits rock! Best of all, most of the people I’ve talked to say that the Digital Juice products they purchase pay for themselves in just a couple productions. Welcome to the Juice family, Patrick! We’re looking forward to seeing our stuff in your productions. —CP
EXTREME SOUNDTRACKS
I
recently purchased almost your entire catalog of StackTraxx. You guys did a great job putting that music together. For the first time I feel that my music is not compromising my production. Way to go!
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
“
If I wasn’t receiving Digital Juice Magazine I would have probably never purchased. While the Website shows the products, it’s the personal connection, commitment and articles that sold me on Digital Juice. — Patrick Sherman
”
Aerial Extreme is an Emmy award winning company specializing in extreme sports such as BASE jumping and skydiving. We have won many awards for both our video production and photography. Please check out our Website at www.AerialExtreme.com. We are just wrapping up production on our latest movie entitled “Beyond Acrophobia”. It’s a 15-minute movie about the fear of heights that BASE jumpers experience. The cool thing about this film is that all the music we used was from your StackTraxx music collection, and we think it worked out exceptionally well.—Mark Lichtle, Aerial Extreme, San Jose, CA We wish you the best with your new movie, Mark. It already “sounds” like a winner to us!—CP
TOO MANY MAGS!
I
’m a big DJ fan and use quite a few of your products. I like your new magazine format with the DVD, but noticed that I have been receiving four copies every time you send out a new issue. I’m sure this magazine costs a bundle to produce and mail. I must be set up in your database under four separate entries. Anyway, the magazine is great and keeps me abreast of your new products, and the tips are very useful and concise too, but I hate to see you waste money by sending out unnecessary copies.—Alan Kolsky, Digital Video Dimensions, Novato, CA
Thanks for mentioning this, Alan! We are updating our database to fix problems like this right now. If you are getting more than one magazine, please email me directly at [email protected] and send me the one address that you would like to use as your active mailing address. This will be a huge help to us in reducing cost and waste.—CP
WHERE WAS THAT?
I
saw in one of your issues a detailed article of a 9x9x9 green screen section. Do you know which issue this is in? I am starting construction and want to be sure to follow all the advice. Thank you for your help and for all those great HD Jump Backs!— Gary Christmas, PowerJam Entertainment Group, www.NewBandTV.com Hi Gary, That article was called, Green Screen Fantasy -Building a Green Screen Wall for More Creative Shots,by Perry Jenkins. It ran in our Sept 2005 issue. You can read it online at www.digitaljuice.com/magazine. In fact, we archive every issue of DJ Mag on our Website. This online version of the mag is a great thing to know about. A lot of the articles also include audio and video examples. Unfortunately, we still can’t put sound and video on a magazine page.—CP
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
JUICE’S BESTSELLERS DIGITAL GIGANTIC GIVEAWAY Juice Products* 10 Digital
TOP
01. Editor’s Toolkit 10: Multipurpose Tools III (New) 02. StackTraxx Volume 12: Corporate Stacks (New) 03. Digital Juice Sound FX Library
PRIZE WINNERS!
W
e’d like to sincerely thank all of you who entered our Gigantic January Giveaway, with a chance to win a share of over $20,000
in Digital Juice merchandise. We have picked our winners and are pleased to announce and congratulate the following folks: Grand Prize: Ann Marie Donahue (Waterford, MI) $10,000
2nd Prize: Nathan Diehl (Waterloo, IN) $4,000
• 30 Jump Backs
• 30 Jump Backs
09. VideoTraxx 2 Film & Video Library
• 11 StackTraxx
10. Juice Drops Volume 23: cleanCUTS III
• 9 Editor’s Toolkits
Again, congrats to our winners! We look forward to seeing what you do with your prizes. To the rest of you: keep watching the magazine and the Web site for more opportunities to win great Digital Juice merchandise.
04. Editor’s Toolkit 6: Corporate & Broadcast Tools 05. Jump Backs Volume 30: Simply Useful 06. Jump Backs Volume 28: Subtle Impact II 07. VideoTraxx 3 Film & Video Library 08. Editor’s Toolkit 2: Multipurpose Tools II (New)
• 3 VideoTraxx
10
TOP
Jump Backs Volumes*
01. JB 30: Simply Useful 02. JB 28: Subtle Impact II 03. JB 24: Tunnel Vision 04. JB 22: Global Impact 05. JB 25: All Music 06. JB 12: Corp/Ind Time & Money
• 1 Sound FX Library 1st Prize: D. Tyrrel Walker (Hope Mills, NC) $7,000 • 11 StackTraxx • 10 Jump Backs • 9 Editor’s Toolkits
07. JB 14: Med./Health, Educ. & Science 08. JB 21: High Impact VIII 09. JB 15: Weather & The Elements 10. JB 13: All Church
JUICER 3.0: STACKTRAXX PROGRESS REPORT
Drops Volumes* 10 Juice D
TOP
evelopment of our free Juicer 3 media management and processing software continues at a healthy pace. While the
01. JD 23: cleanCUTS III
rendering engine and search technology under the hood have seen some
02. JD 35: futureTECH
significant improvements, we think you’ll be most impressed with the
03. JD 21: businessIMPACT
improved usability of the application. Right now we’ve got a very stable
04. JD 19: medicalIMPACT
version that works with all of our audio products: the Digital Juice Sound
05. JD 32: templateCUTS
FX Library, the StackTraxx Layered Music Library and the BackTraxx CD
06. JD 37: sportsCUTS
Music Library. The interface for our StackTraxx layered music is
07. JD 24: geoIMPACT
particularly easy to use, with large, clearly labeled On and Off buttons that
08. JD 27: glassEDGE
make it fun and easy to create your own mix. Drop by
09. JD 36: naturalCUTS
www.digitaljuice.com/juicer3 to get the latest release of the Juicer 3
10. JD 01: highIMPACT
software and to find out when more of our products will be supported by
* Data from February/March 2006 Sales
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this free application which makes our media easier to use and more
JUICEINSIDER FROM THE PRESIDENT
MULTIMEDIA TURNING POINTS by Viv T. Beason, Jr.
T
his issue marks a turning point for our magazine. It’s no secret that our product line can be divided into three distinct areas: presentation, print and video. Up to this point, the video segment has occupied the lion’s share of our marketing and advertising focus. Having cut our multimedia teeth on the Amiga and the Video Toaster way back in the early 1990s, video is where we got our start.
Recently, I reflected back to when I entered this industry. It was truly a “one-man-and-a-dream” situation, like so many of our customers. I didn’t just shoot and edit, I made my own graphics and did my own marketing. I remember the hours I spent in Photoshop trying to design slick VHS album sleeves and the time I spent preparing slide presentations using PowerPoint. As we talked about the magazine, we realized that we need to cover topics other than video production. We believe that our entire media library has the potential to enhance your image, help your clients and ultimately make you more profitable. This issue of Digital Juice Magazine focuses on Juice Drops layered Photoshop graphics. This is not a new product line for us: we are nearing the release of our 40th volume now. Juice Drops are primarily created for professional print designers using Adobe Photoshop. But, they can be transformational for video professionals and Web designers as well. In fact, I know the product will change your career and your business. This issue does a fine job of showing you Juice Drops in their native print environment, but you need to watch the included DVD to see what I’m really talking about. We’re also changing the magazine by adding more content that’s not explicitly tied to promoting our products. For example, check out producer Perry Jenkins’ hands-on review of Panasonic’s HVX200 HD camcorder and solid-state recording system, which he used to shoot the video for the DVD that’s included with this magazine. We know a fair amount about the industries that we serve because of our realworld, real-time experiences of putting out consistent marketing and training materials on time and on budget. At least part of our mission is sharing that experience with you: our readers, customers and friends. I can personally guarantee we’re working harder than ever developing the next generation of multimedia content, in all of its forms. Viv T. Beason, Jr. is the president of Digital Juice and the co-publisher of Digital Juice magazine.
compatible than anything else in the industry.
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
JUICE DROPS
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Splash! MAKE A
The
JUICE DROPS Layered Photoshop Design Library
by Chuck Peters
is Art You Take Apart
G
raphic designers work with stock photos, custom illustrations
and graphic elements all of the time, but good stock art can
be a pain to find and download, expensive to buy and not very flexible to use. Digital Juice’s Juice Drops—royalty-free layered Photoshop graphics and illustrations—bring affordability, creativity and flexibility to stock art.
ON THE DVD: THE JUICE DROPS INTERACTIVE BROWSER
Figure 1
10
Check out the Juice Drops Interactive Browser on the DVD. It's fun to use and will let you turn the layers on and off to get a feel for how you might use Juice Drops in your productions. To use the Juice Drops Interactive Browser, insert the DVD into your computer's DVD drive. On many computers, the video on the DVD will play automatically. You can close the player down if you've already seen it. On Apple Mac computers, use the Finder to open the Juice Drops Browser folder and double-click the JuiceDrops Interactive Browser application. On Microsoft Windows machines, right-click My Computer and select Explore. Then open the Juice Drops Browser folder and run the Juice Drops Interactive Browser application.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE
Each volume of Juice Drops contains 100 images in a particular style or theme. Above are just a few examples of the broad variety of Juice Drops illustrations.
MAY/JUNE 2006
BUDGETS AND DEADLINES Tight budgets and looming deadlines can constrain creativity and hurt the quality of your work, whether for a magazine ad, a brochure, a DVD menu or a Webpage. While most artists would love to create art-for-art sake without any conditions, the pragmatic reality is that we all need to pay our bills. It is usually impractical to start from scratch, hire a photographer or negotiate with an illustrator for a piece of art. Especially for a piece of art that you needed yesterday. That’s where stock art comes into the picture.
fantastic stock art available today on the Internet, so that’s a great place to start. But after browsing for illustrations by category or subject, you’ll often have a short list of graphics that are good, but not perfect. And you probably can’t afford to buy all of them to play around with to create some designs. When you do pick one, it’s usually delivered as a flat image, not a layered file.
There’s a lot of really
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
VIEW THIS AND PREVIOUS ISSUES OF THE MAGAZINE
JUICE DROPS
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
BECOMING PERFECT Whenever a graphic artist uses stock art, it’s necessary to modify it to fit the project at hand. Simple color adjustments, scaling and positioning aren’t too tough, but making major modifications can be harder and more time consuming. Isolating foreground elements, for example, can be a huge pain with pixel-level masking and painting. Juice Drops graphics and illustrations, in contrast, are already masked with Photoshop-compatible layers, which means that dozens of elements in a composition can be isolated with a click. And these elements can be individually adjusted, scaled, repositioned and recombined with elements from other Juice Drops graphics. This makes it easy
to pair the perfect foreground from one graphic with the perfect background from another one (Figure 2). QUALITY, ARTISTRY AND FLEXIBILITY The quality of the artwork in the Juice Drops library is as impressive as the collection is diverse. Owning Juice Drops is like having a whole team of artists working for you. Our artists spend days and days conceiving and creating each Juice Drop. The image we give you is just a starting point. You can remix our designs however you need to. The technical quality is excellent, with high-resolution images that will print out at 17-inches x 11-inches at 300 DPI. The complete design and layout of the graphics make them very usable, right off the disc, but the real appeal of Juice Drops is that you can re-mix the designs. Turn a few layers off to isolate a Hero element, flip and reposition layers—even combine elements from two or more Juice Drops to create completely original designs.
Figure 2 We know you’ll love Juice Drops because we love Juice Drops! We don’t just make, market and sell Juice Drops—we use them ourselves. Start with our art, take it apart and make it your own. The idea isn’t to substitute stock art to compensate for your artistic limitations, but to supply graphics and illustrations that supplement your strengths, allowing you to knock the socks off of your client (and your boss), while keeping the project on time and under budget.
In this image, a foreground element from Juice Drops #3096 is combined with some background elements from #3382 for a completely new look.
For information about Juice Drops volumes and pricing, see the Juice Drops section of our catalog on page 42 in this issue of the magazine.
Chuck Peters is the General Manager of Digital Juice.
The same Juice Drops elements were used for these three different aspects of a media campaign for a coffee shop—printed menu (far left), web page (left) and DVD menu (bottom, far left).
While we've emphasized the high-resolution quality of Juice Drops in print in this article and throughout the magazine, the graphics are extremely useful in other applications as well. We've concentrated on print since that is typically the most demanding application, but lower resolution mediums can benefit greatly in a coordinated media campaign that encompasses not just printed materials but also Web pages, video, animations and DVD menus. 1.800.525.2203 ORDER BY PHONE
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 11
MULTIMEDIA VERSATILITY
Juice Drops are totally different. You get them as entire thematic volumes of 100 graphics at a time, so they are always on your shelf, ready to use how, when and where you please (Figure 1). Like any piece of stock art, you’ll find graphics that are almost exactly what you need, but not quite. That’s exactly what makes Juice Drops better than any other stock art out there. They are put together to be taken apart. Because they are created as layered files, you can remix the layers to redesign the design however you like.
PHOTOSHOP
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Deconstructing Juice Drops The power is in the pieces by Jacqui Dawson Figure 1
W
hen most people look at our Juice Drops volumes, they judge the images by what they can first see: beautifully
complex backgrounds on a variety of themes and in a mixture of styles. Some of these diverse backgrounds may not appear immediately useful, despite their fine detail, while others can instantly spark a designer’s imagination. First impressions, however, cannot possibly do Juice Drops justice. Every image in this 40-volume library is delivered in layers so that you can build up or tear down each illustration to suit any type of application. In this article, I will show you how even the most complicated Juice Drops images can be useful in full-layered form or in deconstructed simplicity. Juice Drops #3549 from JD35: futureTECH, in full layered mode (above, top) and with only a few layers turned on (above).
designing a layout using Juice Drops, the first thing I do “ When in Photoshop is turn all the layers in the image off. ” INSPIRATION POINT
Juice Drops #3570 from JD35: futureTECH, with only a few layers turned on (above, top) and in full layered mode (above).
When designing a layout using Juice Drops, the first thing I do in Photoshop is turn all the layers in the image off. I then start turning them back on from the bottom up. Along the way, I turn layers back off or on as I see their position and purpose in the composition. In this way, I can get an idea of which layers I need for my project. Often, this will also give me inspiration for how to arrange text and graphics around and on top of the Juice Drops elements. By the time I am done deciding what I need, the image rarely looks like the original composition, even if I never change an element’s position, blending mode or transparency. To see a few examples of this kind of deconstructed simplicity, check out the two examples in Figure 1. Figure 2
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Juice Drops #2400 from JD24: geoIMPACT, with all layers on (at left, below) and with only 4 layers turned on (at right, below).
Figure 3
Juice Drops #3639 from JD36: naturalCUTS
LAYERS ON, LAYERS OFF
Juice Drops #3639 (Volume 36: naturalCUTS) is a good example of the layering flexibility I am talking about. For Figure 4 one project (an ad for an upscale flower shop) I used the full background as-is and STRONG FOUNDATIONS added my own text and photos (Figure 2). On a second project (packaging for a facial DRIVE DESIGN tissues product), however, I turned all but a Just like you can pull layers out of Juice few crucial layers off (see the layers palette Drops images to create isolated spot at left), because I was looking for a simpler illustrations in editorial and advertising layouts (check out “See Spot Run” in DJ and softer look (Figure 3). Magazine, October 2005, archived online at Sometimes you just need an interesting digitaljuice.com), you can also utilize the texture or pattern as the basis for a base layers in Juice Drops images as the strong layout. For the exterior sign of an foundation for a completely different kind of auto body shop, I used Juice Drops design. When you have the graphic #2400 (Volume 24: geoIMPACT) with all resources available in even just one layered but four of its dozens of layers turned off Juice Drops illustration, you have the to get a rough and rusty look (Figure 4). control to take a project in any direction. On the other hand, the fully layered image Jacqui Dawson is Juice Drops Product with its globes and wire-frame diagrams Manager and Art Director of Digital worked perfectly for a book cover on Juice Magazine. world architecture (Figure 5).
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Figure 5
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Layer Comps in Photoshop CS2
The new Layer Comps feature in Photoshop CS2 is both powerful and easy to use by Dave Cross
T
Figure 1
here’s no question that creating and working with multiple layers offers the highest level of control and flexibility in
Photoshop®. Thanks to a little-known feature introduced in Photoshop CS2 called Layer Comps, you can take your experimentation to a whole other level—including some pretty slick ways to show options to your client.
Once you have created a number of Layer Comps “ you can take advantage of them in a number if ways. ” SHOW IT OFF
Figure 2
Juice Drops images like this one (Figure 1) really show off the benefits of using Layer Comps. This image is provided with the most important elements on 11 separate layers. You can easily create different looks simply by hiding one or more layers or by moving elements around (Figure 2). Before Layer Comps, you’d have to create a bunch of separate documents to reflect all the changes you make to the layers or to compare the different options. Or if you wanted to use only one document to show your client the various options you’ve created, you’d have to make them wait while you hide and show the appropriate layers. Layer Comps change everything, by “recording” the state of the Layers Palette: visibility, opacity, layer styles and the position of the layers on the document.
LAYER COMPS PALETTE
The Layer Comps palette can be found in the Palette Well or accessed from the Window menu. At first glance it looks pretty basic because, well, it is (Figure 3). All you do is make your document look the way you want by hiding any layers you don’t want in your composition and then clicking the Create New Layer Comp button (the page icon). In the dialog, enter a descriptive name and make sure that all three check boxes are checked – that way the Layer Comp will remember everything about the state of the Layers Palette (Figure 4). If you want, you can even add a note that helps describe the Layer Comp (Figure 5). To see the note in the Layer Comps palette just twirl down the triangle beside the name of the Layer Comp (Figure 6).
Figure 3
Figure 4
POSITION
You can also move the position of individual layers within the document window and create a Layer Comp that Figure 5
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Figure 6 remembers the position of the layers within the document window (Figure 7). It’s important to note that if you move a layer up or down in the layer stack, all Layer Comps that include those layers will be affected. In other words, you cannot create a Layer Comp that changes the order of the layer stack without all of the other Layer Comps also being affected. If you want to create a Layer Comp that shows a change in the layer stack, you’d have to duplicate the layer, move it to the appropriate location in the stack and hide the original layer, then create a Layer Comp.
Figure 7 Figure 8
Similarly, you can’t change the content of the layer itself without all layers being affected. For example, if you want one variation where the contents of one of the layers is smaller, you’d have to duplicate the layer, free transform the contents and hide the original layer (Figure 8). It might sound like a lot of work but it’s actually very
simple, and allows you to take full advantage of Layer Comps. Since we’re discussing the things you can’t do with Layer Comps, let’s get the rest of that out of the way before we move on to the cool ways you can use Layer Comps. Basically it comes down to this: you cannot change the contents of the layer without it affecting all Layer Comps. That means you can’t apply a filter, change the color of the pixels, paint on a layer mask or edit a type layer without affecting all Layer Comps. In this example I wanted two different font options, so I duplicated the type layer, change the typeface of one of them and then made two layer comps (Figure 9). One other thing that’s important to note: if you delete a layer, a warning symbol will appear beside each Layer Comp that uses that layer. You’ll have to decide whether you really want to delete the layer and change the Layer Comps accordingly – if you do, click the update button to alter the Layer Comp. If on the other hand the warning symbol helps you to realize that you don’t really want to delete the layer, then Undo (Figure 10).
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Figure 11
SHORTCUTS If you’re into using keyboard
THE GOOD STUFF
shortcuts, you can assign a
Okay, enough about the few things you need to worry about – back to the good stuff! Once you have created a number of Layer Comps you can take advantage of them in a number if ways. First, you can use the Apply Next and Apply Previous buttons to look through the different Layer Comps. Each time you click one of these buttons, the Layers Palette will be altered to reflect the active Layer Comp: layers will be hidden, shown, moved or the opacity changed. If you want to look at one specific Layer Comp, click to the left of the name of the Layer Comp to apply that comp (Figure 11).
shortcut to the Apply Next and
When you save the document, the Layer Comps are automatically saved as part of Figure 9
Figure 10
(continued on page 16)
Apply Previous buttons. Just go to Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts and use the “Shortcuts For” popup menu to select Palette Menus. Twirl down the Layer Comps menu until you see Next Layer Comp and click to the right to enter a new shortcut. (It may be a struggle to find one that’s available, but with a bit of effort you can). Enter a shortcut for Previous Layer Comp, and click OK. Then you can use these new keystroke shortcuts to look through your Layer Comps.
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Layer Comps in Photoshop CS2 (continued from page 15)
Figure 12 the document and they’re ready to use at any time. Adobe included some built-in scripts that help you to use your Layer Comps in a few different ways. Look on the File menu to access the scripts: Layer Comps to Files (which makes separate files from each Layer Comp); Layer Comps to Files to PDF (which creates a PDF slideshow that can be emailed); Layer Comps to Files to WPG (which creates a Website using Web Photo Gallery). CLIENT REVIEW
In order to use the Layer Comps to Files to WPG script, you’ll have to type in the name of the style of Web Photo Gallery you want to use. If you’ve never used a WPG before, you’ll have to access it from File > Automate, check out the various styles and then make note of the name. Then you can enter the
exact name in the Layer Comps to Files to WPG dialog, choose a destination folder and let Photoshop do all the work. You’ll end up with a folder full of files that you upload to your server and voila, instant Website (Figure 12). In the good old days before Layer Comps, many Photoshop users would end up with multiple versions of the same artwork in order to have a bunch of different options. Now thanks to Layer Comps, you can concentrate on one document and create multiple options that are built right in.
Dave Cross is Senior Developer, Education and Curriculum for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), a regular columnist for Photoshop User magazine, Graphics Editor for Layers magazine and the author of Photoshop CS2 Help Desk Book.
JUICE DROPS Volume Spotlight This new feature in Digital Juice Magazine gives you a chance to see a more detailed sample of the contents of individual volumes from our various graphics and animation libraries, as well as to get some creative ideas on how to put them to use.
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JD38:pastelSKETCH
Volume 38 of the Juice Drops library, pastelSKETCH, contains a variety of abstract concepts and realistic situations rendered in a wild painterly, sketch style. Its bright colors and energetic strokes jump off the page to evoke a mood, illustrate a point or add impact to any form of print or multimedia design. As with all Juice Drops volumes, these illustrations are provided in layered Photoshop PSD format so you can isolate individual elements from the designs or rearrange the existing art to suit your purposes time and time again. Check out a few examples of what’s in the volume and how it can be used at right and below.
pastelSKETCH art in use in everyday design projects— in a magazine ad for a continuing education institute (top), as spot art for a magazine layout (above), as a background for a flyer advertising children’s art classes (right, using the same Juice Drop background as previous application) and in a promotional poster for a music festival (far right).
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This is just a small sampling of the 100 different layered designs in this volume.
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Layered Video Effects Using Juice Drops layers in After Effects Figure 1
by Brent Milby
Importing a Juice Drops graphic
J
uice Drops layered graphics might be the most versatile resource for graphic artists ever produced. That might be
considered somewhat of a bold statement, but in the next few paragraphs, I’m going to show you why this isn’t an exaggeration. My argument is from the point of view of an animator, which you might think is odd, since Juice Drops are images and not video. They were initially designed for print applications, so video and animation might be considered secondary uses. Maybe it’s my bias showing again, but I think using Juice Drops for print-only projects misses their full potential.
WHY
LAYERED
COMPS? Working with Juice Drops graphics in Layered Comps in After Effects is easy enough once you get them into the application. Ultimately, the real question you want to ask is: Why? Go online to digitaljuice.com and browse over to the electronic version of this article in the Magazine section of the site to see the short demo video that Brent created using the techniques
Most Juice Drops have layers that “ extend beyond the document canvas boundaries. ” OVERVIEW
Juice Drops are truly awesome for motion graphics. The integration between Adobe’s Photoshop image editing application and their video, animation and DVD authoring tools means that the layered format of Juice Drops works perfectly across the software suite. For example, Adobe’s compositing software, After Effects, has an immensely useful feature for importing Photoshop .psd files. You can choose to import a layered file as a flattened image or use the Import as composition feature to import the file as a composition with all of the Photoshop layers represented as layers in your composition. After Effects handles the layer positions just as if they are in Photoshop and even accounts for
outlined in this article.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
properties like blending modes, layer your computer (Figure 1). At the bottom of masks, and adjustment layers. This feature the Import File dialog, there’s a pull-down makes it easy to build a composition from menu labeled Import As with three options a layered file without having to build it by hand. With the Import as a composition feature, you can literally import the files directly from your hard disk and begin animating instantly. DETAILS
To start with, copy a Juice Drops layered PSD graphic from the source DVD to your computer’s hard disk. Fire up After Effects, go to File menu > Import > File (CTRL+I) and then select the Juice Drops image you just copied to Figure 2
The Import File dialog has three options
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Most Juice Drops PSD files (like JD#3685 from volume 36: natural CUTS, shown here) contain layers with graphic elements that extend outside the shown frame, giving you more flexibility for animating these layers in After Effects.
Figure 3
(Figure 2). Import as Composition will bring the Juice Drops graphic into After Effects without any modifications, while Import as Composition—Cropped Layers will bring the Juice Drops graphic in just as you see it. The distinction is important. Most Juice Drops have layers that extend beyond the document canvas boundaries. The parts that extend off of the edges cannot be seen, but they are there, so you can reposition those elements if you want to. The reason we did this was so that you could scale down certain foreground elements without having them trimmed off. In most cases, I like to import the layers without cropping them, since this gives me more freedom later (Figure 3). When the layers come in, the
pivot point is set to the center of that layer. In any case, the size of the composition that is created once the document is imported is always the size of the original PSD document in pixels. Once you have your layered Juice Drop image imported as a composition, you are ready to unleash your motion design skills. Move, scale, rotate and distort until you forget that Juice Drops are for print designers. Here’s another tip: convert all of the layers in your comp to 3D layers and use the After Effects 3D engine to bring your flat animations into Z-space and watch your illustrations jump off the screen.
Brent Milby is Senior Animator at Digital Juice.
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Five Tips for Formatting Fonts by Chuck Peters
D
Figure 1
igital Juice can help you create a professional look with elements
and animations that make your boring text backgrounds more
compelling. But the background is not the whole story and good titling practices are just as important as the background. The good news is that formatting fonts isn’t difficult if you follow a few simple rules. Whether you design graphics for TV, the printed page or projected presentations, these five tips will save you from the perils of faulty fonting.
Whether you design graphics for TV, print or presentations, “ these five tips will save you from the perils of faulty fonting. ” #1—BE BOLD
Figure 2
Figure 3
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When it comes to finding fonts, go for big, thick and bold (instead of small, thin and swirly) for one simple reason: readability. If something is important enough to reinforce with text, it needs to be presented in a way that’s clean, clear and legible (Figure 1). For television applications and often for presentations, become a serif sheriff: Sans serif fonts are thicker, bolder and less swirly than fonts that stand on serifs. For the printed page, serif fonts are often the way to go (pull just about any book off your shelf and see for yourself).
yellow and Pepto pink. Watch out for reds in broadcast video applications. Red tends to smear and bleed on screen.
#5—STOP SHORT
Be brief. Don’t write out long sentences or full paragraphs. Hit the highlights. Emphasize key points. Star Wars fans take #3—GO DEEP note: The long “Lucas scroll” is not a good Use drop shadows and outlines to pop choice for most of your productions. Do your text off the background, create any of us (besides our hardcore Jedi contrast and add an illusion of depth readers) remember anything beyond “...In (Figure 3). Shadows and outlines are great a galaxy far away?” There are two ways to make your titles look better, but exceptions to this rule: if you need to type they also make text easier to read in most out (1) a direct quote or (2) a disclaimer. In situations. Make sure all of your shadows either case, it is proper to have a narrator all fall in the same direction. Shadows are (or live speaker) read long titles verbatim. almost always black and have the same Long textual titles accompanied by silence level of partial transparency, too. The make viewers very uncomfortable. #2—CHOOSE COLORS distance of the shadow from the font CAREFULLY In the end, you can apply one simple causes the text to appear closer to or Choose a font color that contrasts well with farther from the background, but close is principle to all of your graphics: Every your background (Figure 2). Certain font usually better than far. If the shadow is too graphic you use should enhance your colors work well, while others can make you message and not be distracting. As soon as far from the font, it just looks silly. look like an amateur. White text on a dark the audience stops listening to the message background is almost always Okay. Bright #4—BE CONSISTENT and starts squinting at small text, cringing at yellow might be an acceptable choice if you If you’re working on a project that uses the ugly colors or reading paragraphs of text need to draw special attention to a multiple pages of graphics with text, be wise instead of listening to your message, you’ve word, phrase or phone number. Dark and templatize. Pick a look you like and stick got a problem. The best way to learn to build text on a very light-colored with it for the entire project. If your fonts better graphics is to become a student of background is fine, but it can be change in size, color, position and style from other people’s work: Don’t be afraid to hard on the viewer’s eyes if overused page to page within a project, you will imitate good design when you see it. for TV or in presentations. Some definitely look amateurish. The key to looking colors should simply be avoided at professional is consistency. To avoid errors, Chuck Peters is the General Manager of all costs. Avoid using bright copy and paste your original and use it as Digital Juice and Editor in Chief of Digital Juice Magazine. florescent green, baby blue, pale the foundation for each new graphic.
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Idea Book & Gallery DIGITAL JUICE JUICE DROPS LAYERED PHOTOSHOP DESIGN LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JD01
JD02
JD05
JD10
JD06
JD15
JD16
JD18
JD19
JD20
JD21
JD23
JD24
JD26
JD03
JD04
JD07
JD08
JD09
JD11
JD12
JD13
JD14
JD17
JD25
JD22
JD31
JD28
JD30
JD32
JUICE DROPS VARIETY
The Juice Drops Library currently has 40 volumes, each with 100 layered PSD files. The library not only illustrates themes such as sports, family, medicine, nature and geography—to name just a few—it does so in dozens of different artistic styles. This page features a sample image from each of these 40 volumes as a handy reference for you.
JD27
JD34
JD33
JD36
JD38
JD02
JD29
JD35
JD37
JD39
JD40
Digital Juice Magazine • May/June 2006
IDEA BOOK & GALLERY
JUICE DROPS USED: JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#0205 from JD02: techXTREME
PROJECT NOTES:
This networking software package got an update with the futuristic look of this techXTREME background.
JD#0822, JD#0856 & JD#0872 from JD08: techIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES:
A high-energy trade magazine ad for a well-known data cable company, designed using elements from three different Juice Drops Backgrounds.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#0589 from JD05: subtleIMPACT
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#0425 from JD04: ultraGRUNGE
PROJECT NOTES:
This alternative trio needed edgy graphics to match the style of their music for their CD jacket & disc face.
PROJECT NOTES:
This subtle Juice Drops background, tinted to match the photo, adds just the right touch of abstract ambience for this wedding fashion catalog.
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 1-8 JB01: highIMPACT JB02: techXTREME JB03: cleanCUTS JB04: ultraGRUNGE JB05: subtleIMPACT JB06: hyperXTREME JB07: techIMPACT JB08: highIMPACT II
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JD03
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1217 from JD12: retroFRESH
PROJECT NOTES:
By adjusting the hues of the layered graphic shapes in this Juice Drops background, an entirely different springtime look was given to the composition for this fashion show invitation.
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#1098 from JD10: ultra3D
PROJECT NOTES:
This telecommunications software company took a minimalist approach to convey a strong corporate message. They added to the tech feeling of the ad by using a 3D-generated image from the Juice Drops ultra3D volume. A slight blue tint was added to the hero element in the image in order to tie it to the logo better.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1377 from JD13: peopleEDGE
PROJECT NOTES:
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 9-16 JB09: highIMPACT II JB10: ultra3D JB11: xtraGRUNGE JB12: retroFRESH JB13: peopleEDGE JB14: subtleIMPACT II
Using just simple colors and shapes along with the figures from this themed background and some artfully designed typography, the designers of this course flyer for a martial arts studio have made a classy promotional piece.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1403 from JD14: subtleIMPACT II
PROJECT NOTES:
The color tones and circular shapes of this Juice Drops background are evocative of oranges, limes and lemons—and thus make for perfect packaging graphics for this citrus-based perfume.
JB15: highIMPACT II JB16: ultraCUTS
JD04
Digital Juice Magazine • May/June 2006
IDEA BOOK & GALLERY
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#2136 from JD21: businessIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES: The simple gear line art and
gradient from this Juice Drops background serve to tastefully and easily illustrate the industry this company brochure represents.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2260 from JD20: boundlessEDGE
PROJECT NOTES:
Little was changed except the arrangement of layers in this colorful graphic when it was used for the CD disc face and envelope for a music collection from a local dance studio.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#1991 and JD#1993 from JD19: medicalIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES:
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2094 from JD20: illustratedIMPACT
PROJECT NOTES:
The illustrated wooden masks from this Juice Drops illustration served as dramatic eye-catching graphics for both the billboard and the invitations advertising an international theater festival.
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By pulling layers from two different Juice Drops illustrations, the designers of this fact sheet were able to communicate their message graphically while also livening up an otherwise dry informational piece.
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 17-24 JB17: scienceIMPACT JB18: cleanCUTS II JB19: medicalIMPACT JB20: illustratedIMPACT JB21: businessIMPACT JB22: boundlessEDGE JB23: cleanCUTS III JB24: geoIMPACT
JD05
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#3023 from JD30: lifeSHADES
PROJECT NOTES:
The fresh fun illustrated elements from this Juice Drops layered image were just what this paint store wanted for their website graphics when they moved their products online.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2631 from JD26: paperCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 25-32 JB25: shadedEDGE
This Juice Drops picture paints a thousand words and when it is altered by turning off layers and adjusting colors, it paints a thousand more. The straightforward message can then come through loud and clear with a minimum of text for this anti-smoking poster.
JB26: paperCUTS JB27: glassEDGE JB28: freshFORM JB29: flowerPOWER JB30: lifeSHADES JB31: foodFUSION JB32: templateCUTS
JD06
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#2870 from JD28: freshFORM
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#3036 from JD30: lifeSHADES
PROJECT NOTES: Recruitment was never
so easy. The Juice Drops art already illustrates the concept required. All that was needed was some rearranging and turning off of the illustrated layers.
PROJECT NOTES:
Even the simplest of graphic layers from Juice Drops illustrations can form the basis for a company’s whole identity— like the graphic footprint this boutique printing company used for their logo, letterhead and business cards.
Digital Juice Magazine • May/June 2006
IDEA BOOK & GALLERY
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3618 from JD36: naturalCUTS
PROJECT NOTES: JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3418 from JD34: fluidFORM
PROJECT NOTES:
The fluidFORM volume provides many options for difficult editorial projects like this magazine cover. Using the dynamic bull illustration adds meaning and attracts the eye to the cover.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#4006 from JD40: frameCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
This jewelry boutique used the frame hero element from this Juice Drops graphic to create their logo and then also pulled background ornamental elements from the same illustration to decorate their sophisticated shopping bags.
One strong illustrated element can have tremendous impact when used alone, especially for a poster with a simple message like this graphic for a local butterfly garden.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3749 from JD37: sportsCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
A number of graphic elements from this Juice Drop were used to create both the logo for an intramural basketball tournament and a promotional poster to put up in schools.
JUICE DROPS VOLUMES 33-40 JB33: ethnicECHOES JB34: fluidFORM JB35: futureTECH JB36: naturalCUTS
JUICE DROPS USED: JD#4052 from
JD40: frameCUTS
PROJECT NOTES:
By isolating just one small part of the layered Juice Drops illustration here, this postcard design reinforces the written message with a strong graphic element.
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JB37: sportsCUTS JB38: pastelSKETCH JB39: allFLAGS JB40: frameCUTS
JD07
JUICE DROPS LIBRARY
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3153 from JD31: foodFUSION (coffee cup and steam), JD#3412 from JD34: fluidFORM (graphic background) and JD#4048 from JD40: frameCUTS (logo frame and glassy highlights).
PROJECT NOTES:
In this doorhanger for a radio station promotion, three dissimilar Juice Drops offer crucial background and foreground design elements for a simple but evocative composition.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3179 from JD31: foodFUSION (teacup with teabag) and JD#3830 from JD38: pastelSKETCH (background illustration)
PROJECT NOTES:
By adding a new hero element (the teacup) from a different Juice Drops illustration, this relaxationthemed background was made to immediately suit the design objective for this tea company packaging project without requiring expensive photography.
JD08
MIXING JUICE DROPS The versatility of Juice Drops really shines through when you start mixing layers from different illustrations. Each illustration is useful alone as provided, but is even more valuable as a source for distinctive elements to build your own designs. These three examples show you just a hint of what is possible.
JUICE DROPS USED:
JD#3153 from JD31: foodFUSION (steam), JD#3308 & JD#3323 from JD33: ethnicECHOES (coffee variety logos) and JD#4042 from JD40: frameCUTS (Brick City Brew logo)
PROJECT NOTES:
Packaging projects are especially suited to using Juice Drops because of the high resolution and size of both the illustrations and the individual layers from which they are composed.
For more information about the Digital Juice Juice Drops Library, visit us online at www.digitaljuice.com or call 800.525.2203 and talk to one of our customer service representatives.
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StackTraxx in the Mix
Ordinary production music just doesn’t stack up by Jeff Earley
S
tackTraxx is a revolutionary production music collection that
puts you in control of the mix. You can mute instrumental
tracks to create a custom mix of any StackTraxx song (Figure 1), but
HEAR THEM ALL There’s no need to
that's just the beginning. In this article, we’re going to take a look at
speculate about whether
how you can pull individual tracks out of a layered StackTraxx song
StackTraxx will work for you. You can browse the entire
to create the perfect score for your productions, with a minimum of fuss.
You can pull individual tracks out of a StackTraxx layered “song to create the perfect score for your production with a minimum of fuss. ” THE REAL POWER
The real power of StackTraxx comes when you separate the tracks by checking the Split Into Tracks box on the Output tab in the (free) Juicer (Figure 2). Now, when you render out the song, each instrument in the composition is saved as a separate audio file. Drop the individual files onto different audio tracks in your editing software (Figure 3) and you can independently adjust the levels of each instrument, remixing the song as much or little as necessary for your production. For example, you might create a simple underscore for a voiceover by muting the lead instruments. Let’s start by comparing two mixes I created of the song “CashFlow” from StackTraxx 12: Corporate Stacks. (You can listen to these examples online at digitaljuice.com.) The underscore version of the song that I
created still has the same energy as the full version, but by dropping out a couple of tracks, I’ve made it much easier to use the piece behind a VO. I also created a related transitional audio part from the same song. It is easy once you have separate tracks. For this example, I isolated the acoustic guitar part from the song and added a little flange to create a bumper for segment transitions. It is very different from the original tune, but it still matches.
Guitar1 and Guitar2 layers from “CashFlow” with the Drum track from “BusinessMan” to create a different feel for our underscore. In order to accomplish this, I used the Beatmapper built into Sony’s ACID software (Figure 4) to determine the beats per minute (BPM) of both songs. “CashFlow” came in at
(continued on page 32)
StackTraxx audio gallery online at digitaljuice.com, where you can hear every single song on every disc. You can even create your own remixes to see how flexible and fun the product really is.
Figure 1
Remixing a StackTraxx song in the Juicer.
MIXED UP SONGS
While the easiest way to use StackTraxx is by mixing different layers of the same song together in different ways, with a little creativity and experimentation, you can combine layers from different songs to come up with something completely new. For example, I combined the Bass,
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MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 31
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
StackTraxx in the Mix (continued from page 31)
Figure 2
Split StackTraxx songs on the Effects tab in the Juicer.
Figure 3
StackTraxx layers remixed in Sony’s ACID.
110bpm, while “BusinessMan” was 125bpm. I muted the Drum track from “CashFlow” and bumped the tempo of the project up just a little (120bpm) to add a touch more energy. The Drum track from “BusinessMan” was a bit longer than the original from “CashFlow,” so I trimmed part of the middle of that track so that it finished on the beat with the guitar tracks. The finished remix now has a completely different feel, but is still based on the same theme. SIMPLER, SIMPLEST
Beatmatching and mixing different songs together is not for everyone, but it is certainly an option. Of course, you don’t actually need to do any remixing at all with StackTraxx: they work just like any other
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
You can use a tool like Sony’s ACID Beatmapper tool to match tempos in different StackTraxx songs.
Figure 4
traditional royalty-free song library on the market and sound great without any modifications. That’s the best part of the product: it is as simple as you need and as flexible as you want, all in one package.
Jeff Earley is Director of Digital Juice Audio Products.
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POWERPOINT
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Killer PowerPoints in 4 Hours (or less)!
How to build a great PPT presentation in less than four hours by Kevin Lerner
M
ost people dread presentation design. Tell someone they
need to make a PowerPoint® presentation and you'll likely
hear a sad list of excuses:
“I don't know where to begin!” “It takes too long!” “I don't know how to make it look good!” “I hate PowerPoint!” Let’s face it: In today’s world of short-attention spans and audiences that are hungry for visuals, the oft-maligned PowerPoint has become a helpful —even essential—tool for helping speakers communicate their messages with greater impact.
presentations don’t have to be “ PowerPoint painful and tedious to create. ” PowerPoint presentations don’t have to be painful and tedious to create. After years of creating professional presentations, both for myself and for many other professional speakers, I've come up with a time management-driven process of developing a great-looking, full-featured PowerPoint presentation (without frustration) in less than four hours. FINISH THE TALK FIRST
The key to easy and efficient PowerPoint design is to have your speech already finished, at least in outline form. Many speakers start right away by working in PowerPoint and waste precious hours tinkering with the graphics and effects. Or they think the program will help them actually create their presentation. This is not true for most people. Save yourself time and headaches by doing what you would normally do to craft a speech. When your outline is ready, fire up PowerPoint and start the clock.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
THE TEMPLATE—30 MINUTES
Creating the look and feel is one of the more fun aspects of PowerPoint, but developing a template can be a timeconsuming creative activity as well. I would strongly recommend settling on a design before you build all of your slides, and that you limit yourself to an hour (or less) for front-end design. Templates are a huge time saver, and choosing an effective template is the most critical step of creating a good looking presentation. A weak template can weaken your whole presentation. To speed development, choose a title and body master from an existing template package. In my opinion, PowerPoint's built-in templates are often overused and too generic: we’ve all seen them a hundred times before, but there are many other sources. There’s nothing wrong with starting with a stock text template and then swapping in your own background. After you have finalized a look, establish the master color
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POWERPOINT
The Presenter’s Toolkit has thousands of multimedia elements for presentation professionals.
scheme, change fonts, type sizes, bullets, body layout and line spacing. By taking these steps early on, each slide you create will automatically have consistent positioning and text size, and your presentation will maintain a polished and professional look, putting you on the fast track to completion. If you make these decisions later, you will have to go back and repeatedly making individual changes to all of your slides, not only costing you time, but also risking consistency oversights. THE CONTENT—ONE HOUR
Onscreen text is vital for effective presentation graphics. Indeed, studies have shown that structure like bullet points, phrases and quotations help people remember the core concepts of a speech. When adapting your speech to a PowerPoint presentation, it is essential to keep the textual content brief and not overwhelm the slides with bullet points, however. For this phase, just get your text divided up and onto the slides: don’t worry about layout too much. And don’t change the templates at all if you can help it. Moving around the heading may help you wedge more text on a page, but it will also destroy the consistency between slides. How much text should you have per slide? As a general rule to maintain audience attention, I like to keep my presentation moving at the healthy pace of one to two slides per minute. At this pace, a 20-minute speech would have 20 to 40 slides. Pay careful attention to the amount of text on screen. If any page is too crowded, split it onto a second page. When in doubt, I’d favor going with two readable slides instead of one crowded one.
THE GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT—90 MINUTES
The bulk of this timed presentation development process should be spent on graphics and visual design. While we are already at the two-hour mark, if you have been fast about selecting a good template and you were not editing your speech during the previous hour, you should be ahead of schedule at this point. Before you dive into finding pretty pictures and illustrations to support your text, take a quick moment to estimate how much time you have in this budget per graphic. If we have 40 slides in our presentation, we will have to hit a pace of about two and a half minutes of development time per slide for the text and graphics. By pacing yourself at this rate for development, you'll find the presentation comes together much more quickly. Some people actually work better under a deadline and setting an average time per slide may actually make it easier to develop graphics.
presentation in various iterations, making a few more enhancements each pass. The empty spots will ultimately fill themselves in. Just keep going!
For efficient graphic selection, you might use the clip-art library built into PowerPoint especially when it's linked to the Internet. There are numerous other services for good graphics, but keep in mind that you are violating copyright law if you simply grab your images, video and/or music from the Internet. Digital Juice’s Presenter’s Toolkit offers a huge selection of royalty-free elements (including backgrounds, animated elements, music and video clips) that you can use however you like. Don’t get stuck on any single graphic or thought process here. If you're having trouble, move on to the next page and return back to that trouble spot later. Keep the pace moving! I often go through a (continued on page 36)
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Appropriate graphics and clean layouts make for effective presentations.
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 35
POWERPOINT
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Killer PowerPoints in 4 Hours (or less)! (continued from page 35)
SAVING DAY
animations. These animations should not be gratuitous, but should instead be intentional and purposeful, keeping your audience’s attention on what you are saying instead of reading ahead of you on the slide.
THE
While working, keep saving new versions of your presentation to prevent any catastrophic data loss and to allow you to revert to something that was deleted. I like to save every 30 minutes and use a logical file naming convention: Filename-v1.ppt, Filename-v2.ppt, and so on.
PowerPoint’s default templates are consistent, but they are seen a lot and can be uninspiring.
TRANSITIONS AND REVISIONS—ONE HOUR
Spend a quick 15 minutes assigning transitions to all the slides. Keep it consistent, perhaps using only one transition type through the entire presentation. A simple wipe effect is a good no-nonsense effect. You should also finalize your text reveals and bullet
We’ll focus on final edits, revisions and rehearsal for the last 45 minutes of this accelerated presentation design program. Run through the entire presentation in slideshow mode to ensure the transitions and animations work effectively and identify any areas that still need refinement, making any necessary edits. Ensure the graphics are consistent and relevant to the textual material on screen.
Use the guides and grids to keep the graphics from jumping around. Make several more passes, and keep tweaking until you're satisfied. When the clock runs out, call it finished: sure, you could always tweak this or that to make it a tiny bit better, but at some point it is best to call it done. After all, the real show hasn’t even begun yet. By sticking to a focused process and defined timeframe, your presentation will be developed more efficiently and effectively than by an ad-hoc approach. It's a simple but workable strategy: plan...prepare...present!
Kevin Lerner is the Executive Director of The Presentation Team (www.thepresentationteam.com) and is a renowned professional speaker and trainer.
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SHOWCASE
Show Us Your Stuff!
Highlights from the Digital Juice Customer Showcase by The Editors
T
his article highlights a few of our favorite videos that have been uploaded to our Customer Video Showcase. It represents the breadth of what we’ve seen so far,
from small producers and major commercial players. Make sure you logon to
on the Customer Video Showcase—go ahead and
The Customer Showcase lets users tell their story, put the video in context and explain some techniques.
INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION
“ABACHO.DE AG”—Allie Schropp This energetic spot is a television commercial for an Internet search engine in Germany called ABACHO. Allie Schropp’s edgy and artistic style is very cool and modern and uses a lot of heavy compositing work. Besides a number of VideoTraxx clips blinking in and out at a frenetic pace, you can hear a cut up and remixed version of the song “BioTech” from StackTraxx 2: Power Stacks punching up the soundtrack.
participate. We want to see
”
PHOTO OBJECTS & JUMP BACKS
”Crossroads”—Fred Matthews Fred Matthews is a Spot Producer for Love Worth Finding (LWF) ministries. LWF can be seen on over 14,000 broadcast and cable television outlets, heard on nearly 2,000 radio station and translators and is
your stuff, too.
available in more than 150 countries around the world. Mr. Matthews’ promo spot “Crossroads” is a good example of his work and features Jump Backs animation #735 from volume 18: Extreme II and Editor’s Toolkit Photo Objects #967, #974, #979 (ETK2) and #106 (ETK1).
SEE FOR
YOURSELF We’ve provided direct links to
DIGITAL SIGNAGE AND GRAYMATTERZ
“Wheelchair”—Matt Janowsky Digital Juice animations show up in a lot of different places besides broadcast television. A few of Matt Janowsky’s submissions were produced for a hospital’s digital signage video kiosks and information displays. One interesting aspect of this series is that it uses the Animated GreyMatterz clip art characters from our Presenter’s Toolkit to draw attention to the displays by illustrating health-related concepts. The looping video shown here is a reminder to return wheelchairs to their proper location and uses the simple color wash from Jump Backs animation #262 and PowerToonz Animated GreyMatterz #107 from the Presenter’s Toolkit.
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AND
PARTICIPATE Don’t just watch the videos
digitaljuice.com to see all of these videos for yourself.
“
UPLOAD
all of the videos highlighted here in the electronic version
CHRISTMAS CONTINUES
of the article online at
“Nayandei Christmas”— Kelyneth Hall Kelyneth Hall from Beyond Media in Cancun, Mexico created a commercial for the Azcue furniture store using a number of different elements from a number of different Super Sets in the Editor’s Toolkit 9: Christmas Tools. Working with location footage and product shots, the Toolkit elements finish the production with a slick, professional appeal. This clip is in sharp contrast to the edgier Anahuac Cancun University example also submitted by Hall.
digitaljuice.com. This is only a small sampling of all of the videos our customers have submitted to our Customer Showcase, where you can see many more videos.
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE |
37
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REVIEW
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Panasonic’s HVX200 HD Camcorder in Action The End of the Tape SEE FOR
by Perry Jenkins
YOURSELF
W
The DVD promo video that we produced with this
hen it came time to produce a new promo for our Juice Drops product line, we decided that we wanted to shoot in
camera is included in this
HD for a high-end film look. We needed something that would give us
magazine. Look for it in the
the best cinematic bang for the buck. We decided to rent the
envelope just inside the cover. It can also be seen online in the DJTV section of
reasonably priced Panasonic HVX200 handheld HD camera and the necessary accessories. In this article I’ll tell you what I thought of the camera after
digitaljuice.com. All of the
putting it through its paces in a real production so you can know what to expect if
shots of Chuck were shot
you’re interested in a similar HD setup.
by the writer with the
I set out to find an HD camera I could shoot with and still edit using our current postproduction workflow. The new Panasonic HVX200 caught my attention. I was intrigued by the P2 solid-state memory recording medium. OK, I’ll admit it: I was both intrigued and a bit nervous. I had never shot with a tapeless system before.
AG-HVX200.
The Panasonic HVX200 handheld HD camera, in front (left) and rear view (above). 38
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WHAT WE GOT
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
While the camera system is relatively inexpensive (certainly compared to a Sony CineAlta system that a big-budget Hollywood production might use), we decided to rent for this experiment. The rental package I got included the Panasonic HVX200 camera ($5,995), three 8-gig P2 cards ($1,400 each), a P2 Store hard disk device ($1,800) and multiple batteries. Total MSRP price for the package would have been around
$15,000 to buy, but, of course, street prices could be significantly lower. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Right out of the box, I was impressed with the look and feel of the camera. It’s a solid, but lightweight camera at the same time and is not entirely unlike the justly-famous prosumer DVX100 DV camcorder in feel. All the controls are placed in strategic locations that make it a fairly simple camera to operate, although it does have a lot of options. For this particular project, we chose to shoot in 720/24P HD mode. PRODUCTION
Part of the reason I went with this camera is that it’s fairly small. It’s significantly smaller than the Sony Betacam that I usually shoot with, which means that I could basically use all of my current location gear, including my tripod and dolly system. Handheld shots were also an option with the HVX200, which is a nice option
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The author shooting with the HVX200.
The 8GB version of the solid-state P2 memory card.
in terms of flexibility, but I didn’t shoot that way for this project.
The memory cards can be reused after being dumped to the P2 Store on location.
After loading the 8GB memory cards into the camera, I was ready to start shooting. I was very comfortable using the camera right away. After shooting for about 15 minutes, the first P2 memory card was full. This may seem like a short time, but we aren’t shooting 15-minute takes, so this wasn’t a limitation in any sense. GO TAPELESS AND TRANSFER
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Once the cards were full (I had three, so I got about 40 minutes of shooting out of the three 8-gig cards), the footage needed to be transferred to the P2 Store hard drive storage device and then the cards had to be erased so I could continue shooting. It worked flawlessly, but the newness of it made me nervous. Even for the smallest of productions, you’ll need to work out your own system to keep track, at all times, of which cards you can write over and which ones need to be dumped to the storage device.
Panasonic AG-HVX200 ($5,995) z 3x
z Wide-angle
(F1.6) Leica Dicomar Lens (fixed), 13x zoom
z DV25 z HD
I think the final video turned out great, but you can judge for yourself. The DVD is packaged just inside the cover of this magazine. My setups ranged from exterior to interior, mixed light to available light and
or DV50
(D5): 720p or 1080i (100 Mbps)
z Variable frame rate, including: 24, 30 or 60 z 4:2:2
color sampling
z CineGamma
and NewsGamma
color modes
POST
The footage was a bit more challenging for our VT[4] editing system to work with, but not significantly so. It was nice to not have to spend the time to capture the footage. Since we were distributing on DVD, we didn’t have any serious HD workflow issues.
1/3-inch 16:9 CCDs
P2 solid-state memory card ($1,400) z 8GB
what have you. Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of the shots that we got from the HVX200, and would have no trouble recommending it to anyone who wants to shoot HD on a budget.
Perry Jenkins is Senior Video Producer and Director at Digital Juice.
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The HVX200 is small enough for ENG-class location equipment.
capacity
z Recording
time 720/24P HD-mode: 14 minutes (average)
z Compatible
with PCMCIA card slots
P2 Store AJ-PCS060G ($1,800) z Hard
Disk Drive capacity: 60GB
z USB
2.0
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 39
SCREEN SHOTS
JB01: High Impact I,#019
SEE COMPLETE PRODUCT GALLERIES
ON THE WEB @ www.digitaljuice.com
Big Events, Big Graphics Jump Backs win in Hollywood and at Daytona by Chuck Peters
W
e have not one, but two exciting Digital Juice sightings to highlight this month. Both use Jump Backs animations for
major live-broadcast events on national television and both events are about as American as apple pie.
spotted a whole bunch of Jump Backs on the huge Nextel “ WeVision screens at the Daytona International Speedway. ”
JB02:High Impact II, #045
BE ON THE
LOOKOUT!
Have you spotted a Digital Juice element on TV, on a
DAYTONA 500
AMERICAN IDOL (AGAIN!)
The Daytona 500 is an American racing tradition. A couple of us here at Juice love fast cars and loud motors. DJ President Viv Beason and I were lucky enough to be in the stands at Daytona with almost a quarter of a million other fans for the 48th running of the 500 this February. We spotted a whole bunch of Jump Backs on the huge Nextel Vision screens at the Daytona International Speedway, including: #19, from JB01 High Impact I; #45 from JB02, High Impact II; and a colorized version of #267 from JB07, High Impact V.
Seeing our Jump Backs animations behind American Idol contestants is nothing new. We’ve seen Jump Backs on Idol since the days of Kelly Clarkson in the first season. Still, we never get tired of playing our favorite Idol game: “Name That Jump Back!” (Try it at home!). Jeff, from Full Production Video in Watkins Glen, NY, was the first Juice User to spot a Jump Backs animation on this season’s show. Jump Backs animation #38 from volume 1, High Impact I ran behind Mandisa, the talented performer who was recently eliminated from the contest. We
also saw Jump Backs animation #987, from Volume 25: All Music, behind Kevin Covais. The floating musical notes and watery textures really looked like they were custom made for the show. The moral of the story: Whether you’re in the grandstands at a major sporting event or kicking back on your couch at home with chips on your shirt, if you can see a TV screen, keep your eyes open. Chances are you’ll see some Juice!
Chuck Peters is General Manager of Digital Juice and Editor in Chief of Digital Juice Magazine.
billboard or in a national print ad? Send us a frame grab and a description. If you’re the first one to identify a Digital Juice element that’s being used on TV or in a national magazine and we use your find in this JB25:All Music,#987
column, we’ll mention your name and send you a cool Digital Juice Prize Pack. Send your Screen Shots sightings to [email protected].
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JB01:High Impact I,#038
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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Juice Drops
Hit 40
with 2 NEW VOLUMES:
JD39: allFLAGS & JD40: frameCUTS
INTRODUCING OUR TWO NEWEST VOLUMES!
JD39: allFLAGS
JD40: frameCUTS
From Belarus to Zimbabwe, Manitoba to California, this extremely useful volume has a comprehensive collection of meticulously researched world and regional flags including countries, US states, Canadian provinces, international organizations and more. Each flag is provided at the high resolution of 11.25” x 17.25” at 300 dpi, in its appropriate official proportions.
The illustrations in this volume cover a wide variety of styles—futuristic 3D abstract, realistic wood grain texture, liquid silver, etched copper, wispy feather fronds—but all have the common theme of a useful frame enclosing a large cut area. The frame elements and intricate backgrounds are perfect for many kinds of design from logo and identity to presentation and video work.
DVD 300 LAYERED PSD IMAGES $249
DVD 300 LAYERED PSD IMAGES $249
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05/06 2 0 0 6
DIGITAL
JUICE
C ATA LO G
JUICE DROPS Layered Photoshop Design Library Print Resolution Art You Take Apart uice Drops are completely royalty-free for you to use as often as you want, whenever and wherever you want. You pay once, and they are yours to use forever. If you buy just one volume, each image will cost you about $2.50, which is very inexpensive for traditional stock graphics and illustrations. Bundle specials bring the price down to less than 70 cents per image or you can grab the entire 40-volume library for about 50 cents a graphic. And we promise, when they are on your shelf in your studio, you will end up using them all of the time.
J
Check out every layer in every Juice Drops illustration in our 40-volume library using the interactive browser application included on the DVD inside this issue.
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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VOLUMES AVAILABLE: JD01: highIMPACT JD02: techXTREME JD03: cleanCUTS JD04: ultraGRUNGE JD05: subtleIMPACT JD06: ultraFRESH, JD07: hyperXTREME JD08: techIMPACT JD09: highIMPACT II JD10: ultra3D JD11: xtraGRUNGE JD12: retroFRESH JD13: peopleEDGE JD14: subtleIMPACT II JD15: highIMPACT III JD16: ultraCUTS JD17: scienceIMPACT JD18: cleanCUTS II JD19: medicalIMPACT JD20: illustratedIMPACT JD21: businessIMPACT JD22: boundlessEDGE JD23: cleanCUTS III JD24: geoIMPACT JD25: shadedEDGE JD26: paperCUTS JD27: glassEDGE JD28: freshFORM JD29: flowerPOWER JD30: lifeSHADES JD31: foodFUSION JD32: templateCUTS JD33: ethnicECHOES JD34: fluidFORM JD35: futureTECH JD36: naturalCUTS JD37: sportsCUTS JD38: pastelSKETCH NEW! JD39: allFLAGS NEW! JD40: frameCUTS
TECHNICAL SPECS: • 100 royalty-free layered illustrations per volume • 1-4 DVDs per volume • 40 volumes available now • Unlimited possibilities— turn layers on and off in Photoshop, customize the design for every project
Presenter’s Toolkit The Ultimate Presentation Graphics Library $299
• 6 DVDs with 40+ GB of royalty-free content • 4900+ graphic backgrounds (1600x1024, 300 dpi PNG) • 2000 photos and 2500 photo objects • 3200+ video clips (320x240 MPEG1 Video 30 FPS) • 900+ music clips (128 kbps MP3)
• All images are 17.25" x 11.25" at 300 DPI for a pixel resolution of 5175x3375.
• 6700+ PowerToonZ illustrations • Free Juicer software for browsing,copying,special effects • Compatible with PowerPoint, , SongShowPlus, Keynote, MediaShout, Sunday Plus as well as other presentation and worship software.
• Files are delivered in layered Photoshop .psd & flattened RGB & CMYK .tif formats
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BUNDLE
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Digital Juice 2.0 $199
for PowerPoint and Multimedia The Best Selling Professional Presentation Graphics Library on 1 DVD! • 2600 graphic backgrounds • 1100+ photos and photo objects • 50 video clips (320x240, MPEG1) • 60 animated elements (320x240, MPEG1) • 54,600 photo and background remixes • Compatible with PowerPoint, , SongShowPlus, Keynote, MediaShout, Sunday Plus as well as other presentation and worship software.
P R I N T / P R E S E N T A T I O N
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 43
05/06 2 0 0 6
D I G I T A L
J U I C E
C A T A L O G
Editor’s Toolkit 1: Multipurpose Tools • 40+ GB, 6 DVD-ROMs
Editor’s Toolkits Complete Animated Graphics Packages for
• 50 Animated Jump Sets with matching animated background, template, overlay, and lower third • 50 Additional animated overlays and 50 additional animated lower thirds • 200 static lower thirds, 250 static mattes
Every Video Producer or Editor
• Thousands of stills in over 20 categories
Create a coordinated and professional look effortlessly with animations organized into matched sets. 10 Volumes • 100s of Animations per Volume • Backgrounds, Overlays, Lower Thirds, Wipes and Motion Design Elements Editor’s Toolkit 2: Multipurpose Tools 2 • 55+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs • 15 Animated Jump Sets with matching animated background, template, overlay, lower third, full screen wipe & transition • 100+ Motion design elements • 100 Wipes and transitions to match ETK1 plus 50 additional wipes & transitions • 15 Additional lower thirds and overlays • Thousands of photos & photo objects
Editor’s Toolkit 3: Wedding Tools
Editor’s Toolkit 4: High Tech Tools
Editor’s Toolkit 5: Soft & Subtle Tools
• 70+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs
• 80+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs
• 80+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs
• 20 Animated Jump Sets with matching animated background, template, overlay, lower third, full screen wipe & transition
• 20 Animated Super Sets with a High Tech edge, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes,2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes.
• 20 Animated Super Sets with a Soft & Subtle look, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes,2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes.
• More than 320 Animations in all
• More than 320 Animations in all
(formerly Wedding Editor’s Toolkit)
• 100+ Motion design elements • 20+ Additional animated backgrounds • 50+ Additional full screen animated wipes • 25 Bitstream™ Fonts
$399
Editor’s Toolkit 6: Corporate & Broadcast Tools
$399
$399
Editor’s Toolkit 7: Wedding Tools II
$399 E
D
I
T
O
$399 R
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T
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• 80+ GB, 10 DVD-ROMs • 20 Animated Super Sets with a Corporate & Broadcast feel, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes,2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes. • More than 320 Animations in all
• 63+ GB, 8 DVD-ROMs • 15 Animated Super Sets with a Wedding theme, each with the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes, 2 motion design elements, 1 transition wipe as well as 4 alpha channel mattes. • More than 260 Animations in all
$399
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$399
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
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WE ACCEPT any of these major credit cards as well as your check.
Editor’s Toolkit 8: Sports Tools • 70+ GB,10 DVD-ROMs • 54 Animated Jump Sets with a network sports feel, including individual animations for Basketball, Football, Baseball, Soccer, Golf, Hockey & Tennis. • Package also includes globe and multipurpose animated backgrounds for a wider appeal. • Each set in the package contains the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 2 backgrounds, 1 overlay, 1 lower third, 1 full screen wipe and 1 motion design element
Editor’s Toolkit 10: Multipurpose Tools III Our BIGGEST and BEST Yet! 62% More Content for the Same Low Price.
• More than 320 Animations in all
$399 • 90+ GB of royalty-free content on 11 DVD-ROMs • 30 animated graphically matching Super Sets
Editor’s Toolkit 9: Christmas Tools • 90+ GB, 12 DVD-ROMs • 16 animated graphically matching Super Sets with a seasonal theme. • Each set in the package contains the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes, 1 transition wipe, 2 motion design elements and 4 animated alpha channel mattes. (Most sets also have several extra elements.) • Bonus holiday animated text elements. • Bonus video design elements with Santa Claus.
• Each set in the package contains the following matching animated elements (at a minimum): 3 backgrounds, 2 overlays, 2 lower thirds, 2 full screen wipes, 1 transition wipe, 2 motion design elements and 4 animated alpha channel mattes. (Most sets also have several extra elements.) • More than 500 Animations in all
$399 OR ADD TO ANY ORDER
199
FOR JUST $
EDITOR’S TOOLKIT HOT TIP:
BEGIN WITH THE EDIT IN MIND
• More than 350 Animations in all
n some cases it can be a big help to know which Editor’s Toolkit graphic elements you’ll use in your production before you shoot. For instance, if you plan to key an overlay over your talent, you might choose to shoot them to one side of the frame (or the other) so you have plenty of room for the graphic you’ll add later.
I
$399
1.800.525.2203 ORDER BY PHONE
Overlay 2 (left, top) from Editor’s Toolkit 10 Super Set #257, works best when shooting video that is mostly on the right side of the screen (right). Centering the subject would hide too much of the action (left, bottom).
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 45
05/06 2 0 0 6
D I G I T A L
J U I C E
C A T A L O G JB01: High Impact I The high impact volumes include dozens of different styles, ensuring you’ll find the perfect animation for any production.
Jump Backs
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
Network Quality Animation Library The royalty-free collection that just keeps growing— more variety and more innovation all the time. 30 Volumes • 40+ Animations per Volume 15-30 Seconds per Animation • Seamlessly Loopable
JB02: High Impact II Subtle or bold, retro or high tech, our high impact volumes have a sampling of many styles to suit every project. DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB03: High Impact III
JB04: Wedding
JB05: Sports
JB06: High Impact IV
When you want your next project to stand above the rest, but you don’t need a specific theme, then you want a High Impact Jump Back.
Not just for weddings! If you are looking for super soft and subtle animations you’ll definitely want to add this volume to your library.
Back by popular demand, High Impact IV continues the signature Jump Back style and takes it to a whole new level.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 56 ANIMATIONS $249
Shoot and score with this impressive collection of sports-related animations. Covers football, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, hockey, soccer, and more! DVD 49 ANIMATIONS $249
JB07: High Impact V
JB08: High Impact VI
JB09: High Tech & Internet
JB10: All American
With its mix of high tech looks and energetic style this volume stands out as one of our all-time best sellers.
Not intimidated by the success of Volume 7, this volume once again shows why Digital Juice leads the way in royalty-free animations.
Computers, binary numbers, world wide web, internet, networking, satellites, circuitry, global communication, and more.
The perfect mix of patriotism, history, politics, independence, government, military, the heartland and holidays.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB13: All Church
JB14: Medical/Health, Education & Science
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB11: Retro Clean Need the latest cutting-edge look? Volume 11 animations have simple clean lines and a crisp neo-retro feel—hip and stylish without being extreme.
JB12: Corporate/Industrial, Time & Money The title says it all, anything and everything related to industry, business, finance and time.
Subtle, tasteful animations that are a musthave for any church-related video project. Also includes soft theme-free graphics perfect for any job.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB15: Weather&The Elements
JB16: High Impact VII
JB17: Extreme I
JB18: Extreme II
These animations convey the mood of the seasons—animated fall leaves, lightning storms, clouds, snowflakes, and much more.
Taking up where Volume 8 left off, this newest High Impact volume features sophisticated animations designed for any production.
An explosion of color, light and movement— your productions will say “Look at me, NOW!” when you add this volume to your animation arsenal.
Abstract colors and radical themes—from extreme road trips to crazy roller coaster rides—move your productions from point A to B in a hurry!
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
This broad collection has a variety of animations which fit perfectly together. So many themes and looks—so many uses! DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
WE ACCEPT any of these major credit cards as well as your check.
JB19: Extreme III
JB20: Subtle Impact
So much action, so much intensity—you can almost hear the beat thumpin’ or the guitar grindin’ under these cool backgrounds.
The title says it all—soft styles with impact, visually interesting animated backgrounds with a variety of subtle themes. DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB21: High Impact VIII
JB22: Global Impact
High Impact VIII takes up where its popular predecessors left off, bringing you highenergy animations in a variety of styles and colors.
Go global with your next production— you can literally have the world at your fingertips—and in motion. DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB23: Clean Streak
JB24: Tunnel Vision
Clean Streak is clean, cool, and structured— animations with sharp edges, bright colors and lots of attitude in motion.
Tunnel Vision takes you for a ride down dimly lit passageways, around hairpin curves, through tubes of light—buy a ticket and get on now.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB25: All Music
JB26: Future Tech
Music-themed backgrounds that will make your productions shake, rattle and roll— get your audience out of their seats and onto their feet.
A surreal journey to the future and new dimensions—highly stylized elements and motion not found anywhere else in the Jump Backs series.
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
JB27: International Flags
JB28: Subtle Impact II
Beautifully rendered, rippling, waving, full-screen animated flags from countries around the world.
This sequel won’t fail at the box office— soft, sleek energy boxed up for your next low-key production.
DVD 58 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
Jump Backs HD High Definition, Network Quality Animation Library • • • •
10 volumes, 20 animations per volume Full 1,920x1,080, 16:9 Resolution 15-30 seconds per animation Seamlessly loopable
VOLUMES AVAILABLE: JB HD 01: High Tech & Internet JB HD 02: Corporate/Industrial, Time & Money JB HD 03: Medical/Health, Education & Science JB HD 04: High Impact VI JB HD 05: Retro Clean JB HD 06: Extreme I JB HD 07: Extreme II JB HD 08: Subtle Impact JB HD 09: All Music JB HD 10: Simply Useful
$249
PER VOLUME
OR BUNDLE
ALL 10
VOLUMES FOR JUST
$699
(samples shown at right)
JB29: US State Flags
JB30: Simply Useful
Accurately rendered and textured full-screen animated flags from the 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia and 5 U.S. territories.
The original animations in our latest volume luminously draw the viewer right into the scene with an aesthetic palette that is just right.
DVD 56 ANIMATIONS $249
DVD 40 ANIMATIONS $249
1.800.525.2203 ORDER BY PHONE
MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 47
05/06 2 0 0 6
DIGITAL
JUICE
C ATA LO G
DIGITAL JUICE
SOUND FX LIBRARY
StackTraxx Layered Digital Music Library
• 10,000+ SOUND EFFECTS in more than 170 categories and 4 main classes
The revolutionary production collection that puts you in control! Just $249 per volume or as low as
• Superior 24-bit, 96kHz stereo
$49 per volume in a 12-PAK Bundle.
• WAV format lossless quality audio
VOLUMES AVAILABLE:
• Now 12 volumes to choose from!
• Keyword searchable
Vol. 1: Extreme Stacks
• 20-40 original full length songs per volume
• Over 55GB of content
Vol. 2: Power Stacks
Vol. 5: Holiday Stacks
• 1 DVD with proprietary digital layered files, 2-4 CDs per volume (CDs contain Standard Compact Disc Audio)
Vol. 6: Street Stacks
• 4-7 separate editable layers per song
Vol. 3: Serious Stacks Vol. 4: Smooth Stacks
Vol. 7: Groovy Stacks Vol. 8: Fifties Stacks Vol. 9: World Stacks
he Digital Juice Sound FX Library is the most comprehensive collection of audio effects ever collected together into a single package. Produced by renowned industry-veteran sound designers and distributed at 24-bit/96kHz resolutions, the artistic and technical quality is state of the art. The keyword searchable index makes the over 10,000 clips eminently usable, like no other media library anywhere else.
T
• 4 broadcast cuts per song—:10, :15, :30, & :60 • NEW! JUICER 3.0 COMPATIBILITY
Using the included Juicer 3.0 software you can convert to virtually any sample depth and bit resolution you might need. Compatible with both Mac and PC, the software also make searches and previews a snap.
Vol. 10: Broadcast Stacks Vol. 11: Epic Stacks NEW! Vol. 12: Corporate Stacks
$249
per volume
SOME OF THE CATEGORIES INCLUDE: NOISE FX—Alarms • Beds • Bells • Bumpers • Buttons Descends • Feedbacks • Flashes • Growls • Phasers Ricochets • Stingers • Thumps • Transitions • Whooshes GENERAL FX—Animals • Crashes • Explosions • Foley Household • Impacts • Liquids Machines • Sports Technology • Transportation • Weapons • Weather MUSICAL FX—Musical Logos • Musical Transitions Musical Textures • Musical Elements
Taking production music a step further, StackTraxx allows you to turn layers on or off creating original mixes or isolating individual tracks, using our free Juicer 3.0 software.
HUMAN FX—Attitudes • Business • Children • Commercial Common Greetings • News • Numbers • Occasions • Sports OnTheSet • Questions • Responses • plus many more.
$599
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING!
OR FOR A LIMITED TIME* ADD TO ANY ORDER
FOR ONLY
*OFFER EXPIRES June 30th, 2006
Get ALL 12 VOLUMES for just
$599
Special Limited Time Pricing!
A
U
D
I
O
P
R
O
$699 REG. PRICE
$249
SAVE $450! D
U
C
T
S
BackTraxx 1 CD Music Library Music to your ears and your budget! • 1000+ tracks of royalty-free music on 28 CDs • Full length tracks as well as :60, :30, and :15 broadcast cut versions • 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, standard CDDA format • Categories include: Atmospheric, Christmas, Classical, Corporate & Industrial, Country, Hi-Tech, Mellow, Nature, Piano, Rock, Sports, Suspense, Urban, Weddings and more.
$399 48
|
DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
WE ACCEPT any of these major credit cards as well as your check.
VideoTraxx 1 Film & Video Library • • • • • •
3000+ Video Clips 34 DVDs • 220 GB 36 Categories Royalty-free NTSC/PAL Free Juicer Software
$599
VideoTraxx 3 Film & Video Library • • • • • •
3000+ Video Clips 34 DVDs • 220 GB 36 Categories Royalty-free NTSC/PAL Free Juicer Software
$599 VideoTraxx 2 Film & Video Library • • • • • •
3000+ Video Clips 34 DVDs • 220 GB 32 Categories Royalty-free NTSC/PAL Free Juicer Software
CATEGORIES INCLUDE: Adrenaline, All In The Family, Animal Kingdom, Around the House, At The Park, Body Shots, Business & Economics, Casino, Couples, Drugs, Medicine & Emergency, Film, Photo & Video, Good Eats, Hands, International Culture, Music & Dance, New War, Scenics, Space, Team Sports & Athletics, Workshop & Garage and more.
$599
ULTRA 2 from Serious Magic High-Quality DV/HDV/HD Keying Vector keying technology works with uneven lighting, wrinkled backdrops and frizzy hair as well as for complex keys involving smoke, glass and liquids with minimal effort. • Works with all Digital Juice animated content (Jump Backs, Editor’s Toolkits) • One-click Set Key feature allows fast set up, for better videos with less tweaking but advanced controls such as spill suppression, color restoration and edge softening can also be applied to fine tune composites.
ULTRA 2
$449
Windows® XP/2000
ULTRA MASTER SETS LIBRARIES 1-4 per library
$299
• Using GPU-based processing, ULTRA 2 can key in near-real time at HD-resolution. • Advanced features including real-time reflections and shadows, multi-point pan & zoom and plus-90 mode. • Reads and writes AVI or DV video clips from virtually any editing tool, from Avid to Adobe Premiere to Final Cut Pro.
1.800.525.2203 ORDER BY PHONE
ULTRA Master Sets Libraries 1-4 Each of the 48 sets in 4 libraries includes multiple angles, virtual flying camera shots & places to insert additional video sources or graphics. MAY/JUNE 2006 DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE | 49
JUICE BOX
Be the First, Save the Most by Dave Hebel
I
n April, we sent out a special email to some of our customers announcing the release of
StackTraxx 12: Corporate Stacks. We decided to try something new to encourage people to give it a try: The first 1,000 customers were able to pick it up for just $69 (regularly $249). The
DON’T MISS ANOTHER ISSUE!
orders came in fast and furious and our initial run was completely
FREE Magazine Subscription
Subscribers to the eNewsletter will be given a “ secret link to download a special unreleased piece of content from one of our media libraries—FREE! ”
• Tips, tricks and tutorials • New product releases • Insider product information • Latest specials and pricing Best of all, you can get Digital Juice magazine ABSOLUTELY FREE every month! To subscribe, just visit www.digitaljuice.com and click on the FREE MAGAZINE link on the homepage.
NEXT ISSUE
in DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE
• Five Tips for Lighting Talent • Breaking Down a Multi-Layered Video Composite • How to Pick the Right Mic • The Right Bid for the Right Client
50
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DIGITAL JUICE MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2006
sold out in two weeks flat.
We’ve decided that we will continue to try to offer “Extreme Specials” like this more often in the future, especially on new products. These deals are really good and the availability is limited, so we aren’t able to run them in Digital Juice magazine. Unfortunately, by the time this magazine lands in your mailbox, the initial run is very likely to have sold out. So the only way to take advantage of these specials is to subscribe to our new Digital Juice eNewsletter. GET STACKTRAXX 13: HIGH IMPACT FOR $69
To encourage you to sign-up, anyone who subscribes to the eNewsletter in May or June can get our hot new StackTraxx 13: High Impact for just $69. Even if our initial run of 1,000 copies is sold out by the time you subscribe. We’ll still send you a secret link that will let you take advantage of the special, but you must go to digitaljuice.com/enews/signup.asp and register by June 30th to qualify. DEAL STACKING
As I’m sure you are aware, we always have some sort of special promotional pricing going on and last month it was the Editor’s Toolkit for $199 when added to an order for another product. Most companies have some sort of disclaimer “Not valid with other specials,” but we aren’t “most companies.” Many of you quickly figured out that you could buy
StackTraxx 12 at the $69 introductory price and then add the Editor’s Toolkit 10 for $199 (regularly $399). While we can’t promise that our deals will always stack, many times they will, but you won’t know in time if you don’t subscribe to the eNewsletter. GET FREE CONTENT!
You can always unsubscribe to our eNewsletter, but we’re guessing you won’t want to. Each week, subscribers to the eNewsletter will be given a secret link to download a special unreleased piece of content from one of our media libraries—FREE! Some weeks it’ll be a never-before-seen Jump Backs animation, other times it’ll be an amazing new StackTraxx song or maybe a Juice Drops layered print graphic. This free content will be exclusively available to our eNewsletter subscribers. We always have great deals, but we’re pretty sure our competition can’t beat free!
David Hebel Founder/CEO [email protected] Sign up for the Digital Juice eNewsletter online at:
www.digitaljuice.com/ enews/signup.asp
ORDER ONLINE www.digitaljuice.com
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