Why did nobody tell me?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 12:40PM As an aside...I've recorded another YouTube video comment and I'm waiting for it to be processed before publishing it. YouTube seems to produce a low resolution version of the clip first, and then a high quality HD version later. I think it's worth waiting until the HD version is available before releasing it into the playlist.
But back to the subject of my daily blog post - Why did nobody tell me?
Just started to edit this weeks LaunchBar 5 show using Final Cut Pro. Thought, I'd try and use the BamBoo pad pen to do some video editing...
Holy moly!
It's fantastic!
OK, so I've only been using it for an hour or so, but I can already feel that it's speeding up my workflow considerably. Being able to scroll the timeline and precisely position the playhead using the pen, and then cut and move clips around with the pen, it just seems faster and more natural.
I've never really used the buttons on the top of the timeline, as you can see by the fact that there are only three default buttons there! However, with the pen, I can see the buttons becoming invaluable. I just need to work out how to assign effects to buttons?
My setup is now the Contour Shuttle Pro 2 on the left, a USB mini keyboard in the center and the BamBoo Touch & Pen Fun Medium on the right.
The Contour Shuttle Pro is programmed with transport controls to play, move backwards and forwards between clips or edit points, set the in point and out points and a macro to do a ripple delete and play around the playhead. I've been using this on the right hand side of the keyboard up until now, next to my mouse. It meant I was forever lifting my hand from the mouse to the shuttle and back again - bonkers! Now it's on the left, I've retrained my left hand to use it. Took a while but I'm nearly there.
The mini keyboard is fine as I've transferred all of the commands of the Numeric pad and dedicated page keys to the Contour Shuttle. It's also a lot smaller than the full keyboard so fits on the desk just fine with the other devices.
With using the pen on the Bamboo, I've discovered I can keep hold of the pen and type on the keyboard just. I'm no touch typist but more of a fast hunt and peck merchant, so it's nor problem. In fact I typed the whole of this blog post holding the pen!
Another neat feature is that I can use the pen for editing and navigation, but still holding the pen, switch effortlessly into touch mode for faster scrolling - works a treat!
So enough with the blogging about the Bamboo, I'll move on but will keep you informed of my progress over the next few weeks, especially if I discover some major issues or fall out of love with it like I did with the Magic Mouse.
By the way, these blog posts have not been sponsored or endorsed by Wacom. I received no loaner kit and the BamBoo was purchased from Amazon using my own hard earned cash. I know I don't have to say it, but I do like to make sure that everything I do is completely transparent.
It's just my way!
Reader Comments (9)
there’s a good episode of Macbreak Studio where they talk about the button bar on top of the timeline - MacBreak 240: New Button Shortcuts in Final Cut Pro 7. Might be worth 7 minutes of your time.
http://www.pixelcorps.tv/macbreak240
-Matt
People often think that a pen and tablet is just for graphic design, but it's great using it as a pointing device generally in OS X. As you say you can select and click on things more precisely with the pen, and also keep the pen in your hand when typing.
You can get even more functionality out of it with software like Keyboard Maestro. For example I set the top part of the pen switch/button to Exposé - All Windows (bottom part is the right click default). But then with Keyboard Maestro set the top button to Spaces when holding the CTRL key while clicking it, Exposé - Desktop when holding the ALT key while clicking it etc.
You could also probably assign effects to buttons in Final Cut Pro with Keyboard Maestro (you can set different functions for the same key in different apps (as well as setting some functions globally)).
Sorry Don, should have told you. ;-) I've got the smaller version of the Bamboo Pen/Touch. It has nothing on the Euphonix MC Transport, though. This, as they say, is it. I find that I actually don't use the Wacom as much as I thought I would with everything else, though. They show one using it to flip through photos and doing all sorts of stuff with it that is just a lot more work and less accurate than with a mouse. I still like it, just don't use it as much as the advertisements said I would... :)
Hi,
MacFevre did you say you are using an Euphonix MC Transport yourself ? I bought one a few days back and really starting to love it myself. I still have to get used to it though, been editing my videos with the mouse + keyboard for more than 3 years, so it's tough to get rid of the habbit :-)
One thing I noticed though is that I couldn't use the Jog wheel to skim through my sequence or clips. For some reason that doens't seem to work, except if I have the Audio Mixer window open somewhere in FCP.
Everything else (inlcuding the Shuttle) seems to be working even without having the Audio Mixer open, only the Jog wheel doesn't seem to do anything.
Looking forward to hear your experiences with the Euphonix MC Transport.
Regards,
Stefaan
I don't know!
You guys tempting me with the Euphonix MC Transport.
Looks a lovely bit of kit but not sure what it would give me over the Contour Shuttle Pro 2, besides some extra buttons (which I'm sure I could use!).
Go on, convince me :-)
Well I hate to say I told you so but I did say you would love the wacom and hey presto...! I use the A4 sized Intous3 model and just like you, ...love it! It is good to hear you are using the wacom for 'normal day to day' computer activity. Keep on rockin Don!
Hi Don,
Well, something which impressed me is that I seemed to be able to use it in other applications as well. Not just stuff from Final Cut Studio. I mean, I was able to program the buttons to start a new tweet in Tweetie when the Tweetie app has the focus :-P Switching apps is also easy using the Euphonix MC Transport.
Nice thing about it is that it is an Ethernet device, so you can even use it to control apps on a Second Mac !!! Now I think that is something which might be interesting to you.
I should be doing some extensive work with it in the comming 2 weeks and I'll try to put everything into my own little review :-)
Regards,
Stefaan
On the topic of this blog post... Why didn't anyone tell me that you changed your blog? For two months I thought you had just not been blogging anything. I follow your blog in Google Reader, and I suppose the RSS feed is not redirecting.
Hi Anders,
Sorry about that!
I've been using Feedburner and that should have coped with the change. It did when I tested it!
Ah well, some catching up then :-)