- Wednesday, April 03, 2013
- Some new GoPro videos created by our Users
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We are getting very excited about some of the new features that will be included in the next update of trakAxPC. We are currently working on this update and it will be available soon and will include features such as chroma-key/green screen and new cropping tools. In the meantime, we thought we would share some of the excellent GoPro videos created by some of our users. If you have questions or queries about using your GoPro, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Check out these videos and remember to click on the “HD Settings” icon on the videos for the best quality image.
Maart 2013 SFL by Florian de Krom”
Reverse Motion - Parkour and Freerunning by Kenny Lam”
And finally for all our fishing friends - 2013 Beauty & The Beast Lake Trout by Matt Pelletier
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Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks Site Notes |
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- Wednesday, March 20, 2013
- Why is there letterboxing in my YouTube or GoPro videos?
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Why is there letterboxing or pillar boxes in my videos? This is a question we have seen and heard many times and is one users can find quite confusing. It basically comes down to two things: the aspect ratio your original footage was taken in i.e. the resolution setting chosen on your camera, and the aspect ratio you choose when exporting and uploading your video file. For example, I often see videos taken with a GoPro camcorder which contains video images, as well as still images. As the video is playing, you will notice the video images uses the full width of screen and when a picture enters, there will be pillar boxes on the sides of the image. This is because the GoPro camera only shoots still images in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio, while the video was shot at a popular widescreen resolution such as 1080p or 720p (16:9 aspect ratio) (see example video below).
YouTube now uses only 16:9 aspect ratio for its media player. If you are uploading a non-16:9 file, it will be processed and displayed correctly as well, with pillar boxes (black bars on the left and right) or letter boxes (black bars at the top and bottom) provided by the player. If you are using trakAxPC to export a video and you want it to fit the player perfectly, export your videos at the following resolutions:
1080p: 1920x1080
720p: 1280x720
480p: 854x480
360p: 640x360
240p: 426x240The YouTube player automatically adds black bars so that videos are displayed correctly without cropping or stretching, no matter the size of the video or the player. For example, the player will automatically add pillarboxing to 4:3 videos in the new 16:9 widescreen player size. If the player is re-sized (i.e. when embedded on another website), the same process takes place so that 16:9 videos are letterboxed when the player is sized to 4:3. Similarly, anamorphic videos will be automatically letterboxed when shown in either 16:9 or 4:3 sized players. The player can only do this if the native aspect ratio of the video is maintained.
If letterboxing is added to a video before it is uploaded (i.e. in the case of creating a 4:3 video from a 16:9 master), the widescreen player will add pillarbox bars too, resulting in black bars all around the video (windowboxing) and a bad viewing experience (see the diagram below).
In trakAxPC, before you create your video you can choose your target frame size and aspect ratio for your video using the “Target Frame Size” drop down menu in the Mixing screen. Target Frame Size can be changed at any time before the mix is exported. To learn more about selecting Target Frame Sizes, please click HERE
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Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks Site Notes |
2 comments
- Friday, March 15, 2013
- Getting in the festive mood - St. Patrick’s Day
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With St. Patrick’s day on this Sunday, we thought we would get into that festive spirit early and show you a video we shot of St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin a couple of years ago. What will you be getting up to this Paddy’s Day? If you’re out and about, or heading to a parade with your family, why not grab your camera or camcorder and take some footage of the memorable day. Plus, as we are Irish, we would love to see St.Patrick’s Day from another perspective.
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Posted by Colm in |
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- Monday, February 25, 2013
- New Cropping Tools Coming Soon to trakAxPC V4
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We are really excited about some of the new features and tools that we are working on for the new update of trakAxPC V4. We are currently developing new panning and zooming options as well as a new Ken Burns Effect. Also, we have listened to our users and yes, we are now going to incorporate new sophisticated cropping tools to take your split screen and collage videos to the next level. Have a look at the video below to see some of the cropping tools in action. This update will be free to current paid users and available to download shortly!!!!!!!
Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special spring sale - buy trakAxPC today for just $39.95.
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Posted by Cormac in Development Roadmap |
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- Monday, February 18, 2013
- trakAx MovieExpress for Android Coming Soon.
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trakAx MovieExpress is the first truly interactive, intuitive and fun multimedia creation app developed for Android. Designed specially for Smartphone and Tablet devices, trakAx MovieExpress allows users to be creative on the move. Gone are tiny timelines and controls that are difficult to adjust when on the move. So whether you are on a bus, a train or having a coffee, you can create quality videos quickly and easily.
The application has all the advanced features that you would expect on a desktop application - text and credits, Pan and Zoom Effect, Photo Cropping, Audio and Video Editing, Effects and Transitions, just to name a few. This brief video demonstration gives an overview of the app and highlights some of the key features within the application.
The team is heading to the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona on the 25th February and we should have an announcement on a release date shortly after our return. In the meantime, if anyone has any questions or queries, please send an email to .
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Posted by Colm in |
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- Thursday, January 24, 2013
- Creating a Photo Light box for your Product Shots
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In this short video, I show you how quick and easy it can be to create a simply, yet effective photo light box for your product shots. This photo light box will help present your products in their best light and is perfect for anybody wishing to take simply shots that will be displayed on your website, in your shop or on promotional material such as brochures, newsletters, flyers, etc. The video demonstrates step by step how to create this light box and displays some example product shots at the end.
Make sure you use a tripod when recording your footage and capturing your shots. If, perhaps, you are not overly happy with your photos or your lighting, you can always retouch them using a free photo editing application such as Google’s Picasa and administer any edits that maybe required.
For the video itself, I simply used our Nikon CoolPix P7700 camera and a tripod. I kept moving the tripod around to try and keep the video interesting with different angles and shots. For the text, I simply downloaded this free ”YummyCakes” font from dafont.com to give the text that handwritten feel. Finally, I used our transparent PNG title bar which is available to download free here.
So why not give it a go and see how this simply contraption can really improve your product shots!
Here is a list of what you will need for creating your own light box -
Cardboard box
2-4 sheets of white tissue paper
1 piece of matte white poster board
1 piece of matte black poster board
Scotch tape
Packing tape
12” (30cm) ruler
Pencil or pen
Scissors & Box cutter
2 Lamps -
Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks Tips for Small Business Site Notes |
25 comments
- Tuesday, January 22, 2013
- Guest Blog featured in Design Sponge
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I’ve been a fan of Grace Bonney and Design Sponge for a really long time - if you’re new to the site, it is a perfect mix of design, culture, food, DIY and tips for anyone who would like to be creative. Grace also runs a series called Biz Ladies on the site, which gives practical advice on all elements of running a small business.I have a Guest article today on the Biz Ladies area discussing tips for creating a compelling video for your small business. Hopefully you’ll find the article interesting and if you own a small business, give you the inspiration you need to start making your own videos to promote your products and services. You can read the article from the link below. I’d love to hear your feedback, so leave a comment!
Read Design Sponge Article Here - 5 Tips to Create Great Videos for Your Small Business
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Posted by SysAdmin in |
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