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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

****Important News*** Last week to purchase trakAxPC at our Special Price of $24.95

Hi Everyone,

With the imminent release of our new upgraded software, trakAxPC 4, this will be the last week you can avail of our special introductory price of $24.95. From the 18th June, trakAxPC 4 can be purchased for the great price of $49.95. trakAxPC 4 will be a free upgrade to all users who have purchased the current version of trakAxPC (version 3.01).

Highlights of trakAxPC 4 include support for AVCHD and .MOV file formats, as well as a new photo slideshow creation tool. trakAxPC 4 is optimised to run on lower specification PCs, allowing users with older PCs to play and edit CPU intensive video files, in particular large AVCHD and .MOV files.

Our new integrated thumbnail display also lets users view all their video and photo files as thumbnails, allowing media to be found quickly. Other new features include support for transparent images such as PNGs and GIFs, as well as improved photo and video transitions.

There is as also enhanced network support which facilitates the configuration of media servers that can distribute content to multiple clients.

After the 18th June, if you download trakAxPC 4 and have not purchased the software, you will not be able to continue to use this software in free-mode. You will be able to trial the software for 14 days.

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

Posted by Colm in TrakAx News  Development Roadmap  Site Notes   |  3 comments

Friday, March 16, 2012

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

With St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow, we’d like to wish all our users a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day wherever you are in the world. As you may know, we are based in Dublin, Ireland so as the long weekend begins, festivities in Ireland are beginning!

We would also like to thank everyone who has been part of the Beta Testing program of trakAxPC 4 - testing is going really well. We have had a few issues, which we are in the process of fixing. Fortunately though, nothing too major has come up and we are on track for a full release at the end of the month.

If you are interested in how St. Patrick became such a symbol of Ireland, you can check out the video below which I found on YouTube. What’s more with our new transparent PNG support and slide functionality, you could now create something similar in trakAxPC!

Enjoy tomorrow!

Posted by SysAdmin in TrakAx News   |  4 comments

Friday, January 20, 2012

New Graffiti Video created with trakAxPC Version 4

Hey Everyone,

Firstly, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our users for their commitment, support and patience over the last number months. It has been a long slog for everyone involved and we are delighted to announce that the beta version of trakAxPC 4 is almost ready for testing. We are currently implementing our Nalpeiron protection software and support tutorials and once we have validated the beta version, we will be announcing the release date for the full version shortly afterwards.

With the release of the beta version of trakAxPC 4 imminent, I have created a new video to highlight some the new features available, as well as demonstrating the quality and professional output one can achieve with trakAxPC.  I also hope to prove that one can create a great looking HD video with very little money. The video was shot with a Kodak Zi8 ($179, .MOV), a tripod ($20) and edited with trakAxPC 4 (Beta). Below, I have provided a detailed description of the video creation process and hopefully it will provide some ideas and inspiration when creating your next video.

Background & Preparation

The reason I created this video was due to a conversation I had with a friend of mine. He is a talented graffiti artist and was telling me that they had a big project coming up and wanted to record the process to share with his friends and peers in the graffiti scene. Up until now, he had created some simply videos using time-lapse photography and photos, so I asked if I could get involved and create a video with him. He agreed and so it began.

Before I began any filming, I took it upon myself to do a bit of research. I spent some time browsing through graffiti style videos on Vimeo and bookmarked videos that I liked. By doing this, I was able to analyse each video and choose certain elements that I wanted to incorporate into my video, for example, the type of text used, angles and positions footage was shot at, cuts and transitions between different scenes, etc. This research gave me sufficient ideas and from there I was able to plan out my video and the shots I wanted to record.

Soundtrack

I knew I wanted to keep the video fast placed and did not want to make it too long. Most experts suggest a video should last between 2-4 mins at most; anything longer and you will begin to lose the interest of the viewer. Firstly, I began looking for a soundtrack that would be suitable (TIP: I believe it is much easier to edit videos when you have a soundtrack chosen, as you can edit and cut scenes to the tempo). The track needed to be up-tempo so that it would facilitate quick cuts and transitions. I would also suggest having a couple of soundtracks selected on standby and try different ones out. You will know when you have selected the correct track as it will just feel right.

Filming

As I had done some research, I knew the type of shots I wanted to record. I had hoped to give the video a bit of a storyline which is highlighted in the opening sequence and gives a location and background to the video. I also wanted to show the wall gradually building up from a blank wall to completion. Most of the shots in the video are close-ups of the artists themselves (well their hands anyway) as I wanted to highlight their skills and talent, as well as give a more personal touch to the video. The rest of the shots are more mid-range and long shots with pans which helped to build up the picture and show the progress on the wall. I also took some footage of the pub (who owned the wall and had given permission to use) and some street shots which I used to build the introduction and add to the story.

Editing

The editing process should take you as long as necessary; there is no point in rushing it. I had recorded a lot of footage so it took quite a while to go through and select the shots I wanted to use. I created different folders and sub-folders with category names to help organise the shots for ease of use. I also revisited some of the videos I bookmarked to refresh my memory with the type of edits the professionals used. This helped the editing process and inspired me to add straight cuts between the segments instead of automatic crossfades (I only used 2-3 fades between transitions). I also decided to keep each segment relatively short which I hoped would add to the concept of a fast paced, up-tempo video. To further enhance this impression, I placed the start of each segment to align with the beat of the song so each cut / transition was in sync with the soundtrack. Finally, at the very end of the video I added a transparent PNG trakAxPC logo to help promote our company (if you have a small business, this is an ideal way to promote your company).

This description is not a strict guideline on to how edit your video. These are just some simply tips which I believe may help you when editing videos.  I hope you find them useful and hope you will enjoy using the new version of trakAxPC 4. You can also view some of our other tips and tricks videos by clicking here.

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks  TrakAx News  Development Roadmap   |  10 comments

Friday, September 23, 2011

Urasoe High School Chooses trakAxPC

We are delighted to announce the Urasoe High School (Okinawa Prefectual Urasoe High School) has chosen trakAx as one of their preferred applications for their school.  Located in the Kyozuka area of Urasoe City, Okinawa, Usasoe specialises in technical subjects such as Computer Engineering, Interface design and Graphic design.

When we started this project, little did we know that schools in such diverse countries such as Japan, America, the UK,France and Spain, just to pick a few, would be using trakAxPC as a regular tool in their classrooms and we are really honored to think about the students using it and hopefully learning new skills.

Many thanks to Urasoe High School and if your school is interested in using trakAxPC in the classroom, please see our education page for more information and to avail of our educational pricing.

Posted by SysAdmin in trakAxPC in Education  TrakAx News   |  Leave a comment

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Sneak Peek of trakAxPC 4

In anticipation of the release of the new version in trakAxPC, we are delighted to present to you this sneak peek video which highlights some of the exciting new features in trakAxPC 4.

It would be fair to say we are working around the clock to get this update out to everyone. The testing is going great and we will have a confirmed release date asap.

If you have purchased trakAxPC, you will be eligible for this upgrade FREE!

We would love to hear your feedback on the new features and stay tuned for more info!

Posted by SysAdmin in TrakAx News  Development Roadmap   |  31 comments

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Music videos using trakAxPC

We received some exciting new music videos from two of our users, Daniel West Young and Gavin McMahon, who are young and extremely talented.

In the first video by Daniel, we have an uplifting track with piano and synth rifts and a dubstep style guitar pedal for effects. Here he uses the collage feature to great effect and fades in and out of him creating the track and screen captures of the software he uses. To learn more about collaging, click here

In the second video by Gavin, we have a more dark and foreboding song. This superb song is an original and written by Gavin himself. And to the keen eyed observer, you will notice Gavin is also playing the guitar in the same video. Again Gavin is using the Collage feature to great effect here. To learn more about collaging, click here

Really great work guys and hope to share more work from these two soon.

Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks  TrakAx News   |  1 comment

Monday, March 14, 2011

Our thoughts and prayers for the people of Japan

We were devastated to hear and watch the events unfold last Friday the 11th of March, as Japan was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people of Japan at this tragic time. If you have been hurt or effected by this horrific event, we send our deepest sympathies and prayers and wish you all a speedy recovery.

The trakAx Team.

Posted by Colm in TrakAx News   |  Leave a comment