2012 vids

[zwiller]

Thanks.

The pics are the spot lights on top corners etc.  For floods I used 4 aether II's on the ground.  2 per side.  1 directly under the window and 1 at 45 to the side of my entrance. 

I actually am considering adding 2 more to the top sides of the entrance to saturate 2nd floor...  Anyone have comments or suggestions?   

[caretaker]

For video taping one of the biggest problems is that the LED's are so bright it tends to wash out colors. A few ways to get around this are one to film when it's twilight (this is the best time to do still shots also) then you can "darken" the video while editing and it will look darker out and the colors will come out better. Another option is to shoot the video on manual one or two stops down and use manual focus (as the bright to dark tends to screw up auto focus anyway)this will get you a little better video of the lights. On LSP website GaryH did a pretty good video on using Adobe Audition to clean your video in post.
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[zwiller]

Thanks Jeff.  I saw that tutorial.  I am looking for a new camera that has some adjustments and options, my current gear does not. I plan to tear down Sat so these vids are not going to be reshot.  I gotta buddy that is a pro photo guy and am going to get him to help me with the upgrade. 

Soooo, I assume you basically saying ix-nay on second story aethers?   

[sebjsan]

I say yes for second story aethers.

[zwiller]

Ok, so for 2013 that's 2 aethers II's, and a partridge in a mega tree. 

[JonB256]

On LSP website GaryH did a pretty good video on using Adobe Audition Premiere to clean your video in post.
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Watching Gary's video makes me realize how much better Adobe Premiere Pro is compared to Adobe Premiere Elements. I just couldn't justify the cost difference ($500+ vs. $95) anymore. But, while slower and not quite as user friendly, Premiere Elements will still do everything I saw Gary doing. Just takes more time. If you are willing to spend even more money for hardware, you can add one or two HIGH END nVidia Cuda video cards and offload most of the video processing load for rendering. Probably worth it if you make a living editing video.

[zwiller]

No offense to Gary, but I only saw maybe a 10% improvement with the editing...  I will look into Elements.  Seems like a bargain for $100. 

After talking with my pro photo buddy I am focusing my money on the front end and not post.  No amount of post production will fix a video shot with my iphone rubber banded to a tripod...   

[sittinguphigh]

Very nice. Good job.

[zwiller]

Thanks!

[zaccutt]

Wow, and great job!

[zwiller]

Thanks, zacutt!

I'm getting alot of emails with regard to my columns.  They were really just a cheap afterthought.  I am starting to suspect that it was because I focused some sequences on them...  Anyone willing to comment on their favorite part of my show?  I would really like to improve what folks are interested in. 

I had no idea until my Sister in Law visited, but my daughter and my SIL favorites sequences are:
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and
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I am serious guys, don't hold back on the criticism.  I plan to add 2 aethers to the 2nd floor, a SS mega tree, and move my Bethlehem star to a higher point. 

Please, any suggestions appreciated.  Thanks!

[MSL]

Very nice Sam.

Your sequences are tight. Anyone who has programmed a show can tell you spent a lot of time on each song.

In my opinion the Bethlehem star looks good where it is (in the center of everything). It pops when you use it in the show.

Nice use of the flood lights. I agree about adding two more to light the second floor.

The spots are a different element, not seen in many shows (yet). I like them.

I like the way you have each side of your yard balanced. If you are thinking about adding an RGB tree I would consider adding two; one on each side to keep the balance.

Your house is sharp, clean, well sequenced, some unique elements. Again, very nice.

[zwiller]

2 mega trees?!  Ok, no more ideas...     I think it's a great idea actually.  Maybe scale things back from a single 16' to 2 -10' or something. 

Thanks for the kind words about the show. 

[drlucas]

Very helpful. I'm going to get some 1x2 or maybe 1x1 to frame mine too...with new windows coming in this late fall, my wife would kill me if I tried to figure a way to mount on the new windows.

The flexstrips are not enclosed at all.  Pic attached.  They are mounted with the clips that came with them plus a dab of silicone adhesive every 6-8" or so (I ran out of clips).  I plan to add more clips once they are down.  I also used more silicone adhesive near the wires for added protection.  Not sure if Ray ships them with all flexstrips but mine came with the clips, an assortment of splicing and end caps, and adhesive...  Knock on wood, they have seen alot of rain, snow, wind, and below freezing temps and are still going.  I had to show off the corners which were alot of work to ensure they lined up.  There was alot of sketching and measuring that went into these... 

In the past I wrapped the columns with incans for 4 channels of 100 each channel so making them rgb was just an upgrade.  You can some cool things with the columns even with just 4 channels of incans.  See some of my older vimeo vids for ideas. 

Yes Sebastian there is a MR16 is powering the spots.  Although I have to admit when Keith asked the question it made me think...     You could use a dsc.  This would come in handy for remote areas.  It's actually hard to believe that much light came from 80w total!

[sittinguphigh]

Very GOOD.