Beyond Print
Preparing to Enter the Motion-based World
Equipment and Setup
The toolset available to the designer has become much more accessible and affordable. But with so much technology available, how do you choose the right equipment for your particular project or workflow? It’s easy to get distracted by the sheer volume of possibilities. In this section, we will give you an overview on the basic equipment you’ll need to get started in video and motion graphics, as well as some key things to keep in mind when deciding on specific configurations. Once you have a general idea of your workflow, consult an expert at a Certified Apple Reseller to help you with your final configuration.
Computer/Workstation
Systems that use the latest Intel processors have the power to handle both high-definition video (HDV) and standard-definition (SD) video. But a powerful processor is only part of the equation. You will need a hard drive large enough to store all your data, enough memory to drive multiple applications and memory intensive tasks, and a video card that can display all of your creations fluidly. Here are some things to think about when selecting and configuring a workstation for motion-graphics.
Workstation or Mobile?
The modern microprocessor has evolved to become much better equipped to handle graphics and multimedia applications. The Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors in the quad-core Mac Pro systems or the Intel Core 2 Duo in the MacBook Pro delivers all the horsepower you need to speed through your most demanding video, motion graphics, and audio projects. It takes the right mix of technology to fulfill the specific needs of any creative workflow, but whether that’s a mobile setup or a desktop configuration, your creativity is no longer confined to one or the other.
Memory
In any graphics-intensive workflow, the more RAM the better. In a workflow that involves multiple applications - everything from Adobe CS to Final Cut Studio, iLife, and iWork (you may be running many of these applications concurrently) — having an adequate amount of RAM becomes absolutely essential. Modern 64-bit systems like the Mac Pro have the ability to support much more RAM than prior systems (up to 16GB on the Mac Pro), as well as faster, higher data throughput.
Graphics
Just as processing power in the CPU has increased exponentially over the years, the power of the graphics card (or GPU, for Graphics Processing Unit) has seen an equal, if not more, growth in computing and rendering power. Two key areas to consider when configuring a system: how well will the graphics card drive your display configuration — whether that’s a single display or two displays — and second, how well will that card enable your video and motion graphics applications to preview and render your projects in real time? And just as GPUs have gained in power, they have also come down in price. Graphic designers and motion-graphics professionals who need fluid graphics processing to be able to create groundbreaking creative work now have more choices than ever with a wide range of very powerful graphics cards.
Hard Drive
There are many things to consider when weighing your options for hard-disk storage. One of the most simple ways to establish a solid foundation is to ensure you are maximizing the computing power of your primary workstation, and that you have an on-board storage strategy that matches the needs of the creative work you are performing on that workstation.
For example, if you work primarily in video and motion graphics, the size of your working files can be rather large — hence, the more storage you have available, the more flexibility you will have in establishing your workflow. A good resource to determine how much storage your particular project might require is the VideoSpace dashboard widget created by Digital Heaven.
Additionally, you will also be asking your computer to read and write data to and from your hard disk at a very high rate. For maximum speed, you might consider configuring your had drives in a RAID set. For more information on configuring your internal hard drives in RAID, visit read this support page.
Display
Big ideas need a big canvas. With multiple applications, each with its own set of palettes, screen real estate can become critical to your productivity. A larger display gives you the ability to layout a two-page spread, work in Photoshop with more layers in a palette, or take in the whole timeline in Final Cut Pro. To find out how the 30-inch Apple Cinema Display can increase your productivity, check out this productivity report (pdf) by Pfeiffer Consulting.
To compliment your display you will also want to consider a display calibration device. Even though Apple displays leave the factory tuned to perform out of the box, you can use calibration devices to create a custom ColorSync profile. This gives you the peace of mind that your display will integrate perfectly into your color workflow — ensuring accurate color throughout the creative process. Learn more about optimizing your color workflow.
Video Capture
As you progress into the world of video and motion graphics, you will eventually have to deal with video capture and cameras.
First, there are two critical abbreviations that come into play when discussing video camera technology, SD and HD — Standard Definition and High Definition, which name resolution standards. Just as a traditional digital camera is defined in mega-pixels, the ability of a camera to capture SD or HD determines the final resolution of your digital files. SD is typically defined as 720 by 480 pixels (or 480p). HD is typically defined as a minimum of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p). More information regarding resolution and file formats will be discussed in the section below “Pre-production and Preparing your files.”
Most video cameras break down into three general categories: hard-drive based, optical media based, and tape media based. Tape media is still the most common as it was designed to create an easy transition between analog and digital systems. Today, hard-drive and optical video systems are becoming more popular because of their quicker transfer process.
All three of these camera technologies are also available in a variety of video formats. The format determines how much video fits on the available media (each format has its own compression algorithms). HDV is the most popular consumer format in that it saves a large amount of space without too much loss in quality (similar to the JPEG format in the imaging world). HDCAM and DVCPRO are alternative technologies that use less aggressive compression, trading larger files and storage requirements for higher quality.
Regardless of media and compression technology, Final Cut Pro can import a broad range of digital video, and for proprietary formats, most equipment manufacturers will provide a software interface to convert the video from one format to another. Make sure to check with your particular equipment manufacture and technical specifications available on the Final Cut Pro website to ensure compatibility.
Audio Capture
Good audio is critical to the success of any engaging design, campaign, or user experience. More often than not, your design work will either be noticed or ignored based on the quality of the audio experience. One of the most important things to consider when getting set up to capture and produce audio is the quality of the input and output (or I/O). Whether that’s connecting directly to your Mac using the built in I/O capability of Mac OS X, or using an external audio I/O device, each link in the chain has an impact on the final quality.
One of the most important areas to consider when getting into video and motion graphics is the quality of your primary input device — in most projects, voice-recording from a microphone. A broad range of microphones, both entry-level and high-end (and everything in between), are available. The choices can sometimes seem overwhelming. Joe Gore and Elise Malmberg break down the options and connections in Microphones 101.
