DMS Help – Video Tutorials for Adobe Applications

There are zillions of videos and tutorials on the web about Adobe’s products.  While many of these can be useful and some of them even dead accurate, why go to the barrel for an apple when you can get it off the tree. Here’s the tree: Adobe’s Design Center Video Workshop. The workshop includes tutorials on 47 … Continue reading “DMS Help – Video Tutorials for Adobe Applications”

There are zillions of videos and tutorials on the web about Adobe’s products.  While many of these can be useful and some of them even dead accurate, why go to the barrel for an apple when you can get it off the tree.

Here’s the tree: Adobe’s Design Center Video Workshop.
The workshop includes tutorials on 47 different topics involving many of the tasks that can be accomplished by Adobe applications.  In addition to being categorized by topic, videos can also be found by selecting the various Adobe applications on the top right-hand box of the workshop.
And the best part about these videos, other than the fact that they are free, is that they are developed by Adobe professionals.  No where will you find better answers on Adobe’s products.
Please note that you will need to have Flash player for this work.

DMS Help – Simple CSS Tutorial

Lately we’ve had some requests for CSS help here in Media Services. Apparently there are some classes here that have their students hand code CSS for various projects. Moreover, for anyone in the web design, communications or journalism worlds, it’s good to have some idea of what CSS is and what it can do. This … Continue reading “DMS Help – Simple CSS Tutorial”


Lately we’ve had some requests for CSS help here in Media Services. Apparently there are some classes here that have their students hand code CSS for various projects. Moreover, for anyone in the web design, communications or journalism worlds, it’s good to have some idea of what CSS is and what it can do.

This is a great text tutorial that gives a highly readable and easy-to-understand introduction to CSS.

Todd’s Tips – Extracting Audio in iMovie

Let’s say, for example, you have to do a project about campus. You get a FlipCam from Media Services and you shoot some video. You record some voice-over and you’re ready to put your video together. But, when you look over your footage you find that the audio from the footage you shot of campus … Continue reading “Todd’s Tips – Extracting Audio in iMovie”

Let’s say, for example, you have to do a project about campus. You get a FlipCam from Media Services and you shoot some video. You record some voice-over and you’re ready to put your video together. But, when you look over your footage you find that the audio from the footage you shot of campus is filled with sirens and the other sounds of city traffic. Problem.

One way you could handle this to simply turn down the sound

on the video clip. But, you could also remove the audio from the video clip entirely (and even replace it with something else, like your voice-over or music).
To do this in iMovie HD you’ll need to be in timeline mode. On the bottom left-hand corner of the program there’s a little button with a clock icon.
Once you’ve clicked on that, the video-building interface on the bottom of iMovie will change to look like this:
Here a blue bar represents your video instead of a small box. Once you have the timeline view up, right click on the video (the blue bar) to bring up a small menu. In that menu select “Extract Audio,” as seen here:
Finally, once you select “Extract Audio” the clip will split with the blue bar (your video) above and a purple bar (when selected) with darker purple waveforms below (your audio).
The audio and video tracks may now be moved independently of each other. You can also delete one or the other by selecting one and hitting the “Delete” key. You can also cut the audio clips just like you cut video (by hitting “Apple T”)
Be mindful though, if you begin playing with your audio track you can move audio out of synch with video which can be a real problem if your video is of someone speaking.

DMS Help – Shooting Video for iMovie

Using the right tools to edit your video is important, but even more important is capturing the best video possible, even before you start editing. A good editor can make a good movie from bad footage, but with good footage, he or she can make something great. In this short video tutorial, you can learn … Continue reading “DMS Help – Shooting Video for iMovie”


Using the right tools to edit your video is important, but even more important is capturing the best video possible, even before you start editing. A good editor can make a good movie from bad footage, but with good footage, he or she can make something great.

In this short video tutorial, you can learn the basics of shooting digital video with iMovie in mind.

DMS Help – Video Formats in iMovieHD

One of the most complex aspects of video production is the wide variety of video, audio and image formats floating around the Internet.  As a result, one of the most common forms of frustration associated with video assignments is often expressed as “Why won’t it take my video!?”   Well, here’s a solution.  In this … Continue reading “DMS Help – Video Formats in iMovieHD”


One of the most complex aspects of video production is the wide variety of video, audio and image formats floating around the Internet.  As a result, one of the most common forms of frustration associated with video assignments is often expressed as “Why won’t it take my video!?”  

Well, here’s a solution.  In this short tutorial, Lynda.com instructor Max Smith explains which files will work with iMovieHD and which files it will export when you’re done with your movie. 

DMS Help – Broadcast Yourself and Podcast with Audacity

Need to create a podcast for a class? Think your opinion on something (or everything) needs to be heard by the masses? Well, here’s how… This series of free videos will show you how to use Audacity to record, edit and export your podcast. It’s never been as easy as this to learn how to … Continue reading “DMS Help – Broadcast Yourself and Podcast with Audacity”


Need to create a podcast for a class? Think your opinion on something (or everything) needs to be heard by the masses? Well, here’s how…

This series of free videos will show you how to use Audacity to record, edit and export your podcast. It’s never been as easy as this to learn how to edit digital audio.
Files edited in Audacity and then exported as .wav or .mp3 can be used in iMovie or Final Cut Pro. This means you can easily create a voice-over track or custom music track for your video.

DMS Help – Record and Edit Audio with Audacity

Ever wanted to make you own podcast? Have all this amazing stuff on your computer that you’ve recorded, but have no idea how to edit it? Well, here’s your chance. Download the free audio editing software Audacity (for Mac and PC) and start broadcasting yourself. Got it already and don’t know how to use it? … Continue reading “DMS Help – Record and Edit Audio with Audacity”

Ever wanted to make you own podcast? Have all this amazing stuff on your computer that you’ve recorded, but have no idea how to edit it?

Well, here’s your chance. Download the free audio editing software Audacity (for Mac and PC) and start broadcasting yourself.
Got it already and don’t know how to use it? This easy-to-follow tutorial manual, written by the Audacity folks, can help you understand digitized sound and how you can use Audacity to edit sound.

Todd’s Tips – See Audio Waveforms in the Final Cut Pro Timeline

Often times when editing you want to see the audio waveforms in the audio tracks (as pictured to the right). This can allow an editor to more easily edit to audio and is particularly useful when creating music videos. Final Cut Pro’s default setup is NOT to show these waveforms on the audio tracks. However, … Continue reading “Todd’s Tips – See Audio Waveforms in the Final Cut Pro Timeline”

Often times when editing you want to see the audio waveforms in the audio tracks (as pictured to the right). This can allow an editor to more easily edit to audio and is particularly useful when creating music videos.

Final Cut Pro’s default setup is NOT to show these waveforms on the audio tracks. However, setting it so that it does is a very simple process, though finding the proper place to change the setting can be a bit hairy. But, if you follow these simple steps, you’ll have no problem in making this change:
**Please note that these changes will only take effect in NEW sequences of the timeline. Therefore, after you make the changes, you will need to create a new sequence from the File menu. As such, this procedure is best done BEFORE you begin editing.**
1) Once Final Cut Pro is open, go to and click on the “Final Cut Pro” menu; it’s the one to the right of the apple and to the left of the “File” menu.
2) Select the “User Preferences” menu item.
3) Select the “Timeline Options” tab.
4) On the left-hand side of the panel there is an area designated “Track Display.”
5) In the track display area, find the check-box for “Show Audio Waveforms” and check it.
6) Click the “Ok” button on the bottom right-hand side of the panel.
7) Create a new sequence from the “File” menu and when you add media that has audio you will see the waveforms displayed on the green audio tracks.

DMS Help – Make A DVD with iDVD: Simple Tutorial

Need to make a DVD of your media project? Don’t know how? Try iDVD and learn to use it with this tutorial from Apple. This tutorial came out when the program was originally released. It combines text instructions with a short video for each step of the tutorial (navigated via the box-menu on the right … Continue reading “DMS Help – Make A DVD with iDVD: Simple Tutorial”

Need to make a DVD of your media project? Don’t know how? Try iDVD and learn to use it with this tutorial from Apple.

This tutorial came out when the program was originally released. It combines text instructions with a short video for each step of the tutorial (navigated via the box-menu on the right side of the page).

DMS Help – Getting Started with iMovie HD

iMovie HD tutorial from Apple! If you need to learn how to get started with iMovie HD for a class project, this is for you. This came out when the program was originally released. It combines text instructions with a short video for each step of the tutorial (navigated via the box-menu on the right … Continue reading “DMS Help – Getting Started with iMovie HD”

iMovie HD tutorial from Apple!

If you need to learn how to get started with iMovie HD for a class project, this is for you.
This came out when the program was originally released. It combines text instructions with a short video for each step of the tutorial (navigated via the box-menu on the right side of the page).