Specialized conference software similar to Red Giant's Presto?

[Josh Hayes]

Hey folks. I film a lot of conferences, keynote speeches, panels, etc., and I'm always wondering if there's a software out there to make the redundant portions of the editing faster. For awhile (and before FCPX) I was using Red Giant's Presto. It was pretty buggy but fairly often it could match up a video of a projector's slides, with the actual digital slides I'd get after the show, and also track the speaker as he/she moved across the stage (so that speaker and slides could be on screen at same time).

Anyway, since Red Giant doesn't have Presto supported for FCPX are there any other similar app solutions that have been built? I'm trying to work in the smarter not harder category.

[Bill Davis]

Seems like most of your necessary workflow should be pretty easy to do with existing tools averrable in X.

Record the speaker video. Set up a squeezed presenter box stage left.

As you record, or after the fact, place a marker at each slide change point. (Or just CUT your primary - both would work.

Import your folder of sequentially numbred slide stills.

Then create a simple Automator script that invokes Next clip (or next marker), Q Connects that slide above the primary storyline. Moves to the next edit or marker. Tails the just connected clip with Command right bracket, Switch to the Event Browser, Ratchet to the next slide, Q connects IT to the marker position, Tails the clip, - wash rinse and repeat.

When the automator script has run, just batch select the connected clips and paste attributes for the geometry of the slide screen that you prefer.

Seems like you could do a whole program in about 5 minutes this way;

Thats where I'd start.

Good luck.

[Josh Hayes]

Hi Bill. Appreciate the response. For the sake of keeping it real, that was a little bit over my head. I've never used Automator or done any version of scripting (other than html when I got grounded for a summer 18 years ago). So far I've never had the suggestion within production (I mostly film and edit) to learn/use Automator. Do you think it's worth investing the time?

[Bill Davis]

Josh, It's remarkably easy and I'm surprised that more people don't use it. It's fundamentally just a very robust keystroke recorder. You figure out the actions you want the script to perform. Hit RECORD - and DO the actions you want the script to do. Then hit STOP recording. It presents the list of what you've just done, and you can put in pauses for data entry or numbering stuff. You can learn the basics in way less than an hour. It's woefully overlooked as a Mac Tool IMO.

[Josh Hayes]

Looks like it's time for me to learn some basic Automator then. Once I get to a lull in a week or so I'll watch some tutorials and give it a shot. Thanks Bill :)

Oh, and if anybody knows of software please post it here. Always interesting to see a variety of options.

[Josh Hayes]

Hi Bill. Trying to Automator route but getting caught up on something super basic. Slightly embarassed that I can't find the answer to the question via searching through Google.

Got Automator up and running. Ready to do the keystroke recording stuff, Control + I works fine for jumping between markers, and M works fine for adding new markers, but when I do Command + Right Bracket to try and tails the clipit doesn't do anything. Option + Right Bracket appears to end a clip on the marker line but it won't do it for the slide even when it's selected. It either ends what's on the primary storyline, or the clip above it. It won't stretch the slide image I've selected to the marker I've selected to be the out point.

When I google searched I kept getting hits on changing marker ranges but I can't find the shortcut key to just mark the end of the still image to the next marker. If anybody knows the answer to this, I'd be thankful :)

[Josh Hayes]

to be more specific. Option + Right Bracket will cut a slide shorter to a marker that occurs before it's default import link but it won't extend a slide longer than it's default import length to the next marker.

[Bill Davis]

Josh,

Sorry I've been caught up in work and haven't been back for a couple of weeks. The keyboard command I think you're looking for may be Extend Edit. Open the commands tab and search for its keystroke shortcut. (sorry I'm on an iPad at the moment so I can't easily find it for you) Basically, as I suspect you have discovered, Automator can pretty much do anything that is keyboard or finder related. Not ALWAYS. But usually. If you can get the right setup, it can turn hours of drudgery into a keystroke or two. Good luck.