IWLTBAP has released on their Facebook page (no need to login) yet another great free 3D LUT for color grading your images and video footage – a cinematic LUT inspired by "Blade Runner 2049".

Very often, I find myself having many tabs opened at the same time in Chrome when working with the blog. I sometimes choose to save those URLs in a text document for future reference, a task that can be somewhat time-consuming.

Thanks to the work of developer Vincent Paré, a Chrome extension called Copy All Urls has been created, which lets you copy all opened tabs/URLs into the clipboard. You can then paste those URLs into a text document or to the browser to create new tabs.

Via TKJ (SE).

Humble Bundle currently offers a great software bundle for filmmakers – now you can get Magix's video editor Vegas Pro 14 Edit for only $20 coupled with other great bonuses. I was about to upgrade my Vegas Movie Studio license but decided to get this instead. I had never heard about this website before until today so this deal came as a big surprise.

Here is a product comparison for Vegas Pro 15, but that can give you a pretty good understanding of how much value you're about to receive from this great deal. And here you can download a trial version of the program to try out before you buy.

A new update of the video editor Filmora has just been released. Filmora version 8.5 now includes PIP blending modes, which gives you the option to change the effect and opacity of a video layer, along with several requested features.

Watch a short retro futuristic video from the 60's/70's that predicted internet shopping and video chat services.

Inc. Magazine's profile of Tumblr founder David Karp in their series "The Way I Work" is a refreshing read in so many ways. Things might have changed for Karp since this article is from 2011, but nevertheless is it filled with things that you can incorporate in your own work life.

I'm on Tumblr all day. I don't follow a ton of people, but I post and reblog stuff I really care about. I love my blog. I get most of my news from my Tumblr dashboard. I used to be a 24-hour news consumer, but so much of the reporting is bad these days. I find tech reporting incredibly tedious and dull. And I've kind of given up on reading anything that anyone writes about Tumblr. It's often inaccurate.

[…]

There's kind of a hive mentality at the office. We all break for lunch between 12 and 1. Usually, one person gets up, and the rest follow. We all cram into the elevator. Once we hit the street, we break off into two or three groups and go get food to bring back to the office. Then, we all eat together.

[…]

Sleep is precious to me. I'm very disappointed if I don't go to bed before midnight. We have a rule: no laptops in the bedroom. Being on computers all the time makes me feel gross.

You find Karp's Tumblr blog here.

Through the site Giveaway of the Day, that daily offers free licensed and legal versions of different software products, an offer to buy a free Filmora Video Editor lifetime upgrade plus free continuous resources for only $24.99 (originally priced at $49.99) can be found.

The offer for a free download has expired, but the offer for a free lifetime upgrade is still valid.

I prefer to do my work via my laptop or PC, but with certain services like Instagram, you're forced to use your phone or tablet if you'd like to get access to all its features. You can solve this by using third party apps, but that is a route I rather not want to take.

Via a post on Louise Myers Visual Social Media, I found out that you can get access to Instagram's all features from a laptop and PC without the need of having to install and use a third party app, the only thing you need is the web browser Chrome.

1. Visit Instagram.com

Open up Chrome and go to instagram.com.

2. Open Chrome's Developer Tools (DevTools)

Launch Chrome's Developer Tools by pressing CTRL+Shift+I (Cmd + Shift + C on Mac) at the same time.

If you don't see a drop down list with the wording "Responsive" in the heading, click on the mobile symbol in the upper right side or press CTRL+Shift+M at the same time.

3. Open the Mobile Version of Instagram

When you have done this correctly, you'll be given the option to choose how the specific website you're currently visiting, in this case Instagram, will look like on different smartphone models. Under the option "Responsive", you can now choose a smartphone model of your choice, for example iPhone 6, which will give you access to Instagram's mobile version.

4. Login to Instagram

Type in your username and password as usual.

5. You're Now Ready to Start Uploading

Click on the camera symbol and start uploading images to Instagram. However, this method will only work with images and not video according to the test done by Goos3D.

If you're like me, you love watching YouTube videos created with a cinematic look. Often, you might find yourself thinking that you yourself won't be able to pull off the same great color graded video if, for example, the only camera you have at your disposal is a simple point-and-shoot camera.

Change the Color Scheme of Your Footage by Applying 3D LUTs

This is what I myself mistakenly thought until I found out about something called 3D LUTs, that simply explained is a file that you add to your footage (think of it as a filter many of us already use today, for example on Instagram), which will change the overall color scheme of your footage. You can use 3D LUTs both for video and photos, and they can be applied by using many different video and photo editing programs. I apply and use 3D LUTs in a simple to use video editor called Filmora, an editor that doesn't cost much and can be run on older desktop PCs and laptops with good results.

When I first began to use 3D LUTs, a stumbled upon the free LUTs offered by Lutify.me. Seeing their vast selection of other color grading LUTs, I requested to review their vintage films LUTs that are included in their professional package.

You can see some of these LUTs in action by watching a few of my recent uploads on my YouTube channel. Here, in the short demo "The Concrete Jungle", the vintage film LUT Savi that is inspired by the Kodak Kodachrome family, darkens the overall color scheme, while the other 3D LUT used called Sinistra, that is inspired by the Lomo family, makes the plants stand out more.

In my demo "A Journey to the Island", the vintage film 3D LUT called Simbus, another Lomo inspired LUT, gives the footage a lovely vibrant 70's/80's feel:

Classic Film Stock Looks in an Instant

Some years ago, I bought a Lomo Smena 8M camera, a camera that was made in the USSR, just to get those wonderful vibrant and vivid color images that a Lomo camera can produce. Now, I can get something close to that look in an instant by just applying one of these vintage films 3D LUTs, and with over 20 LUTs in this category to choose from, one or many will definitely suit my projects.

Lutify.me's Vast Selection of Cinematic 3D LUTs

Lutify.me currently offers three different packages to chose from according to your needs. They are subscription based, however, you can cancel your subscription at anytime after the purchase, which means the 3D LUT's are yours to keep, only you won't be eligible for additional updates and support. But, if you change your mind about canceling, Lutify.me gives you the option to easily reactivating your subscription by doing it manually yourself.

The Professional 3D LUTs Package includes 204 cinematic quality LUTs and costs, for the time being, $59 for the first year. The Standard 3D LUTs Package includes 60 cinematic quality LUTs, and the Basic 3D LUTs Package 30 LUTs. After the first year, for all the packages, the cost is $19.90/year, which includes continued support and updates.

Who said a cinematic look had to the be complicated and expensive?! Well, I might have said a little bit too much with that remark, but with 3D LUTs, I can at least produce footage that resembles blockbusters.

During the export of one of my last videos on my YouTube channel, I noticed that my PowerShot S110 gave me some pretty good raw footage in high quality, but that my exported files didn't turn out that well despite good export settings in Filmora Video Editor – the only time I got good exported footage was when I just exported short segments of my video, but longer segments became somewhat blurry.

I thought my computer or the video editor were to blame, but wasn't sure which one.

So yesterday, when I was working with something else, I tried to get another video editor called HitFilm Express 4 (a very solid and free video editor) working again on my computer and did during the day four things in an attempt to get it to work:

1. Updated or downgraded my graphics card drivers (in the past, older drivers have solved this issue with HitFilm Express)
2. Updated or downgraded the motherboard chipset drivers
3. Updated or downgraded the Intel Management Engine (Intel ME)
4. Cleaned freespace with CCleaner (a free tool to use)

That didn't solve my problem with HitFilm Express, however, when I later experimented with going through a bunch of new 3D LUTs in Filmora, suddenly I noticed that the exported files started to look really good.

First, I thought it just depended on me exporting short files (like before), so I gave the editor one more chance and exported one of my previous projects with a longer running time – guess what?! – the exported video file was suddenly crisp looking and also much bigger in file size.

During the export, I used the following settings (the same I had previously used to no avail):

1. Format: MP4 (Quicktime)
2. Quality: Best
3. Encoder: H.264 (not the H.264 HD optimized, but go ahead and experiment with this one)
4. Frame Rate: 23.97 fps (this is the frame rate the PowerShot S110 records in)
5. Resolution: 1920x1080 pixels
6. Bit Rate: 20000kbps
7. Audio: Leave as is

And one more thing – now I can use 3D LUTs without risking ruining the footage even further, the LUTs I've applied after updating my computer look good and natural instead of the other way around.

I hope my problem solving can help you as well in how to get high quality videos by using Filmora.

In a recent documentary about the vehicle manufacturer Volvo's former CEO Pehr G. Gyllenhammar, I learned that one of the first things he changed in Volvo's working environment as a CEO was to create a healthy working environment that consisted of many different tasks in contrast to too many repetitive tasks, in an effort to avoid boredom and stress related injuries among the workers on the floor.

In this short video, we hear NYU grad student Dejian Zeng, who worked undercover in a Chinese Apple factory located in Shanghai, talk about spending 12 hours a day with the repetitive task of just putting one screw in the iPhone. With all the money that pours into Apple, this working situation is certainly a disgrace.

Via Holy Kaw.

A couple of days ago, after having read a comment on YouTube, I found out about this advanced and professional video editor called HitFilm Express 4. The editor is free of charge, the only thing you need to do in order to start using it is to register an account over at the HitFilm website.

Hitfilm Express lets you use all of it functions and export your project files without leaving a watermark on your exported video. In Filmora, the current video editor that I now use, you also have access to the whole program for free, but unless you buy a license, all your exported videos will carry a watermark.

I'll probably going to toogle back and forth between these two, especially since Filmora offers many great and priceworthy effects packs. However, if you're not planning to use effects extensively, I would advise you to choose HitFilm Express over Filmora since HitFilm offers many great effects and color enhancing tools that are included with their editor.

Since I've been using Filmora for awhile, it was pretty easy to get started with HitFilm Express right away. So, one tip I can give you is to install the free version of Filmora, get used to it, and then start using HitFilm Express. In that way, you'll get a much smoother start using HitFilm.

Another reason that I'll alternate between these two video editors is because of some of the functions HitFilm offers today, and that Filmora currently lacks.

• Motion Tracking – something you can use when for example you want to overlay a moving object, like a car, with a text or graphic, or add a 3D text effect to your scenes.
• Keying and Layer Blend Modes – lets you change how different layers interact with each other, perfect for those times you want to create a multiple exposure or double exposure effect when footage blend together.
• Audio and Blockbuster Effects – built-in sound effects include my favorite, the telephone effect, alongside blockbuster effects such as fire, gunfire and lightning effects.
• Composite Shots – instead of creating a scene with several layers in the editor timeline, you can create all those layers by making a composite shot (a group of layers), wich leaves you with a nice and tidy timeline while in the editor. When it's time to use your composite shots, you just drag them into the editor like the same way you would do with a video clip.
• The Trimmer – this is a feature I really appreciate. In the trimmer window, you can decide how much of your imported clips you want to include in the editor timeline. Just choose the segment you want to include in your project and drag it into the editor while keeping the original imported clip untouched.

Upon installing HitFilm Express, it shut down when I wanted to create a new project or start editing. After a bit of research, I found out that this problem was fairly common and due to outdated graphics driver. By updating the graphics driver, this solved my issue. You can do the same easily via a software upgrade program that suits your computer model or download them manually from the manufacturer website.

HitFilm Express comes with lots of informative videos and user manuals, and YouTube is filled with additional guides put together by some of its many users.

This is a great video editor, and that it's all for free is not what you would ordinarily expect. Grab it while you can!

Wondershare has now released a community for their video editor Filmora called filmora.io. The community will include helpful tips and tricks for your videos and marketing, along with a forum and lots more.

Read More: Review of Filmora Video Editor: A Real Powerhouse with a Very Modest Price Tag

Here is a small taste from the community – how to create a time lapse with Filmora:

The documentary "Erasing David" (2010) reveals how much detailed information the English government and private companies have access to regarding their citizens.

David Bond lives in one of the most intrusive surveillance states in the world. He decides to find out how much private companies and the government know about him by putting himself under surveillance and attempting to disappear, a decision that changes his life forever. Leaving his pregnant wife and young child behind, he is tracked across the database state on a chilling journey that forces him to contemplate the meaning of privacy and the loss of it.

Watch the full documentary:

To transform video footage into a cinematic look, you can use something called 3D LUTs that, simply explained, when applied give your footage a new color scheme.

The recent change of video editor Filmora enables the use of LUTs, and since there is a good market with free and paid 3D LUTs, it's easy to get that specific look from a Blockbuster movie you've been wanting to recreate.

Read More: Review of Filmora Video Editor: A Real Powerhouse with a Very Modest Price Tag

Filmora already comes with a couple of great built-in 3D LUTs such as "Star Wars" and "Game of Thrones", but if those aren't enough, Filmora handles most of the LUTs I've come across fairly well. My guess is that in future updates of Filmora, you'll get more control of tailoring the settings of the LUTs your using since some of them, but not many, can ruin the look of your footage if set in default mode.

The one resource that helped me greatly in collecting a wide variety of LUTs was the extensive guide put together by film editor Jonny Elwyn. Most of the resources on this page is the same ones that you'll find after a Google search for free and paid 3D LUTs.

Happy color grading!

In an earlier post, I wrote a review about Wondershare's powerful video editor Filmora, that despite all its functionality comes with a very modest price tag.

Filmora's recent update includes a few features that I missed in the previous version and wished soon would be included. So, when the recent update was available, it didn't disappoint.

Pan and Zoom – In this update, Filmora comes with the pan and zoom tool also known as the Ken Burns effect, which makes it easy to give image and video additional depth by zooming in and panning over them.

The Magnetic Timeline and Auto Ripple – I really missed this feature in the last version, and alongside with the ability to pan and zoom, I thought these were the features that prevented Filmora to be a great film editor overall.

In the previous version, the video layer didn't correspond directly with the layers underneath, which meant that if you had synced and aligned sound, text and effects to your video and then decided to add another video clip somewhere in the video layer, it all got out of sync if you didn't perform a workaround. Now, enabling the auto ripple, a video clip's corresponding effects, overlays, text and music will move along beautifully to its new position. And another great little feature with this tool – if you decide to delete a video clip from the timeline, the corresponding elements below will also get deleted, leaving you with a clean working area without having to do the time consuming task of going through several layers and delete manually.

Advanced Color Tuning – With this tool, you can adjust the color of your video clips and images by using presets and 3D LUTs that you're able to adjust to your liking. Some of these presets are inspired by films and TV shows like "Star Wars" and "Game of Thrones" or that vintage film look that I love, like Polaroid. But it doesn't end here – you can go ahead and experiment by your own by changing the many different options and settings for light and color. If you end up with a nice color scheme, you are able to save it as a preset which is really handy if you need to reuse it on another project.

Read More: Cinematic Color Grading in Filmora Video Editor by Using 3D LUTs

Reading through the comments on Filmora's YouTube channel and Facebook page, there seems to be lots of requested features, that soon or in a near future, will be implemented. I can't wait to see what the new update will bring!

Like so many others, the growing popularity of videos and the business of vlogging has led me in the search for an easy-to-use, yet powerful, video editor.

After some extensive research, I found out about Wondershare's Filmora Video Editor.

A Major Redesign

What caught my interest initially with this program was it's nicely designed interface, something that just recently had been re-designed. The new interface looks organized and self-explanatory, and to make the recent change even better, you can shift the interface between a light and dark color scheme.

Dark skin:

Light skin:

With the recent change of the interface along with a few other important and useful changes such as an improved audio tool mixer, the ability to record your screen and an added animated GIF tool, Filmora's developer team seems to be keen to implement user suggestions of new features.

Many Theme-Based Effects Packs

Filmora Video Editor comes with many different library special effects, but additional theme-based effects packs like the "80's Retro Collection" and "Fashion Collection" are being offered for a very modest price tag, while many of them are completely for free.

Read More: Review of Filmora Video Editor's 80's Retro Collection Effects Pack

Royalty Free Music at Your Finger Tips

It's Easy to Get Started with Your Filmmaking

To get going with the video editor is easy because of the excellent user guides that are being offered such as text tutorials or video instructions. Filmora's YouTube channel seems to be growing in a fast pace with lots of tips and tricks being added.

Having imported my first media files, it didn't take long before I finished my very first short video. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it built confidence in myself and the program.

Must Read: Video Editor Filmora Now Includes Pan and Zoom, Auto Ripple and Advanced Color Tuning

Try Out the Editor for Free for an Unlimited Time

To try out the software, Wondershare offers you unlimited and full access to Filmora, with just one limitation – the free version will create a large watermark on the exported video. But, what I like about this offer is that everyone who wants to get started making videos can do it right away, and when you have finished a few projects you can just buy a license, rest assured that you have examined the program thoroughly.

A Powerful Video Editor That Doesn't Cost Much

To buy a license for personal use currently costs $29.99/year or a $49.99 one-time-fee that will include free future updates. If you need to use Filmora on additional computers or for use within business and school, different prices occur.

With a video editor that seems to undergo a major transformation, that's a pretty good deal. Take notice Adobe Premiere!

Featured image: From Filmora's YouTube video "How to Record Your Computer Screen: Screen Recorder & Editor for PC & Mac".

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the image editing software Photoshop last year, online education company Lynda.com created the short documentary "The Evolution of a Tool Palette" telling the history and the progress the program has undergone through the years.

For more, watch the free series "Celebrating Photoshop: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective" at Lynda.com (you don't need to sign up for a free trial to watch this).

For over two decades, Photoshop has been an essential part of the digital artist's toolset. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, we've taken a look back at Photoshop's history: from the rise of desktop publishing and digital photography, to the evolution of Photoshop's tool palette and its sometimes controversial but necessary role in modern photojournalism.

We interview early adopters and pioneering artists such as Bert Monroy, Chris Orwig, and Douglas Kirkland, as well as the people responsible for guiding Photoshop's development: John Nack, Russell Brown, and current product manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes. Konrad Eek and Sean Adams also explain what life was like before Photoshop and how this beguiling tool has democratized design and darkroom photography.

The documentary "Silicon Cowboys" (2016) tells the story about Compaq Computer Corporation's successful attempt to take a large chunk of market share from a market that was dominated by IBM by selling a portable personal computer capable of operating IBM desktop PC software.

The documentary will be be released in theaters and on VOD on Friday, September 16.

In this short and easy to grasp tutorial, TED's film and video editor Kari Mulholland shares 10 useful tips to make meaningful and captivating edits. Perfect for all you aspiring vloggers out there!

The TED Talk editing toolkit is small when compared to ones used to cut a narrative feature or documentary. And that's why it's a good place to start as an introduction to the art of editing. We use continuity editing to maintain a consistent feeling of space and time over the duration of the talk. But overall, we strive to keep our edits invisible. […]