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Frozen in Time – How to Take Video Snapshots with DV Kitchen
Posted on March 4th, 2010 No commentsWhen editing video destined for the web, you’ll often want to capture and publish video snapshots to be used as thumbnails or poster frames at the begining of the clip.
But if you’ve ever exported stills from an editing program, you know what a headache it can be. That’s why the developers of DV Kitchen, the premier video enoder for mac os x|video encoder for mac, have built a tool called TimeFreezer into their compression suite.
Put simply, TimeFreezer is an environment for snapping still pictures of a video stream. It is designed to make this process as easy as possible, with higher quality than editors are accustomed to.
The first thing you’ll notice when you start TimeFreezer is the purpose dedicated user interface . . . something you won’t find with a regular editing program. On the left side of the screen is a video player, while on the right is space reserved for a gallery of your snapshots.
The scrubbing options are plentiful and intuitive.
Firstly, you can click anywhere on the video to jump to that point on the timeline.
Alternatively, you can use your J, K, and L keys. Press L to go forward, press it repeatedly to speed up, K stops, and J goes backwards.
You can also use your arrow keys. Left arrow is backwards, down arrow is stop, right arrow goes forwards. The arrow keys make it really easy to find just the frame that we want and freeze the picture right at that point.
Before you start snapping, you simply choose the format to use when your images are saved and the witdth. If they’re destined for the web, JPEG at 90 to 100 quality would be the normal choice, however you can also export in PNG or PICT if you prefer.
The width will depend on the context in which you will display the image. It could be anything from a thumbnal size 100 all the way up to 500 or 800. If you intend use the screen capture to showcase the quality of your clip, you may want to display it at the original dimensions.
When you are ready to take your video snapshot, just use the keyboard shortcut ‘E’ or click the large blue button marked ‘Export this Frame’.
With TimeFreezer, you have unprecedented control over your subjects and the very flow of time itself. You can freeze someone in motion – even in midair – while you assess the picture and you can even go back in time . . . something which is difficult to do with a digital still camera when you’re shooting a moving subject.
You can even get your video stills on the run . . . just use one of the two capture methods to snap multiple images while the video plays. Either way, your screenshots are arranged in a gallery to the right of the timeline for easy access and comparison. Double click the gallery images to increase the image size for easier comparison and assessment.
Note that if you want super razor sharp still pictures without any motion blur out of the video camera, you need to shoot it at a really high shutter speed. If you can see motion blur on your still frames it’s probably because they were shot at 1/48th of a second.
Fast action footage can also present another challenge when shooting in interlaced mode for TV . . . combing artifacts. TimeFreezer offers two ways to deal with these, blend deinterlace (which smoothes the combing effect) and perfect deinterlace. As the name suggests, perfect deinterlace results in a perfect still with no artifacts, but since it uses only every other field in the original frame, the final image is exactly half the size of the original.
Finally, TimeFreezer also includes the ability to FTP your video snapshots directly to a folder on your web site. You can then browse the uploaded stills on the web from within the interface. It even supplies you with the html code required to embed the captured image on a web page, blog or forum.
To learn more about TimeFreezer, watch the official video snapshot mac|video snapshot software|video snapshot demo.
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Facts To Consider Before You Refinance Mortgage Loans
Posted on March 4th, 2010 No commentsInterest only mortgages are a relatively new phenomenon in the mortgage refinancing industry as well as the home buying industry. While the appeal of an interest only mortgage is typically a greater monthly cash flow, this increased cash flow can come with a hefty price tag. In exchange for more cash flow each month, the homeowner may be sacrificing the ability to obtain a fixed rate mortgage as well as the ability to build equity. This article will further examine these features to provide the reader with more information on the subject of interest only mortgages.
Greater Monthly Cash Flow
The one main advantage for many homeowners in an interest only mortgage is the ability to increase monthly cash flow. Homeowners who re-finance by utilizing an interest only mortgage will likely have more money available each month because they will only be paying interest on their mortgage initially. The reduction of the principal payment can make it easier for the homeowner to either afford a larger house or have the ability to live more extravagantly on their budget. However, there is often a significant price to pay for these types of re-financing options.
While interest only loans may not be ideal, they can be beneficial in the situation where the homeowner is having a great deal fulfilling his monthly obligations. In this case, the homeowner may be willing to sacrifice an overall financial loss for the ability to continue to pay monthly bills in a timely fashion.
Unknown Risks of an ARM
Interest only re-finance loans are typically offered with an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) this means the interest rate is not fixed and may fluctuate with the rise and fall of the prime index. This risk can be quite costly for the homeowner if the interest rate rises significantly. There is usually a cap placed on the amount, in terms of percentage, the interest rate can rise in a certain period but this can still be a very costly mistake for the homeowners.
An ARM re-finance option with an interest only component may be worthwhile in some situations. For example if the homeowner has a hybrid mortgage which features a fixed interest rate during the interest only portion and an ARM during the principal and interest portion of the loan they might benefit from this situation if they do not plan to stay in the home for longer than the interest only period. This period may vary depending on the lender and the circumstances. Homeowners who plan to sell the house before the interest only period ends and the ARM period begins enjoy the benefits of lower monthly payments and the security of fixed interest rates before they ever have to worry about repaying the principal or dealing with the varying interest rates.
No Equity in the Home
Another disadvantage to the interest only re-finance loans is they do not allow the homeowner to build equity in the home during the initial period where only the interest on the loan is repaid. This can be a problem for homeowners who are looking to profit through the sale of their home. These homeowners may find the participation in an interest only re-finance has had a damaging effect on the profit they are able to generate from the resale of their home.
It is also important to find the best mortgage loan rates and interest rates. Here, the Internet can be a useful tool for picking the best type of mortgage refinance possible. For example, you can do a search for Denver home loans or Colorado mortgage loans and you will find the right local mortgage brokers for your needs.
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Aloe Vera, Natural Skin Protection
Posted on March 4th, 2010 No commentsUnderstand the secrets behind using Aloe Vera for your smart health…
Going back lots of years, the Aloe Vera plant (with emphasis on the Aloe barbadensis) has long been used by people for the treatment of skin conditions. The Cactus like plant can commonly be found nowadays in several homes. The gel contained among the Aloe Vera plant is an invaluable asset for people who are littered with skin injuries. The gel within the leaf of Aloe Vera is found to possess soothing and healing qualities.
Today, an increasing range of people are finally turning into awake to the importance of the employment of Aloe Vera in skin products. Commercial aloe product include everything from creams to lotions to nutritional supplements in pill or aloe Vera drink form. The products usually mix aloe gel with other ingredients to enhance the gel’s natural healing components. For example, an aloe-primarily based Hawaiian product, known as AhVahleen, combines aloe with some natural extracts taken from organic honey and a Hawaiian Kalo herbal plant.
Using Aloe Vera Skin Care products
Aloe gel, particularly when combined with different natural ingredients, will greatly enhance the skin and its ability to replenish skin cells. This replenishing action ensures that there is sufficient production of new skin cells. This also slows the aging process and helps keep the skin moist and beautiful. Aloe creams and gels out there can help enhance this process. There are also creams and gels to assist with itching, burns, cuts, psoriasis, shingles, and other skin conditions.
The properties of Aloe Vera also are found to be antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal which greatly limits the skin’s risk to prolonged injuries or infections. Some aloe-based merchandise are said to help soothe and dry up chicken pox as well. Aloe gel will work as a natural anesthesia to scale back or alleviate pain caused by burns, cuts, and skin rashes. For severe sunburn and/or sun poison, aloe vera gel can cool the burning skin and speed up the healing process.
A approach to Buy Aloe Vera Product
For those who don’t grow their Aloe Vera plant, buying is the subsequent best option. You should perpetually guarantee before shopping for, that your aloe-based product is after all genuine created of natural ingredients. Read the ingredients on each product and learn why the ingredients were added. You’ll notice some merchandise, like AhVahleen, to have added natural ingredients to boost the product’s skin care and health properties. By combining the virtues of varied herbs, you will be guaranteed an even better result than using Aloe Vera alone.
Shop online to find aloe-based mostly merchandise that are distinctive to your skin care and health needs. You will easily realize aloe vera gels, and creams that may be used to sooth and treat skin conditions like psoriasis. Aloe based mostly lotions additionally offer glorious protection against the harmful UV rays for the sun for folks who are constantly exposed. And for even better live, it is potential to search out an aloe product that contains all these qualities at once. Start enjoying natural skin care and Aloe Vera health nowadays with the wonderful natural solution of aloe vera!
Medical Disclaimer:
All material in this article is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of the information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.
The information and opinions expressed here are believed to be accurate, based on the best judgement available to the authors, and readers who fail to consult with appropriate health professional assume the risk of any injuries. In addition, the information and opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of every contributor to the website. The site owner acknowledges occasional differences in opinion and welcomes the exchange of different viewpoints. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.


