Best Video Format for iPhone and iPad

Posted on June 27, 2015 by garysch

iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are excellent ways to watch videos. Problem is every now and again a video does it play on the device because it is in the wrong format. However, converting to the correct format should not be difficult. 

The formats that work are H.264, MPEG-4, Motion JPEG, these files are identified because they end with MP4, M4V or MOV. Flash video does not play and neither does WMV or AVI. But using a program called Handbrake, which is available free for Windows and Mac will convert these to the correct format. It can be downloaded from here http://handbrake.fr

Below is a video showing you how to do this. It shows you how to do this for a Flash video (FLV) but works the same for AVI and WMV. 

If you are using video editing software then make sure you choose the right output. 

Posted in iOS, iOS 7, iOS 8, iPad, Iphone, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iTunes, video | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

iPhone Burst Mode – Get That Great Action Shot

Posted on June 4, 2015 by garysch

Ever wonder how sports photographers get those great shots, well aside from having a good eye for it, and it helps to understand the sport, they have fast cameras. By this I do not mean just the shutter speed but how many photographs it can take in a second which you might have called frames per second. The top pro cameras can take 14 framers per second (fps). Now they probably do not take 14 photos in a row every time but they can get a quick burst of shots. 

Aside from sports this is useful for all sorts of action which can be performances, conferences (where it helps catch that shot of the speaker with their eyes open and not blinking) and group shots, a quick burst of shots helps get the shot again without someone blinking. 

You can do this on your iPhone is you have a recent iOS, this works from iOS 7 onwards. You also need a compatible iPhone or iPad. iPhones include 5S, 6 and 6 plus. This works on the iPad Air 2. 

It is easy to do all you have to do is hold the shutter button down and then select the photos you want to keep. 

Here is a little video I made to show you how to take the photo and select the photos. 

Posted in Action photos, digital photography, iOS 7, iOS 8, iPad, Iphone, iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, photography, Sports photography | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Creating an Index in Word

Posted on May 18, 2015 by garysch

An index is an important way to reference key words or phrases in a Word document. It compliments a table of contents and allows your readers to look for something specific n Thankfully you do not need to type out an index, by marking entries throughout your document you can then create an index and then update easily with just a couple of clicks.  To see how to create a table of contents click here.  Watch how to create an index.  https://youtu.be/GJ1Pxj7wHqg

Posted in Microsoft Office, microsoft word, word, word 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Creating a Table of Contents in Word

Posted on May 17, 2015 by garysch

You know that feeling where you need to type up some instructions and you think it is not going to be too extensive but ends up being pages and pages, well that was one of the tasks when I recently had to wrap things up before moving on to my new job. To make it easier for whoever was taking over I figured a table of contents would make it easier for them to find what they were looking for. 

A table of contents provides your reader with a list of chapters or topics they can look forward to or for reference. This is not only useful for a book but for manuals, recipes and dissertations to name but a few.

Now you do not want to have to manually type out a table of contents only to have to and changes when you make changes. Thankfully it is easier than that in Word. Using headings it is possible to create a table of contents in just a few clicks. If you make changes to your document you can then easily update the table of contents.

If you want to know how to create an index click here.

https://youtu.be/B6gy9AwIPv0

Posted in Microsoft Office, microsoft word, word, word 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Copying Excel Data into a Word Document

Posted on May 2, 2015 by garysch

If you use both Excel and Word you may well want to copy data from Excel into Word and what would be really convenient is if the data in Word updated when you change it in Excel. Well that is what you can do and it is really quick and easy to do.

You do not have to link it and there is an option to just copy and paste the data in, but there are times when you want to reuse the document with updated data as it comes in or you may still be entering data or reviewing calculations but want to get on with inserting it into Word so that others can review it or to get a feel for the layout.

Data from Excel can also have data feeding in to it so you may want that reflected in your Word document.

What you want to do is link the data into Word using Paste Special.

Here is a video tutorial on how to do this.

Posted in Excel, microsoft word, productivity | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Add Video to a PowerPoint Presentation

Posted on April 18, 2015 by garysch

Whenever you go to a presentation it seems that most of the time they are using PowerPoint to help get their message across and adding video can certainly help. Video has certainly become easier to create even using your phone so it makes sense that you might want to add some relevant video to a PowerPoint presentation. 

As long as you have the right format you can easily do this. Many video formats work such as avi, wmv or mp4, there are more but these are the popular ones. 

If the video below I show you how to add the video and some of the options such as being able to trim it, change the sound, fade in and out as well as make it loop. 

Just remember to take the video file with you if you are copying on to another computer and test that it works before doing your presentation. 

https://youtu.be/I2JB3Rrz8nw

Posted in Microsoft Office, Office 2010, PowerPoint, video | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Is This The Best Selfie Stick?

Posted on February 21, 2015 by garysch

It seems the whole world enjoys a selfie. I must admit I enjoy taking photos more than being in them, I wouldn’t describe myself as camera shy, you only have to check out my video tutorials to know that, it is just that I love taking photographs. Other people like being in them and taking the photo and I guess this is why the selfie stick is so popular and I thought let’s see what happens if I make my own selfie stick.

I have everything I need a camera, a monopod (it’s like a tripod but with one leg) and a remote control. I attached the camera, a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, to the monopod, I did check that the monopod and the head could take the weight of the camera and all the bits attached. I did wrap the strap from the camera around the monopod just in case the camera came loose, this camera is quite heavy. The remote control, a PocketWizard III was already on the camera. I tested the remote to make sure it worked. I then angled the camera to where I thought it would get the best shot and fully extended the monopod.

Fully extended and holding the camera out like in the photo below is heavy so you don’t want to take too long doing this and be careful putting it down you don’t want to lose your grip of balance.

IMG_7091

Here is the end result.

IMG_7088

Have a go. It doesn’t have to be a selfie taking a shot from high up is an interesting angle to take a photo from.

Posted in digital photography, dslr, photography | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Running Out of Memory on Your Mac – Memory Clean App Will Help

Posted on January 18, 2015 by garysch

If you have a Mac whether it be an iMac or one of the MacBook notebooks then you have probably seen the spinning beach ball from time to time. It may be because you are running out of memory. So how can you see how much memory you have and what can you do about it?

You can look in the Activity Monitor and click on memory, it shows you how much memory you have in total and how much you are using. Alternatively you can use an app like Memory Clean, it is free and in the App store, that not only shows you how much memory you have left but also allows you to clean up memory to give you more free memory back. This should reduce the chances of getting the spinning beach ball, be aware that this may not be the only reason for the spinning beach ball.

I have to say since upgrading to OS X Yosemite I seem to be using up more memory, I’m looking into if there is a particular bit of software causing it or is it the way it handles certain tasks.

Here is a video I made to show you how to use Memory Clean.

Posted in imac, mac os x, macbook | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Selecting Data in Non-Adjacent Cells to Create Excel Chart

Posted on January 10, 2015 by garysch

Creating charts in Excel is pretty straightforward and you can see how to that in this video, getting started with charts. What normally happens is you select a group of cells and then insert a chart but what do you do when the cells are not next to each other. For example, what if the data you want to plot is in column 1 and column 3 of a table?

Here is a video showing you how to do this.

Posted in Excel, Microsoft Office | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Copy Video to Your Camera Roll on Your iPhone or iPad

Posted on December 21, 2014 by garysch

If you are getting into editing and like the convenience of editing on your iPhone or iPad. This works well if you are using video shot on your own device but what about if you want to use footage from another device? Well then you need to get it into your camera roll. iMovie may not be the only app that wants to access your camera roll to use the video you have there. So how do you get it there? Well you’re going to need iTunes. You will also need it to be in a compatible format which is ok if you shot it on another iPhone or iPad. You may need to convert it first using something like Final Cut Pro, Compressor, Premiere Pro, iMovie or Handbrake.

Here is a video that shows you how to copy video to your camera roll whether you are using Windows or a Mac. If you have a Mac you may want to put it in iPhoto first and have included that here too.

Posted in iMovie, iOS, iPad, Iphone, iTunes, Podcasting, video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment