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Media 100 Producer: Media 100's software-only editor by Nick Griffin Article Type: Feature, Review Creative Cow's Nick Griffin, a longtime Media 100 user who, like many, switched to Final Cut Pro a few years ago, explores the new Media 100 Producer, a new software-only editor from Media 100. Media 100 Producer offers a mobile and scalable editing environment as well as FireWire I/O and Panasonic P2 acquisition capabilities. Ideal for in-the-field or mobile editing, editors using Media 100 Producer can shoot using their Panasonic P2 camera and immediately begin editing; they can even off-load the media and continue to use their Panasonic P2 card. In addition, Media 100 Producer can use media captured by Apple Final Cut Pro, Media 100 i, 844/X, Media 100 HD, Media 100 HD Suite, Media 100 HDe, and Media 100 SDe systems to edit, composite, and mix and output via FireWire or export to DVD or web. Nick explores this latest offering from Media 100 and comes to some startling and positive conclusions. He gives it 4-1/2 Cows out of five. Why? read on...

	MoGraph - Part IX - Using the Sound Effector by Mylenium Article Type: Video Tutorial In his last article in this series, Mylenium finally takes a look at working with sound in MoGraph, exploring techniques and tricks that will allow you to tie in sound with motion and create stunning visuals.

	Max Monster Pak by Michael Hurwicz Article Type: Product Review Michael Hurwicz looks at Max Monster Pak, a giant collection of 3D models, textures, motion capture files, and bonus software for 3d max from Digimation.

	MoGraph Part VI: Text by Mylenium Article Type: Video Tutorial Providing a look at the MoGraph text tool and exploring how to use it along with other tools, Mylenium continues his series.

	MoGraph Part V: Examples - Knowledge Applied by Mylenium Article Type: Video Tutorial In this part 5 of our 'Exploring MoGraph' series, Mylenium demonstrates applying our acquired knowledge by analysing and studying a few examples.

	MoGraph Part IV: Effectors - Individual Settings by Mylenium Article Type: Video Tutorial Following on with Effectors in this part 4 of the MoGraph series, Mylenium explains what each of them is good for and when you would use them.

	MoGraph - Part III - Effectors - Shared Settings by Mylenium Article Type: Video Tutorial Now that we know how to create armies of clones, effectors will help us to control them. Learn how by downloading and viewing Mylenium's article.

	MoGraph Cloner II: Cloner, Matrix, Instance by Mylenium Article Type: Video Tutorial Continuing our series on the MoGraph, Mylenium takes another hard look at the Cloner and its associated 'Blend' mode as well as the other two multiplication tools, the Matrix and Instance objects.

	MoGraph - Part I - Cloner by Mylenium Article Type: Video Tutorial In this article, Mylenium is providing insights into the basic principles of working with the Cloner.

MediaFiler 2.0 by Aanarav Sareen Article Type: Product Review MediaFiler 2.0 is a professional database software designed for the video production industry. It's an easy way to catalog, track, label, and organize your whole library of tapes and disks. In this article, Creative Cow Leader Aanarav Sareen takes a look at the software for use in his own production environment and determines that it is everything they say it is.

	Morphing in Shake by Michael Mench Article Type: Tutorial, Video Tutorial IIn this third video in the series, 'Shake is Money', Creative Cow Contributor Michael Mench demonstrates a brief overview of the Morpher Node in Shake.

Movement on Stills by Shane Ross Article Type: Tutorial, Video Tutorial In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Shane Ross discusses creating movement on stills in Final Cut Pro. Many people call this the Ken Burns effect, but Shane wants to point out that this effect is been used long before Ken Burns made it so popular. In fact, Shane would like to someday have it called the 'Shane Ross Effect.'

	Multi-Machine Rendering by Aharon Rabinowitz Article Type: Tutorial, Video Tutorial In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to Render a project on several computers at once, without the use of the After Effects render Engine.

Model, Rig, Animate with 3ds Max 7 by Michael Hurwicz Article Type: Book Review Author/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz examines 'Model, Rig, Animate with 3ds max 7' by Michele Bousquet. This slim volume covers the entire process of creating a 3D character animaton, from modeling to rigging and animation. It is very step-by-step in its approach. Although the subject matter is intermediate, even dedicated beginners should be able to follow along. Highly recommended.

	MAXScript 101 by Michael Hurwicz Article Type: Training Product eview Author/Animator/Musician Michael Hurwicz looks at MAXScript 101, a training DVD by John Wainwright, the creator of MAXScript and determines that this is one of the best video-based training courses of any kind.

	More Lighting and Shadows by Bill O'Neil Article Type: Tutorial In part two of our Shadows tutorial, Bill O'Neil continues with an explanation of an effect that he's constantly asked how it was done. He doesn't use 3D -- it's done entirely in After Effects and the coolness of the scene is mostly from the lighting and shadows.

Marco Solorio reviews Post Holes Prematted Stock Clips by Marco Solorio Article Type: Product Review Don’t have time or budget to shoot various people in a blue or green screen studio cyk? Also don't have the time or the software to create a perfect chromakey and/or rotoscope to pull that perfect matte? If this is the case, Post Holes may be the solution you’re looking for. Marco Solorio reviews their latest 2-disk DVD set available on NTSC SD.

	Mike Gondek reviews Total Training Photoshop CS by Mike Gondek Article Type: , Adobe has updated Photoshop to version 8, officially known as Photoshop CS. Total Training is on top of the situation bringing what Mike Gondek considers the best Photoshop training resource available.

Maya 6 Killer Tips by Chad Briggs Article Type: Book Review In this article, CreativeCOW leader Chad Briggs reviews Maya 6 Killer Tips written by Eric Hanson, Kenneth Ibrahim, and Alex Nijmeh, and published by New Riders Press (August 2004), ISBN: 0321278534, and finds that "reading Maya 6 Killer Tips was a revelation, [it] is an excellent book that presents just the right information you need to take your mastery of the program to the next level.

	Motion Tracker --Total Training for Adobe After Effects 6.5 with Brian Maffitt by Brian Maffitt Article Type: Video Tutorial In the Motion_Tracker clip (time 2:44) you will learn: Some of the new features dealing with the new and improved Motion Tracker.

Marco Solorio reviews Nattress Standards Conversion Plugin by Marco Solorio Article Type: In this review, Marco Solorio shares his real-world experience using the Nattress Standard Conversion Plugin set. Low-cost software doesn’t always mean low-quality results and this software breaks the myth to the Nth degree. Read this review and discover how amazed Marco was with his initial results using this plugin to convert between PAL and NTSC media.

Mike Gondek reviews: Digital Photography Hacks by Derrick Story by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Digital Photography Hacks: 101 industrial Strength Tips & Tools by Derrick Story and published by O’Reilly, (2004, 332 pages). Read on to find out why Mike says, ''If you have a digital camera and want to improve your images learning from a book written in an easy to read format, then you will enjoy this book.

	Mike Gondek reviews: Illustrator CS Killer Tips by Dave Cross by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Illustrator CS Killer Tips by Dave Cross and published by New Riders, (2004, 288 pages). Read on to find out why Mike says, ''This is a great book to read for any illustrator user.''

MAYA CHARACTER CREATION: Modeling and Animation Controls by Chris Maraffi by Joaquin Gil Article Type: Book Review Joaquin 'Kino' Gil -- noted major film effects artist, independent filmmaker and Creative Cow's Maya forum host, reviews MAYA CHARACTER CREATION: Modeling and Animation Controls by Chris Maraffi and published by New Riders. Kino concludes his review with "...With this book anyone with a modicum of Maya proficiency can learn to rig and model professionally.'' Read more...

	MAYA 5 KILLER TIPS by Eric Hanson by Joaquin Gil Article Type: Book Review Joaquin 'Kino' Gil, noted film effects artist and host team leader of Creative Cow's Maya forum, reviews "Maya 5 Killer Tips," written by Eric Hanson and published by New Riders. Kino concludes with "...This is a "must-have" book in every Maya shop and class.'' Find out why

	Mike Gondek reviews Total Training Illustrator CS by Mike Gondek Article Type: Training Product eview Illustrator is the first commercially sold Adobe product and has evolved into version 11 officially known as Illustrator CS. There are many features buried into this excellent program and it is much easier to reveal them in video than a written book.

Migrating to the PowerMac G5 and OSX Panther by Ned Soltz Article Type: Tutorial In this article, Ned Soltz walks us through the steps needed to migrate to the PowerMac G5 and OSX Panther. This is one man's "how to" on configuring your G5, plus how to get everything off your G4 and move it safely onto your G5 with out accelerating your heart rate. This is part 1 in Ned Soltz's series of installing new hardware and software.

Mike Gondek takes a look at Total Training's AE 6 by Mike Gondek Article Type: Training Product eview Adobe is creating quite a stir on the COW releasing their new video collection. One of the most exciting upgrades is Adobe After Effects 6. Total Training (T3) is shipping over 40 hours of After Effects training on DVD and updated for 6. Infact T3 beat Adobe and started shipping their product before the actual AE6 shipped. Are you interested in the most comprehensive After Effects training course, read Mike Gondek's review and he will tell you about it..

Mike Gondek takes a look at Adobe Encore by Mike Gondek Article Type: Product Review, Tradeshow Report One of the biggest attractions at NAB 2003 in Las Vegas was Adobe Encore, which took top honors in many awards races. Many attendees were pleased to learn Adobe's maiden voyage into the DVD authoring market was a well thought out meeting ground for Adobe's many tools, with Encore DVD the logical hub for DVD authoring. How well does the shipping product meet user expectations? Read on to find out Mike Gondek's reaction to Adobe's new offering...

	Mike Gondek reviews Creating Motion Graphics Volume 2: Advanced Techniques by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review Mike Gondek takes a look at Creating Motion Graphics Volume 2: Advanced Techniques by Chris & Trish Meyer. This book is 403 pages of Full color and is published by CMP Books. Read on to find out what this book has in store for you...

Matrox Parhelia with Adobe After Effects 6.0 by Barend Onneweer Article Type: The Matrox Parhelia board has been around for about a year now, and an in-depth evaluation of its functionality in conjunction with After Effects was long overdue. With After Effects 6.0 on its way, Barend Onneweer takes a look at the value of this popular animation and compositing application with the Parhelia graphics board.

	Mike Gondek reviews Real World InDesign 2 by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review Mike Gondek takes a look at Real World InDesign 2 by Olav Martin Kvern & David Blatner. ~ This book is published by Peachpit Press. Read on to find out what this book has in store for you...

	Mike Gondek examines Real World Digital Video by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Real World Digital Video by Pete Shaner and Gerald Everett Jones and published by Peachpit Press, (434 pages).

	Mike Velte reviews Video Compression Demystified by Mike Velte Article Type: Book Review Creative COW leader, Mike Velte takes a look at Video Compression Demystified by Peter Symes. Mike concludes with, ''.. this is a book that bridges the science of compression and the peculiar way that the human brain interprets what the eye sees.''

	Mike Gondek reviews: Photoshop 7 Killer Tips by Scott Kelby & Felix Nelson by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Photoshop 7 Killer Tips by Scott Kelby & Felix Nelson and published by New Riders, (2003, 210 pages). Read on to find out why Mike says, ''Everyone who owns Photoshop should get this book.''

	Mike Gondek reviews: Learning Quicktime 5 Pro by Mike Gondek Article Type: Training Product eview CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Learning Quicktime 5 Pro by Sean Blumenthal for www.Lynda.com.

	Magic Bullet 1.1: A review by Barend Onneweer by Barend Onneweer Article Type: Product Review Barend Onneweer takes a look at Magic Bullet v 1.1. This is the first release for both Windows and MacOS. The review is angled towards PAL users, although it may be of equal interest to NTSC users.

	Mark Simpson demonstrates modelling arches by Mark Simpson Article Type: Tutorial In this article Mark Simpson discusses a technique to to model arches using Cinema 4D.

	Matrox RTX100 by Bob Bonniol Article Type: Product Review Bob Bonniol takes a good look at the new RTX line of cards for the video editor from Matrox in this article about the Matrox RT.X 100.

	Maya 4.5 Fundamentals by Chad Briggs Article Type: Book Review Always looking for good reference materials, Creativecow leader, Chad Briggs takes a look at Maya 4.5 Fundamentals by Jim Lammers with Lee Gooding published by New Riders Publishers. Read why Chad gives this book 4 1/2 COWs.

	Mike Gondek reviewsTotal Training's What's New in After Effects 5 by Mike Gondek Article Type: Training Product eview CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines a training series called Total Training After Effects 5.5 by Brian Maffitt & Steve Holmes.

Marco Solorio Reviews Final Cut Pro 101 with Jerry Hofmann by Marco Solorio Article Type: Training Product eview Class On Demand, a company that's known for its selection of instructional videos for applications like Newtek Lightwave 3D and Pinnacle Alladin with hosts by the likes of Dan Ablan and Paul Holtz, have brought us a new video; Final Cut Pro 101 hosted by Creative Cow's own infamous Jerry Hofmann. Jerry is an instructor at the Colorado Film & Video Instructional Studios (a facility with 20 Final Cut Pro bays) and has a Final Cut Pro book credit to his name, ''The Final Cut Pro X Project'' published by New Riders. You know you're getting top-notch video instruction here!

	Marco Solorio reviews: RE:Vision Effects, ReelSmart Twixtor with FieldsKit Deinterlacer by Marco Solorio Article Type: Product Review Looking at traditional methods of time-remapping, frame-rate conversions and other

'Mastering CDs and DVDs for Mac OS9, OSX and Windows OS' by Bob Hayes by Bob Hayes Article Type: Tutorial Bob Hayes, one of the nicest guys in the industry and the master of all things technical at Artbeats, shares the process he uses to create dual-formatted discs that look and behave properly for both Mac and PC users. While this article centers around Roxio® Toast™, the principles can be applied to many other tools out there in use in the market.

Marco Solorio reviews: Synthetic Aperture's Color Finesse v1.0.4 by Marco Solorio Article Type: Product Review Don't have the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a DaVinci color-correction system? But you do have After Effects? In a jaw-dropping review of Synthetic Aperture's 'Color Finesse,' Marco Solorio shows how Color Finesse far surpasses the capabilities of standard color correction tools -- as well as the error-prone realities of using standard color correction plug-ins. The differences are shocking! Note: this is NOT an article on how to color correct (although some of the principles are explored in the article and there is much to be learned here).

Modeling a Head in C4D by Jannis Labelle Article Type: Tutorial In this tutorial, Jannis Labelle demonstrates modeling a head using the Edge-Extrude plugin. This is a tutorial for intermediate or advanced Modelers with Cinema 4D who already have an understanding of the modeling capabilities of the software. Although enthusiastic beginners can follow also with a little bit of perseverance. Jannis has tried to include as many screen shots as possible and tries to make the instructions clear and let the pictures talk for themselves. Of course this techniques can be easely followed with any program that can extrude edges, like Maya for instance.

	Modeling and Animating a Rat with HyperNURBS by Sven Hauth Article Type: Tutorial In this tutorial, Sven Hauth demonstrates creating a more complex character with Cinema 4D XL 6.1 or above, a kind of a rat on two legs. He starts with the modeling process, then creates a bone skeleton and finally animates a simple walkcycle. Basic knowledge of C4D is helpful.

Media 100 lowers price and expands 844X line-up by Philip Hodgetts Article Type: Editorial On November 5, 2002, Media 100 announced that their 844/X product had become a product line... The original 844/X now becomes 844/Xe and a new, lower-priced model is identified as 844/Xi. Along with the new model, Media 100 have unbundled the 844/X from the host computer and storage, offered Media 100's dual stream customers a loyalty bonus (a.k.a. discount) and repositioned the 844/X family as editing software with exceptional compositing skills.

	Mike Gondek reviews Adobe Premiere 6.0 Classroom in a Book by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Premiere 6 Classroom in a Book published by Adobe Press.

MAKING TEXT FLY by Marcus Geduld Article Type: Tutorial When Marcus Gedult teaches After Effects, students often ask him if there's a way to make letters fly onto the screen from multiple directions and form a word. They want to avoid animating each letter on a separate layer and can you blame them? In this tutorial, Marcus demonstrates a couple of techniques that will do the job, one of which uses Path Text; the other uses Particle Playground.

Maya Camera Import into After Effects 5.5 by René de la Fuente Article Type: Tutorial It makes sense to use a 3D program to create a 3D scene; but what if you need to re-use the camera motion info from that scene for advanced compositing? In this tutorial, René de la Fuente and Will Scates walk through the basic steps needed to accomplish this using Alias|Wavefront's Maya 4 and Adobe After Effects v 5.5.

	Morphing In After Effects by Chris Zwar Article Type: Tutorial Morphing is a distinctive effect that is best known from the movie 'Terminator 2' as well as the Michael Jackson music video 'Black and White'. In this tutorial, Chris Zwar demonstrates simple morphs with the Reshape filter in Adobe After Effects 5.5 -- which is a Production Bundle only effect found under the Distort menu.

	Mike Gondek reviews After Effects Classroom In a Book (5.0) by Mike Gondek Article Type: Book Review CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Adobe After Effects 5.0 Classroom in a Book published by Adobe Press.

Moving Layer Masks on Glass by Kurt Murphy Article Type: Tutorial Kurt Murphy demonstrates the technique of moving layer masks on 2 sides of a glass cross in Zaxwerks Invigorator. This tutorial assumes that you have some previous exposure to the plug-in. If you don't have the plug-in, download the demo so that you can follow along. Kurt also completes the project by using the Write On to Reveal a 'handwritten script", Trapcode Shine and Lens Flare.

Magic Bullet -- Film Look Made Easy by Michael Munkittrick Article Type: Product Review In this article, Michael Munkittrick explores the powers of Magic Bullet -- a film look tool for video artists that has been receiving high priase around the Cow forums. Michael puts Magic Bullet through its paces and concludes that when it comes to making video look like film: "...for the real deal, Magic Bullet has definitely expanded my field of view."

Motion Sketch and the Smoother: The Racing Course by Ben Unguren Article Type: Tutorial By using motion sketch and the smoother, you can acheive a less ''computer-generated'' motion in your animations, and in less time. This tutorial introduces you to the basic techniques involved with motion sketch and the smoother. This is by no means a complete demonstration of what you can do with motion sketch or the smoother. This simply introduces you to how to use them.

MAYA Secrets of the Pros by Joaquin Gil Article Type: Book Review Joaquin Kino Gil, noted film effects artist and host team leader of Creative Cow's Maya forum, reviews ''Maya: Secrets of the Pros,'' edited by John Kundert-Gibbs and published by Sybex. While he points out a few weaknesses of the book, he still gives it Five Cows, our top rating, because not only will it give you a great education in the software itself -- but in many pro-level aspects of effects production and workflow strategy as well. Kino says much of this book would be applicable to any serious animator and regardless of tool or version. This is high praise indeed from a guy whose own body of work includes Godzilla, Contact and Starship Troopers and many others.

Morphing Smoke into Text by Adam Tracksler Article Type: Tutorial When I was working on a title sequence for a short film, I needed some help creating a particular effect; smoke morphing into text. Not knowing where to turn, I wrote a post in the Combustion Forum. Lucky for me some people were more than happy to help out. Lee "Rod" Roderick, Discreet Training Specialist, helped me out. This tutorial was created from his original file. In this tutorial, we will use Combustion's Particle effects and text operators to create a cool effect suitable for your home or office.

	Mike Gondek reviewsTotal Training's LiveMotion2 by Mike Gondek Article Type: Training Product eview CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines a 3 DVD training series called Live Motion 2.0 by Steve Holmes and published by Total Training.

	Manuel Minut reviews: Creating Motion Graphics by Trish and Chris Meyer by Manuel Minut Article Type: CreativeCOW leader Manuel Minut takes a look at a well-worn Creating Motion Graphics written by Trish and Chris Meyer and published by CMP books and determines that this is still a great reference to own.

	Mark Simpson looks at ''Maxon Cinema 4D 7'' by Arndt von Koenigsmarck of Vreel-3D