I was reminded of an incident back in my Amiga computer days after I noticed an increasing number of posts here on the MC Forum from people who always seem to use Squeeze in going from MC to AvidDVD, and some others who are importing their tutorials from Screen capturing programmes into MC to edit them.

It was the mid 1980's
I was arranging a weekend judo training camp in Sweden.
I needed a nice map to show the location of the camp.
I used a very simple hand scanner to scan the part of the map I needed.
I imported the scan into my Amiga Paint programme.
I tweaked it and cleaned it up.
I adjusted the contrast.
I spent almost 1 day in getting it as good as possible.
I then printed it with the text I wanted and IT LOOKED TERRIBLE!!!!!

Flash of inspiration!

Why not stick the map in a photocopier, with a piece of white paper over the area I want to write the text into?Take the copy and print the text onto it.
Then run off as many copies as I need.
Total time taken 30 minutes and the quality of the final page looked great!

Why did I use a handheld scanner/a paint programme and my Amiga? Because they were there!

The moral of this story is: Don't be blinded by technology. Just because you have MC and Squeeze etc. doesn't mean you always have to use them to do everything.

Take a step back and look at the whole picture. Then you may see an easier, quicker and more efficient way of working. Standing too close makes you blind to greater possibilities.

Regards,
Douglas

drbgaijin:

Standing too close makes you blind to greater possibilities.

Andrew,

Good observation!
It is a question of lateral thinking (which I think has close connections with Zen....)

Another observation:

1. There are people on the forum who never seems to use a tripod and who are always looking for the best "deshaker" programme.
2. There are others who always use their tripod and wonder how they can create an eathquake feeling in post.

How about if group 1 used a tripod and saved all the bother of using deshakers in post

? and:

Group 2 did a bit of planning and took the camera off the tripod and shook it a bit when filming what was to become the eathquake scene later?

Lateral thinking and Zen..... that's what we all need a bit more of!

Regards,
Douglas