This article started out a just a small part of my next article. I wanted to share some free programs that were useful for video amateurs and professionals, but I realized that getting Adobe Creative Suite (CS) for free would be so breathtaking it would take away from the other programs on the list. Instead, I will just be discussing Adobe CS and putting the other free video-related software in its own article.
WARNING: This is not actually freeware, Adobe has made it abundantly clear that this is only for CS2 users who legitimately owned the product(s). If you download and use anything, it is at your own risk...
Adobe Creative Suite
This is the motherload, what you clicked for... Adobe Creative Suite, completely FREE!
More than likely if you found this article you could care less about anything else I have to say on the subject, but I do what to give a bit of background. What you might be thinking is am I some how trying to scam people, or trick people with rebates and other discounts. No, this is not a trick. This is real.
The one minor thing I neglected to mention is that this is for Adobe Creative Suite 2, so I am sorry if you came looking for any newer versions. On the plus side, this suite is just as capable as the newer ones and is from Adobe. Adobe has discontinued support and the server for Adobe CS2 products, given its age. They try to stipulate that they do not run on "many" newer operating systems, but that simply isn't true.
You will need to have an Adobe ID if you do not already have one. The link near the bottom will take you to a login page, once successful, you will be able to download Adobe CS2. There are several languages available, but only English, French, German and Japanese have everything available. The entire suite can be downloaded, or just the programs you need. There were two versions of CS2, standard and premium, and the site will allow you to download all the premium additions as well. Each program comes with a legitimate serial number. Each serial number for Mac or Windows is the same on any other language.
One last piece of information, not every product is available, such as Version Cue. Not a huge loss considering it was just a way to collaborate with designers over the Adobe network. ImageReady might be included with Photoshop.
The Bad
Adobe CS2 is a much older suite, and its successors have done a nice job on improvements, that being said I'll give a few drawbacks:
There are certain tools or items that are not present in this version as compared to newer versions. This should hardly deter anyone from passing up this free offer though. Many techniques can be performed with a bit of extra effort if using CS2. I'm thinking specifically about Photoshop, where there are so many tutorials on how to do things for older and newer versions. Another example is if you edit video there will obviously be less codecs and containers available to choose from. There may be aftermarket versions of codecs and containers you can install, but worst comes to worst, you can always export an uncompressed AVI and then use free converter software to change the video to a codec and container that you need.
There are missing programs you can only get from later upgrades like Speedgrade, Encore, or Flash. Now Flash I wouldn't see as a big deal as there are plenty of other tools to learn with, and arguably better at this point. Speedgrade is just a color grading program, and I found DaVinci Resolve Lite just as powerful and more to my liking. And something like Encore, while quite useful, can be replaced with other (free) alternatives. In addition, it only has DVD support, and with Blu-ray here to stay, it will eventually be phased out. However, programs like Fireworks I love because I could easily and quickly optimize web images. And if you're an Edge user, it's too bad. There is also no Prelude, but even CC doesn't have that.
One other mention is that while it works on newer systems, there are noted issues. Adobe CS2 is all 32-bit programs, and some people have complained about Photoshop not working on Windows 7 64-bit. However, solutions like these should fix and allow Photoshop to work smoothly. There could be other problems, but I think this is the most evident.
The Good
Now I'll cram in a few good things about this, beyond being free:
Audition is available! Many people hated the switch to Soundbooth for Adobe Creative Suites, so many still used older Audition versions because of its features. Soundbooth was meant for a crowd where audio was not their forte, but the uproar it caused in the community caused it to finally go by the wayside in 2011. Regardless, Audition is still a great program, and I have even read that some people continue to use this version because of how good it is.
It has GoLive and Acrobat 3D, which are not on any newer versions. GoLive replaced PageMill, which was the primary HTML editor, and was later discontinued in favor of Dreamweaver. I actually started with PageMill, so I could probably find some use for GoLive. Acrobat 3D can read most CAD information so you can import it into Acrobat 3D. This could definitely be useful for people building projects with CAD programs. Newer Acrobat versions have the functionality built-in, but that is of course at a cost (not like the free Adobe Reader).
The formats are still readable by newer versions. Of course there are some newer formats, but newer versions are backwards compatible. So, even if you have to send something off in an "old" format, it will still be readable on newer versions. The opposite is normally untrue...
Not a huge point for CS2, but there are older plugins or extensions that no longer work on newer versions that will here. There a lot of them for Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro, and even Photoshop. Some newer items should still work in CS2, such as brushes or font families.
The Download
Download Adobe CS 2 here.
Why Adobe? Why?
Why did Adobe really make this available? The official response I have read is that they wanted CS2 users to be able to still keep their legitimate product when working on the Internet. The serial would otherwise be checked and considered invalid. This was their way of making sure that CS2 users would not run into trouble since the server was going to be taken down.
Unofficially, it seems like it could be more. 7 years is a long time for the life of a product, especially one that gets updates almost yearly. My only thought is that Adobe wants the upper-hand over other products of similar use like Final Cut Studio or Vegas Movie Studio. The software is old, but still useful. And as their focus is to remain with CC, what's the harm in letting it go for free? If anything, it could drive more people to Adobe's suite. People just getting in the game who end up using and liking CS2 may decide to upgrade to CC. Not a bad strategy, and makes Adobe look better in either case.
EOL
Just because a product has had its run doesn't mean it is worthless. I would think that CS2 would be great for users who are fresh out of college, where they had CS6 or CC available to them, but can't afford to buy them now. In general, it is good for anyone who wants to make legitimate work and does plan to upgrade in the future.
Of course, this is only meant for licensed users, so again be forewarned there could be consequences whether for business or personal use.
I've held off on this article as I did not feel the time was right, but it has become too evident that 4K is the next big thing for TV's and digital video recording. Many of us are lucky enough to own camcorders or cameras that output 1080p quality video, but now that 4K is becoming increasingly popular, should we toss those devices aside and purchase a 4K camera? I would like to argue that (for now) 1080p can suffice for 4K videos, and I would like to show you how and why...
Back in the Day
Just before I was about to be a sophomore, I switched high schools. I was late to the party so I only had a few choices for my electives. I opted for a video class that I thought would be easy; boy, was I wrong!
The former teacher was known to be very lax and the video class had been easy. But the current teacher wanted his students to really learn how to create video projects at a high standard. Before you were allowed to even touch a NLE (Non-Linear Editor), you had to learn how to edit with VHS. While not as hard as editing 8mm with a film splicer, it was still an arduous task. Once you had done one project on a VHS editing bay, you could then move onto a NLE.
When I first sat down in front of a computer (loaded with Adobe Premiere), I didn't know where to start. I could open the program, but that was about it. So I pulled over a classmate and asked them one question: Which button cut the video. From then on I educated myself on all the skills and technical aspects of production and post-production.
I was fortunate enough to get into digital video just before 24p became a huge revolutionary way to capture and output video. For the younger crowd, it was much like the jump from SD to HD (1080p). For newer crowds it will be akin to 1080p to 4K. I wouldn't say that things were simpler back then, but because there was less to contend with, it did give a sturdier background for digital video and all the new features that would start to arise.
Originally I wanted to do something in computers, but since that first class in high school, I have continued my studies and experimentation in digital video. I even went on to get a degree in film and media. That's not to say I forgot about computers altogether, otherwise this blog would not exist.
1080p vs. 4K
1080p is a video resolution of 1920 x 1080. 4K is a video resolution of 4096 x 2160. There are other 4K resolutions, but I won't get into that here (check "14 Things People Get Wrong..."). 4K is roughly 4 times larger than 1080p. You can check this by multiplying the numbers above then dividing the total for 4K by the total for 1080p. In pixels, the comparison is about 8 million to 2 million. This should help you understand why 4K is such better quality than 1080p, even without having a TV that will allow you to test that theory.
1080p vs. 2K
2K is a video resolution of 2048 x 1080. Again, there are some other resolutions, but I will not be getting into them. 2K is just barely taller than 1080p. 2K is the resolution used in most cinemas (there are some cinemas that do show movies in 4K).This may help understand why the need for cameras, camcorders, and TV's to have 2K never really came to fruition.
Be Forewarned
The best way to get 4K video is to obviously have a 4K camera or camcorder. A 4K smartphone may be cool, but it is not a good way to get 4K footage (even with hacked bitrates).
The only camera I know that can be hacked to become a 4K camera is the Sony F5, but the camera alone still costs thousands upon thousands of dollars. It would be better to get something like a Panasonic GH4, especially now since there are rumors that Panasonic may discontinue the line...
But if you can't afford those options, then follow along below.
Preparation for the Transformation
There are a few things you can and should do in order to make the best quality out of 1080p video footage.
The first is a pre-production step. If you own a Canon EOS, a Panasonic GH2, a GH1, or any other camera that can be hacked for higher bitrate, you should enable those settings. You will need to spend some ample research on how these are performed, how they can react, and how to reverse the process if needed. For an applicable Canon, you can use Magic Lantern, which will give you a setting to increase the bitrate. The process is easily reversible by just pulling out your battery. On a GH1 or GH2, the process is a little more in-depth as you need to actually replace the firmware and find a respective mod that will increase your bitrate (the Driftwood Moon or Cake is a good one for GH2 users). Of course, there are going to be a lot of cameras without any sort of hack, so you can skip this step if it does not apply. (Or pick up a cheap Canon that can use CHDK; camera list available here.)
For my tests I ended up using a hacked GH2 that got me about 80-100Mb/s for my 1080p footage. It came out superb and was a perfect candidate to try for a 4K upscale.
The second step is something anyone should be able to accomplish. After creating your video, but before throwing it into a NLE, download and install the free version of GoPro Studio. You can then increase your video footage's bit-depth from 8-bit to 10-bit. I won't go into the exact steps as I use NeoScene (which was a product that became discontinued when GoPro bought Cineform). They have the same capabilities, except that the GoPro Studio is an editing suite, and NeoScene includes the ability to convert AVCHD files (great for GH2 users like me!). If you want NeoScene for AVCHD footage, you may be able to find some valid serials sold on eBay. I have a posting here with the actual downloads that GoPro's site does not make available for discontinued users.
If you're asking why do the second preparation task, because you know that bit-depth is about color; it's because that this will likely help produce a better 4K version of your 1080p footage since it will have more color information when producing a top-notch 4K video. 8-bit deals with 256 colors, while 10-bit uses 1024 colors. And when doing the upscale process below, the computer is trying to produce non-existent details from details that do exist. Giving it more to work with is better than less in these circumstances.
How to Make 1080p into 2K
The easiest way to go about this is just to enlarge your video until the height is 2048 pixels high. Sure, some quality loss will occur, but not enough to be noticeable to the naked eye. To reiterate, there isn't much of a reason to do this unless you are specifically asked to do so (i.e. a client needs his digital video in 2K).
If this isn't satisfactory, you can use similar steps that will be discussed for 4K.
How to Make 1080p into 4K
Now, you could just scale 1080p footage to the dimensions of 4K, but unlike 2K, the quality will be substandard. Because we are enlarging the footage more than 4 times its original dimensions - where 2K is a slight pulling of the height - the quality will immediately take a hit and be noticeable by enthusiasts and the general public alike.
A simple way, which I do not recommend, is first scaling the 1080p footage to 4K, then use some post filter effects. You can throw on some Gaussian blur to smooth over the banding and artifacts that will undoubtedly arise, and use a bit of sharpen to get back a bit of that grain for realism's sake. This can be useful for quick jobs, but it doesn't give it the video footage quality it deserves.
Instead, you should use Adobe After Effects CC. If you don't have it, try out a trial version. If you use up the trial, either buy it or reinstall your OS and do the trial again (a bit extreme unless you have a spare computer you don't actively use).
Not long ago Adobe introduced a new "detail-preserving upscale" feature for Adobe After Effects CC. It is an effect and is fairly easy to use. The results are quite phenomenal, even moreso when compared to just a standard upscaling of the footage.
Now that you have the required tool to perform this trick, follow these steps to transform your 1080p footage into 4K:
- Open After Effects
- Select "New Composition".
- Change the values to 4096 x 2160.
- Name the composition whatever you like.
- Click "OK."
- Import the 1080p footage into your "Project" panel. (Drag-and-drop your footage on the Project panel, or right-click the "Project" panel and go to Import > File... to browse for your footage. File > Import > File... also works.)
- A "comp" will be created along with the footage import.
- Drag-and-drop the footage into your comp timeline.
- In the "Effects & Presets" panel, type in "Detail". The "Detail-Preserving Upscale" effect should appear. (If it does not, you are not on the latest version of Adobe After Effects CC.)
- Drag-and-drop the effect onto the footage in your comp timeline and it should automatically apply to your footage, and open the "Effects" panel.
- Ensure your timeline is at the beginning of your footage by dragging the time cursor to the start of the footage.
- Click the "Scale" stopwatch provided underneath the "detail-preserving upscale" effect in the "Effects" panel.
- Use the "Scale" option to increase the size of your footage until you fill the entire frame.
- Click the "Detail" stopwatch provided underneath the "detail-preserving upscale" effect in the "Effects" panel.
- Increase the amount of the "Detail" to 100%.
- Click the "Alpha" stopwatch provided underneath the "detail-preserving upscale" effect in the "Effects" panel. (This step and 17 are optional, however, it does seem to look slightly better if done.)
- Change the value from "Bicubic" to "Detail-preserving".
- Go to Edit > Add to Render Queue
- Click it.
- The render queue window should appear in place of the comp timeline. Adjust your settings as preferred.
- Click "Render".
Note: While 4096 x 2160 is true 4K, many "4K" TV's only support up to 3840 x 2160. So, you may want to check which value you should use depending on your monitor or TV that will be used for viewing.
Note II: The stopwatch is usually not needed unless you plan on changing that selected item's actions during playback. However, I found that not clicking on it for this effect made it ignore the filter altogether when outputted from the render queue. For my tests, it seemed to work if I just did the stopwatch for scaling, but to be safe you may want to do the stopwatch for all the effect properties.
There is no perfect upscaling solution, such as that, this is not a perfect solution. But this is by far the best method I have come across, as well as the least time-consuming. There will never be a perfect solution for upscaling because your are taking something smaller and making it bigger, which will always cause banding and artifacts.
Downscaling
If you don't know much about video and are thinking you should use the above steps to downscale video, don't. It's really just a waste of time. Problems in detail and quality only happen when going from small-to-big, not big-to-small. Decreasing the size of something will retain its detail and not create any of the issues noted above. You can simply scale down the footage in any NLE and be fine.
However, if you go from big-to-small, then attempt to go back by using small-to-big, the problems above will occur. It would be smarter to keep a backup of the full size as it will be perfect in comparison to trying to match the original with the solution I have presented.
4K You, 4K Me, 4K Everybody!
I have found other software to perform upscaling, but all have mediocre results and cannot come close to the quality retention Adobe After Effects provides. I should say that the larger the gap in dimensions, the less useful any of this becomes. If I try to upscale 480p to 4K, the results should look horrible regardless of what program is used. On the flip side, If trying to upscale from 4K to 6K, this method should still be valid. Because 8K is so massively large, this technique may or may not be valid when coming from a 4K source (certainly not 1080p).
If you need to test your footage, you can always upload it to YouTube where it should give you the option to use 4K when viewing. And if you need to keep the great quality of your 4K video, but need a more manageable file size for sending or uploading, check out "VP9 + Opus = WebM...", which will also have the 4K example I made.
Another thought to remember is that your footage is not 4K, just your outputted video is. For most of us, this method will suit us fine. Others may rather purchase a 4K camera for the real deal. But that doesn't mean to trade-in your 1080p camera, as you may need a dual-setup one day, and this technique can help produce a beautiful 4K video from that second camera that only offers 1080p...
I have many software tools at my disposal, some I use very little but find irreplaceable, some I use a lot and of equal value. But many times people are unaware of certain tools, or add unnecessary tools thinking they somehow help. Today I want to explain some of my favorites and why you may or may not need them.
Compression Apps
Everyone who uses a computer has come across a .ZIP file one time or another. It is a file container that attempts to shrink one or more files in size to a single file that can be later opened. There a variety reasons to do this, such as sending one file instead of many through an email. Needing to send or transport many files and hoping to get a smaller file size out of all them while doing so. And even just needing to password-protect some important information.
The Rub
If you have used any iteration of Windows since 1998, Mac OS X since version 10.3, or certain Linux distros, you already have a .ZIP utility included in your OS! There is no need to install other programs to get them to open or need to be zipped. Many make the mistake that a third-party program is required and install that when first getting a new PC.
The Drawback
While the preinstalled software is great for .ZIP files, other (now) common compression extensions cannot be opened. Some of these include .RAR or .7z, both quite popular nowadays. 7-zip is freeware and can open .7z files. It can be easily downloaded and will also give you the option to integrate to right right-click menu on Windows, as well as open .RAR or .ZIP files. In addition, it supports most popular OS's. WinRAR is another favorite, but the free version will always have a pop-up (not adware or malware-based) trying to get you to buy the program. This will perform .ZIP or .RAR files, includes password-protection, settings for how to compress the file, and even a well-known benchmark. If you do not purchase the product, the only time it will become a nuisance if it trying to open multiple .RAR or .ZIP files at once.
Tip
Check this article to see when WinZip (an old, but not recommended application), 7-zip, or WinRAR is best to use depending on the circumstances. While it is a bit old, I doubt compression has progressed to the point to make it invalid.
Update: I just read this short article detailing how .7z compressed files are the best choice. It is from a couple of days ago and notes the downside is that no OS comes with 7-zip pre-installed, so you would need to download it regardless of your system choice. Keep in mind, the only items they compressed were games, so it is somewhat biased in that regard.
Adobe Reader
This has been a huge staple for many of us in the past. PDF's are here-to-stay, and we need something that can read them. While I still install Adobe Reader on new computers, sometimes I find that the download receives an error and will not continue.
The Rub
If you use newer versions of Firefox or Chrome browsers there's no need to install Adobe Reader. Internet Explorer also has this capability, but there have been reports of issues from time-to-time. All these browsers can easily view PDF documents, but you will need to notify the PC to set one as your default viewers for PDF's. To do this on Windows, right-click a PDF and click "Open with", choose the option to "Choose default program..." if necessary. Then choose your browser from the list. If your browser is not in the list your will have to browser and find its .EXE application in your "Program Files (x86)".
The Drawback
There really isn't much of a drawback here. Adobe Reader has a few extra functional features that most common users will never miss. And if you're into editing PDF's, Adobe Acrobat is the program you will need (or OpenOffice for the daring!).
Tip
Microsoft Office 2013 can view PDF's natively. If you don't have that, OpenOffice has long had the ability to view (and manipulate) PDF's, however it sometimes does not view them as perfectly as it should.
Registry Cleaners
Many people do not know what the registry is letalone that they may need a cleaner for it. Windows OS' have had a registry since version 3.1, and it moreorless stores configuration settings for applications from and for the system. Knowing this, have you ever wondered - after installing tons of software, possibly uninstalling just as many - why your computer slows down? Sure, it could be a RAM issue, or a storage issue, but what about when it just happens out-of-the-blue? Sometimes, it is a registry problem.
The Rub
Most of us will never know the importance of a registry cleaner. But these cleaners can often save lives! Having a clean registry can often be the difference between installing a program and getting errors and getting it to install perfectly. There are numerous other reasons about old unneeded files, browser issues, etc., but the main concern is that the more errors the more unseen problems that will arise. There are free registry cleaners available. CCleaner is well-known and a favorite. It is simple to use and has a rather simple GUI, there are better versions available but at a cost. Wise Cleaner is also fairly well-known, and I believe has a better GUI for ease-of-use.
The Drawback
This can really only help you. You can go without one, but it does nothing horrible if you do get one. The most I could say against it is that they can require you to close your browser, which if you have a lot of tabs open, will likely disappear upon reopening. It will also take out the trash, so if you have something in there that shouldn't be, take it out first!
Tip
I prefer PC Tools Registry Mechanic, or RegCure. I found both in combination work quite well. I use Registry Mechanic for the brunt of the cleaning, and RegCure finds anything leftover. These are both paid applications, but they will do wonders for your computer.
Windows Explorer Tabs
This is a new feature for me, but I do think it is useful (at times). On Windows 10, this should be an integrated feature (if the build versions are of any telling). If you remember a time before web browsers had tabs, you can probably recall a time when you had 10 or more browser windows open cluttering the desktop and confusing yourself. When tabs were first implemented by Firefox, everyone knew it was the future for web browsers. So why not have them as part of Windows Explorer (the browser of files for Windows)?
The Rub
While all web browsers now have this function, Windows Explorer does not. Do not fret, there are a couple of free programs that can help fix this. Clover 3 is modeled after Chrome tabs and looks beautiful. It does use Chrome browser shortcuts such as CTRL+T and CTRL+W. It supports Windows XP, 7 & 8. I have not tested this on Vista or 8.1, so do so at your own risk. QTTabBar integrates into Windows Explorer, and it works flawlessly. It does not have the beauty Clover 3 has, but other than that, it has many of the same shortcuts. If you delve into its options, which does take a bit of time, it becomes a great asset to any (commercially available) Windows OS. QTTabBar supports Windows 7 & 8, but may work with others.
The Drawback
Clover 3 looks spectacular but it's biggest drawbacks are almost all function-related. One that is not is that it does not integrate with Windows Explorer, but simply
gives you another application to use. The shortcuts worked only once for me, and I have noticed that it can get really buggy. Recently it got so bad that I
had to uninstall it. QTTabBar has great functionality without nearly no hiccups. The only problem is that the learning curve and time needed for customization make it a bit of a burden for those who want to just download and go. One minor issue the seemed to appear out-of-nowhere was being able to movie windows. For some reason I could barely drag a window, or it would assume I was double-clicking to enlarge... Essentially, if both were combined, it would be the perfect program. Alongside these problems is the addition of no formal support for either application.
Tip
A third choice is TabExplorer. While it may not rank as highly as the other two mentioned, it does support Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 for those on older Windows operating systems. It also has a support team. Whether they will be of any help (if needed) is not something I am privy to.
Detailed Media Information
This is more for those who work with or use a lot of video/audio files and need to find media details quickly. Sure there is always the clicking on a file's properties and checking its details, but there are often very little if any.
The Rub
MediaInfo is a light-weight, freeware application available for Windows, Mac, and many flavors of Linux. It will give you many details including bitrates, formats, frames-per-second (FPS), and much more! Once installed, you simple right-click on a media file and select "MediaInfo". It will then produce a windows with all the information for that media file.
The Drawback
It adds a tiny bit to the hard drive? I'm not sure what to put down for this. Unless you absolutely don't need it, it can become extremely helpful. Maybe if you have numerous things on your context menu, then it will just be that much more cluttered...
Tip
It does recognize newer codec types like VP9, so if you have a file that won't play, you can first investigate as to what file-type it is. Then you can determine if your default player can actually view it, or if you need to download a different player (or supplemental codec-pack).
Here We Are
So, you may never need any of these tips to help you. Yet, chances are you will at least find them helpful in one day for one reason or another. And if nothing else, a few may help free up some storage, if only by the tiniest bit. Keep in mind these are mostly items that will help Windows users, but some do apply for other OS's.
