Highball Blog - Outdoor Blog | Gear Giveaways - Gear Reviews | Video Editing Tips & Video Shooting Tutorials | Vector Designs for Mountain Bike T-shirts and Climbing Shirts
If you have more than one picture in your Blogger posts then you may wanna have those images open in new windows or tabs. The default setting with Blogspot blogs is to open the picture within the same tab, forcing your reader to go back and forth from full article view to picture view.
So let's dive in and learn how to open pictures in new tabs with Blogger:
What you need to do is to upload an image to your post editor and switch to Edit HTML.
Notice the content between the first pair of HTML brackets "< a href= ...... >".
Add the following attributes according to your desires, before the closing braket (>): target="_blank" (opens item in new tab) or target="nw" (opens item in new window).
Publish your blog post and you're done.
Now your blog visitors will be able to read your articles and view pictures in new tabs whenever they click on them.
The code below highlights where you must ad the target attribute.
A fellow Highball Blog reader requested information about campsites and recreational areas in Northern California. Here's her/his exact words that were submitted through the survey form that asked What Should We Write About Next?:
Campsites and Recreation in Northern CA, Northern Meaning Above Williams CA
I believe the one who's able to give valuable information on this topic is you, Californian or not. So if you've been touring and camping in Northern California and found some cool sites or national parks that you could recommend, then I guess at least one reader of this blog will be happy to receive this info from you in the comments section below.
If you happen to know awesome outdoor sites (less known but worth visiting) in other parts of California, feel free to share those as well. I'm sure some of us will find that helpful.
Here is a list of resources/directories for state parks and camping sites (reviews) that I was able to find for you:
California State Parks - information on parks listed by region (North Coast, High Sierra, Deserts, Orange County, etc), vacation planning, outdoor gear store
California Camping Review - "Here at CA-Camping-Review.com you will find photos, descriptions, addresses, telephones and emails for camping in CA, USA"
Shasta Cascade Camping Sites - list of campsites in Northern California; each link takes you to a Google map, showing you the exact location of the site
What's the coolest place to go on vacation in Northern California? Thanks!
One of you asked me to write about DIY steadicam for DSLR cameras. Since I don't have a DSLR photo/video camera I figured you could use the tips and tricks from Cheesycam.com.
The blog is specialized in DIY photo and video projects like camera rigs, workflow, video shooting, camera stabilizers, etc. You will also find lots of information on professional video gear (reviews), studio lights and techniques.
In these videos you can see two types of glidecam for heavier cameras - both resembling the Merlin design.
You also requested a tutorial on how to build a DIY articulated arm for a steadicam. I haven't found anything yet but I suppose it's too much work so most people who build their own stabilizer prefer to to have it hand held, without the dampening arm. I believe practice can make your shooting better without the arm and the vest. See this article on how to shoot video with DIY steadicam for more details.
My current glidecam design (three axis gimbal made of PVC pipe rings and skateboard ball bearing) could be used with DSLR cameras but it needs a smarter camera plate - one that slides in two directions (forward and sideways). I have a concept in mind for that so stay tuned as this will come out as a new post in the near future. :-) This will enable you to adjust the balance of the rig much faster.
The rig in the video above lets you shoot steady footage by holding the frame with both hands. It's not a glidecam but the results are pretty impressive. You can also mount a microphone, a flash and other gadgets that connect with your DSLR.
You may have noticed some grooves on the rims of your mountain bike wheels.
Since it's easy for you to observe when the rubber brake pads in your V brakes are worn out, it's not as easy to notice when the wheel rims have gotten too thin. That's what the grooves tell you.
The bicycle wheel rim deteriorates just like any piece that is subjected to constant contact and friction with another piece (brake pad). This is true especially if you ride a lot on muddy singletracks - sand, mud and other abrasive materials caught between the brake pads and the rims accelerate wear and tear. Of course, if your MTB has disk brakes, you won't confront with these issues.
So what you need to do is to check the rims regularly as to see if the grooves are still visible. If the rim has gotten flat this means it's time to replace it with a new one (or buy a new wheel altogether). This will prevent the rim to get too thin (so thin that the tube becomes visible - it might even explode). Basically, the excess aluminum on the rim (in which the groove is carved) acts as a wear and tear meter.
Groove still visible in my rear wheel - OK!
Front wheel needs to be replaced - the groove is no longer visible
NOT OK! (the rim is worn out)
Using the back of the heel to apply pressure to a hold, for balance or leverage; this technique requires pulling with the heel of a foot by flexing the hamstring. This technique is notable since in most forms of climbing one uses the toes to push.
If your experience with GoPro HD MP4 video hasn't been very smooth then don't worry. Help is on its way to you! Perhaps you can't import, convert or edit the MP4 clips in your current video editor and you feel you've been screwed paying $300 for a camera that doesn't allow you to do anything else but shoot...
NOT true my friend! I've been there and if it's one thing I've learned about internet it is this: whenever you have a problem, Google is there for you.
However, if you don't have the time to browse through endless search results looking for the right solution to your video editing issues then choose a certified shortcut and read the tutorials below. Most of the links refer to articles on video editing tips but I guess your biggest wish is to learn how to convert the MP4 clips to AVI format as to be able to properly import and edit your extreme sports videos without buying another expensive video editing software (check out the second link in the list for that).
Update: You might as well skip this post and go straight to the comments section where Remus made it clear why disk brakes are more efficient than V brakes.
There's a reason why disk brakes are better than V brakes on a mountain bike and it has nothing to do with the usual arguments: no mud and no water reaches the disks thus the braking is more efficient - unlike the rims which easily gather mud, sand and water while crossing streams, making it harder for the cyclist to stop the bike (not only that but the brake pads and the rims themselves are worn out by the abrasive materials caught between them, which not cool...).
But the real reason rim brakes are less efficient than disk brakes consists of a simple truth pertaining to physics: it's a lot easier to stop an object moving in slow speed than it is to bring to a halt an object moving in higher velocity.
The vectorized image above depicts a mountain bike wheel equipped with a disk brake system. Notice that the two points (A and B) travel different distances in the same time unit until they reach their destination positions (noted here as A' and B'). Based on this observation it can be stated that, given a certain spoke (radius) of a bicycle wheel (circle), each point of the spoke starting from the hub (center of circle) to the outer margin of the wheel (rim) has its own speed when the wheel is spinning. The further from the center, the higher its speed.
Think of it this way: no matter how fast the wheel is turning, the rim will always spin faster than the brake disk (which is smaller in diameter and has the same center) even though both the disk and the rim (and all points on any given radius for that matter) perform the same number of rotations per time unit. Example: One full spin of the wheel happens in one second - the speed of the valve (taken as a point on the rim) is about 200 cm/second while the speed of the corresponding point on the disk brake is about 60 cm/second.
Since the braking force is applied so close to the wheel's hub there is a need for sturdy spokes in the wheels that have disk brakes on them. Unlike the normal wheels on which the rim is designed to withstand erosion and friction (features needed for V brakes), disk brake wheels come with stronger spokes (double spokes) that distribute the braking force towards the tire without breaking the spokes themselves.
As a side note you may have the disappointment to find that medium bikes that have disk brakes (mechanical system, not hydraulic) do not have such strong rims. So while your bike brakes efficiently you might see that the wheels loose the round shape easily after bumpy downhill rides. This happened to a friend of mine who has a Kona Fire Mountain. A smart thing you can do is replace the rims (or the whole wheels) with ones that are designed for V brakes - they are stronger due to thicker walls; also the sharp U or V section profile makes them hard to bend/break.
Another reason the disk brakes are desirable is because they are thin and ventilated. Also the travel of the brake pads is shorter than in the case of V brakes - the pads are closely positioned sideways from the disk as to apply friction on it after a travel of not more than 2 mm. The holes in the disks allow a better ventilation letting the heat (caused by friction) escape more efficiently.
The rims get hot (after a long downhill ride with V brakes) and transfer the heat to the tires which is not necessarily a smart way of getting rid of heat. While I haven't heard of tires exploding or melting due to hot rims I think we all agree the disk brakes manage to take care both of stopping the bike faster and not damaging the tires through heat transfer.
The same physics law that makes the rim of the wheel move faster than any point situated closer to the center of the wheel is responsible for the noise of the helicopter rotor blade. Some of the noise that we hear in a flying helicopter (bang bang bang) is a series of sonic bangs caused by the tips of the blade which travel through air at supersonic speeds. The longer the blade, the faster the speed of its tip (rotations per minute being constant). Military forces are working to reduce this noise for stealth operations -
long-range propagation of helicopter noise can alert an enemy to an incoming helicopter in time to re-orient defenses.
Want to learn more? Check out a cool article where you can learn about the benefits of having disk brakes on your mountain bike - weight and other technical aspects are being taken into account as well.
A time lapse video consists of footage that is rendered in higher speed than that of the original frame rate. It's basically a clip in which everything moves at high speed - or consider it to be the opposite of slow motion video.
The best subjects or actions to video shoot for time lapse are the ones that take time to unfold/develop. There's a ton of stuff like that around you. Here's a list of the most popular things to capture for time lapse video:
Weather changes - clouds forming and moving, mist and fog, rain, snow layer building up over time.
Light sources - sunset and sunrise, sun's travel on the sky, the moon, the stars (especially Polaris time lapse), night transforming into day, beams of light penetrating the clouds, etc.
Fire - a fire consuming the logs and ending in smoke or a fire that grows bigger as fuel is added.
Tide - the ebb and flow of the ocean or sea.
People - crowds moving in an open space.
Construction work - a wall being build, a tall building being erected, crane booms swinging back and forth - all of a sudden a construction site becomes interesting to watch.
Car traffic - cars running on the roads at night in fast forward mode look cool.
Artwork - a painter (artist) creating an oil painting or crayon drawing. Computer graphics creations may fall into this category as well.
Blooming flowers - a rose unfolding it's petals for instance.
Moisture (water vapors) rising from a lake early in the morning.
The road ahead shot from a moving vehicle - a rapid glimpse of an entire road trip/journey.
The beauty of the fast forward video effect is that it's cool enough in itself without too much shooting work on your part. You simply place your camera on your tripod (or any other stable support), point it to your subject and start recording. Keep it filming as much as you want but be sure to let the action develop to it's fullest. Let the viewer understand the process from start to finish.
If you have different scenes, all rolling in fast forward, you could blend them for a softer transition between different pieces of footage - use cross fading for that. Another transition you could use is the fade out/in. Don't overdo it as viewers tend to get fatigued by too many techniques and too little content.
Time lapse with GoPro HD
There are two ways you can time lapse with your GoPro camera:
Take still shots every few seconds and then import all the shots into your editing program. Make sure to export your video with at least 24 frames per second as for the video to look like a moving picture, not like a sequence of stills. This means you have to have at least 24 shots (JPEGs) in each second. This can be tricky if you cannot set your software to import each picture as a certain frame duration (fractions of seconds). Magix does that pretty well (I edit all my videos with Magix - click here for a full GoPro editing workflow tutorial or go down in the comments and see my reply on how to actually import all pictures and export them as a video in Magix). However, importing still photos means your videos will be in 4:3 format which is not as cool as 16:9. This is because the GoPro pictures are more like a square whereas the footage is wider, coming in 16:9 format (in all resolutions except R4 which is also 4:3)
Shoot video for a longer period of time and then simply modify the payback speed or the speed ratio in your editor. I love this method as it's way more simple and I get the 16:9 format as well. And instead of dealing with lots of files, as when taking stills, you only have one file to work with. Note that you need to remove the audio from the video in Magix in order to modify the playback speed. (See the first picture below for visual detail)
Other tips:
You may want to shoot your videos in highest resolution for time lapse. A time lapse scene is kinda boring if you don't also add a pan effect to it (zoom in, zoom out, move left, move right, etc.). When adding a pan effect you need a high resolution footage so when the zoom in effect goes 1/3 in your scene, you won't loose any quality due to low resolution.
Instead of panning the footage you can actually pan while you're shooting with a DIY camera slider.
How to make time lapse clips
First I reccomend you install the trial version of more editing software and choose the one that works for you. I like Magix for its simplicity and for the fact that it imports MP4 files without having to convert them to AVI or other common formats.
Video editing software allows you to create time lapse clips in two basic ways:
By providing a sliding cursor - drag the cursor to the right or to the left and modify the playback speed of your clip. Slide the cursor to the right for increasing the speed and slide the cursor to the left for decreasing the speed (slow motion). This feature is available in Ulead Video Studiounder the Playback Speed button.
By providing a field where you can enter the speed factor to be applied to your video (it can also be a percentage). Any number higher than 1 will increase the speed whereas numbers lower than 1 will decrease the playback speed (e.g. 0.25 will decrease the playback speed to one forth - slow motion, thus increasing the playback duration by 4 times). You can find this option in Magix Edit Pro 17 Plusunder Effects/Video Effects/Speed.
The slide cursor and the factor input cassette are both available within the same menu in many programs. Input fields for time duration are available as well so there are a lot of methods to work your way around it. Make sure you use the same speed factor throughout your clip.
Almost all editing software shows you the new duration of the clip after the playback speed has been modified. This helps you asses whether or not you will exceed your time limit for the video. Short videos - under 5 minutes or less - are best to post on YouTube or on the internet in general because the average internet surfer has a short attention span. So get to the point and deliver the goodies.
If you wanna create a short video that combines both time lapse and slow motion you must ask yourself this: Is there a break in the monotonous action that I want to shoot? If the answers is yes then you're good to go.
Example (awfully morbid example): If you shot your road trip with your newly bought GoPro HD camera attached on your car and at some point you hit a deer (again excuse the terrible example) then you may wanna have the video in fast forward up until the point when you hit the poor creature (you could drive slower, you know!), leave it in slow motion as for us to see how you smash the beautiful thing and then go on with fast forward until you reach your destination (as if nothing happened you reckless driver, you...).
A cool technique you may wanna apply while shooting a time lapse video is to use a kitchen timer on which to mount your GoPro camera. The timer rotates while your camera captures either photos (every 2 seconds) or video - this is your panning effect.
