A Farewell to Arms Bag

Well, it's the final countdown. It seems like only yesterday that I wandered into the Student Multimedia Design Center, excited and nervous to begin what I now know as the definitive impact of my non-academic career at UD. When I came to training that rainy Monday morning, I was not sure what to expect and knew no one (except he who shall not be named). But as soon as we went through the equipment, the microform birthday newspaper challenge, and of course the Scavenger Hunt, I soon learned that the Center really IS a learning environment and the job becomes so much easier when you really start to interact with it. The first couple of shifts were challenging, and I was not sure if I'd ever complete the checklist! But with the help of the Staff and some veteran students (so weird to think about all the student assistants throughout the years) I was able to feel comfortable here and I truly think that is why I've enjoyed the Center so much. So as my time here unfortunately ends, I just wanted to lend some friendly advice:

You don't need to be a guru
I took Graphic Design in high school and spent a lot of time with audacity recording the next Abbey Road on my guitar. I was by no means "gifted" in the programs but felt a genuine interest in them. So as I began working here, I was afraid that not being an expert would result in poor customer service. But when I would help someone, I would gradually see patterns in common mistakes and learn shortcuts to problems that seemed much scarier than they were. It really is all about repetition and thoughtfulness when assisting someone. If you are interested in solving the problem, you will more likely remember it the next time it comes up!

Write about it in the blog
Shocking, right? No, I am not being forced to say this. I've used the blog countless times to look up a problem and its solution. It's just convenient to have a hub where common questions can be answered at only a click away. Plus, it will count for your monthly post. Just pass on the lizards, as Dillon already suggested. In my day, it was iPhones that were off limits (see post supra)... glad to see 'lizards' is the direction we're heading.

Learn due dates
This one's minor but still helpful. Once you get in the groove of the semester, it's easy to to associate 3-day loan return days with the day you're working. Ex. it's a Monday and someone takes out a camera. Instantly, (and assuming no holidays or breaks) the phrase "this will be due back Thursday night at 11:29pm" enters my brain. Of course, still read the number date on the WMS receipt and hand it to them, but a lot of people like days of the week as well. Whoever knows the number date anyway?

Know how to erase everything!
This one speaks to plain empathy towards your fellow student assistants. If you learn how to erase/format every piece of equipment (every type of camera, the hard drives, iPads etc.,) so that when someone else is checking it out again, you save them the extra step of clearing it, and you save the user time waiting at the desk. Your fellow workers will be eternally grateful!

Take night and day shifts
Finally, this one might be the most important. As you know, the staff have fixed schedules and during them, have desk shifts in which they supervise the students. Because of this, there are really two sets of staff you can work with. The day staff and the night/weekend staff. Take shifts during both so that you can get to know ALL the staff. I say this not only because everyone is so helpful and nice, but each staff member has something unique to offer and you can truly learn so much from them.

Thanks for sticking with me through this post, if you got this far you'll be excited to learn that I've awarded myself Treat of the Week!! Just kidding, but seriously, I will miss everyone here and wherever I end up I will continue to practice the Center's workplace code: attentive customer service, dependable proficiency, and of course contributing to the blog at least once a month!!

It's been my pleasure, have a great summer everyone!

Here at SMDC, we sometimes get asked some pretty random questions. Usually, I'm prepared for iMovie questions or PDF formatting questions. However, last week, a guy came up to the desk with a question that was one I had never gotten before. 
He wanted to take the 6 PowerPoint slides and format them all to one (kind of when you print 6 slides on one page). Catch is, he then wanted to import it into his Word doc. I first wondered why he wanted to do this, but his professor told them that's how she wanted it presented in the project. So, I went to help him. With the help of Eve, we figured that we could format the 6 slides on one page and export it as a PDF. From there, we were able to save the PDF as a jpeg to the computer. To get it into the Word doc, we simply uploading it as a picture. 
Have a great summer everyone & congrats to all the seniors! 
Shannon

A List of Things I Learned While I was Here

It's time for us seniors to go the way of the dinosaurs.  Underground and eating sandwich halves that fall into sewer grates.  It's a meager existence, but an honorable one.  After all, it's what we came here to achieve.  And just look at us now.

Seniors, soon.

Much like the dinosaurs, there's still stuff to be learned from the seniors, so I thought what better way to do that then to write a short (maybe long, I haven't done it yet) list of things to know if you plan on working at the desk for more than a day.

Literally the only way I can hear this phrase anymore.

1.  The Blog Can Be Fun

A couple years ago, Nick Rogers starting putting images in his blog posts.  I quickly followed suit, mostly disappointed in myself that I hadn't thought of it first.  A competition grew out of it, and we tried to see who could make the most ridiculous, yet still helpful post.  I don't remember if there was a winner or not, so I'll assume it was me.

It's okay if you want to go ahead and get me one of these, Nick.

I assume staff members were fine with us doing it that way, because nobody ever really said anything to us, except for when Nick said President Obama was a lizardking overlord or something like that.  So we know where the line is.  It's jokes concerning reptilian politics.

Off to a Cabinet meeting.

It helps to not think of it as an obligation.  I say that because I used to and as soon as I stopped, it became something I looked forward to, rather than had to force myself to do late in the month.  We just decided it would be something we'd enjoy and so that's what it became.

Mike's also right to be emailing, saying the blog got better.  It really did.  And we can thank Nick Rogers.

2.  Premiere is Better Than Every Other Video Editing Software

I don't cry very often.  Mostly just at The Green Mile.  But then someone comes to me with iMovie questions.

No.

It's supposed to be amateur software, so tell me exactly why it is, with dozens of hours spent with intermediate software, that I can't figure this crap out.

I'll tell you a short story.  The first time I used Premiere I had a fairly large video project I was supposed to be working on and it was due that night.  I got the whole thing done because the partnership between Premiere, common sense, and some light Googling is a wonderful, magical thing.

Then, when I try to troubleshoot issues with iMovie (and to a lesser degree, Final Cut), all the support websites jumble things worse than an Enigma Machine.  But at least we captured an Enigma Machine.  You can't nail iMovie down.

But people will keep using it and we'll have to keep helping them.

Death, taxes, and iMovie.

Also, Final Cut is just a bigger version of iMovie and Windows Movie Maker makes slideshows.

3.  Mike Stoolman isn't a Year Older Than Me or a Graduate Student

Mike's been here as long as I have and I always assumed he was working on his Master's or something.  I blame my assumptions on his ability to handle money.

The root of all age misconceptions.

4.  If You're Working Night Shifts, Get a Bike

When I first started working here, I worked mostly nights.  It's just what fit best with my schedule and I liked it.  What I didn't like was walking back.  My first two years were on North Campus, so that's quite the walk to have coming off of a midnight shift.  It's really the last thing you want, too.  Whether or not you like the job, there's something about midnights on weekdays that just knocks you out.  Somehow, working here until midnight made midnight feel later than if midnight had just crept up on you while you were watching TV or whatever.  When you're bored at home, midnight's a surprise.  When you're coming off a shift, it's a hurdle.

Which is why I'm saying get yourself a bike, if you don't have one already.  It's a six or seven minute bike ride back to North Campus and a fifteen to twenty minute walk.  That's ten to fifteen minutes you have to get back and fall asleep.  And when school work starts ramping up, that's fifteen minutes you're glad to have.

I actually called my bike Nightcrawler for awhile, because having it on campus was like teleporting everywhere.  But then Nightcrawler was stolen.

Relevant pop culture reference.

Side note, it's interesting to me that, if my bike was stolen in Newark, I assume the person that took it is from the area.  Why haven't I seen anyone riding it?  That hurts a little worse than the actual theft.  It was a good bike.

5.  Learn the Job

This is lazier advice that it might seem initially.  If you actually pay attention to policies and equipment and software, the job gets a thousand times easier.  Then you won't have to work as hard.

A scenario.  A user's having issues with a camera.  They have their own SD card and don't want to use the internal memory, but they don't know how to change the recording location.  It's so much easier to solve the problem if you've paid attention to other times the same camera was used and if you've taken a little bit of time out of your shift to poke around with the cameras.

I know staff members recommend us doing this, but those five minutes spent with an HFS20 or the T4 or (especially) the GoPro save you a ton of headaches later.  Instead of a fifteen minute production of trying to find someone who's used the camera before, it's thirty seconds of navigating the menu.  Then you go back to whatever it was you were doing before.

If only.

The same goes for software.  I should have spent way more time with the Adobe Creative Suite, but even the time I did spend helped tremendously.  A lot of the issues people have with software are basic things where they don't know what button they're supposed to click to get the spot remover or whatever.

If you take the time to learn the job, it gets easier and you can do it better then you stay here longer and sometimes you maybe get a raise and Treat of the Week.

6.  Pick up Shifts Where and When You Can

We joke about Jay picking up a ton of shifts, but Eve was right in what she said at the end of the year senior gathering.  It's ridiculously helpful.  This year was better than it has been, because in years past, shifts could get put up two weeks before and people would be sending panicked emails two hours before they were supposed to show up.  But if you're someone who takes people's shifts, you'll never have a hard time giving one up yourself.

Also you make more money.

Dolla Dolla Billz.

~

There's plenty of other stuff, definitely, but something tells me I'm way over word count.  All in all, it's been fun.  I've learned good stuff while I've been here, as you've read.  It's all practical stuff you're doing.  Just don't tell anyone in your classes.  You don't want to become the resident IT guy.

3D Model Resources

If you're new to using 3D software such as Blender, Maya, or 3D Studio, it can be beneficial to study models created by more experienced users. There are few great resources for observing and downloading 3D models.

Sketchfab is one of my favorite websites for viewing and downloading 3D models. Not all models are downloadable, but you can refine your search to display only downloadable files. Users can upload files in a variety of formats such as .blend (for Blender) and .obj (supported by most 3D modeling software). Their website also has an awesome 3D model viewer so you can get a true 3D view of each object.

Another good resource for 3D models is CGTrader. Although CGTrader may not have as many features as Sketchfab, it's well designed and still a great resource nonetheless.

TF3DM and TurboSquid are similar to each other in terms of content and layout, but are not as user-friendly as Sketchfab or CGTrader (in my opinion).

Finally, Blend Swap is a resource with many high-quality models that are Blender exclusive. Unfortunately, you must purchase a paid membership if you want to continue using their site for more than the 24-hour trial period.

Most of the free downloable objects are under some version of a Creative Commons license, but remember to check the license for each object before choosing to use it in your work. Enjoy!

Deleting Hidden Mac Files From Flash Drives on a PC

The other day Nadine showed me a trick that allows you to delete Mac files from flash drives while on a PC. It can make things a little easier on you if you don't have access to a Mac or if you just don't feel like getting up from your PC. Here's all you have to do:

With the flash drive's folder open in Windows Explorer, select the Organize drop down menu all the way to the left of the top toolbar. From there, select Folder and search options. Select the View tab at the top:

The first option under Hidden files and folders will be selected by default, but to be able to see hidden files you just have to select the second option as shown above, then click Apply, then OK.

Fun Facts on the Type 5 Battery Charger

No I'm serious, they really are some interesting facts so quit the eye rolling.

The advanced camera's battery charging station has two ports for two batteries. However, you can only charge one battery on each unit at a time. Luckily for our sanity, we have four of these charger's set up on the battery wall/cabinet/buffet/station thingy.

Behold! Where dead batteries get their fix.

And the type 5 battery chargers aarrrreee:

Here!

The technical name for the advanced camera/type 5 charger is the "Sony AC-VQV10 AC Adaptor/Charger." Try saying that five times fast....and if you did, go clean something at the desk; you're too bored.

There's a switch next to the charging port that says "VCR/Camera" on one side and "Charge" on the other. The switch should always be on the "charge" side but take the time when you're plugging in the battery to make sure the orangish light comes on.And another nifty little tid-bit is that if you click the "Display" button, you are given the option of seeing the remaining battery life on the built-in LCD.

Congratulations! You just learned so much about the advanced camera battery charger! Tell all your friends.

And in all seriousness, good luck on finals!

Here's the hum of desperation: Transverse Printing of Posters

This morning, a student reported that his professor told him his poster should be printed transverse, which puzzled everyone at the desk. What is transverse printing? Should we go down to Transverse City to ask? Actually, transverse printing is mandated in the UD IT "HP DesignJet Z6100 Poster Printing Instructions for Windows" which states Note: if your project is a landscape design and the page height is less than 42", turn transverse printing on. (These instructions are intended for poster printing in Smith Hall.)

Transverse printing describes Student Multimedia Design Center staff's standard operating practice for any poster of landscape orientation that is 35.5 inches wide or shorter. When setting up the printer for the actual size, the image is rotated 90° for printing because the transverse orientation supports more efficient use of the 36 inch wide paper. Less wasted paper = less expensive poster printing.

iMovie Use and Cameras in the Studios

Recently, there have been many questions about filming directly into iMovie with the cameras in the studios. Due to the update in iMovie, the camera will not film directly into iMovie without some additional alterations to the camera.

For students who would like to use the camera, the step-by-step guide inside the studios will tell them exactly how to film into iMovie. However, before they do this, the camera must first be turned to A and it must be recording. The user will know it is recording due to the red light on the front of the camera.

The tape might need to be rewound as well. To check, turn the camera to the VCR setting and look in the eyepiece. The viewer will be able to see a time in the viewfinder. If it is not set to zero, rewind the tape using the control panel on the top of the camera. Switch the setting back to A, make sure the red light is recording, and start filming!

The film will now directly stream into iMovie, and the manual left in the studios will help the user import and record.

Programs, Programs Everywhere...(Part Two/Epic Conclusion)

And we are back like the giant second form of a previously defeated power rangers' monster! Here is part one if you missed it (in my unbiased opinion, it's a pretty spectacular read) and so you don't have to reread the thing (though again, pretty spectacular...), here's a brief summary:

Programs are a thing on computers. The center's computers have a ton of awesome ones. This is a (non-exhaustive) list of those programs I had never heard of before, plus simple descriptions, woo-hoo!

Now, as Captain Li Shang sang to us in one of my personal Disney favorites, let's get down to business...

I'm not entirely sure what version this is, but according to the ableton website, "Ableton Live 9 Lite is a customized version of the music making software" and includes such things as "Professional-quality audio recording and MIDI sequencing on up to 8 tracks".

Mac Only (Studio 6)

 

So, according to their website, this is a statistical analysis program. Since the website is up to version 17, here is a PDF introduction by the Statistics Group of the IOMS department, just in case someone has an in depth question. Oh, and the 8 licenses in parenthesis over there just means that only 8 people can use it at a time here at the center.

Windows Only

I'm just lumping these guys together because they're the same program, just different versions. From Apple's overview of Motion 5 this seems to be how you would go about making your own transitions and titles.

Mac Only (Motion 5 Studios 3 and 4)

According to what I believe is it's website, this "is a powerful free video converter, player, editor for Mac and Windows."


Mac and Windows

Numbers' Wikipedia page describes it as "a spreadsheet application developed by Apple Inc. as part of the iWork productivity suite alongside Keynote and Pages."


Mac Only

This User guide I found is actually for version 4.5 so it'll be great for a description, but if you're ever actually having trouble with it you might want to do a little more digging. According to the PDF this is used to create high-quality screencasts (recordings of computer screen output) and export them.

Mac Only (studios 3,4, and 5)

This user manual describes Soundtrack as being "designed to serve the art of motion picture sound post-production..." and that it "gives you many specialized tools and powerful features that you can use to create high-quality audio."

Mac Only

The actual name of this (according to its wikipedia) is Secure Shell and it "is a cryptographic network protocol for initiating text-based shell sessions on remote machines in a secure way." If that's a little heavy on the technical jargon, this site clarifies a bit, calling it a "UNIX-based command interface and protocol for securely getting access to a remote computer."

Windows Only

According to this website Textwrangler is "a general-purpose text editor for light-duty composition, data-file editing...and manipulation of text-oriented data."

Mac Only

Here's a manual for Toast Titanium 10 and a YouTube video for version 11. From the manual this program is described as including "everything you need to edit, copy , burn, and share your videos, movies, photos, music and data files on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc™.

Mac Only (ten-5 and 6/eleven-3 and 4)

In this very amusing users guide VisualHub is said to "allow people to convert video to many popular formats with ease."

Mac Only

On its webpage VLC is described as a "simple, fast and powerful media player" that "plays everything: files, discs, webcams, devices and streams."


Mac and Windows




And with that, we made it! Thank you for sticking with me through this thoroughly (you can't deny it) exciting roller-coaster of programs and their mini descriptions.

Catch you all later! :)

Job Opening: Multimedia Student Assistant

Hello UD students!

Need a campus job that will provide you with the hands-on experience required to compete in this multimedia-saturated job market? 

Look no further!

The Student Multimedia Design Center located on the lower level of Morris Library is hiring students for the Multimedia Student Assistant position. All applicants must have prior experience in graphic design, video editing and/or audio software. Working knowledge of multimedia equipment is also desired, but not required.

To apply for this position, email your library application to Eve M. Ellis, eellis@udel.edu. Don’t forget to list multimedia skills on the form. 

Applications are being accepted until all positions are filled.

Class Specific Equipment

Hi everyone!

Every now and then students bring back equipment that comes in colored cases, like these:

This equipment does not go upfront with the rest of our equipment it goes into the cabinets by the laptop cart.

However when a student needs to check out a camera for example and we don't currently have any available at the desk we can ask them if they are in any classes down at The Center. If the class that they are in is on the list we can loan out one of the cameras from the cabinets in the back.

To access the list of classes go to the Staffweb and click on Guides and Information:

Then click on Class-Use Camera Information:

And finally click on shared Google Document:

Joel

Optional Parts

Hey guys!

It's getting to that busy time of the year. I just wanted to remind everyone to take optional pieces out of the kits when you are checking them back in. Things like extra batteries, hot shoe adapters and such!


Marcy

"Pages per Sheet"

A student came to the desk with a problem printing. She was trying to use the "Pages per Sheet" function in the printer settings to print 4 images on one sheet of paper. Unfortunately, when her file was sent to the print station the computer said she was trying to print 900 copies. As it turns out, the Mac computers were not set up to use the "Pages per Sheet " function, which was causing the error. Though it is also possible to create a photoshop document that contains the 4 images and use that to print, the easiest fix to the problem is to simply move to a PC and print from there.

The troubles and tribulations of installing Audacity (on a Mac...)

Hey everyone,

Someone came in today asking to use one of the studios to work on a podcast project. They asked which program to use for such a task and whoever was at the desk at the time suggested that Audacity would be a good choice. Fast forward to two hours later, the person working on the podcast was so impressed with Audacity that they decided to install in on their own MacBook. She tried to install Audacity and kept receiving a warning message which would prevent her from installing it on her laptop. So there are two reasons as to why this was happening:

1. Audacity is not currently on the Mac App store. This means that you have to install it by downloading it directly and installing it.
2. If you are using any version of OS X that is 10.7 (Lion) or newer, you have any additional layer of security to get through since you are installing an application from an outside source.

Since 10.7, Apple by default blocks the installation of any application that does not come from either the Mac App store or from a list of pre-approved vendors. The people who produce Audacity have chosen not to list their application on the App Store and they are not on the list of approved vendors. To install Audacity, you should first follow the instructions and download links from Audacity's website; These can be found here. Once you get to the end of those directions, if you are on 10.7 or newer you will get a message that looks like this:

You'll see this, but with about 200% more Audacity references.

When you get this message, Audacity will not complete its installation until you do the following:

1. Go to Mac Preferences.
2. Navigate to the Security and Privacy menu.
3. Click the "Open Anyway" button.

If it says "Audacity was blocked" you should probably click that button. If it says something else, you're on your own.

Now Audacity will finish its installation and will work properly on someone's personal laptop.

-Have a good week everyone, Stephen

The Law of the Land (in the studios)

Hey everyone this is just a reminder of the studio rules with the end of the semester nearing and the center getting much busier. Lately I've noticed several of the studio doors left unlocked. Remember, the studio doors MUST remain locked at all times. If you are an employee letting a user in, you can ensure this by turning the key clockwise rather than counter-clockwise. This will unlock the door until you remove the key where it will lock up again.

Some other important guidelines to follow or what the the studios may, and may not be used for:

Type of Studios

• Four digital editing studios (Two Mac and two PC)
• One digital design/skype studio (Contains a Wacom drawing tablet)
• One sound studio (Contains an audio deck)

Studio uses
Users can reserve a studio:

• to rehearse a presentation (only if it is complete and ready to practice)
• to film, capture, or edit videos
• to take still photographs
• to record or edit audio

Users can not reserve a studio:

• to work on a Photoshop graphic (unless in studio #5)
• to edit or assemble a Powerpoint or other presentation
• to work on editing web pages
• to study
• to work on a project that is not multimedia related

Studio time limit

Studios can be reserved for two hours at a time up to 7 days in advance. If a user needs more time, they may come out 15 minutes before their time is up and if no one has the room reserved after them, they may reserve another two hours.

Green Screen Usage

Green screens can be put up on request. We ask that the user tell us ahead of time so that we can have ample time to set up and take down the screen.

Employees: Mark off a 30 minute block before and after the reserved time period in the reservation list

General Rules

• NO food or drinks allowed in the studio (drinks with lids are allowed OUTSIDE of the studio)
• DO NOT stand behind the cameras in the studios, please stay off to the side and adjust the camera from there
• Users MUST use the equipment in the studios
• Please DO NOT stand on chairs or adjust the ceiling lights, ask a staff member 
• DO NOT leave the door propped open, the staff will be happy to let you back in

That's about it! If you'd like to use one of our studios after reading these guidelines, call us at  (302) 831-2965 or come straight to our desk. Good luck with the rest of Spring semester!

Helping Users Re-size PDFs on Windows

Hi everyone,
It looks like we are wrapping up that time of year when posters are being printed quite frequently for the Blue Hen Leadership Program. During what we affectionately know as "Poster Fest", there have been problems encountered and solutions found. But before we can roll out the poster-printing, we have to make sure that the user's file is in the correct format. As we all know the golden rules are... 1. PDF and 2. One side no longer than 35.5 inches!
So when a user comes to the desk with a PowerPoint file and/or it is 36 inches (so close yet so far...), we kindly instruct them to make the changes either on their own computers or on one of the Center's desktops. While we should not make changes for them behind the desk, we can surely offer help in doing this. If you are not sure how, here is a previous blog post (okay, I like posters I guess).

But what happens when the user has an incorrectly sized PDF but not the original .ppt file? This is where things can get complicated. Acrobat Pro cannot re-size a document, even if it is just that pesky little half inch! A PDF alters in dimensional size with respect to the page size it is assigned to. Jay had told me about Neevia last semester, a website in which you can alter the dimensional size of a PDF. In attempting to find a method that does not involve a third party, I want to share something that may be helpful not only with poster printing, but really re-sizing any PDF to practically any size that you want.

First, open your PDF and go to File>Print. The following box will appear.

Make sure that the Printer is "Adobe PDF." Now go to START>Devices and Printers. Right click on "Adobe PDF" and choose "Printing Preferences." You will see the following box.

Go to "Adobe PDF Page Size" and choose "Add." The following will appear. Populate the fields with your desired dimensions and name this something you will associate the size with. Press "Add/Modify."

Now back in Acrobat, still on the Print menu, go to Page Setup and select the page size you just created. Make sure "Fit" is selected, or your content will remain the same size just surrounded by lots of white space. Select print to create your new PDF. This may take some time. 

Always remind users to look at the final product before giving it to us. They want to make sure that there are no undesired changes occurring between sizing. Hopefully this is helpful and will be a relief to those who have lost their original PowerPoint files.

Please remember the kit number when using the paper checklist!

Today, an advanced camera kit was returned but the corresponding active checklist was not in the folder. We discovered that it was in the returned checklist and had been wrongly checked in yesterday. Apparently, the kit number was not written down during checkout and when another advanced camera kit was returned, it was checked in using the checklist with the blank kit number. Obviously this led to some confusion, so please always remember to include the kit number when filling out the paper checklist. Thanks!

Importing and Exporting 3D Models with Blender

You may start a project in one program and later realize that you don't have access to that same program at a later date. For example, if you started a 3D model in Autodesk's popular 3D computer graphics software Maya and want to work on it later at the SMDC, you might be upset to know that our computers only have Blender installed.

A solution to this problem is to export your models as an .fbx, .dae, or an .obj in addition to saving your project in the program's native file format (.ma and .mb for Maya). These three file formats are considered to be universal formats, and most 3D computer graphics programs offer the option to import and export these file types.

If you want to import/export these file types in Blender, simply select File > Import or File > Export from the top left drop down menu. While .obj and .dae file types are nearly identical, .fbx is better suited for animation.

Have fun and keep on making stuff!