I did a quick movie to give a quick perspective on DEVONthink and to kick off my blog doing some software and technology reviews. I had the idea today and did it today, so it could be cleaned up more than a bit
Anyway, I might do some more movies on specific areas/features of DEVONthink for fun and practice.
I zipped the file put it up on .mac account using Filechute if you want to download it and check it out.
Yeah, Iām in āduhā land. Please help me out. It downloads as a zip to my HD, but then when it unzips it disappears. My bad. What should I do to watch it?
I think youāre on to a great thing. Youāve got a good voice and a nice presentation style. Hereās a quick critique:
I wanted more on the DTP interface ā what did those three panes show us?
I wanted a little more forest; that is, tell me that DTP is a database that easily captures virtually any data your computer will hold, and it allows you to organize the data, etc.
Is there a way to sharpen the image? The blurring is hard on the eyes. Maybe thatās my fault ā not knowing how to ātuneā my computer.
4.I wanted a word about the real value-added in DTP: how it allows you to amplify, expedite and examine information. Take a look at Steven Berlin Johnsonās web site.
Your DTP database is 5 gigs. Huge. How do you keep in running so quickly (thatās just a personal question.)?
Keep up the good work. Oh, and you might have mentioned Devon Academy. Youāre already plugging the company, so you might want to turn your listeners/viewers on to other information outlets for DTP.
The bottom-line best news about your effort was how fast that 15 minutes flew by. It didnāt drag.
I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and critique. The feedback is super helpful.
One quick note, the video is just a tad fuzzy, and it was probably a mistake I made between iShowU and importing to iMovie. I used both programs for the first time yesterday, so I need to sharpen my technique. I decided not to fix the video, because I used my working database so obscuring some of my stuff just didnāt bother me too much in the end.
Iāll take your feedback, assimilate it, and put it into DEVONthink
I use a fairly recent MacBook Pro, pretty standard, although I have a 7200 RPM disk and 3 GB of RAM. Iāll admit itās not a small mac in terms of speed, but Iāve never really had any issues with DEVONthinkās speed.
Even though I cried and whined for Spotlight integration so I could search multiple DT databases, and search DT when it wasnāt running, I still use DTās search when Iām in the program because of the speed. My thanks still go out to the developers for getting Spotlight integration done for the reasons mentioned above.
Great idea. Iām sending some friends there to learn about DT so I dont have to explain it.
Big Request/Suggestion:
Would you make a video of your LaunchBar/DTPO search technique? Create a dummy database so you arenāt showing personal stuff. Maybe even a guest account will keep your personal info out of it.
Do you have SnapzPro X with Movies? You can use that and you wont have to go through iMovie. Just use your internal mike in a quiet room or an inline mike for the sound while you go through the steps, then click the button to stop the action and SnapzPro X will create your movie.
The audio might be a little low on the second clip, and I still need to figure out the video size when I export and convert the video. Iāll probably fix those things sooner or later.
That was fabulous, Bill. Thank you! You should do one on DEVONagent. I still dont understand the variables in all the searches ā therefore dont use it ā but I can tell you even your cursory use of it caused me to rethink that. I own it an it sits there.
DT: you should sponsor this vids in a separate section.
On another note, Iāve discovered that iMovie is the source of all of my Video issues. I wanted to add text, transitions and titles, but iMovie does not like 1440x900 video and it āfitsā it to the formats it can handle. Iām going to reprocess both videos with Final Cut Express to at least make them a bit more readable. This should also give me more control over the audio as well.
Iāve never heard of orbicule, but it looks pretty cool. Iāll check it out
These are great for introducing others to DT. I just have to figure a way to have my colleagues access the āwhyā of watching them from a public URL.
I have a friend who just went from OS 8.4 to Leopard (!!!) and he is still doing things the old way, dumping everything into Word docs. He has no clue how DT can help him. He is a medical illustrator who can draw like Leonardo on a computer and works with top doctors to show them how to do incredibly complex experimental operations. Highly meticulous when it comes to preserving detail for his drawings.
Bill, I am going to get him to watch your videos. It will really help him.
Bill, why arenāt you using SnapzPro X to make your movies? Are they too small? Iām able to record anything off my screen and even view full size. SnapzPro X is a one-shot production. You have coffee while it creates your vid and then you upload.
Anyone thinking about getting snapzproX should check out this yearās macheist http://www.macheist.com. If Iām not mistaken the price of the bundle is less than the price of a single snapzproX license.
Currently I use iShowU, and it creates beautiful screencapture videos. The issues seem to occur when I bring the 1440x900 video into iMovie to add a few transitions and some text. iMovie āfitsā the video to a standard size it can handle, and the text displayed on screen tends to get a bit fuzzy.
Iāve actually found a way around this problem, Final Cut Express. An since I love learning new programs Iām all over it. The advantages of Final Cut are numerous, but the short story is it offers me the chance to deliver a very clear picture, and much better (cleaned up and louder) audio.
Iāll have both videos redone in a day or so, and Iāll post them again. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to watch the videos and help me learn
