With 2022 now drawn to a close, it’s time to get a little sentimental and pick out a few of the highlights and stories that made it so special.
For us, 2022 was our first year as a part of the Adobe family, which saw Frame.io and Camera to Cloud incorporated into Creative Cloud. This brought us into the workflows and projects of an even wider community of filmmakers and video producers, and we’re humbled and grateful for the support and positive feedback that we’ve received along the way.
For the past 12 months, we’ve continued to push out the boundaries of what’s possible with Frame.io, building on existing partnerships like Teradek, and introducing new integrations with manufacturers like Atomos and Apple. On the software side, you’ll also find us baked into FiLMiC Pro. And back in October, we announced our very first in-camera integrations with RED and Fujifilm. So, whether your daily driver is a Panavision DXL2 or an iPhone 14, we’ve got your back.
On Frame.io Insider, we were also privileged to give a voice to fearless filmmakers telling stories like Free to Run and Stay on Board. And we heard from new voices from the Visual FX industry like the teams behind AppleTV’s Foundation and Netflix’s The Gray Man. Among all of this, we published a steady stream of insightful, educational, and engaging stories from our family of industry experts and authors on topics from After Effects to MHLs.
So let’s kick back and take a look back at the 22 most popular stories we posted this year!
#22 Motion Blur, Faster Trims, and Other Lesser-Known Premiere Pro Tools
Premiere Pro wizard Chris Salters kicks off our roundup with this collection of essential (and sometimes surprising) tools that will bring polish and flair to your next edit. Did you even know that it has a motion blur effect built in? No plugins needed.
#21 Made In Frame: The 4K Remastering of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Remastering a movie is a complex process at the best of times, but when you’re working on a fan favorite with a notoriously difficult past, the pressure to get it right becomes enormous. We talk 4K, Dolby Atmos, and lost footage with David C. Fein and the team behind the latest and best version of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
#20 Made In Frame: Editors of The Bear Reveal How the Sausage is Made
The editors of FX’s hit drama The Bear share their ingredients for success included a series of the timelines from individual episodes. From cutting tension-filled scenes to the audio tools they used, you’ll find something on the menu that catches your eye.
#19 The Power of the Creative Team in Jordan Peele’s NOPE
Creative powerhouse Jordan Peele continues to break through the walls of conventional storytelling, this time taking the horror of NOPE and bringing it into the daylight. But it takes more than one person to make a movie. We talk with editor and long-time collaborator Nick Monsour to find out more about the creative team and techniques that brought this movie from the desert to the screen.
#18 Made in Frame: How Imaginary Forces Laid the Foundation for Apple TV’s Sci-Fi Hit
Fans of Isaac Asimov will already be familiar with his extremely successful Foundation series of sci-fi novels, which is why AppleTV chose to create a show based on their story arc as one of the tentpole releases on its new streaming service. But how do you create a title sequence that does justice to this generation-spanning epic? We talk to Imaginary Forces about the themes and techniques they used to bring the story to life.
#17 Troubleshooting Premiere Pro: How To Diagnose and Fix Common Problems
Like all advanced, cross-platform applications, Premiere Pro faces an enormous challenge. Because it needs to run on an impossible variety of hardware combos, OS versions, driver versions, and different codecs, testing for every variable just isn’t feasible. So it’s possible that sometimes it might not always run as smoothly as you’d like. Fortunately, we have Jarle Leirpoll on hand to talk you through some common problems and their solutions.
#16 Is 2022 the Year You Buy Into HDR?
With more devices supporting HDR than ever before, is it time for us to be moving to HDR-first workflows? Jason Druss thinks so. In this piece, he talks about the benefits of this technology and provides a useful analysis of why and when you should make the jump—even if your clients haven’t asked for it yet.
#15 NAB 2022: New Partnerships, New Apps, and Massive Updates
This year’s NAB was a big deal for us. As well as being among the first events where we could talk to people face to face again, it was the show that saw us announce a collection of integrations that would change how the world works with Frame.io forever. From top-end cinema cameras, to the phone in your pocket, we showed how you could build Camera to Cloud workflows on any budget.
#14 What Do You Need to Start Color Grading Professionally?
It’s an age-old question, particularly now that so many cameras rely on log profiles to capture their wide dynamic range. What do you need? And how much is it going to cost you? If you’re thinking about setting up shop as a professional colorist, Charles Haine has the advice you’re looking for.
#13 Courtside To Cloud: Inside the Golden State Warriors’ Incredibly Fast Video Workflow
When you’re trying to match the pace of players like Stephen Curry while meeting the expectations of Golden State Warriors fans, you need to be at peak fitness, both on-court and off. We talk to Tom Frenette, lead videographer for the Dubs, about the process that allowed his team to getting that record-busting three-pointer from the arena to the fans faster than you’d think possible.
#12 The Pitfalls of Exchanging Files: Alpha Channels, Data Range, and More
In post production, artists exchange digital files between applications and departments all the time. So with renders, transcodes, conforms, and deliverables flying around how do you keep the data flow under control? Dan Swierenga shines a light onto the dark arts of file exchange so that you can avoid some of the common pitfalls.
#11 Eye of the Storm: V/Speed Soars to New Heights for National Geographic
2022 also saw us take to the skies with V/SPEED to chase down tornadoes in a fighter jet. In this incredible video, we go behind the scenes with this exceptional team of aerial experts to find out how they captured flythroughs of America’s immense and beautiful landscapes that no-one has ever seen before.
#10 How and Where to Learn Virtual Production Techniques
Virtual production exploded in popularity in the past year, fueled by LED display technology and real-time game engine breakthroughs. And there’s certainly no sign of a slowdown in this trend. With rapid growth comes high demand for talented crew, so how can you build the skills that will let you capitalize on this growing industry sector? Noah Kadner has the answers.
#9 7 Simple, Yet Powerful, Video Editing Tricks for Every Editor
Veteran freelance editor Jonny Elwyn dips into his toolkit of tried and tested techniques to bring you seven valuable tips that’ll help you get your projects done faster than ever. Learn from the Swedish art of death cleaning, and why you should always start from the end in this amazingly helpful article.
#8 The Right (and Wrong) Way to Update Premiere Pro
Premiere Pro guru Jarle Leirpoll is back again for another insightful piece on the technical aspects of this popular NLE. We all want the latest features and tools that come with a major update, but it’s not always possible to find a convenient time between projects. So when we see the little blue update indicator, how do we make sure that everything goes to plan?
#7 Timecode is Not Time: Reinventing SMPTE ST-12 for the Cloud Era
Timecode is the universal language used to describe a single frame of video. It’s easy to understand, simple to implement, and readable. But it’s out of date. Every video workflow either relies on timecode, or at least need to be compatible with it. So how do we build a standard that’s suitable for the future?
#6 Want a Job in Virtual Production? Here are 12 Roles to Get Your Foot in the Door
The sudden surge in virtual production means that there’s a scarcity of qualified, experienced personnel. Which also means that now is the perfect time to get in on the ground floor of how movies are made. Noah Kadner takes a look at what these virtual production roles are, the kind of skills you’ll need to fill them, and the conventional production/post jobs that could give you a leg up into the virtual realm.
#5 Virtual Production is Changing How Movies (and Careers) are Made
In case you hadn’t noticed, virtual production is attracting a lot of attention these days. Noah Kadner takes a look at where this technique originated, the technologies that underpin it, and some of the productions that have already built it into their visual effects pipelines.
#4 Announcing New In-Camera Integrations With RED and Fujifilm
It’s hard to overstate how big of a deal this is for us. Seeing Camera to Cloud being built into the architecture of camera bodies from RED and Fujifilm is a huge step towards media-less, cloud-first production workflows and we’re thrilled to see that so many of you share our enthusiasm for this move. Incidentally, the RED firmware is now available.
#3 5 After Effects Expressions That’ll Make You A Hero
Who doesn’t love a good After Effects expression? We do. And clearly, so do you, having placed Jason Boone’s article on the topic at number three on our top 22 list. From thisComp to loopOut, he shares five of the best (and simplest) expressions to add a little visual flair to your next comp.
#2 Troubleshooting Dynamic Link Problems in Premiere Pro And After Effects
Dynamic Link is the powerful connecting tissue between the apps in Creative Cloud, but it turns out that some of you might not be using it to its full potential. Jarle Leirpoll investigates common forum questions and finds that some perceived problems are actually self-induced and entirely avoidable. Follow his path to flawless flows.
#1 Workflow Breakdown of Every 2022 Oscars Best Picture Nominee
Given the enormous effort that our senior writer Lisa McNamara puts into creating this epic post each year, it’s only fitting that it’s rewarded with the most attention from our readers. In last year’s roundup, Lisa goes deep into the methods that filmmakers use to bring the Best Picture nominees of 2022 to life. It’s a big read, filled with informative, insightful stories and detail. (And she’s already started work on the next one.)
It wouldn’t be possible without…
As always, we’re grateful to everyone who has a hand in bringing Frame.io Insider to life. Not least of whom are the writers. Without their expertise and generosity, we wouldn’t have the attention of the millions of readers who visit to these pages in search of industry experience and actionable insights. So our thanks go out to David Heuring, Jonny Elwyn, Reuben Evans, Charles Haine, Steve Hullfish, Noah Kadner, Cullen Kelly, Jarle Leirpoll, Chris Salters, Dan Swierenga, James Mathers, and Jason Boone. Plus Frame.io’s own Emery Wells, Michael Cioni, Robert Loughlin, Derek Schweickart, Becca Dobyns, Alissa Rooney, Sarah Katz, Vince Masciale, Paul Saccone, Jason Druss, and Lisa McNamara. And of course we thank you, our readers, for giving us your valuable time and attention.
We’d also like to extend an extra-special thank you to Ben Bailey, who has tirelessly, enthusiastically, and flawlessly led the Frame.io Insider team for the past three years. His empathy, understanding, and acumen were instrumental in building the content that brought you here, and he’ll be sorely missed when he starts his new job with…[checks notes]…Frame.io’s product team. Okay, so maybe we won’t miss him that much.
Thanks, boss. It’s been a blast.
