Here is a brief tutorial on my workflow for transcoding HD footage from the Canon cameras using MPEG Streamclip.

I recently installed Snow Leopard and noticed like many users the ability to export via QuickTime and couldn't find Quicktime 7. So I finally found it under utilities and placed it my dock.  One of the other issues many users face is not being able to play MPEG-2 files in QuickTime 10. If you had Final Cut Pro installed it was automatically installed. Apple seemed to remove this feature with QuickTime 10 and I was running MPEG Stream clip and needed to play a file and received this error below, look at the link from  MPEG Streamclip's web site.

The Snow Leopard upgrade DVD released on August 28 may wipe the content of the /System/Library/QuickTime folder during the upgrade process, and delete your MPEG-2 Playback Component installed in that folder. To use MPEG-2 files with MPEG Streamclip you have to reinstall the MPEG-2 component or restore it from a backup copy.

So, I went to the trusty apple forums telling users how to go back and reinstall it. I just thought I post a link to a .dmg file for free instead of purchasing the MPEG-2 plugin or looking for it. Just download and  install and restart your machine and you should be playing MPEG-2 files just fine.

I use my  Flip Ultra HD  camera often and especially for my show Chip's Flip (go figure).  I had a lot of people ask me about my Flip HD camera workflow (esp. with Final Cut Pro) so I created a short video tutorial on what I use and how I do it. Feel free to leave comments and/or ask questions and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

(Update: I export MPEG Streamclip at 50% and it works fine for most web videos, but to get the highest resolution and the largest file size I would use 100%.)

I have made the plunge and purchased a Flip Video Camera HD. So far so good, I have ready multiple reviews by bloggers and other reviewers who say that the Creative Vado HD is better, but I haven't tested it yet, but I will soon.  So far the camera works best in bright light (like most cameras) and I use Final Cut Pro or iMovie to edit my movies. The movies record as .mp4's and then I convert them to .mov using MPEG Stream Clip once they are converted I put them on the timeline and edit away.  To export the movies I use a preset from CRAM compressor, which I use daily and upload it to YouTube or to Vimeo. View a sample video below.  Be sure to click on the HD button.