Thursday, December 21, 2006

Mountain Visions (a short experiment)

Click on the image to view a QuickTime movie in a 1280 x 720 window size.

For more than 3 decades we (Mountain Visions) have been creating multimedia sequences, often using still images and music. Now, for 12 years since 1995 we have been creating multimedia for web sites.

This short 720p sequence is an experimental project I started to work with in an attempt to create a "trailer" for Blip.tv. It is not finished yet, but I decided to upload it to see how it looks. The images are 1. Total Solar Eclipse, 2. Climbers on Denali, and 3. Woman holding the Sun. I shot all of the images originally in the 1970s. Photo to Movie was used to create the motion and dissolves. iMovieHD was used to create the titles and to add the music track.

Eric Sandmeyer has gratiously allowed me to use a sound file titled "Microscope" he has composed.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

720p Google Earth fly in to River Menders project with music

Click on the image at the left to view a High Definition 720p video I created using Google Earth Pro and Final Cut Pro with a video I shot at a River Menders restoration location on the Little Salmon River in Idaho. Mary Dudley, Idaho Fish and Game Volunteer Coordinator, narrates the movie. Eric Sandmeyer created a music background bed for the whole video.

This High Definition 720p movie (Screen Size 1280 x 720)
is hosted on my Blip.tv space where you can also watch it in a flash format and an interesting new "full screen" format.

Web sites are available for the River Menders Project, and samples of Eric Sandmeyer's music.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Google Earth fly in to an Idaho Noxious Weed-Dyers Woad

Click on the image to the left to watch a QuickTime Google Earth Fly in above Idaho to a location in Bannock County where there is an infestation of Dyers Woad. The fly in dissolves to a video narration with Dave Hallinan, Bannock County Weed Supervisor, explaining to Roger Batt, Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign Coordinator, how a fungus called rust acts as a bio control agent.

This High Definition 720p movie (Screen Size 1280 x 720)
is hosted on my Blip.tv space where you can also watch it in a flash format and an interesting new "full screen" format. Also note that I created the original Google Earth Fly in movie was in a true High Definition window size (1920 x 1080) and the HDV video content was edited in Final Cut Pro in the same size.

Eric Sandmeyer has gratiously allowed me to attach a portion of his "Soaring" sound file to this movie. This music really adds to the fly in.

We (Mountain Visions) are creating a web site for the Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign. A full screen 360 degree panorama and additional video sequences describing Dyers Woad are available to view if you click here.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Google Earth Fly in to Owyhee Canyonlands - 45 Ranch

Click on the image to the left to watch a QuickTime Google Earth Fly in above Idaho to the 45 Ranch in the Owyhee Canyonlands area. This movie (Screen Size 848 x 480)
is hosted on my Blip.tv space where you can also watch it in a flash format.
Eric Sandmeyer has gratiously allowed me to attach his "Idaho Song" sound file to this movie.

We (Mountain Visions) have also published a series of full screen 360 degree interactive panorama views from many places in the Owyhee Canyonlands.

In the Google Earth browser we have produced a KMZ file that will let you fly around the Owyhee Canyonlands area and see these full screen panoramas in the geographic location where they were photographed. I can't find how to load this file onto this page for people to download. However, I have posted two Owyhee Canyonlands KMZ files on the River Menders Wiki Google Earth page. You can download them there.

Another Source of information and panoramas taken in 1997 at the 45 Ranch can be found on the Aurora Project section of our web site.

Link to Owyhee Initiative web site.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

River Menders Volunteers in Idaho

I have uploaded this video to You Tube to determine the quality compared to Google Video and BlipTv. I have uploaded videos to YouTube and Google Video in the past, but have not been satisfied with the play back quality.

This is the YouTube address for my videos. (This is the only one, for now)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOj1KvNpmEs

Monday, October 16, 2006

Google Earth Movie (848 x 480) dissolves to volunteer workers

Click on the image to the left to view the movie. The original was produced in HDV 720P . This movie has been reduced in Window size to 848 x 480. It is an experimental movie to create a dissolve transistion between a Google Earth movie and a HDV sequence taken on the ground at the same spot where the fly in ends. The video was taken on September 30, 2006. You can also see this video at my Blip.tv space.

It starts with a view high above idaho and flys down toward the Little Salmon River, near New Meadows Idaho. A group of "River Mender" volunteers have been engaged for several years in rehabilitating the vegetation along the river bank. An audio track is provided to explain some details of the project.

An interactive web site is "under construction" for the River Menders project.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Google Earth pro movie to Idaho's Little Salmon River restoration workers

Click on the image on the left or this link to view a High Definition Google Earth Pro movie in a 1280x720 window size. This video is being stored on blip.tv at my blog - gogrimm.blip.tv.

Note that on October 1, I posted an earlier video showing the eroded river bank in this area, before restoration work. This one shows workers creating a "willow weaving net" to stablize the bank.

Also the Google Earth maps for Idaho have been updated with higher resolution throughout the state. This video shows the higher resolution that is available now.

We are currently producing a River Menders interactive web site that is "under construction" to describe the restoration work in Idaho, including the Little Salmon River area.

High Definition Google Earth Fly in to a Real photograph on the Carmel River, CA

Click on the image or this link to view this High Definition video with a window size of 1280 x 720 from Blip.tv This is the same video I posted yesterday that was viewable in a 720x405 window size. It is a Google Earth Fly in to a simple verticle billboard photograph recently taken showing a downstream view from the Schulte Bridge on the Carmel River. Successful riparian restoration efforts starting in the 1980s are very visibile in the plush tree growth on both sides of the river in the photograph.

We have started a Carmel River Wiki Spaces project where people can discuss issues and submit stories and photographs representing restoration efforts on the river.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Google Earth fly in to Carmel River photo



Click on the image at the left to view a 720x 405 QuickTime video that flys down to a simple vertical 3D billboard I created with Google Sketchup that shows a September 2006 photograph of view downstream of the Shulte Bridge on the Carmel River, in California. The same file can be found at my upload space on Blip.tv.

The original video was produced in a High Definition screen size of 1280 x 720 and I may add it to the Vlog too.

We have started a Carmel River Restoration Wiki Spaces project to encourage people to submit photographs and stories related to changes and restoration efforts that have taken place on the river.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Google Earth Pro Movie fly in to real photograph

Click the image to the left to see a High Definition video clip produced in a 1280 x 720 window size with the QuickTime .H264 codec.

Click here to view the Google Earth Fly in to a real photograph on the Little Salmon River. This will present a Blip.tv page with a smaller window and an option to view in Flash or QuickTime.

I think I have found that Blip.tv, one of the Internet video servers, can play High Definition Video close to the same quality that I see them when I compress them for the web. Click on the graphic image of the video above above to see the video in a large window.

This video is being hosted at Blip.tv. If you click on the Text link above it can be viewed in Flash or in QuickTime in a smaller window. Quicktime provides better quality.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

High Definition video / Deer Walking


Click here for a short 1280 x 720 video of this deer walking and eating.

Since the fall of 2004, I have been shooting HDV video and have accumulated about 100 hours of personal and project footage.

On the High Definition Digital Video page our Mountain Visions web site we have made several short HDV progressive demonstration files available for viewing in window sizes ranging from 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 960 x 540, and 852 x 480. We have also compressed the video in smaller sizes 720 x 405, 480 x 270 (Sony PSP) and 320 x 180 (Apple Video iPod)

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Upper Sevier River Watershed videos (1 of many)

Click here to view this video from the Upper Sevier River Community Watershed Project web site.

There are dozens of interactive 360 degree panoramas and video sequences in the "Interactive Journey" and "Resource Issues" sections of this web site.

Between 2000 and 2003, Mountain Visions produced five similar Interactive Watersheds web sites across the U.S. In total these sites contain hundreds of 360 degree panoramas and videos.

A representative sampling of 20 of these videos can be found on our Digital Video >Watershed Restoration Gallery.

Dyers Woad and Fungus Biocontrol


(Click here to see the Dyers Woad Video describing a fungus biocontrol)
This video is from the Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign web site where a description is available. The page will also present an opportunity to view a full screen interactive 360 degree panorama and two additional videos describing the Dyers Woad noxious weed.

Google Earth Hammer Flat tour video

Click here to see the Video on Mountain Visions web site. (QuickTime = Higher Quality)

Click Here to see the video from Google Video.

Using the Google Earth Pro Movie Maker module, I created this fly-in to a proposed housing development in an established wildlife area near Boise, Idaho. The fly-in dissolves to a video where Tony Jones, Save the Plateau Coordinator, and a group of interested people are discussing the negative consequences of the proposed development.


My first VLOG entry