Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2017 February 5

= February 5 =

Automatic Date & Time in After Effects
Hello, could anyone guide me how to create automatic date and time 'widget' like thing using Adobe After Effects as seen on TV channels? For example this video.-- Jos   eph   06:29, 5 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Try this: --AboutFace 22 (talk) 20:20, 5 February 2017 (UTC)
 * "This" turns out to be a guide to writing batch files which can make a PC display its system time in hh:mm:ss.cc format but do not generate or modify TV video. Blooteuth (talk) 00:38, 6 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Guys, I'm talking about After Effects.-- Jos   eph   11:30, 6 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Do you have a second video source that contains your date and time? If so, you just need to composite it, using transparency  If you don't yet have a video source, you can synthesize one: you can create a new movie file that contains nothing except the date and time, or the logo, that you want to use.  If you want that date and time to update dynamically, or even to update with the live, current time, you can use Premiere (not After Effects): you want to work with the Time Code video effect.  Here's an unofficial video tutorial: How To Add Timer In Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 CS6.
 * Once again, if you want to use After Effects, you can composite your video with a second video file that contains nothing but your time code. That gives you more control over the look and feel of the composited result, and in principle allows you to create a clock that is as fancy as you like, using any external tool you like.  You can use Premiere, or any other fancy expensive professional clock-and-logo-video software, as the tool to generate the clock video, and composite it in After Effects.  The video examples our OP posted have a fancy clock: it animates, squiggles around and swipes up and down with the logo, and so on.  That kind of simple-looking animated clock video-trick will require either a lot of your hours to hand-craft, or a lot of your money to buy a pre-existing turnkey software that does the fancy animation for you!
 * Alternately, you can just use Premiere to render the time code effect directly on to your original video; then you are constrained to the options that Premiere offers.
 * Nimur (talk) 17:49, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

3D Printer
The cost of plastic and wood curving 3D Printer. 103.230.107.29 (talk) 19:00, 5 February 2017 (UTC)


 * It sounds like you mean a CNC milling machine for carving wood or plastic. I cannot give you an idea of cost because I don't know the scale of the project you have in mind. Try google "hobby CNC milling machine". 196.213.35.146 (talk) 06:05, 6 February 2017 (UTC)


 * As 196.213 says, there's no single answer to this question. It depends a lot on what you want to be able to do.
 * If you're looking for an additive 3d printer, prices range from $200 for a dirt-cheap model, to a couple thousand for an average model, to sky's the limit for really nice models.
 * If you're looking for a laser cutter, expect to spend a couple thousand dollars for a low end one. (Cheaper ones exist, but they're mostly just engravers that struggle actually cutting through anything.)
 * If, as 196.213 guesses, you're looking for a CNC machine, you might be able to find something that suits your needs for as low as $500 if all you need is to cut flat pieces, but the sky is the limit, especially if you need to be able to mill complicated 3d shapes. ApLundell (talk) 18:39, 6 February 2017 (UTC)

Renaming Files and Folders
How to rename lots of files and folder in one go? 103.230.107.29 (talk) 19:00, 5 February 2017 (UTC)


 * The answer is here --AboutFace 22 (talk) 19:38, 5 February 2017 (UTC)


 * I've used AdvancedRenamer for years. Freeware and <10MB download. What I like most is the ability to manipulate the order in which want to apply multiple changes to the filename. A few other features (such as batch editing of metadata on image/music files) make it worthwhile to learn - not that it's difficult to learn. 196.213.35.146 (talk) 12:12, 6 February 2017 (UTC)