My book, The DV Rebel’s Guide, is finally available as an eBook for Apple iOS devices, Amazon kindle, and anything that reads the epub format (such as the Nook). This has been a long time coming, and I wanted to celebrate by giving away updated versions of the DV Rebel Tools scripts that I included with the original edition of the book.

These scripts create a tool palette that turns Adobe After Effects into a full-featured onlining tool. Add color correction effects to clips easily (including Colorista II if you have it installed), and check your grading continuity with a powerful thumbnail view that updates live as you work. For a full tutorial, watch the video:

To install the scripts, download this .zip file and expand it. You’ll see two folders: “Put contents in Presets” and “Put contents in ScriptUI Panels”.

Make sure After Effects is not running. Copy the contents of “Put contents in Presets” into this directory:

/Applications/Adobe After Effects CS5/Presets/

Copy the contents of “Put contents in ScriptUI Panels” into this directory:

/Applications/Adobe After Effects CS5/Scripts/ScriptUI Panels/

Now you can launch After Effects CS5 and find “rd_DVRebelTools.jsx” at the bottom of the Window menu. You can dock the palette into your workspace wherever you like.

Although I created the nerdy expressions and presets that power the DV Rebel Tools, there is a limit to my nerd powers, and that’s where Jeff Almasol stepped in and created the amazing scripts that automate the tools. A big and continued thanks to him. Check out his other handy scripts at redefinery.com.

Update 2011-03-30

After some Twitter responses I figured this is a good place for a quick FAQ:

Q: A lot has changed since the release of The DV Rebel’s Guide. Ever thought of doing a update?

A: No. I’m gonna make movies instead. Besides, the best parts of the book still apply even with a new generation of camera tech.

But don’t despair, because I can’t seem to shut up either. If I were to do an update, it probably wouldn’t be a dead tree product. It would be somehow electronic, and mobile, and able to hold file and video links, and be a part of a conversation, and constantly updated.

Waitaminute… in the famous words of Madge, you’re soaking in it.

So let me change my answer. Yes.