The Master Guide / 16 Tools at a glance

Every "Do it yourself" block

Every "Do it yourself" block in the Guide, by the stage where you use it: the check, the tool, and the page whose block holds the steps and commands.

Stage 00 (Project setup)

Check	Tool	Page
Install ffmpeg and ffprobe	Terminal; ffprobe comes with ffmpeg	Start here → Before you start: accounts and tools
Open a terminal in a folder	Terminal	Start here → Before you start: accounts and tools
Get one file's checksum	Terminal on a Mac or Linux, Command Prompt on Windows	The stages and gates → Project files and folders
Find exact duplicates in a folder by checksum	Terminal	The stages and gates → Project files and folders

Every stage: the quality bar and client pages

Check	Tool	Page
Check at full size in Premiere	Premiere Pro	The quality bar → The hard stops
Check at full size in DaVinci Resolve	DaVinci Resolve	The quality bar → The hard stops
Export a cropped area as full-size frames	ffmpeg	The quality bar → The hard stops
Make a 4× reading copy of small Arabic text	ffmpeg	The quality bar → The hard stops
Compare Arabic spelling word by word	Word, or git in a terminal	The quality bar → The hard stops
Export frames every 0.5 s, plus the last frame	ffmpeg	The quality bar → Judging motion honestly
Ask Gemini about a take	the Gemini API, with a paid key	The quality bar → Judging motion honestly
Lock the colours against dark mode	the deck's HTML and CSS	Client presentations → Type, colour and the phone
Check the page in dark mode	Chrome DevTools	Client presentations → Type, colour and the phone
Measure text contrast	WebAIM's contrast checker, or Chrome DevTools	Client presentations → Type, colour and the phone
Encode a film for a page	Adobe Media Encoder, HandBrake or ffmpeg	Client presentations → Films, words and nothing internal
Make the contact sheet	Acrobat or macOS Preview	Client presentations → The rhythm check and the pre-send check
Find the font that drew the text	Chrome DevTools	Client presentations → The rhythm check and the pre-send check
Make the PDF from the page	Chrome	Client presentations → A new link per send

Stage 01 (The brief and meeting prep)

Check	Tool	Page
Transcribe a voice note	ElevenLabs Scribe v2	The brief and research → Voice notes into text

Stage 02 (Creative concepts)

Check	Tool	Page
Make a cut map with two scene-cut detectors	Premiere or DaVinci Resolve, and ffprobe	References → Analysing a reference
Extract five colours per still	Adobe Color	References → Analysing a reference
Mark the beats and measure the cuts	Audacity	References → Analysing a reference

Stage 03 (The treatment)

Check	Tool	Page
Sample a hex value from an approved frame	Photoshop, or Digital Color Meter on a Mac	Writing the treatment → Storyboard images

Stage 04 (The plan)

Check	Tool	Page
Cut the window from the draft	ffmpeg	Planning, budgets and takes → Draft small, then analyse
Export frames every 0.5 s from the window	ffmpeg	Planning, budgets and takes → Draft small, then analyse

Stage 05 (Anchors)

Check	Tool	Page
Check a cut-out's edge	Photoshop, Affinity or any editor with layers	Still prompts, storyboard frames and diagrams → Transparent cut-outs
Look at full size and cut untouched crops	Photoshop, Affinity, ImageMagick or ffmpeg	Photoreal anchors (Nano Banana Pro) → The full-size check
Export frames every 0.5 s from a place draft	ffmpeg	Photoreal anchors (Nano Banana Pro) → The place motion check
Compare a face's width with its design	Photoshop or Affinity	Stylised films (Seedream 5.0 Pro) → Seedream for stylised films
Make a line in text-to-speech	ElevenLabs web app	Voice and Arabic dialects → ElevenLabs settings, tags and pace
Download the two takes	ElevenLabs web app	Voice and Arabic dialects → Voice takes and the delivered file
Measure a take's loudness and true peak	Premiere, Resolve or ffmpeg	Voice and Arabic dialects → Voice takes and the delivered file
Normalise and compare the two texts	a text editor and a word diff	Voice and Arabic dialects → Measured checks and the back-check
List the pauses without timestamps	ffmpeg	Voice and Arabic dialects → Measured checks and the back-check

Stage 06 (Video, audio and the rough cut)

Check	Tool	Page
Set up a Seedance job	Higgsfield app	Video with Seedance → Platform facts and settings
Attach the references in tag order	Higgsfield app	Video with Seedance → Attaching references
Read a label in every frame	Premiere or ffmpeg	Video with Seedance → Product and labels in motion
Draft at 480p, then finish the same draft	Higgsfield app	Video with Seedance → Draft and finish
Export frames every 0.5 s	ffmpeg	Video with Seedance → Take selection and review
Export frames every 0.5 s to count the cuts	ffmpeg or Premiere	Video with Seedance → 5. Multi-shot sequence
Track the move	After Effects	Camera and lens → Measuring the dose on the sample batch
Export frames every 0.5 s	ffmpeg and an image viewer	Camera and lens → Measuring the dose on the sample batch
Read the curves for a stall or a drift	DaVinci Resolve	Camera and lens → Measuring the dose on the sample batch
Export frames every 0.5 s	ffmpeg	Making it feel real → The "too perfect" tells
Run the difference check on a locked shot	ffmpeg, then Premiere or DaVinci Resolve	Making it feel real → The place stays alive
Step through every frame of the window	Premiere, DaVinci Resolve or ffmpeg	Performance → The reaction clock
Export frames every 0.5 s	ffmpeg	Performance → The reaction clock
Find the mouth onsets frame by frame	Premiere or DaVinci Resolve	Speaking shots and lip sync → Route 2, the Arabic default
Make a contact sheet of the mouth	ffmpeg	Speaking shots and lip sync → Route 2, the Arabic default
Make the plate-length WAV	Premiere, Resolve or Audition	Speaking shots and lip sync → Route 2, the Arabic default
Read the file's length	ffprobe	Speaking shots and lip sync → Route 2, the Arabic default
Measure the audio offset on one consonant	Premiere or Resolve	Speaking shots and lip sync → Checks on the 1080p result
Read the frame rate and size	ffprobe	Speaking shots and lip sync → Checks on the 1080p result
Make the slugs	Premiere	Editing → The running assembly after every batch
Make the cut sheet: frames, brightness and colour shift	ffmpeg, Premiere	Editing → The running assembly after every batch
Export a frame strip	ffmpeg	Editing → Cuts by ending type
Find a whip's peak frame	After Effects	Editing → Cuts by ending type
Mark the beats on the music track	Premiere	Editing → Only the hit points land on the music
Build and export the timeline	Premiere	Editing → The editable timeline
Reduce location noise lightly	ffmpeg	Editing → Filmed footage and interviews
Measure the hit points to about two frames	your editing timeline	Music → Music takes and the shortlist
Measure an option's integrated and short-term loudness	Premiere or ffmpeg	Music → Music takes and the shortlist

Stage 07 (Finishing and delivery)

Check	Tool	Page
Search Openverse with the CC0 filter on	openverse.org, a browser or curl	Sound design and mix → Real recordings from Openverse (CC0)
Read a result	the Openverse result fields	Sound design and mix → Real recordings from Openverse (CC0)
Find a visual event's frame	Premiere	Sound design and mix → Placing effects
Install earshot once	a terminal	Sound design and mix → The earshot listening check
Run rank, timeline and find	earshot	Sound design and mix → The earshot listening check
Write the cues file	a text file	Sound design and mix → The earshot listening check
Measure the noise floor of a speech take	ffmpeg or Audition	Sound design and mix → The mix with speech as the anchor
Duck the music under speech	Premiere	Sound design and mix → The mix with speech as the anchor
Make the placed copy	Audition or Premiere	Sound design and mix → The placed voice
Measure loudness over one stretch of speech	ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Checking the mix on small speakers
Measure the mono fold-down	ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Checking the mix on small speakers
Read the stereo correlation	Audition or ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Checking the mix on small speakers
Measure through the phone band	ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Checking the mix on small speakers
Read the bass on a spectrum	Audition	Sound design and mix → Checking the mix on small speakers
Run a quiet moment through the compression stand-in	ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Planned silence and playback compression
Measure a file's loudness	Premiere, Resolve, any EBU R 128 meter, or ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Loudness: −23 TV, −16 online, −14 short social
Correct the loudness with common tools	Audition, Premiere or ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Loudness: −23 TV, −16 online, −14 short social
Run ffmpeg's loudnorm, two-pass linear only	ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Loudness: −23 TV, −16 online, −14 short social
Run the null check: prove the stems sum to the mix	Premiere, Audition or ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → Stems
Cut a moment's 3-second clip, with picture	ffmpeg	Sound design and mix → The five moments to check by ear
Export the three frames	ffmpeg	The grade and texture → The balance report
Read the white point and skin hue	Photoshop, a spreadsheet	The grade and texture → The balance report
Measure saturation	ffmpeg	The grade and texture → The balance report
Read the black level	Premiere, DaVinci Resolve	The grade and texture → The balance report
Compare shot against shot, by eye	DaVinci Resolve	The grade and texture → The balance report
Build the contact sheet	DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, ffmpeg	The grade and texture → The colour bible, and you balance
Export the look as a .cube	Premiere, DaVinci Resolve	The grade and texture → The look as one gentle LUT
Measure ΔE00 between the still with and without the look	Photoshop	The grade and texture → Protecting the product's colour
Put the look on its adjustment layer	Premiere	The grade and texture → Protecting the product's colour
Measure the brightness jump into the end card	ffmpeg, a Waveform	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Built label moments
Mark the page Arabic	HTML	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Arabic typesetting and render checks
Check that every font loaded	Chrome	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Arabic typesetting and render checks
Read the format	ffprobe	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Arabic typesetting and render checks
Read the alpha	ffmpeg, Photoshop	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Arabic typesetting and render checks
Composite key frames over the shot and over grey	ffmpeg	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Arabic typesetting and render checks
Make contact sheets of the whole piece	ffmpeg	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Arabic typesetting and render checks
Import the captions	Premiere	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Captions, Arabic included
Make the 25 fps TV version by speed-up	ffprobe, ffmpeg, Premiere	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → 25 fps TV versions by speed-up
Export without converting	ffmpeg	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → 25 fps TV versions by speed-up
Run the delivery check	ffprobe, ffmpeg, Premiere, DaVinci Resolve	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → Exports and the delivery check
Relink offline media	Premiere	Graphics, captions, versions and delivery → The handover: XML and final-film page

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