Video Editing Tips

Ingex

France — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:22:46 +0000

One of the open source programs to choose from, Ingex offers tape-less video capture using the serial data interface or you could try streaming input for real time encoding of data. It has the uncanny ability to obtain video from several sources as in a studio setting. It can also be configured to serve as a video editing server for Avid editing clients.

Using the Samba Virtual File System, it has the nice ability to use non-essential data storage for it’s libraries unlike most software commercial or free that do use up a lot of storage and memory. It’s small footprint makes it ideal for those who use Linux machines and the likes, making video on the cheap with less resources.

Avidemux

France — Thu, 26 May 2011 09:23:28 +0000

Opening up your options to open sourced software is very hard but considering the fact that there is a growing movement of open source users that use Unix-like languages it may be wise to get into the thick of if. Avidemux is a non-linear video editing software that allows decent visual effects in the form of filters from the developers. It can also convert video into one of the many formats it supports.

Using the SpiderMonkey JavaScript engine it is user-changeable meaning it is customizable should you be a Linux geek who wishes more control on the features you get and have available to you. It was initially designed for the Unix-like platform but it can be made to run on Windows.

Kdenlive

France — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 09:18:32 +0000

Another non-linear video editor that focuses more on flexibility using FFmpeg allowing it to support several video formats including high definition, one of the formats not widely supported by many open source software. It has the ability to capture data from firewire ports, Video4Linux and even webcams allowing versatile video capture.

It has some tools or effects built into the system which is continuously improved on by a small team of developers who makes changes to the software through patches as with many other Open source software. The software is small. and powerful, able to compete with commercial software without the cost that is.

3D to the Max with Blender

France — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:14:44 +0000

Blender is a free 3D graphics computer software that was released under a free GPL license. Authored by an animation studio way back in 1989, it has since evolved into a multi-platform 3D generating software. It is capable of 3D rendering and metallic material representation that results in high resolution rendering of graphics.

Many hail the software as a mid-range product compared to other more commercial software that are customized for advanced graphics generation but considering the fact that it is free, it tops them is many aspects in terms of function and capabilities. One of the advantages is that the software comes in a very small footprint, not needing specialized computers for it to perform it’s magic. You do need to meet some minimum requirements but compared to specialized software of the same caliber it works on the cheap.

Sound editing

Avatar — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 06:39:50 +0000

There are basically two forms of sound editing which can be done as the shoot is going on. The video recorder takes audio from an external source and then feeds it at the same time a scene is taken. Say a scene with background music playing fading into script. For a more complex sound effect, you would need an audio mixer which can take audio input from two sources and with a selector allow you to choose which audio source to use. These nifty gadgets can also have built-in faders which allow a fade away effect for your audio sources. Audio dubbing requires the adding of audio into a pre-shot video sequence. This can have the full audio track recorded with the video intact or totally replaced with one you provide say a narration of the sequence of events being portrayed.

Inserting Titles

Avatar — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:35:07 +0000

With the advent of computer technology inserting titles has become an easy task which was unavailable to previous generations. This did not however stop them from doing so and they inserted titles in the most innovative ways. Remember those black and white films without sound, they used a piece of paper with the tile or scene descriptors and opened with those shots. It also allowed a period of pausing where it would be easy to insert a scene rather than to select a scene that was shot and re-shot and then combined later. There was also no sound and sometimes a little explanation was needed to discuss the actions taking place (think Charlie Chaplin). Another method is to paint titles directly onto glass panes and then shooting the scenes through it giving the effect of a title floating in your shots. Paper, onion skin and other materials can be used for such purposes so be creative and use the old style methods for original titles.

General Editing (Part 2)

Avatar — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:36:06 +0000

Sound effects are also in abundant supply which you might need as you get more adventurous and wish to make your videos more professional. One note of caution though, never expect to come up with studio quality videos if you work at home for these guys use equipment that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars so be realistic and accept the fact that the best you could do would be enough for your family to love and enjoy. The flaws and errors in your editing can make it more personal and even become highlights of the movie so do leave some in even if they seem a bit unprofessional (which you are not)

General Editing (Part 1)

Avatar — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:35:40 +0000

When you transfer your raw video onto your computer, it is usually converted into a format the software can use or understand. You can then cut up the video which is usually done by referring to the time and the frame numbers for more detailed editing. Scenes that are too long must be cut out to emphasize on the parts which have meaning or significance. It also allows you to cram in more interesting footage on a single disk for subsequent playback. There are tons of sound effects you can find online which are considered to be royalty free (meaning you won’t get sued if you use them and the owner gets pissed) and are free to use time and time again.

Transferring your video from your Camera to your PC

Avatar — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:35:09 +0000

Most camera’s today have a connector for pc communications which can use either USB or DV which ever the connector you may have onto your camera, you will also need the same port for your camera to communicate with your PC. You’ll also need a piece of software that comes with your camera which allows you to download and save your video’s/pictures onto your computer’s hard drive for storage and editing. Saving it onto your hard disk allows fast access to your video (before we forget, editing videos on your PC would eat up a lot of hard disk space so check that you have ample space or you could cause a system hang-up in the middle of your edit and end up loosing all your work).

Getting down into it

Avatar — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:32:11 +0000

Most people think of video editing as costly jobs done by studios who specialize in such jobs, well partly yes and no. If one wants broadcast quality movies and sound all mixed up for a presentation for showing at a solemn event such as a wedding, that would be a great idea, but there are tons upon tons of resources out there that are available for free to aid you in getting acceptable video with nice sounds and effects out off the internet. Do a quick search of video editing tools and video editing how to and you get tons of tips and tricks from home movie makers like you and experts alike. You even get to download some of the best free stuff off the net from reliable download sites such as Pcworld and ZDnet. You’ll also need some time to learn them but no worry for there are tutorials that come with the downloads.