Anyone got tips on video editing stuff!?
I just got my pc connected to a friend’s DV and can see possibilities therein for making VCDs, since I don’t have a DVD burner yet!
So you avid videditing fiends, tell all, and I’ll reward you with you $G…!
Kenneth
Make sure you have lots and lots of free disk space. (and roughly equal amount of patience) Doing any kind of serious video editing with less than 10GB free is really difficult.
Save your work often, especially on a Windows machine. Already have in mind what you want to do instead of wasting time playing around. The project will evolve on its own in any case, but it’s better to have a plan going in.
Turn off your firewall and anti-virus software while you are using your video editor. (Of course, turn off your Internet connection as well so you don’t get bad pings.)
You CAN make a DVD if you’ve only got a CD burner! Just burn your project as a DVD with your DVD burning software, using a regular CD-R. The catch is that is can’t be more than about 18 minutes long, and it won’t play in a lot of DVD players (although most of the newer players will play them, so will computer DVD players).
Some DVD players, especially older models, won’t play homemade VCDs (or VCDs) or will only play certain brands. (My DVD player will only play VCDs made with Princo CD-Rs.) Most of the newers ones in Taiwan will. You can check models and VCD/SVCD/DVD/miniDVD compatibility here at this site: dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers
if you are planning on sending films home to family, etc.
How the hell did I become such a video geek?
I worked for Ulead here for two years. They have a bunch of VCD authoring capability for either (a) taking digital images off your digital camera and making QUICK video slideshows to VCD or DVD or (b) taking video off your DV camcorder and making VCDs or DVDs with a very minimum of hassle. Ulead also has a professional version of VCD/DVD authoriing with more customization options. Ulead is a Taiwanese company, so their main competitive advantage is low-cost. Having said that, Ulead also has a TON of features in their products that you’d never know about since they are unable brand Ulead’s overall value proposition in the market.
Ulead DVD MovieFactory
ulead.com/dmf/runme.htm
Ulead DVD PictureShow
ulead.com/dps/runme.htm
Ulead DVD Workshop
ulead.com/dws/runme.htm
[quote=“jeremy”]Ulead is a Taiwanese company, so their main competitive advantage is low-cost. Having said that, Ulead also has a TON of features in their products that you’d never know about since they are unable brand Ulead’s overall value proposition in the market.
[/quote]
And might I add, that their latest version of MediaStudio Pro, their video editor, runs a lot smoother than previous versions. Ulead DVD Workshop is a blast.
Jeremy, I just started my 1st major project. This morning I started filming, and tomorrow morning I will finish an Amos production of the Ugly Duckling. My question is, for a newcomer to the dvd editing scene, should I use imove with idvd or final cut pro. Which will be easiest to use or what suggestions can you offer. Thanks. btw, I’m using my 12inch superdriven powerbook with max raml. I plan to start this weekend.
Note that I own the 17" with SuperDrive, am an avid Mac user, have some video editing experience on the PC by working with Ulead, BUT have yet to actually use any of the Mac software for a real project yet, so my advice is only with tweaking with the software you mentioned.
If your production doesn’t rely on layered effects (i.e. you simply want cuts/fades/disolves/transitions/basic text CG) then iMoive will do the job. iDVD is template based, so it will take you no time to spit out a DVD. Yes, these products are desgined to get get you from A to Z with little effort.
You have to learn Final Cut Pro. It is very powerful. My brother actually uses it for producing broadcast-quality commericals for big multinational corporations (this is not to say that stuff made in iMoive is not broadcast-quality). It is used now in the professional video editing industry along side Avid systems.
DVD Studio is very powerful too, however, it requires you to build your DVD by compoentns … it is NOT where you want to start if you simply want to crank out a simple DVD. If you need complex scene selection menus, multiple language support, Dolby Stereo, multiple video tracks … use DVD Studio. Otherwise, stick to iDVD. iDVD 3 will at least let you move away from their templates to create your own look and feel with your own background, music, motion menus, etc.
Thanks Jeremy, imovie sounds exactly what I need to use for the time being.
I’d suggest iMovie too. It’s very easy to use and doesn’t clutter your brain with features, etc that you won’t need. However, it’s got everything a budding Spielberg could need and the output is really good whether you’re going to VCD, DVD or tape. It’s all built-in and it just rocks.
Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro will both be there when you’re ready.
I’ve use Media Studio Pro for over 4 years and found it a great editing tool. I’ve even used it to send stuff to CNN World Report. However, I’ve been pushed to use Premiere and After Effect because Ulead tools lack needed pug-ins. Not many 3rd party programs interface with Ulead video tools. If Ulead don’t get more 3rd party programs onboard they’ll never keep up with Adobe.
The act of editing is very simple, really. Basically it’s just cutting clips and rearranging them, and perhaps adding some transitions and effects. In the old days it consisted of scissors and tape. So all you really need to start out with is a decent program that will not crash. I’m not sure if Premiere would be a good choice, as my version tends to freeze up occasionally, requiring me to render the edited portion and re-import it, which is annoying. I’ve heard Vegas4’s good, and of course FCP is widely used. But you shouldn’t let all the bells and whistles of the various programs obscure the real purpose of editing, which is how to put together shots into scenes that inform and entertain.
I think it depends on what you need to do. On this side Premiere has been very stable with the real time card I use and allows me to scope adjust video quickly. If one needs to only cut an paste any thing would do.
Now that was fun! Just finished my very first film. A spiced up version of the Ugly duck, where the duck, after running away from home, went to the casino and lost all his money, went to a night club and got kicked out, wasn’t allowed to play risk or monopoly with the wild ducks, was accused of stealing grain by the local sheep dog and chased away and who generally just had a prick of a day. Powerbook with imovie, now it couldn’t possibly get any easier than that. Looking forward to marketing this DVD.
Don’t tease… compress a copy for the web and post it.
roc, sorry dunno how to compress. Just finished making my second dvd though. I have a job interview tomorrow, so thought I might give them a dvd of my teaching ( I hate doing demo’s). Chapters including 1) Elementary School teaching 2) Kindergarten teaching 3) Awards (kids’ public speaking competitions). Again, the combination of iDVD, iMOVIE and Powerbook was pure art.
Repurposing like everything else on your Mac, it’s just in there and it’s rather easy.
In iMovie, open the project/movie file you’d like to compress and press Apple + shift + E and a dialog will pop up that will ask you where/how you want to exhibit your vid.
Export to QT and “play around” with the codecs/settings until you find the one that gives you the quality/file size you want.
The best way to go about this is to choose a default setting -> ie web, MPEG-4, 320 x 240, etc and then let it run. If your Mac is slow, try letting it run over night or while you’re at work.
In a couple days, you’ll have exactly what you need as well as the experience to do it again. If you need someplace to post your vid clips, PM me.