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Cropping a Clip

• Click on the desired clip in the sequencer or in the available clips on the right.
  

  
  

• Select the section of the clip you want to remove by dragging the two bottom triangles to the to the place where the clip needs to be cropped. This area will show up in yellow.
  
• Go to the Edit Menu and select the desired function.
  
  • Apple C will copy the selected area.
    
  • Apple X will cut the selected area away from the original (Memory saving device!)
    
• If you cut a section out of the middle of an existing clip, an addition clip will be added to the sequencer. You will have the original clip, and then the remaining portion of the clip with a /# behind the clip name indicating it is a particular portion of the clip that had been cut.
  
• If you have clipped a lot of excess footage, then it is recommended that you go to the File Menu and select Empty Trash.
  

   

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• Click on the Titles button on the shelf.
  
• Choose the type of title you would like to use.
  
  • Centered Multiple and Centered title are good for the opening of a project.
    
  • Rolling Centered Credits is similar to the credits used at the end of a movie.
    
  • Strip Subtitle is great for displaying names of speakers or presenters just like a newscast.
    
• Determine if you would like to use it over a black background or would like the text to appear over an existing clip.
  
  • If you select Over Black it will create a new clip and insert it in the sequencer at the spot where your play head is located.
    
  • If you don’t select Over Black it will create a clip with the text on top of the clip where the play head is located. This text can only be placed over top at the beginning of a clip or where there is a “split” in the clip. To split a clip, go to the Edit menu and select Split Video Clip At Play head.
    
• Choose a color for the text.
  
• Choose a font for the text.
  
• Choose a size for the text.
  
• Click on the Preview button and determine the changes that need to be made to the Speed of the clip.
  
• Adjust the Speed and the Pause to increase or decrease the length of the clip.
  
• Drag the type of text down to the sequencer where you want the clip to appear. (Example, in the window below, you would have to drag the words “CENTERED TITLE” down to the sequencer.)
  
• If you need to make additional changes later on while editing, click on the clip which contains the text, make any necessary changes, and then click on the Update button.
  



 

 

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Inserting Audio

 

• Click on the Audio button on the shelf.
  
• There are four ways to obtain audio.
  
  • Audio CD
    
  • MP3 Files from iTunes playlist
    
  • Import other sound file with IMPORT option
    
  • Extract audio from a captured video clip
    




• At the top of the audio screen, select the iTunes Library or iMovie Sounds Library to select a song or sound effect. Click on Place at Play head to insert the song.
  
• To record a sound, click on the red dot and speak into the built in microphone. An purple bar will appear indicating the length and positioning of the recorded sound. Click on the red dot again to stop recording.
  
• To record music from a CD, insert the CD into the CD ROM drive on the computer. iTunes will automatically try to find the track listing for the CD and the names should appear in the song library. Press the Play triangle to listen to the song. An orange bar will appear indicating the length and positioning of the recorded sound.
  
• To import a sound file, position the play head where you want the sound to start, go to the File Menu and select Import File. Double click on the desired file and a purple bar will appear showing the length of the sound file.
  
• To extract audio from a clip, go to the Advanced Menu and select Extract Audio Clip. A purple bar will appear directly under the video clip with a small yellow push pin, indicating that the clip is to be synchronized with a video clip.
  
  




 

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Working with Audio

• Click on the desired sound clip in the sequencer.
  
• Use on the Edit Volume button to adjust how the song enters and leaves the movie. Edit the volume by clicking inside the clip near the audio level line. Drag the audio line to the desired locations.
  
• Use the Volume Control knob can also be used to adjust the volume of the sound file in relationship to the other sound files in the movie. Not all sound files are set the same off of digital recordings. You will need to make manual adjustments so your viewers do not reach for the TV volume control to turn up/down the volume as your movie plays.
  
• Use the triangles at the beginning and end of each clip to bring in songs at specific times, or to shorten or lengthen a clip.
  
• If you want to remove a sound track from one of the three tracks, click on the check marks on the right side of the sequencer. (This often happens with video yearbooks. You want a song to play and do not want to hear the voices of the video participants. By clicking and removing the check mark from the top soundtrack, you will hear only the song.)
  
• If you want to delete a sound clip from the movie, click on it and then press the Delete button on the keyboard.
  
  




 

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Working with Special Effects

• Click on the Effects button on the shelf.
  
  





• Click on a clip you wish to add an effect too in the sequencer.
  
• Scroll through the effects and click on the desired effect. A sample will be shown in the preview window.
  
• Make adjustments to the effect by using the scroll bars.
  
• Use the Effect In/Out bars to determine when the effect should start and end.
  
• Click on the Apply button to adhere the effect to the video clip.
  
• Click on the Restore Clip if you would like to remove the effect and return the clip to it’s original state.
  
• The Commit button can be used if doing multiple special effects to a clip. Once one effect has been rendered, commit the clip and add the next special effect.
  
  

 

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What does Rendering do?

• Once the effect has been applied to the clip, a process known as RENDERING will occur. This timely process makes the effect or transition smooth.
  
• You can see the progress of rendering by looking at the red progress bar at the bottom of the clip in the sequencer.
  
• The video will not run smoothly until the rendering process has been completed. The red bars will disappear when rendering has been completed.
  
  Time Line Rendering View
  
  Thumbnail Rendering View
  

 

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Working with Transitions

• Transitions make a smooth path from one video clip to another.
  
• Transitions can affect special effects and speed of video clips. Add all transitions after completing all special effects.
  
• Click on the Transitions button on the shelf.
  
• Select the desired speed and the desired transition.
  
• Drag the transition down between the clips that you desire
  
• The RENDERING process will begin. The video will not run smoothly until the rendering process has been completed. The red bars will disappear when rendering has been completed.
  
• If you want to change the settings of a particular transition, click on the transition in the sequencer, adjust the speed, and/or type of transition, then click on the UPDATE button.
  
  




 

• Some suggestions
  
  • Always fade in to the beginning of a movie, and fade out at the end.
    
  • Keep transitions consistent. Too many different ones looks too busy.
    
  • Cross disolve and overlap work very well and are generally used to go from one scene to another.
    
  • Adding transitions will make your overall movie time shorter. This is because the first clip looses some time and so does the beginning of the second clip.
    
  • Average transition speed is about .25 seconds. A long transition is between 1 and two seconds.
    

 

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Exporting the Video

• This process allows you to put the movie into a QuickTime file or allows you to pump the movie back out to a Super 8 or Mini DV tape which can then be copied onto a VHS.
  
• The best quality is obtained when the movie is exported to Digital 8 or Mini DV.
  
• QuickTime, although effective, makes the clips “jump and bump” a little bit and the text is not as clear as it is on actual video.
  
• Exporting to a Digital 8 or Mini DV tape is also quicker. It takes about 20 seconds longer than the actual video. Creating a QuickTime movie can take up to 3 hours (and the quality is not as good!)
  
  
• Go to the File Menu and select Export Movier.
  
• To Camera will export the movie back out to the camera that is connected wiuth the firewire cable to the comoputer If you hold down on To Camera you will also see the other choice of To QuickTime.
  
• If selecting QuickTime, you can choose many different versions. CD-ROM quality is recommended if you want to place the movie on a CD-ROM because it uses a minimal amount of memory and makes the picture appear in a bout 25% of the total screen area.
  
• Web & E-mail versions will appear VERY small and are not recommended unless you are using them to stream over the web. Audio and video quality are compromised when doing this much compression on a digital video.
  
• If exporting to the camera, make sure the tape is rewound to the place where you want the video recorded.
  
• Add enough black in front of the video and behind the video as needed.
  
  



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