The Four Basic Elements of Video Editing
How To Get Started Today, The Easy Way
New media, or digital multimedia, refers to digital images such as photos and video, and digital audio, such as voice and music. Digital photography and digital music have been far more popular than digital video for two simple reasons: digital video is more complicated and difficult and requires better PCs and more expensive equipment.
As PCs and computer systems and video cameras get better and better and video editing gets easier and easier, digital video is getting more and more popular.
And deservedly so – a video is like a full-course meal whereas a snapshot is like a snack. Once you learn how to edit video, your life will simply be richer and fuller. With video, you can:
- Create a DVD or video CD of your vacation for sharing with family and friends
- Blend photos and video clips put to music in a music video
- Produce a video on any subject, product, or service you may want to promote
- Preserve your family history and genealogical photos in photo and film
- Make a documentary on a topic or issue of interest to you
- Even make your own creative, full-length feature film
Video is creating an online revolution – many people, it seems, prefer to watch a video than to read. So you can now create your own short video clips with a digital camcorder, a digital camera, a web cam, or even with a cell phone. But what do you do with all those random clips?
Some of them aren’t much to look at by themselves – and that’s where video editing comes in. Just as you need to edit photos to make them look their best, you need to edit video to make it most interesting.
Digital video editing, at its simplest, involves the following steps:
- Take the original video shots using whatever variety of video camera you might have.
- This may have even happened a long time ago, leaving you with the video on film or tape.
- Or, you may have just taken it in which case it’s still in your camera or camcorder.
- Digitize the original video and make it available on your computer. You can either have it done professionally in the case of older film or video tape, in which case you’ll get a CD or DVD with your digital video files,Figure out how to do it yourself, orCopy the digital video files from your camera or camcorder to your PC.
- Install and learn to use video editing software on your computer.
- Video editing software
comes in a variety of flavors. The most common and most powerful software is non-linear video editing (NLVE) software such as Adobe Premiere Elements, Corel VideoStudio, Pinnacle Studio, or Sony Vegas Movie Studio DVD, which all include a timeline, transitions, and other tools to manipulate the video. The price of power is that software in this category is more difficult to learn and takes longer to get the results.
- The easiest to use video editing software
, such as software from easy video editing pioneer, muvee Technologies, does video editing automatically. The price of simplicity is that software like muvee autoProducer 6 and muvee Reveal don’t give you as much detailed control over your final production as do the consumer video editing tools such as CyberLink Power Director, Corel VideoStudio, or Pinnacle Studio.
- Video editing software
- Use the software to create the video production of your choice. Common types of video productions include:
- Digital slideshows set to music or narrated,
- Music Videos,
- Documentaries,
- Home movies, and
- Full-length films.
Here at HOMEmuvees.com, we want to help you accomplish your own purposes. If you’re looking to make a hobby of making editing video, making home movies, music videos, and slideshows, and burning your own DVDs, then we’ll help you find and buy the best tools for the job. If you’re simply looking for the best, least expensive, and fastest way to dazzle family and friends for an upcoming event, then we’ll steer you straight to the quick, easy, and elegant way to make a video production for a special occasion, too.
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Happy video editing!

