Friday, March 14, 2014

Editing Tricks for Amateur Vacation Video #112

China 2001:  Feng Du to Chongqing


The trip DVD includes a long movie that combines the clip in #111 with this one.  This minute of video deserves a little more discussion.  A four-second transition effect took me a lot of effort to figure out.  But no one ever notices it ... guess that means it's successful?

There's a light at the end of the tunnel [00m:38s];  an oval shape is filled with a Chongqing street scene.  As the bus moves, the oval expands to fill the screen.  The shape is located just a little bit off-center.
Many editing programs include this type of transition; if not, the street scene can be placed in a track that overlays the tunnel.  Animate the scale of the overlay track from zero to 100%, or use a shape mask effect.  [Hint: animation is often accomplished by the use of "keyframes"] 

I also animated the color of the street scene.  When it first appears, it matches the amber hue of the tunnel lighting.   Gradually it transforms to normal color.  My editing program allows many effects to be keyframed, including color adjustments.

Lessons Learned:
Our various editing programs include some built-in animation capability.  Try it out and see what happens!

Suggestion:
Sometimes the best way to learn your editing program is to play with it!  If you're afraid that you might make a horrible mistake, back up the project and work with a copy.  And get to know the Edit>Undo command!!!!


FYI:
All of these China trip vignettes are already loaded onto YouTube.  They may be viewed on one of my YouTube channels: HENBCtravel
I have three other channels that might be of interest:  HENBCvideo (miscellaneous videos that try to look professional, with particular respect for copyrights), RAGEAIR (advertises the licensing availability of my newsworthy videos), and this YouTube Channel of Shame (an odd collection of stuff, not respectful of others’ copyrights).



Music Copyright Considerations:
This original audience for this video was friends and family who would view the DVD in my living room.  It contains identifiable music that is regrettably used without permission.  
Today, with digital distribution, artists' rights deserve more attention.  Since this video is intended for non-profit illustration and educational purposes only, I believe that valid arguments can be made for its "Fair Use" in this situation.  Please understand that I do not encourage improper use of copyrighted material.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please post your comments and share your ideas: