1. Getting Started

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Basically, there are two types of projects: those with time limitations (the duration of the video), and those without. Working without time limits is certainly easier; you lay out all of your footage, add the necessary garnish (titles, fades, logos), and render your project.

Of course, even if your project has no stated time limit, often sheer watchability imposes its own limitations. If you want audiences to enjoy watching your video, you'll need to remove the extraneous to highlight the relevant. Obviously, when your project has a strict time limit whether it's two, five, or ten minutes identifying what to leave in and out is, without question, the most important editing function.

So before you start editing, identify the target duration for the project. Then it's time to capture or import your video into your video editor, and begin massaging it into shape.

First, let's take care of a couple housekeeping issues.

  • Most video editors have an auto save function that saves a project at a specified interval. Find this function in your editor (search the help files for Auto Save or Save), make sure the feature is active, and set it to a reasonable interval, such as five or ten minutes is usual. That way, if your computer crashes mid-edit, your losses are limited.

  • Put together a file storage strategy. I create a separate folder on my capture drive for each project, and configure my editor to capture and write all temporary files created during editing to that folder. That way, I'll know where to find the files to delete or reuse after the project is done. On the Windows front, most editors default to Windows XP's My Documents folder for file storage, often making files nearly impossible to find. So, find a Preferences, Options, or Setup dialog in your editing program, pick a folder or file path, and make sure you know where your files are going.

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    DV 101. A Hands-On Guide for Business, Government & Educators
    DV 101: A Hands-On Guide for Business, Government and Educators
    ISBN: 0321348974
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 110
    Authors: Jan Ozer

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