Where the Fun Is

But most of all, let's face it: special effects are where the fun is. It's where the "wow" factor is. Although these effects projects are organized to build one upon the next, you don't need to follow them sequentially. Just pick one that looks interesting to you and have at it. Relax and give yourself time to work through the steps and study the illustrations. If you skip a step or miss a setting for an effect, the thing might fall apart on you; but so what? Back up a step or two, and start again. It's worth it when you're all done, sitting in your living room with your family or showing your video on a portable device to some friends. They'll be wondering how you did it and marvelling at your skills. In fact, after reading this book you may have video skills that, to paraphrase Napoleon Dynamite, "are probably the best you've ever seen."

While it's important to follow the steps exactly, it's equally important, once you get comfortable with your new skills, to experiment. I've recommended certain settings throughout to achieve an effect that I think is appropriate or cool. Feel free to mess around with any or all of the controls and settings as you goeven throwing a few other effects into the mix. You may discover something that I'm not even aware of and create an awesome effect all your own! Don't forget to save it as your own preset using the My Presets function and you'll have it ready to go the next time you want to apply it.

In this book I've tried to gather together a number of the most-asked for effects out there (such as the COPS^® Hidden Identity Effect), as well as some of the most well-known (the Star Wars^® Opening Sequence Effect and the Star Trek^®-style "Beam Me Up" Effect). I've also thrown in a few of my own making, to show you the power of Premiere Elements (such as the Enchanted Elf Effect, the Pencil Sketch Effect, and the Retro Title Effect).

There are 20 effects in all, but these are only a mere sampling of what Premiere Elements is capable of. Browse through the Effects and Transitions palette and apply them to clips on the Timeline and see what you come up with. Combine effects and play with the controls in the Properties panel. You'll be surprised what can be accomplished with a little creativity and a video editing package as powerful as Premiere Elements.