Video we made traveling across the US in March 1999.This was my first serious attempt at video editing. The source for this video was a VHS tape which was a copy (made in 1999) of the original 8mm video camera tape. I imported the VHS using a Sony Stereo VCR with RCA lines into the ADS video capture device. I then used VideoStudio 10 to create the project. There was approximately 60 minutes worth of raw footage, that I cut down to about 4 minutes. There are no transitions between scenes - I have them all butted against each other. Ultimately, I liked this effect with the music I selected, but I did not know there were any other options available (such as fading transitions) at the time. I have not experimented with VideoStudio 10's transition effects.

I had the song selected for this project before I started editing-in the video. I laid the audio track down first, and edited the video to fit the length of the music. I added overlay effects, mostly "old film black and white" on some of the clips. The text you see in certain scenes was created using VideoStudio 10's "titles" feature. The opening and closing segments (the clock countdown videos) are also part of the stock videos that come with VideoStudio 10. I added the "old film black and white" overly on them. I stripped the audio from the source video in all cases but three: the moving van segments and the short conversation I have with Bev about the move. The moving van segments are actually the same video clip, butted together, but I reversed the second clip. The original project was intended to create a DVD, which I did. However, using the .mpg output file that VideoStudio 10 created, I used MS-P 8 to create a smaller, web-friendly .wmv file. I chose the "Pocket PC Full Screen 320x240" template. I then further refined it with the "Windows Media Video 8 for LAN, Cable Modem, or DSL 100-768Kbps" profile. This resulted in a 12MB file. Nice for streaming on a web page.

One thing to note, I was concerned about offering an entire copyright protected song on this video. I tracked down Tony Scalzo (from the group Fastball) through his agent. I emailed him, asking permission to use the song for this video. He promptly replied, and agreed as long as I didn't try to make any money with it. I was surprised, and pleased, with his prompt reply.

Bev's newscast from KHQ, the NBC affiliate in Spokane, WA - Air date November 22, 1998. The source for this project was a VHS tape that Bev made in 1998, and shipped to me from Spokane, WA. She recorded it on a very basic home VCR. Needless to say the image quality is "so-so". I imported this using a Sony Stereo VCR with RCA lines into the ADS capture device. I did little to edit the video. I only used "mark-in" and "mark-out" points so that I excluded the opening commercial breaks and ended the segment at the first break in the news show. I then exported the video using Ulead VideoStudio 10. I selected the output profile: WMV 320x240, 30fps. This resulted in a somewhat larger file (approx. 55MB) than the other media on this site. MS-P 8 offers more options for creating completed video output.

the Buffalo Shoppe in Hamlin, PA. The source for this video was a series of avi files from a Canon ELF digital still camera that also takes short videos. I imported the video into the computer directly from the camera via USB 2 cable. Using MS-P 8, I split the audio from the video. I then marked in and out points on the individual avi's to create a video that equaled the length of the audio, which was a short conversation I had with one of the owners (the video for this is uninteresting - its just her talking to the camera). I then added the sound-less video clips to the project. I inserted black color clips, fade-from-black-to-white, then fade-from-white-to-black, at the beginning and ending of the clip, respectively. I used fade transitions between all clips. The last part was to sync the final video clip with the underlying audio clip, re-uniting the source video with it's original audio.

The audio is muddied because there is the sound of refrigerator equipment in the background. I filtered this using MS-P 8's audio filtering tools, and it's somewhat improved, but you can still hear the hum. I used MS-P 8's titles feature to add subtitles to the scenes. MS-P 8 allows me to specify the duration of the subtitle, and how the text will appear on screen (pop on/off, fade-in/out, fly, etc.). I created the web video by choosing the "Pocket PC Full Screen 320x240" template. I then further refined it with the "Windows Media Video 8 for LAN, Cable Modem, or DSL 100-768Kbps" profile. This resulted in a 6MB file. Lastly, for the web presentation, I used PhotoImpact 12 to modify the scanned in image of the logo from the menu. I then customized it with sepia tones and a black faded background.

Video of our visit with my Mom and Dad in Pennsylvania. The source for this video was 8mm video tape from an older Sony Camcorder (the one we used to tape our cross country trip in 1999). The age of the camcorder is showing as it was unable to correctly set the white balance; there is a lot of blooming on the source video that I could not correct. I connected the camcorder to the ADS capture device with RCA cables. There was about 30 minutes of raw footage, that I cut down to about 3 minutes or so. I used MS-P 8 to do the video editing. For this video, I completely striped the source audio from the source video. Again, I had the song picked out for this video, and laid down the audio track first. I then edited the video to fit the length of the song.

In this video, I combined still photographs (taken with a Canon Elf digital camera) as well as analog video from the camcorder. I did not have to alter the image size; MS-P 8 automatically adjusted the size for the finished output file. MS-P 8 gives me the option to set the duration that the stills will appear on screen. This feature, combined with the fine 100th of a second wheel control, let me time this video pretty closely to the audio cues. I used multiple methods to stitch together the video segments including butting the clips against one another and overlay transitions. I inserted a black color clip, fade-from-black-to-white at the beginning of the video. The closing segment is from stock video available with the software. I created the web video by choosing the "Pocket PC Full Screen 320x240" template. I then further refined it with the "Windows Media Video 8 for LAN, Cable Modem, or DSL 100-768Kbps" profile. This resulted in a 15MB file.

Christine Clayburg's appearance on Desperate Housewives, October 8, 2006 The source for this video was a HighDefinition DVR recording (from broadcast). I copied this via RCA jacks (HDMI does not support copying) on a Panasonic DVD recorder using DVD RAM media. I then imported the video via a Sony DVD R-W/RAM drive on my computer. I used MS-P 8 to edit this video clip. I set the mark-in and mark-out points to capture only the pertinent video. I inserted black color clips, fade-from-black-to-white, then fade-from-white-to-black, at the beginning and ending of the clip, respectively. I used fade transitions for these clips over the original video. I also used MS-P 8 to fade-in and fade-out the audio at the beginning and end of the clips. I created the video by choosing the "Pocket PC Full Screen 320x240" template. I then further refined it with the "Windows Media Video 8 for LAN, Cable Modem, or DSL 100-768Kbps" profile. This resulted in a 4MB file.

Our wedding, November 25, 2005. The source for this video was 8mm video tape from an older Sony Camcorder (the one we used to tape our cross country trip in 1999). I connected the camcorder to the ADS capture device with RCA cables. I used MS-P 8 to create this project. I did little to edit the video, as it is only a few minutes long. I only used "mark-in" and "mark-out" points so that I excluded any extraneous video, and I inserted black color clips, fade-from-black-to-white, then fade-from-white-to-black, at the beginning and ending of the clip, respectively. I then exported the video using MS-P 8. I created the video by choosing the "Pocket PC Full Screen 320x240" template. I then further refined it with the "Windows Media Video 8 for LAN, Cable Modem, or DSL 100-768Kbps" profile. This resulted in a 12MB file.

Presentation Using Clips from the Movie Spin. Bev's boss (who wrote the book and co-produced the film) requested this project for a lecture he was giving. I worked with Bev on this project, showing her how to use the software and create the end product. Except for the first two scenes, the project specs requred selected scenes with transitions between each that would give the presenter enough time to pause for discussion. The specs also required that there be a quick fade transition between the first two scenes.

The source for this project was the DVD for the motion picture Spin. We used Video Studio 10 to import the relevant chapters from the DVD onto the computer. We used MS-P 8 for the rest of the editing. We set the mark-in and mark-out points for each desired scene and inserted back-to-back color clips (fade from white-to-black, then black-to-white) between the scenes. We used 2 color clips to transition the locker room scene and the scene where Ernesto meets Eddie in his pick-up truck. Because the opening of the second scene was not a natural fade-in point, we had to bring down the volume on the audio track, slowly raising to normal as the scene opens.

The goal of this project was to create a DVD. We used Movie Factory 5 to author the DVD, and to create a motion menu for the DVD. Using MS-P 8, we created a 30 second montage of video clips from the movie, making sure to include the movie title, each of the main characters, and some relevant scenes from the film. Each of the clips are transitioned over each other to achieve a fade effect. (My favorite transition is young Eddie holding a toy plane that fades into an actual flying plane) We used this 30 second montage as the background video for the motion menu. For the motion menu audio, we used the title music from the movie (extracted using MS-P 8 to strip the audio from the imported DVD chapter) and used mark-in and mark-out points to match the 30 second motion menu loop. The finished motion menu has the background video/audio with a small rectangular window in the lower right corner showing the opening clip. There is a "play" button within this clip. I can't show the finished DVD here, but I've included the motion menu video/audio then transitioned into the presentation.

I used MS-P 8 to create the web version of the video. I created the video by choosing the "Ulead_Neptune_GoodQuality" wmv profile with an aspect ratio of 16:9. This resulted in a 32MB file. I originally used the Ulead_Neptue_BestQuality" profile, but it created a 640x280 file. Though I use the width/height parameters in the embed tag, Windows Media Player 11 combined with Firefox 2 seems to ignore those, and constrains the MediaPlayer dimesions, but not the film being shown. It's apparently a known issue.

The following is the synopsis of the film from Spinthemovie.com. View the trailer from the website by clicking here Eight-year old Eddie's (Max Madore) parents are killed when the plane his father (Brendan Murphy) is piloting crashes into a mountain near their home. Eddie's uncle Frank (Stanley Tucci), who is also a pilot, is left to care for the boy. Soon, however, Frank takes a long-term job abroad and Eddie is left to be raised by ranch manager Ernesto (Ruben Blades) and his school-teacher wife Margaret (Dana Delany). When Frank returns ten years later and fulfills his brother's wish that Eddie (Ryan Merriman) be taught to fly, Eddie struggles to find his bearings as a young man with mixed emotions toward his uncle, his love for the couple who raised him, the loss of his birth parents, and his blossoming first love with Francesca. As children, Francesca (Marissa Baca) and Eddie are schoolmates, but separate when her family moves away. She and her father (Daniel O'Haco) return to the town when she is in high school. Now teenagers, Francesca (Paula Garces) and Eddie are on the verge of becoming more than friends until Francesca flees to Mexico after experiencing a life-changing incident.

Directed by James Redford. Writing credits: Donald Everett Axinn (Novel), James Redford (Screenplay). For a complete list of cast and crew complete with filmographies visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

Our Christmas 2006 Videos The source for this video was DV tape from our new Panasonic PV-GS300 digital Camcorder. I opted for this camera because it is one of the few devices with 3 CCD's in this price range. I copied the raw video (approx 46 minutes) via firewire using MS-P 8's "scan and capture" feature, which resulted in 41 individual .avi files. The scan and capture creates a separate.avi at each scene change (when recording was paused/stopped during taping). The source video aspect ratio is 16:9. The camera can record in 4:3 or 16:9.

I used MS-P 8 to edit the video clips. I used a lot of special effects on this project including moving path objects, still picture overlays, title clip overlays, solid color overlays, and multiple audio tracks. You can see examples of these on the opening segment, which is a video + solid color + title overlay. There is a color clip (fade from black-to-white) that transitions into the opening video segment. Other examples are moving path + still image overlay during the scene where I super-impose Peter Boyle's image over my Dad's face (at approx 8:25:05). At 11:02 there is a second audio track, a title overlay and two still image overlays. I used smooth fade transitions between each scene, except at 8:34:05 which is butt transition.

I created the .mpg file for DVD authoring using MS-P 8's "NTSC DVD" template, which resulted in a 684MB file. The parameters for this template are: frame size: 720 x 480, 29.97 fps Lower Field First, aspect ratio: 16:9, Video data rate: Variable (Max. 8000 kbps), Audio data rate: 224 kbps. To create the final DVD, I used Ulead's MovieFactory 5. One interesting note about MF-5: though the source .mpg is 16:9, when I select 4:3 for DVD authoring, the program retains the 16:9 ratio placing the typical black bars on the top and bottom of the video. I did not have to crop or adjust the output.

I used MS-P 8 to create the web version of the video. I created the video by choosing the "Ulead_Neptune_GoodQuality" wmv profile with an aspect ratio of 16:9. The parameters for this profile are: Audio codec: Windows Media Audio 9.2, Audio format: 48 kbps, 44 kHz, stereo CBR, Video codec: Windows Media Video 9, Video bit rate: 455 Kbps, Video size: 320 x 240. This resulted in a 77MB file.