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BOOT CAMP 466 (06/03/07) - Video Tape to PC to DVD part 3
So far we’ve concentrated on the mechanics of
transferring analogue video recordings on tape from a camcorder or VCR to DVD
via your PC but now it’s time to look at the software you will need to complete
the job. To recap there are three basic steps to creating a DVD: capturing and
recording, editing and authoring and finally, burning the finished recording to
disc.
There are a number of freeware and Open Source
applications that can be used at each stage of the process, and some of them
are very good indeed, however, because they are separate programs there’s no
guarantee they will work together and you can run into compatibility problems
and difficulties with video files from one format to another.
If you want to do keep things simple with the
best possible chance of ending up with a polished and professional-looking DVD
then I suggest that you use one of the all-in-one DVD editing and authoring
suites we’ll be looking at in a moment.
On the other hand if you enjoy a challenge then
there are ways to create slick looking DVDs using nothing but freeware. Two
programs that definitely will work together are Video DVD
Maker Free and Windows Movie Maker, which is bundled with Windows XP. If
you have the first version of Movie Maker, which frankly is not very good, you
can either upgrade by installing SP2 or download Movie Maker 2 from the Microsoft
website
Video DVD Maker is a fairly basic video to DVD
utility and it is very easy to use, however, all it does is capture and burn,
so what comes off the tape ends up on the disc, wonky bits, warts and all. This
is fine if all you want to do is preserve your original recordings on disc but
if you want to spruce up your home movies, add some eye-catching scene
transitions and titles, or chop out the adverts in recorded TV programs then
you will need to run it though an editing program. That’s where Windows Movie
Maker comes in (see Tip of the Week) and I’ll show you how to use these two
programs together next week but now, as promised an overview of some of the
most popular commercial programs on the market.
There are plenty to choose from but my personal
shortlist would be Pinnacle Studio, Roxio Easy Media Creator and Ulead Video
Studio and they can all be found selling for less than £50 online. Unfortunately
the descriptions are going to have to be fairly general as manufacturers have a
habit of constantly updating their products, releasing Special Editions and so
on. Then there’s the added complication of Windows Vista, so my best advice is
to check the manufacturer’s websites for details of the latest releases and the
product that best suits your needs and hardware setup.
Pinnacle Studio has
been around in various incarnations for years and the latest Titanium Edition
is a good choice for newcomers. It is easy to use and has ‘Smart’ features for
simplifying either the whole process, or single operations, like modifying the
soundtrack. The program has a library of 49 effects and transitions plus Pan
and Zoom modes. It has a sophisticated title composer, you can create fancy DVD
menus, there’s an instant DVD transfer feature for quickly copying movies
direct to disc and it includes conversion functions for creating movies that
can be played on Apple iPods, Sony PSP games consoles and MPEG 4 and DivX media
players.
Video editing and DVD authoring is only one of Roxio Easy Media Creator 9’s many talents.
In fact it is almost lost on the feature list, which boasts a vast array of
utilities for burning data, picture, audio and video discs. The video editing
features are bang up to date with HD Video support; if you are in a hurry it
will automatically copy and burn recordings from tape to disc. There’s a good
selection of professional-looking 2D and 3D effects, filters, titles and
transitions, an auto-correction facility for optimising colour, brightness and
contrast and finished recordings can be saved in a variety of formats for use
on the web and media players.
Ulead
Video Studio is another video editing program that has been around in one
form or another since the earliest days. Version 10 is ready to run on Windows
Vista and has built-in support for HD video camcorders. It’s a little more
advanced than some of its rivals but still very user-friendly and novices
needn’t be put off by it’s apparent sophistication. Headline features include
an anti-shake filter to remove camera wobble, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound,
an automatic ‘Ad Zapper’ for removing commercials, scores of effects and
transitions, Pan and Zoom, noise reduction filters and there’s full MPEG 4 and
DivX support for exporting recordings to media players.
Next Week – Video Tape to PC to DVD part 4
JARGON FILTER
5.1 SURROUND SOUND
Multi-channel surround sound system with five main speakers for
centre-front and right and left stereo channels, and right and left rear
channels, plus one (the .1 in 5.1) ‘sub woofer’ channel carrying low frequency
effects
MPEG 4 & DivX
Video compression codecs used to reduce the amount of data in
multimedia video files
TRANSITION EFFECT
Change from one scene or shot to another, from a simple fade or
cross fade to fancy wipes and dissolves
TIP OF THE WEEK
Windows Movie Maker is included with Windows XP and you will find
it by going to Start > Programs > Accessories. It’s a fairly basic video
editing program with facilities for importing recordings (most formats), which
can then be divided up into ‘clips, trimmed and reassembled on a ‘timeline’ in
any required order to create a single movie file. Transitions can be inserted
between the clips and there’s a remarkably good range of visual effects,
including blur, fade, mirror, grain, smudge. You can also add opening titles
and closing credits and edit the soundtrack, by adding music or a commentary.
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© R. Maybury 2006, 2102
Part 1 2 4 5 6
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