Soundware Guides: Video Editing
Video Editing used to be a complex and expensive business but digital technology has advanced to a point where it is possible to produce and edit your own video using your own computer.
There are a number of different ways of equipping yourself for video editing. If you are unsure which would be best for you, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
How does it work?
Digital video works on the same principle as any other kind of video camera, the difference being that digital video can be transferred onto your computer through the use of a Firewire cable. This can then be edited using Editing Software and recorded onto a DVD to be played on most DVD players. With editing software now offering HD editing capabilites and DVD authoring software allowing home users to create professional looking DVD menus, it is possible to create high quality productions with relatively little outlay.
Ways of Capturing Film to Your Computer
Firewire
This is a cable that connects from a digital video camera straight into the firewire port in your computer. If you don't have a firewire port you can buy a Firewire card which will fit into a spare PCI slot in your computer or into the cardbus of your laptop.
A Firewire Cable
Firewire cards
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ADS Tech PYRO 1394DV Firewire card with Premiere Elements Firewire card for desktop PC |
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ADS Tech PYRO 1394DV For Notebooks Firewire card for Laptops |
S-Video
This is an older way of connecting a digital device to your computer, many older cameras can still be connected this way, and a lot of digital equipment, such as digital projectors are easily connected this way. Many modern computers will have an S-video port
An S-video Cable
RCA A/V
You may be familiar with these cables through using DVD players or videogame consoles. They consist of three connectors, red,white and yellow. The red and white connectors are for left and right audio signals, and the yellow is for the video signal. This is an analog connection and therefore is useful for capturing from older video cameras and video decks. To be able to use this connection you must have a capture device which can convert the analog signal into a digital video signal.
An RCA A/v Cable
Firewire Video Interface
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ADS Tech PYRO AV Link with Premiere Elements 2.0 A Firewire interface with S-video, Firewire, RCA and DV in connections |
Editing Software
Once you have captured the film you want to use, you will need some software that allows you to edit the footage. At first you may only want to trim the the film and add a title, but as you get more experienced you may want to do more advanced editing, cutting the footage up and adding fades and effects to make things more interesting.
Both Microsoft and Apple provide basic editing software with their operating systems, but these are basic tools and do not match the power of the Video editing software on offer from the specialist manafacturers.
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Sony Vegas Movie Studio 6.0 Plus DVD Powerful, easy to use video editing software for your PC |
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ADS Tech PYRO AV Link with Premiere Elements 2.0 Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 software offers the perfect combination of creative control and reliability for home video editing. It automates tedious tasks so you're free to create cool effects and transitions and easily burn DVDs |
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Sony Vegas 6.0 plus DVD Editing and Mastering Suite The Vegas plus DVD Production Suite combines Vegas 6, DVD Architect 3, and Dolby Digital AC-3 encoding software to offer an integrated environment for all phases of video, audio, DVD, and broadcast production. |
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ADS Tech PYRO Studio All the connectivity of the Pyro AV link, along with the superb editing environment of Sony Vegas studio + DVD. |
Alternative Ways of Using Digital Video
As technology advances, video performance, vJing and other methods of using digital video, often in a live performance environment, are becoming increasingly popular. The hardware and software is now within an affordable price range. Here are some examples of equipment for incorporating Digital Video into a live performance or mix.
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Edirol Motion Dive Motion dive takes an unique approach by taking two visual sources, and then mixing and switching them in a DJ style performance.Visual Mixing and Performance for PC and Mac. |
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Numark NuVJ With the NuVJ, the VJ can trigger images and video clips, add effects to them, mix them through an onboard DJ style crossfader and tweak them in order to create unique and spectacular shows. |
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Numark VJ01 Designed for DJs wanting to incorporate visuals into their entertainment mix, Numark’s VJ01 is a compact, tabletop media player that supports a wealth of video and audio formats. |
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