Do you just pick up your video camera and start shooting? If so, the colors in your video may not be as vibrant as they could be. The colors are probably a little muted and bland.

White Balancing is a simple technique that calibrates your image so colors appear more vivid. This technique balances the levels of red, green, and blue in your video.

Jim Shorts created an excellent video tutorial that teaches you how to white balance. Check it out.

Here is a great video that shows you how to inexpensively set up a green screen.

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1. Epson Stylus Photo R380 Inkjet Printer
   This printer has to be one of the greatest inventions ever. Forget trying to use messy CD/DVD labels. This printer prints directly on CDs and DVDs. It includes a special tray that feeds CDs and DVDs into the printer. It also includes software where you can design whatever you want printed on the CD/DVD. You can even print photos on the CD/DVD.
2. Memorex DVD-R 16x 4.7GB 100 Pack Spindle Printable
   You can’t have the Epson printer without printable DVDs. I prefer Memorex DVD-R for all my projects.
3. The Little Digital Video Book
   This is a great little book for the video editing hobbyist. It provides lots of great tips for shooting and editing video. I seem to refer to my book a lot.
4. Canon ZR830 MiniDV Camcorder with 35x Optical Zoom
   I’ve had great luck with Canon camcorders. I’ve been using the Canon ZR80 for the past few years and it still works like a charm. So I’m sure the ZR830 has got to be even better than mine. This little consumer camcorder has gotten some great reviews.
5. Celestron Photo / Video Tripod
   If you shoot a lot of video, then you definitely need a tripod like this one. There’s a huge selection of tripods on the market. I have one similar to this one. I also have a smaller version of this one that easily folds up small enough to fit into my camera bag.
6. Canon PowerShot SD750 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)
   I bought this digital camera last month and have had so much fun with it. It’s very small and lightweight and takes some great pictures. When I’m out with my kids, I like to wear it around my neck or wrist so I don’t ever miss any photo opportunities. The zoom is not that great however. But I really don’t take many distant shots anyway. I usually take closeup shots of my kids. So it’s perfect for what I need it for.
7. Canon CanoScan 4400F Color Image Scanner (1306B002)
   This is a great little scanner that will scan your photos, 35 mm film, and slides.
8. Apple iMac Desktop with 20″ Display MA876LL/A (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)
   I absolutey LOVE LOVE LOVE my iMac.
9. Apple iLife ‘06 (Mac DVD) [OLDER VERSION]
   Apple recently introduced iLife ‘08. However, I am not crazy about it because the completely revamped iMovie. iLife ‘06 includes the older version of iMovie which has lots of great themes and is so easy to use. With iLife ‘06, you also get iPhoto and iDVD.
10. Adobe Premiere Elements 4
    If you’re a PC user, then I recommend Adobe Premiere Elements for your video editing needs. I also have a copy of this on my laptop and have created some great home videos with it.
11. Videomaker Magazine
    This magazine is geared more towards the video professional. However, the video hobbyist can still get a lot of great information out of it. Oh how I wish someone would start a great magazine for the hobbyist…
12. Israel Hyman of Izzy Video
    Here you can find short, easy-to-understand video tutorials that show you how to shoot and edit better video.
13. YouTube
    Upload your videos for free and share them with friends and family around the world.

Each year, I create a video Christmas card to share with my friends and family. This video highlights special things that happened throughout the year. For example, my video this year will highlight school activities, t-ball, Cub Scouts, spring break at Sea World, our summer vacation at the coast,  and much much more. It will include video clips, photos, music, voice overs, and scanned images such as ticket stubs and postcards.

My video has definitely turned into a tradition that my friends and family look forward to each year. I even had requests from some friends to teach them how to make their own.

Therefore, I created a training guide that teaches you How to Create a Video Christmas Card using Windows Movie Maker. If you are new to video editing, Movie Maker is a great place to start since it comes installed free on most computers.

My friend, Marie Ynami, asked me to be a guest speaker at her Holiday Season Kick Off today at 1:00 pm (CST). We will be discussing things like what tools you need to get started video scrapbooking, what types of video scrapbooks you can make, and basic video editing tips. She will have a chat room open to take your questions.

I hope you can drop by to visit with us.

Thanksgiving is only six days away. If you plan on creating a home video of your Thanksgiving celebration, then it’s time to start thinking about great Thanksgiving songs. I created this iMix of 100 great songs for your celebration.

If you can think of any other great songs, please leave a comment to share with the rest of us.

1. All Kinds of People by Sheryl Crow
2. Almost Thanksgiving Day by Graham Parker
3. American Land by Bruce Springsteen
4. Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie by Jay And The Techniques
5. Are You Having Any Fun by Tony Bennett with the Count Basie Big Band
6. An Attitude of Gratitude by Jimmy Buffett
7. Autumn Leaves by Newell Oler
8. Back Home Again by John Denver
9. Baseball Turkeys by QCS Kids and Friends
10. Be Thankful by Natalie Cole
11. Be Thankful for What You’ve Got by Portrait
12. The Best Day by George Strait
13. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by George Winston
14. Cranberry Sauce (Tribute to John Lennon) by Kati Mac
15. Darling Be Home Soon by Joe Cocker
16. (Do The) Mashed Potatoes by The Undertakers
17. Family by Amy Grant
18. Family by Ben Harney, Cleavant Derricks, Jennifer Holliday, Loretta Devine, Obba Babatunde & Sheryl Lee Ralph
19. Family by Bunny Hull
20. Food by Deirdre Flint
21. The Four Seasons ‘Autumn’: Allegro by Takako Nishizaki
22. Give Thanks by Adalya
23. Give Thanks and Praise by Bob Marley
24. Gobblers by Jay Ungar & Molly Mason
25. God’s Been Good to Me by Keith Urban
26. Good Enough for Granddad by Squirrel Nut Zippers
27. Grateful and Thankful by Francis Dunnery
28. Happy Thanksgiving Day by TV’s Kyle
29. Happy Together by The Turtles
30. Harvest Thanksgiving by The Mastersingers
31. The Heart of Life by John Mayer
32. Holiday by Madonna
33. Home by Michael Bublé
34. Home Cookin’ by The Band
35. Home Sweet Home by Sally Harmon
36. Homeward Bound by Simon & Garfunkel
37. I Am a Pilgrim by Johnny Cash
38. I Thank You by Sam & Dave
39. I Thank You by Child Zakk Wylde
40. I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts
41. (I’m Gonna Eat) On Thanksgiving Day by Laurie Berkner
42. I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For by Bing Crosby
43. In the Family by Dave Nachmanoff - Songs by the Silcock Family
44. Is My Family by John McCutcheon
45. Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant
46. Living Together, Growing Together by Burt Bacharach
47. Making Pies by Patty Griffin
48. Mayflower Rock (Master Take) by Dizzy Gillespie
49. My Country Tis of Thee by Crosby & Nash
50. National Anthem of Turkey by Swarovski Orchestra
51. November Rain by Guns N’ Roses
52. Now Be Thankful by Fairport Convention
53. On the Street Where You Live by Shirley Horn
54. Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
55. Over the River and Through the Wood by Paul Lippert
56. Roll Plymouth Rock by Brian Wilson
57. Run Turkey Run! by The Rob Beadle Triangle Band
58. Share the Land by The Guess Who
59. Shine On Harvest Moon by Betty Carter
60. Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
61. Step Inside This House (Step Inside My House) by Lyle Lovett
62. Still Say, Thank You by Smokie Norful
63. Sweet Potato Pie by Al Jarreau
64. Thank U by Alanis Morissette
65. Thank You by Bonnie Raitt
66. Thank You by John Mellencamp
67. Thank You by Tori Amos
68. Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold
69. Thank You for the Music by ABBA
70. Thankful by Kelly Clarkson
71. Thankful for What I’ve Got by Barbara Lewis
72. Thanks by James Gang
73. Thanks by The Nelons
74. Thanks a Lot by Ernest Tubb
75. Thanks a Million by Louis Armstrong
76. Thanks Again by Ricky Skaggs
77. Thanks for the Memories by Bob Hope & Shirley Ross
78. Thanks for the Memory by Rod Stewart
79. Thanks for the Memory by Susannah McCorkle
80. Thanks to You by Emmylou Harris
81. Thanksgiving by Beatroots
82. Thanksgiving Day by Ray Davies
83. Thanksgiving Day by Sage Gentle-Wing
84. Thanksgiving Jig by Will Putman & Shonti Elder
85. Thanksgiving Prayer by Bobbie Fisher
86. The Thanksgiving Song by Adam Sandler
87. Thanksgiving Song 97 by Nick Brisco
88. Theme from “Family Guy” by Family Guy
89. (There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays by Carpenters
90. Timeless by Selah
91. Together Again by Janet Jackson
92. Turkey Gobbler by Buddy Thomas
93. Turkey In the Straw by Ron Stewart & Sammy Shelor
94. We Are Family by Sister Sledge
95. We Gather Together by Cedarmont Kids
96. We Gather Together by Philip Aaberg
97. We’ll Be Together by Sting
98. What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
99. Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers Theme) by Gary Portnoy
100. You Get What You Give by New Radicals

To my grandfather, father, uncles, nephew, friends, and all Veterans who have served our great country, I would like to say thank you. Thank you for giving us the freedom we have today. Not a day goes by without me thinking of the sacrifices you have made for our country. I am eternally grateful.

I found this excellent video on YouTube that says it all.

YouTube is by far the most popular video sharing service on the internet, followed by Google Video. But did you realize there are hundreds of other video sharing services out there? It seems like more and more pop up every day.

Here’s a list of 13 other video sharing services that I’ve discovered:

1. blip.tv
2. Clipshack
3. Crackle
4. Dabble
5. Dailymotion
6. Eyespot
7. Jumpcut
8. Ourmedia
9. Revver
10. Veoh
11. Videoegg
12. Vimeo
13. vSocial

If you have a favorite video sharing service that I have omitted, please leave a comment with a link to that site and tell us why you like that site.

This Disney parody is absolutely brilliant. Professor Eric Faden of Bucknell University created this video mashup using 400 cuts from 27 different Disney films to explain copyright and fair use laws.

I’m sure the Disney lawyers’ heads are spinning from this one.

Fair Use is a popular topic in the blogosphere right now because of sites like YouTube and Google Video.

I’ve been creating my own home video slideshows for several years now. I’ve been very careful about trying not to break any copyright laws. However, the more I try to figure out what’s fair use and what’s not fair use, the more confused I get.

I was doing a little more research this morning and stumbled across some very interesting blog posts. So I thought I would share some of them with you.

• Eugenia’s Rants and Thoughts
• Peter Black’s Freedom to Differ
• Fairly Useful
• Coding Horror
• h/b implications watch
• Videomaker

If you have it all figured out, please share some insight by leaving a comment. Or, if you’re just as confused as me, I would love to hear about it too.