Selecting Photos for a Video Scrapbook

November 29, 2006 by Kim · Leave a Comment 

When starting a video scrapbook, you might find that you have more than enough photos to include. Therefore, you’ll have to be selective in choosing photos. Here’s some tips that’ll help you select the best photos for your video scrapbook:

  • Avoid photos that are out of focus.
  • Avoid photos that are too small. When you enlarge them, they will become grainy.
  • Select a mix of close up photos and photos taken from a distance.
  • Select photos with individuals and some with groups of people.
  • Select photos that show important events or stages in one’s life.
  • Select photos that are candid and show character.
  • Select horizontal photos if possible. TV/computer monitors are wider than they are tall, so horizontal photos fill the screen and look much better. When you use vertical photos, black bars appear on each side of the photo since it doesn’t fill the screen. This is OK occasionally. However, it could be distracting if you have too many vertical photos.
  • Remember that each photo will probably display 6-8 seconds. So you might want to count the number of pictures you want to include and multiply that number by 7 seconds to determine how long the video will be.

Have fun! And keep checking my blog for more video scrapbooking tips!

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Scanning Newspaper Photos for Video Scrapbooks

November 28, 2006 by Kim · Leave a Comment 

Occasionally, you may need to scan photos from newspapers to add to your video scrapbook. Since the photos may be old and probably won’t be too sharp, you will need to clean them up to look better on screen. Here are some tips to get the best quality possible:

  1. Scan your image as line art (or about 72 dpi).Â
  2. In your photo editing software, blur the image slightly and then sharpen it.
  3. Change the color to black and white to strip any color out.

Use your photo editing software in moderation. Take small steps at first and increase the effect until you get the effect you want.

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Royalty Free Christmas Music

November 27, 2006 by Kim · 2 Comments 

Just in time for the holidays! Stock20.com released royalty free holiday music for only $14 (download). Each song comes with multiple length versions and a virtually unlimited use license.

This music is perfect if you want to create a Christmas Video Card to send to your friends and family.

Check them out at www.RoyaltyFreeHolidayMusic.com.

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10 Things I Learned From Videoing Soccer

November 22, 2006 by Kim · Leave a Comment 

I just created a video scrapbook for my 4 year old son’s soccer team. Throughout the season I videoed various parts of the game. Then, I used my Mac (iMovie) to create a montage of the various plays and showed it at the end of season soccer party.

These are the top 10 things I learned when creating the soccer video.

  1. Get plenty of close ups of the players. These are some of the best shots since you can see their facial expressions.
  2. Video funny things they do on the field… such as skipping, picking flowers, watching the planes fly by, etc. Then, you can have a bloopers section on your video and set it to music such as “The Little Rascals” or “Linus and Lucy”.
  3. Get shots of the crowd (parents) watching the game. This may not be that important to the child right now. But in 20 years, he/she will have fun looking to see who was in the crowd cheering them on.
  4. Video the setting… such as signs and landmarks. Once again, in 20 years you might not remember exactly where you played. You don’t need a lot of this coverage. But a little is good.
  5. Plan your video before you shoot it. For example, if you want to play a certain song in your video and you want the plays to go along with the video, you will need to make sure you get that coverage. For example, I videoed a lot of the kids falling down. It seems like they were always tripping over each other and the ball. In my video scrapbook, I showed various clips of the kids falling down and played the song “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba. The lyrics go like this… “I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down.”
  6. Video the coach. Video the coach and the kids in the huddle. Make sure you get the audio of the coach. These clips make great transitions between songs. Make sure you give a copy of the soccer video to the coach when you finish. He/she will definitely appreciate it.
  7. Don’t worry about videoing each game in their entirity. That would take too long to edit. Plus, to me, that’s not important. My goal was to show the kids having fun playing soccer.
  8. Use a tripod. I thought I had a pretty steady hand… and I do. But when the kids made a good play, I would cheer and those clips ended up being shaky. Ugggh!
  9. Move around. Don’t shoot all your video from one spot on the bleachers. If possible, shoot video from each end of the field, the center, etc. It will make your video scrapbook a lot more interesting. Plus, shoot at different angles, such as sitting down, standing up, standing on a chair, etc.
  10. Learn from your mistakes. After each game, watch the video and see where some improvements can be made. If you see something you like, keep doing it. By the end of the season, you should have some great footage!

Just remember… your video scrapbook doesn’t have to be perfect. Whatever you create will be a treasure for years to come. Have fun!

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Video Editing Keyboards

November 21, 2006 by Kim · Leave a Comment 

Bella Corporation just announced their new product… DV Keyboard 3.0.

This keyboard is the perfect tool for video scrapbookers. This keyboard has a built in jog/shutter controller that lets you edit faster and more efficiently, offering precise control over audio and video clips. Other features include:

  • High quality sticker sets for most popular applications
  • Programmable Multimedia Keys
  • Compatible with both PC and Mac
  • Dual USB 2.0 ports

The DV keyboard is priced at $129.95. For more information, visit the Bella Corporation website… http://www.bella-usa.com/DV.htm

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Don’t leave it to the professionals!

November 21, 2006 by Kim · 1 Comment 

Video editing is not just for the professionals anymore! Most people already have everything they need to create great looking home videos. All you need to get started is a video camera and a fairly new computer. I guess I should also mention that you will need lots of time for your new hobby. Once you get started, you won’t want to stop.

I first started my video editing (or video scrapbooking as I like to call it) hobby about 6 years ago. I bought a $3,000 pc and some expensive video editing software. I remained frustrated for about a year trying to get the software to run correctly on my new (expensive)PCc.

The great news is computers and video editing software have come a LONG way in the last 6 years! They’ve gotten a lot faster, more efficient, and–better yet–a LOT CHEAPER. New Windows PCs come loaded with Microsoft Movie Maker. You can find it in your Accessories folder. Now Movie Maker definitely isn’t the best video editing software available. It has it’s limitations. However, it’s a good (free) start to your new video scrapbooking hobby. It’s also a great place for you to learn the basics of video editing.

If you have an Apple computer, the new machines come loaded with iMovie. I’ve been using iMovie for about 8 months now and love it! It is so simple to use.

Once you really get into video scrapbooking, you will probably want to start looking into some more robust video editing programs.

Keep watching my blog for more information on video editing software!

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