Step 3: Editing Your Video Scrapbook

After you have planned and gathered everything you need for your video scrapbook, you are ready to import everything into your video editing software and have some fun editing. This step is commonly referred to as post production and includes the following steps.

Add Music

The simplest way to get started is to drop your music into the audio timeline so you will know how much time you have to work with.

Add & Trim Clips

Drop all your clips and photos onto the timeline in the order you want them to appear in the video. Then, trim your clips–ruthlessly. Your goal is to get the best possible story in the least amount of time. If there’s too much unnecessary footage, you risk boring your audience.

Add a Title

The title should introduce your video. For example, if your video is for a wedding anniversary, the title should read something like “Our 50th Wedding Anniversary”. You could also put a date on the title. The title can be placed on top of a video clip or photo or you can even create a slide with the title on it.

Add Captions and Other Titles

In some cases, you might want to add captions or other titles throughout your video. For instance, if you’re creating a vacation video, you might want to put a caption at the bottom of the video that tells where you are or what you are doing. You might also want to add more titles throughout the video, especially if it’s long, to break it up into smaller segments.

Add Transitions

A transition is an effect where one clip replaces another clip. The three most commonly used transitions include:

• Dissolve (or cross-dissolve)—one clip slowly dissolves into another clip.
• Fade in—a black screen dissolves into a clip.
• Fade out—a clip fades out to a black screen

The dissolve, fade in, and fade out transitions flow so smoothly that viewers rarely notice that you even used them.

Most video editing software comes loaded with different transitions. All these wonderful transitions are so tempting to use. However, if you start using too many different transitions in one video, your viewers may start focusing on your transitions rather than your video. You don’t want your transitions to become your main attraction.

Add Special Effects

Special effects are filters that change the appearance of your video. For example, you can change the color of your video. You can also apply different effects that make it look like its raining or lightening. You can even apply an earthquake effect. You can speed up your video or slow it down or make it go backwards.
Before you start editing your video, you should play around with the different effects your software offers and come up with ideas of how you can use these effects.

Add Ending Credits

Make sure you include a proper ending in your video. You wouldn’t want to leave your viewers hanging. You can end your video with outtakes, a short message, poem, or Bible verse. You could even put an ending title page with the words “The End”.

When you are finished editing your video, you can share it with friends and family.

Go to Step 4.

Related Posts

Create a Video Scrapbook in 5 Easy Steps
Step 1: Plan Your Video Scrapbook
Step 2: Gather Items for Your Video Scrapbook
Step 4: Share Your Video Scrapbook
Step 5: Archive Your Video Scrapbook