Videomaker’s Intermediate Editing Webinar will take you beyond simple cuts and transitions and teach you techniques that will allow you to advance your basic video editing skills. Our web presentation focuses on multi-camera editing, simple compositing, filters and effects and more; helping you in your quest to create polished and professional-looking video.

Following the session, all registrants will receive a copy of a special report. Additionally, we will be including live Q&A throughout the event; our team answering your questions. This event starts at 11:00 AM (PDT) on Wednesday, May 16, so be sure to sign up soon!

Check out Videomaker’s weekly Webinar Training Series for other sessions taught by our experts. Our webinar series features a wide variety of video production and post production topics including Advanced Shooting, Green Screen and Special Effects, Documentary Production, Lighting for Video, and much more.

Mobile Video Apps by Beata Dumaplin

Video making has never been more accessible than in today’s mobile world. Almost every digital device, from music players to smart phones, can shoot video. With the increase in video capture, we have also seen a growth in video editing software, especially for mobile devices. We took a walk around the Internet and found quite a few video editing apps.  Read the rest of this entry »

What’s Your Video Style? Take this quiz for fun and see what style of video best suits your personality. Agree or disagree with your results? Tell us why below!

1) What’s your Favorite thing about putting together a video?

A) I like working in a nice quiet studio, where I can devote all my attention to my work.

B) I like working with video tools and equipment. I’m a real hardware fanatic!

C) I like working with people. They fascinate me!

D) I like creating an ambiance, something that will really draw the audience into the movie!

E) I like the action. I’m not happy unless I’m in the center of the storm!

F) I like the chance to be creative, to experiment with new ideas!

2) What’s the most important thing you look for when you watch a video?

A) I look to see how well it’s technically put together. I appreciate good craftsmanship.

B) It has to look good! People aren’t going to watch it if it looks like it was made by amateurs.

C) I like a good story, something to really make me care about the people on the screen.

D) A good soundtrack! A movie is boring if it doesn’t have a some tunes!

E) I want to see real people in real situations! I want to see how things really happened.

F) Did it teach me something new? I always want to add to my knowledge!

3) If you could pick anyplace in the world to shoot a video, would you choose to shoot:

A) The Great Barrier Reef in Australia?

B) The Roman Catacombs in Italy?

C) The Great Pyramids of Egypt?

D) The Oktoberfest Celebration in Germany?

E) The Running of the Bulls in Spain?
F) Bodie Ghost Town in California?

4) How would you describe yourself?

A) Meticulous and Logical!

B) Dark and Mysterious!

C) An Avid Story-teller!

D) Epic, Bigger than Life!

E) A Romantic at Heart!
F) Curious and Restless!

5) What’s your Biggest Reward in Making Video?

A) The Satisfaction of a Job Well Done.

B) The Appreciation of an Audience

C) Making a difference in the way people see the world.

D) The Chance to do Something Challenging and Creative

E) Seeing People’s Faces when they see themselves in your video

F) Seeing your Work on the Big Screen.

If you answered mostly A, you are an EDITOR. Shooting video is fun, but you have a real appreciation for the craft and artistry that comes afterward. You know that every snip and splice has the potential to make a story come to life, and there’s nothing you like better than turning that raw footage into something compelling.

If you answered mostly B, you are a LIGHTING FANATIC. You know that a video isn’t worth anything if you can’t tell what’s going on in it. Your standards for lighting are strict and your videos benefit from your attention to detail. Whether it’s creating a noir atmosphere with shadows or illuminating an interview subject, you know that lighting is key to interesting, engrossing videos. You’re always up to meet the challenges that other videographers forget to prepare for.

If you answered mostly C, you are a DOCUMENTARIAN. You love story telling and you can find the story in anything. Whether it’s something as small and silly as a nature film about salamanders or as heart-felt and personal as a family biography, you’re aces at finding those telling moments that illustrate the big picture. You love exploring human drama and you’re not shy about capturing the best – and worst– with your camera.

If you answered mostly D, you are a SOUND FANATIC. You’re the person people turn to when they need to capture the soft sounds of birdsong or muffle out the interrupting din from the nearby highway, because you understand how important sound is. When you do your job right, the results are practically invisible. Audiences may not realize why they like your videos, that your perfectly-synced sound effects and carefully selected music are what’s pulling them in, but you know the secret. You’re always up to meet the challenges that other videographers forget to prepare for.

If you answered mostly E, you are an EVENT VIDEOGRAPHER. You’re a daredevil; you like being right in the middle of the action. You don’t shirk from a challenge and you’re not afraid to take on assignments where you only have one shot to get it right – weddings, celebrations, speeches, anything where there’s a vortex of activity, you’ll be there with your camera in hand. Action is your watchword!

If you answered mostly F, you are a JACK OF ALL TRADES. You’re always exploring, always searching for something new. You never accept that you’ve learned enough, and you’re always striving to improve your video-making skills. Your creativity and inquisitiveness show through in your videos, which are continuously changing and maturing.

For tips and tricks with all sorts of video, join Videomaker‘s  eNews electronic newsletter, chock full of the info and advice you crave, it’s just what you need to satisfy that nagging curiosity.

Last week we looked at one new tool for tidying up your videos in post-production.  The Fix it in Post DVD is Videomaker’s answer to the eternal question, “Oh no, this footage is messed up! What do I do now?”  We like to think that the Fix it in Post DVD will help answer any post-production mess that you could encounter, from washed out colors to shaky camera work.

But we know that’s not really the case: There’s always going to be some new problem that you’ve never encountered before, that we didn’t have the time or foresight to cover.  What then?  What if you need more help?

We were worried about just that situation, so we put our heads together and came up with something brilliant. It’s the Fix it in Post Ultimate Toolkit.  It’s got all the same great info about fixing static-muddled audio, ramping up bland colors, deinterlacnig footage, steadying nausea-inducing shakes, changing frame rates,  and subtly erasing unwanted objects  — plus a ton more that we weren’t able to cram onto a single DVD. This is the package for when you come back with footage that you just know will need A LOT of help.  It’s the big guns of post-production fix-its. In fact, it’s more than that. It’s the big TANK of post-production fix-its.

The Fix it in Post Ultimate Toolkit has all the best goodies for assuaging your post-production worries:

Edit Like the Pros #1 (eDoc)

Get your act together! Everyone wants to “edit like a pro”. But what does that really mean? Learn how to use your space and time effectively.

Edit Like the Pros #2 (eDoc)

Beginning editors concentrate on how to do the tasks of editing well. The professionals change their perspective. Learn how to shift your perspective from simply “how to do things” to how things should be done.

Fix It In Post (eDoc)

If the footage you just shot has problems, all is not lost. You can fix it! Ever get a sinking feeling when you review your footage and discover problems? Maybe it’s a sound you do not want or a camera shot that was too jittery. A lot of things go overlooked while shooting, only to show up as problems during the editing process. The good news is that your footage is probably salvageable with the proper techniques.

Scoping Out Your Video (eDoc)

Many editing software programs offer a variety of colorful scopes to help enhance the hue, color, and brilliance, among other editing tweaks. But how do they work?

Fix it in Post (DVD)

This DVD covers all the constant bugaboos of video creators: Washed-out color, shaky camera work, hisses and hums and annoying electrical noises, even the dreaded visible boom mic. But the worst part? No matter how careful you are, you’re sure to meet them time and again over the course of your video career. Learn how to stop them! Adobe software is used as demonstration software, but this DVD teaches theory and techniques that can be used in most current editing programs.

Rotoscoping  (Multimedia)

Do you want to make your hero fly? Stand your talent behind a virtual news desk? There’s nothing you can’t do with the right tools and skill-set. This tutorial teaches you how to realistically do this using rotoscoping tricks with Adobe After Effects.

Color Correction (VOD)

We look at how to read color scopes and monitors, use color correction tools to fix your footage and use secondary color correction to make sure your footage looks its best.

Compression Connection (Multimedia)

If you want your video to sound professional, you need to use compressors. This tutorial explains the process and how to compress your audio for the best sound results. This is a segment from Editing, part of our popular multimedia tutorial DVD-ROM series.

Color Correction 101 (eDoc)

A few simple steps can save an improperly-shot scene or improve one that is less than brilliant.

Color Correction 201 (eDoc)

Ever want to enhance a washed-out sky or push the color on a less-than-vibrant hill of grass? This eDoc covers working with Secondary Color Correction aspects such as Filters, Style and Color Enhancement.

Not to toot our own horn, but we’re really happy to finally be able to offer this toolkit.  Fix it in Post DVD is a great tool, but, if you’re like me, you know that you need a lot of post production help.  Some video creators have a sharp eye for detail; they like to carefully and meticulously dot every i and cross every t. If that’s your personality, you’ll still make some mistakes — it’s inevitable — but you’ll be able to catch most of them before you make them.  But if you’re a shoot-from-the-hip rebel who’s more attuned to worrying about the big picture…well, you might need a little extra help in post-production.  (Don’t feel bad if that sounds like you — I always get so excited during shooting that I end up with a bunch of problems that need fixing in post!)

Learn more about the Fix it in Post Ultimate Toolkit.

Slite is a concept that seems like a great combination of technology that is already available – mobile editing and digital imaging. The specific model only shows still image editing, but video editing can’t be too far behind. The tools available sure look professional, and add mid range audio editing capability and there is some serious work to be done with this one device!

Important to this design is a separate innovation, extendable displays. Increasing the edit space for mobile video editing is one of the first things people are skeptical about, and rightly so, there’s a reason most professionals go for dual screen monitoring. The Slite takes this  idea and gives it a great shot, by sliding the screen down, extending beyond the original height by an inch or two. The extra workspace should allow for you to view other clips and tools. The workspace can also shift when you turn the camera to a new orientation for a larger view, who knows, this may be necessary for a timeline.

This screen is really what will set it apart from other cameras, with the ability to display on the front as well as the back of the camera. Many phones included a convex mirror to aid the self portraits with cell phones, but this is almost too much. If nothing else, over the shoulder shots will be a breeze.

So many of the tools we’ve come to expect, white balance, exposure, zoom and crop should make an easy transition to the big time of editing video on a mobile device. Expect a lot of menus, since the external buttons are minimal. Even if only basic edits are available, it will mean a lot since you’ll be able to edit a good take immediately after it is shot. Then, when you reach your editing work station, instead of ingesting raw footage, you’ll be transferring your rough edit.

Videomaker’s Intermediate Editing Webinar will take you beyond simple cuts and transitions and teach you techniques that will allow you to advance your basic video editing skills. Our web presentation focuses on multi-camera editing, simple compositing, filters and effects and more; helping you in your quest to create polished and professional-looking video.

Following the session, all registrants will receive a copy of a special report. Additionally, we will be including live Q&A throughout the event; our team answering your questions. This event starts at 11:00 AM (PST) on Wednesday, Dec. 28, so be sure to sign up soon!

Check out Videomaker’s weekly Webinar Training Series for other sessions taught by our experts. Our webinar series features a wide variety of video production and post production topics including Advanced Shooting, Green Screen and Special Effects, Documentary Production, Lighting for Video, and much more.