The Instant Expert Guide to Video Editing: The cutting room

Editing your home movies is one of the most exciting things you can do with today's PCs. You can easily crop and rearrange your clips, as well as add professional-looking titles, fades and special effects.

Once complete you can then record your movie back to tape, email it to a friend, stream it from the web or even make a DVD, and in this workshop we'll show you how it's all done.

At the heart of any video-editing project is the software, and most packages work in similar ways. Typically the editing screen will be split into three sections with your video clips arranged in the upper left corner and a TV-like preview window in the upper right.

Running along the bottom half of the screen is the Timeline or Storyboard and, to create your masterpiece, you simply drag your clips onto this and rearrange them in any order you wish. This flexible way of working is described as non-linear editing.

In this workshop we've used Pinnacle's Studio 8 running under Windows XP to create a holiday movie.

Our movie footage was taken with a Sony TRV50 MiniDV camcorder connected to our PC using a FireWire cable.

Finally, for editing inspiration and tips, look no further than your favourite movies or TV shows with the sound turned down. You will instantly see how quickly the professionals cut from one scene to another and use various transitions.

1. View your footage and prepare a running order
One of the best things about using a computer to edit your videos is being able to rearrange the order of clips instantly.

This is known as non-linear editing and, while it's extremely useful, it can also make you become a little lazy.

The sheer speed with which the clips can be imported and dragged around the screen leaves little time for thinking about how you'd like your movie to fit together.

Consequently, before powering up your computer, we'd recommend watching your footage then sketching a list of the clips you'd like to use and in which order.

Even a small amount of pre-planning will make the editing process considerably simpler, while never allowing the gadgetry to get in the way of your original vision.

2. Connecting the camcorder
The first step in editing your movie is to get the video clips onto your hard disk. This involves connecting the camcorder to your computer and capturing the footage.

For this workshop, we're using a Sony TRV50 MiniDV camcorder and connecting it to a FireWire port in our PC. Like most digital camcorders, the TRV50's FireWire (DV) plug is the small 4-pin type, while the card in the PC uses the larger 6-pin variety.

Cables that go from 4-pin to 6-pin are very common and normally supplied with most FireWire cards. The neat thing about FireWire is that it not only carries digital video and audio in both directions, but allows the computer to control the tape in the camcorder.

3. Capturing footage
Some editing packages capture footage just like using a second video recorder: you simply start the camcorder playing, then selectively record the sequences you want, one at a time using the computer.

While Pinnacle Studio 8 can do this, it can also make the process much simpler by automatically detecting when one clip ends and another begins. By using this auto-scene detection, you can leave the tape running and let the software capture and save each subsequent clip separately.

Once the tape has finished, you'll be left with all your clips captured and lined up, ready for editing. While Studio 8 is happy to work with analogue sources, the process is even simpler for digital camcorders, as the tape can be controlled over the FireWire connection.

4. Watching clips in preview window
Once all your footage has been captured it's time to start the editing process. Clicking on the Edit tab at the top of Studio 8's main workspace brings up the view below.

This is where we'll view our clips, crop and arrange them, and add various transitions, titles and effects. There are three main views: the basic Storyboard (shown in this and Step 5), the precise Timeline and a text-based option.

At this, or any other point in the editing process, you can preview your clip or an effect on the video window in the top right corner. It's not a bad idea to use this window to remind yourself of each clip that's been captured by Studio 8.

5. Arrange your clips
Like all non-linear video-editing programs, Pinnacle Studio 8 uses a very simple means of arranging and rearranging your clips into a finished movie.

Each clip is represented by a box showing a picture of the opening frame and these are simply dragged onto an area in the bottom half of the screen in the order you desire.

If you want to change the order, simply drag the clips around to rearrange them. We dragged our favourite clips from the Album area in the top left corner to the Storyboard view running across the bottom half of the screen. As always, the video window in the top right can be used to preview your work at any time.

6. Trimming the clips
Since most clips are way too long, they must be trimmed to a more suitable length. The simplified Storyboard view in Steps 4 and 5 shows the order in which the clips should play, but gives no indication of their relative duration.

Switching to Studio 8's more sophisticated Timeline view shows each clip against a ruler measured in minutes and seconds; the captured audio is also shown below each clip.

To trim a clip, you can simply drag its left and/or right sides directly on the Timeline, or use the trimming area in the top left, which clearly shows the new start and end points. Trimming a clip here won't damage the original file, and is reversible if you decide to extend it back again.

7. Adding transitions
Once our clips have been arranged and trimmed, it's time to add the all-important transitions. A transition controls how one clip goes to the next, and could be a smooth fade or a wipe from one side of the screen to the other.

Particularly exotic transitions include dissolves, checkerboards or even animated flying video windows.

Studio 8 comes with a wide range of transitions, accessed by clicking the icon below the camera in the Album area. Clicking on each transition then shows a preview in the video window. To apply a transition, simply drag it between two clips, either in the Storyboard or Timeline view.

8. Inserting still photos
Mentioning photos in a workshop about video may seem a bit odd, but they can be used to great effect in movies. Single photos or a series of snapshots work really well as introductions or scene-setters, especially with the right narration or music behind them.

For example, a series of 10 or so amusing snaps could work better than endless footage of a wedding reception. Studio 8 works with photos the same way as video: images are dragged from the Album onto the Timeline.

Often the best result is when each photo in a series is displayed for just a second or two. This explains the bunched-up appearance of five photos on the Timeline above, between the first and second clip.

9. Applying effects
Studio 8 offers a number of special effects that can be applied individually to clips if desired. Some, like blurring and embossing, are little more than a novelty but others are useful, including brightening or adjusting the colour, or the one which speeds up or slows down a clip.

To access Studio's effects toolbox, either click on the camcorder icon in the top left corner of the Timeline or Storyboard view, or select it from the Toolbox menu.

10. Importing sounds and music
The audio captured by built-in camcorder microphones often leaves much to be desired, but fortunately Studio 8 makes it a doddle to mix or replace it with music or sound effects.

Once again, Studio handles audio files in exactly the same way as video clips or still photos. Click on the loudspeaker icon in the main Album to browse audio files on your hard disk, before dragging them onto the lower audio track on the Timeline.

Other audio options can be accessed by clicking the loudspeaker icon in the top left of the Timeline, such as using tracks from a CD.

11. Voice-overs
In Step 10 we described adding sound effects or music to our movie, but another option is to record your own commentary. While you could narrate the entire movie, it can be equally effective applied to just one clip or a series of photos.

Studio 8 makes it very easy to record commentary by counting you in to the start of the chosen section, then playing the footage as you talk. This is then automatically placed in the correct part of the Timeline, where you can adjust volumes or trim as required.

To record narration, just click on the speaker icon in the top left of the Timeline, then choose the microphone icon in the Album. You can also access other audio options here.

12. Adding titles
The finishing touch to any movie production is adding titles. These could be an introductory screen, credits or captions on selected clips.

Studio 8 includes a number of pre-prepared titles for popular events such as weddings and anniversaries, accessed by clicking on the T icon in the main Album.

It's just as easy to create your own by choosing Create Title from the Toolbox menu. Here you've got the choice of creating an overlay, such as a subtitle introducing a scene, or a full screen title, which could be used to start the movie.

13. Output to tape
Now that your movie's complete, it's time to output it. Studio's various options can be seen by selecting the Make Movie tab at the top of the workspace.

If you've got a digital camcorder with a DV input, the most natural thing to do is to record your edited project back onto tape in perfect quality.

To do this, first select Tape from the tabs in the top left of the screen. Since we captured the clips in the DV format, they don't need reconverting, but Studio must render our effects and transitions. Depending on your processor, this could take several minutes.

Once complete, Studio can automatically control your camcorder to record the movie back onto tape. All you have to do is make sure you've inserted a blank one!

14. Creating menus for optional DVD output
One of the most exciting aspects of video editing is the chance to make your own DVD. Studio 8 can create DVDs that simply start playing, but it's much more fun and flexible to have a menu system similar to those seen on commercial titles.

Studio 8 allows you to create your own menus from scratch or use and modify supplied ones. View the menus from the Show Menus icon in the Album, drag one to the Timeline, then use the Timeline's camcorder icon to make further adjustments; you can even have moving video in both the buttons and backgrounds.

You can also switch the video window to preview common DVD remote control options.

15. Creating an AVI or MPEG file
If you want to have a copy of your movie on your computer for casual viewing, or fancy emailing the entire thing to a friend, you'll need to output it in an appropriate format.

Studio 8 offers either AVI or MPEG formats, both accessed from their respective tabs on the main Make Movie view.

Generally speaking, AVI files can be played on more computers than MPEGs, but they can be much larger for the same quality. Most computers support the lower-quality MPEG-1 format as standard, but high-quality MPEG-2 requires additional decoding software.

Most software DVD players can open and play MPEG-2 files, though, as this is the native video format of DVD movies.

16. Creating an online streaming version
Streaming is an increasingly popular way to view video using the internet. Rather than taking a potentially long time to download an entire video clip, streaming allows the viewer to start watching after only a few seconds.

Studio 8 allows you to prepare your own movie for streaming in the two most popular formats: Windows Media and RealVideo. To access the options for each format, simply click on the Stream tab in the main Make Movie view.

You can then optimise your movie for various internet connections, from 56K modems to high-speed ADSL. You may need to pay your ISP extra to support streaming media on your website, especially if many people are able to view at once.

ALTERNATIVE EDITING SOFTWARE

In this workshop we've used Pinnacle Studio 8 for Windows which costs around £55. While Studio 8 offers a great range of features for the price, there are alternatives for those who want something simpler or more complex.

Windows Movie Maker 2 is an excellent choice for Windows XP users starting out in video editing. It offers a simple timeline approach where you can drag and rearrange clips, then add various transitions, effects and audio tracks.

The final result can be output back to tape, various file formats or turned into a CD, although not in the standard Video CD format. Windows Movie Maker 2 only works with Windows XP, but is available free of charge from www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker.

If your ultimate goal is to make a Video CD or DVD with the least effort, check out Pinnacle Expression. Rather than rearranging clips with a Timeline, Expression jumps straight from video-capture to creating on-screen menus with buttons to select each scene - just like a proper DVD.

It's very easy to use and even comes with a label creation kit, all for £27. To write Video CDs or DVDs, you will also need a CD or DVD burner. If you want more editing options, though, you'll be better off with Studio 8.

The undisputed king of video editors is Adobe Premiere, now on version 6.5 and weighing in at hefty £499.

A simple timeline may still lie at the heart of Premiere, but with advanced titling, filters and effects, support for multiple tracks and formats, along with tight integration with other professional tools, it's the natural choice of broadcasters and serious enthusiasts alike.

Adobe
www.adobe.co.uk

Microsoft
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker

Pinnacle
www.pinnaclesys.com

PRODUCING DVDs

Today it's possible to make your own DVD movies, complete with interactive menus, and play them back in domestic players. Annoyingly though, there are currently no fewer than five different recordable DVD formats to choose from: two write-once and three rewritable.

The write-once formats are called DVD-R and DVD+R, and are pronounced 'DVD dash R' and 'DVD plus R'. Both work in virtually every player and blanks cost around £3 each, but can only be recorded on once.

The rewritable formats are called DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. DVD-RW and DVD+RW blanks cost around £8 each and work in most but not all players.

DVD-RAM blanks are less compatible still and cost up to £15 each, but offer unique time shifting and archive performance. The good news is that prices on all blanks are steadily dropping.

No one DVD recorder can write on all five formats. Typically you have the choice of three models: one does DVD-R and DVD-RW, another does DVD+R and DVD+RW, while the third does DVD-RAM and DVD-R.

The situation is improving with new drives that support multiple combinations. DVD-Multi drives can do DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM, while Dual-RW drives can do DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD+RW.

There's still no one drive that can do them all, and no format looks like going away. The important thing is to write your movie onto either DVD-R or DVD+R for the best compatibility. Fortunately, since all modern recorders can handle one or both of those formats, you'll be fine with any model.

VIDEO CD AND SUPER VIDEO CD

Making DVDs is a great way of sharing your movies but there's currently some confusion over formats. DVDs aren't the only disc-based solution though. The Video CD (or VCD) format can store up to 60 minutes of VHS-quality video on a normal CD.

The quality may not be as good as DVD, but blank CDs are cheaper, compatible with almost all drives, and most PCs have a CD-writer as standard. The VCD format can also be played in most computers and domestic DVD machines.

Perhaps even more cunning are Super Video CDs (SVCDs), which store DVD-quality video on normal CDs. With lower capacity, a CD may only store around 20 minutes of DVD quality but that's often enough for a holiday, wedding or training video.

There are also the same media advantages of VCDs, although the SVCD format is only recognised by a handful of the latest domestic DVD players. On the upside, Pinnacle's Studio 8, used in the main workshop, offers maximum flexibility by offering to create your movie as a VCD, SVCD or full DVD.