Improve home movies with these editing tips

Source material
You will need some footage to work with. Find out how to transfer video from different types of camcorder. To recap, video cameras that rely on memory cards or hard disk for storage can generally be connected via USB so video files can be dragged and dropped to the PC’s hard disk.

Tape-based digital video (DV) camcorders will need to be plugged in via Firewire. Then use Pinnacle Studio’s capture utility to transfer the recordings from cassette to computer. Click on the top-left tab labelled ‘1 Capture’. Now choose either to capture from tape, memory card/data disc or from a video DVD. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Alternatively, import some existing video files from the PC’s hard disk into Studio’s Album (the media browser that forms the top-left section of the interface). Click on the ‘2 Edit’ tab, and then click on the small folder icon at the top of the Album, next to the one with an upwards-pointing arrow in it.

Browse to the relevant folder and double-click one of the files and put a check next to where it says ‘Files’ instead of ‘Scenes’. Album view will fill with thumbnail images of all the video files contained in the selected folder.

Timeline time
By default, Studio 12 presents a ‘timeline’ editing view, as opposed to the more basic ‘storyboard’ style. Though it is possible to switch to Storyboard mode if you prefer (go to View and select ‘Storyboard’), Timeline mode is more useful for advanced editing as it provides much tighter control.

Studio’s Timeline, which runs horizontally across the lower portion of the screen, is where all video, audio, effects and titles that will make up your finished movie are assembled. The orange rule bar along the top of it displays the time in seconds and the Timeline itself is split into tracks; the top track is for video, but there are also separate tracks for audio, titles and so on. The icons to the left of each track tell you what each one is for.

Basic editing involves arranging clips in the Timeline in the desired order by dragging and dropping them from the Album. View any clip at any time by highlighting it in the Album window and clicking the Play button underneath the Preview window (top right). Once placed on the Timeline, clips show up as ‘blocks’ of time, with each block varying in size depending on the length of the clip.

Basic trimming can be done in the Timeline. Click on the left (beginning) edge of a clip block in the Timeline and the mouse pointer will change to a right-pointing arrow.

Now, keeping the mouse held down, drag towards the right, while watching the Preview window, until it reaches the point where you want the clip to start. Release the mouse button and anything prior to that point will be removed. Similarly, click and drag from the right edge of a clip to alter the end point.

Clips can also be split in the Timeline. Left-click once at a point on the orange Timeline rule bar. This will move the scrub bar to the clicked spot. Now move the mouse pointer to the top of the scrub bar and the cursor will turn to left and right-pointing arrows.

Click and drag the scrub bar to the exact point where you would like to split the clip, keeping an eye on the Preview window to find the right spot. Now right-click the clip and select ‘Split clip’ from the menu that appears.

Remember, splitting and trimming in the Timeline does not delete anything from the original video files or alter them in any way, so do not worry about ruining the source material as you cut and splice. Clips, even split ones, can be moved around within the Timeline by dragging and dropping and placed in any order you like.