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| BRAND | MODEL | A PRICE | INTRODUCED | A REVIEW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? |
| OBJECTIVE | MACINTOSH OSX | WINDOWS 2000/XP/VISTA | LINUX |
|---|---|---|---|
| To acquire video... | |||
| To transfer DV (Digital Video shot by a DV or HDV camera) to a computer... | If your Mac is has a G4 or G5 processor, use iMovie 4 software, whose import function transfers DV clips into a project's "Media" folder, with a separate file for each record segment (off-on-off). iMovie 4 is preferable to iMovie HD for this and the next task because the former can permanently delete portions of clips. If your Mac shipped with iMovie HD or if an upgrade installed iMovie HD, you can still copy iMovie 4 back onto your Mac. Then beware that to open an iMovie 4 project, you should run iMovie 4 first, otherwise iMovie HD will open it. iMoview HD is OK for someone who is decision-challenged or prone to make mistakes. And iMovie 4 just won't work on a Mac with an Intel processor. If you can't or shouldn't use iMovie 4, be ready to acquire more hard drives to accomodate the extraneous footage. | If you know of any Windows editors under $200 that can permanently delete portions of clips, please let me know (e-mail address below) | If you know of any Linux editors under $200 that can permanently delete portions of clips, please let me know (e-mail address below) |
| To permanently delete poor footage... |
while using iMovie 4, select portions of clips or entire clips, then choose Clear from the Edit menu. After, say, 20 minutes of editing, empty the trash (making the delete permanent), and save the project. In lieu of having iMovie 4, you can use the $30 QuickTime Pro or $0 MPEG Streamclip to open any single clip (sitting in the project's Media folder), select a contiguous portion of the footage, choose Trim from the Edit menu, then export the footage to a new clip. iMovie HD can delete whole clips but not portions of clips. | your suggested software solutions Instead of using a conventional video editor, you can use the QuickTime Pro or MPEG Streamclip to open any single clip (sitting in the project's Media folder), select a contiguous portion of the footage, choose Trim from the Edit menu, then export the footage to a new clip. |
your suggested software solutions |
| To extract date/time from footage... |
If DVFileDateCM is installed, control-click a DV file (either in the Media folder or wherever you archived it) to copy the DV Record Date/Time. | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To database a DV clip and to create unique text to name that file permanently... |
from the previous copy action, paste the Date/Time for each clip into one record in a Filemaker Pro database (excellent commercial software). Create a New Record for each clip. Paste the Date/Time and type the Tape number into the Tape field. If your database has a "FileName" field calculated from the Date/Time field and the Tape field, copy the "Filename" field for the record and paste to replace the clip's name (in the Operating System's Finder). | from the previous copy action, paste the Date/Time for each clip into one record in a Filemaker Pro database (excellent commercial software). Create a New Record for each clip. Paste the Date/Time and type the Tape number into the Tape field. If your database has a "FileName" field calculated from the Date/Time field and the Tape field, copy the "Filename" field for the record and paste to replace the clip's name (in the Operating System's Windows Explorer). | your suggested software solutions |
| To set the stage for stabilizing your footage... |
Run iMovie 4 again. If you had renamed the first project, iMovie 4 will prompt you to create a new project. If you didn't rename the first project, it will open, so you'll have to choose New from the File menu to open a new project. Then, drag your Date/Time-named clips to the iMovie 4 icon to import them to the new project. The new Date/Time-named clips will be duplicated into the project's Media folder, so be sure you have lots of GB free. | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To set the stage for archiving your original footage (with date/time and tape number in their names... |
Once the clip files have their permanent names, they ought to be moved out of the Media folder. Use the Finder to organize clips into location folders within species folders. Once all files have been moved out of the original Media folder, you can delete the project using the Finder or Desktop. | Use Windows Explorer to organize Date/Time clips into location folders within species folders Once all files have been moved out of the original Media folder, you can delete the project using Windows Explorer. | your suggested software solutions |
| To stabilize clips... | use fxStabilizer (a Rod Kent adaptation of the DeShaker plugin for Windows) which has plugins for iMovie 4 and HD. I have had much more luck with the iMovie 4 version, but it only runs on G4 and G5 Macs. The fxStabilizer Web site provides more information for Intel Macs and iMovie HD. The fxStabilizer plugin takes time to process, frames become enlarged somewhat so grain is slightly more evident, and stabilizing adds interlacing-like lines to the footage, so deinterlacing is necessary (even though the frames per second remains unaffected). | use Deshaker (by Gunnar Thalin) which is a plugin for VirtualDub. | your suggested software solutions |
| To finish the stabilization begun previously... |
You'll want to export clips individually from iMovie to a temporary folder called "stabilized" for lack of a better name. You don't need to invent new names to distinguish them because these are temporary files awaiting deinterlacing. Rename the project file but keep it for a few days in case you exported a file incorrectly. Beware: iMovie 4.0.1's "QT Full Quality DV" preset exports PAL-DVCPRO instead of PAL-DV which distorts added titles, transitions etc and cannot be exported to a consumer camcorder (only audio is exported). A workaround is to use the Expert export settings and PAL-DV with 48 kHz audio. | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To deinterlace the footage... |
Use VisualHub or use Use MPEG Streamclip or use JES Deinterlacer to deinterlace Stabilized clips and any clips produced by most consumer videocameras. If you performed any stabilization or resizing you should deinterlace no matter which camera you used | Use MPEG Streamclip to deinterlace Stabilized clips and any clips produced by most consumer videocameras. If you performed any stabilization or resizing you should deinterlace no matter which camera you used. | your suggested software solutions |
| To archive the stabilized footage... |
Save the improved clips near the original clips (which retain date/time) on a hard drive | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To begin creating footage for Web delivery or broadcast... |
use iMovie 4 to import the named clips (now deinterlaced) into a 3rd project delete boring footage... |
your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To add transitions to your clips for Web delivery or broadcast... |
close iMovie and reopen the project in iMovie HD if possible. iMovie HD has better sound and transition control. Drag 1/2-second to full-second Cross Dissolve transitions between any two clips on the clip pane. Use shorter transitions to avoid overlapping important footage. | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To adjust sound to remove sudden noises for Web delivery or broadcast... |
continuing with iMovie HD (but iMovie 4 is OK too), adjust the sound of all clips to fade in and out. Unless you have more than 1 noise per second, removing pops and clicks isn't hard: (1) copy any clip (the "original") sitting in the clip frame, (2) snap the Playhead at the original clip's end, (3) paste the copy there, (4) select the copy and choose Extract Audio from the Advanced menu, (5) copy the extracted audio, (6) position the Playhead at the beginning of the original, (7) paste the audio there, (8) position the Playhead at the beginning of a noise-less segment, (9) choose Split Audio Clip at Playhead from the Edit menu, (10) position the Playhead a couple seconds layer and split audio again, (11) delete the beginning and ends of the split-into-3 audio clip, (12) reduce the sound of the original for each noise event by clicking the line at 3 points and dragging the middle one fully down, (13) copy the 2-sec audio clip and paste it under each noise event, (14) add fade-in and fade-out to each audio clip to eliminate pop noises. | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To finish creating footage for Web delivery or broadcast... |
continuing with iMovie HD (but iMovie is OK too), export each clip or group of clips sharing a name to a new clips into a temporary folder. These can be temporary clips if your logo is appended to the beginning or end of the clip. | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To add a logo... | Use QuickTime Pro to append a 1-sec logo clip after the bird footage by dragging its file from my desktop to the open bird clip. Note: Utilities can easily remove logos that are plastered across your video. Export each clip to a new clip whose name is like the old name but adds an indication about it being a Web version. | Use QuickTime Pro to append a 1-sec logo clip after the bird footage by dragging its file from my desktop to the open bird clip. Note: Utilities can easily remove logos that are plastered across your video. Export each clip to a new clip whose name is like the old name but adds an indication about it being a Web version. | your suggested software solutions |
| To be able to modify your sound and transistions many days later... |
don't delete the iMovie HD project - just archive it on other hard drives. | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |
| To compress your video... |
Use MPEG Streamclip or use VisualHub to compress your Web-ready clips to h264 MPEG4, Flash SWF, or other great format. | Use MPEG Streamclip to compress your Web-ready clips to h264 MPEG4 or other great format. | your suggested software solutions |
| To upload your video to a host... |
Use Transmit uploads compressed clips to Web Host server. (This recommendation does not pertain to uploads to Google Video, YouTube, etc.) | your suggested software solutions |
your suggested software solutions |