Faster Smarter Digital Video

Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii PART I: GETTING STARTED You say you don t know anything about digital video? No problem! In the first section, I ll walk you through the basics: what digital video is all about, how it s used today, what kinds of tools Windows XP gives you to work with it, and what all that confusing terminology means. I ll also cover how to pick the right digital video camera for your needs whether you re a beginner looking for your first camera or an intermediate user looking for a high-end camera, I ll show you what to look for. CHAPTER 1: Welcome to the World of Digital Video 3 It s Not Just for the Digital Elite Any More 3 Digital Video in Your Daily Life 5 An Overview of Current Digital Video Technology 9 Using Digital Video in Everyday Life 11 CHAPTER 2: Windows XP and Digital Video: The Perfect Partnership 15 Tools Inside Windows XP for Digital Video 16 Thumbnail Folder View 16 Detail View 17 Task Pane Information 18 File Properties 20 Windows Media Player 22 Windows Movie Maker 23 Third-Party Digital Video Tools 23 Digital Video Compression Explained 24 Why Is Digital Video Compressed? 24 Bit Rate Explained 26 Psychoacoustic Audio Compression 26 Psychovisual Video Compression 27 Lossless Compression 27 Lossy Compression 28 Terminology You Need to Know 28 Codec 28 Digital Artifacts 29 FireWire 30 USB 1.1 and 2.0 30 Digital Audio File Types 31 Digital Video File Types 32 Digital Image File Types 38 CHAPTER 3: Choosing the Right Video Camera 39 Digital (DV) vs. Analog (HI-8, SVHS) 39 DV Cams Are the Only Way to Go 41 Buy the Best You Can Afford 41 The Features You Don t Need 42 Tonal Shooting Modes 42 Gee-Whiz Effects 42 Communications 43 Things to Look For on Your DV Camera 43 Video Storage Format 43 The Lens 45 Inputs and Outputs 47 Image Stabilization 48 Still Photo Capabilities 49 Low-Light Performance 51 Battery Life 52 Ergonomics 53 Interval Timers 54 One CCD vs. Three CCD Cameras 55 Classes of DV Cameras 55 Entry-Level Consumer Camera 56 Mid-range Consumer Camera 56 High-End Consumer Camera 56 High-End Prosumer Camera 56 A Look at Today s Camera Market 56 Entry-Level Digital Video Cameras 57 Mid-Range Digital Video Cameras 59 High-End Consumer/Prosumer Digital Video Cameras 62 Getting the Proper Accessories 66 FireWire Cables 66 Tapes 67 Spare Battery 67 Tripod 67 Lens Filters 68 Steadicam 69 Where to Buy Your Camera 70 Shopping Online vs. Going to a Local Store 70 Beware the Gray Market 72 Alternate Digital Video Capture Devices 73 Digital Still Cameras with Video Modes 73 FireWire and USB Web Cameras 74 Wireless Cameras 77 PART II: CAPTURING Once you have your digital video camera, it s time to start using it! This section covers getting familiar with the functions on your camera and having a plan for getting great footage. I also cover what kind of computer hardware you need in order to have a painless video editing experience, what to look for when you re shopping, and what the best solutions are. And once you have that footage, I ll teach you how to transfer it onto your computer so you can begin to craft your masterpiece. CHAPTER 4: Ready, Set, Film! 81 Get To Know Your Camera 81 Power, Record, and Mode Selection 82 Viewfinder 84 LCD Viewscreen 84 Tape Carrier 85 Lens 87 Zoom Control 88 Input/Output Ports 88 Tape Playback Controls and Jog Dial 91 Battery 92 Flash 93 Microphone 94 Memory Card Slot 94 Speaker 95 Stabilizer, Focus, Menu, and White Balance Selection 96 Tripod Mount 98 Other Buttons 98 Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail 99 Know the Event 99 Arrive in Advance 100 What Are the Key Elements You Want to Capture? 100 Capture Based on Opportunity, Not Order of Events 101 Get in Close to the Action 101 It s All About the Angles 102 Length of Shots Depends on Final Footage Use 102 Scripting Events 103 Where Will the Video Be Used? 103 Do s and Don ts with Your Camera 103 Don t Use Special Effects on Your Camera 103 Do Experiment with the Footage Later 104 Don t Hit Record Too Quickly 104 Do Allow an Exposure Lock Before Recording 104 Do Use Standard Play (SP) Recording Mode 104 Do Turn Off Those Beeps! 104 Don t Forget About the Audio Unless You Don t Need It 105 Do Use An External Microphone If Needed 105 CHAPTER 5: Examining Your Computer Setup 107 Having the Right Hardware for Maximum Performance 107 Balancing Cost vs. Performance 108 The Value of Your Time 108 How Each Hardware Element Affects Working with Digital Video 109 Taking Stock of Your Current Computer Assets 110 Space Requirements for Digital Video Capture 114 Where to Store Your Digital Video 114 Internal Hard Drives 115 External Hard Drives 117 Hard Drive Partitions 119 The Processor (CPU) 123 How Many MHz Are Enough? 123 Intel CPUs vs. AMD CPUs 124 System RAM 125 Is Generic RAM the Way to Go? 126 Your Monitor 127 LCD or CRT? 127 Monitor Size 128 Screen Resolution 128 Dual Display Nirvana 128 Video Card 129 The Importance of Audio 130 USB and FireWire Ports 132 You May Already Have the Right Ports 133 Adding USB 2.0 and FireWire Ports 133 Use Hubs for Easy Access 135 Final Video Output 137 If You Want to Share Your Video in VCD or SVCD Format... 137 If You Want to Put Your Video in DVD Video Format... 138 If You Want to Share Your Video in VHS Format... 138 Name Brand Computers vs. Custom Built 139 DIY (Do-it-Yourself) Computers 139 Computer Artistry 139 Dedicated Video Workstation 140 CHAPTER 6: Capturing Your Video 143 What Type of Video Do You Need to Capture? 143 Analog Video Capture 143 Digital Video Capture 148 Preparing to Capture Your Video 155 Turn Off Complex Screen Savers 155 Close Other Programs 155 Deactivate Antivirus Software 156 Check for CPU-Intensive Tasks 156 Capture to an Empty Partition 157 Defragment Your Hard Drive 157 Capturing Video from a DV Camera 157 Capturing Analog Video (Archiving Home Movies) 163 Organizing Your Video Clips 167 PART III: EDITING What s another word for unedited video? "Boring." In this section I ll cover both basic and advanced video-editing software suites, with a few detailed step-by-step walkthroughs to get you on the right path. Want to rip a song from an audio CD and make it a part of your video? I ll show you how. This section also looks at some of the newest software on the market and how it will help you to make your imagination a reality. CHAPTER 7: Basic Video Editing 173 It s More Than Just Fixing Errors 173 Unedited Video Is Boring 174 Shaping Your Story 174 Audio Adds Excitement 174 The First Editing Decision You Need to Make 175 Enter Autoproducing 175 Autoproducing Software Products 178 The Power of Manual Editing 181 Using muvee autoProducer Cobalt 187 Using Pinnacle Studio 8.0 193 Saving Your Video 201 Transient 202 Final Product 202 Previewing DVD, VCD, and SVCD Videos 202 WinDVD 4 from Intervideo 203 Sonic Cineplayer 1.5 204 CHAPTER 8: Advanced Video Editing 205 The Possibilities with Advanced Video Editing 205 Going from A to B: Transitions in Action 206 Moving Paths 209 Batch Capturing 210 Adding Narration 210 Importing Photos 211 Importing Videos 212 Adding Text Titles (a.k.a. "Titling") 213 Alpha Channel Effects 214 Time Stretching and Time Compression 216 Picture in Picture 218 Advanced Video-Editing Software Packages 218 Ulead MediaStudio Pro 6.5 218 Adobe Premiere 6.5 220 Sonic Foundry Vegas Video 3.0 221 Pinnacle EditionDV 222 Adobe After Effects 5.5 224 Advanced Video Manipulation Tools 225 TMPGEnc Plus 225 FlasK MPEG 226 Music Creation and Audio-Editing Software 227 Sonic Desktop SmartSound Movie Maestro 228 Sonic Foundry Sound Forge Studio 6.0 229 Sonic Foundry ACID PRO 4.0 230 Sonic Desktop SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 231 Sonic Foundry Sound Forge 6.0 232 Getting Audio from a CD 233 Using Audiograbber to Rip CDs 234 PART IV: SHARING Now that you have your final product, how do you share it with others? In the final section, I ll cover methods to share your video digitally: using e-mail, uploading it to a Web site, or sending it over an instant messaging application. Want a keepsake you can share with others? Burning your project to a CD or DVD is covered, including a step-by-step procedure for making your own professional-quality DVD with a menu system. Confused about the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R? It s all covered in this section. CHAPTER 9: Sharing Your Video with Others the Digital Way 239 The Advantages of Sharing Video Digitally 240 Nearly Instant 240 No Reproduction Costs or Loss of Quality over Generations 240 Immune to the Ravages of Time 241 Distance Isn t a Factor 241 Privacy and Security 241 The Disadvantages of Sharing Video Digitally 242 No "Finished Product" You Can Hold 242 Limitations with Length of Video 242 Playback is Computer-Centric 242 Usually Lower Quality than a Physical Medium 243 Compatibility and Tech Support 243 Using the 9 Series Windows Media Encoder 243 Putting Your Video up on the Web 249 Starting a Community 250 If You Already Have Your Own Web Site or Want One 259 Using an Online Storage Site 263 Yahoo! Briefcase 264 Whalemail (A Swapdrive Company) 265 Xdrive 265 Sending Your Video Using Instant Messaging 266 Sending Your Video over E-mail 268 Using the E-mail Function from Within a Video Editor 269 CHAPTER 10: Sharing Your Video with Others Using a Physical Medium 271 The Advantages of Sharing Digital Video Using a Physical Medium 272 A Finished Product 272 Maximum Quality Video 272 Computer Independent 273 Security 273 The Disadvantages of Sharing Digital Video Using a Physical Medium 273 Time and Cost of Reproduction 274 Distribution Time and Cost 274 Duplication of VHS Tapes Will Be of Lower Quality 274 Vulnerable to Decay over Time 274 Expense of Devices 274 Picking the Appropriate Format for Your Video 275 VHS 275 VCD 275 SVCD 276 DVD-R and DVD+R 277 What Software Is Available for Video Burning Projects? 278 Sonic MyDVD 4 Plus 278 Ulead DVD MovieFactory 280 Nero Burning ROM 5.5 281 Ulead DVD Workshop 282 Sonic DVDit! PE 2.5 283 Sonic ReelDVD 3.0 284 Burning Your Project to Disc 285 Burning a Video Using a Stand-Alone Recorder 296 Putting Your Video Back onto Tape 297 The Finishing Touches 299 Disc Labels 299 VHS Labels 300 Jewel Case Inserts and Cover 300 Video on Portable Devices 300 The Pocket PC 301 The PoGo Products Flipster 307 Panasonic DVD-LV50 Portable DVD Player 308 APPENDIX: Digital Video Resources 311 INDEX