By Bill O'Brien
(August 25, 2004)

Groans shouldn't be the first thing you hear when you pop in a home movie. The sound of someone snoring shouldn't follow shortly after you hit Play, either. And if the room empties before you even cue up your video, you have big problems.

One of the easiest ways to spice up an armload of video is with a little editing. The question is, how do you get all those years of recorded history onto your PC? The answer is video-editing software. It lets you polish all that poorly shot video, delete the not-so-interesting footage, and set everything to music, until what you're left with is something your audience will enjoy.

What's more, saving the files to your hard drive gives you quick and easy access to your treasured memories. And you can save your masterpieces to optical disc, a more durable storage solution than tape.

Software packages range from Sonic Solutions' $60 VideoWave 7.0 Professional to Adobe's high-end Premiere Pro, which costs about $700. We selected Ulead Systems' VideoStudio 8.0 for this Weekend Project. This application is perfect for first-timers, and it sells for less than $100. Though its core feature is editing, VideoStudio also captures video, has a robust library of effects, and can create a finished product in a variety of formats.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

Before you get started with this project, we recommend that you have the following:

Create a blockbuster vacation video

If you need a video-capture device (you're using an analog video source), the installation will vary widely depending on the type you choose: external USB, internal PCI, or as part of a combination graphics card that uses AGP. After you've installed it according to the manufacturer's instructions, the next step is to install the software. The program we selected, Ulead VideoStudio, requires a display resolution of at least 1,024x768. Other than that, it presents no surprises. The toughest challenge during installation is designating which country you're in so that the program will know which video format you'll be using. (NTSC is the format used in the United States.) When you're done with installation, your PC will restart, and you'll find a VideoStudio shortcut icon on your desktop after the reboot. As you would with any new software install, visit the company's Web site to check for patches and upgrades before you start using the program.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

When you first launch the program, you'll see two options: the VideoStudio Movie wizard and VideoStudio Editor. Skip the Movie wizard for now. Instead, click VideoStudio Editor when the choice appears. The four basic action items are the Load Video icon in the upper-right corner, the Gallery area immediately below it where thumbnails of your clips will reside, the Preview screen in the center of your display for viewing clips, and the timeline that runs across the bottom of the display where you assemble the edited sections of your clips. If you already have a video clip on your hard drive waiting to be edited, skip to step 6.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

Getting raw video onto your hard drive is the first step in editing. Most digital video cameras are bundled with software for transferring video to your PC and editing it. If you have an analog video source, you'll also need a video-capture or TV-tuner card. One simple, low-cost choice is Pinnacle Systems' $70 Dazzle Digital Video Creator 80. Make the connections (FireWire, USB, or analog video and audio) between your source and your computer. If you're using VideoStudio, look for the Capture tab at the top right of the screen. This tab holds options for setting the required parameters and acquiring your video.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

Before you can edit your video, you need to watch it so that you know what's there and which footage you want to edit. Once you've opened your clip in the Gallery area, you can play it using the controls at the bottom of the Preview screen. As the jog bar moves under the video, the Time Code counter displays elapsed hours, minutes, seconds, and frames (left to right) from the start of your video clip.

Jot it down
As you view the clip, write down which segments you want to use, noting their start and stop times. Most editing packages provide tools for video logging as well. You can jump to any section of video by manually moving the jog bar. To perform more-precise movements, select the hour, the minute, and the second or the frame-number pair in the Time Code counter, then click either the up or down arrow to move forward or back.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

You edit your video by defining the length of the segments you've chosen. Use either the Time Code counter controls or the jog bar to navigate your way to the beginning of your first segment. Once there, click the Mark In control (the left-pointing arrow inside the left bracket). Now move to the end of the segment. Click the Mark Out control (the right-pointing arrow inside a right bracket). As far as VideoStudio now knows, that thumbnail in the Gallery is no longer your full video clip--it's only the segment you've just defined. Move the mouse to this new segment, hold down the left mouse button, and drag your selection down to the timeline, dropping it where you see the words "Drag and drop video clip here." Go back to the Gallery and click your original clip so that VideoStudio knows you're going to use it again. Repeat what you just did with the jog bar or the Time Code counter controls to define the second and all successive segments.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

To give your clip a title, click the first segment you created on the timeline. Now click the Title tab at the top of the screen. You'll switch to true Timeline mode, which has room for five tracks--video, video overlay, title, audio, and music--each represented by an appropriate icon. You'll then see a message that says "Double-click here to add a title." Double-click the indicated area on the Preview screen and type the date or whatever title you'd like. To add voice or audio, click Load Audio in the upper-right corner. You can drag and drop an audio file from your hard drive onto the audio track on the timeline (it will show a musical note), or pop in a CD, select a track, and click Record Selected Track. To add narration, connect a microphone to your PC, click the voice-over tab in the options panel, check the volume level, and click Start. The video will play so that you can synchronize your narration with the scene. When you're finished, click Stop Recording Voice in the options panel. The clip will appear as a microphone on the timeline's narration track.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

VideoStudio will automatically put default, random transitions between your segments (you can turn off the feature by selecting File > Preferences). You can change them in StoryBoard mode on the timeline using the Effect tab. Click the tab, and 1 of 14 transition categories will appear in the Gallery. You can see them all by clicking the down arrow adjacent to the transition name. Just select the transition currently in the timeline, then press the Delete key to remove it. Next, drag and drop the new transition into its place.

Create a blockbuster vacation video

Once you've finished your editing tasks, click the Share tab. You'll find a list of options for tasks, such as saving your finished project in a choice of file types, making it compatible for Web viewing, and creating a DVD. DVDs hold 4.7GB of data. If you have a DVD burner and your file is around 350MB, it's often possible to burn a DVD onto a CD-R disc; CD-Rs are more economical than DVDs.