Make your video look more professional by adding carefully selected effects and transitions

Transcription

1 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 80 l Chapter8 EffectsandTransi Make your video look more professional by adding carefully selected effects and transitions Yes you can, Use video transitions between clips, Add video effects to improve clips, Create titles and credits Project time More Info 40 mins You can easily get excited about great video effects, and Windows Movie Maker 2 gives you plenty of these to thrill and impress your audience But because there s so much on offer it s easy to get carried away and try to apply every effect available Resist this temptation, because an overdose of effects not only irritates viewers, but it also detracts from the content of your film Used sparingly, effects add style and flair, but over-use them and you risk being dubbed tasteless Making Transitions Where one clip changes to a different one you have a transition If you don t apply a transition effect, the shot changes with a clean cut This is more than adequate for shots within a scene, but a transition can help to show that the location or time has changed You can choose between dozens of transitions, including wipes, fades, dissolves and shatters The transition you choose should complement the content of your film Snazzy transitions Page 82 Explore the different video transitions in Windows Movie Maker 2 Page 83 Add transitions between your clips on the Storyboard and Timeline wwwmicrosoftcom/windowsxp/moviemaker Page 84 Remove transitions if they don t work well in your movie 80 FocusGuide-Windows Movie Maker 2

2 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 81 c tions work well for highly-paced films, but calmer, emotional pieces may be better suited to fades or wipes You can preview the transitions in the monitor, or apply them to your project to see what they look like in place If the result isn t what you wanted, it isn t hard to swap the effect over or remove it completely Effects, Titles and Credits Effects refer to ways of enhancing or treating your clips They may do something as simple as increasing the brightness for a section of video where you had insufficient lighting during shooting However, they also offer exciting transformations, like making the video appear like old film, flipping the picture, or making it look like a moving watercolour picture Again, it s a good idea to road test the effects to see what they do to the picture before you decide whether or not to keep them in Adding titles, credits and subtitles to your movie is as simple as filling in a form All the most popular credit formats are available, and you can choose the font, size and colour that you want You can add onscreen text before or after your picture During your movie, you can place titles before, during or after a clip You can float credits over your video, and animate them in dozens of ways Page 85 Discover the wealth of video effects that can enhance your pictures Page 87 Manage the video effects applied to each clip Page 88 Design your title sequence and end credits

3 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 82 l Chapter8 Video Transitions Changing from shot to shot needn t be dull There are dozens of fun transitions to use Avoid using too many fancy transitions in one film when straight cuts would do Over-use of star wipes or similar is a common amateur film making error It detracts from the content of your video and irritates viewers Be sparing Bars The second clip appears within horizontal bars of differing width which increase in quantity until the picture is complete Chequerboard The picture becomes checked as squares of the second clip appear The remaining squares fill in to finish the transition Diagonals Crisscross, diamondshaped or single diagonals cut up the picture and wipe outwards to complete the effect Windows Movie Maker 2 provides a wide choice of exciting video transitions A transition is a way of moving from one clip to the next and may involve an animation The simplest way to change from one shot to another is with a clean edit; in other words, without any special transition A shot change like this is generally used within a scene A wipe, when one picture slowly replaces another, is often used to show the passage of time or a change of location Wacky transitions, like explosions, star Some Video Transitions Preview transitions before choosing the one you want to use in your movie wipes or chequer boards work well in light-hearted montage sequences It all depends on the mood you want to create in your movie Bow Tie The second clip slides in via triangles When the triangles meet in the centre, they open out to complete the transition Circles: One or many circles open out to reveal the new picture, continuing to open outwards until the changeover is done Use the scroll bar to move downwards and reveal the rest of the many transition effects 82 FocusGuide-Windows Movie Maker 2

4 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 83 c Adding Video Transitions Having chosen some great transitions, get them to work for you in your movie As we discussed on the last page, the transitions that you use will affect the overall mood of your project, so it s important to give them a little thought Once you ve chosen one, you need to see it in place to fully appreciate its effect Only when you see your video footage change over using the chosen transition will you know if it is appropriate or not Carefully chosen transitions not only add gloss to a production, they can also help to even out any problems Don t underestimate the power of the humble fade Hastily shot footage often includes similar shots that you need to cut together The shot needs to change significantly when you cut or the result will look strange It s fine to cut from a picture of someone s head shot from one side to a similar composition taken from the other side, but if the camera has only moved a little, the change will jar Here s where a fade comes to the rescue it blends the two similar shots together, thereby smoothing the transition Change the length of a transition by dragging its leading edge towards or away from the first clip in the transition For a slow dissolve, drag the dissolve transition into the first clip until you reach the length you want 1 You can apply transitions in Storyboard or Timeline view Select the second of the two clips that you want to link with a transition Choose Video Transitions from the Tools menu or choose it from the Location drop-down list 2 Choose the transition you want to use from the list in the Contents pane Preview it by pressing the play button on the monitor On the Clip Menu, choose Add to Timeline or Add to Storyboard to apply the transition To view the Transition track on the Timeline of your project, expand the Video track by clicking the little button with a plus sign on it to the left of the Timeline 3 You can also add transitions by using drag-anddrop Click and drag the transition from the Contents pane onto the Timeline or Storyboard In the Storyboard, the transition occupies the cell between the two clips, while it will appear below the two clips if it is on the Timeline Windows Movie Maker 2-FocusGuide 83

5 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 84 l Chapter8 Removing Video Transitions Got a little trigger happy with the star wipes? Remove unwanted transitions To quickly remove a transition, select it and then press [Ctrl]+[X] on the keyboard This is the keyboard shortcut for Cut Alternatively press [Delete] which, strangely enough, is the shortcut for Delete One of the great strengths of Windows Movie Maker 2 is that it is so flexible You can change your mind about any of your editing choices at any stage Removing an existing transition is simplicity itself It s worth bearing in mind that Windows Movie Maker 2 supports multiple undo, which is the easiest way to go if you only added the transition very recently Press the undo button on the toolbar, or choose Undo from the Edit menu to achieve this However, you can also alter or remove a transition at any time during your project s creation Right-click the offending item on the Storyboard or Timeline and choose delete from the dropdown menu To replace one transition with another, switch to Storyboard view and scroll to the existing transition Now choose Video Transitions from the Location drop-down list, so that they are displayed in the Contents pane Find the new transition that you want to use to replace the existing one Drag and drop it over the original transition on the Storyboard One Transition Too Many It s easy to go overboard with transitions The easiest way to remove a transition is to do so from Storyboard view Each video transition occupies the cell between two video clips This makes them easy to find and work with Right-click the cell that carries your unwanted transition and choose Delete from the dropdown menu You can also delete transitions from the Timeline Expand the video track so that the transition track is visible, and zoom in if necessary to reveal the transition you want to remove Select it and choose Delete from the Edit menu Replace the transition with another or leave it for a straight cut Deleting unwanted transitions from the Storyboard is easy 84 FocusGuide-Windows Movie Maker 2

6 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 85 c Video Effects Apply an effect to your video to improve its appearance or make it look really old Video effects modify your movie to improve the picture or to give it a certain look For instance, if the lighting conditions weren t optimal when you shot your footage, you could use the Brightness > Increase effect or the Brightness > Decrease to adjust the light levels But there s more to video effects than simply correcting technical problems Some are designed to enhance your pictures, so they take on a look The three Film Age effects add dirt to the picture and projector That s Effective Ease In and Ease Out provide gentle zooms in and out to add a little motion to static or nearly static pictures Apply video effects to change the way your movie appears flicker to make your video appear to be archive cine film The Oldest effect makes your video look like it was film shot in the 1920s The Fade In and Fade Out effects are good to use at the start or end of your film Combine them with an audio fade for a really classy start or finish Fade Out > To Black darkens the video gradually until all you can see is a black screen Fade In > From Black or White brings the clip in gradually from a totally black or totally white screen Fade Out > To White lightens the video until all that is left is a white screen Film Age Old and Older add different amounts of grain and dirt to the picture, so it looks like old cine film Film Age > Oldest adds lots of dirt, changes the picture to monochrome and adds projector flicker Windows Movie Maker 2-FocusGuide 85

7 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 86 l Chapter8 Using Video Effects Adding video effects is as quick and easy as dragging and dropping Video effects are preserved when you split, copy or move a clip If you split a clip with the Film Age > Oldest effect applied, both new clips will carry that effect Having taken a look at what video effects are available in Windows Movie Maker 2, you will no doubt be chomping at the bit to apply some to your video footage Adding effects is easy: simply drag the one you want from its position in the Contents pane to your clip on the Storyboard or Timeline Preview the effect on the monitor to see if it produces the desired result You can apply several effects to the same clip if you so desire Certain effects, such as Brightness > Increase, can be doubled up to increase their intensity However, if you add those effects which aren t scalable, such as Greyscale and Sepia Tone, more than once, you won t get a cumulative effect Clips using video effects display a star on the Timeline or Storyboard Those with more than one effect display multiple stars To see which effects a clip is using, right-click the clip on the Storyboard or Timeline and choose Video Effects from the menu The effects used appear under Displayed Effects If you combine two video clips, the combined clip will inherit the effects applied to the first clip The effects that were originally applied to the second clip will be lost after combination 1 This video clip is too dark, but we can lighten it using a video effect With the clip highlighted, Choose Video Effects from the Location drop-down list, so the list of effects is displayed in the Contents pane 2 Search for and select the video effect that you want In this case, Brightness > Increase will sort out our problem With your clip already selected, rightclick the video effect and choose Add to Timeline from the resulting menu 3 The clip displays a star to show that the effect is applied to it Preview the video to see if the effect is what you wanted If the film is too dark, add the same effect again to lighten it further 86 FocusGuide-Windows Movie Maker 2

8 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 87 c Changing Video Effects Swap effects over or remove them entirely according to taste To gain greater control over the video effects you want to apply to any particular clip, use the Add or Remove Video Effects dialogue Launch this by selecting the desired clip and then choosing Clip > Video > Video Effects The left pane in the dialogue displays all the available video effects, while the right pane shows those that have been applied to the clip To add a new effect, select it in the left pane and click the Add button to move it over to the right-hand pane Remove effects by selecting them in the right Effective Control Click the Add button to transfer the selected effect from the left-hand list to the Displayed effects list This list shows all the available video effects in Windows Movie Maker 2 Select the one you want from here Click the Remove button to delete the highlighted effect from the Displayed Effects list Experiment freely with the looks that applying different effects produce hand-pane and clicking Remove Alter the priority of the effects that you re using by pressing Move Up or Move Down If you want to apply an effect to the whole of your movie, compile the video and save it as a video file Import the resulting movie as one clip, apply the effect and save it again It s much quicker than adding the effect to each clip Displayed Effects shows each effect being used for the current clip A repeated effect is generally applied to a greater degree The Move Up and Move Down buttons enable you to alter the priority of multiple effects The higher ones are applied first Click OK to apply the changes that you ve made in this dialogue Otherwise click Cancel to undo your changes Windows Movie Maker 2-FocusGuide 87

9 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 88 l Chapter8 Adding Titles No movie should be without titles, which is why they are so easy to add If you want your title to float on top of some of your video, select the video clip on the Timeline and choose Tools > Titles and Credits > Add Title on the selected clip on the timeline Complete the titles as before Once your movie has taken shape and you have your main editing and sound work complete, the next step you need to consider is your credits Most films have titles at the beginning to tell the audience the name of the movie, who s in it, who directed it, who produced it, and any other information that the director feels the audience should know At the end of the film, it is traditional to show credits, giving the names of people who worked on the film, plus any important acknowledgements You probably won t need to credit a best boy, gaffer or dolly grip, but you will almost certainly want to offer some basic title credits for the people who have helped you As you would by now have come to expect, Windows Movie Maker 2 makes adding titles and credits easy You ll find the Titles and Credits Wizard on the Tools Menu First you need to decide where in the movie you want your titles to appear Once you ve decided that, you can enter the text of your title and modify its font, size and colour Don t crowd the screen with lots of text, and leave what text you do use on screen for long enough for your viewers to comfortably read it Don t over-do it though; leaving credits on screen for too long will irritate your viewers just as much as not leaving them up for long enough 1 Choose Titles and Credits from the Tools Menu You are presented with five choices, depending on where you would like your title or credit to appear To create your film s opening titles, choose Add title at the beginning of the movie 2 You are presented with two text boxes Enter the title of your movie in the top box and a subtitle, if required, in the lower box The monitor shows how this will appear on screen Click Change text font and colour to alter foreground and background 3 Select the font from the drop-down list and specify colour and background colour Use the size buttons to increase or decrease the size and the transparency slider to change how solid the text appears Click Done > Add Title to Movie 88 FocusGuide-Windows Movie Maker 2

10 CFG05chp_08 24/7/03 3:01 pm Page 89 c Animating Titles Credits, subtitles or tickertapes; Windows Movie Maker 2 handles them all Ever since credits were stencilled onto a roll of paper that turned in front of a camera, titles were meant to move But things have changed since those days and titles for both TV and film are usually computer generated Windows Movie Maker 2 contains all the most popular title animations that you ll come across in the media Try out the animations by choosing Tools > Titles and Credits, selecting one of the options and clicking Change the title animation As you select each animation, a preview Choose from a wide range of title animations Pick one in keeping with the mood of your film plays on the monitor As you watch each animation consider its suitability in your movie Choose one that fits in well Some animations may not suit the tone of your material All the animations are clever, but some films suit simpler credits For example, a film covering the life of a recently deceased loved one would be severely damaged by wacky titles However, these would be appropriate for a movie intended just to entertain the children Ticker tape scrolls your text across the screen from left to right in a band of colour This technique is often used in news programmes to communicate breaking news Scroll > Perspective rolls credits or titles from close up at the bottom of the screen to far away at the top This was obviously based on the Star Wars opening sequence Stretch treats the title text as if it were elastic It changes from fully stretched to relaxed, where you can read the letters, and back to fully stretched again Newspaper puts the titles as masthead and headline on a spinning newspaper, akin to the spinning newspaper shots that old movies used to demonstrate a story hitting the news stands Choose one of the Credits options for your end-of-movie closing credit sequence Those animations that include your video with the titles will only work if you have the right clip selected and if you choose Add Title on the selected clip in the Timeline Windows Movie Maker 2-FocusGuide 89