Version 1.1 Contacting ArcSoft Main: ArcSoft, Inc. Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 5:30PM (PST) 46601 Fremont Blvd. Phone: 1-510-440-9901 Fremont, CA 94538 Fax: 1-510-440-1270 USA Email: feedback@arcsoft.com Technical Support: Phone: 1-510-440-9901 Fax: 1-510-440-1270 Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 5:30PM (PST) Email: support@arcsoft.com Website: www.arcsoft.com Internet options: ShowBiz can link you directly to the ArcSoft Web site, where you can look for the latest additions to your program (i.e., more content), as well as product information and technical support. On the main screen, click on the ArcSoft ShowBiz logo on the top left corner. In the preview window, click on the www.arcsoft.com link. You can also click on the Download New Content button in the album section. How to Register: Register your program online at www.arcsoft.com. ShowBiz Quick Start Guide: Written by Steve Toribio Layout and design by Vickie Wei Turn your y photos os and videos into amazing digital movies vies. Copyright 2001 by ArcSoft,Inc. All rights reserved. ArcSoft ShowBiz is a trademark of ArcSoft,Inc. All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. PMSB0001 For the wannabe Hollywood director inside all of us
1 Software License Agreement 2 The following is a legal software license agreement between you, the software end user, and ArcSoft, Inc. Carefully read this license agreement before using the product. Using the product indicates that you have read this license agreement and agree to its terms. If you do not agree to the terms, promptly return the package to the place where you purchased it within 10 days of the date you acquired it for a full refund. Grant of License. This license permits you to use one copy of the software included in this package on any single computer. For each software licensee, the program can be in use on only one computer at any given time. The software is in use when it is either loaded into RAM or installed into the hard disk or other permanent memory. Table of Contents: Welcome to Showbiz....................................................... 3 ShowBiz Highlights........................................................3 System Requirements......................................................4 A multi-seat license permit from ArcSoft is required if the program is going to be installed on a network server for the sole purpose of distribution by other computers, or if the program is going to be installed on and used by more than one computer. Copyright. The software contained in this package is owned by ArcSoft and is protected by United States copyright laws, international treaty provisions, and all other applicable national laws. The software must be treated like all other copyrighted materials (e.g. books and musical recordings). This license does not allow the software to be rented or leased, and the written materials accompanying the software (if any) may not be copied. Limited Warranty. ArcSoft, Inc., warrants that the software contained herein will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying documentation. No Other Warranties. ArcSoft disclaims all other warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the Software, the accompanying written materials, and any accompanying hardware (if any). No Liability for Consequential Damages. In no event shall ArcSoft or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever (including but not limited to damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) which results from an inability to use this software, even if ArcSoft, Inc. has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Because some states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential or incidental damages, the above limitations may not apply to you. U.S. Government Restricted Rights. The Software and documentation are provided with Restricted Rights. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 or subparagraphs (c)(1),(2), and (3) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights at 48 CFR 52.227-19, as applicable, and any amendments thereto. The manufacturer is ArcSoft, Inc., 46601 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538. If this product was purchased in the United States, this Agreement is governed by the laws of the state of California; otherwise, local laws may apply. Installing ShowBiz.........................................................4 Working with ShowBiz.....................................................5 Starting the Program.....................................................5 Overview/Understanding the Interface....................................5 Understanding Albums..................................................8 Adding/Using Your Own Files............................................13 Additional Notes on Image Acquisition...................................13 Scene Detection and Split...............................................14 Understanding the Storyboard/Timeline.................................15 Capturing Audio and Video.............................................17 Recording Audio for Videos.............................................17 The Player and Editing Options..........................................18 Saving Projects and Movies.............................................21 Opening Projects.......................................................22 Exporting Movies.......................................................22 Printing................................................................23 ShowBiz Basics and Further Help........................................24
3 4 Welcome to ShowBiz Welcome to ArcSoft ShowBiz TM, an easy-to-use video editing and creation program designed specifically for general users. The program allows you to combine still images, videos, and audio files together on a unique Storyboard (or Timeline). After adding text, transitions, and special effects, you can save your project as a single movie file in various formats, ranging from email friendly EXE files to Internet ready WMV files. With additional software, you can even save your finished movies to CD or digital videotape. ShowBiz Highlights The unique, easy-to-understand graphical interface makes learning and using the program stress-free and fun. Full sets of sample still images, videos, and audio files, in addition to loads of text, transition, and special effects, enable you to make professional and creative movies right from the start. Drag-and-drop capability makes constructing your movies quick and easy. Album functionality enables you to easily organize, identify, and access your media files. The dual Storyboard/Timeline layout clearly shows your various movie components and makes for simple creating and modifying of projects. Various playback modes allow you to view single components of your project, or your entire movie, at different screen sizes. Versatile enhancement options allow you to modify both still images and videos. Audio recording options let you create your own soundtracks or add narration, even allowing you to mute existing audio on video files. Video capture and image acquire functions give the ability to import your own files from devices such as digital cameras, DV or Digital8 camcorders, scanners, and more. Multiple save formats for your movies provide a wide range of compatibility; you can even save your project as a work-in-progress file, capable of being edited and rearranged at a later time. ShowBiz supports the following file types for movie construction - Video: MPG, AVI, DAT, MOV, ASF, WMV; Audio: MP3, WAV; Image: BMP, TIF, TGA, PCX, JPG, FPX. For output: MPG 1 & 2 (MPG 2 may not be available in all versions), WMV, EXE, MOV, and AVI (standard and DV). System Requirements Windows 98/ME/2000/XP 64 MB RAM Pentium II-based CPU or equivalent (128 MB or more recommended) DirectX 8.0 (or higher) TV tuner or video capture board for analog capture of OHCI compliant IEEE- 16-bit color display (or higher) 1394 card (for use with DV camera.) CD-ROM drive Ultra DMA hard drive for video capture 800 x 600 resolution from DV camcorder and export. Mouse 210 MB free hard disk space (1 GB or more recommended) 64 (1 GB MB or RAM more (128 recommended) MB or more recommended) Note: Ensure that your Power Management settings are set so your system does not suspend while you are creating a movie. To view and edit these settings, go to your Control Panel and double-click Power Management. Installing ShowBiz 1. Insert the ShowBiz CD into your CD-ROM drive. The installer should start automatically. 2. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Take note as to where the program is installing, and where it can be found in the Start menu. Note: If the installer does not start automatically, you will need to run it manually: 1. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2. Click Start>Run. 3. In the Run dialog, type X:/setup.exe. ( X is the drive letter associated with your CD-ROM drive. This letter will vary from system to system.) 4. Click OK. 5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
5 6 Working With ShowBiz Starting the Program 1. Click Start. 2. Select Programs>ArcSoft ShowBiz>ShowBiz. Note: You can also double-click the desktop icon if available. Project Buttons Movie Buttons Options Button Preview Window Player Options Edit Options Storyboard Album Types Album View Mode Thumbnails Album Options Timeline preview each component, or the entire movie, within the Player. Immediately beneath the Player are edit options. It s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the primary desktop components: Project Buttons; Movie Buttons; the Options Button; the Player and Editing Options; Albums; and the Storyboard/Timeline. Note: By moving your mouse over the various buttons/options, descriptive help boxes will pop up. Project Buttons: New - closes the currently open project (if any) and creates a new, empty project. You will be prompted to save open projects before they are closed. Open - opens an Open dialog that lets you browse your system to locate and open existing ShowBiz project (BIZ) files. Navigate to the folder that has the project you wish to open, highlight it, then click the Open button in the window. Save - opens the Save As dialog, where you can save your project as a BIZ file. Select the drive/folder and file name (type in a new name if desired- you will need to type one if you are saving a new project). BIZ files are project files that can only be opened within ShowBiz. Use this option only to save your project for future editing. Use the Save option under the Movie Buttons to save or produce your project as a single, complete movie. Overview/Understanding the Interface With ShowBiz, movies are basically constructed by adding media files (still images, videos, and audio files) from Albums onto what is called the Storyboard or Timeline (both the Storyboard and Timeline serve the same purpose but display information differently). Albums contain thumbnails (small, low-resolution images) that link to media files stored on your system. The Storyboard/Timeline displays each component that you add to it, enabling you to edit, remove, and rearrange each piece. You can Movie Buttons: Save - allows you to save your project as a complete movie file (EXE, MPG, AVI, etc.). All components on the Storyboard/Timeline will be combined and saved to one file. Type in a name for the file and set the save location. Choose whether or not to add the file to an album. From the Format pull-down, select the desired file type. Advanced users can tweak format options by clicking on the Settings button. Capture - lets you record video from compliant devices. Select your desired device from
7 8 Export - the Device pull-down and set up the device according to the available options (options will differ from device to device). Standard recording and playback controls are available. allows you to save your file directly to a CD (a CD-R or -RW drive, along with compliant CD-writing software, is required). You can also save to a digital video device (tape). Some versions of the program allow you to create DVDs as well. See the Exporting Movies section (p. 22) for more details. Options Button: Program options and defaults are displayed when the Options button is clicked. In the Duration section, default display times for movie components are available for altering. In the Preview section, choose between Realtime Rendering and Render Before Preview. For slower systems, or when working with large files, the Render Before Preview option may be preferred. Checking Enlarge Smaller Photos scales all movie components to the same size. Checking Auto Rewind automatically rewinds movies or movie components after they are previewed. Checking Play ShowBiz Intro runs the ShowBiz intro movie when the program starts up. Checking Play ShowBiz Intro runs the ShowBiz intro movie when the program starts up. Checking the "Show Scene Detection Dialog Box" enables files to be separated by scene or date and time upon being added to an album. To learn more about scene detection, go to the "Scene Detection and Split" section (p.14). The Player and Editing Options: Here, you can preview your movie and movie components. Standard playback controls are available, and different view sizes can be selected. Editing options will vary for the various movie components (videos, still images, audio, transitions, text, and effects). See the The Player and Editing Options section (p.18) for more information. The Speed slider can be used to change the playback speed of the video. The multiplier underneath the slider lists the currently set speed (1X for normal speed, 2X for double speed, etc.). The Smooth box can be checked, which will allow the program to compensate for any alteration in the playback speed and make playback smoother. Albums: Each Album serves as a collection of links to various files that are stored on your system or on removable media. The four album types are: Media, Transitions, Text, and Effects. Albums are discussed further in the Understanding Albums section (p. 8). Storyboard/Timeline: The Storyboard/Timeline shows a detailed construction of your movie. Depending on your view mode (Storyboard or Timeline), some or all movie components will be shown. See the Understanding the Storyboard/Timeline section (p. 15) for more information. Understanding Albums 1 4 3 2 Each Album serves as a collection of links to files on your system or removable media. Albums do not store files- they merely reference files stored elsewhere. The program comes with sample albums, which link to sample files that install with the program. There are four album types: Media, Transitions, Text, and Effects. You can create your own albums in the Media section. The Add My Background album in the Effects section lets you add thumbnails of still images as well. Your albums can only consist of thumbnails that link to supported still image, video, and audio files. If you see a red strike icon ( ) on any thumbnail in an album, it means that the file linked to the thumbnail has been moved, renamed, or deleted since it was added to the album. Such thumbnails are dead links; you will not be able to use the thumbnail to pull up the file unless you re-establish the link. It is a good idea to store your media files in directories that you know will not be deleted or moved.
9 10 All four album types have the following options: 1 Album Pull-down - lists the various albums that you can choose. To create a new Media album, select <New Album> from the top of the list. 2 Delete - deletes album thumbnails and/or files. Choose to either delete the thumbnail only, leaving the actual file on your system, or delete the thumbnail and the file as well. Deleting the file will permanently remove it from your system. You can also choose to delete the entire album. 2 Album View Mode - toggles between the two different album views. Choose to view album contents by name and thumbnail, or thumbnail only. 3 Sort - allows you to sort thumbnails in your album. Sort by name, type, size, or date. Also, sort in reverse order. 3 4 Download New Content - links to the ArcSoft.com Web site, where you can look for program updates, patches, and new template downloads. Add Media/Transition/Text/Effect- is used to add a selected file to the Storyboard/Timeline. The button name will change according to the album type that you are in. For example, if you are viewing a Transition album, the button will be called Add Transition. Click on a thumbnail in the album, then click this button to add it to the next available spot on the Storyboard/Timeline. Below are descriptions of each album type: Media: The bulk of your movie content will be accessed through Media albums. Media albums consist of thumbnails that link to still images, videos, and audio files. There are sample albums of each type available, and you can create your own Media album by selecting <New Album> from the Album pull-down. Highlight the name of any custom album and type over it to rename it. The following options are available for Media albums: 1 Add - opens a dialog that lets you browse your system to add new media files to an album. Navigate to the directory that contains the file you want, highlight it, then click on Open. 1 2 3 4 4 Acquire - allows you to acquire files from compliant devices, such as digital cameras and scanners. Select your source, then follow the directions for your hardware device to capture a still image. By right-clicking a thumbnail in a Media album, you also have additional options: Cut - removes the thumbnail from the album and places it into memory. Copy - copies the thumbnail into memory. Paste - places items from memory into the current album. Delete - deletes album thumbnails and/or files. Choose to either delete the thumbnail only, leaving the actual file on your system, or delete the thumbnail and the file as well. Deleting the file will permanently remove it from your system. You can also choose to delete the entire album. Select All - selects (highlights) all images in the current album. Properties - displays important file information, including file location and size.
11 12 Preview Media - lets you preview the selected file in the Player. Convert To Still Image - allows you to turn a video into a series of still images. Extract Audio extracts the audio from a selected video as a WAV file and adds it to the current album. Email - allows you to email a selected file. You must have a MAPI-compliant mail program in order to use this option. Once you select a file that you want, click on the Add Media button to add it to the Storyboard/Timeline. Editing options for media components are discussed in a later section ( The Player and Editing Options, p. 18). Transitions: Transitions are effects that can be applied between two videos or still images on the Storyboard/Timeline. The different Transitions albums are: Wipes, Fades and Dissolves, Slides, and Special. Select a transition, then click on the Add Transition button to add it to the Storyboard/Timeline. Editing options for transitions are discussed in a later section ( The Player and Editing Options, p. 18). Once on the Storyboard/Timeline, you can drag and drop a transition to a different location (you cannot swap transitions by dragging and dropping). Text: Text effects can be applied to a specific still image or video, or across the entire Timeline. The different Text albums are: Regular, Text In, and Text Out. Select the text effect that you want, then click on the Add Text button. You will then be able to type your text. In the preview window within the Player, click and drag your text to the desired position. Editing options for text components are discussed in a later section ( The Player and Editing Options, p. 18). Once on the Timeline, you can drag and drop a text effect to a different location (you can even swap text effects by dragging and dropping). Effects: Various special effects can be applied to a specific still image or video, or across the entire Timeline. The different Effects albums are: Add My Background, Filters, TV, Orientation, Slimlines, Frames, Fun Frames, Kids Frames, and Crop. Select the effect that you want, then click on the Add Effect button. Editing options for effects are discussed in a later section ( The Player and Editing Options, p. 18). Once on the Timeline, you can drag and drop an effect to a different location (you can even swap effects by dragging and dropping).
13 14 Adding/Using Your Own Files As discussed in the last section, movie components are accessed from Albums. You can store thumbnails of your own files only in Media albums (the Add My Background album under Effects can also link to your still images). To add your own files to an album: 1. Click on the Media tab. 2. From the pull-down, select the album in which you wish to add. To create a new album, select <New Album>. 3. Click on the Add button ( 1 ). 4. An Open dialog will appear. Using the Look in pull-down, navigate to the directory that contains the file(s) you wish to add. 1 5. Highlight the desired file(s), then click on the Open button. You will see the thumbnail(s) appear in the selected album. To add one of them to the Storyboard/Timeline, highlight it and click on the Add Media button. Note: Remember that albums do not store your files. Albums serve as quick links to the files. If you delete, rename, or move an original file, the respective album thumbnail will be unusable unless the link is re-established. Additional Notes on Image Acquisition When acquiring images from supported devices such as digital cameras and scanners, the transfer or download process will vary from device to device. After you click the Acquire button from the album section, a list of supported devices will appear. After you select your device, the driver for that device will run, allowing you to access the files on the camera or scan an image (the exact function will vary depending on the device). If you don't see your device listed, or if you have problems transferring or downloading an image into ShowBiz, contact the device manufacturer for a driver update or file transfer information. Scene Detection and Split ShowBiz can automatically go through an existing video file and separate it based on scene changes for standard video files, or by date and time for videos from a DV source. If you employ scene detection by content, the program looks for changes in the video's scenery and creates "bookmarks" to those locations. If you employ scene detection by date and time, the program looks for changes in the DV video's date and time and creates bookmarks accordingly. Thumbnails that have been separated will look like folders within their respective albums. Simply click on the folder to see the contents, which will consist of each separated scene. The scenes are not separate files; they are references made by the program so that you can easily select unique components from the larger video. To use scene separation, right-click the desired thumbnail and select either "Run Scene Detection by Content" or "Run Scene Detection by Date & Time." Videos can also be "split." This is to say that you can separate a video file into two different scenes. The scenes have the same characteristics as files that have been run through scene detection. To perform a split, right-click the desired thumbnail and select "Split." In the editing options section, adjust the slider to the position where you would like the split to occur. Click the Split button to execute the action. You can remove a split or any type of scene separation by right-clicking the thumbnail and selecting "Recombine Scenes."
15 16 1 2 3 4 Understanding the Storyboard/Timeline Movies are created by combining various components: still images, videos, audio files, transitions, text effects, and special effects. The Storyboard/Timeline is basically the template for creating your movies. It is divided into five tracks: Text, Effects, Video, Audio 1 and Audio 2. When you add a component to the Storyboard/Timeline, it is placed into one of these tracks. In Storyboard view, only the Video Track is displayed. In Timeline view, all tracks are displayed. Below are descriptions of each track: 1 Text Track - displays text effects that you have added to the Timeline. To insert a text component, choose one from a Text album and add it to the Storyboard/Timeline. You will automatically be switched to Timeline view. Here you can drag and drop text effects to any location in your movie. You can swap text effects by dragging and dropping. Change the duration of a text effect by clicking and dragging either edge to the desired length. Alternately, you can right-click a text effect: click on Extend To Align, and choose one of the available options. You can delete all text effects by rightclicking one of them and selecting "Delete All Text." 2 3 Effects Track - displays special effects (frames, etc.) that you have added to the Timeline. To insert a special effect, choose one from an Effects album and add it to the Storyboard/Timeline. You will automatically be switched to Timeline view. Here you can drag and drop effects to any location in your movie. You can swap effects by dragging and dropping. Change the duration of an effect by clicking and dragging either edge to the desired length. Alternately, you can right-click an effect, click on Extend To Align, and choose one of the available options. You can delete all special effects by right-clicking one of them and selecting "Delete All Effects." Video Track - displays still images and videos, as well as transitions, that you have added to the Storyboard/Timeline. To insert a still image or video, choose one from a Media album and add it to the Storyboard/Timeline. Choose a transition from a Transitions album. On the Storyboard/Timeline, you can swap still images and videos by dragging and dropping. You can move transitions to other locations by dragging and dropping, but you cannot swap them. Change the duration of a still image by clicking and dragging either edge to the desired length in Timeline view. Right-click a still image and select Apply Duration To All Following to change the duration of all following images to the duration of the currently selected still image. Click and drag a video component to shorten the length of the video. You can quickly add random transitions throughout a project by right-clicking and selecting "Random Transition to All." You can delete all transitions by right-clicking a transition and selecting "Delete All Transitions." You can delete all still image and video components by right-clicking a component and selecting "Delete All Video Track Content." You can view items on the Video Track in either the Storyboard or Timeline view. 4 Audio Tracks 1 & 2 - displays audio that you have added to the Timeline. To insert audio, choose a file from a Media album and add it to the Storyboard/Timeline. You will automatically be switched to Timeline view. Here you can drag and drop audio tracks to any location in your movie. You can swap audio tracks by dragging and dropping. You can have up to two audio files play in a movie at one time. If a video has existing audio, it can be played as well. You can adjust the length of an audio file
17 18 by clicking and dragging it's right-most edge. You can delete all content on an Audio Track by right-clicking one component and selecting "Delete All Audio Track 1 (or 2) Content." Capturing Audio and Video ShowBiz allows you to capture audio and/or video from compatible devices. Captured video will be saved in the AVI format; captured audio will be saved in the WAV format. To capture audio and/or video: 1. Click on the Capture button. Capture Video Capture Audio 2. Check the appropriate box(es) for recording: Video and Audio. 3. Use the Device pull-downs to select the source for your video/audio. 4. Set your video/audio preferences. The preferences and options available are dependent on the video/audio source. 5. Select the destination and set the file name for the captured file in the Save As section. Click on the Browse button to set this information. 6. If desired, check the Add To Album box and choose an album to which your captured file will be added. 7. Use the standard record/playback options to capture and preview your video/audio. Recording Audio for Videos You can easily record audio for a video on the Storyboard/Timeline. Even if a video already has audio encoded in it, you can record a new soundtrack for the video and mute the original audio. The recorded audio will be added to one of the audio tracks on the Timeline, beneath the video for which it was recorded. Recorded audio will be in the WAV format. 1. On the Storyboard/Timeline, click on the desired video. 2. Click on the Audio Record button from the editing options beneath the Player. 3. From the Record Audio window, type in the file name for the audio to be recorded. 4. Click the Browse button to set the save location. 5. If desired, check the Add To Album box and choose an album to which your captured file will be added. 6. Check the Mute Simultaneous Video Clips box to remove the existing audio track encoded in the video file. 7. Click Record to begin; click Stop to stop. Note: In the Player, if you have Active Clip selected, audio will be recorded for the currently selected component on the Storyboard/Timeline. If you have Entire Movie selected, an audio track for the entire movie will be recorded. See the next section for more information on the Player. The Player and Editing Options The Player is the section on the main screen where your movie and/or movie components are displayed and previewed. Below the preview window within the Player are playback controls, options for different preview modes, and editing options. Above the window are buttons for toggling view modes, as well as a button that launches ShowBiz Basics (see the ShowBiz Basics and Further Help section, p. 24). 2 3 Full Large Normal 1
19 20 1 View Modes - include Normal (the default view), Large (takes up the entire program screen while still showing the playback controls), and Full (takes up the entire screen). 2 Playback Controls - include Play/Pause and Stop. 3 Preview Modes include Entire Movie (plays back all components sequentially on the Storyboard/Timeline) and Active Clip (plays back only the currently selected component on the Storyboard/Timeline). Editing Options will vary from component to component: Videos: Start (green) and End (pink) trim markers can be dragged to adjust when a video starts and ends. These trim markers are useful if you only want to retain a specific section of a video and crop unwanted frames. The Volume slider can be used to adjust audio volume. The Audio Record button lets you record audio (see Recording Audio for Videos, p. 17). The Enhance button opens enhancement sliders, including Brightness, Contrast, Hue, and Saturation. The Speed slider can be used to change the playback speed of the video. The multiplier underneath the slider lists the currently set speed (1X for normal speed, 2X for double speed, etc.). The Smooth box can be checked, which will allow the program to compensate for any alteration in the playback speed and make playback smoother. Images: The top slider has a marker that moves along as the still image is played. The Duration pull-down (the icon looks like a clock) lets you set the display time for the still image when the movie is played. The Enhance button opens enhancement sliders, including Brightness, Contrast, Hue, and Saturation. Audio: Start (green) and End (pink) trim markers can be dragged to adjust when an audio track starts and ends. These trim markers are useful if you only want to retain a specific section of an audio track and crop unwanted sound. The Volume slider can be used to adjust audio volume. Checking the Fade In and Fade Out boxes provide fades into and out of the audio track, respectively. Transitions: The top slider has a marker that moves along as a transition is played. The Duration pull-down lets you set the display time for the transition when the movie is played. The Direction pull-down (the icon has arrows pointing in the cardinal directions) will have various options depending on the transition; generally, it sets the direction of movement for the selected transition. Text: The top slider has a marker that moves along as a text effect is played. The Text box is where you type in the desired text. Use the respective pull-downs or buttons to select font, style, size, and alignment. Click on the Color box to select the text color. The Duration pull-down lets you set the display time for the text when the movie is played. Click the Shadow box and adjust the Blur and Intensity sliders if desired. You can delete all text effects by right-clicking one of them and selecting "Delete All Text."
21 22 Effects:Various options will appear, depending on the selected effect. All will display a top slider with a marker that moves in time when the effect is played. Other sliders and placement options will be present for different effects. you can delete all special effects by right-clicking one of them and selecting "Delete All Effects." Saving Projects and Movies ShowBiz allows you to save complete movie files, and your work-in-progress movies. Finished movies can be saved in various formats, including EXE, AVI and MPG. These files can be played on other computers and are ideal for sharing, emailing, etc. Movies that are work-in-progress are saved as BIZ files. BIZ files can be fully edited. All components of the Storyboard/Timeline remain as they were when the file was last saved. You can add and remove components, change their order, and make other changes. These files may only be opened by ShowBiz and are not intended for sharing or use on other systems. To save a work-in-progress movie (BIZ file): 1. From the Project Buttons, click Save. 2. The Save As window will appear. From the Save in pull-down, choose the save directory. Choose a directory that s easy to remember. 3. In the File name section, type in the name for your project file. 4. Click the Save button to save your project. Opening Projects To open a saved project (BIZ file): 1. From the Project Buttons, click Open. 2. The Open window will appear. From the Look in pull-down, navigate to the directory that contains your project file. 3. When you see your file, double-click it, or highlight it and click the Open button. To save a completed movie: 1. From the Movie Buttons, click Save. 2. In the Save window, type in a logical name for your movie in the File Name section. 3. In the File Save Location section, choose the save directory. Click on the Browse button and choose a folder that s easy to remember and locate, such as My Documents. 4. Check the Add To Album box if you wish to add your movie to a Media album. Select an album from the pull-down. 5. Choose the file format for the movie from the Format pull-down. Click the Settings button to edit or create custom save formats. This is recommended only for advanced users. 6. Click OK to save your movie. Exporting Movies There are two export options: To CD and To DV Tape. To CD enables you to save a movie directly to a CD. You must have a compatible CD-writing software program in order to use this option. To DV Tape lets you save a movie to a digital device (tape), including both minidv and Digital8. To DVD and To MyDVD are additional options that may or may not be available to you. To DVD allows you to burn a DVD directly from the program. To MyDVD allows you to burn a DVD through Sonic MyDVD software. Again, these are two options that may not be available.
23 24 To save a movie to a CD: 1. From the Movie Buttons, move your mouse over Export. 2. Click on To CD. 3. The Make CD window will pop up. Options here are similar to the Save Movie options. To save a movie to tape: 1. From the Movie Buttons, move your mouse over Export. 2. Click on To DV Tape. 3. The file will begin to process. When it s finished, a window will pop up with a view window and standard playback controls. Using the controls, navigate to the section of the tape to which you wish to save the file. 4. Click on the Save To Tape button to save. ShowBiz Basics and Further Help ShowBiz Basics is a learning utility within the program. It consists of various topics that cover common issues and questions. Using ShowBiz Basics and the ShowBiz Help file (click on the? button on the top right corner of the screen) are two great ways to better familiarize yourself with the program functions and features. The Help file contains a tutorial that will walk you through a sample project. Also, don t forget to check the ArcSoft Web site (www.arcsoft.com) for tutorials and other help documentation. Good luck, and have fun! Printing To print a still image or frame from a video: 1. With your video selected on the Storyboard/Timeline, navigate to the desired frame. 2. Right-click the image or frame in the preview window within the Player. 3. Click Print.