What is a Smash Cut and Other Cut Transitions
The video below this entry gives a great overview of a subject that many amateur video makers get very wrong from the beginning.
That subject is transitions and the main reason for the confusion is that marketers promote their editing software as having a million transitions so that must be good right?
Wrong and wrong on two counts.
First is that if you start thinking of transitions as “things” instead of “ways’ or “methods…” you will lose.
A transition is not a thing, it is a way of getting from one shot to the next smoothly and to be honest the most common form it takes is a direct, straight cut!
No swirling, spinning stuff on the screen, just a cut.
The second point is that somehow the sheer number of preset transitions on offer is somehow connected to the suitability of the editing software they come with and to the uninitiated, must therefore be important.
In fact the reality is that the higher up the food chain you go when it comes to video editing software, the fewer pre-packaged transitions are on offer.
Software makers for the pro’s know that they are not going to use a bunch of cheesy transitions and adding them to the product is only going to cheapen it.
The real trick with using cuts as transitions in themselves is knowing how the pro’s cut to achieve it.
PowerDirector Tutorial: Beginners Guide to Editing
Last week CyberLink released the latest version of a range of their software including their flagship video editor, PowerDirector.
That release takes the stand alone version to number 21 with the subscription version remaining as 365.
The reason for that is that PowerDirector 365 updates constantly throughout the year as features become available.
In the video below you can get a good feel for the program as it is now by following along with Maliek.
Make Better Videos with this Video Checklist
One of the reason you are way more than likely to arrive at a destination intact when travelling by air is that air travel is statistically safer.
Yet the actions of maintaining and preparing a modern air liner for service are wildly complex and even more wildly numerous! What’s the secret? Checklists.
Every action connected to the activity has a checklist because those pesky humans cannot be trusted to remember stuff!
When I am preparing to shoot any kind of footage for a video I always run through a checklist I have prepared to make sure I don’t crash and burn… video-wise that is.
All of us will most likely go through a bunch of steps that are repeated every time we shoot a video and all of us are prone to missing something especially when we have committed that detail to memory.
It is never until after the fact that we find it and the time wasted can never be recovered!
So in the video below you can get a good basic starting point for your own checklist but remember, it isn’t worth anything unless you use it.
Lighting Setup to Make Your Videos Stand Out! – Wondershare Filmora Tutorial
Another good tutorial this week from the guys at Filmora although this one has nothing to do with Filmora at all!
Lighting is one of those subjects in video making that has some obvious basics that have to be covered but very quickly descends into questions of taste.
For example the lighting should allow you to see your subject but then we have to work out HOW we want the subject to appear.
As you follow though the tutorial my advice would not be to just try and copy what is being done.
Focus your attention on what is being done, why it is being done that way and how you could apply it to your own situation.
Best Lighting for YouTube Videos (Simple & Cheap Video Lighting!)
If you are just starting out shooting videos for YouTube and are dealing with an indoor setting it can be a little tricky getting it right.
The two main problem areas will be lighting and sound.
There are lots of tutorials kicking around on these subjects but when it comes to absolute beginners the one below is a great starting point for lighting at least.
Remember, even if you have a gazillion dollars worth of lighting available to you, if you don’t know how to use it then it is useless.
5 Tips and Tricks, Corel VideoStudio 2022
Some great editing tips and tricks here from Gripps using Corel VideoStudio.
Just as a side note one of the tips involves using the included Adorage plugin to gain greater control over a transition.
In the example shown it is used when the clips being joined by a transition are particularly short.
Bear in mind that if you are using VideoStudio, Pinnacle Studio and even PowerDirector it is worth checking out these included 3rd party plugins.
Very often they offer far greater control than the built-in stuff and are included for situations exactly like this.
Filmora 11.7.3 Quick Review: New Title, New Effects and More
A new week and as usual a new update from Filmora! Dang but these guys just never let up!
Anyway there are apparently some background fixes as well as a few new assets available but nothing much in the way of features.
Slow Motion, Fast Forward, Reverse Video in Filmora 11
Like most modern video editors Filmora allows you to speed up and slow down videos on the timeline.
Simply using the speed controls is one way of skinning that cat but there are other ways to do it to create different effects.
Also bear in mind that slowing down a video that was not shot at a higher frame rate than your project will usually result in poor looking results.
If it is at all possible always shoot high frame rates BEFORE you start slowing down any footage.