1. Learn the Video Editing Basics
2. Configuring your PC for Digital Video Editing
3. Planning and Shooting your Videos
4. Connecting a Digital Camera to Your Windows PC
5. Video Dimension, Aspect Ratio and DVD
6. Editing Techniques to remove unnecessary footage
7. Useful Video Editing Techniques
8. Adding Titles and Credits
9. Speeding Up or Slowing Down Video Playback
10. Applying Effects Correctly
11. Applying Transitions Correctly
12. Applying Picture-in-Picture Transition
13. Using the Animated Transform Effect
14. Using the Green Screen Technique
15. Adding Life To Images: The Pan and Zoom Effect
16. More Effects and Transitions
17. Useful Audio Effects
18. Create photos from your videos
19. Watermark Your Videos
20. Getting Edited Videos out of your PC
21. Inserting videos into PowerPoint
22. Create Movies for Video Desk
23. Troubleshooting Compatibility Problems

Video Edit Magic 4.47

Learn the Video Editing Basics

Anyone, even with a little or no experience in editing can, create beautifully edited videos with Video Edit Magic.  Rapid strides in the fields of multimedia, hardware and software have made video editing easy.  Video Edit Magic is ideal for learning the ropes and taking the first strides in the field of digital video editing.

This article explains the basics of Digital Video Editing, using Video Edit Magic.

Starting a new Project

The first step is to create a New Project.  The Project file contains all the information about your project:  what media files are used, and where you have edited (cut, stretched, and moved) them.

To create a new project in Video Edit Magic:

1. Start Video Edit Magic.
2. In the File menu, click on New Project.
3. Click OK.

Importing a video

The next step is to import a video into Video Edit Magic.

You can connect your digital camcorder to your PC, switch on the VCR mode and import your videos using Video Edit Magic’s Capture DeskShare.utility.  You can also switch your digital camcorder to DV out mode and capture video from it, live.

To import a video file into Video Edit Magic:

1. In the File menu, click on Open file
   
   
   
   
2. Browse to the location where your captured video or any video file is present, select it, and click OK.  You can select multiple files and add all of them to the Collections window.

Using this procedure, you can add all the files you need to work with to the Collections window of Video Edit Magic.

Previewing the imported videos

When you are preparing a meal, it is useful to have all your ingredients and utensils at one place, so you can get whatever you need quickly.  Video Editing is no different.  To work efficiently and effectively, it is a good idea to import all your videos into the Collections window, so you know how much footage you have.  The Instant Preview screen in the top left hand corner shows the currently-selected video (or image) file for quick recognition.

1. Click on the video clip you want to Preview.
   
   
   
   
2. Click on the Play button under the Instant Preview screen, to get a quick view of the video clip.

Now, that you have reconfirmed the contents of the video clips and the image files you have imported into Video Edit Magic, you can roll your sleeves up and start editing.

Getting videos on to the Timeline

The Timeline is where all editing operations are carried out.  With the Timeline, you can easily see how long a video clip, audio track, transition, or effect is going to last when the final movie is made.  The Timeline lets you see at a glance what video clips begin when, and how long they last.  You are in complete control.

To add a video to the Timeline:

1. Right click on the video clip in the Collections window.
2. Select Add to Timeline.

You can also drag the video from the Collections window on to the Timeline

In the Timeline, you can zoom in to and zoom out by clicking on the little buttons with the magnifying glass icons on them.

Starting with your video editing

Start by trimming unnecessary footage from your video clips.  This is extremely easy with Video Edit Magic.  After trimming footage from your video, you will also be more familiar with working on the Timeline.

To remove a part of your video clip:

1. Add the video clip to the Timeline.
2. Click on Selection Sliders in the View menu.
   
   
   
   The Selection Sliders are an easy to use graphical tool for editing operations to be carried out on certain parts of the Movie track.  You can delete, copy, move, cut and paste using the Selection Sliders.
3. Select the part of the movie track you want to trim by positioning the Selection Sliders on the Movie Track of the Timeline.
   
   
   
   The selected portion is highlighted in lavender color on the Timeline.
4. To delete the selected part, simply hit the Delete button on the keyboard.  To copy the selected part, click on the Edit menu and select Copy.

Resizing and moving video clips on the Timeline

You can resize your videos, effects or music tracks by simply selecting them first, and then stretching them to the new size.  However, note that resizing a track affects the playback speed.  If you stretch a video, it will play slower.  If you decrease the size of the video on the Timeline, it will playback faster.  If you resize a video clip to half its size, it will play twice as fast and vice versa.

To move a complete clip, select it and drag it to the new position.

Undoing operations

All editing operations involve some mistakes.  As a beginner, you may need some time to get it perfect.  Video Edit Magic provides you with the ability to Undo and Redo changes to the Timeline.



For example, if you want to undo a Delete operation, just click on the Undo button on the toolbar.  To undo more than one operations at once, you can use the drop down list the by clicking the down arrow on the Undo button.  You can now select any operation to undo.

Adding Effects

Now, that you have removed all the unnecessary footage and placed your video clips at the right positions, you can use visual effects to add sparkle and polish to your video.

Let us consider the Color Balance effect as an example.  With the Color Balance effect, you can adjust the brightness and contrast of your video clips.

1. Click on the Video Effects in the Collections window .
   
   
   
   
2. Right-click on the Color Balance icon and select Add Effect to Timeline.  The effect will be added to the Effect track at the position where the Seek Slider is.  You can then position it anywhere on the Timeline by dragging, and increase or decrease its duration by stretching or reducing it.
3. To specify the Color Balance effect properties, right-click it in the timeline.  Select Effect Settings.
   
   
   
   
4. The Color Balance Effect can change the brightness level to make dark videos brighter or bright videos darker.  It can also change the predominant color in a scene, for instance compensating for reddish lighting.  You can Preview the effect in the Preview Screen.
5. Click on OK.

You can add other effects to your videos in a similar manner.

Working with Audio

Video Edit Magic provides you with a single track to add music to the existing sound in your video clips.  This is ideal for beginners who can feel intimidated by the presence of multiple and confusing tracks.

You can import an audio file, add it to the Timeline, and position it to start and end at the desired times.  To remove the audio, simply click on the audio track on the Timeline and hit the delete button.

Making your movie

This is the final step.  After you have finished all your editing, Make Movie combines all the video clips, audio clips, and effects into one movie file.  You can choose to export this movie to your digital camcorder, create AVI format files (perfect for CD distribution or further editing), or Windows Media Video files designed for efficient distribution over the Internet.

Before making your movie make sure that the Selection Sliders are hidden.  If they are visible, only the part of the Timeline that lies between them would be included in the movie.

To make a movie:

1. On the File menu, click on Make Movie.
2. In Step 1 of the Make Movie Wizard, choose the output format depending upon your distribution requirements.  Click on Next.
   
   
   
   
3. Specify the output format properties in Step 2 of the Make Movie Wizard.  Click on Next, and then click on Make Movie to start making the final movie.

A final word

Video Edit Magic is the ideal editing tool for getting started with video editing.  Once you are familiar with the editing basics, and feel confident about doing more with your videos, you might find that Video Edit Magic gives you more control, more power, and more flexibility.