Sams Teach Yourself Digital Video and DVD Authoring All in One

Jeff Sengstack has worn many hats: TV news reporter/anchor, video producer, writer focusing on PC technology, high school math/science teacher, radio station disk jockey, music publisher, marketing director, and (presently) school board trustee. As a news reporter he won a regional Emmy and two Society of Professional Journalists first-place awards. He's an Adobe Certified Expert and Trainer on Premiere and wrote Adobe's Higher Education, Digital Video Curriculum Guide. He's written 300 articles and six books, including Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Premiere Pro in 24 Hours. Visit his website at http://www.sengstack.com.

Introduction.

I. PRODUCTION PREPARATION: VIDEOS, IMAGES, SOUND, AND STORY.

1. Digital Video and DVDs-Getting Acquainted.

    Converging Technologies

      Digital Video Camcorders

      DV Camcorders-Higher Quality and Lower Prices

      IEEE 1394-"FireWire"-Connectivity

      High-Speed PC Processors

      DVD Format Adoption

      MPEG-2 Video Compression

      DVD Recorders

      DVD-Authoring Software

    Introducing Nonlinear Video Editing

      Multiple Methods to View Your Videos

    What's DVD Authoring?

    Making Sure Your PC Hardware Makes the Grade

      Enough Processor Power

      Windows XP-Home or Professional Edition

      Sufficient RAM

      Large and Fast Hard Drive(s)

      FireWire Connection

      DVD Recorder

      3D Video Card

    Summary

2. Shooting Great Videos.

    Choosing a Digital Video Camcorder

      One or Three Chips-CCDs

      Features Worth Strong Consideration

      Two Features of Interest: Progressive Scan and True Widescreen

      Features Not Worth Considering

      Camcorders to Avoid Entirely

      Doing Some Homework

      Legacy Analog Camcorders

    Sixteen Tips on Shooting Great Video

      Plan Your Shoot

      Adhere to the Rule of Thirds

      Use Additional Still-Camera Composition Techniques

      Get a Closing Shot

      Get an Establishing Shot

      Get a Good Mix of Shots

      Lean Into or Away from Subjects

      Keep Your Shots Steady-Use a Tripod

      Let Your Camera Follow the Action

      Use Trucking Shots to Move with the Action

      Avoid Fast Pans and Snap Zooms

      Shoot Cutaways to Avoid Jump Cuts

      Don't Break the Plane

      Get Plenty of Natural Sound

      Shoot Enough Continuous Audio

      Use Lights to Make Your Project Brilliant

    Expert Advice from Karl Petersen

    Summary

3. Creating Compelling Still Images.

    Digital or Film Cameras-What Will Work Best for You

      Digital Camera Buying Tips

    Making High-Quality Photos-Tips and Tricks

      Putting an End to Blurry Images

      Composing Your Shots

      Other Photo-Taking Tips

      Compensating for Lag Time

    Importing and Scanning Images

      Importing Digital Images to Your PC

      Selecting a Scanner for Your Video and DVD Projects

      Explaining Scanner Settings

      Scanning Images Using Manual Settings

    Formatting Images for Videos and DVDs

    Editing Images with Adobe Photoshop Elements

    Summary

4. Acquiring Audio.

    Selecting the Right Mic for the Job

      Low-Cost Mic Solutions

      Stepping Up to Professional-Quality Mics

      Handheld Mic

      Lavaliere Mic

      Shotgun Mic

      Boundary or Surface Mount Mics

      Wireless Systems

    Connecting Mics to Your Camcorder or PC

      Making the PC Connection

      Upping the PC Mic/Soundcard Ante

    Getting the Most from Your Mics-Expert Audio Tips

    Building a Simple and Inexpensive Voice-Recording Area

    Voicing Solid Narrations

    Summary

5. Making Marvelous Music.

    Ripping Music CDs

    Licensing Music or Buying Royalty-Free Music

      Licensing Music

      Using Royalty-Free Music

    Creating Custom Music with SmartSound Movie Maestro

    Introducing Two High-End Music Creation and Editing Products

      Making Music with SmartSound Sonicfire Pro

      Introducing Adobe Audition

      Auditioning Audition and Sonicfire Pro

    Summary

6. Story-Creation and Video-Production Tips.

    Creating Your Story

      Overall Story-Creation Tips

      General Writing Tips

      Specific Writing Tips

    Story-Creation Tips from Bob Dotson

      Bob Dotson's Storyteller's Checklist

      Keep It Simple...and Short

    Writing in the Active Voice

    Mackie Morris's Writing Tips

      The Good Writer's Dazzlin' Dozen

    Storytelling with Video

      Stephen Black's and Henry Stern's Scriptwriting Tips

      Unblocking Creativity

    Video-Editing Tips from an Expert-John Crossman

    Summary

II. VIDEO EDITING.

7. Capturing and Editing Video with Windows Movie Maker 2.

    Movie Maker 2-Pros and Cons

      A Minimal Run-Through

      Go Ahead-Give Movie Maker 2 a Try

      Movie Maker 2-Pluses and Minuses

    Overview of Video Editing with Movie Maker 2

      Tour the Interface

    Capturing Video

    Gathering Other Assets

    Using the Storyboard to Make a Rough Draft

    Splitting and Trimming Clips on the Timeline

    Summary

8. Jazzing Up Your Video with Windows Movie Maker 2.

    Adding Video Effects and Transitions

      Give Your Clips Some Visual Special Effects

    Working with Titles

    Editing in Extra Audio

    Exploring Some Fun Add-on Packs

      Microsoft Fun Packs

      Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition

      Pixelan SpiceFX

    Exporting to DV Tape or PC File

    Summary

9. Capturing Video with Pinnacle Studio Plus.

    Video Editing: From Engineers to Artists

      Old-Fashioned Editing

    Getting Acquainted with Pinnacle Studio Plus

      Studio Plus Pricing and Packages

      Try Out Studio Plus for Free

    Looking Over the Studio Plus User Interface

      Fire It Up

      Fire It Up Again

      New to Studio Plus: An Overlay Video Track!

    Checking Out Pinnacle Systems Video Capture Hardware

      Two Video Capture Options

    Capturing Digital or Analog Video and Still Images

      Analog Video Capture

      Capturing Still Images from Your Camcorder

    Summary

10. Editing Cuts-Only Videos with Studio Plus.

    Assembling Your Assets

    Creating an Instant Music Video with SmartMovie

    Using a Storyboard Approach

    Editing Your Cuts-Only Video on the Timeline

      Adjusting the Ruler Timescale

      Trimming and Match Edits

    Summary

11. Enhancing Your Video with Transitions, Effects, and Titles.

    Using Transitions with Restraint

      Transitions with a Purpose

      What Transitions Can Do

    Adding Transitions

    Using Special Effects

      Checking Out Specific Effects

    Putting Still Images in Motion

    Using Supers to Help Tell Your Story

    Adding Titles to Your Videos

      Using the Shape Tools

    Summary

12. Audio Production with Studio Plus.

    Voicing Narrations and Adding Music

      Voicing a Narration

      Adding Music

      Making Music with Studio's SmartSound Module

    Adding Other Audio

    TV News-Style Editing

      To A/B or Not to A/B?

      Adding Cutaways

      Working with J-Cuts and L-Cuts

    Working with Audio Effects

      VST Effects-New to Studio Plus

    Adjusting Audio Levels and Surround Sound with the Mixer

    Summary

13. Advanced Editing Techniques, Add-ons, and Exporting.

    Advanced Two-Track Editing Techniques

      Using the Picture-in-Picture Tool

      Spicing Up Your PiPs

      Two Other Picture-in-Picture Effects

      Keying Out Parts of a Clip

    Testing Third-Party Audio Effect Plug-Ins

      Unlock Effects for Use in Projects

      Algorithmix Effects

      NewBlue Audio Essentials

    Reviewing Third-Party Video-Effect Plug-Ins

      Bravo Studio Packs 1 and 2

      BWPLUGINS and BWPLUGINS 2

      Dziedzic's Effects Packs 1 and 2

      eZedia eZeMatte and eZeScreen

      PE CameraPOV

      proDAD Adorage and Heroglyph

      StageTools MovingPicture and MovingPicture LE

    Overview of Studio's RTFX Packages

      RTFX Plus

      RTFX Mega

      HFX Creator

    Exporting Your Finished Product

    Summary

14. Two Additional Recommended PC Editing Products.

    Overview of the Video Editing Market

      Studio Plus and Premiere Elements Raise the Bar

      Changed Plans

      Professional NLEs

    Touring Adobe Premiere Elements-Things Look Different Here

      What Makes Premiere Elements So Different

      Minutely Detailed Control

      Professional But Not Impenetrable

      How Do Studio and Premiere Elements Compare?

      Premiere Elements Charts a New Course

    Taking Adobe Premiere Pro for a Test Drive

      Demonstrating Premiere Pro's Power

      Exploring Premiere Pro's User Interface

      Looking at Layering

      Playing Clips Slower, Faster, or Backward

      Changing Video Effects Over Time-Using Keyframes

      Editing Audio

      Adding Text with the Adobe Title Designer

    Summary

III. ENTRY-LEVEL DVD AUTHORING.

15. What DVDs and DVD-Authoring Software Can Do for You.

    Enhancing Your Media with DVDs

      DVDs Improve the Viewing Experience

    Delving into DVD Projects-Personal to Professional

      Home DVD Projects

      A First-Time DVD-Authoring Experience

      Videographer DVD Projects

      Using Prosumer Techniques on Personal Projects

      Business DVD Projects

      Designing a Business-Oriented DVD

      Commercial/Professional DVD Projects

      Creating Interactive DVD Fun for Children

    Discovering What DVD-Authoring Software Can Do for You

      Menu Creation and Functionality

      Button and Text Features

      Special Features

      Burning DVDs and Making Masters for Mass Production

      Compliance with DVD Specifications

    Overview of DVD-Authoring Products

      Entry-Level Video Editors with DVD-Authoring Modules

      Standalone Entry-Level DVD-Authoring Software

      Standalone Prosumer DVD-Authoring Software

    Summary

16. Getting Your Gear in Order-DVD Recorders and Media.

    Clearing Up the DVD Recording Format Confusion

      Dash R/RW Versus Plus R/RW Versus DVD-RAM

      DVD+R/RW-Better, But with a Bitter Aftertaste

    Selecting a PC DVD Recorder

      Narrowing Your Search

      Multiformat DVD±R/±RW Drives

      Single-Format DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW Drives

      DVD Dash R and DVD-RAM Combo

    Evaluating Three DVD Software Movie Players

      Cyberlink PowerDVD

      Intervideo WinDVD

      Sonic Solutions CinePlayer

    Using Sonic Solutions CinePlayer to Test Drive Your DVD Recorder

    Summary

17. Burning Data DVDs.

    Selecting Recordable Media

    Using Windows XP to Copy Files to a CD

    Burning a DVD

      RecordNow!-A Bundling Favorite

    Taking a Quick Tour of Roxio's Easy Media Creator

    Summary

18. Authoring DVDs Using Studio's DVD Module.

    Overview of Studio's DVD-Authoring Process

      Menu Track Characteristics

      Other DVD-Authoring Options

      What About DVD Parts?

    Creating a Single-Menu, Single-Button DVD

    Higher-Level DVD Authoring and Menu Editing

      Editing Menus

      Using Multiple-Nested-Menus

    Burning Your DVD Project

    Summary

19. Stepping Up to MyDVD 6.

    Introducing MyDVD 6

      MyDVD Flavors

      MyDVD 6 Features

      Some Features That Are New to MyDVD 6

    How MyDVD 6 Stands Up to Studio

    Checking Out the MyDVD 6 Interface and Feature Set

    Capturing Video with MyDVD

      Why Capture or Edit Video with MyDVD?

    Editing Video with MyDVD

    Summary

20. Authoring DVDs with MyDVD 6: Chapter 1.

    Assembling Video Assets

    Adding Part Markers

    Adding a Slideshow

    Organizing Assets into Menus

    Summary

21. Authoring DVDs with MyDVD 6: Chapter 2.

    Previewing Your Work in Progress

    Adding a First-Play Video and Fixing Some Links

      An Imperfect First-Play Methodology

    Editing the Menu Style

      Fixing Two Other Project Features

    Introducing Custom Templates

      Importing a Style

    Recording Videos Direct-to-Disc

    Burning Your DVD Project to a Recordable Disc

    Summary

22. Creating Custom MyDVD Templates with Style Creator.

    Introducing Sonic Solutions Style Creator

      How Style Creator Works

    Taking a Close Look at the Plug-in

      Installing Photoshop Elements

      Installing the Style Creator Plug-in

    Changing a Template Background

    Setting Text Boundaries and Font Characteristics

      Text Features

    Examining Button Characteristics

    Editing Buttons and Button Elements

      Working with Other Button Layers

    Testing Your Template Edits in MyDVD

    Summary

IV: Intermediate-Level DVD Authoring.

23. Introducing DVDit! 5.

    Planning Your Project

      What's the Message?

      Who's the Audience?

    Presenting Your Media in the Best Light

      Keep It Simple

      Keep It Short

      Take It for a Test Drive

    Organizing Your DVD's Menu Structure

      Nested Menus

      Use a Flowchart

      Buttons Should Do What They Say

    Introducing DVDit! 5

      What's Missing in DVDit! 5

    Checking Out the DVDit! 5 Interface

      Touring DVDit! 5's Interface

    Summary

24. Creating Menus with DVDit! 5.

    Adjusting Preference and Project Settings

      Four Preference-Setting Categories

      Changing Project Settings

    Trimming Videos and Adding Part Points

    Gathering Assets and Creating a Slideshow

      Adding Assets in Edit Mode

      Adding Assets in Author Mode

      Creating a Slideshow

    Laying Out Menus and Submenus

    Summary

25. Editing Menus with DVDit! 5.

    Adding and Building Buttons

    Working with Text

    Scaling Buttons, Graphics, and Text

    Arranging, Aligning, and Ordering Objects

    Adding Drop Shadows and Adjusting Object Opacity

    Setting First Play and Linking Media and Menus

      Setting First Play Is Easy

      Linking Media and Menus

    Summary

26. Advanced DVDit! 5 Authoring Techniques.

    Creating Custom Buttons in Photoshop

      Check Your Work

    Cool Tips and Tricks

      DVD Menu Outros and Intros

      Creating a Chain of Videos

      Adding Appendix Buttons En Masse Using the Titles Details View

      Quickly Duplicate Buttons, Graphics, or Text

    Fine-Tuning Button Subpictures and Navigation

      Setting Subpicture Highlight Characteristics and Opacities

    Adjusting Menu and Media Properties

      Menu Button Routing

      Forcing a Button Selection

      Setting Title End Actions

      Adjusting Menu Types, Durations, and End Actions

    Adding ROM Data

    Summary

27. Burning DVDs and Dealing with DVD Duplicators.

    Checking Menu and Media Links and Project Flow

    Selecting Transcoding Settings

      Preferences-Setting Finish Parameters

      Project Settings-Transcode Settings

      CBR Versus VBR

      PCM Versus Dolby Digital Audio

      Bit-Rate Calculation

    Using DVDit! 5 to Record Your DVD Project

      Test Your DVD

    Printing Labels Directly on Your DVDs

    Going the Mass-Replication Route

      Walking Through the Replication Process

    Using Sonic Solutions's Publishing Showcase

    DVD Trends

      DVD Ubiquity

      Microsoft Windows XP Media Center

      OpenDVD Format

      Integration with Web

      High Definition TV and DVDs

      Long Live the DVD Format

    Summary

Index.