Five Windows Editing Programs for under $100

While anyone with a PC and Windows XP or Vista can edit video using the built-in Windows Movie Maker software (Keith’s WMM analysis), it simply cannot compare with the features and options offered by the stand-alone editing programs on the market. WMM is free for a reason. It is designed to give beginners the easiest and most straightforward tools for cutting together media without confusing the user with more advanced tools. Luckily, PC users have a wide range of really great editing programs to choose from, many of which are less that $100. I would like to analyze five pieces of software that can be bought for under $100 and hopefully demonstrate that it is possible to achieve very professional looking editing jobs without the pricey and complicated professional editing packages.

The five programs are Ulead VideoStudio 11 by Corel ($89.99), Adobe Premiere Elements 4 ($99.99), Pinnacle Studio 11 ($99.99), Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8 ($99.99), and Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 ($79.99). So what can you do with these programs that you can’t do with WMM? More than one video and audio track, more efficient interfaces, advanced video and audio effects, and more powerful import/export capabilities.

Perhaps the most important feature of these products is the ability to add multiple audio and video tracks. What this means is if you were designing a MindBites training video on underwater basket weaving and you wanted to split the screen in half and on the top half show your hands twisting wicker and on the bottom show your friend’s hands twisting different wicker you could easily overlay the two videos on separate tracks. The same goes for audio. If you want the sound of the wicker twisting underneath “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel, you can do so by placing the audio clips in different tracks. The usefulness of multiple tracks should not be overlooked even for beginners, and WMM does not offer more than one audio and one video track. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Adobe Premiere Elements, DV, PC Editing, Pinnacle Studio, Roxio Easy Media Creator, Sony Vegas Movie Studio, tracks, Ulead VideoStudio, video effects, Windows Movie Maker | Posted in Video Production and Publishing | No Comments »

Austin’s Hot Spots

As my spring break came to a close, my little sister’s was just starting. She’s 17, lives in a suburb of Ft. Worth, and had no big plans because of protective parents, homework, gymnastics practice, and work. So being the amazing sister that I am, I arranged to have her come spend a couple days in Austin with me.

She’s a high schooler and I’m a clean cut kid, so no 6th Street. The weather was awful, so that took out outdoor things at Zilker Park or Barton Springs. Having shallow college student pockets, we couldn’t do anything too extravagant. And of course time was limited, because I still had to go to class and my amazing internship. Being an Austin immigrant, I didn’t really know what to do.

We ended up having her do homework during the day, and then going to Toy Joy and Kerbey Lane the first night, and the UT campus, Pangaea, and Madam Mam’s the second. We had a great time, but it got me wondering what other places were fun but maybe obscure in Austin. If you’re having problems figuring out what to do or where to take guests in this diverse, unique city of ours, check out this video we made for SXSW visitors:

Tags: Austin Hot Spots | Posted in Life and Learning | No Comments »

Announcing the MindBites Author Training Program

Got something amazing to teach the world, but you don’t know where to start? Let us help! The MindBites Author Training Program can help you get going. Just email us at Authors@mindbites.com and let’s get started. Here’s how it works:

What you have:
1. Something cool and valuable to teach others
2. Desire to publish a video MindBite and earn money for yourself or charity
3. Willingness to collaborate with our team and learn

How we help:
You tell us! We are here to help however we can - maybe it’s advice on shooting and editing, maybe you shoot it and we help edit it, maybe something else. We obviously have our limitations, but heck try us and we’ll help you figure it out!

What you get:
Your first published MindBite for the world to find, buy and learn from! You own it — it’s your knowledge and its your creation. All we ask is you keep it posted on MindBites exclusively for at least 6 months, and that you designate 10% of the proceeds to go to the charity of your choice.

That’s it! Simple and ingenious, no?

Interested? Just email us at Authors@mindbites.com and let’s get going! Space is limited, so email today!

We can’t wait to see what you have to teach!

The MindBites Team

Tags: Author Training Program, Authors | Posted in MindBites News and Notes, Video Production and Publishing | No Comments »

Digitizing Hi-8: Bootleg Style

No one wants to pay a lot to digitize their Hi-8 tapes from the 90’s, but we also don’t want our tapes to lose quality from degradation, which will happen naturally overtime. The only way to preserve those memories is to transfer them to your hard drive. And for those of us on a home project budget, here is your remedy for keeping your wallet in your pocket.

To do this you need the following:

Hi-8 Camcorder, mini-DV Camcorder with AV input, TV (4:3) with RCA in and out, 2 RCA cables, 4-to-6 pin Firewire cable, and a computer with a video editing program

First, we need to get a tape deck that can playback Hi-8 tapes, like your original camcorder that you shot on in the 90’s. Borrow a friend’s, scour the basement for the one you shelved long ago, or buy one and return it. Then connect the mini-jack of the RCA-to-mini cable to the camera (1). Run the RCA into the TV (2). Run the other RCA-to-mini cable from the TV (3) into the mini-DV camcorder (4). From the mini-DV camcorder we use a 4 to 6 pin Firewire cable to import our media into the computer. So here’s what our setup should look like:

1. Connect RCA-to-mini cable to Hi-8 camcorder.
2. Connect RCA-to-mini cable going into TV.
3. Connect RCA-to-mini cable going out of TV.
4. Connect RCA-to-mini cable to mini-dv camcorder.
5. Connect 4 pin Firewire cable to mini-dv.
6. Connect 6 pin Firewire to computer.

Last, you need to setup your TV as “input” and then go into your mini-DV camera functions and under the VCR Setup turn “AV > DV” from OFF to ON.

Finally, in your editing program you need to change your capture device to “Non-controllable device.” Here is a screenshot from Final Cut Pro.

If you are using iMovie it will automatically connect the device for you.

You’re losing some quality but not enough to notice a difference on your TV monitor. If you had an S-video cable available to you, then that would maintain more quality than my bootleg system, but that’s why we call it “Digitizing Hi-8: Bootleg Style.” However, we are working with Hi-8 footage, and it was never meant to produce a high quality image.

There are so many ways to do this depending on what your camera looks like and what equipment is available to you. My Hi-8 camcorder does not have RCA inputs on the body of the camera, but if it did, then this setup would have been a better option:

From Analog Camera to Digital Computer

Tags: Digitizing, Hi-8 | Posted in Video Production and Publishing | No Comments »

Promoting & Marketing your Video Lessons

Now that you have finished uploading your lesson, it is time to start thinking about getting the word out and promoting your lessons so that you will see some sales.

The first place to start promoting your lesson is the title. The title should be written with Google or any search engine in mind. In other words, think about how someone would type in a search for your topic. They might type in certain keywords or they might phrase it like a question. For example, if your lesson is about teaching someone how to write a stellar resume and someone is searching for how to write a resume they might type in words like “how to write a resume” or ” resume writing tips” or “resume writing skills”. If you think about it from this perspective, the title tends to come easily. In this example, a good title would be “Learn skills and tips for writing an effective resume”.

A good title will go a long way in promoting your lesson because it not only will help bump your lessons up in the search results, but it will also help people who are already on the site to find your lesson.

The second step is your lesson description. The description also serves a few key roles. Besides the title and free preview, the description serves as direct communication to visitors about what you are going to cover in the lesson. A thorough description makes it much easier for folks to click the “buy” button. Also, the description is another opportunity to load up on keywords. Again, keep in mind all the keywords that might be typed into a search engine when looking for your subject matter. You should try to work these keywords into your description to increase your lesson searchability. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Increasing Viewing, marketing your video, Searchability | Posted in MindBites News and Notes, Video Production and Publishing | No Comments »

The MindBite Insight (Episode #6 - Getting Good Audio)

Well, we find ourselves here once again, at the advent of another momentous occasion that will surely rock the foundations of all society: the birth of another MindBite Insight. In this week’s adventure, we scale the seemingly insurmountable information mountain of audio recording. Bad sound deals a death blow to any video production, no matter the financial scale. In this cursory lesson, we traverse the epidermis of the audio recording body and discuss microphone construction and classification, professional recording technique, and common pitfalls in which videographers often find themselves stuck while in production.

So sit back kiddos and enjoy the ride; this one’s jam-packed with reverberating goodness.

Tags: Webisode | Posted in MindBites News and Notes, Video Production and Publishing | 2 Comments »

Things I learned at SXSW 2008

1. Eugene Mirman is funny.

By saying things like, “If you tell the authorities, I will go back in time and prevent your birth,” and inviting black ninjas to tell the audience to “Ef” themselves when Elf Yourself won in the Amusement Category at the Web Awards, Mirman won my heart. SXSW needs to keep him on the MC line-up.

2. Launching balls is fun.

No, really. All you do is launch a ball. They won the Critic’s Choice Award at the SXSW 2008 Web Awards. Find out why by playing it here.

3. Going to shows for free is better than having a badge.

Unofficial parties like NPR’s Thursday Showcase at the Parish or Red Eyed Fly’s free pre-SXSW show are examples of why I will never purchase a music badge. The free day shows usually have so much free food and drink to put anyone into a SXSW binge that a badge seems pointless. Don’t get me wrong, if someone gave me a badge, I would never turn it down. But I did see some pretty awesome shows for free including performances by Yeasayer, Bon Iver, A. A. Bondy, and Vampire Weekend now playing on NPR’s site.

4. is the new FaceBook, is the new MySpace.

I overheard some bloggers in the Bloghaus room dissappointed that they didn’t reach their followers quota. That’s when it hit me. Nerds 1, Cool Kids 0.

5. Frodo d.j.s like a bad hobbit.

Elijah Wood, who I think is dating one of the Donnas, ended up “iPod spinning,” a.k.a. messing around on his iPod in front of turn tables, at the Habana Annex day party. In the past, I have seen him duck behind a booth at Maggie Mae’s and play songs off his iPod for the inebriated crowd’s pleasure, and this year he made his way in between acts at Habana Annex. It was more fun looking at the posters on the wall.

6. Moby is awesome.

The Mohawk hosted a secret show Tuesday night during SXSW with Moby as the guest dj. Afterwards, everyone charged the stage and got down with Moby and his bad self. In this photo, taken off of Flickr, he’s pointing to a pivotal moment in the set, right before the beat hits the roof.

7. Frank Warren from PostSecret can make a strong man cry or propose.

PostSecret started as an art project in which people mailed their secrets anonymously to Frank on homemade postcards and turned into a form of therapy. He created a blog where he posts the top ten postcards received over the week every Sunday. SXSW Interactive invited him to speak about the PostSecret project at the conference this year and I was lucky enough to get a seat. Frank showed some of the postcards that didn’t make the books, including the one above. Throughout the discussion, I think I teared up about 6 or 7 times, especially during the proposal at the end, which was the best part. A guy from the crowd said he had a secret and so Frank offered him the mic on stage. Then he proposed to his girlfriend! I almost peed my pants waiting for her to walk on stage hoping to God she said “yes”. Someone put it online so you can watch it here.

8. Rachel Ray is into Metal?

I didn’t get to go because the RSVP list closed before I had the chance to get on it, but the idea of her cooking to her hubby’s metal music frightens me. I don’t want my lovely host, Rachel Ray, subjected to such crude taste. But supposedly she digs it. And that’s more power to all those heavy metal kids. Even you can get a girl like Rachel Ray!

9. SXSW Plague a.k.a SXSARS or just got the South By Blues?

Everyone got sick after SXSW. Some due to allergies which Austin has plenty of, but others blame loneliness after SXSW. Nevermind the crowded venues and eating near the gutters on sixth street. We’re not sick because of bacteria, or allergies, or any other air-borne disease. We got the South By Blues. Anyone will tell you, after SXSW, you go into a deep depression. No more free shows with free food and drink, no more drunk late nights with international strangers, no more L.A.-style party hopping from rooftop garage to concerts in the park. We are all bummed out. Our immune systems shut down from the week’s get-up-and-go partying, and it catches up with us by invading when we’re at our lowest, back at work, typing away to the conundrum of everyday work boredom.

10. Never underestimate the power of the ultimate blogger family!

Probably the best showdown in nerd empowerment, the SXSW interactive mob turned hostile when BusinessWeek Journal’s interviewer, Sarah Lacy, became lame. She interviewed (more like said a statement and waited for a response) Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, and didn’t even do that as much as promote her own book. Well, the nerds got their revenge by twittering within the crowd without her knowing and when it came time to charge the stage the entire audience was already on board. Lacy retorted by defending herself saying things like “just try doing what I do for a living…it’s not as easy as it looks” and turned it over to the mob rule. The mob used their chance to get the answers they were waiting for with questions like “Other than really rough interviews, what do you think is the biggest obstacle that Facebook faces?” And when she became offended, she asked someone from the crowd to message her why they thought it was “rough” to which the blogger crowd happily agreed and asked “what is your e-mail?” To her surprise, giving out this information did not clear things up.

Good blog comment to catch up on this.

| Posted in Life and Learning | 1 Comment »

Party Tips for SXSW

I believe SXSW to be the most magical week in Austin, TX. Wonderful music, interesting indie films, lots of nerdy (but really cool) interactive peeps, and enough parties to turn anyone into an insomniac. Austin rocks the second week of March! The best part of SXSW is that you don’t need an expensive badge to experience all of the fun. Especially when it comes to music and parties.

Many of you already know that most bands that come to play at South By play at least one, almost always two unofficial shows during the day. These shows are usually free and many times involve free booze and food. So if you are broke like me, and can’t afford a badge, you can still have just as much fun as the the VIPs.

However, because all of these events are free, you have to deal with long lines, crowds, and lots of hassle. So here are some tips that I learned to have the best, cheap, SXSW EVER!!!!

1. http://showlistaustin.com/
This is pretty much the best website to find out about all of the unofficial events going on during the SXSW week. Check this website frequently leading up to South By to know about the best parties and shows.

2. RSVP to EVERYTHING
A lot of these really cool unofficial parties require you to RSVP in advance in order to attend. It really sucks when all of your friends are at some super cool party, and you can’t get in because you didn’t RSVP. Even if you’re not sure you are going to a certain event RSVP anyway just in case.

3. Show up Early
After you RSVP to these events, show up early, especially if it is a show you are dying to see. There were a couple of days I got lazy and showed up to a venue late only to see a line wrapping around the block. You’ll wait in line so long you just end up hearing pieces of the show outside while everyone is partying inside. A better example: I was dying to see a free NPR showcase at the Parish. The Parish is a tiny venue, so I went an hour early and waited in line. I got in and saw an amazing line up of bands standing in the front holding Shiners and eating BBQ. However, hardly any of my friends got to see the show because they showed up too late. Showing up early PAYS OFF!

4. Text Message
This might seem irrelevant but having text messaging on your phone is very important when it comes to SXSW. All of your friends are also running around downtown and they are hearing about different parties all the time and they want you to know about it. During SXSW, you are constantly wanting to meet up at different venues, but you can never hear anyone on the phone because of the live music. So whenever you hear of something great, you can just text “Hey come to this awesome secret Moby DJ party at MOHAWK NOW!”

5. Ride a Bike
During SXSW, it is impossible to find parking, and they close off many of the streets downtown, because of all the commotion. So your best option to get to shows fast and stress free is to start a bike gang! I’ve tried walking, taxis, and driving…trust me, biking is your best option.

6. Age a Little
You have to be 21 to get into most of the venues during SXSW. It sucks for young people, but that’s they way it goes. However, if you are not 21 yet, there are still plenty of events you can go to. Mostly any outdoor event is for all ages, so go to free shows at Auditorium Shores, Waterloo Park, and the Enchanted Forest. Also Emos, Stubbs, Mohawk, and Flamingo Cantina are available to people under 21 as well.

These 6 tips helped me have the most amazing week in Austin ever. I know SXSW is a year away but keep these ideas in mind for next year when you are visiting Austin during South By!

Tags: SXSW | Posted in Life and Learning | No Comments »

The Wheel of Color is a Crafty Mistress

Your eyes are some funky organs. They perform a whole throng of intricate calculations and functions every second, almost all going unnoticed by their owner and occurring, forgive me, in the blink of an eye. It’s because of this artful sneakiness that we have to deal with color temperature issues when shooting on video or film.

Typically, indoor lighting fixtures will emit more of an orange light than that of outdoor conditions, which is bluish. The eye is quick to adjust so that color appears normal to your vision, without the various tints of orange or blue. Video cameras do not work in this way, unless we tell them to. They pick up the variations in color with no normalization, so that when we view our recordings in playback we may see a tint of color that wasn’t noticeable to us while shooting.

This is why Color Balancing is so important. You must give the camera a reference point so that it can determine the correct look of all other colors. In videography, we use white as that reference, which is why you may have heard the term “White Balancing.” To white balance, you take an object that is white, like a piece of paper, and place it beneath the lighting conditions. You then fill the camera’s frame with the object, so that it sees nothing but white and then indicate to the camera that all other colors must be fall in line with this one.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: color, white balancing | Posted in Video Production and Publishing | No Comments »

Dog Grooming 101

Last weekend, I sat down on my front porch in the middle of west campus and became my dog’s own personal hair stylist. Comparable to a professional sheep shearer from Ireland, I sheared about two pounds of hair in the time it takes to drink a beer. I made sure that every last inch of fur was cut close to the skin, except the Mohawk which I kept dangling a mere 4 inches high and down the length of Sparky’s back. At first I did it because I was bored but now I see the benefits of a clean-cut pet.

Why would you want to shave your pet?

1. To reduce the amount of shedding by ten-fold.

2. To give your pet room to breathe during the hot days of summer.

3. To give him a new do with style.

4. To let him enjoy a day at the dog spa.

5. To build a bond of trust between man and best friend.

To my surprise, I am now the eccentric neighbor for always doing something weird in my front yard. To me, this title is totally worth it, because I disposed Sparky of hair that would have eventually ended up everywhere else in my life, i.e. my apartment, my car, my dinner…However much I enjoy it now, grooming a dog proved to be more challenging than I had thought.

Here’s what I learned:

#1: Do not shave the tail.

If you do, your dog will look like an over-sized rat. Believe me, I made that mistake once, and it takes a while to grow out. So instead of using shears, opt for a trim with the scissors. You have more control over the length of the hair and you can avoid the embarrassment of having a nutria for a pet.

#2: Shave with the hair on the legs, against the hair on the back, and a mix of both around the neck.

Cut according to the way the body is shaped. Each section is different. Make sure not to cut too much around the neck and especially watch out for the tail.

#3: Leave some hair for the birds.

Birds use the hair to make nests. Instead of throwing it all away leave some behind in the garden.

#4: Mohawks are fun but grow out very quickly.

…In other words, they are very high maintenance. Sparky’s Mohawk is in need of a trim and it’s only been a week since his last hair appointment.

#5: Play with your dog in between shearing.

This way he associates the experience with playtime. While Sparky was happy having doggy day spa, other breeds, especially smaller dogs, might panic at the sight and sound of the shears. So play with a ball, cut, trim, throw a frisbee, snip, and shear.

#6: Do not be afraid to go under the tail.

I know it looks gross but leaving the butt hairy is very noticeable. Lift the tail and shear upwards, starting from the middle of the leg and ending at the lower back. Most of this hair will be really thick and tough to shear through so try combing it before you start.

Finally, breathe in all that good, clean air, free of floating hair and fresh of stinky fur.

Tags: Dog grooming | Posted in Life and Learning | 2 Comments »