Capture the perfect video

Posted on 27 Jan 2010 at 17:12

If you’ll be posting your video on sites such as YouTube or Facebook, using commercial music may result in a stern warning regarding copyright violation or refusal to host the video at all. Instead, try the SmartSound library music function, available under the Audio Tools dropdown list, which offers a selection of copyright-free tracks.

Once your music is on the timeline, adjust its volume using the yellow line that runs across the audio clip.

Hold down the Ctrl key as you click the bar to create keyframes, which set the volume for a particular frame. Adding two or more keyframes allows the volume to change over time, which is useful for fading out a track that’s longer than you need. Remember to mute the volume of the video clips’ soundtracks if you want to hear only the music.

EXPORTING

There are many ways to export and share your finished videos, but two stand out: DVD for distributing to friends and relatives without broadband access, and YouTube for everyone else.

DVD authoring is handled inside Premiere Elements’ main interface, and creating a menu is simple. First, consider adding chapter points by right-clicking the top of the timeline and selecting Set Menu Marker. Give each chapter a name (which will appear on the Scene Selection menu) and click OK. Click the Disc Menus tab and drag a template onto the preview window.

Double-click text to customise it and press Preview to see the menu in action. Some templates let you add your own photos or videos to personalise the design – if it says Add Your Media Here, simply drag something across from the Organize tab. When you’re happy with the design, click the Share tab and select Disc, DVD. Under the Presets dropdown list, select PAL_Widescreen_Dolby DVD. Pop a blank disc into your drive and click Burn.

Premiere Elements can also log into your YouTube account and upload videos directly. However, the upload wizard’s 30fps is at odds with UK video cameras, which run at 25fps. To maintain the highest quality, it’s best to export the video to hard disk and upload manually. Click Share and then the Personal Computer button.

Select MPEG from the list of formats and, if you’re editing HD footage, choose the preset HD 720p 25. For standard-definition videos, choose PAL DVD Widescreen. Add a file name, click Browse to choose a location to export to and click Save. Now, log into YouTube, locate the file on your hard disk and upload it to the site.

Author: David Fearon and Ben Pitt

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