You can record video of your full desktop screen or just a portion of it if you want using a free desktop recording tool called TipCam. If you have been wanting to add video to some of your software or computer program ehows - this is the way to do it! If you want to make instructional videos that walk people through a process or show them how to do things on a site or in an application - this is also the way to do it!
The application is simple to use and very easy to install. Go to this link and install the free program: http://www.utipu.com/app/
Once the program is installed, you will need to set up the location you want the videos to save to, and the format size that you want. This is all very simple to do and is done within the programs dialog box by clicking on radio buttons.
Once you have configured the program and you have started it up, you will notice a really simple tool box open up on your desktop that looks like a VCR or DVD control panel.
The program is now ready to record anything that you do on your desktop. Play around with this control panel, and open up microsoft word or excel on the screen. Go ahead and hit "RECORD" within the control box for the program. Watch the control panel, because it will tell you when it is ready to record.
Once the program starts to record, type in your name in the blank word or excel document, and move your mouse cursor around on the screen.
Go back to the control panel looking box, and hit "STOP". This will stop recording your screen actions, and will temporarily save your file into the memory of your computer. It is at this point that you can review what you recorded by hitting "PLAY".
If you do not like what you recorded, delete the file and start over. If you like it - great! Save it and now you have a clean video tutorial!
How to transfer DVDs / VHS to your computer
If you have videos that you would like to get online, but you only have the standard video equipment, then this is the ehow for you. Using a simple DV camera with firewire port, your computer/firewire, a VCR or DVD Player, and some RCA cables and a firewire cable - we can get your videos or DVD's online!
First you want to turn on your computer and get it up and running. If you are using a MAC - open up iMovie. If you are using a PC running XP - open up windows movie maker. This is found in the Start Menu --> Accessories --> Entertainment --> Movie Maker. If you do not have this, then download the XP service pack online, and it will be in there.
Alright - now that your computer is up and running, and your video software is ready, we want to connect our DV camcorder to the computer. Plug your DV camcorder into your computer using the firewire. Your DV camcorder is going to act as the translation device between your VCR or DVD Player and your computer to import your video.
Now that your DV camcorder is plugged into your computer via the firewire, you will want to plug in your DVD Player or your VHS player into your DV camcorder. When doing this, look at the input type your DV camcorder accepts. Most DV camera's have three RCA inputs on them, similar to the outputs/inputs on your DVD Player or VHS player. These are the Yellow, Red, and White video jacks. If you have this on your DV camcorder, then you simply plug the RED, WHITE, and YELLOW RCA plugs into the camcorder's "VIDEO/AUDIO IN" jacks, and then into the VCR or your DVD player's "VIDEO/AUDIO OUT" jacks. They are labeled on the back.
If your camcorder has an audio/visual input jack that looks like a headphone jack instead of the RED, WHITE, and YELLOW RCA jacks - then this is a 3.5mm jack. It still attaches to the RED, WHITE, and YELLOW jacks on your DVD Player or your VCR player, but then plugs into the single 3.5mm jack on your camcorder. Take a look at the picture to see what you need. Connect the camcorder to your DVD or VHS player.
No that your computer, camcorder, and VCR or DVD player are all hooked up - turn on your DV Camcorder in the playback mode or VTR or VCR.
Turn on your VCR or DVD player. Test the connection by playing your movie from your DVD or VCR tape. You should see the movie playing on your DV camcorders screen. If not - make sure that you connected the RCA jacks to your DVD or VCR players "VIDEO OUT" and "AUDIO OUT" jacks. If you see and hear your movie, move on to the next step. If not, make sure all connections are properly connected.
Now on your computer, using either iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, you want to select import video from camera or import video.
When you do this, you should see a small video screen appear within the program on your computer. If you play your video it should show up on the camcorder and computer. If it does, then you are ready to import. Rewind your video tape, or go to the first scene in the DVD, hit import, and then press play on the camcorder and the VCR / DVD player. Your movie should start to import.
Now, you will want to make sure that you have plenty of memory on your computer, because video storage takes up a lot of space! You can test this as you are importing video, and make adjustments as needed. I purchased a "MyBook" external storage drive to store my videos.
Once you are done importing the video that you want, press the stop import button on either windows movie maker or iMovie. Go ahead and save the project on your computer. Do this to avoid any issues before the next step.
If you are using windows movie maker, you will want to wait for the clips to render into the program. Once they are there, go to the file menu and choose select all. This will select all of the clips. Drag and drop these clips into your movie timeline. Do the same in iMovie.
Now you want to export your movie for viewing on the web. In iMovie, simply go to file, export, and then play with the viewer and setting of your choice. For Windows MovieMaker, go to File, save movie file. Your video will export, and you can then publish it online. Done!
First you want to turn on your computer and get it up and running. If you are using a MAC - open up iMovie. If you are using a PC running XP - open up windows movie maker. This is found in the Start Menu --> Accessories --> Entertainment --> Movie Maker. If you do not have this, then download the XP service pack online, and it will be in there.
Alright - now that your computer is up and running, and your video software is ready, we want to connect our DV camcorder to the computer. Plug your DV camcorder into your computer using the firewire. Your DV camcorder is going to act as the translation device between your VCR or DVD Player and your computer to import your video.
Now that your DV camcorder is plugged into your computer via the firewire, you will want to plug in your DVD Player or your VHS player into your DV camcorder. When doing this, look at the input type your DV camcorder accepts. Most DV camera's have three RCA inputs on them, similar to the outputs/inputs on your DVD Player or VHS player. These are the Yellow, Red, and White video jacks. If you have this on your DV camcorder, then you simply plug the RED, WHITE, and YELLOW RCA plugs into the camcorder's "VIDEO/AUDIO IN" jacks, and then into the VCR or your DVD player's "VIDEO/AUDIO OUT" jacks. They are labeled on the back.
If your camcorder has an audio/visual input jack that looks like a headphone jack instead of the RED, WHITE, and YELLOW RCA jacks - then this is a 3.5mm jack. It still attaches to the RED, WHITE, and YELLOW jacks on your DVD Player or your VCR player, but then plugs into the single 3.5mm jack on your camcorder. Take a look at the picture to see what you need. Connect the camcorder to your DVD or VHS player.
No that your computer, camcorder, and VCR or DVD player are all hooked up - turn on your DV Camcorder in the playback mode or VTR or VCR.
Turn on your VCR or DVD player. Test the connection by playing your movie from your DVD or VCR tape. You should see the movie playing on your DV camcorders screen. If not - make sure that you connected the RCA jacks to your DVD or VCR players "VIDEO OUT" and "AUDIO OUT" jacks. If you see and hear your movie, move on to the next step. If not, make sure all connections are properly connected.
Now on your computer, using either iMovie or Windows Movie Maker, you want to select import video from camera or import video.
When you do this, you should see a small video screen appear within the program on your computer. If you play your video it should show up on the camcorder and computer. If it does, then you are ready to import. Rewind your video tape, or go to the first scene in the DVD, hit import, and then press play on the camcorder and the VCR / DVD player. Your movie should start to import.
Now, you will want to make sure that you have plenty of memory on your computer, because video storage takes up a lot of space! You can test this as you are importing video, and make adjustments as needed. I purchased a "MyBook" external storage drive to store my videos.
Once you are done importing the video that you want, press the stop import button on either windows movie maker or iMovie. Go ahead and save the project on your computer. Do this to avoid any issues before the next step.
If you are using windows movie maker, you will want to wait for the clips to render into the program. Once they are there, go to the file menu and choose select all. This will select all of the clips. Drag and drop these clips into your movie timeline. Do the same in iMovie.
Now you want to export your movie for viewing on the web. In iMovie, simply go to file, export, and then play with the viewer and setting of your choice. For Windows MovieMaker, go to File, save movie file. Your video will export, and you can then publish it online. Done!
How to make money publishing videos online
There is a lot of really good online revenue to be made by simply publishing videos online. You can create your own original videos and publish them as content on your website, or even share popular videos that you really like. Here are some of the proven way to make money online publishing videos.
Posting Videos online and embedding them into your site or blog has always been a successful and fun way to earn money online. I will outline the sites below that you should publish content to and explain how they work.
YouTube - This one will not get you any money - BUT WAIT - it is worth going on and checking out to see all of the cool videos that already exist out there. YouTube is a video giant, and there is so much helpful information out there, that you are sure to get some good ideas from your favorite videos. You can even save videos from YouTube using keepvid.com for later use. Go to www.youtube.com to see what I am talking about.
This second site, called Break, is a great way to start generating some cash for your ORIGINAL video content. If you want to share unoriginal video content, then you can not use Break - so move on the next steps. If you have original video content that you want to use on your site, then go to break.com and setup an account. They will pay you for your videos that meet their submission guidelines. However, unlike YouTube that has links, URL's embedded in the videos, and all kinds of marketing stuff on it - Break does not want this, so only submit clean original videos.
Alright - So here is a great site to make money on your online videos and also generate traffic to your website using all of the fun video marketing techniques that you have learned or seen. This site is called MetaCafe.com. MetaCafe pays you $100 once your videos pass 20,000 views. They also have tools to help you embed your videos on social networks, blogs, and your own websites - very easy to use, and I highly recommend it!
The next site that I also recommend you use is called Revver.com. This site pays you for your videos based on the number of clicks and advertisements that are displayed within your video clips. Revver actually does a very good job displaying clean ads in your videos, and they are not offensive to the viewers. I highly recommend that you use this site in conjunction with MetaCafe.
The last site I would use is called BlipTv.com. This site is similar to Revver in that it pays you for your videos based on the number of clicks and advertisements that are displayed within your video clips as well. Make an account, and try this out as well.
No go make some videos or find some that will give you an idea to produce a video, and get these videos out onto these sites. The key here is to host as many videos as you can on the sites mentioned above, and then post them everywhere - blogs, website, social networks like twitter, myspace, facebook - and then embed the code on all of these sites. The more people who view and rate, the more you get paid! Every time they are viewed - you get paid!
Posting Videos online and embedding them into your site or blog has always been a successful and fun way to earn money online. I will outline the sites below that you should publish content to and explain how they work.
YouTube - This one will not get you any money - BUT WAIT - it is worth going on and checking out to see all of the cool videos that already exist out there. YouTube is a video giant, and there is so much helpful information out there, that you are sure to get some good ideas from your favorite videos. You can even save videos from YouTube using keepvid.com for later use. Go to www.youtube.com to see what I am talking about.
This second site, called Break, is a great way to start generating some cash for your ORIGINAL video content. If you want to share unoriginal video content, then you can not use Break - so move on the next steps. If you have original video content that you want to use on your site, then go to break.com and setup an account. They will pay you for your videos that meet their submission guidelines. However, unlike YouTube that has links, URL's embedded in the videos, and all kinds of marketing stuff on it - Break does not want this, so only submit clean original videos.
Alright - So here is a great site to make money on your online videos and also generate traffic to your website using all of the fun video marketing techniques that you have learned or seen. This site is called MetaCafe.com. MetaCafe pays you $100 once your videos pass 20,000 views. They also have tools to help you embed your videos on social networks, blogs, and your own websites - very easy to use, and I highly recommend it!
The next site that I also recommend you use is called Revver.com. This site pays you for your videos based on the number of clicks and advertisements that are displayed within your video clips. Revver actually does a very good job displaying clean ads in your videos, and they are not offensive to the viewers. I highly recommend that you use this site in conjunction with MetaCafe.
The last site I would use is called BlipTv.com. This site is similar to Revver in that it pays you for your videos based on the number of clicks and advertisements that are displayed within your video clips as well. Make an account, and try this out as well.
No go make some videos or find some that will give you an idea to produce a video, and get these videos out onto these sites. The key here is to host as many videos as you can on the sites mentioned above, and then post them everywhere - blogs, website, social networks like twitter, myspace, facebook - and then embed the code on all of these sites. The more people who view and rate, the more you get paid! Every time they are viewed - you get paid!
How to embed a YouTube video on your site or blog
If you find a video on YouTube that you like or that shares your opinion or a subject, product, or life - you can share that video with other people by embedding it on your blog or website. This same process can be done for multiple video sources on the web, you simply need to include the embed code on your site. Here is how you do it with YouTube.
First, go to YouTube and find a video that you like. It doesn't have to be a video that you created.
Next, look for the box directly to the right of the video. Not only does this box let you subscribe to videos, it also gives you the code for embedding video.
Go to the line marked Embed at the bottom of this box.
Click inside the code box next to the word Embed. All of the code text should automatically be highlighted. If not, you'll need to select all of it.
Copy this code. You can copy by right-clicking on your mouse and selecting copy from the drop-down menu, or by holding down "ctrl" and hitting "c".
Now paste this code into word or a textpad editor.
Open up your blog or site, and paste the video embed code into the spot on your site or blog that you want people to see the video.
First, go to YouTube and find a video that you like. It doesn't have to be a video that you created.
Next, look for the box directly to the right of the video. Not only does this box let you subscribe to videos, it also gives you the code for embedding video.
Go to the line marked Embed at the bottom of this box.
Click inside the code box next to the word Embed. All of the code text should automatically be highlighted. If not, you'll need to select all of it.
Copy this code. You can copy by right-clicking on your mouse and selecting copy from the drop-down menu, or by holding down "ctrl" and hitting "c".
Now paste this code into word or a textpad editor.
Open up your blog or site, and paste the video embed code into the spot on your site or blog that you want people to see the video.
How to market your online web videos
This is another ehow that is part of my online video viral marketing series. Online videos have been an extremely powerful way for many websites to drive new users to their products and services. Video marketing can also be used to generate site income, affiliate advertising income, and to keep your existing website visitors coming back. Videos are a great viral tool, and these steps will show you how to market your videos.
So you have created a video and you put it up on your website, or you want to put it on your website. If you have a video that you already created and you want to get online, the best thing to do is use a video editing software program to add your URL link in the video itself. If you need to find a good video editing program, or if you have not created a video yet and want to learn how to do it, visit my article link here learn how to make a video: http://www.ehow.com/how_4470560_video-website.html
So now that you have a video all set to publish and you have edited it by inserting your URL links and tags into the videos itself, you want to put it up on your website and other websites. You can put a video on your website yourself using your HTML editor, and you can easily upload your video to YouTube, but how do you get it on other sites? Use a services that posts your videos to several sites all at once. There are a lot of them out there, but a really good one is Hey Spread. (link provided in the Resources section). Do a search for video upload programs to find more.
Once you have submitted your video to multiple sites, you also want to look at any blog sites you have and upload your video there. If you do not have a blog, but subscribe to blogs in your area of expertise, ask if you can post your video there.
You also want to embed your videos into forum threads that you post on other people's sites and blogs. This will form a direct link to your content that people can easily access.
Use DIGG, MySpace, Yahoo, Facebook, and other social networking sites that you subscribe to post your videos. Check out sites like Blog TV as well to post videos to an online video community.
If you have an email list or a subscription list, send them your newest video as well. They may be interested in the content, and it can remind them about why the signed up for your services or gave you their email permission to begin with. Plus people can pass on emails to their friends and help spread the word for you.
If you have site that sells a product or a downloadable item, include the vide link with that product. One popular way this is being done is with ebooks and free reports. If you offer these on your site - include links to your videos to drive people back to your site.
If you use an article directory service, like eHow, you can also get mass distribution of your videos by posting them here and also embedding links to your videos in the articles that you write. You can get a lot of viewers with a single submission.
So you have created a video and you put it up on your website, or you want to put it on your website. If you have a video that you already created and you want to get online, the best thing to do is use a video editing software program to add your URL link in the video itself. If you need to find a good video editing program, or if you have not created a video yet and want to learn how to do it, visit my article link here learn how to make a video: http://www.ehow.com/how_4470560_video-website.html
So now that you have a video all set to publish and you have edited it by inserting your URL links and tags into the videos itself, you want to put it up on your website and other websites. You can put a video on your website yourself using your HTML editor, and you can easily upload your video to YouTube, but how do you get it on other sites? Use a services that posts your videos to several sites all at once. There are a lot of them out there, but a really good one is Hey Spread. (link provided in the Resources section). Do a search for video upload programs to find more.
Once you have submitted your video to multiple sites, you also want to look at any blog sites you have and upload your video there. If you do not have a blog, but subscribe to blogs in your area of expertise, ask if you can post your video there.
You also want to embed your videos into forum threads that you post on other people's sites and blogs. This will form a direct link to your content that people can easily access.
Use DIGG, MySpace, Yahoo, Facebook, and other social networking sites that you subscribe to post your videos. Check out sites like Blog TV as well to post videos to an online video community.
If you have an email list or a subscription list, send them your newest video as well. They may be interested in the content, and it can remind them about why the signed up for your services or gave you their email permission to begin with. Plus people can pass on emails to their friends and help spread the word for you.
If you have site that sells a product or a downloadable item, include the vide link with that product. One popular way this is being done is with ebooks and free reports. If you offer these on your site - include links to your videos to drive people back to your site.
If you use an article directory service, like eHow, you can also get mass distribution of your videos by posting them here and also embedding links to your videos in the articles that you write. You can get a lot of viewers with a single submission.
How to create a video for your website
One of the most effective viral marketing techniques for websites involves creating a video or a podcast. You have heard of YouTube right? You can also leverage video to help market your website. You can create videos to add to your current website content, you can tag videos in YouTube, and you can create your own videos to launch onto other sites. All of these ideas help to generate traffic to your site using your video content! I am writing a few articles about how to market your website using viral techniques, and in this article, I focus primarily on how to make a video for your website. Even if you do not want to market your website, you can still use these steps to create video for your web content.
If you are looking to simply create your own short video on your current website, the first thing to do would be to practice making a few videos with a webcam, phone cam, or a camcorder. Just get in front of the video camera and work on your delivery, eye contact with the camera lens, and being able to present your subject matter smoothly and slowly.
After you get comfortable in front of the lens, write a script about what you want to present in the video. Take a look at other people's videos and try to see if they are reading from a source behind the camera, if they are presenting from memory, or if they are just winging it. If you can just wing it - great - but remember to act like you are talking to another person, and to avoid delays and repeating yourself. Practice your script and try to do it from memory. DO NOT read directly from your script as you present to the camera.
After you have practiced your script of your content enough times, sit down in front of your camera and record yourself. Practice it numerous times and watch it each time to catch behavior that you want to improve. Once you get comfortable with your script and you feel like you are ready to record a final shot, move on to the next step.
Set up your environment next! Nobody wants to watch a video of you with a bunch of stuff going on in the background - like people walking around, a tv, toys everywhere - your background has to be clean. Try sitting in front of a blank wall so that there are no distractions going on behind you or put your company or site logo up behind you. Make sure that you have plenty of good lighting as well so that you can be seen clearly in the video.
Now go ahead and make a final video using your webcam or video camcorder and save the file to your computer desktop. If you are happy with the simple video you have created, go ahead and publish it to your website and to YouTube with a link back to your site. If you want to edit your video and get more advanced - move on to the next step!
If you want to edit your video and add special effects to it, there are numerous programs and sites out there that you can look into and use for your video presentation purposes. I will include these links in the resources section at the end of this article for you to look into. If you have a windows machine, try the Windows Movie Maker Program - which is free to download.
If you are looking to simply create your own short video on your current website, the first thing to do would be to practice making a few videos with a webcam, phone cam, or a camcorder. Just get in front of the video camera and work on your delivery, eye contact with the camera lens, and being able to present your subject matter smoothly and slowly.
After you get comfortable in front of the lens, write a script about what you want to present in the video. Take a look at other people's videos and try to see if they are reading from a source behind the camera, if they are presenting from memory, or if they are just winging it. If you can just wing it - great - but remember to act like you are talking to another person, and to avoid delays and repeating yourself. Practice your script and try to do it from memory. DO NOT read directly from your script as you present to the camera.
After you have practiced your script of your content enough times, sit down in front of your camera and record yourself. Practice it numerous times and watch it each time to catch behavior that you want to improve. Once you get comfortable with your script and you feel like you are ready to record a final shot, move on to the next step.
Set up your environment next! Nobody wants to watch a video of you with a bunch of stuff going on in the background - like people walking around, a tv, toys everywhere - your background has to be clean. Try sitting in front of a blank wall so that there are no distractions going on behind you or put your company or site logo up behind you. Make sure that you have plenty of good lighting as well so that you can be seen clearly in the video.
Now go ahead and make a final video using your webcam or video camcorder and save the file to your computer desktop. If you are happy with the simple video you have created, go ahead and publish it to your website and to YouTube with a link back to your site. If you want to edit your video and get more advanced - move on to the next step!
If you want to edit your video and add special effects to it, there are numerous programs and sites out there that you can look into and use for your video presentation purposes. I will include these links in the resources section at the end of this article for you to look into. If you have a windows machine, try the Windows Movie Maker Program - which is free to download.
How to use YouTube to drive traffic to your website
It’s easy to get addicted to YouTube. I personally end up surfing the site for hours watching all of the videos that people have made. Some of the videos are made so well, and are so informative, that they have a subscription base, and they have website that support their video content. This is where using YouTube to drive traffic to your site comes into the picture. If you have a website, sell a product, write a blog, or consider yourself an expert in a certain field, you can create video on YouTube that support your site content, and use them to drive traffic back to your site. Here are the basics.
If you have not already created an account on YouTube, sign up for free and create your account. Click here to do this now: http://www.youtube.com/
Make a video using a web cam or a camcorder that can easily be converted into online video. I highly recommend that you use a webcam though because it is already set up for recording right onto your computer and you can instantly upload this video to YouTube. You want to base the content of your video toward promoting your own commercial interest so that you can drive traffic back to your site. Keep your video original. You do not need any fancy text, graphics, etc - just a clean background with your logo, and a clean, quiet environment with good lighting so that your viewers can see you hear you.
If you have some video editing software on your computer, or if you webcam came with some video editing software, it is a great idea to put your site's URL at the bottom of the video throughout the entire video. You can also put the site URL at the front and end of the video on their own screen so that people can find your site easily. If you do not have any editing software that is fine too - just make sure that you tell people where they can go, or hold up a card with the site address.
Once you are done with our video and you post it up on YouTube, set the video permissions so that it will allow people to post or embed it on their own sites. This way, you are not only getting traffic from YouTube, but you will also be getting traffic from other people's sites by allowing them to link to your video.
Add your site's link in the comment section that comes with every video you post on YouTube.
If you are not interested in actually creating your own video, you can leverage videos that have currently been made on YouTube to drive traffic to your website. Choose videos that are relevant to your site content or help to support it.
If you follow all of these steps, you will begin to generate more traffic to your site. Make sure that you are tracking your traffic so that you can show advertisers your page views and other results. It is also a good idea to offer an RSS feed, email opt-in, or subscription sign-up on your site so that the traffic coming to your site can buy into your services.
If you have not already created an account on YouTube, sign up for free and create your account. Click here to do this now: http://www.youtube.com/
Make a video using a web cam or a camcorder that can easily be converted into online video. I highly recommend that you use a webcam though because it is already set up for recording right onto your computer and you can instantly upload this video to YouTube. You want to base the content of your video toward promoting your own commercial interest so that you can drive traffic back to your site. Keep your video original. You do not need any fancy text, graphics, etc - just a clean background with your logo, and a clean, quiet environment with good lighting so that your viewers can see you hear you.
If you have some video editing software on your computer, or if you webcam came with some video editing software, it is a great idea to put your site's URL at the bottom of the video throughout the entire video. You can also put the site URL at the front and end of the video on their own screen so that people can find your site easily. If you do not have any editing software that is fine too - just make sure that you tell people where they can go, or hold up a card with the site address.
Once you are done with our video and you post it up on YouTube, set the video permissions so that it will allow people to post or embed it on their own sites. This way, you are not only getting traffic from YouTube, but you will also be getting traffic from other people's sites by allowing them to link to your video.
Add your site's link in the comment section that comes with every video you post on YouTube.
If you are not interested in actually creating your own video, you can leverage videos that have currently been made on YouTube to drive traffic to your website. Choose videos that are relevant to your site content or help to support it.
If you follow all of these steps, you will begin to generate more traffic to your site. Make sure that you are tracking your traffic so that you can show advertisers your page views and other results. It is also a good idea to offer an RSS feed, email opt-in, or subscription sign-up on your site so that the traffic coming to your site can buy into your services.
How to import video into iMovie using a Mac
Every Mac comes with iLife, a suite of software that helps you manage a ton of production stuff. So if you are interested in converting some old tapes into a digital format or you are looking to get into online video publishing, iMovie is a logical place to start. So here is how you do it.
Open iMovie on your Mac.
Now we need to connect the camcorder to the computer. With the camcorder "OFF" and plugged into a wall outlet, connect a FireWire cable to your camera. The smaller end, called a "4-pin" goes to the camera in the "DV" port. The larger end, called the "6-pin" goes to the computer. The 6-pin end looks similar to a USB cable, but it is round, so do not try to plug it into your USB port.
Turn on your camcorder in the "playback mode" or what is more commonly called the VCR mode. iMovie should detect the camcorder, and you will get a blue screen on the iMovie interface with the message Camera Connected. If this message does not appear, make sure all the connections from the camera to the computer are plugged in properly, and the camera is turned on to the VCR mode.
You will see some fucntion buttons similar to the buttons on your camcorder for playback. They will be "Play", "Rewind", "Fast- Forward", and "Stop" buttons. Also there is an "IMPORT" button on the screen as well. Use the function buttons to get the tape to the section that you want to import, or rewind the entire tape on the camcorder.
Once you get the place on the video that you want to import to your Mac and into iMovie, click the "IMPORT" button. You will notice that iMovie is playing along with your camcorder, and that it is saving the video in the right-hand section of the interface - in the "Clips" section.
If you want to stop importing video, simply click on the "IMPORT" button again or stop your camcorder. You will now have a clip or video segment in the iMovie interface.
After viewing all of the clips, you can go through the clips drawer and delete the clips that you do not need by clicking on them and hitting the delete key. Just be careful as iMovie can sometimes cut a clip in the middle of someone speaking. If you need to split a clip to delete a smaller portion, leave it the way it is for now.
Open iMovie on your Mac.
Now we need to connect the camcorder to the computer. With the camcorder "OFF" and plugged into a wall outlet, connect a FireWire cable to your camera. The smaller end, called a "4-pin" goes to the camera in the "DV" port. The larger end, called the "6-pin" goes to the computer. The 6-pin end looks similar to a USB cable, but it is round, so do not try to plug it into your USB port.
Turn on your camcorder in the "playback mode" or what is more commonly called the VCR mode. iMovie should detect the camcorder, and you will get a blue screen on the iMovie interface with the message Camera Connected. If this message does not appear, make sure all the connections from the camera to the computer are plugged in properly, and the camera is turned on to the VCR mode.
You will see some fucntion buttons similar to the buttons on your camcorder for playback. They will be "Play", "Rewind", "Fast- Forward", and "Stop" buttons. Also there is an "IMPORT" button on the screen as well. Use the function buttons to get the tape to the section that you want to import, or rewind the entire tape on the camcorder.
Once you get the place on the video that you want to import to your Mac and into iMovie, click the "IMPORT" button. You will notice that iMovie is playing along with your camcorder, and that it is saving the video in the right-hand section of the interface - in the "Clips" section.
If you want to stop importing video, simply click on the "IMPORT" button again or stop your camcorder. You will now have a clip or video segment in the iMovie interface.
After viewing all of the clips, you can go through the clips drawer and delete the clips that you do not need by clicking on them and hitting the delete key. Just be careful as iMovie can sometimes cut a clip in the middle of someone speaking. If you need to split a clip to delete a smaller portion, leave it the way it is for now.
How to edit video in iMovie
This is the second part of my video about using iMovie. In the first part I described how to import video into iMovie, and now we will discuss how to edit the video and build your project. Here is how you do it.
Take the video clips that you have imported and which are now in the video clips section of the iMovie interface, and drag them down into the timeline of the iMovie interface. This is the bottom section of the window. You can toggle between timeline and clips view.
Arrange your clips in the timeline within the order that you would like them to play.
Once all of your clips are in the timeline view, you can switch to the timeline view and actually lick where you want to start and end your video. Use the bar over the timeline - called the playhead, over the timeline and select your stop and end points. You can also actually click on the arrows on the bottom of the video playing in the window as well and select the stop and end point with the two triangles at the bottom. Once you have selected the point of play you want, go to "edit" and select "crop".
Once you have cropped all of your videos and put them together in the sequence that you want, then you can add some effects to your video. Click on the "Editing" button to open the effects window.
Using the editing tools, you can add text, effects, transitions, and audio effects. I recommend that you play around with these to see what effects you want to add to your videos. One important thing to note is the "effect-in" and "effect-out" options. If you want the effects to last the entire video, then both should be set to 0. If you only want the clip to last for a short amount of time, play with the settings to see how it looks.
Take the video clips that you have imported and which are now in the video clips section of the iMovie interface, and drag them down into the timeline of the iMovie interface. This is the bottom section of the window. You can toggle between timeline and clips view.
Arrange your clips in the timeline within the order that you would like them to play.
Once all of your clips are in the timeline view, you can switch to the timeline view and actually lick where you want to start and end your video. Use the bar over the timeline - called the playhead, over the timeline and select your stop and end points. You can also actually click on the arrows on the bottom of the video playing in the window as well and select the stop and end point with the two triangles at the bottom. Once you have selected the point of play you want, go to "edit" and select "crop".
Once you have cropped all of your videos and put them together in the sequence that you want, then you can add some effects to your video. Click on the "Editing" button to open the effects window.
Using the editing tools, you can add text, effects, transitions, and audio effects. I recommend that you play around with these to see what effects you want to add to your videos. One important thing to note is the "effect-in" and "effect-out" options. If you want the effects to last the entire video, then both should be set to 0. If you only want the clip to last for a short amount of time, play with the settings to see how it looks.
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