Animoto-+Education+video+slideshows

=Animoto=

@http://animoto.com/education

__**Video**__ Are you curious about how to make videos but can't tell a camcorder from a coffee maker? Do the terms 'pan' and 'tilt' conjour up thoughts of tv cooking shows instead of movie making terminology? Or maybe you're tired of always being the audience member and want to start making videos yourself? Well look no further, Video 101 is here! Join the friendly Vimeo Staff as we cover all the basics of shooting and editing videos you can be proud of. We've handcrafted these lessons for beginners of all backgrounds, check it out!

Step 1: Choosing a Camera
Choosing a camera is the first step on your way to making videos that you can share on Vimeo. There are a lot of options to choose from including camcorders, simple point and shoot cameras, and nowadays cellphones with built in video cameras. Where do you even start? Check out the video below for a quick run down of your various movie making options. =media type="custom" key="15404262"=

Step 2: Shooting Basics
So you bought yourself a camera or maybe you borrowed one from a friend, cool! Um, but how do you use it to make videos that look good? Shooting video well is a skill that takes time to develop but with a few simple tips you'll find yourself on the path to movie magic. Take a peek at the video below for an introduction to those tips. media type="custom" key="15404278"

Step 3: Editing Basics
Editing video clips together can be really fun, especially once you master a few basic features in your editing program. With a bit of patience and experimentation you'll be producing smoothly edited videos in no time. For an overview of what you can do in a standard editing program watch the video below.

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Step 4: Editing Details
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The first step is to get the footage onto your computer. You can either use your pychic powers or you can do one of two things: connect the camera to your computer with a USB cable or if your computer has a card reader built into it, you can take the memory card out of your camera and plug it into the memory card reader in your computer. Either way is fine. Locate the memory card on your computer and drag the video files to your desktop so it can now live safely on your computer. We also recommend making a folder with the title of your project and placing the video files in that folder for safe keeping.
 * Step 1:**

Now it's time to open up Windows Live Movie Maker and begin editing. Yay, the fun part! Once you're in the program, click on the 'browse for videos' button in the top menu bar and find the video files you want to edit. This will automatically add the files to the timeline where you will do most of your editing.
 * Step 2:**

You can easily drag the files around in the timeline to set the order you'd like. This will help you create a coherent storyline. If you want to cut a clip, click anywhere on the video and a line will appear where you clicked. You can then click 'Edit' and use the 'Trim' or 'Split' tool to perform the action of your choice. Choose wisely, young grasshopper, but don't be afraid to experiment. If you choose 'Trim', you can then choose your start and end points in the preview window using the play bar. Choose 'Save Trim' to save your changes. Awesome, you're doing great.

Next up is sound and music. Let's spice it up a little bit! Click on 'Video Tools' in the menu bar and there you can choose to alter your video volume as a whole, or to fade in and out between clips. You can choose 'Add music' under the home tab to select music to add to your video. Once you add music, you can use the music tools menu to alter it just as you can with your video's audio. If you're making a silent film, then this section does not apply to you. (I'm looking at you, Charlie Chaplin).
 * Step 3:**

Now you can add transitions and effects! Transitions can help the flow of your video by making cuts between clips more fluid. Effects can greatly alter the look and feel of your video. But don't go crazy! Too much of either of these things can make your video look cheesy. And we don't want that. So use these tools in moderation.
 * Step 4:**

Add effects by selecting the clip, choosing 'Visual Effects' and then clicking on the one you want. Transitions are added by choosing 'Animations' in the menu bar and then clicking the white space between two clips and choosing which transition you'd like.

Now I'll bet you're wondering how to add text and titles? Choose the home button, and choose between 'Title', 'Caption' and 'Credits'. Once you add text, you can use the text tool to change the font, size, color, etc. Play with the different positions on the screen to get the desired effect.
 * Step 5:**

Now it's time to export! This step takes your project and turns it into a video file that can be easily shared and uploaded to Vimeo. To create a custom profile for Vimeo (recommended), click on the home button, and then the 'Save Movie' option. Choose 'Create Custom Setting' and then input our [|recommended compression settings]. Save your setting. Then go back to 'Save Movie' in the menu bar and choose the Vimeo preset you just created. Name your file, choose where on your computer you'd like to save it to, and BOOM! You're done! That's it! Once it's done saving, before it cools off, upload that hot video to Vimeo! Fresh.
 * Step 6:**