Everybody knows how to copy and paste – but there are many who have never used the paste special function. Why use paste special? Because it allows you to copy and paste text without carrying over all the formatting that may prove to be annoying to deal with. In Windows (and assumedly Linux), paste special is easy. Simply use Edit/Paste Special from your...

With Linux I’ve tried my share of video editors. And while what’s available isn’t as good as pro software titles for Windows or Mac, there’s still some decent offerings out there that will do the job. What’s most important now compared to just a few years ago are two things:A lot of concentration is now placed on the GUI (which is...

There are utilities like the freeware CCleaner software that can easily let you list and modify auto-run programs from the Windows XP system registry like this: Above: In CCleaner, click Tools (large icon on left) then Startup (white button in middle column) to see this list. However if you’re the type that would rather do this the "old fashioned...

With most digital cameras there is the ability to store photos in "RAW" format instead of the standard JPG/JPEG. When you take shots to be stored in RAW, the first thing you notice is that it takes a really long time for the cam to finish storing the photo after taking the shot. The second thing you notice is that it’s not the easiest thing in...

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] IMPORTANT NOTE: There is no sound in this clip. This is strictly to show how continuity works in video. [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/videoediting/continuity.flv 610 458] [/hidepost]

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/videoediting/04_exporting.flv 610 458] [/hidepost]

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/videoediting/03_working_with_timeline.flv 610 458] [/hidepost]

As stated earlier, most simple video editors allow for adding additional audio such as background music and sound effects. Important things to remember: With free video editing software such as Windows Movie Maker, you only have one additional audio track. If you choose to have music played throughout the entire presentation, that audio track is being used and...

A title slate is simply text on-screen and nothing else. Slates are using to introduce scenes into your video should they be necessary. Sometimes the only slates you need is at the beginning (such as stating the title of the video) and at the end (for credits). At other times you may need slates during the video to separate different chapters. For example, if...

A transition from one video clip to another means under most circumstances that an effect is being applied. For example, dissolving (sometimes known as fading) from one clip to another is a digital effect. [hidepost=1] Why Use Transitions? Transitions can be used to make a presentation seem less “harsh”. For example, when starting a presentation it may be...

In simple terms, the difference between video and audio is that video is for motion imagery and audio is for sound. However the way in which video and audio are edited are distinctively different. [hidepost=1] How Video Editing Works When using simple video editing software like Windows Movie Maker or iMovie you only have one primary video track at your...

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/videoediting/02_timeline_and_basic_editing.flv 610 458] [/hidepost]

The timeline is a horizontal bar typically located at the bottom for any video editing software you may use. You use this bar to “jump” to specific points in your video to make edits, such as adding video, removing video, transitions and so on. Using the timeline in modern-day software is very easy because all you have to do is literally drag and drop...

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/videoediting/01_importing_video.flv 610 458] [/hidepost]

When working with video editing software it’s important to understand the file formats you will be working with. The most common formats will be files that end with the extensions AVI, MPG (or MPEG), MOV and WMV. [hidepost=1] AVI AVI means Audio Video Interleave, originally developed by Microsoft in 1992 as part of Video for Windows technology....