Digital Video in the Art Room
Presented at National Art Education Association Annual Conference, April, 2004
and Art Educators of New Jersey Annual Conference, October, 2003
Editing Tips
Once you have imported your footage onto a computer be sure to SAVE. When you are editing your footage it is also best to save often. This is true no matter what you are doing on a computer but especially true when you are working with large video files.
Think of video editing as a "cut and place job." First, cut any footage you will not use but be sure not to delete any footage that you may use. Then, place your clips in an order that makes the most sense for your project. Play it several times and ask others to review your footage before you make any final decisions.
When adding transitions and text make sure that your clip is long enough to contain the text and/or transition. If it is not, the text will spill over into the next clip or the transition will not work properly.
Transitions between clips take footage from the end of the first clip and the beginning of the second clip. Keep your transition times short. If your transitions are too long your footage will appear choppy.
Use transitions sparingly. A simple dissolve transition is often best. Commercial movies and TV shows rarely use a host of different transitions.
If you cannot get a transition to work because your clips are too short, create still clips out of the last frame of the first clip and the first frame of the second clip. Place the transition between the still frames. The still frames will provide the extra footage the transition needs to work without distorting your footage.
You can always add a voice over or a soundtrack to your video during the editing process.
Digital Video in the Art Room
All work on this site ©Harold Olejarz 1997 - 2002 and the artists credited. No images or text may be used for commercial purposes without written permission from Harold Olejarz. Personal or educational uses are allowed with permission from Harold Olejarz.
