Creating PC Video

Book description

This book teaches readers how to put a working system together by showing them the equipment available to them, and what it can do. Readers will learn how to create video products using the computer as an editing tool, and how to refine sound and combine graphics with video. Information on web distribution is included.


With the advent of the new digital camcorders developed by Panasonic and Sony in the new DV format, professional quality video is available in consumer-level equipment. At the same time, digital editing is now available for the PC using video capture cards in the $500-$1,000 price range, and digital editing software in the $800-$1,200 range, such as Adobe Premiere. This combination enables users such as the sophisticated amateur video maker, the wedding or business presentation video maker, and people working in multimedia for educational, training, or other presentation purposes, to edit their own work and turn out competent professional-quality video.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Creating PC Video
  3. Full Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Credits
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. 1 The Camcorder—Computer Link
    1. The Stand-Alones
    2. Enter the Computer
    3. The Event Videographer
    4. The World Turned Digital
    5. Then Came FireWire
    6. A New World of Hard Drives
  9. 2 Selecting the Right Camcorder
    1. Which Format Is Right for You?
    2. Three-Chip Video Quality
    3. The Smaller, the Better
    4. Manual Options
    5. Power to Spare
    6. Zooooom
    7. Variable-Speed Zoom
    8. Color Monitors and Color Viewfinders
    9. Electronic Image Stabilization
    10. External Microphone and Headphone Jacks
    11. Edit Control
    12. Summary
  10. 3 Computer Video Options for Under $500
    1. Computer Controlled Tape-to-Tape Editing
    2. Video Capture
    3. Adding Audio
    4. Choosing Software
    5. Adding Titles
    6. Make a Movie
    7. Bonus—The TV Tuner
  11. 4 Building the AV Computer
    1. Selecting Hardware
    2. Now the Big Question—How Much Will It Cost?
    3. The Video Card
    4. What About Audio?
    5. Fast and Wide Video Drives
    6. Going Turnkey
    7. Saving Your Work
    8. Safety Tips
  12. 5 The Home Video Editing Challenge
    1. Linear versus Nonlinear Editing
    2. Selecting Nonlinear Editing Software
    3. Batch Capture and VCR Control
    4. Compression and Resolution
    5. Tracks and Layers
    6. The Character Generator
    7. Special Effects and Transitions
    8. Chrominance and Luminance Keying
    9. Dongles
    10. Adding More Special Effects Through Plug-Ins
    11. Creating Digital Title Screens
    12. Painting and Drawing Software
    13. Computer Monitors versus NTSC Television
    14. Putting It All Together
  13. 6 Unlimited Audio for Video
    1. The Sound of Music
    2. Video Follows Audio
    3. Hardware Requirements
    4. More Music
    5. Strike Up the Band
    6. Going to the Next Level—MIDI
    7. The Next Sequence
  14. 7 Creating Your Own CD-ROM
    1. The Right Stuff
    2. Acquiring Images
    3. Know Your Limits
    4. The Digital Artist
    5. Burning Your CD-ROM
    6. Avoiding the Pitfalls
    7. What About DVD?
  15. 8 Your Video on TV
    1. How to Produce Commercials with Your Camcorder and Computer
    2. Starting Your Own Cable Show
    3. Shooting the Infomercial
  16. 9 Building Your Own Video Website
    1. Getting a Site
    2. From Dream to Reality
    3. Adding Movement
    4. Java and Dynamic HTML
    5. Page Layout
    6. Internet Video—The Next Level
    7. What Is a Plug-In?
    8. Getting Your Video and Audio on the Web
    9. Live Performance
    10. Understanding the Limits
    11. A Bit About Bandwidth
    12. V-Mail, Video Conferencing, and the InternetCam
  17. 10 Video Projects
    1. The Public Service Announcement
    2. The Commercial
    3. The Music Video
    4. The Birthday Party
  18. Appendix Software and Hardware Solutions
    1. Low-Cost Video Cards, Frame and Video Capture, and Simple Nonlinear Editing
    2. Video Production Nonlinear Editing Software
    3. CD-ROM
    4. Art Programs
    5. Buy-out Animation and Backgrounds
    6. Special Effects and Transitions
    7. Music and Audio Software
    8. Sources for Copyright-free Music
    9. Web Page Design and Internet Video Publishing Software
    10. Video Card
  19. Glossary
  20. Index

Product information

  • Title: Creating PC Video
  • Author(s): Douglas Stevenson, Robert Wolenik
  • Release date: June 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136042010