Windows Vista™ Plain & Simple

Making Movies That People Actually Enjoy

We all love our home movies, and, because we’re usually reliving happy times when we watch them, we’re tolerant of their flaws. Before we ask anyone else to watch a home movie, though, we should improve it as much as possible so that the members of our captive audience actually enjoy the show rather than trying to hide their yawning boredom. The trick, of course, is to use good camera skills so that you avoid the most common problems: panning and zooming too fast or too slowly, jittery pictures, bad lighting, and poorly composed images. However, once you’ve recorded your movie, there are several ways you can improve it if you need to.

Edit your movie. Even world-famous directors and experienced camera operators ...