Indiana University: IT Training Tips Blog

Video is one of the most popular mediums available today. If you don't believe it, then check the statistics for the online video hosting sites. According to reports, YouTube and Google Video brought in more than 10 billion views during the month of August 2009. Other popular sites, such as Metacafe, HowCast, Revver, and DailyMotion also have impressive numbers.

Have you thought about creating a video of your own, but you aren't sure where to begin? Do you have a video camera but aren't sure how to transfer footage once you've captured it? Maybe you've gone out to buy a new camcorder but were overwhelmed by the many choices available? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to check out the free IT Training & Education reference guide for beginning videographers.

 This learning module, called Video Basics: An Overview of Tools & Resources, is a comprehensive guide for beginners and it is free! You won't have to spend hours searching the Internet, because all the most relevant information has been compiled into one convenient resource.

Below is a list of some of the topics that are covered:

• Types of video cameras on the market
• Storage formats
• Features
• Accessories
• Cords and connectors
• Lighting
• Audio
• Clothing
• Video editing software
• Transferring video footage
• Publishing
• Video compression, formats, containers, and codecs
• Media players
• Links to many useful websites, blogs, and movies
• Much, much more!

So if you have dreams of becoming the next Steven Spielberg, or if you are simply interested in filming your daughter's dance recital, check it out. You won't be sorry.

It seems like every device these days includes a video camera.  Cell phones, music players, laptops and more all include easy to use video cameras.  Along with this, consumer level cameras are becoming cheaper and more powerful all the time.  But what to do with all of that video?  Well IT Training is here to help.  Starting next week, we'll begin teaching on video topics with the following workshops on 11/4 and 11/5:

Video Basics - An Overview of Tools and Resources - In this workshop, Donna Jones will discuss the basics of video, starting with a discussion of cameras, and what features to look for, and then using Windows Movie Maker to edit a short video.  While working on editing the video, the process of shooting a movie will be discussed, including setting up lighting, getting good quality audio, and setting up good shots.  Donna will also discuss some simple ways to make your production look more professional.

After Effects: Text Animation and Video Basics - Adobe After Effects is an animation program focused on video production which allows you to combine video and animations into a single project and then export it into many common video formats. In this workshop, Andy Hunsucker will guide you through the creation of a short movie trailer that combines text animation, video, and background music, along with some animations created entirely within After Effects.  Participants will get a chance to spend time working in the interface, and learn the basics of the animation system and the effects system.

See the workshop descriptions to sign up.  If you can't make it next week, we're doing a rerun on 11/17 and 11/18.  And don't forget about the same workshops being held at IUPUI.

Several months ago a student stopped me after I taught a workshop at IU and she wanted more information about frame rate and display size as it relates to Web video. I did a quick Google search to try and find some examples of videos that I could use to illustrate a point that I was trying to make. I came across an excellent site from the University of Texas at Austin that I have bookmarked and used many times since then. Links to over 30 video clips are provided, and an easy-to-read matrix provides complete details about the compression settings that were used for each.

If you are interested, go to:
http://www.utexas.edu/web/video/examples/index.php

Thanks U of T. Great job!

You may have noticed that version 6.0 of Windows Movie Maker does not have a "Save to DVD" option in the Save Movie Wizard. Since video files are typically very large and may not fit onto a CD, you might find this perplexing. Never fear! Microsoft didn’t just forget to include this option. Instead, they decided that since they were including Windows DVD Maker on machines with Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate Edition, there was no need to include a DVD burning option in WMM, too.

If you would like to learn how to use Windows DVD Maker to burn your movies to DVD, go to the following vista4beginners website:
http://www.vista4beginners.com/How-to-burn-a-video-DVD-using-Windows-DVD-Maker

The STEPS IT Training workshop at IU entitled Video Basics: An Overview of Tools & Resources includes a discussion of video file formats and how compression works.

If you are unable to attend this workshop, or if you just want more information about these complex topics, Spike TV provides an excellent video presentation that discusses them in a way that most everyone can understand. While the movie is fairly long (@15 min.), if you really need to understand codecs, container formats, and compression methods, you will be hard-pressed to find anything on the Internet that explains these concepts any better.

To view this video, click on the link below:

The STEPS IT Training workshop at IU entitled Video Basics: An Overview of Tools & Resources includes a brief discussion of the different video editing applications that are currently available.

If you are unable to attend this workshop, or if you just want more information about this topic, Wikipedia provides an excellent comparison chart that provides general information about the different applications available, system requirements for each, and their specific feature sets:
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_video_editing_software

Today a colleague of mine emailed me with a question about using Flip camera footage in a PowerPoint 2007 presentation. He was attempting to use the raw video files from his camera in a presentation but couldn't get them to work.

PowerPoint 2007 allows users to import the following video file formats: .asf, .avi, .mpg or .mpeg, and .wmv. Since the Flip camera produces an uncompressed .avi file, we should be able to import it. Right?

Wrong. The fact is that even if your video file has the correct file extension, it may not play correctly if the correct version of the codec is not installed on your computer, or if the file is not encoded in a format that is recognized by your version of Windows.

The Flip camera captures video in MPEG-4 Advanced Simple Profile format and saves the video as an .avi file. So, then, perhaps we just need to download a codec and then it will work in PowerPoint?

No, wrong again. The Flip camera video uses the 3iVX codec. It can be downloaded free from a number of different sites on the Internet, and it is also included when you download and install the Flip camera software. But, even after installing the 3iVX codec, it isn't possible to insert Flip camera clips into a PowerPoint 2007 presentation.
(more...)

With the announcement that IU had acquired free Adobe software for all of it's employees and students, your first thought was probably "How do I get it?" Now that we've all had a couple of months to get the software downloaded and installed, you're likely thinking now: "What do I do with all of this stuff?"

Adobe is one of the largest software companies in the world, and while most people are familiar with their core apps, like Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash, there are many applications included in the suite that you might not be familiar with. In this post, we'll take some time to examine all the different applications that you can install with the various Adobe suites. We will focus on the applications in Design Premium CS4 and Production Premium CS4. There are many add-ons and extra technology included in the installers, but we will look only at the applications included.

(more...)