For Video Project 1 I again used photos of my own. I pulled out 14 images to a folder created for the assignment. I resized the images in Windows Picture Manager (I have been trying to stick with tools for this assignment that my faculty are most likely to have access to. I know a different tool would offer more robust features, but this got the job done).
I then proceeded to build my video using Windows Movie Maker (for the same reasons above). The tool is easy enough to use/intuitive. There is a Tasks Pane view that proceeds step by step through importing selected media (images and audio) onto a timeline or storyboard. After I had pulled in my images, I used the Edit, Transitions feature to drop in transitions between. I purposely used only Fade and Dissolve. Some of the other transitions were rather cheesy (in my humble opinion)! Adding the title and closing credits were very straightforward just using the Tasks lists in the program. I customized the titles using the editing tools provided.
Finding appropriate audio was a little more of a challenge. I first looked to a digital storytelling resource of a colleague: Alan Levine's 50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story under his 'Find Some Media' page where he has a large collection of links to audio sources. I visited most of the sites he lists, but did not find anything that suited. Thanks to Catherine, I looked at Musopen. I selected a file there that was more appropriate for the images I had selected - Brahms Trio in A Minor, Op. 114. I also had another bit too ambitious goal to add other sounds layered behind the music, and saved river and bird sounds from the sounds catalog at pbsounds.org. Audio files can be added to the video timeline by dragging onto a separate track line for that purpose. I added 'Fade in' and 'Fade out' effects to the audio tract. I was not able to merge my 3 separate audio files into a finished product that I liked. (Maybe that is coming up in another lesson!). I finally settled for just my music track without the other sounds. The publishing process took several passes/do-overs to get to a finished product I was satisfied with. (Boy am I tired of this Brahms by now!!) Some I compressed too far so that quality suffered a great deal. I set up a Vimeo account (another tool I hope to show my faculty) to host the video.
Challenges
This was a great learning experience. I was able to accomplish what was required fairly easily. I'll have to say though that I am still not totally satisfied with the transitions. I would like to extend them for just a little longer. After compressing the file, it seemed that the transitions suffered most and some were left looking herky-jerky - not as smooth a flow as I would like. Other challenges (I brought on myself) came with trying to do more than suggested for this first attempt by adding more than one audio track to the piece. I never did get that to work. Also, I realized after publishing my story that I had 'extra' audio at the end that I needed to crop out. I missed that when putting things together for the first time. The Vimeo experience was a little frustrating. I have not experienced 'waiting in line' to convert videos on YouTube. This was a different process and took quite a while - time I had not expected.
Learning
This was a fun project to work on. This is another time in this course that while I do think I accomplished the tasks for the assignment, the outcome was certainly not as polished as it could be. That said though, I learned a great deal about just generally working in Movie Maker. I learned how to extend the titles and credits by dragging the items in the timeline. I used the Storyboard feature a little to see how to move images around. I looked around at other features that are available including an "AutoMovie" options I hope to try that basically offers a template for pulling in images and audio. There are other 'Effects' I did not fully explore.
Video Activity 2
Part A - Screen Capture/Screen Recording
OS: Windows Vista Business
I captured the screenshot of my desktop above using the Snipping Tool in Windows Vista, resized/compressed using Windows Picture Manager.
I use the snipping tool quite often for precisely the reasons Dr. Smyth mentions: to show, mark, demonstrate things using images.
I saved the image as a .png, resized using Windows Picture Manager to post. Although I use Jing very frequently, this is the first time I used it to capture.
Part B - Jing Capture
OS: Windows Vista Business
Although I use Jing all the time for screencasts, this was the first time I used it to capture a snip - of Our Work space in BB; saved as .png; then resized in Windows Picture Manager.
The capture feature in Jing offers annotation tools, and renders a link to the snip saved in history at Screencast.com as well as allowing save to local computer location.
Part C - Jing Screencast - Insert Voice into a Word Document
OS: Windows Vist Business
I used Jing to record a quick demo of adding voice to a Word Document.
At the end of the recording, I selected the option to render embed code to past the viewer here into my wiki. The viewer did have to be resized in order to fit on this page.
OS: Windows Vista Business
I selected OneTrueMedia from the options provided for the activity to upload and create a slide show of my own 5 images.
The tool was quite simple and easy to use and included on-the-fly music options right on the site! Love it, love it, love it!! Will definitely be back!
------>Video Design & Development Activities<------
Video Activity 1 - Fall Along the Blue Ridge Parkway
JenningsVA1-Fall Along the Blue Ridge Parkway from Cindy Jennings on Vimeo.
Process
For Video Project 1 I again used photos of my own. I pulled out 14 images to a folder created for the assignment. I resized the images in Windows Picture Manager (I have been trying to stick with tools for this assignment that my faculty are most likely to have access to. I know a different tool would offer more robust features, but this got the job done).I then proceeded to build my video using Windows Movie Maker (for the same reasons above). The tool is easy enough to use/intuitive. There is a Tasks Pane view that proceeds step by step through importing selected media (images and audio) onto a timeline or storyboard. After I had pulled in my images, I used the Edit, Transitions feature to drop in transitions between. I purposely used only Fade and Dissolve. Some of the other transitions were rather cheesy (in my humble opinion)! Adding the title and closing credits were very straightforward just using the Tasks lists in the program. I customized the titles using the editing tools provided.
Finding appropriate audio was a little more of a challenge. I first looked to a digital storytelling resource of a colleague: Alan Levine's 50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story under his 'Find Some Media' page where he has a large collection of links to audio sources. I visited most of the sites he lists, but did not find anything that suited. Thanks to Catherine, I looked at Musopen. I selected a file there that was more appropriate for the images I had selected - Brahms Trio in A Minor, Op. 114. I also had another bit too ambitious goal to add other sounds layered behind the music, and saved river and bird sounds from the sounds catalog at pbsounds.org. Audio files can be added to the video timeline by dragging onto a separate track line for that purpose. I added 'Fade in' and 'Fade out' effects to the audio tract. I was not able to merge my 3 separate audio files into a finished product that I liked. (Maybe that is coming up in another lesson!). I finally settled for just my music track without the other sounds.
The publishing process took several passes/do-overs to get to a finished product I was satisfied with. (Boy am I tired of this Brahms by now!!) Some I compressed too far so that quality suffered a great deal. I set up a Vimeo account (another tool I hope to show my faculty) to host the video.
Challenges
This was a great learning experience. I was able to accomplish what was required fairly easily. I'll have to say though that I am still not totally satisfied with the transitions. I would like to extend them for just a little longer. After compressing the file, it seemed that the transitions suffered most and some were left looking herky-jerky - not as smooth a flow as I would like. Other challenges (I brought on myself) came with trying to do more than suggested for this first attempt by adding more than one audio track to the piece. I never did get that to work. Also, I realized after publishing my story that I had 'extra' audio at the end that I needed to crop out. I missed that when putting things together for the first time. The Vimeo experience was a little frustrating. I have not experienced 'waiting in line' to convert videos on YouTube. This was a different process and took quite a while - time I had not expected.Learning
This was a fun project to work on. This is another time in this course that while I do think I accomplished the tasks for the assignment, the outcome was certainly not as polished as it could be. That said though, I learned a great deal about just generally working in Movie Maker. I learned how to extend the titles and credits by dragging the items in the timeline. I used the Storyboard feature a little to see how to move images around. I looked around at other features that are available including an "AutoMovie" options I hope to try that basically offers a template for pulling in images and audio. There are other 'Effects' I did not fully explore.Video Activity 2
Part A - Screen Capture/Screen Recording
OS: Windows Vista Business
I captured the screenshot of my desktop above using the Snipping Tool in Windows Vista, resized/compressed using Windows Picture Manager.
I use the snipping tool quite often for precisely the reasons Dr. Smyth mentions: to show, mark, demonstrate things using images.
I saved the image as a .png, resized using Windows Picture Manager to post. Although I use Jing very frequently, this is the first time I used it to capture.
Part B - Jing Capture
OS: Windows Vista Business
Although I use Jing all the time for screencasts, this was the first time I used it to capture a snip - of Our Work space in BB; saved as .png; then resized in Windows Picture Manager.
The capture feature in Jing offers annotation tools, and renders a link to the snip saved in history at Screencast.com as well as allowing save to local computer location.
Part C - Jing Screencast - Insert Voice into a Word Document
OS: Windows Vist Business
I used Jing to record a quick demo of adding voice to a Word Document.
At the end of the recording, I selected the option to render embed code to past the viewer here into my wiki. The viewer did have to be resized in order to fit on this page.
Video Activity 3
OS: Windows Vista Business
I selected OneTrueMedia from the options provided for the activity to upload and create a slide show of my own 5 images.
The tool was quite simple and easy to use and included on-the-fly music options right on the site! Love it, love it, love it!! Will definitely be back!