Week+Two+5363

=Evaluating Open Source Video Editing Softwaremedia type="file" key="Movie Maker Video Editing Tutorial.mp3" align="left" width="240" height="20"=


 * Windows Movie Maker Video Editing Tutorial**

As part of my week 2 assignment for my Multimedia class, I was challenged to research and evaluate video editing software for the purpose of media production. I selected Microsoft Movie Maker and Pinnacle Studio to evaluate to compare video editing software programs. My classmate, Michael Alves directed me to the following Wikipedia site which offers a very thorough comparison of video editing software: []

Movie Maker is one of the best video editing programs and comes already installed on most new computers. One of my colleagues uses Movie Maker and highly recommended it to me. Movie Maker allows you to create, edit, and share home movies and has simple drag and drop features that make it friendly to beginner users. Movies can be shared via the Internet, through e-mail, stored on a CD, or saved for playback on the video camera or TV. Movie Maker requires a Windows XP operating system and 2.0 GB of available hard-disk space. The program does require capture hardware to get the video from your camera into your computer.

Another site from my readings this week that I found to be extremely helpful is a tutorial from About.com that demonstrates how to edit video clips in Windows Movie Maker. []

Pinnacle Studio was once recommended to me by a friend. I purchased the software for around $100. that was later destroyed in a hurricane. Like Movie Maker, Pinnacle is a great video editing tool which allows beginners to easily create professional looking videos. Pinnacle is extremely versatile because it includes hundreds of professional – quality functions such as Chroma Key, which enables you to add someone to a video scene even though they weren't there when the original video scene was captured. Other features are Picture-in-Picture effects, pan and zoom tools, color correction, image stabilization, and digital surround sound.

In the past I have used Movie Maker for a couple of small projects using pictures where I added music or narration, but have minimal experience working with video files. Basically, I learned to navigate the software on my own without the aid of tutorials. I did attend a workshop at the TCEA conference in February of this year that helped increase my video editing skills although I have had little opportunity to use them.

I had never conducted any research to compare or evaluate video editing software. I was not aware of the many free programs or the tutorials that are available to assist me. I have had a fear of working with video files, but I feel more confident in the knowledge that I can use Movie Maker for video editing in the same way that I have used it with still pictures to create a digital story.

In an article by Andrew Garrison titled Video Basics and Production Projects for the Classroom, the author states “Media production engages and excites; it leads to unexpected discoveries, increased self-awareness and esteem, sharpened critical thinking, analytical skills, group work skills, and ability to communicate ideas.” He goes on to state that “Media production demands writing and rewriting, research, group effort, and clarity of thought. Media production offers a means for student to talk to whomever they think is an important audience. It does all this because students want to say things that have meaning to them.” The idea of using media production to engage students excites me because of the myriad of skills that it teaches those who are participants in the creative process as well as the audience or observers. It also provides students with the opportunity to have a voice and to express their ideas and creativity to a global audience.

Learning to do video editing will enable me to use the tools in my work with students. I am the webmaster for our website and we are adding some video clips of our students sharing testimonials about their successes and how the program helped them reach their goals. I can also use my skills to video workshops that will provide professional development and help improve the study skills of the students in our program. Using my video editing skills will enable me to add content to our website that will be interactive for students and make them want to return and to utilize the other services that we provide.

About. (n.d.). Getting started with desktop video. Retrieved on September 2, 2010, from []. Garrison, A. (1999,Winter). Video basics and production projects for the classroom. Center for Media Literacy. Retrieved September 2, 2010, from [].