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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 2 9 Introduction .................................................................... 1 2 9 A Visual Overview ......................................................... 7 3 2 9 The Basics .................................................................... 27 The Digital Video Universe .............................................................. 3 The DV Format: A Brief History ................................................. 3 FireWire ..........................................
Edit Menu ..................................................................................... 37 Modes Menu ................................................................................ 37 Storyboard Menu ........................................................................ 38 Help Menu ................................................................................... 38 Preferences ........................................................................................ 39 General Preferences .....
2 9 Producing Your Movie ................................................ 87 10 Technical Support ..................................................... 107 Producing General MPEG-1 Files .................................................. 88 Producing General MPEG-2 Files .................................................. 91 Creating Custom MPEG Profiles ................................................... 94 Producing Windows Media Files ...................................................
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Ever thought about directing your own movie? How about having all the creative controls and being in charge of the entire editing and post-production process? Well, today’s computing technology has made all this possible for anyone who has recording devices, capture devices, a computer, and of course, the sensational new software application, PowerDirector Standard. Admittingly, video editing software is not without its drawbacks.
Chapter 1 a huge collection of transitions, video and titles effects master audio files watermarks ...
Introduction The Digital Video Universe Profit outlooks and shrinking demand in the technology industry not-withstanding, the digital video revolution is well underway. There are still home videos to be edited, videos to be distributed, and full length movies to be produced. In previous generations, video editing and recording was accomplished through analog means by video professionals who had access to high-priced machinery and video equipment.
Chapter 1 The difference is that it relies more on intraframe compression where each compressed frame will depend entirely on itself and not on data from preceding or following frames like MPEG. However, the DV format does incorporate the use of adaptive interfield compression where two extremely similar interlaced fields of a frame will be compressed together to save space. The analog generation is slowly witnessing its demise.
Introduction System Requirements Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP Hardware Requirements Pentium II 450 or above Note: For hardware requirements when capturing from your DV camcorder or analog devices, please refer to the most up-to-date Readme.
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CHAPTER 2: A VISUAL OVERVIEW Note: Images of the Modes Wheel contained in this chapter will be based on the PowerDirector Pro version.
Chapter 2 8 Button/Icon Description C Exit Exits PowerDirector D Volume Adjusts volume 1 Library Refer to "1. Library" on page 9 2 Storyboard Refer to "2. Storyboard" on page 10 3 Preview Window Refer to "3. Preview Window" on page 11 4 Modes Wheel Refer to "4.
A Visual Overview 1.
Chapter 2 2.
A Visual Overview 3.
Chapter 2 I 12 Button/Icon Description Record Records file (if applicable depending on mode)
A Visual Overview 4.
Chapter 2 Capture Mode A 14 B C D Button/Icon Description A Audio Capture Captures audio source only B Video Capture Captures video and audio source (if applicable) C DV Capture Captures DV source D Setup Setups for audio/video sources and profiles
A Visual Overview DV VCR Capture Mode AB CD E F GH I J K L M N O Button/Icon Description A Total Time Denotes total time captured from DV tape B Pause Pauses DV tape playback C Current Tape Timecode Denotes current time position of your DV tape D Stop Stops recording file (may also stop DV tape playback) E Play Plays DV tape F Seek Seeks tape’s timecode G Rewind Rewinds DV tape H Fast Forward Fast forwards DV tape I Previous Frame Goes to DV tape’s previous frame 15
Chapter 2 16 Button/Icon Description J Shuttle Shuttles DV tape K Next Frame Goes to DV tape’s next frame L Record Records/captures DV tape content M Non Real-time/ Real-time Capture Captures in non real-time (default) or real-time N Instant/Batch Capture Modes Switches from Instant Capturing to Batch Capturing and vice-versa O Snapshot Takes an instant snapshot
A Visual Overview DV Batch Capture Mode AB C D EF G H I J K L M Button/Icon Description A Mark In Marks in for beginning of batch task B Current Tape Timecode Denotes current time position of your DV tape C Stop Stops batch capturing D Seek Seeks tape’s timecode E Rewind Rewinds DV tape F Fast Forward Fast forwards DV tape G Mark Out Marks out for beginning of batch task H Shuttle Shuttles DV tape I Non Real-time/ Real-time Capture Captures in non real-time (default) or
Chapter 2 18 Button/Icon Description J Instant/Batch Capture Modes Switches from Instant Capturing to Batch Capturing (not pictured) and vice-versa K Add Task Adds new batch capturing task L Remove Task Removes batch capturing task M Start Selected Task(s) Starts selected batch capturing task(s)
A Visual Overview Trim Mode A B C D E FG H I J Button/Icon Description A Mark In Marks in for beginning of trimmed clip B Time Slider Position Denotes current time slider position C Mark Out Marks out for end of trimmed clip D Total Time Total time of trimmed clip E Split Video Splits current clip into two at the time slider position F Reset Mark In Resets mark in position G Revert Reverts to clip’s original trim effects H Reset Mark Out Resets mark out position I Snapshot
Chapter 2 J 20 Button/Icon Description Clear Clears all trim effects
A Visual Overview Speed Mode A B C Button/Icon Description A Decrease Speed Decreases speed of video B Revert Reverts to clip’s original speed effects C Clear Clears all speed effects D Increase Speed Increases speed of video D 21
Chapter 2 Titles Mode A 22 B C D E Button/Icon Description A Mark In Marks in for beginning of title effect B Mark Out Marks out for end of title effect C Add Title Adds new title to clip D Revert Reverts to clip’s original title effects E Remove Title Removes title from clip F Set Font Sets font options G Clear Clears all title effects F G
A Visual Overview Effects Mode A Button/Icon Description A Revert Reverts to clip’s original video effects B Clear Clears all video effects B 23
Chapter 2 Picture-in-Picture Mode A 24 B Button/Icon Description A Revert Reverts to clip’s original picture effects B Eyedropper Selects image color to be filtered C Clear Clears all picture effects C
A Visual Overview Audio Mode ABC D E F Button/Icon Description A Volume Mixing Drag slider for mixing volume for user-defined audio files B Add Audio Adds new audio file to clip C Revert Reverts to clip’s original audio effects D Remove Audio Removes audio file from clip E Trim Audio Trims audio file F Clear Clears all audio effects 25
Chapter 2 Transitions Mode A B 26 Button/Icon Description A Decrease Transition Length Decreases time for the selected transition B Revert Reverts to clip’s original transition effects C Increase Transition Length Increases time for the selected transition D Clear Clears all transition effects CD
CHAPTER 3: THE BASICS It’s time to get started with the basics before your mesmeric and uninhibited effects are added. The ensuing sections will outline how to begin by importing your media files into the PowerDirector Library and previewing these files. Later, you will get accustomed to the Storyboard, your menus and then wrap things up with choosing your specific Preferences.
Chapter 3 To Show Video, Audio, Images or All, click the appropriate icon in the top left corner. The files will appear in the Library. Click Large Icons or click Details to change the view to a text view along with some of its associated file properties. You may also right-click on a specific file for a menu. Select one of the options to Preview, Apply to Storyboard, Import New File(s) to Library, Remove from Library, View Scenes or Detect Scenes.
The Basics Previewing your Library Files Previewing Library files simply plays your original files like any other Media Player. 1 After you have imported your files into the Library, begin previewing by dragging the files into the Preview Window or double-click on them. The mode will instantly switch to Preview. 2 Click Play to begin playing your file if it’s a video or audio clip. You may also skip directly to the Start Other common commands are Pause, Stop, Next Frame and Previous Frame.
Chapter 3 preferences for applying to the Storyboard. Go to "Preferences" on page 39 for more information.
The Basics Detecting Scenes Scene detection automatically creates individual files based on the original file’s scenes allowing users to utilize existing video files to its maximum. Even after you are finished detecting scenes for a certain file, you can further divide its scenes an infinite number of times. 1 After you have imported your files into the Library, select a file and click Detect Scenes and the Detect Scenes window will appear.
Chapter 3 The Detection Method section is for captured video content that has been imported into the Library. Refer to "Capturing Content" on page 45 for information on capturing content from a DV camcorder. Use the default unless you have a DV AVI format file that contains multiple timecodes (i.e. resetting of timecodes are automatically set when you start and stop recording) and you wish to split up your files in this manner, select Detect by changing of timecodes.
The Basics 4 You may also select a scene and right-click for a menu. Choose Remove Scene to remove or Detect Again from this Scene to detect additional scenes from this specific scene and generate even more files/scenes! After the scenes are created, click OK Cancel . to return to PowerDirector or click The new scene files will now be displayed in the Library in a subfolder. To return to the Library, click Up One Level.
Chapter 3 Storyboard Functions When you produce, you are producing all the clips on your Storyboard. If you don’t have any files applied onto the Storyboard, you can’t produce your movie! Thus, the Storyboard is the most important facet and area of your entire pre-production. Keep in mind that not all files have to be manipulated, for files may be directly applied or dragged onto the Storyboard immediately after it is imported into your Library.
The Basics 4 To preview or to manipulate a clip from the Storyboard, select it by doubleclicking and it will appear in the Preview window. Go to "Previewing your Library Files" on page 29 for more information. You may also right-click on a specific clip in the Storyboard for a menu. Select one of the options that will include cutting, copying or pasting clips on the Storyboard.
Chapter 3 Menu Selections Below are brief descriptions of various functions. For more information, please follow their links. File Menu If you want to create a new project, choose New. Choose Open to open an existing project. Save your project here or choose Save As... to rename the project. Type in the project’s name and click OK. The Capture commands are the same as the Modes Wheel but goes directly into one of the three capture modes: Audio, Video or DV.
The Basics For the Write to DV Tape function, a quick and easy way is to select a DV AVI file directly from the Library and then choose File > Export > Write to DV Tape for instant writing. A dialog box appears. Click Show Preview to preview when writing and then click Start. Click Close when complete. To write multiple files to a DV tape, drag the DV AVI files from the Library to the Storyboard. It is imperative that you do not add any effects and that all Storyboard clips are in DV AVI format.
Chapter 3 Storyboard Menu Before playing your movie, you may set the size you want to play it in. After you set it, and before your final production, you might want to play your movie first. Select the Go to functions to navigate faster to the first and last clips on your Storyboard. Select Master Watermark to add a watermark or Master Audio to add an audio file for your movie. Go to "Master Watermark" on page 86 and "Master Audio" on page 82 for more information.
The Basics Preferences When using PowerDirector, we give you the luxury of deciding the processes and routines of how files are applied to the Storyboard, how captured files are stored, the display of file information, previewing options and a host of others. Preferences are accessed through Edit > Preferences. General Preferences The first option here is for users to select a default media Directory for all their files. Type in the directory path or click Browse and search for the directory.
Chapter 3 apply. The last option is if you would like PowerDirector to remind you if you would like to apply the changes that you have just made. You may decide the number of recent files to be displayed under File > Recent Files... in the Recent Files section. Click on the drop-down menu and select the number of recent files to be displayed. Click Clear List to clear all the recent files. Select Automatically load the most recent project to save time whenever you start PowerDirector.
The Basics Capture Preferences The first selection is Autosave. Choose a directory by clicking Browse and selecting a proper directory to save all your captured files under. If you want PowerDirector to Automatically generate file names under this directory, click it and captured files will automatically be saved. Otherwise, after each capture, a dialog box will appear for you to name the new captured file.
Chapter 3 For Capture Performance, if you want your VGA card to regulate the video overlay so less CPU resources are consumed, speed is faster, but less stable than non-overlay mode in some cases (depending on your VGA card), click Use video overlay. In the DV Parameter Setup section, click Setup... to set up the buffer parameters for your DV camcorder. 42 All DV camcorders’ mechanisms and the time it takes for the tape to start rolling differ in seconds.
The Basics Preview Preferences To set the Window Size for your Preview Window, click on the drop-down menu and select. When you are editing clips from the Storyboard, you may decide to reserve system resources by ignoring video effects or audio tracks during previewing or in when modifying in any of the Modes. In the Clip Previewing area, simply click to select which option you want to ignore. Be sure to check out "System Requirements" on page 5.
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CHAPTER 4: CAPTURING CONTENT PowerDirector allows you to capture almost anything under the sun provided that you have a capture card or other assortment of adapter cards in transferring data into your hard drive.
Chapter 4 Capturing Video and Audio Now you are ready to capture video or audio footage from practically anything digital or analog stored in your library and transforming it into digital footage with special effects directly authored from PowerDirector. This section will cover video capture devices that are input through your adapter cards via video ports such as Composite video, S-Video or Tuner and also audio capture devices through ports such as Audio In or from your audio CD.
Capturing Content Click on the Capture Device drop-down menu to select the appropriate video capture device installed on your system. Select the correct Capture Source. Usually, all the sources will have ports located on the capture card. Make sure the connections are secure. If you selected Video Tuner, you may then select either CATV (if you have a cable connected) or Antenna installed. Select a channel and click OK.
Chapter 4 After selecting a profile, you may click Comments... or Details... to find out more information about the profile and CPU recommendation. Click OK when you are finished with the Video Setup. Note: If the video display is blank after you have selected to capture video, be sure your video device is functioning properly. Other possibilities may be that the connections aren't set up properly or you selected the wrong input settings.
Capturing Content Click a Name (i.e. profile) or change your Attributes by clicking on the drop-down menu and choosing another one. Click Save As to save the new profile. Name the new profile and click OK. To Remove, select a profile and click Remove. After you are done, click OK. Click the Time Limit box to set it and then input the maximum recording time in minutes and seconds. Click the Size Limit box to set it and then input the maximum recording size in MB.
Chapter 4 Capturing from DV Camcorders Whether your DV is playing video or filming special moments, PowerDirector captures it all in non real-time or in real-time. Info: Unlike real-time capture, non real-time capture will utilize a buffer and is recommended for users who desire high quality but do not possess adequate computing power. Thus, non real-time capture will take longer to process the encoding of captured content when utilizing a buffer.
Capturing Content on your DV camcorder’s designation), a live shot from your DV camcorder should be displayed in PowerDirector’s Preview Window. Tips: The bottom left corner will display the amount of free drive space along with the size of the captured content. This drive may be set in Edit > Preferences... > Capture under the Autosave section. 3 Now, decide if you would like to capture in Non Real-time (default) or Real-time (switch on).
Chapter 4 and the differences between the Windows and DV groups, refer to #4 in "Producing AVI Files". If you selected Video for Movie Disc Production, select the Type of Disc, High Speed or High Quality, and then the video format of the disc. 5 If you selected a MPEG profile, you may create a custom MPEG profile by clicking New... Refer to "Creating Custom MPEG Profiles" on page 94 for more information. The DV AVI profiles may not be modified. After selecting a profile, you may click Comments.
Capturing Content Capturing from DV VCR Mode When your DV camcorder is in VCR mode, PowerDirector has a high degree of control. All navigational functionality may be controlled by PowerDirector including playing, seeking, pausing, stopping and of course, recording content directly from the DV tape. After capturing content from your DV tape with PowerDirector, you may apply all the special effects you wish, which have made PowerDirector a powerhouse in the arena of video editing.
Chapter 4 Info: Unlike real-time capture, non real-time capture will utilize a buffer and is recommended for users who desire high quality but do not possess adequate computing power. Thus, non real-time capture will take longer to process the encoding of captured content when utilizing a buffer. A display of the time remaining for capturing will be located at the bottom right corner below the Preview Window.
Capturing Content 6 To seek to the proper time, drag and release the Shuttle its immediate left is the timecode area for the DV tape. icon. Located to Note: If the DV tape’s timecode is incorrect, then click Seek Tape to verify the timecode. You may also navigate with the Play, Next and Previous Frame, Start, End, Pause, and Stop buttons. Refer to #2 in "Previewing your Library Files" on page 29 for more information on the aforementioned commands.
Chapter 4 Batch Capturing from DV Camcorders When you are in the DV VCR mode, you may select precise scenes you want to convert. After selecting a few scenes, you may convert them with one click as part of a whole batch of files. Batch capturing is efficient and saves huge amounts of time when capturing numerous scenes. Tips: Be sure that your DV tape’s timecodes are linear. If not, you might have to capture a scene at a time in the DV VCR mode. 1 Start PowerDirector.
Capturing Content 4 Now, decide if you would like to capture in Non Real-time (default) or Real-time (switch on). Info: Unlike real-time capture, non real-time capture will utilize a buffer and is recommended for users who desire high quality but do not possess adequate computing power. Thus, non real-time capture will take longer to process the encoding of captured content when utilizing a buffer.
Chapter 4 Caution: If have selected the DV AVI profile, you will be unable to capture in non real-time. To shuttle (fast forward/rewind) to the proper time, drag and release the Shuttle icon . Click Seek Tape to locate the exact timecode position of the DV tape. Note: Depending on the specific DV tape, there may be identical timecodes for many different scenes on a DV tape (e.g. 00:01:20). This is attributed to the resetting of timecodes performed by the author.
Capturing Content Repeat the above steps to add more tasks. To remove tasks, select one and click Remove Task . After it is completed, the batch captured files may appear directly in your Library or Storyboard depending on preferences. Go to "Capture Preferences" on page 41 for more information.
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CHAPTER 5: TRIMMING VIDEO Trim Mode Generally, after your media files are imported into your library, the next step is to trim your video clips or set the time limit for image files. Before production, this step is very important in eliminating unwanted portions of your video clip and to place more focus on the essential plot of your movie. Note: After you have modified your file in this mode, a red line will be displayed in the Modes Wheel to indicate this.
Chapter 5 Drag and release the Time Slider to find the exact time positions and quicken your search. You may also Play, Rewind, Fast Forward, Pause, jump to the Start or End of the file, and go to the Next or Previous Frame. To capture the frame as a new image file, click Snapshot Preferences" on page 41 for more information. 5 . Go to "Capture Click on the Mark In and Mark Out icons to set your trimming positions at the Time Slider position or set them during playback.
Trimming Video Splitting the Video File To save precious editing time, the Split Video function automatically splits an original video file into two separate clips with one swift click and eliminates the need to drag the same file onto the Storyboard twice and trimming both separately. Just keep in mind this function is only intended for Library files that do not have effects applied from other modes. Apply effects only after you split the video.
Chapter 5 Trim Mode for Image Files Naturally, image files don’t need to be trimmed. The time duration of the appearance of the image file may be set along with the image’s resize if desired. 1 Once your image files have been imported into the Library, double-click on an image file or drag it in order to display it in the Preview Window. Refer to "Importing into the Library" on page 27 for more information on importing.
Trimming Video 4 1:1 Fill: This will fill out the Preview Window with the original size but will crop the image. Enter the time for the image to appear in the Duration box by using the arrows or inputting a numeral. Click Revert Or click Clear 5 to revert to the original trim. to start over. Click Apply when complete. Be sure to set your preferences for applying to the Storyboard. Go to "Preferences" on page 39 for more information.
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CHAPTER 6: ALTERING SPEED AND SUPPLYING VIDEO EFFECTS Altering Speeds To invigorate your audience and enliven your movies with a different pace or tempo, or to emphasize certain elements of meaningful clips, PowerDirector allows you to go slo-mo or accelerate clips to previously unforeseen speeds! Any clip could be slowed down to a crawl or sped up to the speed of light.
Chapter 6 5 Now, you must decide how your video file’s audio will be played. Click on the Audio Setting drop-down menu and select one. The Synchronize with video selection will synchronize the video speed with the audio speed. Note: If the video speed is faster or slower than 1X, the synchronized audio may be unrecognizable. 6 68 Select Preserve original speed if you prefer the audio speed to be at its original recognizable speed independent of the video speed.
Altering Speed and Supplying Video Effects Supplying Video Effects Supplying video effects is for the music video director in you! For normal movies, transition effects are sufficient, but for those who wish to cast a spell and enrapture the audience with a video effect that takes hold throughout the length of one clip, this is your epiphanous calling. Let’s first enjoy a graphical display of all the effects: Below is a table that summarizes the settings available for each video effect.
Chapter 6 Video Effects Settings Available Grid Depth of Grid Line, Width, Height, Background Color Mosaic Width of Blocks, Height of Blocks, Effect Length Noise Intensity, Size, Background Color Ripple Wave Length, Speed, Effect Length Skip Frequency Spotlight Brightness, Depth of Gradient Border, Width, Height, Background Color Swing Left Angle, Background Color, Effect Length Swing Down Angle, Background Color, Effect Length Swing Right Angle, Background Color, Effect Length Swing Up
Altering Speed and Supplying Video Effects 4 5 Drag an effect from the Library over to the Preview Window or double-click the effect. Depending on the effect, settings will vary. For most effects settings, simply drag the slider and then preview it in the Preview Window before applying. Refer to "Previewing your Library Files" on page 29 and #2 for more information. For some effects settings, you may drag the Effect Length’s slider to determine the length of time for the effect.
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CHAPTER 7: ADDING TITLES AND TRANSITIONS Titles Mode Generally, at the beginning of every movie or show, text is involved to convey the title, starring and supporting actors, and other information for all those involved and whom made the movie possible. When a movie or show wraps up, the full spate of credits will be rolled out too. For smaller movie productions, you may want to inform viewers with textual effects instead of just visual effects.
Chapter 7 Click the Fonts icon to set your font format. There are a host of options here including Spacing, Color, Font Style, and Alignment. After you are finished, click OK. 4 Click on the Add Title icon. A cursor on the first line of the Titles box will appear for you to begin typing. Press to skip to the next line if you wish. 5 After inputting your text, click outside of the box. The title will be displayed in the Titles box along with the Preview Window.
Adding Titles and Transitions 6 To select a suitable Title Effect, select a title first and then click on the dropdown menu to select. An instant preview will be shown in the Preview Window. Drag the Effect Length’s slider to determine the length of time for the effect. By decreasing the effect’s length (represented by the two orange bars), the Hold Time (i.e. only the text without effects represented by the blue bar), will be increased and vice-versa.
Chapter 7 To edit or removing titles, click on a title in the Titles box. To edit, click twice and a cursor will appear in the box. Begin editing. To remove, select an existing title and then click Remove Title . You may hide titles by unchecking Show All Titles or checking to show all. 8 76 After you are satisfied with all your titles, click Apply to apply it to the Storyboard. Be sure to set your preferences for applying to the Storyboard. Go to "Preferences" on page 39 for more information.
Adding Titles and Transitions Transitions Mode Usually appearing naked to the human eye, transitions are a great mood enhancer in movies or full-length feature shows and videos. Generally, scene-from-scene, simple fades or a direct cut to the next scene is used. To further enhance your video, you may want to try one of the many transitional effects PowerDirector has provided. Before you begin, be sure that there are at least two video clips or images that have been applied in the Storyboard.
Chapter 7 4 Input the Transition Length located in the Modes Panel numerically or drag the slider to increase and decrease. The length will vary depending on your clips’ duration. Note: Keep in mind that the length you set will be equally divided amongst the two slides. If you set ten seconds, five seconds of the transitional effect will be allotted to the end of the first media file while five seconds will be allotted to the beginning of the succeeding media file.
CHAPTER 8: ADDING AUDIO AND PICTURES Audio Mode As all amateur or seasoned video professionals know, the soundtrack of your movie is incredibly important to set the mood and atmosphere of your movie. For exciting scenes, a musical score with a fast beat will serve to outline the hastiness and recklessness of the occasion.
Chapter 8 Note: You are not allowed to trim the audio portion of the original video file. 5 To add more audio files to a certain clip, drag them from the Library into the User-Defined box or you may click the Add Audio icon. A flashing message will appear in the User-Defined box to show you where you should drag the audio file to. Four user-defined audio files are allowed, which will be displayed below the original file.
Adding Audio and Pictures If you want to remove a file, click an audio file and then click Remove Audio . Click Revert to return to the original clip’s audio effects (if the clip had employed audio clips previously) or click Clear to start from scratch. 8 Click Apply when you are finished to apply it to the Storyboard. Be sure to set your preferences for applying to the Storyboard. Go to "Preferences" on page 39 for more information.
Chapter 8 Master Audio To further accentuate the audio aspect of your movie production, you may wish to apply a musical score that will act as the background audio for your entire movie. The controls and options for the master audio file is very similar to the normal Audio Mode where you add files to various clips. Caution: If you utilize Master Audio in your movie, SVRT will be disabled when producing. 1 Click Master Audio located on the Storyboard’s farthest left.
Adding Audio and Pictures Adjust the volume by dragging on the Volume Mixing to increase or decrease after you have selected the audio file. To Repeat Master Audio, click to check the box so that it will repeat until the end of the entire movie. Click Revert to return to the original Master Audio file or click Clear to start from scratch. 4 You do not need to click Apply in this mode. Just switch out of the mode and your Master Audio will be set and save your project.
Chapter 8 Picture-in-Picture Mode For any of your existing video clips or image clips on the Storyboard, you may add a still image or video to the background. Set the transparency level depending on your preferences. Note: After you have modified your file in this mode, a red line will be displayed in the Modes Wheel to indicate this. 1 First, select the default picture or video clip from the Library by double-clicking on the selected file or dragging it into the Preview Window.
Adding Audio and Pictures Click and drag the points located on the edge of the file to enlarge or decrease its size. Keep in mind that the Keep Aspect Ratio is checked as the default. If you do not want to retain its width-to-length size ratio intact, uncheck it. Drag the Transparency slider to make the picture more or less transparent. Click Revert to return to the original clip’s PiP file and its associated modifications or click Clear or press on your keyboard to start from scratch.
Chapter 8 Master Watermark There are times when you wish to add an image that will serve as a visual background throughout the movie, which will usually represent the party that has created the movie or owns the rights to it. This is a watermark. It may also be a TV station logo or the movie title. Caution: If you utilize Master Watermark in your movie, SVRT will be disabled when producing. 1 Click Master Watermark located on the Storyboard’s left side. The entire Storyboard will be highlighted.
CHAPTER 9: PRODUCING YOUR MOVIE The time has finally arrived for you to produce your own movie. After all your hard work of importing media files into your Library, previewing them, manipulating them, and applying them to the Storyboard, the production of your grand masterpiece is imminent. This chapter will cover MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Windows Media and AVI formatted video types. Editing and producing MPEG and DV AVI files and clips is what makes PowerDirector a powerhouse in video editing software applications.
Chapter 9 Producing General MPEG-1 Files As mentioned in the previous section, MPEG is the standard format this generation for compressed multimedia files with high quality. After you are satisfied with your all special effects, trims, audio, etc., and wish to produce a file in compressed MPEG format, you are ready for the final stage of your post-production process. Refer to "What Is MPEG?" on page 109 for more information. 1 Clips should be applied to the Storyboard.
Producing Your Movie 4 We recommend that you select the default Smart Video Rendering Technology (SVRT) selection to save time. Refer to "Glossary" on page 111 for more information on this selection’s properties. Note: If the SVRT is grayed out, it might be that your movie is utilizing Master Audio or Master Watermark or does not possess any MPEG files. SVRT is used optimally with MPEG formatted files. 5 If you are an advanced user, you may click the second selection MPEG-1 Video (Constant Bitrate).
Chapter 9 Click Details for more specific information concerning a profile. To create your own profile, go to "Creating Custom MPEG Profiles" on page 94. 7 Click Next. 8 For the last step, choose a file name or click Browse to look for the correct directory. After finding the directory and typing in the new file name, click Save. 9 Check your File Details. Click Finish. During the production, there are viewing options you may set. Go to "Preview Preferences" on page 43 for more information.
Producing Your Movie Producing General MPEG-2 Files As mentioned in the previous section, MPEG is the standard format this generation for compressed multimedia files with high quality. After you are satisfied with your all special effects, trims, audio, etc., and wish to produce a file in compressed MPEG format, you are ready for the final stage of your post-production process. Refer to "What Is MPEG?" on page 109 for more information. 1 Clips should be applied to the Storyboard.
Chapter 9 5 If you are an advanced user, you may click the second selection MPEG-2 Video (Constant Bitrate). 6 If you picked the second selection, click on the left drop-down menu and choose the group of profiles you want to display, which will include Default, Custom, or All. After selecting a group, select the specific profile. Profile properties will be displayed immediately below the chosen profile including the recommended processing speeds of your system.
Producing Your Movie 7 Click Next. 8 For the last step, choose a file name or click Browse to look for the correct directory. After finding the directory and typing in the new file name, click Save. 9 Check your File Details. Click Finish. During the production, there are viewing options you may set. Go to "Preview Preferences" on page 43 for more information. You may also click Abort during production. Save you project if you haven’t already by choosing File > Save.
Chapter 9 Creating Custom MPEG Profiles 1 Either if you were in the Producing Movie process after you have chosen MPEG as your video type and selected MPEG-1/2 Video (Constant Bitrate), or in the Capture Mode and in the process of selecting a profile, to create a custom profile you must first select an existing MPEG profile that is closely associated with your new profile. 2 Then, click New... in order to create a new MPEG profile. A dialog box appears.
Producing Your Movie 8 Click on the Audio tab. 9 The default MPEG Audio Compression setting will be Layer II stereo. For the Audio Compression Rate, like its Video counterpart, the higher the kbps, the less the compression with better quality, but more disk space will be consumed. 10 Click OK to return to the production/ capture process. To select your new profile, select Custom from the profile group menu and then select the profile.
Chapter 9 Producing Windows Media Files Streaming technology has grown by leaps and bounds since its increasing usage from the last decade by providing a medium that is controlled by the content provider and therefore is free of copyright issues. And it’s only getting started. Info: Streaming utilizes video scaling, compression techniques, and network protocols in order to transmit files from a Web server (where the streaming file is stored) to the client (your hard drive).
Producing Your Movie 2 Select Windows Media from the Video for General Purposes drop-down menu and click Next. 3 Now select a profile depending on what type of connection speed you will be utilizing when streaming your file to your audience. Click on the drop-down menu and select a profile. Profile descriptions and properties will be displayed immediately below the chosen profile. Go to "Glossary" on page 111 for more details. Click Next.
Chapter 9 4 For the last step, choose a file name or click Browse to look for the correct directory. After finding the directory and typing in the new file name, click Save. 5 Check your File Details. Click Finish. 6 Save you project if you haven’t already by choosing File > Save. Enter the file name and click Save.
Producing Your Movie Producing AVI Files PowerDirector has the robust feature of writing directly to your DV tape in AVI format when producing. This will include all your manipulation, modifications and special effects and is just another way of making your production more mobile and timeless. You may also produce in uncompressed AVI format to your hard drive. 1 Click Produce Movie 2 Select AVI from the Video for General Purposes drop-down menu and click Next. located on the Modes Wheel.
Chapter 9 3 We recommend that you select the default SVRT selection to save precious time and render like never before! Note: If the SVRT is grayed out, it might be that your movie is utilizing Master Audio or Master Watermark or does not possess any DV AVI files. SVRT is used optimally with DV AVI formatted files. 4 For the Profile field, click on the left drop-down menu to display the profile group.
Producing Your Movie 6 For the last step, enter a file name or click Browse to look for the correct directory. After finding the directory and typing in the new file name, click Save. 7 Check your File Details. Click Finish. 8 If you decided to Write to DV Tape, after your movie is produced (hard disk version), the DV Tape dialog box will be displayed. Click Show Preview to preview when writing and then click Start. Click Close after it is complete.
Chapter 9 Setting AVI Profiles You may set the parameters of default Windows AVI profiles. For more information on the individual settings, go to "Glossary" on page 111 for more information. Note: You may not set DV profiles. 1 While in the Producing Movie process, after you have chosen AVI as your video type, select an existing AVI profile to set. 2 Click Settings... 3 The Compression tab is the default. Select a Compression Codec by clicking on the drop-down menu.
Producing Your Movie 12 For the Audio Setting, click on the drop-down menu for Format and Attributes and select for each one. PCM is the default. Go to "PCM" on page 113 for more information. For the attributes, the higher the Hz, the better quality but at the expense of hard disk space. 13 Click OK to return to the production process.
Chapter 9 Producing Movies on a Disc 1 Click Produce Movie 2 Select Video for Movie Disc Production. 3 Select a Type of Disc from the drop-down menu and then a video format from the Country/Video Format of Disc menu. 4 Click Next. 104 located on the Modes Wheel.
Producing Your Movie 5 For the last step, enter a file name or click Browse to look for the correct directory. After finding the directory and typing in the new file name, click Save. 6 Check your File Details. Click Finish.
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CHAPTER 10: TECHNICAL SUPPORT Before asking CyberLink Corp. for technical support, please refer to this user's guide or online help for more information. You may also contact your local distributor/ dealer. If your problem is still not resolved, the following sections provide ways to obtain technical support. Web Support Solutions to your problem are available 24 hours a day at our Web sites in Taiwan, USA, or Japan: support.gocyberlink.com www.gocyberlink.com www.cli.co.
Chapter 10 Telephone Support You are welcome to call the CyberLink's Technical Support Hotline at (886) 2-86671298. Phone support hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (GMT +8:00) Taiwan local time excluding holidays.
APPENDIX What Is MPEG? MPEG, simply, is an acronym short for the Moving Picture Experts Group which belongs to the family of ISO/IEC standards (International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission). It is a compression technology for digital video and audio signals intended for consumer distribution.
Appendix NTSC and PAL The NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) and PAL (Phase Alternating Line) are television standards used for commercial television broadcasting around the world. Both NTSC and PAL use interlaced content at 30 frames per second (i.e. 60 fields) and 25 frames per second (i.e. 50 fields) respectively.
GLOSSARY ASF Short for Advanced Streaming Format, a streaming multimedia file format developed by Microsoft for Windows 98. Term is currently used interchangeably with WMA and WMV. bitrate Bitrate denotes the average number of bits that one second of video/audio data will consume. codec Short for video COmpression and DECompression. Each codec uses a different algorithm to compress and decompress video data. Without codecs, storing and playing back digital video would be impractical.
Glossary general, the minimum fps needed to avoid jerky motion is about 30. Some computer video formats, such as AVI, provide only 15 frames per second. frame rate For video content, the frame rate measures how many still frames per second. The higher the better when capturing video content with motion. GOP Group of Pictures. A MPEG compression technology, the GOP concept reduces the temporal redundancy across frames (from frame to frame) for video content and consists of I, B, P frames.
Glossary MPEG Moving Picture Experts Group. A family of international standards used for coding audio/video information into digital format. Currently, MPEG-2 is the standard for digital video formats and MP3 for strictly digital audio formats. non-interlaced video content Describes video content within a given frame that does not consist of distinct imagery data fields. (e.g. computer monitors) noise removal Removes video artifacts such as white noise from video signals.
Glossary SVRT Smart Video Rendering Technology. A proprietary CyberLink technology, SVRT saves vast amounts of time when producing movies that contain compressed MPEG files because it only renders edited portions. This preserves the quality of unrendered video portions of the original MPEG files. VCD Video Compact Disc. Generally for video applications employing MPEG-1 technology, video quality is not as detailed as DVD and has similar technology to that of audio CDs.
Glossary are used only for connections from a telephone switching station to a home or office, not between switching stations.
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INDEX Numerics 1 to 1 Fill images 65 video 62 1 to 1 Fit images 64 video 62 A advanced settings 94 altering speeds. See Speed Mode analog camcorders 5, 45 devices 1 generation 4 signals 113 antenna 47 applying image color filters 85 eyedropper tool 85 in modes. See specific mode for details to Storyboard 11, 28, 29 ASF format 111 audio capture. See Capture Mode, audio capture audio compression rate 95 audio files.
batch capturing 56 See also Capture Mode, DV capture bitrate 111 buffer 42, 96 C camcorders DV 5, 45, 50 advent of 3 batch capturing from. See batch capturing Camera mode 50 VCR mode 50, 53, 56 capture cards 5, 45 selecting source of 47 capture destination.
setting sensitivity 31 through changing of timecodes 32 digital camera 5, 45 display preferences. See preferences, display DSL 111 DV 4, 111 camcorders 5 buffer time 42 Camera mode. See camcorders, DV capturing from 50 DVCAM format 3 DVCPRO format 3 VCR mode.
interlaced video content 109, 110, 112 See also non-interlaced video content i-Power 7, 38 ISDN 112 K kbps 112 key frame 102 kHz 112 L LAN 112 Library displaying as file details 9, 28 displaying as large icons 9, 28 importing directory 9, 27 importing media 9, 27, 36 removing from 28 showing all audio files 9, 28 showing all image files 9, 28 showing all media files 9, 28 showing all video files 9, 28 visual overview 9 M marking in See Capture Mode, DV capture See Titles Mode, marking in See Trim Mode, m
O opening project 36 overlay. See video overlay P PAL 110, 113 parameters setup.
titles resizing images. See Trim Mode, for image files video. See Trim Mode resizing resolution 113 reverting. See specific mode for details S sampling rate 113 saturation 113 saving project 36 scenes. See detecting scenes seek tape. See Capture Mode, DV capture setup See Capture Mode, audio capture See Capture Mode, video capture shuttling 16, 17, 55 size limit. See Capture Mode, size limit slow motion.
timecode.
Web server 96, 114 Windows Media 96, 114 Audio (WMA) 114 Player 96, 114 profiles 96, 97 video for general purposes 97 Services server 114 Video (WMV) 114 Windows OS system requirements. See system requirements WMA 114 WMV 114 writing to DV tape.
