Not sure what steps to take when trying to get your project from concept to finished product? Do you have trouble selecting and buying digital video equipment? Or which digital camcorder to purchase? Or how to get what you shot into your PC to edit?
Luckily this is not as hard as it may seem. There are a series of steps that need to be taken and we will provide tips to take you from concept to finished product. We will help you decide on what digital camera to purchase, what computer equipment will be needed to capture and edit what you shot, the best consumer editing software, and how to take your final product to the masses.
There are both analog and digital camcorders out there but the best solution for an amateur is to use a digital camcorder instead of actual film to shoot your project. To select a quality camcorder you will need to focus on budget and what your camera needs are. When starting out there is absolutely no need to over spend on equipment. If you are just shooting home videso then a low to mid-range digital camcorder is more than sufficient. If you are going for a quality production then purchase the higher end camcorder models.
Now that you have a digital camera and have shot some footage you will need to edit it. You need to capture your data into a computer and then use editing software to cut what you shot. Budget and individual need has to be considered again at this step. An average desktop computer has a lot of power and is perfect for this function. I strongly suggest that you only use a desktop to cut your film and not a laptop. Any PC will work but it will need to be tweaked somewhat so that you have the equipment and capabilities to professional complete your project. Other factors like future expandibility, size, and even customer support are also important.
You will need specialized equipment to take what you shot and import it into your computer. There are many solutions out there to get your footage into your computer and cost is certainly a factor. In this section though you need to seriously consider features and make sure you purchase equipment that will give you the best performance.
There are so many video editing software packages out there but ease of use and overall functionality is very important. You need to make sure that every effort is put into making sure your project looks professional otherwise your viewers will not want to see your next project. Adobe Premiere has been recognized as the industry standard in editing video for the PC. It is an excellent package which has all the possible video editing features and special effects you will want. However, if you intend to edit home videos, you will want to consider the more budget Pinnacle and Roxio products.
Now that you have shot, captured, and edited your project you need to put it on media to be viewed. This means you need some type of VCD or DVD authoring package. Typically, these simplify the process of burning a VCD or DVD with with point-and-click user interfaces.