I have had the new iPhone 4 since early July of this year, and I love to use it to shoot pictures and a little bit of impromptu video. However, I never really got into any editing with the phone because I was unimpressed by the iMovie film editing software. Today this changed when I read an article by Marc Forrest.

“Since I got my iPhone 4, I have been using it quite a bit for its HD video recording. The quality is fantastic, and is perfect for spontaneous videos with the kids.

But, the videos are pretty bland without a little bit of editing, so I came across 2 very cool apps that allows you to edit your videos on the device, and then export them in various qualities.”

He uses two apps in conjunction to create his videos on his iPhone: ReelDirector and Cinema FX.
I had never heard of the two, but it sounds like they work great together and I look forward to trying them out.

What do you guys think about editing on your phone? What software do your use? Let me know in the comments section below.

Check out Marc’s post here: http://www.marcforrest.com/

As I’m sure many of you know, I am not a video editing expert by any means. I have no formal training in the field, and I will probably never make a career out of it. However, I am an enthusiast, and I like to produce videos that go slightly beyond the realm of amateur home movies. To learn the skills required, I often look to YouTube for video editing tutorials. After several months of watching these tutorials on YouTube, I have developed a list of users that I have really come to respect for their ability, and I want to share them with you so that you might benefit from them as well. This week, I will introduce you to three of my favorite.

AppleShakeGuru: Eric is a master of Final Cut Studio and Shake. I tend to look to his channel first whenever I have any more advanced video editing needs.

MysteryGuitarMan: Although MysteryGuitarMan doesn’t produce video tutorials like AppleShakeGuru, he is also a master at his craft. He often releases his videos, adding a link to a PowerPoint-like presentation that documents the making of each video. If you ever need some inspiration, look to MysteryGuitarMan.

Videomaker: This is the official YouTube channel of Videomaker Magazine. This channel covers all aspects of the video making process from filming to postproduction, which is why I like it. Their videos are full of invaluable tips that I would often overlook if not for watching their videos.

Anyway, these are just a few YouTubers that I subscribe follow. Watch for future posts to find out more.

A quick still that I edited in Final Cut Express using this Video Editing Tutorial

Intro

Today’s video editing tutorial will be a short one. You will learn how to achieve the “Sin City effect” (maintaining one color while making the rest black and white) in Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro.

First off, I will assume that you have the required knowledge to perform basic tasks in Final Cut without any detailed guidance from me. If this is a problem for you, it’s no big deal. I would recommend checking for other tutorials within this site, and checking further on YouTube and in Google.

The Tutorial

Note: It is important that you choose to keep a color in your clip that only occurs in the object that you want to keep it in. For example, don’t try to keep the green color of a caterpillar when it is surrounded by green grass. Although you can still do this by adding more layers of video or using masks, that is tedious and unnecessary if you choose you footage wisely.

First off, you need to drag your clip into your timeline, and drag another copy of it into the layer above it. You should have two copies of you clip in your timeline, one on top of the other.

Next, you should desaturate the base clip in the V1 bar of the timeline. You can do this by going to Effects > Video Filters > Image Control > Desaturate. Now, your base clip should be black and white.

After that is

complete, you will add a color key to the 2^nd layer. This is achieved by going to Effects > Video Filters > Key > Color Key. Apply this filter so that all of the color that you plan to keep is keyed out. To do this, you should just experiment util you find the settings that are the most accurate.

Once you have added your color key to your color, you simply need to check the invert check box in the filters pane of the viewer.

Finally, you are finished. Simply render your video, and you are ready to go.

This video editing tutorial will address the issue of purchasing a camera.  Today, there are hundreds of choices from a variety of stores, each with their own assets and downfalls.  After reading this tutorial, you will have greater knowledge of video cameras, and hopefully will have enough background to make your own choice, and buy the camera that is right for you.

What Kind of Customer Are You?

Each family of cameras is marketed toward a different kind of user.  To decide which user you are, you have to ask yourself what you will be using the camera for.  CNET is exceptionally helpful here with their Camcorder Buying Guide.  CNET sorts people into the following categories:

The Home and Vacation Movie Maker aka the Power User: I want to shoot birthday parties, baby steps, holiday gatherings, and school plays. I plan to take my camcorder on vacations, so portability is important. I don’t need to do anything fancy, but I’d like the option of doing a little editing and adding some basic effects. I’m looking for simple controls and easy output.

The Budget Buyer: I can’t afford to spend more than $500 on a camcorder, and I don’t want a model that uses pricey cassettes or discs. I don’t need an advanced feature set or compatibility with lots of accessories, and I don’t mind a relatively bulky design either. I just want a basic camcorder that’s easy to use, but that offers a design and features suited for more event-like shooting scenarios.

The Trendsetter: Who can put a price on coolness? Not me–I’m a technophile and want the coolest, most cutting-edge features available. I want a slick device that will make passersby look twice, and I’m willing to pay for it.

The Independent Film Maker: I’m planning a documentary or a creative video, and I want a camcorder that will give me the advanced controls I need for shooting. I want excellent image quality, and I need output in a format that is optimal for editing and applying effects. I can do without consumer-oriented bells and whistles, but I need compatibility with sound and lighting accessories–I want to shoot like a pro.

The Business Videographer: Since dinner depends on the quality of my video, I need a camcorder that won’t let me (and my boss) down. I want to shoot at the office for important meetings and presentations, as well as at other locations such as real estate properties and onsite events. I want plenty of useful features at my fingertips, but since I’m not a professional videographer, I need intuitive operation too.

The Social Videographer: I like to carry a video recorder with me so that I’m prepared to catch my friends’ hangovers, crazy travelers throwing fits at airports, Ninja cats, and so on. I plan to post it on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace or other social networking site, or e-mail it to friends, and at most will trim the clips; I don’t want to do any editing. While great quality would be nice, I’d like to pay as little as possible. Frankly, I’m happy if people can just tell what’s going on and hear what’s being said. And I’d like it to be easy to use.

The Professional: Video making is my profession, which means that I need the very best on the market in order to stay ahead of the game.  I am not worried about an intuitive design or an all -in-one features.  IT has to shoot excellent footage that can later be edited precisely.  My work will likely appear on screens larger that a computer monitor, which means quality is an absolute must.

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Yesterday, Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone.  Along with this momentous announcement, he also said that Apple will be offering iMovie as an app for the iPhone for only $5.00.  You’re probably thinking, “Surely this will revolutionize the way people edit their video,” or maybe you’re not.  Before you jump to any conclusions, let’s take a look at the history of mobile editing.

Years ago, editing required thousands of dollars worth of equipment and software.  Then Final Cut Pro made it onto the scene, which made video editing much more accessible to people that could not afford to blow upwards of $50,000 on video editing things.  The introduction of Final Cut brought video editing capability to laptops.  This would have been considered mobile editing, which it is.  However, it is simply not the same compared to being able to edit video with your cell phone.

Until very recently, editing with a phone would have been impossible simply because they did not have the processing power required to edit video.  This changed with the advent of smart phones.  At the same time, cameras on phones became common as well.  These two things came together in phones like Sony Ericsson a couple of years ago with them being some of the first phones to offer a video editing program.

Then came the iPhone.  Although Apple had not created their own video editing application, there have been various 3rd party apps.  These include Slowmo, VideoPix, ReelDirector, and various others.  These apps are not overly sophisticated, but they do allow you to get the job done on the go.  Very soon, we will have the iPhone 4.0 with its superpowered A4 chip that will run iMovie, and allow people to do more on their cell phones than they ever dreamed of 5 years ago.

Do I think cell phones will eventually phase out computers in the video editing world?  I think that it is highly unlikely because a crucial piece of professional video editing is being able to view the project on a large scale.  So I believe that unless we begin consuming video exclusively on tiny, cell phone sized screens, cell phone editing will not replace editing on computers.