FLIP-ing out: Editing: PC

Fourth post in my series on using video (specifically, shot with a Flip video camera) to market your art practice. The last post dealt with how to edit your video on a Mac using IMovie. Today, I’ll focus on those of you who are PC users.

The Flip comes with built-in software called Flipshare. It’s pretty rudimentary, but if all you need to do is to trim the clip ends, add some titles and music, it will be good enough. You can even export it directly from Flipshare to YouTube or to email.

flipshare screen shot

If you want to do more finiky and advanced editing, you probably have Windows Movie Maker on your machine. If you don’t you can download it.

WMM screenshot

The disadvantage, for me, of using a PC is that you have to convert your Flip file (M4V) to a more Windows Movie Maker-friendly file (I don’t have to do this on my Mac). In order to do that, you need a file converter. Click here for the download information and how to use it. Thanks to Simon for sharing that information with me.

Step 1: Import

After you’ve converted your clip, open up Windows Movie Maker, and under the “Capture Video” menu, click on “Import Video.” Find your file on the computer, and import it.

Step 2: Timeline

Next, you can drag and drop clips into the timeline in the order which you want them. Similar to editing in IMovie, you can trim the clips to cut out the stuff you don’t want.

Step 3: Add titles and effects

Under the “Edit Movie” menu, you can drag and drop in titles, effects, and transitions between clips. Again, leave some time for this the first couple of times you make videos, as you’ll want to play around with different effects and transitions to see what you like best. You can also add music and voice over.

Step 4: Save and Export

Once you are happy with the finished product, save it. You have a variety of methods for exporting. You can export in a larger format, or smaller formats for YouTube or to send via email. These options are found under the “Finish Movie” menu.

Next up: what to do with your finished videos, and how to share them with the world.

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