Which is where this tutorial comes in. After using a small selection of video editing tools, we've found that one of the simplest and fastest solutions is Quicktime Pro. This program is available from Apple, and comes in Mac and Windows PC compatible versions. There are loads of video editing programs available (and certainly others with loads more features), but we haven't found any that match Quicktime Pro for speed and simplicity (sometimes all those extra features just add complexity and make a program harder to use). Quicktime Pro allows you to select certain sections from your source videos and combine them into one or more edited videos. You can add MP3 soundtracks, and also create videos from the Time Lapse feature of some onboard cameras. Quicktime Pro also allows you to compress your video file so it is quicker to upload to the internet.
The best way to get familiar with the features and how to use Quicktime Pro is by seeing it done, so without further ado, here is a video tutorial:
Basic Editing with Quicktime Pro from Sam Dale on Vimeo.
The video goes into recommended export settings. To save you needing to watch the video each time you want to remember the settings, they are as follows:
- Select Movie-to-MPEG4, then under "Options":
- File Format: "MP4"
- Video Format: "H.264"
- Data Rate: choose between 2000 kbits/sec and 5000 kbits/sec
- Image Size: "Current"
- Frame Rate: "Current"
- Key Frame: "Every" 30 seconds
If you find your file size is too big (or you just want to make it smaller so you can upload it to the internet), you can work with either the "Data Rate" setting or the "Image Size" setting. Vimeo has some guidelines for the Data Rate settings at this link.
There are many more options for video editing, and if you have one your prefer, we'd love to hear from you, and perhaps you could submit a tutorial for this page.
Handy links:
