Stop Motion Animation with Slideshow Software

I recently stumbled across another great use for PhotoStage Slideshow Software, combining sequential still photos into a stop motion video animation. That is exactly what a class of students did in the Napa Valley in a CyberMill Technology Center summer program as reported on by Howard Yune of the Napa Valley Register.

CyberMill is a Napa Valley nonprofit technology center, affiliated with the national Computers for Youth nonprofit organization. The CFY Network is committed to improving the home learning environment of low-income families by providing home computers and educational resources, helping students learn the technology skills they need to compete and thrive in the 21st Century. In this particular summer program Yune explains that

"For nearly four hours a day over five days, children at the animation camp work through all the phases of building a short video. Digital point-and-shoot cameras snap numerous photos — as many as 465 for each short — of box-size backdrops built by the children themselves, guided by scripts based on poems of their creation or choosing.

Instructors also guide students in using Photostage software to merge the stills into short movies, adding electronic titles and recording dialogue in an audio studio set inside a walk-in closet."

– Ever wanted to make a movie about a goldfish?

We were excited to learn about this project of making stop motion animated shorts with PhotoStage and applaud the programs of the CyberMill Technology Center for bringing technology to those who might not have as much exposure to this important piece of our world today, while keeping it fun at the same time.

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How to Add Subtitles to Your Videos (P.S. It's not difficult)

Adding text to a video is one of the most common reasons why people use video editors, and VideoPad video editor is an easy way to add any kind of text to your video projects. Previously, I blogged about how to use VideoPad video editor to add overlay text to your videos, which is a great primer for adding short bursts of text like captions, title screens, and credits. For more ambitious text projects, you might be better off using the subtitles feature, which allows you to either upload a subtitle file or create your own subtitles.

Import Subtitles

For movies and shows, many people like to have the words—whether they speak the same language or not—so they can easily follow the dialog. If you have a subtitle file in .ssa format, you can easily import the subtitles to attach to your movie or show.

1. Click the Subtitles icon in the toolbar of VideoPad.
2. In the upper left corner of the Subtitles dialog, click the Open folder button. Browse to your .ssa file and open it to load it into the Subtitles dialog.
3. Click the Play button to preview the subtitles with your movie.

Create Subtitles

If you don't have an .ssa file for your movie, or you want subtitles as back up to the audio of a tutorial or video project, you can create your own subtitles.

1. Click the Subtitles icon in the toolbar of VideoPad.
2. Use the preview window to cue the video where the first subtitle will start.
3. Click the green Plus button in the lower right to add a new subtitle, then type the subtitle in the input field, which is the bottom pane. The subtitle will be added to the list of subtitles.
4. To set the end of the subtitle, cue up where the subtitle should end and note the time from the sequence clock under the preview window on the right. Select the subtitle from the list and click within the Hide field. Enter the time the subtitle should end and click OK.

Any time you make changes to your subtitle file, be sure to save it by clicking the
Save button in the upper left corner.

Working with text is easy with VideoPad, and so is working with the rest of the program. Try VideoPad out now for free, or view our other video software. You can also view our subtitles tutorial for more help with importing and creating subtitles to your VideoPad projects.

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Making A Music Video

Over on Review Explorer Chris McGivern posted a detailed interview with Singer-songwriter Andy Fosberry of Ironlight River about making a music video. Fosberry took a do-it-yourself attitude and made a great video without sacrificing his creativity or breaking the bank. And we were particularly thrilled that Fosberry turned to NCH Software using Switch Audio Converter, Prism Video Converter and VideoPad Video Editor to help him along the way.

"As a musician, I use a piece of software call Switch by NCH Software which converts audio formats. And it’s brilliant. To convert these video files I used their A/V equivalent which is called Prism. When it was downloading, I had the option on loads of other things and saw something called VideoPad, which was billed as editing software. I figured it would be like WavePad and, therefore, just for clips etc, but it’s a fully working, kind of mid-level piece of editing software ... Its just so beautifully usable. So much so that I had a working edit in about 8 hours. All the effects, are nicely editable in themselves. So you can really make significant changes to what you are working on."

– Andy Fosberry

If you're interested in making your own music video(s) we would encourage you to go over to Review Explorer and read How To Make A Music Video – For Free for more details on what Fosberry did for his video, and to see the results.

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Add New Dimension to your VideoPad Projects

Two dimensions got you down? Wishing you could add a little something extra to your videos to make them stand out? In addition to new chroma key options, VideoPad now lets you export your finished movie for stereoscopic 3D viewing, yet another example that big things do come in small packages. Simply select the "Stereoscopic 3D" icon at the far right of the "Save Movie" window and set your options below - it's that easy. You'll have several options for stereoscopic output depending on your preference, although the default anaglyph imagery selection is the often the most effective way to produce a stereoscopic 3D.

While you won’t need a fancy new television to view your eye-popping creations, you will need two things: one is a set of 3D glasses with red and blue lenses and the other is a suitable way to view your content. For desktop viewing, I recommend Steroscopic Player. It’s both free and is well suited to view any 3D content you export out of VideoPad.

For more information about VideoPad or any other of our acclaimed video software products, visit www.nchsoftware.com/software/video.html

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Give A Gift of Memories

If you are looking for a really special gift idea, why not give new life to your home movies? Whether they are on VHS cassettes or just taking up disk space, you can easily edit them together and create a memorable home movie DVD for a truly priceless gift to give your loved ones.

First, collect together all of the home videos you want to use. If you have any old analog home movies stored on an old camcorder or VHS tapes you can use a Golden Videos VHS to DVD Converter with a video capture device to connect your camcorder or VCR to your computer and digitize your home movies in no time.

When you have all your video clips collected you are ready to start editing with a quick and easy video editing program like VideoPad. Trim down clips, arrange on the timeline and select transitions. Add a soundtrack or record your own narration to share your memories about the recorded events. VideoPad also has a video stabilization feature to help clean up shaky video if your hand wasn't very steady when you were recording. And for a little extra emphasis you can even adjust the speed of video clips to add in an instant replay of that first home run or other momentous event. VideoPad is very user friendly so editing your home movies really only takes a little time and a little creativity.

Once your editing is complete you are ready to package everything together. Give your video the finishing touch by burning to DVD and adding a custom DVD label for a polished and professional looking final product.

See our software gift ideas page for more ideas on software programs to give, or other ways to add a little personal flare to your gifts.

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More Transitions and Other VideoPad Video Editing Improvements

The latest release of VideoPad video editor is making it even easier to do more with your video files. Version 2.20 was a significant and exciting release, adding even more of the features you've been asking for. If you have used VideoPad before, you will notice that the main screen has tabs for easier access to the additional transitions and effects that we have added. Now you can make your clip look like it has an old film quality, transition between clips with a wipe or a page curl, and play around with the numerous other transitions and effects for a video that’s all your own.

VideoPad also features a new overlay track that will allow you to extend the same text over one or more video clips, with options for making things like scrolling credits a breeze. VideoPad fans won't want to miss these improvements, and people new to video editing will be amazed at how easy making movies can be. Be sure to keeping feeding us your comments and suggestions on all of our software products so we can tailor them to better suit your needs.

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Raking in Awards for NCH Software Applications

The good folks over at TopTen Reviews have been busy and have recently added a few new reviews of some NCH Software favorites to their site. Most notably, they have added VideoPad video editor to their video editing line up, highlighting the extreme ease of use of this small but powerful movie making program.

"Learning to use VideoPad requires very little effort. Indeed, it’s intuitive enough that we were performing some basic functions before even taking a look at the user manual. Drag and drop technology is at the heart of the simplicity. All of the most fundamental processes, including moving clips from the media list to the video and audio tracks or rearranging split clips, can be accomplished in this manner. Other processes are simple too, generally requiring nothing more than clicking a button or selecting an option from a menu. Even adding transitions and effects is just a mouse click away."

– TopTenReviews video editing software review

Test drive our easy video editing software for yourself. We think you will agree with TopTenReviews and be amazed at how easy it is to make your own movies with VideoPad. To help get you started you can also check out our VideoPad video tutorial for a quick tour of the program and some of the features you can use when you are editing your first masterpiece.

VideoPad wasn't the only product to get recognized. Express Burn is polishing a new bronze for cd burning which is only one of the many features of the powerful disc burning software. And WavePad can now boast at having a gold, two silvers and a bronze award from TopTenReviews in different categories, with a new silver in mp3 editing and a bronze for voice recording.

"NCH Software is well-known for its broad range of super multimedia software. WavePad, their entry into the MP3 editing software category, has all the same looks of a quality NCH program. With WavePad, you can do everything you would possibly want to do with an audio file with their assortment of editing tools and effects."

– TopTenReviews MP3 editing software review

We design all of our software with the user in mind, and winning awards is just an added perk, but it is nice to be recognized for some of the things we strive for like ease of use. We hope you will agree with the reviewers at TopTenReviews and fall for our simple and award-winning software solutions.

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User Spotlight: First Time Success Making A Music Video

Bart Bryars recently purchased PhotoStage Slideshow Software and put together his first video. The opening number for their musical, Joey, is a take on everything New York City.

"It turned out so good and has had such a positive response, I thought I'd send it to you so you could see what's possible for a first time novice like me, who has no training whatsoever in video arts or production. We don't even have a camcorder. The action parts were shot on a regular Sony digital camera that happens to have a basic recording feature.

Thank you so much for your product. Very simple and easy to use."

– Bart Bryars

As we've mentioned in the past we strive to make all of our software easy to use. So it is great to not only hear that we are doing a good job, but to see the results as well. We really enjoyed watching the musical number they put together with the help of PhotoStage Slideshow Creator and wanted to share it with all of you fine readers:



We hope you enjoy their video too. Maybe it will inspire you to put together your own musical video montage after seeing what couple of beginners were able to do.

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Change Video Speed in VideoPad

You've been asking for it, so I'm thrilled to report that VideoPad now supports speed variation, giving you the ability to slow down or speed up any video clips that you are editing. Version 2.10 of VideoPad video editing software added this long awaited variable speed playback control, which has been the most requested feature across any of our products.


Changing the playback speed of clips gives you more flexibility and control in creating your video masterpiece than ever before. So now, whether you’re adding a time lapse video of the creation of that magnificent sand castle you made at the beach or slowing down your child’s slide into home for an slow motion instant replay of that first home run, you have complete control of the action.
Edit: with version 2.20 the speed control was moved to be one of the effects available on the Effects Tab

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Video Software and YouTube Can Make Nice

Problem: you have a video you’d like to share with the world via YouTube, but for one reason or another, YouTube doesn’t like your movie file and ultimately rejects your upload. Uploading a video... the process sounds easy enough, but in reality, a lot of hand-shaking has to happen behind-the-scenes to get your video prepped accordingly before YouTube will accept your video. Do you wish there was an easy-to-use, yet powerful video editing package that would help streamline the process? Of course you do, and, like an arch-angel, VideoPad has jumped in to save the day!

If you’ve ever used any non-linear video editing software, exporting a project (that is, saving a project file to a watchable movie) can be the cause of many headaches, especially if all you want to do is upload a file to YouTube. Generally, you have to export your project file to an acceptable file format while keeping within the size limitations, and once that’s done, you’re at the mercy of YouTube to both encode the file properly and decide the video/audio quality, a sometimes shaky truce.

If you have ever had trouble with this in the past, you'll be happy to learn that VideoPad is one of the few video editing packages on the market that allows you to export your video directly to a YouTube-ready file. Simply select the "Save Movie" button from the toolbar, and in the window that pops up, choose one of the YouTube file formats under the preset tab; you can choose either YouTube standard, YouTube Widescreen or YouTube HQ, among others. VideoPad will do the heavy lifting for you, ensuring a pain-free uploading experience with minimal hassle when you're ready to share your final movie.

Taking things a step further, VideoPad even has custom presets for your mobile and PMP devices (such as the iPod, iPhone or PSP) for on-the-go sharing, so you can save your movie masterpiece to your cell phone too.

Such convenience usually has a price, but in this case, it’s free! Just head on over to NCH Software to download the free version of VideoPad Video Editor, and see just how easy sharing can be, and while you're at it maybe you might want to take a look at some of our other software for YouTube.

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Major New Release of VideoPad Video Editing Software

Back in June (A video Editing Masterpiece) we told you that VideoPad video editor software was undergoing an extreme makeover, making VideoPad faster, smarter and more powerful. Well the wait is over.

Today we released the new version of VideoPad. As promised it is full of new features you'll have to see for yourself.

New additions include a project control panel and a clip control panel. The clip control panel allows you to edit the in/out points of a video and save as a clip; perfect for cutting up long blocks of video footage. Plus, with the improved timeline control you can easily zoom, scroll and select the right spot in their footage quickly. Apply video transitions faster than ever by selecting transition points in the timeline. And record narration while watching your movie.

What really makes this video editor so special is that it delivers all the power and features you need without all the clutter. With VideoPad anyone can create professional looking movies in minutes.

Visit www.nchsoftware.com/videopad to download this amazing movie making software today!

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High Definition Video for the home

By now we’ve all experienced the switch to digital on our televisions. This was part of technology moving forward, and a promise that all future TV and movie productions would be captured in high definition. In 2004, HDV (Hi Definition Video) was available in inexpensive cameras, putting HD at the fingertips of consumers.

So what are the benefits of switching to HD?

• Greater digital picture clarity
  
• Higher standard of surround sound
  
• Wider screens which add a new dimension to the viewing experience
  

There is no reason why you can't benefit from all of these features with all of your home videos too. So if you are looking for a way to bring high definition to your home movies, NCH Software has a line of video software that has evolved with the growth of the industry and brings professsional quality capabilities to everyone in easy to use user friendly applications. Our products let you transfer video from your camcorder to your computer, record straight from your webcam, edit your home movies, share video with friends over the internet or convert video file formats. Debut Video Capture Software can be used to record video from a webcam, record your computer screen, or import video from a camcorder or another video capture device. With this handy little application you can give your old movies a new digital life to preserve, edit or share on your computer or over the internet. VideoPad makes editing your videos easy. It provides a platform for you to create professional looking videos, complete with transitions, music and narration, all while being one of the fastest video stream processors on the market today. A new version of the VideoPad movie editor will be available by the end of August. he new edition promises to be vastly improved with lots of new capabilities for even more powerful video editing at your fingertips. Prism video converter can convert video files from avi, wmv, 3gp, mov, flv and more into avi, mov, asf, wmv, mp4, 3gp and others. It can also convert DVD discs to your hard drive or compress video files to reduce size. Once you have imported and edited you video collection, also be sure to take a look at Express Burn Disc Burning Software which you can use to help you burn DVDs or even Blu-Ray discs as back up copies of all your memorable moments and movies.

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A Video Editing Masterpiece!

Here's another update from development land - our super fast video editing program VideoPad is currently undergoing major redevelopment. Our 'extreme makeover' team of programmers are (at this very moment) focused on making VideoPad faster, smarter and more powerful.

Havn't heard much about VideoPad? Then listen up. This video editing software is already the perfect solution for getting your movies from your DV Camcorder to your computer for editing. Just connect your camera to your computer, open VideoPad's Capture window and press record. Its that easy. Your video files are saved to your computer and added to your VideoPad project ready for editing.

But what we think makes VideoPad so special is that it delivers all the power and features you need without all the clutter. And best of all, it's completely free.

So, if you are a current user of VideoPad, keep an eye out for the next release. We promise you'll love it even more. And if you havn't tried VideoPad before, go to our website now and download it. It's completely free and will download in just seconds. Check it out at www.nchsoftware.com/videopad.

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