Skoolz Out!

I have really been enjoying iMovie 09 over the past few months, mainly due to the return of special effects and features that were removed from iMovie 06 for the iMovie 08 release. Apple has kept the positive aspects of the iMovie 08 version and included what we all loved about the iMovie 06 version.

But with the regular updates available through the software update option, we don’t always bother downloading the latest version. Usually we don’t see any great changes to the programs, while their may be some significant changes that have been made ‘under the hood.’

iMovie 09 update 8.0.3 is an absolute must have. The new update adds a number of key improvements. For me, the ability to use the Ken Burns effect on video, and the ability to now fade out music up to 5 seconds as opposed to the maximum 2 seconds are major improvements.

These have always been two of the most frustrating aspects of editing for me. You or your students may have filmed a great scene, but an enthusiastic boom operator has the pole hanging down in every shot! This can now be removed by using the Ken Burns effect on the video to zoom in and ‘cut’ the microphone out.

And sometimes we just need the music to fade out slowly at the end of a piece. The ability to now extend the fade out of audio saves us from having to get intricate in Garageband and create a new track.

Check out http://db.tidbits.com/article/10329 for more information concerning editing to the beat, optimising video clips and stability improvements for this update.

As stated in my earlier post ‘iMovie 09 – Digital Storytelling Specialist Session’ I indicated that I would show you an example of the quality work the students produced. Below is just one example from the iSchool.net.au website where our students showcase their work. The following example was made in iMovie 09 by a Year 5 student. This was his first time on this product and in less than two hours, created a moving tribute that tells a story without the need for spoken word and minimal text. I hope you enjoy it and are also amazed at what our students can achieve when we promote creative storytelling through the use of technology.

Just a quick post to share an ‘awesome’ day. One of those days when you really appreciate your craft and the impact it can have on the children.

Today was the first of 2 ‘Specialist Training’ sessions as a part of our Year 5/6 Digital Storytelling/Movie Magic course. In these sessions, each student group splits into training classes where they will become the expert in an area, which they will ultimately share with the group when they commence working on their own film. These sessions are divided into such areas as scriptwriting, camera work, music, sound FX, etc.

My session focus was on creating a basic Digital Story with the children using some Creative Commons ANZAC images. We were also introduced to the new iMovie 09 package from Apple. My main concerns for the day were;

1. How would they approach the limitations placed on them with only using still images

2. How would they take to the new package, as some were quite familiar with the iMovie 06 version.

This session, and the products produced, far outweighed my initial expectations. The students took to iMovie 09 like ducks to water. They loved the fact that they could in no way ‘destroy’ the initial clips, the variety of new themes and transitions, and the fact they no longer had to wait for the ‘little red line’ to update their changes.

While the technology was a big focus, there were a number of 21st century skills that I explicitly focused on with the children that I feel improved their understanding and overall products.

• Organising their resources – importing photos from the server, creating folders and labeling them in iPhoto. Setting up their workspace to suit them in ‘iMovie.’
• Less is more – a discussion about minimal movement with the ‘Ken Burns’ effect, transitions that do not detract from the presentation or make the viewer notice them, timing photos to match and reflect the passage of music.
• What are we trying do? What is the message? – These continual reminders are vital. Why are the clips sequenced in this way? Why are you using that transition in that spot? What part of the image is the viewer being drawn to look at? Why are you focusing on that part of the photo? Can you create a story without relying on a sub-title to explain it to the viewer?

The focus, collaboration and engagement was sensational. There were a number of students that produced some amazing ‘stories’ which I will share with you in the next few days when they are finished and exported.

You may also be interested in joining the ‘Digital Storytelling – Action Stations’ group where we will be collaborating, supporting and offering new ideas in making Digital Storytelling a success in the classroom. Click on the ‘badge’ on this blog to join the conversation.

While I have converted to the many positive aspects of iMovie08, there are a number of issues that still annoy me when compared with iMovie06.

                                                iMovie06                                iMovie08

Transitions                                 Yes                                         Yes

Titles                                        Yes                                         Yes

Colour Correction                       Yes                                         Yes

Supports Plug-Ins                      Yes                                         No

Special Effects                          Yes                                         No

Cropping & Scaling                     No                                         Yes

Themes                                   Yes                                        No

Tagging & Keywords                   No                                        Yes

While the lack of special effects and themes baffles me, it is the control over audio and transitional fade ins and outs that bothers me the most. Only having a maximum of 2 secs fading in or out makes life very difficult and rushed. Sometimes you really need to add a slow fade out, or adjust the volume in sections of the movie. This is all a bit too hard for my liking.

The scaling down of options for titles and transition is also somewhat confusing. And where would we be without the ability to slow down or speed up footage when making the family tearjerker? While I understand the concept of making a short movie is now simpler and faster, the fact Apple already had these as part of the package and have removed them is confusing.

The result is the need to have both packages available on your Mac. I often make titles and special effect sequences in iMovie06 and export the clips into iMovie08. Still works fine, just seems to be a difficult and roundabout way of doing things. You can download the iMovie06 version here.

Cheers

AB

Attached here are some pictures for you to use in making your own demo iMovie. 

Click on the image to be taken to the full size picture.

Hold down CTRL and click on the picture. 

Select ‘Add Image To iPhoto Library’

You can now access these shots from the iPhoto window in iMovie.

Enjoy

AB

One of the biggest improvements with the iMovie08 program has to be the export functions available. The ease with which you can share your work in a multitude of settings is one of the key reasons iMovie was revisited.

Where Can I Publish My Work? 

From iPod, Apple TV, podcasts, YouTube to iDVD, there is now a wide variety of reasons you may be publishing your work. By selecting the ‘Share’ option at the top of your page, you will be presented with a variety of options;

iTunes: You can publish your film to a format that is aimed at suiting your Itunes gallery.

Media Browser: Provides a range of sizes and qualities for your film – jut tick the appropriate one.

YouTube: Publish straight to YouTube if you have an account there. Great for sharing with friends and family.

.Mac Web Gallery: Option to publish straight to your .Mac account (if you have one).

Export Movie: Similar to the ‘Media Browser’ option but allows you to rename the filename and choose where you want to save the file.

Export Movie Using Quicktime: Export to a Quicktime file, allowing you a bit more say in the final product. I tend to use this option on ‘Full Quality’ if I need the best quality. Often, if using old video, the compression in some of the other formats can be a bit harsh.

Export to Final Cut: For exporting to the more sophisticated editing product ‘Final Cut.’

My Thoughts

Through my experiences, when publishing to a website for streaming video, the options available under iTunes and Media Browser are great. The quality is good and the file sizes are small.

When publishing a movie for burning to a DVD or one that will be played full screen, I prefer to go with the Export to Quicktime option. Though your file size will be much bigger, the final product is much better for viewing on larger formats.

Cheers

AB

By simply dragging your mouse icon over the relevant titles and transitions, iMovie08 gives you a quick preview of what these options look like.

Adding Titles

Press the ‘T’ button below the viewer.

You now have a variety of templates to choose from.

First decision; Is the text on a slide of it’s own (on black) or over a photo/video?

If on its own slide: Drag the template of choice into your timeline. It will look like this;

There is a black title screen with a blue line at the top showing me there is a title added to this clip. Cool feature: I can reduce or extend the length of the title by dragging the ends of the blue line above the clip.

I have all the options available to me that I have had with the other clips which become available when dragging your mouse over the top of the clip.

But I need to add text to my title clip. In the viewer window, you will see this;

It is all pretty self explanatory. Add your text and go into Font options if you desire. The play button will preview it for you and click ‘done’ when you are finished.

To add a title over a video or photo, simply drag the template over the top of the clip until it appears below. Let go. You will now be able to see the options available over your picture in the viewer.

Adding Transitions

Transitions runs much the same way. Select the ‘sandglass’ looking symbol on the far right hand side.

By dragging your mouse over the icon, you will see a preview of the transition. There are many here that will help to smoothly blend your videos and photos together.

Drag out the transition you like and place it between the clips you want to join smoothly. The cursor should go green. Once the transition has been placed, you can play with the transition settings. Select the transition so that the yellow handles are around it. Apple and R will bring up the transition length, which you can adjust.

Cheers

AB

Adding audio into an iMovie project is as simple as clicking on the music notes symbol below the viewer;

This gives you full access to your iTunes library. Just select and drag your song into the ‘Project’ timeline. Please Note: When you drag a song in, it will only go for as long as your slideshow lasts. If you add more video or photos, you will need to go in and extend the time of your song.

By clicking on the speaker symbol, or highlighting the clip and pressing A, you can decide on the volume of the audio for each video clip, as well as fade ins and fade outs.

To play with the audio settings for your song

Highlight the song in the timeline.

To extend or shorten the length of the soundtrack press Apple and R and you will be taken here;

This is the soundtrack waveform editor. The two yellow handles indicate the start and endpoints of the song. To reduce or extend them, drag the yellow handles to where you want the music to start and end. Click done’ when you are finished. (By dragging the slider at the bottom you can zoom in on specific points of your song, great for making exact edits of a soundtrack.)

Click done.

With the track highlighted again, click A. This will bring up the audio properties of the soundtrack, allowing you to change the volume and use fade ins and outs.

Cheers

AB

Another advantage of working with iMovie08 is the ability to quickly create a slideshow with your photos stored in iPhoto. By pressing on the ‘camera’ button beow the viewer, you can access your iPhoto library. SImply drag in the picture to your ‘Project’ timeline. 

Once you drag in a picture, you will be presented with the following options;

I have already been through these options in the previous post concerning the use of video, but the same options can be used for photos (colour adjustment, cropping and timing). 

Timing – Click on the clock or highlight the clip and Apple and R.

You now see his window, giving you the ability to change the timing to one of your photos or all of them at once. This can be great if you are putting together a slideshow with music. It is easier to watch if the photos change on the beat. If you figure out a beat occurs every 3 – 4 seconds, you can set the time for all of your photos to change. This saves you having to setup each individual photo.

Cropping – By clicking on the cropping symbol, or highlighting the photo and pressing C, you will bring up the option to either fit the photo to the screen, zoom in or out on a photo, or produce movement through the use of the ‘Ken Burns’ effect. Good old Ken Burns! The simple act of moving across a photo, will allow you to highlight significant aspects of it, while restricting some portions you may not want people to see. (Ken Burns was the creator of this technique, using movement across still photos with voice overs and music – the birth of digital storytelling!).

The green box indicates where the motion will start, the red indicating where the motion will finish. Don’t make the movement too drastic as this can lead to nausea! The boxes can be made smaller or larger by grabbing the corners. The yellow arrow at the centre also allows you to make sure you are lining up the main subject of your photo in the middle of the screen. There is also the option of switching the start and finish boxes around with the two tiny arrows beside the ‘Start’ word. This allows you to make an easy change without having to reset your boxes again.

I use this technique all the time and have found some of my most effective work has been bringing these photos to life with simple movement, allowing me to direct the viewer to an aspect of a photo they may not have noticed before.

Enjoy!

AB

iMovie 08 has some great functions that will allow you to do some great stuff with the video you have just added to your timeline. If you have made adjustments to your clip, the display within your project will look something like this;

As you can see, the window looks rather busy but provides a link to other options available for adjusting your clip. Simply click on these symbols to open new options.

Red Line: This line purely indicates which part of the clip you are up to and which clip you will see in the larger viewer.

Sun: The little symbol in the top left does big things – it is the ‘Video Adjustments’ section. This allows you to change colours, brightness, contrast and saturation. There is also an auto-adjust feature to help you get the best out of the clip. Especially useful if you have some old footage that needs some work. Shortcut: Click on the clip and press V.

Square (Crop): Allows you to ‘Fit’ or ‘Crop’ your video. Wow! You can create close-ups with footage you have. All of a sudden you can create multiple camera angles from the one shot! Shortcut: Click on the clip and press C.

Speaker: In the top right hand corner is a small speaker symbol. This is where you can control the audio levels of your clip. Fade in, Fade out,  Shortcut: Click on the clip and press A.

Arrows: Adjust one end of the clip – great for shortening or extending one end of the clip. When you click on these buttons, you will get an orange handle, meaning you can drag the handle backwards or forwards, shortening or lengthening that one end of the clip.

Clock: Another way to adjust the timing of your clip. When you press this button, you will be taken to the ‘trim’ section. Shortcut: Click on the clip and press R.