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How To… Edit Video (video tutorial for beginners and intermediates!)

A Guide to Editing Your Own Videos

Today it is very easy to create videos and slideshows using software already provided by computer operating systems. With a little know-how, time and effort, you an create professional looking media projects that don’t require you to be a professional editor.

When you buy a computer, you will already have free software that comes with your operating system:

AmbITion Scotland’s latest How To… Guide video tutorial will steer you through the basics of setting up a media project, importing media, editing, adding captions and titles, including music or narration, plus exporting your finished project to upload or stream online. Below the videos are a few tips on more advanced software, and on where to source rights free music.

Tutorial: editing using Windows Movie Maker

Tutorial: editing using iMovie

Software

As well as these free video editing programs, there are a number of other alternatives that might be more suitable if you have more advanced needs – most are slightly more complicated but can do more sophisticated editing.

Music

It is important to remember that music (just like any other media material that you use like photographs or other sourced video) is protected by copyright. When including music in your project, you must either secure permission from the music owner/publisher, or use royalty-free or copyright-free music. (You can find out more about clearing rights for digital content with AmbITion Scotland’s Copyright and Intellectual Property Guide).

There are some good sources online that provide libraries of music that you can use for free in your own projects:

http://creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos a good website for details about what you can and cannot do with music in a media project, plus has links to lots of music libraries

http://www.smartsound.com/royalty-free-music/ provides some of the best music in a huge variety of styles. It also has plug-in software to work with some of the more sophisticated editing programs including Pinnacle Studio.

http://www.musicmediatracks.com/ free music library

http://www.stockmusicstore.com:8080/storemusic/home.do free music library