Digital Photos, Movies, & Music€¦ · by Mark L.Chambers. Tony Bove, David D. Busch, Martin Doucette, David Kushner, Andy Rathbone, Cheryl Rhodes, Todd Staufer, Keith Underdahl

by Mark L. ChambersTony Bove, David D. Busch, Martin Doucette, David Kushner,

Andy Rathbone, Cheryl Rhodes, Todd Staufer, Keith Underdahl

Digital Photos,Movies, & Music

G I G A B O O K ™

FOR

DUMmIES‰

C1.jpg


G I G A B O O K ™

FOR

DUMmIES‰

by Mark L. ChambersTony Bove, David D. Busch, Martin Doucette, David Kushner,

Andy Rathbone, Cheryl Rhodes, Todd Staufer, Keith Underdahl


G I G A B O O K ™

FOR

DUMmIES‰

Digital Photos, Movies, & Music Gigabook™ For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774

Copyright © 2004 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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AcknowledgmentsWiley Publishing, Inc. gratefully acknowledges the contributions of these authorsand contributing writers: Mark L. Chambers, Tony Bove, David D. Busch, MartinDoucette, David Kushner, Andy Rathbone, Cheryl Rhodes, Todd Staufer, and KeithUnderdahl.

We would like to thank Mark Chambers for editing this book, Kim Darosett andJohn Edwards for copy editing it, and Nicole Sholly for serving as project editor.Thanks as well go to Keith Underdahl for his technical edits, Joan Griffitts for herindex, and Rich Tennant for the witty cartoons you will find in this book. Thanksare also due to the many page layout technicians, graphic artists, proofreaders,and others in Compositions Services who worked to bring this book to fruition.

From Mark Chambers: When I was asked by Wiley to take on this project, I had noidea of the truly epic proportions of a Gigabook — sure, I’ve written several booksof 700 to 800 pages, but nothing had prepared me for the sheer number of chaptersand the organization involved in this project. Without the help and support of alarge number of folks, I would never have been able to meld together several ForDummies books into one comprehensive, cohesive whole! It’s time I thank everyoneinvolved.

As with all my books, I’d like to first thank my wife, Anne, and my children, Erin,Chelsea, and Rose, for their support and love — and for letting me follow my dream!

The Wiley Production team is the best in the business — hands down — and Iapplaud the work of project coordinator Adrienne Martinez. Again, the CompositionServices team took the raw material I provided and prepared the beautifully-finishedwork of publishing art you hold in your hands. Thanks to each of the team membersfor yet another job well-done.

Next, I owe a debt of gratitude to my editorial manager, Kevin Kirschner, my copyeditors, Kim Darosett and John Edwards, and my technical editor, Keith Underdahl.All of these folks worked together to check the technical accuracy of every word,investigate every silly acronym and straighten out my logical mishaps — ensuringthat my work is the best it can be.

Finally, I send my appreciation across the pages to my acquisitions editor, TiffanyFranklin, and my project editor, Nicole Sholly — two wonderful, hard-working indi-viduals who decided (yet again) to add me to their team! The two of them providedall the help and support any technology author could ask for . . . even with a bookso large that I often wondered if any bookstore had a shelf that would be strongenough to bear all this weight. Thanks to both of you for yet another chance to putpen to paper — well, actually, fingers to keyboard!

Publisher’s AcknowledgmentsWe’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Associate Project Editor: Nicole Sholly

Acquisitions Editor: Tiffany Franklin

Senior Copy Editor: Kim Darosett

Copy Editor: John Edwards

Technical Editor: Keith Underdahl

Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner

Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle

Media Development Supervisor: Richard Graves

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition

Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez

Layout and Graphics: Andrea Dahl, Lauren Goddard,Denny Hager, Michael Kruzil, Lynsey Osborn,Jacque Roth

Proofreaders: Laura Albert, Kathy Simpson

Indexer: Joan Griffitts

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

www.dummies.com

Contents at a GlanceIntroduction.................................................................................1

Book I: Digital Photography..........................................................5Part I: Getting Ready for Digital Photography ...........................................................................7Chapter 1: Becoming a Digital Photography Maven ................................................................................7Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Camera ...................................................................................................13Chapter 3: Solving the Computer Side of the Digital Equation.............................................................31Chapter 4: Connecting the Camera and Computer ................................................................................43Chapter 5: Choosing a Printer and Scanner............................................................................................61Chapter 6: Accessorizing Your Digital Camera.......................................................................................73

Part II: Snap To! Shooting Great Pictures ................................................................................87Chapter 7: Understanding Photo Composition ......................................................................................87Chapter 8: Moving into Close-Up Photography....................................................................................107Chapter 9: Photographing People ..........................................................................................................123Chapter 10: Shooting for Publication.....................................................................................................165Chapter 11: Sports and Action Photography........................................................................................189Chapter 12: Travel Photography ............................................................................................................213

Part III: Editing with Photoshop Elements .............................................................................243Chapter 13: Comparing Photoshop Elements to Other Image Editors..............................................243Chapter 14: Making Selections................................................................................................................261Chapter 15: Brushing Away Your Digital Images’ Imperfections........................................................269Chapter 16: Restoring Images.................................................................................................................275Chapter 17: Correcting Faded, Funny, and Funky Colors....................................................................287Chapter 18: Restoring and Enhancing Photos with Filters and Special Effects ...............................293

Part IV: Organizing, Printing, and Sharing Your Pictures....................................................303Chapter 19: Storing and Organizing Your Digital Photos ....................................................................303Chapter 20: Printing Your Final Result ..................................................................................................313Chapter 21: Sharing Pictures on the Web..............................................................................................321

Book II: Digital Movies .............................................................331Part I: Getting Ready for Video.................................................................................................333Chapter 1: Introducing Digital Video .....................................................................................................333Chapter 2: Choosing a Camcorder .........................................................................................................341Chapter 3: Preparing Your Computer for Video ...................................................................................353Chapter 4: Getting the Right Accessories .............................................................................................373

Part II: Action! Shooting Fun Footage.....................................................................................383Chapter 5: Shooting Great Digital Video................................................................................................383Chapter 6: Importing Video Clips...........................................................................................................409Chapter 7: Importing Audio ....................................................................................................................429

Part III: The Cutting Room Floor: Editing Your Video............................................................441Chapter 8: Choosing Your Video-Editing Software...............................................................................441Chapter 9: Basic Video Editing ...............................................................................................................449Chapter 10: Adding Transitions and Titles ...........................................................................................471

Chapter 11: Using Special Effects in iMovie and Adobe Premiere Pro ..............................................489Chapter 12: Adding Audio to the Mix ....................................................................................................519

Part IV: Outputting Your Movies...............................................................................................529Chapter 13: Exporting Digital Video to Tape ........................................................................................529Chapter 14: Putting Your Movies on the Internet.................................................................................539

Part V: Filmography Tips............................................................................................................555Chapter 15: Video Preproduction: Planning, Storyboarding, and Scripting .....................................555Chapter 16: Digital Video Production Tips............................................................................................569

Book III: Digital Music .............................................................583Part I: Transforming Your Computer into a Music Machine ...............................................585Chapter 1: Digital Music Hath Charms ..................................................................................................585Chapter 2: Using Your Computer as a Music Platform ........................................................................599Chapter 3: Playing MP3 Files on Your Computer and Home Stereo ..................................................619Chapter 4: Internet Radio on Your Computer.......................................................................................637Chapter 5: Attending Internet Concerts ................................................................................................649

Part II: Getting Music on Your Hard Drive..............................................................................655Chapter 6: Ripping CDs into MP3s .........................................................................................................655Chapter 7: Choosing an Online Music Vendor......................................................................................679Chapter 8: Buying Music with iTunes ....................................................................................................687

Part III: Organizing Your Music................................................................................................693Chapter 9: Downloading and Editing Song Information ......................................................................693Chapter 10: Organizing Your iTunes Music Library.............................................................................701

Part IV: Using a Portable Music Player ..................................................................................711Chapter 11: Choosing a Portable Music Player ....................................................................................711Chapter 12: Syncing an iPod to Your Mac .............................................................................................723

Book IV: CD & DVD Recording...................................................731Part I: Shake Hands with Your Recorder................................................................................733Chapter 1: Optical Storage (Or It’s All in the Pits) ...............................................................................733Chapter 2: Buying Your Recording Beast ..............................................................................................751Chapter 3: DVD Is the Cat’s Meow..........................................................................................................771Chapter 4: Poof! You’re a Computer Technician ..................................................................................781

Part II: Measure Twice, Cut Once: Preparing for Recording..............................................797Chapter 5: Choosing Recording Software..............................................................................................797Chapter 6: Preparing Your Computer for CD and DVD Recording .....................................................807Chapter 7: Making Choices Before Your Recording Session...............................................................823

Part III: Starting the Recording Process.................................................................................837Chapter 8: Taking Easy Media Creator for a Spin.................................................................................837Chapter 9: Toasting Mac Discs ...............................................................................................................851Chapter 10: Burning Data with Drag-to-Disc .........................................................................................863

Part IV: Meeting Your Data Storage Needs ...........................................................................873Chapter 11: Heavy-Duty Recording ........................................................................................................873Chapter 12: Burning Large Files to DVD ................................................................................................885

Index.......................................................................................895

Table of ContentsIntroduction .................................................................................................................................1

What’s in This Book, Anyway? .................................................................................................1What Makes This Book Special ................................................................................................2

Information that’s easy to find........................................................................................2A task-oriented approach................................................................................................2The author’s opinion........................................................................................................3

A Greatest Hits Collection.........................................................................................................3Foolish Assumptions .................................................................................................................3Conventions Used in This Book ...............................................................................................4Icons Used in This Book............................................................................................................4

Book I: Digital Photography ..........................................................5

Part I: Getting Ready for Digital Photography.........................................7Chapter 1: Becoming a Digital Photography Maven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Knowing What Equipment You Need.......................................................................................7Minimum and Maximum Specs ................................................................................................9Taking Great Digital Shots.......................................................................................................10

Understand how your camera works ..........................................................................10Know some photography fundamentals .....................................................................10Find out how to use an image editor ...........................................................................11Master a scanner ............................................................................................................11

Making Any Photo Digital........................................................................................................12Printing Your Final Pictures ....................................................................................................12

Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Choosing a Camera Category .................................................................................................14Evaluating Your Lens Requirements......................................................................................14Understanding How Lenses Work ..........................................................................................16

Magnifications and focal lengths..................................................................................17Lens apertures................................................................................................................18Focus range .....................................................................................................................20Exposure controls ..........................................................................................................20

Choosing Your Resolution ......................................................................................................23Choosing Your View.................................................................................................................25

LCD viewfinders..............................................................................................................25Optical viewfinders ........................................................................................................26Hybrid viewfinders.........................................................................................................27Viewfinders with vision correction..............................................................................28

Considering Your Storage Options ........................................................................................28No Flash in the Pan: Determining Your Lighting Needs ......................................................29Checking Out Ease of Use .......................................................................................................29

Chapter 3: Solving the Computer Side of the Digital Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Hardware Wars Revisited ........................................................................................................31What Equipment Do You Need? .............................................................................................35

Determining how much memory you need.................................................................35Choosing local storage ..................................................................................................36

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Digital Photos, Movies, & Music Gigabook For Dummies

Archiving and backing up..............................................................................................37Avoiding microprocessor no-brainers.........................................................................40Determining what’s most important............................................................................40Choosing pointing devices............................................................................................42

Chapter 4: Connecting the Camera and Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Making the Connection between Camera and Computer ...................................................43

Getting wired up .............................................................................................................44Memory cards and disks ...............................................................................................50

Transferring Images from Camera to Computer ..................................................................55Transferring pictures using camera utility software .................................................55Copying files to your hard drive...................................................................................56Importing images into image-editing software ...........................................................58

Chapter 5: Choosing a Printer and Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Why You Want Prints ...............................................................................................................61Choosing a Printer for Digital Photography .........................................................................62

Let somebody else do it ................................................................................................63Laser printers .................................................................................................................63Ink-jet printers ................................................................................................................63Dye-sublimation printers...............................................................................................64Other printers.................................................................................................................64

Choosing a Scanner .................................................................................................................64Types of scanners ..........................................................................................................66Scanner prices and features..........................................................................................66What scanner features do you need?...........................................................................68Resolution mythconceptions........................................................................................71Color-depth confusion...................................................................................................72

Chapter 6: Accessorizing Your Digital Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73Getting Support from Tripods ................................................................................................73

Types of tripods .............................................................................................................76Scrutinizing tripod features ..........................................................................................76Checking out tripod alternatives..................................................................................79

Making Good Use of an Electronic Flash...............................................................................79Types of electronic flash units......................................................................................80What to look for in a photographic slave flash ..........................................................83Lighting/flash accessories.............................................................................................84

Choosing a Camera Bag...........................................................................................................84Acquiring Other Useful Devices .............................................................................................84

Filter holders...................................................................................................................84A second camera ............................................................................................................85Cleaning kits....................................................................................................................85Waterproof casings and housings ................................................................................85Filters ...............................................................................................................................86

Part II: Snap To! Shooting Great Pictures..............................................87Chapter 7: Understanding Photo Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Photo Composition: The Big Picture .....................................................................................87Visualizing a Concept for Your Picture..................................................................................88

What do you want your image to say? ........................................................................89Where will it be used?....................................................................................................89Who are you creating the image for? ...........................................................................90

Selecting a Center of Interest..................................................................................................90Narrowing down your subject matter .........................................................................90Choosing one main subject...........................................................................................91Using secondary subjects .............................................................................................93

Choosing an Orientation .........................................................................................................93Arranging Your Subjects .........................................................................................................96

Choosing subject distance ............................................................................................96Optimizing backgrounds ...............................................................................................97

The Rule of Thirds ...................................................................................................................98Placing important objects at imaginary junction points...........................................99When to break the rule ..................................................................................................99Some corollaries...........................................................................................................100

Using Straight Lines and Curves ..........................................................................................101Balancing an Image ................................................................................................................103Framing an Image ...................................................................................................................104

Chapter 8: Moving into Close-Up Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107What’s Macro Photography? ................................................................................................107Why Digital Macro Photography Is Cool .............................................................................108Picking a Place to Shoot ........................................................................................................109Setting Up Your Macro Studio ..............................................................................................110

Background check........................................................................................................111Visible means of support.............................................................................................113Lighting equipment ......................................................................................................114Other equipment ..........................................................................................................116

Shooting Tips for Macro Photography................................................................................118Setting up your subject and background ..................................................................118Setting up your camera ...............................................................................................118Lights, please ................................................................................................................119Ready . . . aim . . . ..........................................................................................................119Fire!.................................................................................................................................121

Chapter 9: Photographing People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123Capturing Satisfying Portraits ..............................................................................................124Shooting on Location or in the Studio.................................................................................125Setting Up an Informal Portrait Studio ................................................................................127Choosing Backgrounds..........................................................................................................128

Selecting supports for lights, camera, and subjects................................................129Basic lighting equipment.............................................................................................131Professional studio lighting ........................................................................................134Lighting gadgets ...........................................................................................................135

Lighting Basics .......................................................................................................................141Using multiple light sources .......................................................................................141Arranging a multiple-light setup.................................................................................142

Basic Lighting Techniques ....................................................................................................149Advanced Lighting Techniques ............................................................................................149

Short lighting ................................................................................................................150Broad lighting ...............................................................................................................151Butterfly lighting...........................................................................................................151Backlighting...................................................................................................................153

Taking Your First Portraits....................................................................................................155Shooting the Portrait .............................................................................................................158

Posing your subjects....................................................................................................158Arranging your lighting................................................................................................161Taking the picture ........................................................................................................161

Advantages of Digital Cameras.............................................................................................162

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Chapter 10: Shooting for Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165Finding Outlets for Print Publication...................................................................................165Local Newspapers..................................................................................................................167

Understanding what newspapers need .....................................................................168Working as a professional newspaper photographer..............................................170

Magazines and Magazine-Like Markets ...............................................................................172Making contact .............................................................................................................175Submitting photos........................................................................................................176Getting model releases ................................................................................................177

Taking Photos for Publication ..............................................................................................178Understanding group photography basics ...............................................................178Managing the group .....................................................................................................178PR photography............................................................................................................179Writing cutlines.............................................................................................................184Preparing the cutline for submission ........................................................................185Submitting the photo ...................................................................................................185Follow up .......................................................................................................................186

Product Photography ............................................................................................................186Product shot opportunities ........................................................................................187Product demo shots.....................................................................................................187

Chapter 11: Sports and Action Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189Choosing Your Weapons .......................................................................................................189

Digital camera features and action photography.....................................................191Digital cameras and latency........................................................................................194

Taking Great Sports Photos ..................................................................................................196Choosing your sport and your spot...........................................................................197Winter sports: a special case......................................................................................202

Taking Your First Action Photo ............................................................................................203Be prepared...................................................................................................................203Setting your ISO speed ................................................................................................203Understanding how to stop action ............................................................................204Stopping action with slow shutter speeds................................................................205Panning ..........................................................................................................................206Action approaching the camera .................................................................................207Using blur creatively....................................................................................................208

Taking the Picture ..................................................................................................................209Capturing great sports moments ...............................................................................209Setting up for predictable action................................................................................210Shooting action sequences .........................................................................................210Capturing the fans........................................................................................................212

Chapter 12: Travel Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213Choosing Equipment .............................................................................................................213

Selecting a camera for your needs.............................................................................213Choosing key camera features....................................................................................216Choosing lenses for travel...........................................................................................217Considering a tripod ....................................................................................................217Choosing an electronic flash.......................................................................................218Selecting a camera bag ................................................................................................219Keeping your camera powered...................................................................................221Other useful devices ....................................................................................................222

Getting Ready to Go on the Road.........................................................................................224Meeting Your Storage Requirements ...................................................................................224


xii

Tried-and-True Travel Photography Techniques...............................................................225Shooting scenics...........................................................................................................225Capturing monuments and architecture ...................................................................227Shooting panoramas ....................................................................................................230Shooting adventure sports..........................................................................................231Photographing people .................................................................................................233Capturing people and their places.............................................................................234

Documenting Your Trip .........................................................................................................236Varying your shots .......................................................................................................236Composing your shots.................................................................................................237Getting organized .........................................................................................................238

Part III: Editing with Photoshop Elements...........................................243Chapter 13: Comparing Photoshop Elements to Other Image Editors . . . . . . . . . . .243

Looking at Popular Image Editors: The Basics...................................................................243Adobe Photoshop CS — Alone at the Top ..........................................................................245

What’s good about it....................................................................................................245What’s not so good.......................................................................................................246What you can do with it ..............................................................................................246Where to get it ..............................................................................................................248

Second-Tier Image Editors....................................................................................................248Adobe Photoshop Elements .......................................................................................248Corel PHOTO-PAINT.....................................................................................................250Jasc Paint Shop Pro......................................................................................................252Ulead PhotoImpact.......................................................................................................254

Third-Tier Image Editors .......................................................................................................256Microsoft Picture It!......................................................................................................256Roxio PhotoSuite ..........................................................................................................258

Chapter 14: Making Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261Making Simple Selections with the Marquee Tools ...........................................................261

Selecting geometric shapes ........................................................................................261Adding to, reducing, and combining selections .......................................................262

Snagging Irregular Shapes with the Lasso Tools................................................................264Selecting freeform shapes ...........................................................................................264Selecting magnetically .................................................................................................265

Abracadabra! The Magic Wand Tool....................................................................................267Making and adjusting selections based on color .....................................................267Controlling the magic...................................................................................................267

Using the Selection Brush Tool ............................................................................................267Using the Select Menu ...........................................................................................................268

Chapter 15: Brushing Away Your Digital Images’ Imperfections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269Working with Brushes and Pencils ......................................................................................269

Painting with the Brush tool .......................................................................................270Working with the Pencil tool.......................................................................................270

Customizing Your Brushes and Pencils...............................................................................272

Chapter 16: Restoring Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275Adding Light and Shadows ...................................................................................................276

Using the Dodge tool to lighten tones .......................................................................276Burning your image to darken areas..........................................................................276

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Using Smudging, Sharpening, and Blurring Tools..............................................................277Finger-painting to blend colors and textures ...........................................................279Using the Sharpen tool to add detail .........................................................................280Blurring some or all of your image.............................................................................280

Finding Relief with the Healing Tools ..................................................................................282Cloning content to cover damage and unwanted content......................................282Removing red-eye.........................................................................................................284

Chapter 17: Correcting Faded, Funny, and Funky Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287Adjusting Color Balance........................................................................................................287

Adjusting color levels ..................................................................................................287Using the Color Variations dialog box .......................................................................288Equalizing colors ..........................................................................................................288Fixing a color cast ........................................................................................................290

Working with Color Intensity and Quality...........................................................................291Increasing and decreasing color intensity ................................................................291Tinkering with brightness and contrast ....................................................................292

Chapter 18: Restoring and Enhancing Photos with Filters and Special Effects . . . .293Working with Filters...............................................................................................................293

Understanding how filters work.................................................................................293Fixing flaws with corrective filters .............................................................................294Turning photos into paintings with artistic filters...................................................297Going a little crazy with special-effects filters..........................................................298

Getting Your Hands on Third-Party Filters .........................................................................300Using the Effects Tab Palette ................................................................................................301

Part IV: Organizing, Printing, and Sharing Your Pictures .................303Chapter 19: Storing and Organizing Your Digital Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303

Organizing Your Photos.........................................................................................................303Using your computer’s file-management tools.........................................................304Using photo album software.......................................................................................306Using online galleries...................................................................................................308

Archiving and Backing Up Photos .......................................................................................309Backing up your best shots ........................................................................................310Using CD-R and CD-R/W...............................................................................................310Looking ahead to DVD storage ...................................................................................311Off-site storage for maximum safety..........................................................................311

Chapter 20: Printing Your Final Result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313Why Do You Need Prints? .....................................................................................................313Evaluating Your Printing Options ........................................................................................314

Ink-jet printers ..............................................................................................................315Laser printers ...............................................................................................................315Dye-sublimation printers.............................................................................................315

Touring the Print Process .....................................................................................................316Preventing surprises with Print Preview...................................................................316Understanding your output options ..........................................................................317Printing your photos....................................................................................................318

Using Professional Printing Services...................................................................................318Choosing a service bureau..........................................................................................319Tell them what you want — what you really, really want .......................................320Knowing when you need a service bureau ...............................................................320


xiv

Chapter 21: Sharing Pictures on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321Appreciating the Advantages of Web Sharing ....................................................................321

Sharing your personal photos ....................................................................................322Sharing images with business associates .................................................................323

Choosing a Web-Based Photo Sharing System...................................................................324Using commercial sharing sites and services ..........................................................325Using America Online’s You’ve Got Pictures and Picture Center...........................325Using your own Web space .........................................................................................327

Book II: Digital Movies..............................................................331

Part I: Getting Ready for Video...............................................................333Chapter 1: Introducing Digital Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333

What Is Digital Video?............................................................................................................333Comparing analog and digital video ..........................................................................334Why DV is a big deal ....................................................................................................335Warming up to FireWire...............................................................................................336

What Can You Do with Editing Software?............................................................................338Editing Video ..........................................................................................................................339Defining Key Image Terms ....................................................................................................340

Chapter 2: Choosing a Camcorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341Finding Information about Digital Camcorders..................................................................341Mastering Video Fundamentals............................................................................................342

The mechanics of video recording.............................................................................342Broadcast formats........................................................................................................343Interlacing versus progressive scan ..........................................................................344The many aspects of aspect ratios ............................................................................345Color...............................................................................................................................346

Picking a Camera Format ......................................................................................................347MiniDV ...........................................................................................................................347Digital8...........................................................................................................................348Other digital formats....................................................................................................348Analog formats..............................................................................................................349

Choosing a Camera with the Right Features ......................................................................350

Chapter 3: Preparing Your Computer for Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353Resolving the Mac-versus-PC Debate Once and for All.....................................................353Upgrading Your Computer ....................................................................................................354Using a Macintosh..................................................................................................................356

Buying a new Mac.........................................................................................................356Upgrading ye olde Mac................................................................................................357Choosing Mac video software.....................................................................................359

Using a Windows PC ..............................................................................................................360Buying a new PC ...........................................................................................................360Upgrading your PC for digital video ..........................................................................362Choosing Windows video software............................................................................365Optimizing Windows for video work .........................................................................365

Choosing Analog Capture Hardware ...................................................................................368Selecting capture cards ...............................................................................................368Selecting external video converters ..........................................................................369

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Improving the Human–Machine Interface...........................................................................370Working with video monitors .....................................................................................370Using a multimedia controller ....................................................................................371

Chapter 4: Getting the Right Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .373Accessorizing Your Camcorder............................................................................................373Managing Your Camcorder’s Battery...................................................................................374Sounding Out Audio Equipment...........................................................................................376

Choosing a microphone...............................................................................................376Selecting an audio recorder ........................................................................................379

Shedding Some Light on the Scene......................................................................................380Stabilizing Your Video Image ................................................................................................381Video-Shoot Checklist For Dummies ...................................................................................381

Basic checklist ..............................................................................................................381Advanced checklist ......................................................................................................382

Part II: Action! Shooting Fun Footage ..................................................383Chapter 5: Shooting Great Digital Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383

Planning a Video Production ................................................................................................383Composing a Shot ..................................................................................................................384

Being off-center.............................................................................................................384Avoiding amputations..................................................................................................385Watching your background.........................................................................................385Considering your angles..............................................................................................386

Evaluating Lighting ................................................................................................................387Setting white balance...................................................................................................387Choosing lights .............................................................................................................388Bouncing light...............................................................................................................389Hitting with hard light..................................................................................................390Suggesting with soft light ............................................................................................391Controlling shadows ....................................................................................................392Key light (making Aunt Harriet a glamorous star)...................................................393Fill light (making Aunt Bertha a young starlet) ........................................................394Backlight (giving Aunt Bertha much-needed depth) ...............................................395Using lens filters ...........................................................................................................396

Controlling Focus and Exposure ..........................................................................................396Setting Up Your Camcorder ..................................................................................................397Shooting Video .......................................................................................................................398

Panning effectively .......................................................................................................398Knowing when to tilt ....................................................................................................399Avoiding timecode breaks...........................................................................................399Mastering your tripod..................................................................................................400Start recording early ....................................................................................................401Stop recording late.......................................................................................................402

The Fine Art of Zooming .......................................................................................................402Zoom technique and the three shots.........................................................................402Performing the zoom ...................................................................................................403

Recording Sound ....................................................................................................................405Managing ambient noise..............................................................................................406Creating your own sound effects ...............................................................................407

Chapter 6: Importing Video Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .409Preparing for Digital Video Capture.....................................................................................409

Turning off unnecessary programs............................................................................410Defragmenting your hard drive ..................................................................................410


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Making room for video files ........................................................................................411Connecting a digital camcorder to your computer .................................................413

Capturing Digital Video .........................................................................................................414Capturing video in Pinnacle Studio............................................................................414Capturing video in Apple iMovie................................................................................420

Troubleshooting Capture Problems ....................................................................................421You can’t control your camera through your capture software ............................421Frames drop out during capture ................................................................................422Capture stops unexpectedly .......................................................................................423

Capturing Analog Video? Yuck! ............................................................................................423Preparing for analog video capture ...........................................................................423Setting up capture hardware ......................................................................................424Capturing those analog clips ......................................................................................426

Chapter 7: Importing Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .429Understanding Audio.............................................................................................................429

Understanding sampling rates....................................................................................429Delving into bit depth ..................................................................................................430

Recording Audio.....................................................................................................................430Recording audio with your Macintosh ......................................................................430Recording voice-over tracks in Pinnacle Studio.......................................................432

Working with CD Audio .........................................................................................................434Importing CD audio in iMovie.....................................................................................434Importing CD audio in Studio .....................................................................................435

Working with MP3 Audio.......................................................................................................436Ripping MP3 files on a Mac .........................................................................................437Ripping MP3 files in Windows.....................................................................................438

Part III: The Cutting Room Floor: Editing Your Video .........................441Chapter 8: Choosing Your Video-Editing Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .441

Making the Smart Choice ......................................................................................................441It Began with iMovie ..............................................................................................................442Studio Fits Like a Glove .........................................................................................................444Prosumers Prefer Premiere Pro............................................................................................446All Hail Final Cut Pro HD .......................................................................................................446

Chapter 9: Basic Video Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449Starting a New Project ...........................................................................................................449Working with Clips .................................................................................................................451

Organizing clips ............................................................................................................451Previewing clips............................................................................................................453Trimming out the unwanted parts .............................................................................454

Turning Your Clips into a Movie...........................................................................................456Visualizing your project with storyboards ...............................................................456Using the timeline.........................................................................................................458

Fine-Tuning Your Movie on the Timeline ............................................................................462Trimming clips on the timeline...................................................................................462Removing clips from the timeline ..............................................................................464Undoing what you’ve done .........................................................................................465Adjusting playback speed ...........................................................................................465

Fixing Color and Light Issues................................................................................................468Adjusting image qualities in Pinnacle Studio............................................................468Modifying light and color in Apple iMovie................................................................469

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Chapter 10: Adding Transitions and Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .471Using Fades and Transitions between Clips.......................................................................471

Choosing the best transition ......................................................................................472Adding a transition to the timeline ............................................................................474Adjusting transitions ...................................................................................................476

Giving Credit with Titles........................................................................................................477Creating titles for your movies ...................................................................................478Making effective titles..................................................................................................479

Using Studio’s Title Editor ....................................................................................................481Editing titles ..................................................................................................................481Changing backgrounds ................................................................................................485

Creating Titles in iMovie .......................................................................................................486

Chapter 11: Using Special Effects in iMovie and Adobe Premiere Pro . . . . . . . . . .489Compositing Video.................................................................................................................489

Adjusting the opacity of a clip....................................................................................490Using keys .....................................................................................................................491Creating a matte ...........................................................................................................494

Animating Clips ......................................................................................................................495Adjusting Motion controls ..........................................................................................496Animating a clip............................................................................................................497

Using Effects in Premiere Pro ...............................................................................................498Built-in effects ...............................................................................................................498Applying effects ............................................................................................................500Using key frames ..........................................................................................................501Removing effects ..........................................................................................................502

Using Other Video Effects .....................................................................................................503Distorting video............................................................................................................503Disorienting your audience (on purpose).................................................................504Working in the Golden Age of Cinema .......................................................................505Flipping video ...............................................................................................................506Adding Web links to movies........................................................................................507

Using Effects in iMovie ..........................................................................................................508Built-in effects ...............................................................................................................508The Effects panel ..........................................................................................................509

Filtering and Fixing the Picture ............................................................................................510Adjusting colors ...........................................................................................................511Adjusting brightness and contrast.............................................................................512Creating special looks..................................................................................................513Using active effects ......................................................................................................514

Chapter 12: Adding Audio to the Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .519Using Audio in a Project........................................................................................................519

Understanding audio tracks........................................................................................520Adding audio to the timeline ......................................................................................521Adjusting volume..........................................................................................................522Working with sound effects.........................................................................................525

Adding a Soundtrack to Your Project ..................................................................................527Adding music from a CD..............................................................................................527Generating background music with SmartSound.....................................................527

Part IV: Outputting Your Movies ............................................................529Chapter 13: Exporting Digital Video to Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529

Prepping Your Movie for TV Playback ................................................................................529Setting Up Your Hardware.....................................................................................................530


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Exporting the Movie ..............................................................................................................531Exporting to tape in Apple iMovie .............................................................................533Exporting to tape in Pinnacle Studio .........................................................................534

Chapter 14: Putting Your Movies on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .539Choosing a Video Format......................................................................................................539

Streaming your video...................................................................................................540Comparing player programs.......................................................................................541

Exporting Movies for the Online World...............................................................................544Making QuickTime movies with iMovie.....................................................................544Exporting Internet movies from Studio .....................................................................549

Putting Your Movie on the Web............................................................................................552Finding an online home for your movies...................................................................552Creating a (very) simple Web page ............................................................................553

Part V: Filmography Tips .........................................................................555Chapter 15: Video Preproduction: Planning, Storyboarding, and Scripting . . . . . .555

Preparing to Shoot Digital Video..........................................................................................555Using the right angle for the right situation .............................................................555Selecting the length of shot ........................................................................................556Using focus as a technique .........................................................................................558Setting camera height ..................................................................................................559Moving the camera.......................................................................................................559Composing the picture ................................................................................................562Framing the shot ..........................................................................................................563

Preproducing Your Digital Video..........................................................................................565Storyboarding ...............................................................................................................565Scripting ........................................................................................................................566Planning the shoot .......................................................................................................568

Chapter 16: Digital Video Production Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .569Planning for Success and Preparing for Survival On Location ........................................569

Types of on-location shoots........................................................................................572Using Time to Your Advantage.............................................................................................575Working with People On and Off Camera............................................................................579

Roles that people play .................................................................................................579Choosing effective clothing.........................................................................................582

Book III: Digital Music..............................................................583

Part I: Transforming Your Computer into a Music Machine.............585Chapter 1: Digital Music Hath Charms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .585

The Art of Being a Music Fan................................................................................................586The Seven Wonders of the Online Music World.................................................................586

Audio..............................................................................................................................587Video ..............................................................................................................................589Merchandise..................................................................................................................589Radio ..............................................................................................................................589Concerts ........................................................................................................................590News and information..................................................................................................590Community....................................................................................................................591

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The Background of Music Online.........................................................................................591BBS blues.......................................................................................................................591Tommy, can you FTP me?............................................................................................591E-zines............................................................................................................................592Netcasts .........................................................................................................................592

Joining the Pack of MP3 Users .............................................................................................592Music lovers..................................................................................................................593Musicians.......................................................................................................................594Those darn companies ................................................................................................595Disc jockeys ..................................................................................................................595Print media....................................................................................................................596Comedy lovers..............................................................................................................596Students.........................................................................................................................596

Understanding the Legalities (And Illegalities) of MP3.....................................................596Finding the Best MP3 Files ....................................................................................................597Playing and Creating MP3 Songs..........................................................................................597

Creating MP3 files from your own CDs ......................................................................598Copying MP3 files onto CDs........................................................................................598

Chapter 2: Using Your Computer as a Music Platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .599Listening to CDs on Your Computer ....................................................................................599

What you need..............................................................................................................599Play it, Sam....................................................................................................................600

Creating a Dream Music Machine ........................................................................................600Choosing a computer...................................................................................................601What about upgrading my PC’s processor?..............................................................602Picking a sound card....................................................................................................604Installing a card ............................................................................................................604Selecting speakers........................................................................................................607Adding memory ............................................................................................................608Exploring bandwidth....................................................................................................608Storing stuff.............

Documents

Digital Photos, Movies, & Music€¦ · by Mark L.Chambers. Tony Bove, David D. Busch, Martin Doucette, David Kushner, Andy Rathbone, Cheryl Rhodes, Todd Staufer, Keith Underdahl