How to edit a video-part4-(timelines).

Video editing – Camtasia timeline.

All good video editing suites incorporate time lines within  the software.    There are many suites to chose from, I personally use Camtasia  4.5, but  even free suites  are  available and easy to use.

Please bear with me if you are already proficient with video editing.    This article is intended, not just for complete beginners,  but also to improve  your own skills.

Time lines are an excellent tool for cutting out the um’s and ah’s in visual presentations, that is a subject on its own.    What I would like to discuss here is using time lines in stock footage.

Providing you own or have the permission to use photos, a montage can be created by importing and placing them onto the story board in preferred order and transitioned to effect – more on this another time.

Moving footage – let us say – a series of movie trailers, can be imported and placed on the time line for editing.    Unwanted scenes can be cut out, and more desirable scenes, spliced into the  video construction, simply by  moving the  pointer  across the  time slot  and hitting the scissors.    Practice, practice, practice, is the key to mastering every art, and just like painting on a canvas, if you are unhappy with the cut, you can simply remove the section from the time line and re-import the footage.

As I am currently writing a book on the art, I cannot explain much further here, however, the video I have chosen to accompany this article, shows how a montage and moving footage can be spliced together.

Sometimes the words of a beautiful song can inspire you to create a nice video.    Nathan Walters, is a wonderful singer and the words in ‘Quiet of the night’, moved me to create scenes depicting the sacrifice, our lord, Jesus Christ, made for us.     The video begins with a photo montage, borrowed from a pre-made video.    On watching, the viewer, is satisfied that this is a montage, but at the point after the message -       I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  John 10:11, the video transitions into moving footage of the movie – The passion of Christ.    immediately,  the  song  and the visuals , transpire the video into  a notable presentation  that will always be remembered.