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Video editing resources

Editing is the most important part of video production. Editing is storytelling, guiding your viewer through the maze of scenes. Done well, editing can make you look really smart; done poorly, it can be downright embarrassing. Below are some helpful links on editing and topics related to editing. Some of them are really basic, others are for advanced users. There is no one correct way to edit, but there are good practices that can make your work look polished and professional.

Please contact dana@mail.utexas.edu if you have any questions or comments.

Video editing sites:

http://www.moviemac.com/create_movies/shooting_video.html
Good basic introduction, written with iMovie users in mind. Part one.

http://www.moviemac.com/create_movies/capturing_video.html
Part two; intro to capturing.

http://www.moviemac.com/create_movies/editing.html
Part three; good intro to editing practices.

http://www.videonics.com/articles/
Another good basic introduction to editing. Good intermediate articles as well.

http://www.2-pop.com/library/articles/2000-06-30.html
Explains the thought process behind keeping editing foremost in your mind throughout a project.

http://www.datavideo-tek.com/terms.htm
Great general video glossary (nine pages of terms).

http://www.videomaker.com/scripts/lobby.cfm?id=9
Great FAQ's, very comprehensive (login required, but it's free).

http://www.atomiclearning.com/freeimovie.shtml
Free iMovie video tutorials.

http://www.apple.com/imovie
Apple's iMovie site. Check out all of the links. Has good examples of what is done with iMovie.

http://www.macaddict.com/magazine/2000_04/imov_1.html
Macaddict takes you through the production of their own movie, edited in iMovie.

http://www.macworld.com/subject/imovie/index.html
Macworld's iMovie archive of everything they have said about iMovie.

http://www.macinstruct.com/tutorials/wap/imovie/index.html
Very basic inroduction to iMovie.

available online at http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/imoviemm2/
iMovie 2: The Missing Manual by David Pogue — highly recommended resource
As the Web site says, "covers every step of iMovie video production, from choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto CDs. Far deeper and more detailed than the meager set of online help screens included with iMovie, the book helps iMovie 2 users realize the software's potential as a breakthrough in overcoming the cost, complexity, and difficulty of desktop video production."