I received a very interesting question recently:
I am looking for thorough online instruction on the use of Adobe Premiere Elements and how to better organize video. I would eventually like to incorporate the digital scrapbook pages I do with the video of that event (say a birthday). Do you have any suggestions?
Honestly, at first I thought this was a question about organization – i.e., how can one store digital scrapbook layouts and digital videos together? My answer would have been pretty quick – Adobe Bridge! Bridge allows you to group media of all types together – through keywords and categories.
But then, in re-reading the question, I think that’s not what the reader was asking. Fortunately, the answer is just as simple! Adobe Premiere (and Elements) as well as the Mac’s iMovie (and even Windows Movie Maker) allow for bringing still images into the timeline. You can generally create the same kind of transitions (fades, swipes etc.) that you can with videos. You can also pan across or zoom into a still image, giving it a more video-like quality!
One thing you’ll want to consider is the aspect ratio of your images. Square layouts (12×12) will have right and left borders in your video. If this is bothersome, you might consider creating graphics specifically for your video. A ratio of 16:9 is the new standard for HD/widescreen imagery.
Good luck – this sounds like a fun project. There are many tutorials out there – just Google “still images” AND the name of your software for specific tips!
I’m asking about………………….the iphone. Do you have experience with the camera on it? The photos look great on my monitor, but how will they translate in to 365 layouts? Any advice here?
I think you would have to find out the resolution of the iPhone images to see what size they would print out. Can you do a test print at a drug store or stuffmart? If you can get a decent 4×6 out of it it would probably work on a layout.
The newer your iphone (or any phone), the more likely you’ll get decent pics. I second photojenic’s suggestion for doing a test 4×6 print.
Is the reader asking about a layout that has a movie imbeded? Or a bunch of stills linked together? I saw one about a year ago in a gallery and thought that was a totally awesome idea. I understand the basic principle of linking the photos together, but how would you actually get the video into the layout?
I don’t think the reader was asking about embedding video, though that might be possible using Flash or other web video delivery tools.