Desktop Digital Video Editing

 

-       Rick McCharles

 

 

The Apple iMac DV computer and iMovie software make a near magical combination. Apple promotes the iMac as the first plug & play digital video editor. It is very easy -- even for a jock gymnastics coach like me.

 

·      Connect the camcorder to the iMac DV

·      Click the iMovie software

·      Edit your video

 

The software automatically scans your videotape in real time, breaking it in to clips. Sequence the clips you want to keep. Click play to watch your edited video.

 

The quality is excellent because you are editing the digital original, digitally,

 

If you then get inspired to become the next Martin Scorsesee, it is easy to add transitional effects, titles, and even a soundtrack. You can store your edited masterpiece on your computer or export it back to your digital camcorder. Most people simply export to their home VHS VCR (video cassette recorder) as that’s the most popular format right now.

 

I’ve done gymnastics video editing on a massive, expensive VHS editing console. Desktop digital editing is a huge leap forward.

 

What’s the catch?

 

The Apple solution requires a digital video camcorder equipped with firewire (Sony camcorders call it iLink) -- a high speed IEEE-1394 interface between the camera & the computer. Only a few of the newest digital camcorders, so far, offer this feature. Firewire camcorders start at about $1100.

 

What about Windows computers?

 

The April ’00 Canada Computes magazine recommends Pinnacle Studio DV ($250) as an add-on hardware peripheral for digital-to-digital editing.

 

How much computer processing power is needed?

 

You might be able to edit video with 400 MHz & 64 MB of RAM. But you’d want more.

 

In addition, to archive digital video requires a lot of disk space. A 26 gigabyte drive, for example, can store less than 2 hours of finished video. Most people save their edited video on videotape.

 

 

 

(Rick McCharles was the men’s head coach at Altadore during the ‘’80s. He’s now based out of Saskatoon though you rarely seem to find him there. He is currently collaborating with Kelly Manjak, head coach of Altadore, editing videotape from the recent World Cup competitions in Europe.

 

The easiest way to reach Rick is by e-mail: Rick_McCharles@hotmail.com)