Computer Graphics Survey

Creating Video Elements

Using Premiere 5 and a QuickCam on MacOS Computers

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Before beginning the project

Read the information that pertains specifically to the way the ACG Lab operates. These directions may not apply if you work on the project elsewhere.


Tutorial Description

Premiere is the most widely used program for Desktop Video--recording and editing for multimedia (CD-ROM, Web) applications. While higher-end programs exist for non-linear video editing for industrial and broadcast applications, Premiere provides the most valuable features at a much lower cost.

In this first session, we'll create the elements for our video:

As in previous occasions, you will find familiar features in this program, helping you to guess function and operation. The Title window has many of the standard facilities of drawing programs like FreeHand. In the following session, we'll also see the Project window, which displays a visual list of the elements to be edited (like the Cast window in Director); and the Timeline window, used to arrange those same elements (similar to the Score window in Director).


Record Video

  1. Use Apple-->Control Panels-->Memory
  2. Turn off AppleTalk to minimize interruptions
    control strip, AppleTalk inactive
  3. Switch display to thousands of colors to improve playback speed
    control strip, thousands of colors
  4. Connect the camera and the microphone to your computer.
  5. Find the QuickMovie application icon and start the program:
    Premiere application icon
  6. From the File menu, choose New. This will bring up a new window where you should see a live feed of the video from the camera hooked up to the computer.
  7. Save the empty movie file to your folder on the desktop (this is where your recording will be stored). This file can be named any way you like. We'll use this recording as raw footage for the final video to be edited in the following session.
    'Save' dialog box
  8. Choose the video recording settings. These are not necessarily the best settings for highest-quality results, but they should allow you to fit your video recording in a small file (as long as you keep it short).
  9. Next, choose the audio recording settings.
  10. Rehearse your act, then proceed to record:
  11. Make sure to save your recording, so you can use it in your project during next week's session. You can afterwards quit QuickMovie.

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Create Title Card

  1. Find the Premiere application icon and start the program:
    Premiere application icon
  2. When the New Project Presets dialog appears, click 'Cancel'.
  3. Use File-->New-->Title to open the Title window.
  4. Use Windows-->Title Window Options to bring up the Title Window Options dialog.
    Title Window Options command
  5. Now enter and format the text of your title. Remember to make it legible by using uncomplicated typefaces at the largest size possible.
  6. Optionally, you can explore the simple drawing tools available in the Toolbox to add other elements to the title card besides type.
  7. While the Title window is still active (in front of other windows), use File-->Save to save your work to a Premiere Title file. Also this file will be used in your project during next week's session.
  8. Close the Title window and quit Premiere.

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Notes

Virtual Memory

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Information specific to the ACG Lab

On ACG Lab computers, the programs Premiere and QuickMovie are on the hard drive, inside the Video folder.

For this project, use one of the ACG computer with USB ports (blue Power Macintosh G3). The QuickCam camera and the PlainTalk microphone are available for checkout from the lab aide. To set them up:

Documentation on Premiere is available on the 'ACG' lab file server, in the 'ACG_DOCS' volume.

The Art Computer Graphics program of Fullerton College offers a class covering video in detail, ACG66: Multimedia Video. Look it up in our class schedules.

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This document originally at <http://acg2.fullcoll.edu/FACULTY/CORSI/LEARN/OVERVIEW/OV130MAC/INDEX.HTM>
Copyright 1997-99 by Sandro Corsi. Last modified 1 DEC 1999. SaneDraw home