How To Create A Vacation Photo Slideshow. I have the business plan because I wanted to make longer videos, however, it is limited to 4 minutes and I can only output to a 720p digital file. For full 1080p HD, you’ll need to have the Advertiser’s account which didn’t make sense for me on a personal level. 5 summer vacation video tips. By Katie Armstrong. Everyone knows that the warm months go hand-in-hand with prime vacation season. As video lovers, it’s only natural to want to preserve those summer vacation memories to share with our pals and family members back home. But let’s face it, sometimes our vacay recaps can turn into a bit.
Traveling for pleasure ought to be an ideal subject for video: exotic locales, colorful people,exciting events, spectacular scenery–how can you lose? So you videotape with abandon, haul40 hours of footage homeward, and spend days carving it into a carefully assembled program.The result? First we went here and then we went there and then we went to the nextplace.Despite all your hard and intelligent effort, the finished program holds your audience formaybe ten minutes, tops, before they start glazing over.
Some people maketravelogues so good that folks pay to get in and then spend two happy hours watching them.Why can’t you?You can, of course, by working the way the pros do. And that’s what we’re here to discuss.So let’s take a look at the techniques you need to turn various kinds of trips into successfulvideos.But before getting into the specifics of touring or RV-cruising or backpacking, we need tocover the fundamentals of all travel videomaking, the things that help ensure successfulprograms, regardless of where you go or how you get there. Plan for SuccessLike every other video project, a travel program involves preproduction, production, andpost production. The pre-production phase is critical because after you leave home you oftencan’t compensate for things you forgot to do. So one key to a successful travel video is planningand preparation.Start by researching your destination(s) and discovering what’ll be worth taping when youarrive there.
A surprising number of trippers omit this common-sense procedure. That might beokay if you’re going to spend a month in London, for example, but if your guided tour hasallotted you two free days there, you’d better arrive knowing what you want to shoot and whereto find it.Anticipating your subject matter will also help you choose equipment for your journey. Goingto a national park full of wildlife? Be sure to pack a telephoto lens extender and a tripod.Cruising the San Juan Islands in a 32-foot trawler? Better have a polarizer for all those sky-and-water shots.In fact, putting your equipment kit together is the other half of video trip preparation, and thesafe rule here is, pack as if you will find no video supplies on your trip. Sure, if you shoot full-size VHS and your destination’s New York, you don’t have to buy all your blank tapes at home.But in general, things in Mombassa, Madrid, and Mount Rushmore cost more than they do athome–if they’re available at all. (Try finding S-VHS compact cassettes in some places!) For aquick rundown of equipment you should consider packing, see the sidebar, 'Video Equipmentfor Traveling.'
Big ProductionThe production phase of your travel video is of course the trip itself, and you’ll stay on thepath to success here if you follow three guidelines: find an organizer, work like the pros, andshoot to edit.Find an organizer. In every video genre, including travel, the difference between aprogram and mere footage is that the program is about something. To be effective, eachsequence needs a simple idea to organize it and give it a point. It doesn’t have to be original orprofound.On a visit to Venice, for instance, your organizer might be pigeons, of which there aregazillions.
Pigeons rising in flustered clouds from the Piazza San Marco, pigeons perched onevery roof, cornice, ledge, and piling. Pigeon decorations on every statue.Or how about modern traffic on ancient waters as your organizing theme? Thevaporetto boats that provide rapid transit, the red Coca Cola delivery barge chuggingpast, the off-duty gondolier listening to a boom box in his 18th century boat, the auto trafficsigns like senso unico ('one way') adapted for water traffic.In these examples, the true subject isn’t pigeons or aquatic adaptations but glorious Veniceitself.
You can use these simple topics to give coherence to what might otherwise be just ascenic grab-bag of disconnected shots.Work like the pros. Regardless of content, a program can never be better than itsindividual shots, so here’s a reminder about several camcorder basics.First, watch those 'automatic' features.
Make sure the white balance is correct for the light.Disable the autofocus and (if possible) the exposure control in situations where they tend to getconfused. (Then remember to re-enable them before resuming quick-and-dirty shooting.)Next, get a variety of angles. An entire program shot from standing shoulder height getstedious mighty quick. In choosing camera heights and angles, look for compositions and alwaysshoot to enhance the feeling of depth.
Tape buildings from their corners to create strongdiagonals and frame distant prospects with foreground objects like windows, trees orarches.Avoid zooming. It burns up battery power and on-screen it’s a waste of time that you shouldedit out. Also, avoid firehosing and snapshooting. Firehosing means sweeping your camcorderall over a scene without remaining on anything long enough to really look at it. Snapshooting istaping in two- or three-second bursts as if you were taking still pictures.
The results are verytiring to watch.Notice that most of these suggestions have consequences for editing, and indeed, the thirdimportant guideline isShoot to edit. Perhaps you can edit some subjects in the camera, but trips aresimply too long to yield good programs without later pruning and organizing.
So as you shoot,remember that what you’re capturing is not the program but the raw materials for it. With that inmind,. Always start taping a few seconds before the important action begins and continue a bit after it ends,to give yourself room to choose edit points. Get establishing shots–wide-angle views of the location, so that viewers can orient themselves. Pan(slowly and smoothly) if necessary, to encompass the whole scene. From each shot to the next, change both the image size (long shot to closeup) and the camera angle(front view to three-quarter view) to create smoother cuts.
It also helps if subjects begin out of view, moveinto the shot, then exit the frame. This makes closely-matched action unnecessary.
In addition to covering the main action, get insert shots to reveal small details (a stone cherub’s head, aflower in a Yosemite meadow) and color shots (billboards, swaying willows, reflections on water). Thesecutaways will help you condense and pace the sequences. Look for natural titles in things like posters, street signs, or the covers of brochures. Don’t forget sound. Tape several minutes of ambient sound to help smooth the audio differencesamong different shots. And if you’re in exotic places, pick up tapes or CDs of local music. This can lend awonderfully authentic quality to your program.
Don’t use the whole tape. If you aren’t hurting for space and weight (or if you can mail cassettes home),put no more than about an hour’s footage on each tape. Because unless you edit with time code, youhave to rewind and zero the tape each time you put it in a source deck.
Then you have to fast-forward to theshot you want. If half those shots are more than an hour in, you’re going to do a lot of waiting and put a lotof wear on your VCR.And finally, you may want to extend and enhance your own taping from other resources.Quality postcard views tape remarkably well and nowadays, many famous places offer highquality professional videos at nominal prices. There’s nothing illegal or unethical about utilizingthese visual sources, as long as your program is exclusively for private, personal, non-commercial use. But remember: even so innocent a use as a screening at a church or retirementhome could be construed as a violation of copyright. So if there’s any chance of a publicshowing, don’t use the work of others in your program.Getting It TogetherThe post production phase can be the most fun of all. That’s when you take all your rawfootage and use your video/audio artistry to turn it into a dynamite program.To get off to a good start, begin by deciding how long to make your program. 'That’sbackwards,' you say; 'I won’t know how long my video should be until I see how much goodstuff I have to include.'
It doesn’t matter whether you spent three days in New York or three months touringthe country in your recreational vehicle. Maximum length is not dependent on amount of content.It’s determined by a combination of your talent as a videomaker and your audience’spatience.Unless you’re a real duffer, fifteen minutes is always safe and 20 to 30 minutes is usually agood length. But if you plan to hold your viewers for 45 minutes or more, you’d better be acrack director/editor who’s also got truly spectacular footage.If you do have a lot of really good material, consider organizing your program into two orthree self-contained half-hour acts. Show one act, take a break, then show another. Youraudience will thank you.
(Well, they’d thank you for the single 90-minute version too but, trustme, they wouldn’t mean it.)When you’ve decided on a running time, develop an organization. Most people just workchronologically, but do you always need to?
If you took a three-week tour of Europe, wouldyour audience care that you saw London first, Paris second, Geneva third, and Rome last?You might call an alternate organization scheme 'building toward the best.' Identify the mostinherently vivid, interesting material and save it for last. If, for instance, you were in Paris onBastille day and taped a spectacular parade and a jaw-dropping orgy of fireworks, you mightuse that, out of chronological order, as your finale. How do you explain why you suddenlybacktracked to Paris? That’s what narration’s for: But no matter how much we loved thesights of Rome, the high point of our trip happened back in Paris, on July 14: BastilleDay!Or if you’d planned your program in advance (and you did, didn’t you?), you could organizeyour video around topics. To stay with our Europe example, suppose that in each country youtaped things like tourist attractions, cityscapes, the passing countryside, human interest, andshopping. Instead of covering every topic once for each country, compare, say, shopping inLondon, Paris, Geneva, and Rome in one major sequence; then present another topic as tapedin all four cities, and so on.About narration: determine what to say for each sequence, and then make it short andsnappy.
Too many videomakers depend on their edited footage for inspiration, ad-libbing voiceovers as they watch. The result: 'This is out our hotel window, looking down the AvenueChoufleur. Um, there’s a neat martial arts museum on that side street you see there abouthalf-way along and' Well, you get the idea (if you’re still awake).
The moral: plan and writenarration in advance, and then stick to the script.Also, sounding interesting for 30 minutes at a time requires a very special skill, which is why aprofessional narrator may charge $600 for an hour’s work on a ten-minute program. Sinceyou’re probably not a pro, keep narration to a minimum.Ways to GoNow that we’ve covered some general ideas for travel videos, let’s look at a fewparticulars. Purely for convenience, we’ll organize different kinds of travel into severalcategories: touring, camping, and floating.Touring, of course, means traveling through an itinerary of destinations and sightseeing in eachone.
Since we’ve already served up several touring tips, we’ll add just a few more here.First, since you’re often on the move, consider making transportation part of your story. Thisis an obvious choice if you’re seeing Europe by Eurail Pass, but other vehicles can also play apart.
In one video I know of, transportation is a running gag. The show starts with the eager tourparticipants on the plane to their starting point. Then each sightseeing sequence opens with thetroops thundering off the tour bus and closes with them climbing wearily aboard again. We getto know people on the tour and by the time we leave them snoozing their way home again onthe plane, they’re old friends.Second, consider designating certain days as video project days. The sad fact is that youcan’t pay close attention to sightseeing and videomaking simultaneously. If you walk aroundevery day with your eye stuck to a viewfinder, you’ll miss much of what you came to see.
Onvideo days I top off my batteries, buckle on the fanny pack, and make serious video. But often Ileave my kit behind and focus on enjoying the journey.The Open RoadMillions of Americans are taking to the road, riding everything from bicycles to motorhomes costing more than many houses. 'RV' stands for recreational vehicle and RVingcombines touring with camping. Since we’ve covered the touring aspect, let’s look at thecamping side.Camp grounds are so wonderfully various that you could make a whole program about justthat part of your trip. In fact, my wife begins every campground sequence with an establishingshot of our 5th-wheel trailer set up in its assigned space.Speaking of setup, we pulled a pop-up tent trailer until our slave labor–er, our children–departed for college, and erecting or stowing that contraption was a major production that I’dlove to have on tape. (The idea works equally well with any kind of tent setup.)To make the edited result faster and funnier, try a trick my video students invented. Using theshuttle-jog control, they run the source tape in moderate (and hence good quality) fast-forwardvisual scan.
At the same time, they enable the strobe effect on the editing mixer. On theassembly tape, the result is what film makers call pixillation: the action jerks along in anapproximation of silent movie style.Finally, RVers know that camping is about people: the astonishing rangeof humanity you encounter along the way.
Since RVers tend to be friendly and easy totalk to, you could build a fine interview program around the many interesting friendsyou make in an hour, keep for three days, and then never see again.Some outdoor types disdain RVs and even cars, preferring to travel by bicycle orbackpack into the wilds on foot. For these people, the key considerations are size and weight.If you’re a less-is-best outdoors person, you should, of course use an 8mm or VHS-C formatcamera. That’ll save bulk and ounces in tapes as well as in the camcorder.
Use only a smallpadded case, or consider one of the belt holsters designed for still cameras with long lenses.Many compact camcorders will fit quite nicely in them.You can make a monopod double as a hiking staff, though the light-duty model that results isprobably unsuitable for major safaris. My monopod has a palm-size knob fitted with a tripodsocket so you can screw it on to the top of the unit.The other big problem for back country enthusiasts is power. Batteries are heavy so youcan’t lug too many of them, but where do you charge the ones you do take? Try experimentingwith one of the small, light solar panels used to trickle-charge automotive batteries.
Lashed upto a 12-volt adapter, one could sit in camp, charging your spare battery while you’re off hikingfor the day.Video AfloatThere may be as many sail- and power-boaters as there are RVers, and rivers, lakes, andoceans are very videogenic.The problem is that water and video hardware are sworn enemies. If you understand whatyour dew meter does, you know that in excessively damp conditions, your camcorder won’teven function. Corrosion is another problem around water–especially sea water.To combat these problems, house your equipment in a sturdy, well-sealed case, and keep itthere except when you’re actually taping. Always cover the front element of your lens with aclear or neutral density filter. In very damp situations, consider using desiccants.
You can packthese chemicals, available at RV and marine supply stores, with your camcorder, where theysoak up excess moisture. You can recycle some desiccants by baking them in an oven and thenreturning them to duty.Because even large cruising sail and power boats are subject to unexpected lurches, secureyour camera with a neck strap at all times.
Camcorders are notoriously poor swimmers andeven a brief immersion will bring hundreds of dollars in repair bills. If your camera lacks lugs fora full-length strap, screw a tripod-threaded bolt with a ring attached into your tripod socket andsnap both ends of a neck strap onto it. These accessories are sold in many larger camerastores.Of course, the ultimate in boating travel is a cruise, combining touring, sightseeing, andshopping. And as you videotape your voyage to Alaska or the Caribbean, don’t forget toinclude shipboard life.Shoot things like dinner menus, shipboard newspapers and announcements of daily activities.These make great titles or inserts.Try a program about the cruise ship itself. These elegant monsters are amazingly complex,both as architecture and as working systems. If your cruise offers a tour of the working ship, byall means tape it thoroughly.
It could be the most interesting material you bring back.Aloha!And so, as the sun sinks slowly into the silver sea, we say farewell to this grab bag oftravel tips and techniques. All of these ideas might come in handy now and then, but if you keeponly a few of them, choose these three: find an organizer, work like the pros, shoot to edit.Then have yourself a terrific trip!Video Equipment for TravelingWhat equipment you choose to transport depends on your personal shooting methodsand, of course, your means of transportation.
Tooling along in a 34-foot motor home, you havea lot more leeway than when you’re backpacking in Yosemite. If you have a moderate amountof room, consider these basic items:. Batteries: Two is the absolute minimum and three is better: one in the camcorder, one spare,and one back in the car or hotel, charging. (Don’t forget the external charger and power conversionequipment for 240-volt countries or 12-volt car cigarette lighters.) Also, if a battery is at least a year old,consider replacing it with a brand new one that will deliver many more minutes per charge. Lighting: A small, camera-mounted fill-in light is a good idea. Look for the type that has itsown battery, to avoid drain on the camcorder’s power supply. If you’re rambling with a partner who can helpyou, take a reflector for outdoor fill.
The wire-frame-and-silver-Mylar-type folds into the size and shape of apancake and weighs almost nothing. Get them at bigger photo supply stores. Or, for under $10 you can buya pair of them sold as car window sun shades.
If you’re auto touring, you can use them for both purposes. Camera support: You really should pack a tripod or at least a good monopod. If you’retraveling ultra-light, use one of these substitutes: buy a ten inch-high whose legs collapseinto its central column.
When not in use as a tripod, it makes a solid grip for your left hand. Keep it stable: You can also make a camera stabilizer that fits in a pocket. Just attach a tripod-threaded bolt (obtainable at camera stores) to a six-foot length of braided nylon cord. When you videotape,screw the bolt into the camcorder tripod socket, hold the camera slightly below shooting height, step on thedangling cord, and pull the camera up until the rope is taut.
. Travel and Vacation Guide 1. Travel video editing tips 2. Travel Destination Tips How to Edit a Travel VideoOne of the joys of travelling lies in recording your travels in a way that makes it a pleasure to relive them later or share them with your family and friends.
Here're 10 tips to make awesome travel video:It is not necessary to be a seasoned travel journalist to create memorable travel videos! With a wide variety of video editing software available today, you can make your travel videos look as professional as the best in the world. Whether you or not, you can fix all your mistakes in the editing stage to create videos that are flawless! Part1 Best video editors that are good for editing travel videos:. Wondershare FilmoraThis software is one of the best that gives you all the features of a professional film studio in an intuitive, easy-to-use format.
If you are a novice, this would be perfect for you. For more experienced people, the Filmora has all the tools that you need to make your videos look even more professional than they do already! There are more than 100 visual effects and even split screen, scene detection, and picture in picture to give you the freedom to create visual masterpieces. It is compatible with the majority of video formats in use today. It is easy to burn into DVDs and publish your videos on social media platforms as well as transfer to IOS and Android devices. AVS Video EditorThis is a professional quality video editor that supports Blu-ray videos and has multilingual support. It has both single and double video track, non-destructive editing, and HD support as well.
Final Cut ProUsed by professionals in Hollywood, developed by Apple Inc., this is one of the premium video editing software out there. It also has a storyboard mode and 99 different audio and video tracks.Part 2 Shooting Your Travel VideoIt is important to put in a good deal of thought and planning before you start shooting your travel video, while also allowing plenty of room for spontaneity and improvisation (after all, you never know what you might find on your travels!). Taking shots that are as natural as possible is what makes a travel video more endearing.If you are giving voiceovers, it is good to do a little bit of research beforehand on the place you are visiting, its history, etc., and take your time to think before you say something.If you take additional footage or footage in sequence, it will make it all the more easier at the editing stage.
It is also important to keep your camera as steady as possible. It is best to avoid zooming in and out quickly as well as panning often.If you are going to be in front of the camera and it makes you nervous, just pretend that you are talking to your loved ones. Let your personality shine through your video!Part 3 Editing Your VideoThe first step is, obviously, watching your entire video and editing out the extraneous or unwanted parts. Using your video editing software, you can place transitions in between scenes, text in scenes, special effects, music, and voiceovers.The music you choose will have a great impact on how your video is perceived and the mood you want to convey, so give this a good deal of thought. Make sure that the music you choose matches the places you visited and the ambience in those places.
How To Make A Vaction Video Ideas
It can also be music that reminds you of your trip.Part 4 Tips to Make Your Video Even Better.Try to include as much of visuals and sounds of the places that you visit.Consider different angles and shot compositions to make your video interesting. Have an interesting mix of shots to spruce up your video.Have as much additional footage as possible.Check your settings every time before you start shooting.Check your footage each time you stop shooting.Make sure your audio footage is as good as your video footage as this adds life to your video.