Video editing

[Tak]

I have a video that is part in portrait and part in landscape and I'd like it so it is all one way up. I've used the windows video program to rotate a whole video 90degrees before but never just a few frames of it.
Can anyone give me an idiot guide so I can give it a try tonight?

[Mark]

Cut the video up so the portrait and landscape bits are separate, rotate the bits you need to, join back together (with care to make sure the transitions 'work'). That's how I'd do it but there might be a better way. Might be too complex for what Windows ships with, but there's plenty of free/cheap alternatives.

[Jingo]

The following isn't intended as patronising but hopefully simple to follow :)

- Open your file in Windows Live Movie Maker

- You want to 'chop' the film so that different angle is a 'piece' i.e. horizontal bit = one piece. When it changes to vertical = another piece and so on.

- To 'chop' simply right click on the timeline and choose 'split'. (if puzzled now, worry not, this becomes clearer when you actually do it).

- Select the piece that needs rotating with a left click and then choose 'rotate left/right' to suit.

- If you don't want it cutting instantly from one piece to another you might find using a 'transition' makes it look a bit nicer. 'Crossfade' is probably the most suitable transition to use as it blends the two pieces together over a time period of your choice (1.5s standard).

- To use this select the start of a piece on the timeline (click) and then choose Crossfade from the animations tab. (You'll see a box ~mid screen with the transition time in which you can fiddle with to suit your desires: basically the longer time in this box, the slower it blends between video pieces).

Give me a shout if you get stuck - it's a lot simpler to do when it's all on screen :)

[Tak]

Thanks Jingo - I really do need idiots level simples :) It does sound confusing but I'll get it a try tonight. Not sure how the transition bit will work; she just turned the camera part way through recording which is why the change in direction :/

[Jingo]

Thanks Jingo - I really do need idiots level simples :) It does sound confusing but I'll get it a try tonight. Not sure how the transition bit will work; she just turned the camera part way through recording which is why the change in direction :/

Yeah annoying when people do that - have a go as it's a fairly useful thing to know for clipping out excess/basic stuff.

If you get dumbfoundedly stuck email me the file / upload somewhere and I'll have a go at doing the above :)