How to Edit Using Avid Express

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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Avid Express is desktop editing software that can be used by anyone willing to take the time to learn it. Editing your video and audio should be a fun and creative process. Avid Express allows you to be creative and edit your video and audio into works of art. Getting started can be as easy as following a few simple steps.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Computer
Avid Express software
Media

Getting Into or Creating a New Job

Step 1

Open the Avid Express software on your desktop by either double clicking on the desktop icon or selecting it from the "all programs" menu on the "Start" menu.
Step 2

Choose "new project" and type in the name of your new project or click on the project you would like to open from the project list.
Step 3

Make sure the new project or chosen project is highlighted and click on "OK."

Capturing Video and Audio

Step 1

Open the "capture" window by pressing the "ctrl" key and "7" at the same time, or by selecting "Capture" from the drop down "Tools" menu.
Step 2

Select your video source from the "video" drop down menu and audio source from the "audio" drop down menu. Select your media drive from the drop down menu just below the "bin" drop down menu and bin you would like the video put into from the "bin" drop down menu in "capture" screen.
Step 3

Give your source tape a name or select the tape from the list provided when you click on the "tape name" icon in the "capture" screen.
Step 4

Name your new clip to be digitized in the "name" space.
Step 5

Mark an "in" and "out" point from your source video using either the keyboard shortcuts or the screen icons.
Step 6

Click on the capture icon that looks like a big red square with a white circle in it.

Editing

Step 1

Right click on the "timeline" window and select "new sequence." You will need to give your new sequence a name and place it in the appropriate bin.
Step 2

Select your newly digitized video or audio clip from the appropriate bin by double clicking on it. This should put it in the preview window.
Step 3

Move your video source to the frame you would like to be your "in" point. This can be done using the various mouse icon movements or using the "J," "K" and "L" keys on your keyboard.
Step 4

Mark the frame as your "in" point either with the "in" mouse icon or by pressing the "I" key on the keyboard.
Step 5

Move your video source to the frame you would like to be your "out" point. This can be done using the various movement mouse icons or using the "J," "K" and "L" keys on your keyboard.
Step 6

Mark the frame as your "out" point either with the "out" mouse icon or by pressing the "O" letter key on the keyboard.
Step 7

Add your preview clip to the time line using either the "overlay" or "splice" icons in the "timeline" window or the "V" or "B" buttons on the keyboard.

Playback and Continued Editing

Step 1

Playback your sequence using the "play" icon or the space bar.
Step 2

Add any necessary further edits by marking an "in" and "out" on either the preview source or your time, and an "in" or "out" on the other by following the previous steps.
Step 3

Create effects between clips by clicking on the "quick transition" icon and selecting the effect and duration option.

Comments

khalidrz said

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on 7/19/2007 I found this article about how to edit video by using a computer verY usefull and helpnig. I wonder why it didn't come to my mind earlier for ref. my problems to it and also share my expert openion about anything.