By MARYANNE MURRAY BUECHNER	Email this article to a friend

January 24, 2003

Good digital camcorders can be had for around $800 Check out the camcorders in our Product Guide

The camera loves my two sons, but even I have trouble watching my own home movies. I mean, these kids are adorable, but the video version just drags on and on. The obvious solution — editing — sounded like far too much effort for a nonprofessional. So when I finally decided to make my directorial debut, I was pleased to discover that it's not as tough as it looks.

In fact, with digital camcorders, it's surprisingly easy to transfer video from camera to computer and then turn it into something worth viewing. If I can turn an hour of Christmas morning mayhem into an engaging three-minute clip in an afternoon, so can you. You just need the right hardware, the right software, and the right attitude. Here's a step-by-step guide, with lots of tips and tricks to get you started.

STEP ONE: CAPTURE VIDEO

First you must put the footage you think you might want to include in your movie on your PC. This tutorial will not cover camerawork, though I will say this: Don't dress your kids in red-and-white stripes on movie day. It looks odd on camera, sort of wavy and swirly — a little distracting.

Also, I will assume that you are working with a digital video camera (see our reviews). Should you still be in analog, it's trickier, but there are ways to upload video from analog camcorders to your PC using special video capture cards and inputs much like those found on the back of your television set.

To start with the digital, find the digital video (DV) in/out port on your camera (it's rectangular, with a little dip across the top). It might be labeled "i" for iLink, Sony's name for a data transfer standard more generically called IEEE 1394, and also known as FireWire.

You'll need the same port on your computer too. FireWire ports are standard in consumer models from Apple and Sony; other manufacturers charge around $30 for the upgrade on a new PC, or you can buy an add-in kit for your existing machine for about the same price.

To make the connection, you'll need a digital video cable (Also called IEEE 1394 or FireWire cable). Before you buy this cable—and you'll need to go to a RadioShack or OfficeMax to get one, because digicams don't come with them—note whether you've got small (4-pin) or large (6-pin) jacks, and get the proper cable to match. There are three types: 4-pin to 4-pin, 4-pin to 6-pin, and 6-pin to 6-pin. They can cost $30 to $40, but some websites sell them for much less (to find a good deal, go to Google.com and type in "FireWire cable").

Once you've got the camera tethered to your PC, turn it on and make sure it's in Play mode (sometimes called VCR mode). Then turn back to your PC and launch whichever movie editing program (see our roundup of some of the latest and greatest products) you've chosen to use to create your masterpiece. There are several decent ones on the market that sell for well under $100 and are good for novices as well as advanced users who want the software to do a lot of the work for them. I used Sony's MovieShaker, which comes preinstalled in Sony desktops and notebooks (but unfortunately is not sold separately).

MovieShaker's Capture feature works pretty much like that of other consumer-friendly programs. Once you've got the program running, select Capture. The program recognizes that the camera is connected, and takes remote control of the video playback, displaying buttons to click for Play, Pause, Rewind, and so on. The video will play in a small window on your PC screen. To save the footage to your computer, you click Capture/Stop Capture. This way you can watch the whole movie, but only save what you need to your hard drive.

I recommend watching the entire tape first, without interruption, using a pen and pad to jot down the time where your favorite parts appear (there should be a timer next to the viewing window). This way, when you rewind and start over, you'll be able to jump right to the stuff you want; you may even skip scenes you thought you wanted knowing there's better stuff ahead. Tip: onscreen playback runs slightly behind the camera playback, so turn the volume all the way down on your camera so you won't hear an echo.

Be sure to capture a few extra seconds at the beginning of each clip and at the end; you can trim them later, but if you decide to add Hollywood-style transitions between scenes, you'll want the extra wiggle room. I had to go back and re-cut a few scenes where the transition was encroaching on the action. But don't be too generous. Video is a hard disk hog. You'll need about 2 GB to store about 10 minutes' worth — that's 3 MB for every second!

NEXT: Edit Your Movie