1. Prepare
Your Tools
The first thing you need to do before you start with Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 is to
purchase the software. I think VideoStudio is actually pretty reasonably priced for its capabilities. If you have been hesitating and unsure if you should purchase it, I'd recommend that you just buy it. The truth is, while we can all hanker around with free video editing software, if you truly want to get serious in this hobby, you need to get some real software. And Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 fits the bill.
The other thing you need is your digital camcorder.
Choose a good model and ensure that you learn the basics of shooting good video. One mantra that I go by is this "shoot a quality video to reduce your editing work". There's a world of truth in that sentence - however good your video editing skills are, they won't be able to save a poorly shot video sequence.
2. Install Corel VideoStudio Pro
Once you've obtained VideoStudio, install it into your computer and launch it. It has simple, user-friendly interface but it also has a lot of powerful features lying underneath the hood.
A sample screenshot of the Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 interface
3. Understand The Workspace
The heart of the Corel VideoStudio Pro application is the workspace, as shown
below.
The Corel VideoStudio Pro workspace
There are several parts to this workspace - the Step Panel, Menu Bar, Player
Panel, Library Panel and the Timeline Panel. You can move each panel around to
position it exactly where you want.
Let's see what each panel in the workspace does.
1 - Step Panel - this contains the 3 steps which you will go through to create a video - Capture, Edit and Share - which are available as buttons.
2 - Menu Bar - here you can access the File, Edit, Tools and Settings menus which all detailed commands you can access.
3 - Player Panel - here you can access the Preview Window and Navigation Panel. These are used for viewing your video, pausing and moving forward and backward through the clip.
4 - Library Panel - this part of the workspace contains your Media Library, Media Filters and the Options Panel. It is in this panel that you can view the special effects, transitions and text styles that you can apply to your video.
5 - Timeline Panel - contains the Toolbar and Project Timeline. This is an important component of the workspace - it allows you to insert and move video clips, as well as add effects and trim sequences.
And that's it! You now understand the basics of the Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 workspace. In
our next tutorial, we will look learn how to start a new movie project.
Click here to find out more about Corel VideoStudio Pro X4.
An
Easy-to-Use Video Editing Program