Premiere Elements 8

When you want to turn raw video clips into a finished movie to share, Premiere Elements 8 has all the tools that hobbyists and serious amateurs need.

This program has so much going for it, in fact, that you may easily get lost.

That's where this Missing Manual comes in. With this book, you'll learn how to use Premiere's two approaches to filmmaking: the quick-and-easy InstantMovie technique, and the classic, handcrafted approach for frame-by-frame editing with fine-tuned transitions, effects, and more.

Premiere expert Chris Grover combines a touch of humor with insights, tips, and tricks culled from years of moviemaking experience to help you release your inner Scorsese. You can: learn how to create movies from start to finish with hands-on, guided instructions and downloadable sample files; use InstantMovie to whip up a video with slick transitions, major eye candy, DVD menus, and balanced music; use frame-by-frame editing to build a movie with keyframes that control the timing of cuts and effects, and a layered soundtrack that combines dialog, sound effects, and background music; import media for your videos by grabbing and organizing raw video clips, still photos, music tracks, graphic art, and sound effects from your camcorder or PC; tap Premiere's automated tools to automatically analyze clips ('In Focus', 'Too Bright', and so on), balance audio channels, render your movie on the fly, and more; and, share your movie by saving it to DVD or Blu-ray disc, uploading it to the Web, saving it to mobile devices like iPods and iPhones, or emailing it to friends.