The SmartMovie music video tool
 |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 | |  | ||||||||||||||||||
Creating a music video seems like a big job, even with the convenient editing features of Studio. Dozens of brief clips must be carefully aligned to the beat of the soundtrack, in order that the music and video are properly coordinated.
With Studio’s SmartMovie tool, however, you can construct a dynamic, beat-synchronized music video almost instantly, in your choice of styles and using any combination of video footage and music.
You can make slideshows, too. SmartMovie can create an instant slideshow from any set of still images, in a choice of styles and with synchronized music.
The SmartMovie tool walks you through the creation process with simple step-by-step instructions. To begin, use the Album to locate the video scenes or still images you want to include, and drag them onto the Movie Window.
Tip: The Timeline view of the Movie Window is recommended when working with audio clips.
With the visuals in place, add a ScoreFitter, CD audio or digital music (wav, mp3) clip to the background music track. The duration of this clip – and not the amount of visual material you supply – determines the length of your music video. If you don’t supply enough visual material, SmartMovie will use your video clips or images multiple times in order to achieve the required duration. Conversely, clips or images will be omitted if you provide more than can be used within the duration of the song.
Exception: When making a slideshow with the Use all images option checked (see below), it is the number of images you provide that determines the length of the finished project, not the duration of the music clip.
Select a style from the dropdown list at the top of the SmartMovie tool window. A variety of styles is offered for both music video and slideshow projects.
A brief description of each style is displayed in the status balloon as you scroll through the style list.
For video styles, you will get the best results if the starting duration of your video footage is about double the length of the soundtrack. Each of the slideshow styles has its own ideal ratio between the number of pictures and the length of the song. The status balloon provides guidance for getting the proportions right.
The Use clips in random order option lets you mix up the visual material without regard to its initial sequence. This option is the default with some styles. It tends to give a finished product with a relativ
ely uniform texture, but sacrifices narrative continuity.
Check the Use all images option when you want to ensure that all the still images you have added to your project are actually used in the slideshow, regardless of the length of music you have provided. Studio will repeat or trim the music clip as required to match the number of images you have chosen.
Note: The Use all images option affects SmartMovie slideshows only, not music videos.
The Relative volume slider adjusts the prominence of the background music track relative to the other audio tracks. Move the slider all the way to the right if you want to hear only the music track in the finished video.
The last configuration step is to enter the text to use for the opening and closing titles. Each text line consists of two edit fields. Use Tab and Shift+Tab to jump between the left and right fields.
Finally, click the Create SmartMovie button and sit back while Studio generates your movie.
