TrakAx Weblog

Inspiration Videos – 5 Ways to use Video to help sell Cars

2010-08-30T09:51:00Z

Are you an owner of a car dealership? Are you trying to sell your car online? Is nobody coming to your car lot or website? Why not make a promotional video of your dealership and cars on offer that will not only entice visitors but provide a platform to increase sales. By creating an online video, you are engaging with the customer and establishing a personal connection. Not only can you speak directly to the potential client, you can control exactly how your message is received and explain what you do best and the services you provide. The people at “Evenalicium”, the digital marketing consultancy, report that people remember only 10% of what they read but 50% of what they see and hear.

In the videos below, we see some good examples of business owners and individuals who have used video to leverage their business opportunities and prospects of selling their cars. These videos also give some good ideas of the shots you can use if you wish to promote your own business and sell your car online.

1. Overview of Car Dealership.

The Nice Car Company really demonstrates how, in under 3 minutes, a business can provide a simple and informative video while also connecting and engaging with potential customers. From the outset there is a warm friendly hassle-free atmosphere. They use the video to highlight their advantages and explain thoroughly their services including the previous history of their cars, a full mechanical inspection and report and information and access to every car online. Most importantly, I believe this video highlights the company’s professionalism and credibility as a reputable car dealership and gives confidence to customers that they are receiving a fair and honest deal.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record your voice-over.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

2. Promoting your Dealership.

This video is a great example of how a simple one minute video can provide a potential client with a lot of information. The video highlights the friendly personal service you will receive. You get a full view of the dealership, inside and out, and the wide selection of cars on offer. Simple use of bullet-point style text highlights the services available including a test drive, certifications and guarantees as well as finance options. Why would you use a cumbersome brochure when you can visually showcase your business and cars on offer?

What you’ll need:

A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

3. Selling your own Car.

More and more people are beginning to sell their own car privately on auto trading websites. As video becomes mainstream, you will begin to see more of these trading sites excepting video reviews of cars for sale. If the saying goes “A picture tells a thousands words”, what must a video do?

In this video, we see a pristine 1991 Porsche Carrera for sale. The owner has used simply shots to highlight the beauty of his car. He teases us by drawing our attention to the sleek lines of the Porsche and its exquisite interior. However with old or classic cars, one always has the fear that the engine has seen better days. But not to worry, we see and hear the engine running which still sounds as smooth as the day it was made. You cannot convey this compelling message with a written description or photos.

What you’ll need:

A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

4. Become an Expert.

Weblogs are a great way to connect with a wider audience. It allows you to demonstrate your knowledge in a particular field. If you deliver high quality content on a regular basis, you will stand out from your competitors and will become recognised as a local expert in your industry. Here we see Keith McCahan, a senior salesman at Capital Ford Lincoln Mercury in Wilmington, N.C. He shares with us his extensive knowledge and experience, and gives sound advice to new up and coming sales people. Again, it emphasises the credibility and professionalism of the vendor.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record your voice-over.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

5. Customer Testimonials.

What better way to promote and advertise your business than getting quality customer testimonials. If your customers are saying great things about your dealership, then why not publicise those positive comments for everyone to see? A compelling customer testimony validates the claims you make about how great your business is. And the great thing about this video is its believability. The customers seem very authentic and you get the feeling you are receiving a genuine deal.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record the testimonials.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

Bonus Video

Thinking outside the Box.

I thought I would include this bonus video as I could not believe my eyes when I saw it. I am certainly not promoting this type of marketing idea but it does highlight that sometimes the most extreme marketing ideas work. Selling an extra 35 cars during the promotion is proof of this, plus they received great free advertising. However, I do wonder what the marketing meeting was like when someone piped up with the idea “How about we give away a free AK-47 with every car sold! Jackpot $$$$”.

Some other videos you may find useful –

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

Inspiration Videos – 5 Ways to Use Video to Market your Restaurant

2010-08-23T09:15:00Z

The restaurant industry has to be one of the most competitive and diverse industries to be a part of. Whether your restaurant is in a major city or a small rural village, how are you going to let potential diners know about your business, style of food and location? Adding a video to your website, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Google Maps can provide potential customers with an insight to your restaurant, the type of food on the menu, local produce used, unique selling points and of course, your location.

In the videos below, we examine how some restaurants and chefs that have used videos to highlight their business, skills, food, and more importantly to entice diners to their restaurants.

1. Tour of your Restaurant.

Creating an overall video tour of your restaurant will give your patrons an excellent understanding of your business, the style of food, the surroundings, as well as the staff who help make the restaurant work. Here we see a video created for the Guy Savoy restaurant in Paris. In this video, even though it is professionally made, there are a lot of great ideas that can be used in your video production. There are no great tricks or illusions in this video, it is simply well made. Firstly, we see the ingredients being chosen in the market, followed by the cleaning and preparation of the food, the doors open, patrons arrive and the action begins. We see the beautiful shots of the dishes which are the star of the show and finally we see the dedicated team that made it happen. This video highlights that a clean and simple style (both the food and video production) is always the best.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record sounds of the restaurant.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

2. Tour of Food

Creating a video highlighting your dishes can be great for any restaurant, but it can be especially useful for restaurants which provide speciality foods or ethnic dishes that maybe uncommon in your area. In this example, we see a food and drink tour of Bao Noodles Vietnamese restaurant located in Manhattan, NY. By allowing us to view some of their mouth-watering dishes and cocktails, the potential diner can almost smell and taste the food and will know exactly what to expect if they wish to visit.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record your voiceover.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

3. Unique Selling Points.

What makes you different? What makes your restaurant stand out from the rest? Why not make a video about it? Here we see how two chefs promote their restaurants by highlighting their unique selling points. In the first video, we see Head Chef Ryan Tate of the Savoy restaurant create a beautiful duck dish which uses fresh ducks from his local producer John Fazio. The chef also explains the process of cooking duck properly and why their restaurant believes in working with small farmers.

In the second video, we see something completely different. The Turnberry Resort in Scotland promotes their restaurant by highlighting their unique selling point “the Chef’s Table”. This fun and well made video, which emphasises the delicious food available, as well as the private service and surroundings offered by this “Chef’s Table”.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record your voiceover.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

4. Creating a Dish.

A great way of promoting your restaurant, the chef’s skill and food is to post regular weblogs. These weblogs can include the chef demonstrating how he/she produces their favourite dish, the process involved in creating a new dish, how to make a specific sauce, a particular cooking skill, cooking at a special event, etc. These weblogs will help build brand awareness, as well as highlighting the food on offer and talent of the chef. In this video, we see Chef Paolo Laboa of the Farina Restaurant creating his favourite Pesto Pasta dish. He demonstrates how using simple, fresh ingredients can produce appetising dishes.

Our tip if you are creating a video such as this using one camera, firstly film all the ingredients and then edit them in when necessary. You can also make your videos shorter, between 1 – 3 minutes long, which will help keep the viewer interested.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record your voiceover.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

5. Highlight Your Location.

The location of your business is always important as footfall is key to a successful business. But what if your restaurant is in a unique location, like a famous tourist spot / landmark or somewhere different like a stadium or train station? Why not show it off? The Black Pearls Seafood Restaurant is one such example. Located in Brussels Airport, they offer their customers a place to relax in comfort while also providing top class food. This simple 1 minute 30 seconds video clearly shows it’s the “very place you would want to spend a nice time awaiting your flight!”.

What you’ll need:

A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

Some other videos you may find useful –

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

Inspiration Videos – 5 Ways to Use Video for Real Estate

2010-08-17T10:35:00Z

Obviously the last couple of years have been tough for most Realtors and Estate Agents across the globe. In some markets things are picking up slightly, while in others (like Ireland), the market has remained challenging. To help their clients sell properties and to sign up new clients, realtors are looking at new ways of using technology, in particular video. Below, we have listed 5 easy, but innovative ways you can use video to enhance your Real Estate business.

1. Create a Video Tour of your Properties.

Creating a video tour of the property is much easier than you may have imagined. Looking at the video above, they have kept things simple – nice shots of the property with a recorded voiceover. The voiceover means you can write a detailed script and don’t have to worry about your presence front of camera. Be sure you have a tripod (shaky video will just look unprofessional) and that each room is well lit and turned out.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone to record your voiceover.
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

2. Create a Slideshow Tour of the Property

This option is even quicker – if you are commissioning professional photos of your property, why not make a video slideshow to bring the photos to life. Quickly add some text to highlight some important points of the property and you’re done. To achieve a similar effect to the video above, add some “Zoom” effects and keep your font choice crisp and simple (see here for more ideas on fonts). What makes this video so successful is the actual photos themselves – the lighting is immaculate, so push your photographer to make the most of lighting available on the property.

What you’ll need:

trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95
Photos

3. Give Sellers / Buyers Useful Advice

Pamela Liebman , CEO of the Corcoran Group is one of the most famous faces on the New York Real Estate scene. On the Corcoran Group Real Estate YouTube Channel, Ms. Liebman gives practical advice to sellers and buyers in bite-sized videos. Often less than 1 minute long, Liebman covers questions such as “How do I make an offer on an Apartment I Like?” or “How do I determine my price range for Buying a Home?” as well as questions that are very particular to New York.

As a real-estate agent, you know your city or neighbourhood probably better than anyone else – what questions do new buyers always ask? Create short videos that you can share on YouTube and your website that answer these common queries and highlight the positive aspects of the neighbourhoods where you sell – not only should it help traffic by covering keywords that buyers may be searching for, but also build your reputation as a “Trust Agent”.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120 (note, the Flip does not support an external mic)
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

4. Explain Complicated Technical Information

Buying, renting and leasing are often complicated processes and buyers/ sellers can be intimidated by legal requirements and the complicated form-filling that accompanies any property transaction. Why not create short videos (they can be 1 minute or less) clearly explaining some of the legal jargon that is part of the rental / lease / buying process in your jurisdiction.

I recently read that more new businesses were started in Ireland this year than in any previous year and I am sure this trend is reflected in many countries. The international down turn, has meant more and more people have become entrepreneurs and are starting their own businesses. If you are running a Commercial Property business, these potential clients may be completely new to their commercial renting and leasing market. Videos explaining important information that these users need to know could be a valuable tool to small businesses and portray your Real Estate business as the “human face” of commercial property.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120 (note, the Flip does not support an external mic)
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

5. Market your Real Estate Business

Obviously to maintain a healthy real estate business, you need a combination of new and satisfied clients who are buyers and sellers. Often estate agents can get a bad rep, so reverse this preconception with a video showing your offices, your staff and maybe even some happy customers.

What you’ll need:

A Microphone
A tripod – see here for a selection of affordable tripods
A Camcorder - Flip Camcorders and Kodak Zi8 camcorders are available from $120 (note, the Flip does not support an external mic)
trakAxPC – Buy now for $24.95

Some other videos you may find useful –

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya uses trakAxPC

2010-08-12T11:56:00Z

We are completely delighted to announce that the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) have chosen trakAxPC as their preferred media editor for the upcoming academic year. I asked the BA Media Programme Director, Antoni Roig Telo, why he chose trakAxPC as their software of choice:

“As a media programme director in an online University, I’m constantly looking for video tools that might be useful for our students in our virtual courses. For me, an ideal tool should meet at least the following principles: be affordable (we need a license for every single student and main information centres), with a slight learning curve, be easily accessible, be supported, be self-contained (demos or commercial-oriented limited products are not useful for us), be powerful and aimed to professional practice. Up to now, video editing software has been elusive; there are certainly free good tools around, and even some of them online (which is great for beginners and short projects), but none has filled our needs as Trakax, which provides the experience of working in a professional video editing environment in a matter of minutes. We asked our video editing professor, who is used to work in Final Cut and didn’t know about TrakAx to make some tests and arrange a little workshop: he was pleasantly surprised and agreed immediately that this was what we were looking for. A definitive great find for us.”
Antoni Roig Telo
Estudis de Ciències de la Informació i de la Comunicació
[Director del programa de Comunicació Audiovisual]
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

What is interesting about trakAxPC, is that educators of all levels have embraced it - from primary schools (10 - 12 year olds) right through to third level, as seen above with UOC. If you are an educator, you may be interested in our special education pricing on volume purchases of trakAxPC. We have also just announced our new dedicated Teachers’ Resource Area - http://www.trakax.com/software/trakaxpcEducation/. Sample lessons have all the resources educators will need to map out stimulating classes for a wide range of subjects. Lessons are composed of sample projects and activities that aim to improve IT skills, encourage team-work, assist goal-setting and planning, help organisational skills as well as highlighting students’ natural talents (eg. writing, researching, directing, performing, editing etc.). If you would like further information on purchasing trakAxPC for your education, please see our Education page or contact me directly - catriona@trakax.com

Lighting your Video - Tips for Small Businesses

2010-08-10T10:56:00Z

When you are creating a video for your small business (or any video for that matter), a key element of the recording will be you or a staff member speaking to the camera explaining your products and services. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to help your video look professional is the lighting. You don’t have to spend any money, just use what is available to you - overhead lights, natural light from windows, lamps etc. What’s more, once you get the set up you are happy with, you can use it over and over again for video blogs, product announcements etc.

Professionals often talk about “Three-Point Lighting” - which is a pretty simple theory. It involves a key light, a fill and a rim or back light. They often add a fourth point, which is a background light. As the name would suggest the Key Light is usually the most important source of light - in your video, you could try and use a large window or a strong lamp.

Play around with some lamps for the Back Light until you get the look you want - if the back light is too strong, your face may go into the shadows, so change the position (or lamp) until you get an even light. The Fill light is normally softer than the key and back light, so you could try a lamp with a lower wattage bulb or even some foam board from a Art and Hobby shop. Lastly you may want to turn on the overhead lights as a background light to brighten up the whole picture.

You’ll be surprised what a difference a little bit of time spent on the lighting will do for your video - as always, the more professional you look, the more trustworthy your business will appear.

The video below from Videomaker also gives some great tips of improving your lighting (especially if you decide to record outdoors):

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

New trakAxPC Video

2010-08-07T20:10:00Z

We created the two minute video below to show hopefully show all the features of trakAxPC quickly and concisely - all the editing was done with the software.

trakAxPC Video Tutorials Now with Closed Captions

2010-07-20T13:34:00Z

Over the last few weeks, we have added Closed Captions to our Video Support Tutorials. What is really interesting about adding Closed Captions to YouTube Videos is that is allows people to translate these videos into the language of their choice.

I have attached an example video below:

We would love to hear from users how they find the translations - are the translations clunky or are they actually really useful?

NEW - Dedicated Teachers’ Resource Area for trakAxPC in the Classroom

2010-07-13T17:20:00Z

We realise that teachers at all levels are continually trying to find new and imaginative ways to foster students’ creativity, awaken their interest in subjects and teach basic real-world skills, whilst always keeping an eye on the budget.

The team at trakAx.com are excited to announce our new dedicated Teachers’ Resource Area. We hope these resources will make teachers’ lives easier, especially teachers who are new to multimedia but are curious as to how they could incorporate it into their curriculum. Our sample lessons have all the resources you’ll need to map out stimulating classes for a wide range of subjects. Lessons are composed of sample projects and activities that aim to improve IT skills, encourage team-work, assist goal-setting and planning, help organisational skills as well as highlighting students’ natural talents (eg. writing, researching, directing, performing, editing etc.).

Including detailed instructions and a wide range of supporting documentation, sample lessons include “Podcasting”, “Making a Newscast”, “Creating a Public Service Announcement”, “Making a Mini Documentary” to name a few. Each lesson can be easily tailored to fit into the curriculum of subjects such as languages, history, geography, the sciences, music, civic studies, social studies, religious studies and more.

A single copy of trakAxPC costs just $24.95 and we offer generous discounts for volume purchases for educational institutions - please see here for more information. Built for Windows XP ®, Vista ® and Windows 7 ®, the goal of traxAxPC Pro is to empower users of all skill levels to create near-professional multimedia content with little or no previous experience. Building on the popularity of our free to use trakAxPC application, trakAxPC Pro introduces a huge range of new features and functionality, including one-click upload to YouTube (with support for YouTube HD), instant file conversion, Video Credits and Text, automatic crossfading for quick mixes, collaging (Picture-in-Picture), and support for all popular file formats (MPEG-4 / H.264, AAC, MP3 etc.).

For more information or for a tailored quote, please contact Catriona Barry.

20 Great Resources for Making Better Videos

2010-07-06T10:30:00Z

We have put together a list of some really great resources to help you create better videos. Some of the tips are super simple, while others will take your skills to the next level. If you have any tips or resources that you'd like to share, please drop us a comment.

The 5 Deadly Sins of Amateur Video

Some easy tips on improving your recording technique

Handheld Video Camera Shooting Tips

Some slightly more advanced tips for recording with the camcorder

Using a Tripod to stabilize your shots

Using a tripod (even an extremely cheap one) will really help you get a more professional look

Recording Audio - Tips

Lighting Techniques

Filmmaking For Dummies by Bryan Michael Stoller
See: “Let there be lighting” Chapter 11 page 167
http://tinyurl.com/3ydezz9 - Google Books

Videomaker's Lighting Techniques 101

Moviemaking Techniques - 80 Degree Rule

Moviemaking Techniques - Rule of Thirds

Moviemaking Techniques - Shot Types

Videomaker's Shot Types 101

MIA Tutorials - Shot Types

"DV filmmaking: from start to finish" by Ian David Aronson
see “Composing a Shot” Chapter 3 / page 25
http://tinyurl.com/3yvqud4 - Google Books

Storyboarding Resources

Wikipedia - Storyboards
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard

Ohio State University - Storyboard Resources
http://accad.osu.edu/womenandtech/Storyboard%20Resource/

Video Production Handbook
see Chapter: 3.15 p.34
http://tinyurl.com/34ofsv3 - Google Books

The Videomaker Guide to Video Production
See Chapter 24. Page 104
http://tinyurl.com/35s3v8u - Google Books

Filmmaking For Dummies by Bryan Michael Stoller
See Chapter 9. Page 129
http://tinyurl.com/3ydezz9

Video Transitions

Introduction to Natural Transitions

Basic Transitions

Introduction to more Technical Editing

Video Editing – History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editing

What is B-Roll Footage?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Roll

J and L Cuts
http://www.trakax.com/software/about/comments/video_basics_j_and_l_cuts/

Videomaker - Cutting on the Action
This is a more advanced recording and editing technique

Remember trakAxPC can be used for all your video editing needs. Take advantage of our special price - buy trakAxPC today for just $24.95.

Transparent Image Support Coming Soon

2010-06-22T13:22:00Z

Another update on the development roadmap - support for transparent images (PNGs and Gifs) will be available in the upcoming release.

A few of our users who are tennis and golf instructors wanted to added circles / arrows etc. to highlight certain postures and moves when analysing their students’ performance. The short video below will show how quick and easy this will be with the new release.

If you purchase trakAxPC today, you will be eligible for this upgrade free of charge and remember trakAxPC Pro is only US$24.95!

Video Basics – J and L Cuts

2010-06-16T16:19:00Z

With trakAxPC Pro, we want users to be able to have fun editing and creating videos without getting bogged down in complicated software or convoluted technical terms. However, learning some very basic editing tricks can immensely improve your final cuts. In this short blog, I want to show how powerful, yet subtle transitions called J and L cuts can be used.

J and L cuts can also be called “audio advance” (J Cut) or “video advance” (L Cut) – this is actually a much easier way of thinking of it. An audio advance cut is where you can hear the audio before you see the accompanying video and a video advance cut is the opposite.

The name comes from how the edits can appear in modern video editing applications, like the letters L and a J - think it would be fair to say you may need to use some imagination.

Although you may not be aware of the technical terms, you see these transitions every day. They are used almost constantly on news reports – standing in front of the camera, the reporter gives an overview of the situation, for example an erupting volcano. The video then cuts to show footage of the erupting volcano, while we continue to hear the reporter’s audio report. The opposite is probably even more common – we see footage of the erupting volcano while we hear the reporter’s audio report. We then cut to the video of the reporter in front of the camera who then finishes the piece. (Simply watching some news reports from BBC News, CNN, Sky News etc. on YouTube will give you an idea of how common this form of editing is).

Rather than getting too bogged down in technical details – watch the video below and keep an eye out for various L and J Cuts:

Here’s another really great example of these cuts in action:

I think you would agree that they are a very subtle but powerful way to tell a story.

There are tons of ways you can use L and J cuts to improve your videos (they are really important for interviews and dialogue scenes and we will cover this in another post). In trakAxPC, creating J and L cuts couldn’t be easier and there are various ways you can implement them. You can simply adjust the start point of your video using your cursor and the “adjust length indicator” until you reach the point which will make for a natural transition. You can even just drop the second video clip on top of the original video clip (although be careful if they have different frame dimensions that you can’t see any overlap). Another quick way is to use the split segment tool, so you can remove the video you want to replace. One handy tip is to use the group tool, so that as you edit, your original audio and video remains synced.

You can read a more technical explanation below from Wikipedia -

An L cut, also known as a split edit, is an edit transition from one shot to another in film or video, where the picture and sound are synchronised but the transitions in each are not coincident. This is often done to enhance the aesthetics or flow of the film as L cuts allow the audience to see context (either before or after) of speaking rather than simply the speaking itself. Without L cuts, a conversation between two people can feel like a tennis match.

L cuts are also used to hide transitions between scenes. They can be very effective in editing dialog scenes shot with a single camera using multiple takes. The ability to cut the picture/video separately from the sound/audio allows the sound from the various takes to flow smoothly, even though the picture cuts are at different places. In longer shots, this allows the editor to use the picture from one take with the sound from another take if the dialog reading is better.

The name of the cut refers to the shape of the cut pieces of the film - the audio track is cut somewhat after (or before) the last frame of video, resulting in roughly L-shaped film ends, as the video and audio parts of film are in tracks, one below, one above, on the film itself.

If you have any questions on this post or any aspects of trakAxPC, please leave a comment.

Thanks!

5 Tips for Vacation Videos

2010-06-08T14:36:01Z

With holiday time coming upon us, we put together our 5 Top Tips for creating great Vacation Videos.

1. Travel Light

You’re on holidays and one thing sure to make you grumpy is carrying heavy loads of equipment in the heat. This isn’t a commercial project, so relax a bit and only carry what is comfortable. You will probably want a spare battery. A camcorder cover can be vital if you are shooting around sand or salt water. You could just use a plastic trash bag as a cover or you can check out these covers on Amazon.

2. Don’t move the Camera Constantly

Try and take one detailed shot at a time and if you must move the camera, try and keep it slow and steady (holding the camcorder with two hands can really help with this). We’ve all seen holiday footage that scans frantically over the scene trying to take in everything or the holiday maker who simply walks around everywhere with the camcorder constantly recording. All it does is leave the viewer pretty seasick. You probably don’t want to carry a tripod around with you on holiday, but you could look into a cheap monopod that can double as a walking/hiking stick – (check out these pretty cool ones on Amazon for $15) – or if you are using your camera, these Digidude Tripod keychains are very cute. Try and take a few moments and set up the best shot and you can then edit them altogether afterwards.

Here is a great example of a holiday video made up with some great detailed shots by Cameron Moll on a trip to Rome.

3. Shoot Street Signs and other images for Cutaway Footage

Record signs, street signs, maps and other images that identify where you are and what you’re looking at. These shots can make great video cutaways for bad cuts, dodgy camera work or simply as a bridge from one scene to the next.

4. Edit Your Video Once you get home

Everyone has a drawer full of old photos that never got sorted into albums. Unless you edit your holiday video shortly after coming home, chances are you never will. Give yourself a free afternoon or evening that you can sit down in peace and put your video together (with trakAxPC of course). It doesn’t have to be very long – I spotted this video from Marco Abis on Vimeo – it is only 1min 30 and seems to encapsulate a great holiday to New York.

5. Be Careful & Enjoy your holiday!

Camcorders and cameras are always prime targets for thieves in holiday destinations, so be careful with your stuff – especially in places when you could be leaving your stuff down like having a coffee or getting cash from the bank machine. Mark Shapiro of the San Diego Union Tribune is a big fan on the “ugly box” theory. Instead of using a camcorder case that proudly displays the manufacturer’s name, he uses his personal favourite – a diaper bag – “No one steals a diaper bag, especially if you get a few clean cloth diapers and wrap them around your camcorder to provide padding.” Although if you wanted something a little more classy, I did see these pretty cool Cloak Camera Bags, which look slick and allow you to take photos without getting the camera out of the bag.

Finally enjoy your holiday. You don’t have to capture every moment – you’re meant to be on holidays. Pass the camera around – let your kids, wife, husband, partner, friend take some shots and footage, so you don’t feel “on” the whole time.

trakAxPC Wiki Launched

2010-06-04T14:11:00Z

We have been working away on a Wiki for trakAxPC for the last few weeks and think it is now ready to be launched into the world.

We had a few reasons for creating a Wiki. The first one was to make it easier to search for answers to your queries, for example “How to insert envelope nodes?”. We also realised that although people loved the video tutorials, sometimes you don’t have time to watch a 7 minute video tutorial. Now all videos have detailed markers allowing you to jump to particular points in the video from the Wiki - so for example you want to know how to Split a Segment, when you Watch the Video you are brought directly to the section of the video that shows you how to do this.

Although it isn’t a perfect solution, we wanted some way of non-English speakers of accessing some support in their own language. Using the Google translation service, at least users can get a basic overview of the features and functionality in their own language.

The Wiki will continue to grow as we add further information and articles. If you have any suggestions or would like to contribute to the Wiki, please do not hesitate to contact me - catriona@trakax.com.

I look forward to hearing your feedback!

AVCHD, .MOV and FLV Support

2010-06-01T18:52:00Z

Just wanted to post a quick update to the development roadmap - I can confirm that AVCHD .MOV and FLV files will be supported in the upcoming release (importing only).

The new release contains some significant updates, which you can view below this post - improved transitions, faster parsing and thumbnail support. We have a bit more testing to do and hope to have a release date with you as soon as possible.

As always, anyone who purchases trakAxPC is eligible for this upgrade for Free.

Thanks!

Catriona

Coming Soon - Slides and Offsets

2010-05-12T08:40:00Z

We been working really hard on the forthcoming update to trakAxPC and I thought I would give a quick update on some of the new features. One area we have been concentrating on (thanks for your feedback!) is improved effects and transitions. I have attached a short video below to show the new Slide and Offset effects:

In case you’re worried, if you purchase trakAxPC now, you’ll be eligible for this upgrade when released.

Looking forward to hearing what you think.