ARCSOFT® PRODUCT FAMILY ArcSoft PhotoStudio ® Awesome photo editing for the home or office. Work with layers and enhance your photos in a number of ways. Windows (V. 5.5) · Macintosh (V. 4) ArcSoft VideoImpression TM Create multimedia presentations by combining photos and video clips with audio, text and scene transitions. Windows ArcSoft PhotoImpression TM This all-in-one solution blends powerful photo editing with project templates and a slick, easy-to-use interface. Windows · Macintosh ArcSoft PhotoBase TM Your complete multimedia manager. Sort, share and archive your multimedia collections in the easiest way possible. Windows ArcSoft Panorama Maker TM Stitch together photos to create awesome panoramic images. Make horizontal, vertical, tiled or 360° masterpieces. Windows · Macintosh ArcSoft PhotoPrinter ® Print multiple photos on a single page and multiple pages at one time. Edit and enhance your photos, too. Windows · Macintosh ArcSoft ShowBiz ® DVD Take your home videos and turn them into incredible DVD movies complete with customized menus and text. Windows ArcSoft PhotoBase TM - Mobile Edition Manage, edit and share your photos wherever you go. Currently available for Palm OS, Pocket PC and Nokia phone users. ArcSoft DVD SlideShow TM Combine custom slide shows with video and burn to DVD disc. Windows ArcSoft PhotoMontage ® Video Edition It's the coolest way to present and share your pictures. Use thousands of photos to create a larger, single image. Windows ArcSoft DVD & CD Suite TM Organize, store, and share movies, audio tracks, and other files on DVD or CD. Super easy to use with tons of options. Windows ArcSoft Funhouse ® Put your face on a magazine cover, other picture or scene. Take your imagination to the next level. Windows · Macintosh ArcSoft QuickDVD TM By far, the coolest, easiest way to make DVD movies from home videos and prerecorded TV shows. A few clicks and you're ready to go. Windows XP MCE ArcSoft DVD Player TM Experience outstanding playback of your DVD movies, music, and video files through this incredible multimedia player. Windows ArcSoft Greeting Card Creator TM Make your own custom greeting cards year-round for any occasion using photos from your own image collections. Windows · Macintosh ArcSoft Collage Creator TM Piece together awesome collages that just can't be made by hand. Tons of tools give you boundless freedom. Windows To order, log on to www.arcsoft.com 46601 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538, USA · Tel: 1.510.440.9901 · Fax: 1.510.440.1270 - LICENSING AGREEMENT The following is a legal software license agreement between you, the software end user, and ArcSoft, Inc. Carefully read this license agreement before using the product. Using the product indicates that you have read this license agreement and agree to its terms. If you do not agree to the terms, promptly return the package to the place it was purchased within 10 days of the date you acquired it for a full refund. Grant of License. This license permits you to use one copy of the software included in this package on any single computer. For each software licensee, the program can be in use on only one computer at any given time. The software is in use when it is either loaded into RAM or installed into the hard disk or other permanent memory. A multi-seat license permit from ArcSoft is required if the program is going to be installed on a network server for the sole purpose of distribution by other computers, or if the program is going to be installed on and used by more than one computer. Copyright. The software contained in this package is owned by ArcSoft and is protected by United States copyright laws, international treaty provisions, and all other applicable national laws. The software must be treated like all other copyrighted materials (e.g. books and musical recordings). This license does not allow the software to be rented or leased, and the written materials accompanying the software (if any) may not be copied. Limited Warranty. ArcSoft, Inc., warrants that the software contained herein will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying documentation. No Other Warranties. ArcSoft disclaims all other warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the software, the accompanying written materials, and any accompanying hardware (if any). No Liability for Consequential Damages. In no event shall ArcSoft or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever (including but not limited to damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) which result from an inability to use this software, even if ArcSoft, Inc. has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Because some states and jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential or incidental damages, the above limitations may not apply to you. U.S. Government Restricted Rights. The software and documentation are provided with Restricted Rights. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 or subparagraphs (c)(1),(2), and (3) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights at 48 CFR 52.227-19, as applicable, and any amendments thereto. The manufacturer is ArcSoft, Inc., 46601 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94538. If this product was purchased in the United States, this Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California; otherwise, local laws may apply. ARCSOFT SHOWBIZ DVD 2.1 - TABLE OF CONTENTS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS INTRODUCTION CAPTURING VIDEO EDITING / ASSEMBLING VIDEO CLIPS CREATING A DVD 2 3 4 5 15 -1- ARCSOFT SHOWBIZ DVD 2.1 - SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS · · · · · · · · · Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP (Windows 2000/XP recommended) Pentium III 800 MHz or higher (P4 1.6 GHz or higher recommended) 400 MB free hard drive space for program installation 4 GB+ free hard drive space for video capture and editing 128 MB RAM (512 MB DDR RAM recommended) 16-bit color display at 1024 x 768 DirectX 9 Windows Media Player 9 recommended 7200 RPM hard drive recommended Note: 1 hour of DV video requires 13 GB of hard drive space. -2- ARCSOFT SHOWBIZ DVD 2.1 - INTRODUCTION Welcome! Are you ready to learn how to capture, edit, and create DVDs on your computer? Great! We'll walk you through these three main processes to help you put together and share your own home movies. Don't forget to consult the built-in Help file--it goes over every button and command found in the program. Here, we'll go step-by-step through the video capture, edit, and authoring procedures. They may not require the description of every command, so just be sure to have that handy Help file open whenever you're working on a project. Choose where you want to go! (You can also navigate using the links at the top of every page.) · · · Capture video Edit/assemble video clips Create a DVD movie -3- ARCSOFT SHOWBIZ DVD 2.1 - CAPTURING VIDEO The first thing you'll probably want to do before you make your movie is transfer some video from your camera (or another video device) to your computer. We've made it easy. We'll start from square one. In this walkthrough, we'll capture from a digital video (DV) camera. 1. Connect your camera to the computer and turn the power on. 2. Launch the program. From the welcome wizard, select "Capture or Edit Video." 3. From the next screen, select "Capture" in the top left corner of the screen. Once within the Capture module, you'll see controls for navigating through the video on your camera: Use the playback controls to jump to the spot where you would like to begin recording. When you're all set, click the big red Record button beneath the preview window. You can now define the specifics of your captured file: · · · · Choose the file name and save location Set the file type. If you plan on using the video when you create a DVD, choose the DVD (MPEG-2) file type. You can optionally enter in the capture time. If you have a really long video and only want to capture a small part, use this option. You'll almost definitely want to save your captured file to an album. If you plan on doing any type of editing, it's going to need to be in an album. You'll learn more about albums in the Edit section. -4- ARCSOFT SHOWBIZ DVD 2.1 - EDITING / ASSEMBLING VIDEO CLIPS Because the creative possibilities here are limitless, it's a bit difficult to do a step-based walkthough. Instead, we'll talk about the fundamentals of creating a custom video clip. The heart of the program lies in this section; here's where you can get really creative by making truly unique and professional-looking videos. Don't forget to use this tutorial along with the built-in Help file. The Help file details the functions of each button and option. OVERVIEW Video clips are created by adding content (existing videos, photos, and audio tracks) to a template called the STORYBOARD. The Storyboard can also referred to as the TIMELINE. The Storyboard/Timeline is basically a template for the creation of your movie. They represent different views of the same thing. You add still images, videos, and scene transitions when in Storyboard view. In addition to these, you can add audio, text, and special effects using the Timeline. So as you can see, you aren't limited to pictures, video clips, and music. You can also add transitions between each component that you add (for example, you can have one video clip fade out as the next one fades in), as well as other special effects. You can add scrolling text for beginning titles or end credits. When you're done, you video can then be included as a chapter in your final DVD. The Storyboard displays still images, video clips, and transitions. The Timeline displays still images, videos, transitions, text, audio, and special effects. If you want to create a basic video that consists of smaller video clips and still images, stick to the Storyboard. If you'd like to include additional audio tracks, special effects, and text, you'll need to use the Timeline. Practice makes perfect! Use the included sample content to play around with the Timeline and all of its options. When your final video is compiled, all the content is processed into a single video. The video will progress through each clip and image that you've added. -5- ARCSOFT SHOWBIZ DVD 2.1 The bulk of your options are accessed through the top portion of the screen that is divided into numerous tabs: MEDIA, TEXT, TRANSITIONS, EFFECTS, and EXPORT (this last may not appear until you've actually started to construct your video). All of your content comes from "albums." Before we go any further, you're going to need to have a basic understanding of what albums are and how they work. ALBUMS In order to add content to the Storyboard/Timeline, you need to first create an album. Albums consist of shortcuts that link to files stored on your computer. If you can master this concept (and it isn't that difficult, trust us), you're way ahead of the game. Think of album content in the same light as shortcuts on your desktop or taskbar. The icons that you click aren't the actual program icons; they're merely shortcuts. It's the same with albums. Albums contain shortcuts to your pictures, music, and videos. There are a few sample albums included. You can create multiple albums, giving each one a unique name. For example, you can have one album for vacation photos, another one for family events... you get the idea. Obviously, you need to know the location of the photos, videos, and sounds that you want to include in your album. To create a new album: 1. Make sure you are within the "Media" tab. From the album pull-down, choose "." 2. Enter in a new album name. Just click on and type over the existing name. -6- ARCSOFT SHOWBIZ DVD 2.1 3. Click where indicated to browse your system for files to add to the album. You can add still pictures, video clips, and audio tracks. 4. To add additional files at any other time, click the Add button. Once your album is ready, you can then add content to the Storyboard/Timeline. Remember, the album thumbnails only link to the actual files on your system. If you delete, rename, or move the actual files, you won't be able to use the respective thumbnails in the album to add to your project. Also, don't forget that you can create more than one album. Organize your media so that it's easy to find what you need when you're making your movies. ADDING CONTENT TO THE STORYBOARD With your albums ready to go, you can now add content to the Storyboard and start to piece together your movie. Let's take a look at part of a blank Storyboard: You'll notice that the Storyboard consists of several squares. The large ...