Create Cool Videos Without Pricey Software

WANT TO MAKE a custom video, the kind with photos, music, and video clips? Normally, it’s a time-consuming or expensive hassle. You could use Microsoft’s free Windows Live Movie Maker, but it’s pretty limited (and kind of a pain in the neck, in my humble opinion). Or you could spend about $100 on an editing app like Adobe Premiere Elements or Pinnacle Studio. But those are big and complex—and like Movie Maker, they have to be installed. Surely there must be some kind of cloud based alternative? There is, and it’s called Animoto (animoto.com). This service (which we selected for last month’s roundup of incredibly useful sites; see find.pcworld.com/70057) makes movie creation quick and easy, and the results look like something that took days or weeks to produce in a commercial editing program. First, you upload photos and videos. If your media is already online somewhere, no problem: Animoto can pull from Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and other sites. Second, you choose music. You can upload a favorite MP3 or choose a track from Animoto’s extensive (but mostly indie) library. Finally, you select a pace: normal, half speed, or 2X speed. With that done, Animoto assembles everything into a slick video, with titles, transitions, and special effects. Don’t like the finished product? You can make changes manually or just let Animoto take another whack at it the site will generate different results every time. When you’re satisfied, you can share the video via Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail, or download it for your use. I like Animoto’s pricing options. You can test-drive the service for free, but that limits you to a 30-second movie. You can buy a fulllength (10-minute) flick for just $3. If you plan to use Animoto a lot, $30 pays for a one-year membership (and all the videos you can make).

Source of Information : PC World July 2010