PREMIERE ELEMENTS 14 Getting started

The best way is to simply use the programme's self-contained guides - follow the screenshots below (after you've clicked on video editing from the launch window):

Click on GUIDED on the top menu

You will get a playable video and can skip using this menu

You can select the area you want guidance on

...

PREMIERE ELEMENTS 14: Green Screen

You're much better off using a Mac but if you are using a PC and this software, then its not so difficult to apply the green screen effect...
I've embedded a how-to video below; for most things you want to do, you will be able to find how-to videos or web pages. This video has 56 seconds of initial waffle (advice on how to use a green screen, not waffle if you haven't used it yet!); go straight to 0:56 here.

You can also find a guide I did on green screening in Final Cut Pro X here.

VIDEO OPTIONS FOR GREEN SCREEN BACKGROUNDS

the following have pre-programmed a range of green screened (perfectly ironed/flattened/lit!) Xmas-themed backgrounds, or elements that can be added: snow, Xmas trees, Flash-style Santas...
Thanks to Paulina for suggesting these resources.

This user has several, such as...



There are others, such as 'Birmingham Vlogger':





And PixelBoom...



You can always search for more

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT MAPS Premiere Pro

Anyone I've taught for a length of time will have heard me frequently explaining the importance of taking time to learn keyboard shortcuts, as video editing is such a time intensive task.

This morning I spot a post from the simply superb NoFilmSchool site sharing some keyboard maps, in this case for Premiere Pro. 

You can find the link below, but here's a short quote...

I often harp on the importance of keyboard shortcuts in editing, and for good reason. They will save you so much time in the long run.

Read the full article here.

SHOOTS ten tips for a successful shoot

I'm sure there are plentiful more learned guides out there - and I'd always encourage reading video/film-makers' books (Alex Cox is very readable on his low-budget Indie shoots) - but these are ten simple bits of advice based on years of observing student filming, especially the common disasters that happen...

FCPX plug-ins

Budget limitations may mean you'll have to pay for it yourself, but do be aware there are many great plug-ins out there for Final Cut Pro X (and most major video editing suites).

We looked recently at a very specific example, as students looked to emulate aspects of some depeche Mode videos they particularly admired:

FINAL CUT PRO X CAMERA EMULATOR PLUGINAs raised when looking at these, you can emulate super-8 and 16mm (etc) cameras by purchasing FCPX plugins (this one is $50 - you may need to buy it yourself and carry edited clips from your own Mac to a school one).

[copied across from a post on Depeche Mode and the French New Wave style]

GoPro Silver 4 user guides

(TBC)

If, like me, you'd never previously used one, even simply getting it out of its protective case is an initial challenge - it comes in the fully enclosed waterproof casing. This video got me over that hurdle...

...
GoPro Apps

WEBSITES Using Wix to build your band website

IN THIS POST: Guides and how-to's for using Wix to build your own band website, incorporating multiple top-linked pages and deep social media integration, plus e-commerce for merchandise and music sales (even if not ultimately connected to a card/payment account), search engine hits (SEO) and more specific techniques through YouTube guides. 

To view a range of student websites following the music promo package brief, see this post.

First up, perhaps uniquely, an advert...


WHY WIX?
You may not have heard of Wix before now (I hadn't until it was recently recommended to me), but it is a high profile, internationally popular website build option (they claim its used in 180 countries), reflected in the range of languages how-to YouTube videos come in. It fares well when compared to rivals. It operates a freemium model - you can access most things for free, but can pay for more options.

Wix manages to make intricate, fully-featured website design easy and intuitive - and there are plentiful online guides...