Try Try Again
The thought that after writing my second book, I would take on such endeavors as video creation was something I had not seriously entertained. Life always throws curve balls at us, and life has taught me it is better to attempt catching those balls rather than letting them smack me in the head. Besides, the knots created by my lack of attention made my hats fit funny whenever that happened.
We are always young enough to learn new things. It may take the grey cells longer when we're older, but not trying, concludes, "I already know everything," or "I don't want to bother to learn anymore." Both of these positions bring us closer to death. For me, neither is an alternative.
Someone may tell you that it is easy. I guarantee you it is not. It will sometimes be nerve-wracking and frustrating to learn from someone or try to teach yourself something new. Be mindful that both are good things.
Nerve-wracking is a mental and physical test of endurance. Frustration is a sign of growth. It screams - a challenge is at hand. You won't learn everything all at once, but given time, you will surprise yourself when you put out the effort. Whatever you do, don't be whomever Mark Twain references in this quote:
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
For a pretty penny, I hired a company to make a book trailer for my second book, Peculiar People. What the company presented me with at first was disappointing. After much back and forth, this company and I agreed on a version that later I kicked myself for accepting. That hurt almost as much as how much money I had spent.
The video was within the margin of okay, but its audio was a HUGE, disappointment. There is no one to blame but myself for giving in and saying it was okay. But, as the saying goes, that is water under the bridge.
I had a video that was in the mid-range of acceptability, with audio so repellant I was too uncomfortable posting it anywhere. The problem was not with the music itself, but that the song was the theme song for the renowned "Sex and the City" franchise.
For everyone other than the thirteen people who have not heard the theme music for that series and thus would not recognize it, it was inappropriate for my book trailer. Although it is a catchy tune, it is so specific to Sex and the City, that I would look like an idiot if I allowed my book trailer to go out into the world with that song accompanying it.
There is no rational reason I accepted the final book trailer in the first place, but I did. After writing the book and the months following involving endless editing, I was worn down and out. These facts are the only reason I would allow myself to give in instead of standing up and saying, "No, do it again."
Because I had accepted it, for the most part, I ignored the trailer completely. There was no escaping the insidious nagging voice in my head that bombarded some of my quieter moments with the nitpicking reminder of how much I had spent on the blasted trailer, leaving me wondering how long it would be before I would face my dilemma and figure out what I could do.
Having never made a trailer, book or otherwise, and not knowing even if I could alter that which was already in existence, moving forward was nerve-wracking. Research led me to places I never wanted to go to again, leaving my brain tattered and frayed.
Long story getting longer: I found a way to remove the original soundtrack and eventually added new music to the video. And this leads me to believe there is no limit to do-it-yourself projects. I can tell you, it was like a Christmas miracle!
“Try, try again” has become a motto I live by, and once again, through exasperated exhales, that process saved the day.
Here is a synopsis of what I did using two different editing programs offered by Microsoft. I am not encouraging you to purchase Microsoft products. Like so many of you, I have a PC and have little choice. Computers are far too expensive, as is the software that accompanies them. There is always a way to spend more money.
Companies such as Microsoft, Apple, etc., would pick the pockets clean of the last penny in our thrift store jeans if given the opportunity. So, deciding to learn something new using a financially conservative route made sense to me. After all, I had already forked out the money for the blasted computer.
I gathered several still photos and put them together using a free program called Photos Legacy. I found it in my list of Apps on my computer. Once in the program, I saw a tab with the words Video Editor. I clicked on it and traversed my way around, over and through places I had never been. There are many options in Photos Legacy, many I still need to learn how to use. I experimented with a few, such as adding text, graphics, sound, changing timing, etc.
From my library of pictures, I chose those I would start playing around with, clicked on them from within the Photo Legacy's program and added them to the Storyboard once they were all uploaded. There are many options for adding text and audio, all presenting a learning curve for me. I had never done anything in this program before, so it took a while; but, once I better understood what to do, each attempt became more manageable. I must have made five to seven experimental videos before finding one I was okay with. At that point, I clicked on Finish Video in the screen's top right-hand corner. When the video finished processing, I went to my downloads where Photo Legacy saved it and dragged the finished video to my desktop. I could have stopped there, but I wanted to try something out.
Using another "freebie" that comes with Windows 11 called Clipchamp, I muddled through figuring out what I could and could not do with the free version of that program. Since I already subscribed to Microsoft 365, I got a few perks that I otherwise would not have. If you have Microsoft 365, sign in to Clipchamp from there. You will see you get a touch more than if you did not have a Microsoft 365 subscription and less than the highest level of editing tools Clipchamp offers.
Clipchamp presented its unique processes just as Photo Legacy had. When I first opened Clipchamp, I saw a variety of templates to choose from. I did not use one since I had already created my video. I mainly went into Clipchamp to pick out the audio, as they have a wider choice of free music than Photo Legacy.
Next, I clicked Create a New Video, followed the instructions, dragged the video from the desktop, and dropped it into the designated area. I also could have chosen the "Import Media" tab and found my desired material that way.
In Clipchamp, there are different sections where you can place your video and audio files. Each will be placed on a separate row. You must highlight each area you want to work in when ready by clicking on it. Any additions or changes you make will reflect only that area of your video. Let's say you want to make a song last longer than it is or make it shorter to fit the time of your video. You can use more than one section (row) for that music file.
For example, your video is longer than the song, so you find a place within the music file and cut the file using the scissors icon above where the videos and music files are. Then drag the remaining part of the file to the next section down. You can either lengthen the music file by adding some to the song on the second line or shorten it by cutting out an area and deleting it.
The only way to figure it out is to do it. Playing around with the music using one, two, or even three areas may be the only way you can get a song to match the length of your video.
You can do the same thing with still shots you are using to turn into MP4s. Lining up the different sections of music or video so that there is no noticeable gap is time-consuming, but like with anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it.
Be sure to SAVE a backup of your original file! Once the video is complete, you will want to make a backup of it too. Clipchamp does not save your file in the free version.
Those were the basic instructions I can remember. Every time I go back into either of these programs, it takes me a minute to remember what I thought I knew the last time I was there!
If I like creating videos, I may invest in a more elaborate program. However, these two programs are enough for me to play around with for now.
Suppose I were to have started this project on a Monday, and you asked me what I was doing. I would have answered, "I'm not sure." If you followed up with me the following Thursday and asked what I had done, I would have had to say, "I have no idea." The hows took time, a lot of time. At first, the memory of the hows remained a mystery to me. Now that I have done one after another and then a few more, my attempts to figure out how to use these two programs have left me with some success.
In the final analysis, I removed the original audio from the book trailer to my book Peculiar People. I successfully added audio that I could live with, keeping the original video's integrity.
That was a big win.
After achieving that, I thought about my first book, Biddy, which does not have a book trailer. Having a book trailer for it could be helpful for marketing purposes. And now, with everything I have been practicing and experimenting with, the question racing around in my head is, “Why don't I try to do one myself?”
I had to acknowledge I had no video for the book Biddy as I did for Peculiar People. At least with that book, my biggest challenge was to exchange the original audio with something else. This time around, I have less than that. I have zilch.
No, that is not entirely true. I have the book, and I know the story. Heck, I wrote it! I have a camera and can use Procreate, a drawing program for iPad, if I need to draw pictures for the book trailer, instead of finding any online that would work for me. Pardon me! That is a lot easier said than done. That would entail using a whole new program on a different device than my PC. That could entail another several hours of intense concentration and, at the least, a neckache by the end of the day, without any promise of a completed book trailer.
These were my thoughts last week. This week I started to see if I could use still shots to create a video using the programs I currently have access to. I have many pictures I can experiment with, and it is best to see if I can make still shots turn into an MP4 video of any quality before I try to find pictures or draw my own for a book trailer I may or may not be able to create with the resources I have!
After a few hours of trying and trying again, I came up with my first from scratch, still photos into MP4 video production! It has room, no, a whole house full of opportunity for improvement, but it is a beginning. I am posting it here and on my YouTube channel.
Today if you asked me how I did it, I'm not entirely sure. What I have written here is to the best of my recollection.
I am still learning, and like the editing process writers live with, "Try, try again" rings in my mind. For now, I will leave you with my "test video," made with random photos, and will get back to work on creating a book trailer for my first book, "Biddy."
Watch these and other videos at tickling the keyboard on youtube
Stay tuned :)