Children Animoto Slide Show

torags

Trying to develop a skill for this method of slide show (the music, speed, etc)

This is a free "trial" short version: Twins at 15 months

http://animoto.com/play/rMD65BE6hqn0PQYNuLejWQ?autostart=true

chrisdg

torags wrote:

Trying to develop a skill for this method of slide show (the music, speed, etc)

This is a free "trial" short version: Twins at 15 months

http://animoto.com/play/rMD65BE6hqn0PQYNuLejWQ?autostart=true

Well, as you likely discovered during the trial, with Animoto there is no "skill" one can develop, since they do 95% of the work for you. You only choose the order of the images, add some titles, and select the song, and based upon the tempo they generate the slides, the effects, the transitions, etc. If there is any single thing you don't like about what they compiled for you, your only choice is to request a total remix and hope for better. Unfortunately, even with the tamest slow-tempo music piece, the slides can still be quite over-the-top and not often suited for portraiture. I find it great for compiling slides of action like sporting events and distributing it to the families of the players on my son's teams - with little effort and low cost.

Legally speaking, you also have to have the rights to the song, or choose one of the copyright-free pieces that is available at Animoto or on a number of music sites.

Animoto is a great site for incredibly quick and easy high-energy Mtv style videos. But if you really want to learn how to fuse music, video and photography into a custom quality presentation, I highly recommend ProShow Producer.

Jeremy Winterberg

I agree with Chrisdg. The place I work at back home uses Animoto for their slideshows... I can't stand them. Cause they're all generic basically. I mean if your clients want that then give them that.

I use ProShow Producer for my slideshows... Yes, it takes a tad longer to make them, but they're personalized and you can charge more for them and not feel bad about it!

torags

Just getting my toe in the water....

I don't think I want to be a video producer, hell I don't even like the effort for Photoshop.

This seems to be a quick and dirty solution for the tech challenged like me.

chrisdg

torags wrote:

Just getting my toe in the water....

I don't think I want to be a video producer, hell I don't even like the effort for Photoshop.

This seems to be a quick and dirty solution for the tech challenged like me.

Sure. go for it, it's a fun product. I guess I was just thrown by the statement "Trying to develop a skill"

torags

chrisdg wrote:

Sure. go for it, it's a fun product. I guess I was just thrown by the statement "Trying to develop a skill"

Believe me getting the music started right is a skill to me.

I have lowered expectations - I own a D90.

Seeing Vincent Muniers work on a 300s got me invigorated. That said, when you see the end of the promo vid and see all the credits to video folks - there is a lot more than meets the eye (pun intended)

Thanks for the link

AnimotoBecky

chrisdg wrote:

Animoto is a great site for incredibly quick and easy high-energy Mtv style videos. But if you really want to learn how to fuse music, video and photography into a custom quality presentation, I highly recommend ProShow Producer.

Hey Chris,

I'm biased being I work at Animoto (disclaimer), but I think we work well with slower vids as well. We implemented a half-speed feature so that they can be more subdued and have a team of motion design artists constantly adding/tweaking our designs to fit photographers' specific needs.

Here are some vids I think showcase Animoto's ability to work with slower-paced/more subdued material:

http://animoto.com/play/hpm11KYJr5ifCMeHM059TQ?autostart=true

http://animoto.com/photography/case_studies#davidmartschinske

http://animoto.com/play/hpm11KYJr5ifCMeHM059TQ?autostart=true