see its thumbnail appear inside the “Start” button. Now position
the slider where you want the edited clip to end, and click “End.”
>> If you make a mistake or want to change your start and end
points, click “Clear” to start again. Give your edited clip a suitably
descriptive name to help identify it, then click “Create” [Image B].
You see it appear as a new entry in the Project Files window. TheC“Split Clip” window remains open, enabling you to create
more edited clips from this video file if you need to. Once
you’re done, simply close the window.3
ADD MORE CLIPS (AND PHOTOS)
Now add your second clip by dr agging it into pl ace
on the timeline. Drag it so it bumps up to the clip
or image on its left. Play back your movie and you’ll see
one clip goes directly into the next. Sometimes this can
appear a little jarring. To smooth the switch between
each clip, drag the second clip left so it overlaps the first
clip slightly—for a couple of seconds, say. OpenShot
now automatically applies a fade effect—look for the
semi-translucent blue object with a small “V” at the top
appearing over your second clip—to ease the transition
between scenes. Play back the clip and you should
find clip one fades seamlessly into clip two. More on
transition effects later.
You can now quickly stitch together a rough edit of
your basic movie by dragging and dropping clips into
©^ position as outlined. Again, use the preview window to
BL
EN
DE
R,^
IN
KS
CA
PE
- PROPERTIES PANE
All objects—clips, transition effects,
and so on – have their own set of editable
properties, accessible here. Double-
click an existing value or click and drag
left or right inside the value to change it. - PROJECT FILES
Drag video clips, images, and audio
tr acks into this pane to add them to your
project. Use the controls at the top to
filter your view—right-click an item for
additional options.
3. SWITCH VIEW
Use these tabs to switch between
viewing project files, transitions,
and special effects. Any or all of
these can then be dragged on to the
timeline below.
4. PLAY-HEAD/RULER
Use this to position the playback preview
window at the correct point in your
movie. Use the slider above the ruler
to zoom into and out of the timeline for
finer control or a broader overview.
5. VIDEO PREVIEW
Use this to play your movie—complete
with any added effects or overlaid
tracks. Click the camera icon to save
the currently selected frame as a PNG
image file.
6. TRACKS
Place your movie’s elements—from
video clips to transition effects—on the
relevant track to build up your movie.
Use the Alpha property on upper layers
to make them semi-transparent.
EXPLORE THE OPENSHOT INTERFACE
123456maximumpc.com MAR 2020 MAXIMUMPC 57