There is a new editing website in town, and it?s called Pixorial. I was drawn to the site not only because I was interested in learning about an easy way to create video compilations, but because Pixorial offers the chance to mail in your media from older formats and have them converted into editable use. Now we?re talking! I have 8mm footage of my father playing with the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1950?s that I have never actually viewed! Even more recently I have all of these Hi8, VHS and VHS-C videos from when my children were babies that I would really love to compile into a video baby book. Especially since I have yet to scrapbook all of my children?s pictures into an actual book form baby-book. Yes, Miss Lori is a bad archiving mommy. I seriously don?t understand how other mother?s get it all done. I definitely take the pictures and the video, but good gosh, getting them from the camera to a print, to a book, and with captions? Whew! I wish. I’m just a Martha Stewart wanna be.
But, I digress. Ever since I got my Macbook a year ago I have been able to be a better mother. Well, first I was a better entertainer, but now I have moved on to chronicling my children?s exploits more than my own. Backwards yes, but at least I am there now.
Okay, back to my Pixorial story. I wanted to work with this new site so that I could reclaim my old footage and bring it into the new century. LOL. Unfortunately my schedule, as usual, got in the way. To send in old footage you first have to purchase a shipping package that will be sent in the mail. It can take up to 10 days to arrive. I only just put in my order for the shipping kit today, so I will have to wait on my Globetrotter movies. (I know, I know.) But in the meantime I thought I would upload some footage from my camera and my files to work with. I have a DVD camcorder that I was so proud of myself for buying in 2007. I felt very “ahead of the curve”. Well, apparently I am no longer ahead, I’m behind… again. When I went to upload my footage from my camera I couldn?t do it. I talked to someone at Pixorial and they explained to me that I couldn?t upload directly from my now “passe” DVD camera. ( My word, not his.) Instead I would need a more ?with it? and ?now? digital camcorder. (Quotations again, totally me.) You know, I have seen so many people with these Flip digital video cameras and the like, and I wondered what made them so special. Now I know. They are special because you can skip a step when uploading your footage! Ahrrgg! Never fear, I did have the foresight to purchase a Sony digital camera off of craigslist earlier this year. And yes, it has a movie function… I only just discovered. (Shhh, stop laughing. You?ll ruin my image.) Anyway, I filmed my kids doing karaoke at Summerfest this weekend with my little Sony digital camera, and it produced a file on my SD card that I was able to upload very quickly to my Pixorial account. (Quickly that is, after spending several hours trying to upload footage that was antiquated. LOL.) After the footage was uploaded I only had to wait about 15 minutes before it was converted and ready for editing. I was then able to review the footage and create the scenes that I wanted to be able to call up later for use in my production. After I highlighted my scenes I moved on to the storyboard section and arranged them in the order that I desired. When I was clear on the order I was able to add transitions to sew the story together. Lastly, I added a title plate to finish my creation, quite professionally, if I do say so myself. Once my production was complete I was offered a number of ways to share it with family and friends, from a digital version for use on facebook, to a fancifully version with a case and a special title plate.
I really like the idea and the application of the Pixorial website. Ultimately creating my movie on Pixorial was a very quick, painless and highly fulfilling process. Pixorial is definitely going to be a great help to people who don?t have editing software available to them on their computers. Although, even if you do I?ll bet you have some old media hanging around that you made with that big camcorder you used to lug around 15 or so years ago. We all have some of that. (Heck, I have 4 big boxes I just pulled from the storage shed alone, and that?s without really looking!) If you are like me you probably haven?t watched those movies in a long time, (partly because you couldn?t find all the wires that you needed to hook up your old camera to the TV!). It?s time we brought past memories into today?s light, and Pixorial is here to help us do that. I for one am thankful. Now maybe I won?t have to get my hands all full of glue scrapbooking those baby books together. I really hate paper cuts.
SMILE On!
ML
You can find Miss Lori “Musing from her Minivan” at her new blogsite MissLori.TV, as well as on ChicagoMomsBlog, facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Myspace and her own performance website, Miss Lori’s CAMPUS.
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