| Nearly 54 percent of Americans own a camcorder, | | | | theater to see our favorite actors in action, right? |
| according to the Consumer Electronics Association. As | | | | Remember: It's the people, not the places, who will |
| digital video cameras have become increasingly | | | | keep you coming back to watch home videos 10 |
| popular and much more affordable - average prices | | | | years from now. |
| have decreased about a third in the last several years | | | | * Cut and polish. Once you've captured the footage, |
| - many people are taking the magic of home videos | | | | the real fun begins. With the help of easy-to-use |
| one step further by doing their own editing and adding | | | | video-editing software, you can make home movies |
| special effects and music. | | | | that the whole family will enjoy. |
| Here are some tips to help bring out the Hollywood | | | | Ever wonder how to add music, create transitions |
| director in you the next time you turn on your | | | | from one scene to another and remove dead |
| camcorder. | | | | footage? Adobe Premiere Elements is a favorite |
| * Be prepared. Learn as much as you can about your | | | | among amateur videographers for editing their videos, |
| camera before shooting footage. Familiarize yourself | | | | adding music, splicing in still images, creating slide |
| with its zooming capabilities and other features. Also, | | | | shows, and even adding bits of old home movies to a |
| don't forget to charge the battery and have a spare | | | | new video. |
| one handy. | | | | The software is an all-in-one home-video studio. With a |
| * Practice makes perfect. Take some practice | | | | little practice, you can add fun effects as well as |
| footage with your camera using different features. | | | | Hollywood-styletitles and credits, and burn your own |
| This is the best way to learn the ins and outs of your | | | | DVDs or save your home movie to a Web format |
| camera. | | | | and post it online for your friends and family to |
| * Focus on the stars. Most of us go to the movie | | | | download. |