Book excerpt: The Perfect Companion for Your Digital Video Camera Digital video brings the power of studio production to the personal computer. With just a video camera, a computer, and the proper software, you can create your own innovative and unique movies for personal or business use. Digital Video Essentials shows you how to take advantage of today's technology to get the results you want. In this book, you'll learn to shoot your footage effectively, transfer it to your computer, use editing software to build and enhance your material, and export your movies to VHS tape, DVDs, the Internet, and more. All the Know-How You Need Inside you get the unparalleled instruction of best-selling author and video expert Erica Sadun, who explains the technologies and standards behind digital video in terms anyone can understand. Digital Video Essentials shows you how to make the most of your equipment, introduces you to the inexpensive tools that will turn your computer into a digital-editing studio, and explains the latest methods for getting your video to its audience. It even guides you through special-effects projects so you can have fun with your video as you learn. The companion CD comes packed with sample projects and trial versions of the software you need- from programs for editing video and sound to tools for burning CDs and creating streaming video. Topics covered include: Choosing your equipment and planning a shoot Composing, lighting, and shooting scenes Recording high-quality sound Getting analog or digital video onto your computer Editing your video on a PC or a Mac Adding low-cost special effects to your videos Burning video CDs and DVDs Sharing your movies via streaming video Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.