Sometimes you come across something that is just too good to keep it to yourself and you just have to share it with those around you! I was lucky enough to get the chance to do some training in image and video editing during the week at work. And as if stuck by a bolt of lightning, I suddenly had the idea that sharing some of the tips I learned might actually help my fellow Toastmasters when they are doing presentations that involve images and video. So here goes!
You can take great photos with an iPhone these days, but did you know that you can also edit them with two cool, low cost apps? Camera plus is a great little app for importing photos from your camera roll and editing them with effects that are somewhat similar to Photoshop. You can add a flash effect even if you took the photo without a flash, as well as stylise the photo eg, vintage effect, Hollywood effect, Sepia effect, rotate or crop the photo, or even choose from a range of borders.
Wordswag is another nifty little app for iPhone that allows you to add captions in a variety of fonts and colours to your photos. So here’s a suggestion for your next speech; do a presentation and add a series of images, edited first in Camera plus and then add a caption to them in Wordswag, to enhance the message you are trying to get across.
You could tell a whole story through a series of images. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, why not try shooting a movie using the story boarding framework of the Directr app. Or shoot a video just using your iPhone or iPad and edit it in iMovie. You can add transitions such as fade in/fade out between scenes and you can even add music from your own playlists to your movie in iMovie.
Just be careful of copyright issues with the music you use if there is any chance that your video will go viral! And save it in a high definition file before you download it. A useful tip that my trainer gave me re shooting video with iPad, is to hold it in landscape instead of portrait when filming. This will ensure that you will be able to view your video on a non-Apple laptop in the correct orientation.
So, have I whetted your appetite yet? I must admit since having done the training, I have been extremely productive with my iPad camera and have been having a whale of a time in the process! Why not give it a go yourself and see if you can produce a ‘Blockbuster’ for the next Vox Populi Club meeting!
Gemma Shannon, VP Public Relations