2018
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Video Timelines: The Best Way to Organize Your Videos Written by: Cora Foley
A big shout out to Marci Brennan of Past Present Pix for this guest post on what to do with all of your videos. Everyone has videos randomly throughout their digital photo collections & it can be hard to decide what to do with your videos – that is if you even remember you have them! Learn exactly what you can do to easily enjoy your videos in the future!
While many people feel overwhelmed by their unorganized, rapidly growing digital photo collection, the same can be said about the videos in their camera rolls. When I ask my clients what stresses them out most about their collections, it’s often some variation of I don’t know what to do with my videos! One way of addressing the issue is by putting those random videos into a cohesive timeline. Creating video timelines and highlight reels is a great way to string together all the disparate moving elements. This is a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Video Timeline vs Highlight Reel
Video Timeline
A video timeline takes all the video files sprinkled throughout a mobile device (or camera with video capacity) image roll and consolidates them into one longer video file. For example, think of reviewing the videos shot on your smartphone in 2017. Some might be five seconds long, others several minutes. You aren’t likely to go back into your camera roll and watch these videos one at a time. This involves opening and closing each file as you go, hindering your momentum. And the older the files are, the less likely they’ll be viewed as they fall further into the digital abyss. Now, if you took all videos shot in 2017 and moved them into one timeline, you’d end up with a single, cohesive video that is easy to locate with more incentive to watch. It captures your entire year without having to search for the next one (which requires you to open it, watch it, close it, and decide). A consolidated video feels more like the home movies of our past. They are fun to share with family and friends at birthdays, special events, or holiday gatherings.
Highlight Reel
If an entire year’s worth of video footage is too lengthy for a single sitting, a highlight reel is another great option. It uses the same concept but narrows the footage down to the best of. Using 2017 again as an example, you would bring all your files from that year into one timeline, locate your favorite moments, and edit out the rest. Think of it as the greatest hits of the videos you shot. And think about how much joy you, your family, and your friends will get when watching these time capsules play with just one tap on your screen!
Get creative with these. Try a retrospective of your videos from the past ten years, or edit together based on events, holidays, people or places. These are just some of the ways you can make your videos a more meaningful part of your visual collection.
Analog Movies and Modern Technology
Another growing dilemma with video preservation is the analog home movies of our past. It’s easy to succumb to that sinking feeling when considering old home movies. These often contain valuable family footage impossible to view due to outdated technology. But there is a solution. For example, the folks at Smooth Photo Scanning can take your old media, whether it be VHS, video tape, 8mm or 16mm film, and convert it into a digital video file. Once done, you can incorporate these past treasures into your contemporary video library. It’s easy to share them on the same digital platforms as something shot today. Having vintage and current videos coexist on your favorite devices is a great way to marry the past with the present. And they are now safely updated and preserved as technology marches on.
About the Author: Marci Brennan
Past Present Pix was created after I realized the mental toll that my disorganized personal photo archive was taking on me. As a veteran of the photo licensing industry, I had the privilege throughout my career of working with some of the world’s best image collections and photographers, yet rarely had the time to review, edit, and curate my own collection. After joining APPO, I leveraged and developed the skills needed to best organize my archive with accurate keywords and metadata for quick access. I now offer the same service to others, working closely with my husband Chris, a videographer, photographer, musician, and owner of Chris George Productions. Together, we can craft custom solutions for every photo collection.
Cora Foley has worked at Smooth Photo Scanning for almost 4 years now. Her passion for memory creation and preservation drew her to this family-owned company. After using Smooth Photo Scanning Services for her own memories, she wanted to help the company spread their reach so more people can enjoy, share and preserve their own experiences through digitized photos, negatives, video tapes and more. She loves working at this company due to their passion of preserving important moments!