Glossary

Action - The transition effect that introduces a new piece of video to the screen. Actions are placed on the left side of the Action Trays.

Action Area - This is the window on the upper right side of the main interface where you place the Action Trays that contain your media, pre-recorded videos, audio and effects.

Action Tray - The Action Tray is a container for your action and media files.

Audio Mixer - The Windows audio mixer is where you can adjust the volume and balance of your incoming and outgoing audio.

Auto-Set Key - Automatically sets the V-Screen green screen (chroma key) function, adjusting it to the color of your V-Screen backdrop by taking a picture of just the backdrop by itself.

Background - A picture or graphic used behind a set or person, often as a chroma key. Also used behind on-screen text.

Camera Frame Rate - This is the rate at which a camera or other video device will display video frames. The standard frame rate for video is 30 frames per second. 15 frames per second is commonly used for Internet streaming video as it reduces the file size and download time by half.

Chroma Key (V-Screen) - Chroma Key is an effect in which a person or object is filmed or videotaped in front of a color background, usually green or blue. The green or blue background is removed digitally and replaced with a picture or any other type of scene available, video or graphic. Vlog It!'s proprietary new technology that allows high-quality chroma keying in office, school and home environments is called V-Screen.

Content Libraries - The Content Libraries are where all of the media files, effects, and other show elements are stored, navigated through, and selected. This is the lower right area of the Vlog It! main interface.

Closing Slate - The graphic images seen at the end of a show. Show title, credits and the like are usually in the closing slate.

Color Correction - The process used to adjust color variations in the video signal. If the people in your video appear green because of lighting conditions, you can adjust this to make their coloration look more true to life. In Vlog It! these functions are performed in the Adjust Colors window.

Countdown - Numbers representing seconds until show time. On a live news set, this countdown is called out by a floor director. In Vlog It! the countdown is presented in the output window with beeps. The countdown can be turned off in Application Settings.

For historical reasons that reach back to the time of Cecil B. DeMille and the dawn of motion pictures, the numeric countdown that is seen before Rehearse/Record stops at the number two. The number one is not shown and is replaced by black and a beep instead.



Dissolve - A dissolve is a transitional effect that smoothly mixes between two shots or pictures.

Duration - The duration of the currently highlighted action, in seconds. You can change the duration by selecting the number in the box and typing in a new duration.

Effects (FX) - Effects are visual accents such as wipes, dissolves or special effects like a page peel or shatter. Effects are often (but not always) used to transition from one video or graphic to another.

Encoding - Converts information to a particular form or format. For example, the Windows Media Encoder converts audio and video to a form that can be streamed to clients over a network. In reference to MP3 digital audio in particular, technology that converts a WAV audio file into an MP3 file. An MP3 encoder compresses a sound file to a much smaller size, about one-twelfth as large as the original, without a perceptible drop in quality.

FireWire - The Apple Computer trade name for the IEEE 1394 video format.

Flip Wipe - Changes the direction of a wipe effect

Graphic(s) - Objects, flat images, original drawings or text displayed on screen.

IEEE 1394 - FireWire; The interface standard that enables direct transfer of DV between devices, such as a DV camcorder and a computer or two DV devices.

Lower Third Graphics - TV folks can be masters of the obvious. Hence these text-based graphic elements derive their name from where they usually appear on the screen, at the lower third. Lower third graphics are usually used to identify a person and can include things like name, company, position or location.

Media Files - This is an all-encompassing term for audio and graphical files used in your show. Includes audio clips, video clips, digital photographs, and computer graphics.

Media Folders - In the file structure, media files can be stored in folders.

Opening Slate - The graphic images seen at the beginning of a show. Show title, date and company or production information can appear in the opening slate.

Output Monitor Window - The Output Monitor window displays the video from your camera and show graphics. You will also see your show here when it is Reviewed.

Over the Shoulder - This refers to the box of graphics you sometimes see over the shoulder of a newscaster. This box has video or graphic images pertaining to the topic being discussed.

Project - The term used for a show in Vlog It! Projects are saved with the .MSH file extension, which is unique to Vlog It! and Visual Communicator. A project's metafile contains the text from the Teleprompter and references to all effects and media files used in the Action Area. It is not an actual video file suitable for viewing elsewhere. (Such finished videos are created by Uploading or Publishing).

Publish - Opens the Video Publisher wizard, through which you can save a video file of your show to disk or to a server or send it as an email.

Record - Runs your show and records the video from your camera and audio from your microphone.

Rehearse - Runs your show without recording so you can preview how it will look and practice reading the script.

Review - Plays back your completed show.

S-Video - Refers to a system of plugs and jacks used to interconnect camcorders, VCRs, and TV monitors. S-Video cables, also known as Y/C (luminance/chrominance) connectors, keep the chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) information separate, which improves picture quality by keeping any signal interaction to a minimum.

Script - The text written for actors, show hosts, and newscasters containing their lines. A script is typically the first part of any production to be completed.

Show - see Project.

Show Timer - The digital clock in the main interface that tells you the current show duration. Through the Application Settings dialog, can be set to show frame count in addition to minutes and seconds.

Slate - A full screen text page with a graphical background and one to three lines of text that you can edit at will.

Smart Position Next Action - Automatically moves the following Action Tray to the end of the selected Action Tray. Found by right-clicking on an Action Tray.

Teleprompter - A Teleprompter is a device that scrolls text for you so that you can keep your eyes on one spot, appearing to look into the camera the whole time. In Vlog It!, it's the region at the center of the interface.

Titling - The addition of text, symbols, and graphic elements to a video show or presentation.

Transition - Refers to a means of moving from one graphical source to another. You can use transitional effects like the wipe or dissolve to move between two sources.

V-Screen - V-Screen is the name of Serious Magic's chroma keying technology. It can create high-quality green screen effects without requiring a professional camera or studio lighting.

Video Effects - Transitional effects used between two video scenes or images.

Virtual Set - An artificially created set in which people or objects can be digitally placed. Used in conjunction with chroma key.

Wipe - A wipe is a type of transitional effect that replaces part of the screen at a time. There are different wipe patterns such as a circle wipe or a clock wipe. In Vlog It! wipes can also have soft edges or color border effects applied to them.

White Balance - A process used in consumer and professional camcorders and video cameras to calibrate the picture for accurate color display in different lighting conditions.