OK,
now that you have saved your project, you can click Next
to proceed to the final step. We are now going to output our
story in a format that is suitable for viewing. Photostory gives
you a lot of choices:
I
feel obligated to warn you about a few of these choices. We
are going to select the first option, to save our story for
playback on a computer. This will allow us to show the video
full screen (it will play in Windows Media Player). Be warned
-- you need Windows Media Player 10. If you have not updated
your Media Player now is the time to do it. Get it from Microsoft.
These videos will not play in older versions of Windows Media
Player. Keep up to date!!
If
you elect to send the story in an email message, it will be
compressed and show in a window that is half-size (320 x 240).
Even so, video files tend to be large. Be careful about sending
these in an email -- they are still big files.
The
next three options look fantastic. However ... don't get too
excited just yet. If you save it for playback on a Pocket PC,
a SmartPhone or a Mobile Media Center, you'd better have the
latest and greatest hardware and software. The Pocket PC version
requires the latest version of Windows Mobile Media Player 10,
which cannot be downloaded as a separate application from Microsoft;
it does come bundled with the latest version of the mobile operating
system. As of this writing, there are only 8 devices that can
handle it (needless to say, my three-year old Jornada 568 isn't
one of them). Ditto for Smartphones and Moble Media devices
-- they have to be the latest and greatest.
Now,
then, you're asking -- can I save it to a DVD? The answer is
NO and YES. No, you cannot save it directly to a DVD from Photo
Story. But yes, you can import it into Adobe Premiere Elements
and create a DVD from there. We'll talk about that option later
in the workshop.
That
said, here's what you need to do to finish your story: First,
select the Save for Playback on a computer
option. Next, click the Browse button to select
the location where you want to save your project. Click Next
and be prepared to go for a walk. What happens next is that
Photo Story begins the process of "rendering" your
video, putting it into the format you have selected. Depending
on the length of your story and the speed of your processor,
this can be a lengthy process. Be patient -- good things come
to those who wait. You will see a series of screens that document
the progress that is being made. Your patience will be rewarded
by the final screen:
How
silly to even ask. Of course, we want to view our masterpiece!!
Select View Your Story by clicking once on
this option and then watch the magic!! Congratulations, you've
just made your first digital story.
Note:
The final file that is produced by this project is a .wmv file.
It must be played in Windows Media Player 10. Once it has been
rendered, the .wmv file cannot be edited. If you want to edit
your project, you must go back to the .wp3 project file, make
your changes, and then export it again to .wmv format.
