Ranga's Guide to WEVIDEO

Ranga's Guide
to
WEVIDEO

How to go from filmmaking zero to hero in a flash!

by Daren White @Rangathetrainer

Introduction

I'm Daren, a teacher, EdTech Lead and Google Certified Trainer. I'm also part of GEG UK.
Prior to the Covid 19 crisis, the only experience I had with video editing was using iMovie on 2 occasions for a very primitive result. I'd always held back from video editing, largely due the cost of software and the technical needs that I didn't feel I could meet.

When Covid 19 led to school closures, I had no choice but to explore and found WEVIDEO. That day changed my life.

Here is my non-official guide to going from a filmmaking zero to hero. I hope it gives you some encouragement to give it a try. It's free and it will work on most devices as it's completely
web-based.

Creating your account

YOUR ACCOUNT

As you can see, the interface is very simple & you are encouraged
to dive right in from the start.

Dashboard, Media and Exports are your
toolbar menus.

Creating your account

Creating an account couldn't be easier. Just go to wevideo.com and sign up. Within 3 clicks you're ready to get started.

The first sign up gives you a free plan, but you can upgrade immediately or later. You can also convert to a school account later on if you wish to.

YOUR ACCOUNT

As you can see, the interface is very simple & you are encouraged
to dive right in from the start.

Dashboard, Media and Exports are your
toolbar menus.

NOTE: On school accounts the admin has control & view over settings and members. School account benefit from ready made templates too.

STARTING OUT

The dashboard screen gives you a range of tools to use in order to create your first video, without the need to create any content for yourself.

The stock media library boasts over 1 million videos, images and audio tracks to choose from so you really can just get started right away. All you need to do is click and enter a search term.

The My Media tab is where you will find any content you upload or create yourself, and within these folders, you'll find and be able to create more, subfolders to help organise your content.

TEMPLATES

On school accounts you have the added bonus of ready made templates for things like morning messages, read alongs and assemblies. Schools can also copy and adapt these to make their own templates for brand consistency.

For those new to video editing, this is a great way to see what a finish product looks like underneath the bonnet* and how it is constructed.

*hood (US)

STOCK LIBRARY

The stock media library always opens with a randomised search term. You can replace that search term for your chosen theme and also change the filter from ALL, to Video, Images or Audio to refine your search.

VIDEOS

The videos always appear at the top in a search result for ALL. They are easy to identify as the show the length of the video in the top right corner in seconds. In the top left there is a heart where you can favourite clips for regular use.

Just click a video to preview it.

IMAGES

You can refine your search to just real images or graphics too.

Images can also be previewed and then cut, shrunk or stretched to suit the timing required for the video.

AUDIO

Just like video and images, stock audio can also be used. Again, the length of the audio can be found in the top right corner. These can be snipped or shrunk but not extended.

upload your own content: video, image or audio

One of the most awesome things about WEVIDEO is that not only does it work on almost any device, but it also integrates well with other platforms. Aside from uploading content directly from your computer, you can also upload content from a range of places including Google Drive, Facebook, Instagram, Box, Dropbox and more.

Once you've uploaded your content you can place those files in folders to help keep them organised. You can move content at any time too. You can also record or narrate directly into WEVIDEO.

Making tracks

As a standard starting point, all WEVIDEO projects have 2 video and 1 audio track. However, you can easily add additional tracks, rename tracks or delete them altogether. Videos and images must go in the video tracks, that work like layers. Sound files go in the audio track.

Just click on your chosen media in the library and drag it down into a track, looking for the outline to turn green.