Can I make a presentation using premiere

[yuendos]

hi.
im trying to make a presentation for work that will present our company as a whole. can premiere work. are there other programs that can do the job. we're trying to insert digital photos, text, maybe try a few video clips with full audio narration and possibly background music or sound effects.

 

[LRSmith]

Premiere can do what you are asking for, numerous file formats can be saved (MPG, AVI, Quicktime, etc.) You can overlay multiple video and audio tracks. Not sure what your final application will be, but based on your description, Premiere will do it. IMHO, it's a great product.

 

[yuendos]

thanks for the reply. what im concerned though is, if its easy enough to use for a novice like me. i usually do presentations with powerpoint, but my boss wants to do a higher quality presentation thats why im asking about premiere. and another question, what format should i use to be able to play the presentation on a vcd player.
thanks again.

 

[boonedoggle]

I use Premiere 6.5 for still presentations all the time. I find it's much more user friendly than powerpoint just because it's easier to import, select all the photos at once and just drag to the time line. I usually put cross dissolves between each pic for the professional look. Drag some tunes into the audio track and voila, instant presentation. If all the pics have the correct aspect ratio, I can do a 50-100 pic presentation in about 20 minutes (including rendering). I usually put the project on MiniDV and connect it up to a projector which I've sold to my bosses as a better product than powerpoint and a laptop. All in all, I think it's a whole lot better. Good luck!

 

[LRSmith]

As with any software product, there is a learning curve if you have not used the product before. For me, Premiere is much easier to put a presentation together than PowerPoint. But if I knew PowerPoint and not Premiere, not sure that would be the case.

The basic steps are to import your still files, drag them to the timeline on the video tracks, import your audio file, and drag it to the audio tracks. Render and you have your file. 'Extra' features such as transitions and rubber-banding the audio (adjusting volume fades) are fairly easy, but again, that assumes you're familiar with the product.

The last point you made is playing it in a VCD player. I assume you mean VCD and not VCR. Adobe has a VCD format to export, but I have never used it. People have stated that Adobe's VCD export is a bit shaky concerning compatibility/quality with the VCD players. If you truly want to play it on a VCD player, this may be your biggest learning curve. I suggest looking at

http://www.dvdrhelp.com

for more information (vcdeasy for software tool on vcd)

 

[boonedoggle]

I found the bit rates are perfect in the VCD (default) settings when I customer just wants something on VHS converted to MPEGs...just for viewing on their computer.