Making Home Movies

Date:  Sep 15, 2013

(I am using Apple only product at the moment.  For Samsung or Android users, please find alternative to reach the same goal.)

 

Buy A Bigger Capacity Phone

There is a reason for me always buying the largest capacity of my iPhone.

I can take a lot of photos with 64GB.  

But hey, 8 Megapixel photos don't eat up that much!

I also takes a lot a lot of videos.

Yes, but still, that does not takes up so much memory space?

 

Use iMovie to Make Your Home Movies

What is the use that if you take so many photos, and videos but you do not make it into home movies?

Yes.  I do make home movies using my iPhone or iPad.  (Most of the time, I use iPhone).  

And I am using iMovie to do so.

 

Let Your Kids Remember Their Childhood

I have two wonderful kids, and I am raising them with all my heart.

And as a parent, I want my sons to remember every single thing that we have done together in the past. 

This is how they going to remember their childhood.  By Watching all these home movies again and again.

In the past, we do not have all these fantastic gears.  Our camera can only take 12, 24 or 36 photos at a time.

When we take photos, we do all kinds of pose.  So, we end up with photos that is very "fake".  HaHaHa.

May be fake is not what I really want to mean, but "Not Natural".

With today smartphones capability, where you can take photos in burst mode, you can capture every single moment of what your children are doing "naturally".

What you have capture are their natural smiles, their original anger (angry of something), their sad moment, etc.

Especially when you have the videos, you can know exactly what happen in the past.

That will be a very strong memory deep inside them.

So, to make them remember those happy moments, those wonderful moments, I suggest you make movies, and caption it.

Combines all the photos and movies, caption it and put in nice music and make a wonderful home movies.

Of course, you can store it on Youtube, but for me, that is for backup.  The high quality version is always with me.  On my NAS.

 

iMovies & iPhotos Are Going to be FREE

Hey!  iMovies is going to be FREE for every one on IOS devices.

Tim Cook make a very good move, and correct move.  If he does not make it free, then, a lot more people will be inspired to write the software to compete.  

Although none of them may be working as perfectly as iMovie, but it is going to be close, and with a lower price tag, people may fall for it.

Now, if you give them free, all will use it free.  No need to download others.  

It will also inspire the software programmers to write better one, but at least, the majority of people are using yours iMovie.

So, Good move Tim!  I foresee there will be a lot more of people using the iMovie in future.

 

Why not using iMovie on iMac

Tim Cook did not say he is giving free iMovie on iMac.

My personal opinion is to use iMovie on the iPhone is much faster than using the iMovie on iMac.

Although the features of the iMovie on iPhone is much lesser than the iMac, but it is good enough.

 

AirDrop

But if you can create movie on iPad using iMovie, that is the best.  But most of the time, you can't because your video files are shoot using iPhone which is more convenient.

When you are using IOS7 later.  You can use AirDrop to transfer file between iPhone and iPad.

So, all your Video files and photo files can be transfer just like that?  Then, you got a bigger screen to work on your iMovie.

(But no guarantee that Time Cook going to let you transfer video files.  They said Drop everything.  So, I am assuming, video files cannot be transfer).

 

Watch Home Movies You Made With Your Kids

You can do it on TV.  Or you are like me, the Gadget Daddy, bought a mini 3M Streaming Projector with Roku connecting to my Plex Media Server Running on my Synology NAS.  I underline those 4 things because you will need these knowledge to set it up.  Basically, two things.  Go Amazon buy the 3M Streming Projector, and it comes with Roku.  Setup the Roku account.  Take note.  I think when you set up the Roku account, you will need a US-IP address to do so.  Or you can ask any of your US friends to do it for you.  Then, you install the Plex Channel.  On the other hand, setup a NAS, for me, I strongly recommend Synology for its superior processing power and speed.  Install the Plex Media Server on it.  And create a directory to dump all your home movies.  That's it.

The kids loves it.  After we watched an episode of Thomas & Friends.  I show them all the trips we went to Japan when Kay Kay is only 2 years old.  Kay Kay was so excited.  Jay Jay then remembers a lot of things.  We watch about 30 short home movies yesterday.  I also keep videos for Jay Jay when he learn tennis, badminton, swimming, robotics, Taekwondo, golf and so on.  How about Kay Kay first learning how to ride a bicycle.  

I finally decided to place the 3M projector in the kids room.  Attached it with a small speaker.  And project it on the wall that is clean.  We can do about 84" projection with this way.  And kids lying on their bed to watch and comment on the home movie.  It is very cool.  

...

Kay: Daddy, I don't like koko, because he don't let me drive the Shinkansen.

(Kay watching an old video of him and Jay riding the small shinkansen train at Hakone).

Dad: You are still very young back then, and you cannot drive the train.  That is why you see mommy is holding you and sit with you together.

Jay: Ya Kay Kay, you are PG class last time.

…  

What is the use of making all these home movies and you are not watching it.

This is like taking all those vintage photos and put it so nicely in the photo albums and keep the albums stored in your store room.

How can the kids remember if they do not see it again and again?

So, once you have done all these home movies, from time to time, play it and watch it together with your kids.

It is very easy to make home movies.

You can also make home movies which is merely a slide shows of all the photos.

Next time, when iPhone's IOS 7 capable of doing slow motion, you will have both fast and slow motion video that will create a lot of fun.

So, when IOS 7 comes out next Friday

1.  Don't forget to upgrade to IOS 7

2.  Grab a copy of free iMovie and iPhotos

3.  Try using AirDrop

4.  Try making your first home movies.

Good luck parents!