Video project tips - iPad
This document is a work in progress. The purpose is to assist students with creating video projects using an iPad. If you have a suggestion for missing information that should be listed here, please email it to help@d-e.org.
Q & A for video projects:
What D-E authorized iPad apps are useful for creating a video?
Depending on what you are trying to do and your preference, one app might work better than the other. The following apps, in alphabetical order, might be useful and are already on your school iPad or available in Self Service:
Canva - Useful for fancy title screens.
Explain Everything - title pages, voice-overs on images while annotating, animations
GarageBand - compose original music or create an audio remix
Green screen/Chroma key apps:
iMovie on iPadOS 13+ now supports this (as of June 2019)
Green Screen by Do Ink - See a librarian, Ms. Larionoff or Mr. Campbell for Do Ink app access. -- How to Use Green Screen Effects on iPads
iMovie - primary video editing app (now including green screen effect)
Kapwing (web tools) - Online (not an app) suite of single-purpose tools for lots of things including resizing, reversing, muting, rotating, and converting videos (and images in some cases).
Keynote - title pages, diagrams, and 2d animation using Magic Move
Notabilty - drawings
ReverseVid - Create a copy of a short video with the video and audio running in reverse
Screen Recording (built-in to iOS 11 or later) - See How to record the screen on your iPad
Slides (Google) - Easy stop motion animation when combined with Screen Recording above. Tutorial here for Slides through iPad Safari (works on iPad OS 13 and above) or most things will also work in iPad Google Slides app.
Stop Motion Studio - stop motion animation
Videoleap by Enlight - Includes some animation effects not available in iMovie. (Available to 7th & 8th grade)
There may be more apps available in Self Service that you might use for creating a video. If you find any in Self Service that you think should be added to this list, please email help@d-e.org.
What equipment is available to help me film a video?
The Imperatore Library has the following available for loan to students or teachers:
Portable green screens
Variety of Padcaster equipment for improving iPad video filming including tripods, lenses, and microphones
Where can I get more information on using iMovie on the iPad?
iMovie for iOS (iPad): Work with projects - includes how to make a copy of or share an iMovie project
Change the background of a clip in iMovie - how to use the green screen (aka chroma key) effect in iMovie for iPad
How to Use Green Screen Effects on iPads - filming tips before using any green screen app (no app is going to fix poorly lit/produced filming)
How to make a split-screen in iMovie for iOS (video) - show two videos at once in split-screen or picture-in-picture
Where can I legitimately get media (images and music) to use in my project?
How do I change a video to run in reverse?
As of 10/12/17, iMovie on the iPad does not have a revere video effect built-in. However, you can install and use the Reverse Vid app (available in Self Service) to create this effect.
To use ReverseVid (after you have installed it):
Create a new iMovie project and pull in the video that has the segment you want to reverse.
Trim that clip in iMovie so that it has only the part you want to reverse (or a little bit more than you want to reverse).
Reverse Vid works best and fastest on short clips so that is why it is better to cut out the part you need before you reverse it.
Export the trimmed clip as a standalone video to the Photos app (aka Camera Roll).
Open Reverse Vid and choose "library".
Select the video clip you just created in iMovie and tap Use.
(Be patient while it processes.)
Tap the Save button, which has a checkmark (and be patient again). If you are not prompted after processing for where you want to save, tap Save again.
Select Save Video to save the reversed video to the Photos app.
You can then pull that new reversed video into your main iMovie project. You will probably want to mute the audio and add your own voiceover or soundtrack as reversed audio isn't generally useful.
The Reverse Vid app has not bee used much by people at D-E yet so it would be good to hear how well it works for you (the good and the bad). Please email help@d-e.org with your comments on it.
How do I download audio and video to use in my project?
Typically, websites (e.g. Jamendo and Wikimedia Commons) that give you permission to use their media provide download options or buttons. If you are using iPad OS 13 or later, you can use the standard Safari app and save the downloaded audio or video to the Files app. You can then pull it into iMovie via Files.
How to do I add an MP3 from the online free music service Jamendo to iMovie on the iPad using the Files app?
Using only an iPad, you can download free music as an MP3 from Jamendo.com and add it to an iPad iMovie project. You use Safari and the Apple Files app. You can also do this for other sites that allow MP3 downloads such as Incompetech.
In Safari, visit jamendo.com.
Choose Start under Jamendo Music (not Jamendo Licensing or Music for Videos).
Log in using your D-E Google account.
Find a song by using the search tool to browse by genre, mood, or instruments. For example, tap the #instrumental button.
To listen, tap the play triangle.
To download for use in iMovie, tap the download icon.
Tap the red "free download for personal use" button and choose Download when prompted.
Open the Files app (available on iPad OS 13 or later).
Find the song song you just downloaded under Recents and tap it to open.
Tap the Share icon then choose iMovie (probably under More)
After iMove opens, select the iMovie project you are working on. The MP3 song will be added to the timeline and be available under Audio > My Music > Imported if you need to add it elsewhere.
How do I get video or MP3 audio files from a computer to my iPad?
Try uploading them from your computer to your D-E Google Drive account, which has unlimited storage space. Then, on your iPad use Open In from the Google Drive iPad app to open the video into a different app such as iMovie or Explain Everything.
Copyright and Fair Use of Digital Media from Others
Almost everything you can find online is copyrighted. (More information about copyright is here.) As a student, you may include copyrighted material in school projects by following "Fair Use" Best Practices, which include:
Use only a small portion of copyrighted works to create new materials.
While there is no legal rule for the quantity, some suggest no more than 10% of digital media such as a video or a song is appropriate.
You may distribute/post your work digitally if your use of copyrighted materials is transformative.
Transformative use: Modifying existing media, putting it into a new context, and using it a way that is different from how it was originally intended.
An example of proper Fair Use: Taking a small portion of a video and recording a different soundtrack and narration in order to convey a different message than the original video.
An example of improper Fair Use: Using an entire song as a soundtrack for your video then posting it on YouTube (unless the song's copyright explicitly allows for reuse).
Don't forget you still need to cite your sources even when used under Fair Use. (Include the Title, Author, Source, and License - examples here.)
To avoid worrying about Fair Use, get media from websites that specialize in publishing public domain (free for any use) or Creative Commons licensed work intended for sharing. A few of those sites are listed in the section "Where can I legitimately get media (images and music) to use in my project?" above.
If you do use digital material under Fair Use, you should consider using the Fair Use Evaluator (click here) from the American Library Association to justify your use to your teacher and yourself.