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New project setup
First of all, you will need to create a new project and select some of its parameters.
Creating a new project
1. Open the File menu and choose New Project.
2. A dialog box will appear. Here, you can select the parameters of your future movie.
3. Choose an aspect ratio for your project by clicking the 16:9 or 4:3 button.
4. Click OK to continue with your project.
What is a project?
A project is a file with the *.mepx extension that stores all your work on the movie, including the order of videos on the storyboard, and any other changes you have made while editing the video. Project files can only be opened with Movavi Video Editor or Movavi Slideshow Creator.
What is aspect ratio?
Aspect ratio describes the proportions of the video frame, and is basically the ratio of the video's width to its height. When choosing a project, you can choose between two most common aspect ratios: 16:9 and 4:3. 16:9 is the most common aspect ratio used for digital videos, especially widescreen movies, while 4:3 is closer to a square, and was used for analog television.
A visual comparison of the two common aspect ratios
Ideally, the project's aspect ratio should match that of the photos and videos you plan to use in your movie. This way, all of the photos will fit inside the frame nicely. If you add files with a different aspect ratio, they may appear to have black bars around them, like so:
Adding 4:3 photos to a 16:9 project and vice versa
You don't have to choose the perfect aspect ratio right away, if you're unsure, you can always change this later in project settings, or fit the images into the selected frame.
Advanced settings
If you need to set other parameters, click the Advanced settings button in the project window. You will be able to choose the following:
Frame size:
You can use this to choose a set frame size (width and height) of the project. If your photos have a different aspect ratio, you can select Custom and enter the photos' width and height into the boxes below to set their proportions for the whole project.
Resize method:
This affects the way photos and videos are resized to fit the project's frame size. Photos with the same aspect ratio as that of the project will fit in nicely, while others will need to be somehow adjusted in order to avoid black bars on the sides. You can choose one of the following options:
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Letterbox - the photos and videos will retain their original proportions, and will be resized to fit inside the frame.
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Stretch - the photos and videos will be resized to fit inside the frame as best as possible, and then stretched to fill the remaining space. This allows to fill the entire screen without black bars, but it may distort objects in the photos.
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Crop - the photos and videos will be resized in such a way as to fill the entire frame without changing their proportions at the expense of cropping away the edges. This allows to fill the entire screen nicely, but some parts around the edges will not be visible.
Sample rate:
This affects audio quality. The default option, 44100 Hz, is suitable for most projects.
Channels:
This affects the number of channels in the project's audio. You can choose between mono (one channel) and stereo (two channel) sound, but stereo is usually best for most projects.
If you want to change these later, open the project settings.
See also:
