work with still images for a slideshow
1
Finding stills
Your still images are located in the same place as your video clips – in the Organiser. Click Add Media and select Elements Organiser. By default, all types of media are displayed, but you can deselect the video and audio clips to just leave your photos to focus on.
2
Add photos
You can add photos in the same way as you add video: select the ones you want (click on the first and
ç- click on the others), then click Add Files. Alternatively, drag them onto your timeline if you’d prefer to insert them in a specific place rather than the playhead location.
3
Static images
Adding photos in this way just creates a row of static images. To make matters worse, the photos aren’t cropped to fit the screen so, more often than not, you end up with black borders either to the left and right or top and bottom. Thankfully, you can change all that…
4
The interface
Select a photo, and in the bottom toolbar, click on Tools. Scroll down to find the one called Pan & Zoom. Click on it and the interface will change to help you focus, so you can select what you wish to see at any given time. You start with two rectangular frames.
5
Resize and reposition
The green one is the one you can edit, but click on another to activate it. You can resize it by dragging any one of its corners and position it anywhere on the screen. The number, lower left, determines the order the pan will take. Hit X (top right) to delete the keyframe.
6
More points
You’ll see two points of reference, but you can add more, either by clicking New Frame or by double-clicking the main preview section. Top left shows how long the pan will pause over the frame; alter its duration by double-clicking on it to reveal a floating window.
7
Timeline
When you select a frame, a line leading up to it from the previous frame appears, showing the duration. Doubleclicking on it, to choose how long the pan will take from one frame to the other, means you can control everything right from the main preview screen.
8
Work in the Timeline
There is a timeline just beneath the preview screen where you can make manual adjustments. The green sections represent the frame; drag the edges to change the length of the hold and also alter the pan’s duration in the process. Click Play Output to preview your work.