Terms 6 Topics
Updated May 9 2007 12:00 pm
Sidebar
On many pages throughout Star Wars the MashUps section of the Star Wars website, you'll find a list of blue links on the left side of the page.. We call this the Sidebar. By clicking links in the Sidebar, you can sort or change the contents of the Videopane to the right. The Sidebar on this page, for example, lets you navigate through this FAQ.
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Videopane
This is the large area to the right of the Sidebar that contains all Videos, or other relevant information.
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Timeline
The Timeline is the area beneath the video clips in the Mixer. You can assemble your mix by dragging and dropping video thumbnails into the sequential spaces, known as Tracks. The Mixer displays 10 Tracks at a time. Clicking the arrows on either side of the timeline will allow you to scroll back and forth through the Tracks.
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Navigation
The Nav is the blue navigation bar underneath the black navigation bar at the top of the page. Use links on the left side of the Nav to visit various Community areas of the site. Use links on the right side to visit areas in your user account. The Media link, for example, brings you to the page where your videos can be found.
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Footer
The Footer is the blue navigation bar at the bottom of the page, bringing you to pages such as News, Forums, and Terms of Use.
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The Mixer 9 Topics
Updated Jun 12 2006 5:00 pm
Drag and Drop
You may be thinking, "this Mixer thing sure looks cool, but how the heck do I use it?" Simply drag the Video thumbnails from the top section and drop them into the Timeline spaces (Tracks). The order you place them in the timeline is the order in which they will appear in your mix. Use the Sidebar to sort videos by Tags or Albums. If you want to remove a video from the Timeline, drag it out. If you would like to re-arrange your videos in the Timeline, drag them sideways. Mixes can not be more than six minutes long - you'll be reminded about this if you try to drag a clip to the Timeline that would make your mix too long.
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Titling your Mix
Above your Videopane, you may have noticed where it says Mixer > Enter Title. If you click the link "Enter Title", a form field will pop open, and you can enter a new name for your mix. Hit the "Save Title" button to save changes to your title. Please note: This does not save the mix, only the title.
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Trimming
Trimming allows you to change the duration of your video, isolating the portion you would like to use in the mix. Under each Videopane thumbnail, there is a link that says "Trim / Play". Click it, and the Trimmer opens in a pop up window. Use the "start" and "stop" arrows to determine where you would like your Trim to begin and end. Hit play to preview, and make any needed adjustments. When you save the trim, it will appear as the first video in the Videopane. You can drag it into any position in your mix.
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Transitions
Let's add some transitions. Click Transitions in the Sidebar. Try dragging a fade in before a video in the Timeline, or a fade out after. Drag a dissolve between clips. The R2-D2 icon helps to visualize the appearance of the transition, and will indicate where the transition is on the Timeline.
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Effects
Let's add some effects. Click Effects in the Sidebar. Drag the desired effect onto a video in the Timeline. You will notice the gray "FX" indicator beneath the Clip turn red, and show which effect you have chosen. To remove an effect from the video, click on the red "FX" indicator. It will turn back to blue.
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Audio
Let's add some audio. If you have added a Media Set that contains music (like Saga: Star Wars Music) to your account, click the name of the Media Set in the Sidebar, then click Music. Drag the desired music into the Audio box beneath the Timeline. This music will play during your mix. You can mute the native video audio in the Timeline to give precedence to the music. Just click the mute links beneath them.
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Make the Mix
Now that you've dragged and dropped your masterpiece, it's time to Mix it! On the Timeline, next to "Controls", hit the link that says "Mix and Play". You'll see the progress update as we complete the mix. Remember, this might take a little while - complex Mixes with lots of clips, effects and transitions take longer. Once your mix is complete, you can select from the options: Publish, Send, Remix (go back to the Timeline) or Delete.
NOTE: Be aware that your creation must contain AT LEAST one Star Wars provided element, and be no longer than six minutes.
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Saving
Once your mix is created, we automatically save it to MyMedia for you.
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Remixing
Remixing is a way to edit your previously created mixes with all Timeline information intact. It's just like opening a document made by your favorite desktop program. Hit the Remix link in the Sidebar, and we'll ask you to select the mix you'd like to edit.
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Your Account 10 Topics
Updated Jun 12 2006 5:00 pm
Getting There
How the heck do I get back to my account from other parts of the MashUp site? It's easy. On the top right corner on the Nav, the Media link always brings you back to your Media page. Try it.
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Clips & Mixes
On your Media page, you can view all of your clips by hitting the Clips link in the Sidebar. You can view only your mixes by hitting the Mixes link in the Sidebar.
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Music
On your Media page, you can preview your audio tracks by clicking on Music in the Sidebar.
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Titling Videos
Above your videos on the Media page, you may have noticed the titles are links. If you click the link a form field will pop open, allowing entry of your desired title. Hit the "Save" button, and your title has been saved. It is a great way of getting your video found in the Search results, along with tagging.
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Tags and Tagging
A Tag can best be described as a keyword or a label. Organize your videos by tagging them. There is a link beneath each video on your Media page which says: Tags (edit). Click edit, and type the desired tag(s) into the text box. Save, and your tags are displayed underneath the video. To remove a tag, follow the same steps, and delete the tag from the textbox. Example: If your mix contains a bunch of explosions, tag it with the word "explosion". Click on the Tags link on the Sidebar. The links that pop open make up your Tag cloud. These are all the tags you have applied to your videos over time. Click on explosions, and MashUp sorts all of your Media content (except audio) in the Videopane by explosions. Tags are useful for organization and Search recognition - use them when you can!
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Watching your Videos
From the Videopane anywhere on the MashUp site (except the mixer), simply click on the video thumbnail. You will be taken to a "detail" page where the video plays in the Star Wars MashUp player.
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Public vs Private
From your Media Page (Subnav > Media), click on a video to play it. Directly to the right you can change a video from Public to Private. Private videos can not be searched or viewed in your Gallery. They don't end up in recent additions in Videos. You can only publish a private video to a private group.
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Publish
Now try publishing your mix to a Group. On your Media Page, (Subnav > Media) under every video thumb there is a publish link. Use the Sidebar to select from Clips, Mixes, or Tags and locate the video you would like to publish. Hit up that publish link and you are taken to the publish page. Select the Groups you would like to publish to with the check boxes. Next, under then playable video, enter in a title and body text for your post. More text means more interaction with the community, so make sure and talk about your post!
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Send
On your Media Page, (Subnav > Media) under every video thumb there is a send link. You can send the video to your friends by entering their email address. The email sent out contains a link to a page where the video can be seen, as well as your name and a personalized message. Try it today.
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Uploads 5 Topics
Updated Jun 12 2006 5:00 pm
Uploading Videos
From your account, click the upper right link named Subnav. This brings you to the Upload page. From here you can upload most any video you have on your computer. Remember, no copyrighted or adult content please. You can Upload as many videos as you like, with a limit of 100 MB per video. Remember, the more videos you upload, the longer the upload will take. Hit the Browse buttons to search your hard drive for the desired files, then select Public or Private status for your uploads. You can add Tags now or later. Click the upload button and let us do the rest. Remember not to close the upload window while you're uploading your videos.
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Uploading Photos & Audio
Follow the exact same process you would with a Uploading Videos. Again, no copyrighted or adult content please.
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Upload Indicator
When your videos are uploading, you'll see a progress bar that tells you what percentage of each video has been uploaded. Please do not leave this page while uploading! It will stop the process.
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Missing Videos
If you've uploaded a video and it hasn't shown up in your account yet, be patient. All videos submitted to the MashUp site need to be converted and also screened for copyrighted material and other inappropriate content.
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Community 11 Topics
Updated Jun 12 2006 5:00 pm
Vidoes
Videos can be reached from the Nav. It is the best way to see what is going on in the community, and begin your interaction. You can view Recent Mixes, Groups, and the Most Popular videos.
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Search
You may have noticed the search box on many of the pages. Use it to find any video on the site. We sort results by Tags, Titles and Group names.
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Save a Video
You'll find a save link underneath most video thumbnails in the community area of the website. This link adds that video to your MashUp account so you can easily find it later. This comes in very handy when you want to create mashups containing video from several different sources. For example, I would like to make a mix of many different droid shots. I Search on "droid" and begin to save the videos I would like to use in my mix. When I open the Mixer, these are available for mashup.
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Your Gallery
Every video displayed in Videos, Groups or Search gives credit to the author in the form of a link back to their user Gallery. This is a great way for people to take a look at each other's videos, and encourages saving and collaboration in the Mixer. Publish often, the community is watching!
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Gallery View
Gallery View is the default view when users visit it from Videos, Groups or Search. We set it up this way to encourage sharing of videos, and to give everyone a good sense of what the community is up to. It is also great for sharing your videos with friends and family. The Sidebar functions just like it does inside your account, giving viewers access to your Clips, Mixes and Tags.
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Comments
You can comment on any post in a Group. Comment often - your support of and interaction with other people's video builds a more interesting community.
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Groups
Groups are users that have gotten together to explore a particular subject or context. You can take a look at the 10 most popular groups on the groups page, to get an idea of what people are the most interested in. Groups are great places to interact with your friends, colleagues, or family and get mixes of one another going back and forth. They span the gamut from action to comedy.
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Creating a Group
From the Groups page, hit the "Create a Group" link in the upper left hand corner. Follow the on screen instructions, and make sure to invite lots of friends to join! See if you can get in the top 10.
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Flag it
Underneath the video thumbnails in Videos, Groups and Blogs, there is a Flag it link. Use this link to remove materials that you find inappropriate for a large audience, such as pornography. Please help us to keep this site free of inappropriate material.
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Browse
To see an alphabetical list of all Groups, click the "Browse Groups" link in the left hand corner of the groups page.
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Still stuck? Drop us an email and we'll get back to you with a response as soon as we can.
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