Create Easy Slideshows / Music Videos with Animoto

     If you are like most of the adoptive parents we know, you've got LOTS of pictures sitting around on your computer just waiting for something "creative" to be done with them. Animoto is a web site that can take your pictures and turn them into something like this



    or this




     The whole process is VERY easy.You upload your pictures from your computer or Animoto can retrieve them from an online picture site (like Flickr) for you. (All the details of how many pictures to use, what formats and what sizes are all explained in the simple help files available on the Animoto site.)Next, you can choose your background song from Animoto's library of free music or upload your own MP3's (as long as you are the copyright owner of that music). Then, you press a button, Animoto analyzes your pictures and music, and in a few minutes your video is ready to be embedded on your blog or website (like we did here) or uploaded to a social networking site like Facebook.

     The creators of Animoto have worked in the film and video production industry and their software does all the work of creating the professional-looking transitions you see in your finished video. If you are not satisfied with the way your video looks, all you have to do is press the "Remix" button and a completely new video will be created (the old one will also be saved for you, "just in case"). It's THAT SIMPLE!

      You can make as many 30-second videos (like the ones above) as you want for free by simply signing up for an account. And if you want to make longer videos, you have two options. You can make a single "full-length" production for $3.00, or you can sign up for an "All Access Pass" that costs $30.00 per year and allows you to make as many full-length videos as you want. Full-length videos can be embedded like the short ones, but they can also be downloaded to your computer and then put on video sharing sites, like You Tube, or on an IPod or other personal media player.

     If you want a "DVD-quality" version of your video, the folks at Animoto can provide that for you, too. Because that level of resolution requires more time to render, there is a separate charge, but it is very reasonable. For $5.00, they will create the files you need and you can download them and burn them to a DVD. OR, if you don't want to go to that trouble, they will send your production on a DVD for $20.00.

     If you are looking for something totally original and completely easy to do with your digital pictures, give Animoto a visit today.

     (If you decide at some point that you would like to purchase an "All Access Pass" from Animoto, just click on one of the links in this post and you will receive a $5.00 discount !!)

A Return Visit, Very Nicely Documented

     China thinks we are too old to adopt again (and there are days when I would have to agree with them). But that doesn't mean that we will never return to the country where our daughters were born for a visit.

     Most of us who have adopted kids from China dream of one day taking them back to see and learn more  about their country. A new DVD from Tai-Kai Productions, called Found in China, tells the story of a group of adoptive parents and their 9-13 year-old daughters that made just such a visit.

     The first part of the story shows the young girls exploring the sights in a country they had not seen since they left as infants or toddlers. But this is much more than just a travelogue. Interviews with the young girls and their families help explain the feelings that they all experience as they tour.

     The second part of the tale is even more moving as some of the families visit the orphanages (and in a few cases even the "finding places") where the girls' adoption stories actually began. The emotions of all the people involved are evident. And once again, the interviews do an excellent job of letting the viewer into the thoughts of the girls and their parents.

     All in all, Found in China does a great job of presenting the range of feelings that families on a visit like this might experience. And that makes it a good resource for families who are considering "heritage tours" of their own and for adoptive parents who want to try and understand better what their kids have to come to grips with emotionally as they get a little older and start thinking about "where they came from."

Welcome to Our New Blog !

     My wife (Cathy) and I (Steve) have been blessed three times by the adoptions from China of our wonderful daughters Marissa, Jensyn and Natalie. The three trips we made to China left us with a strong desire to continue "exploring" the history, language and culture of that amazing country. In this blog, we hope to share  with you all of the interesting things we find in our "explorations." And we hope to use this as a place where we can discuss the various questions that arise as we raise our three adopted girls.

     We have no "roadmap" as we start out here. We just assume that topics of interest to us may also be interesting to other adoptive families. In the coming days, we will have much more to read and discuss here.

     Thanks for checking us out. We hope you will be back often.