How to Embed Videos in Photos

In connection with the fall equinox, here's a graphic tutorial with a video clip filmed with my phone to set the mood. Five years ago (oops, time flies!), I explained how to embed an off-the-shelf animated GIF into a picture using Animation Shop and Paint Shop Pro. Since then, I have shifted to Linux and am progressively learning how to use the many features of GIMP 2.10, even though for such things as external plug-ins and masks, I'm still using Paint Shop Pro 8 which runs fine on Wine (except some cool filters that I can do without).

So for this tut, you will only need a recent version of GIMP for Windows, Mac or Linux.

Materials

• a MP4, WebM, AVI, MPEG, FLV, MOV or 3GP video file not exceeding 100 MB in size
• a picture with a transparent area to embed the video into (you'll want to avoid high resolutions as they might produce lower quality GIFs and increase loading time of your web page)

Instructions

1. Let's start by converting our video to an animated GIF. For that we shall use a free online tool that will do the job for us. You'll find it here:
https://ezgif.com/video-to-gif

2. Under Upload video file, click on the Browse button to select a video from your computer OR paste video URL if the video you wish to use is hosted online. Then click on the Upload video button.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

3. Once your video has been uploaded, it should be displayed with a toolbar on top (fig. 1).

4. On this toolbar, select the Resize video tool to adjust its dimensions to the picture you wish to embed it in. Set your intended width in pixels in New width and New height empty for the algorithm to process it with the relevant ratio. Do not modify any other option then click on the Resize video button (fig. 2).

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

5. The resized video will be displayed on the same page below with a toolbar at the bottom (fig.3).

6. Click on the Crop video or ignore this step if you wish to keep it as it is and select another tool. You may choose a preset ratio (square, 4:3, 16:9, etc.) or draw the crop selection manually with your cursor as you do in any image editor. You may adjust your selection using the resize handles all around. Then click on the Crop video button (fig. 4).

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

7. The cropped video will be displayed on the same page below with a toolbar at the bottom (fig.5).

8. Click on the Cut video button to extract the sequence you wish to use in the video. Simply press the Play arrow of the player to watch the video. When it gets to the beginning of your desired sequence, click on the Use current position to indicate Start time and do the same for End time. If necessary, you may adjust these time marks manually afterwards for better accuracy. Then click on the Cut video button (fig. 6).

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

9. As always, the output video is displayed on the same page below Processed video with a toolbar. You may select other tools if you wish to change other settings such as speed, for instance.

10. Select the Video to GIF to convert the video. In the new window, adjust the framerate according to the length of your clip. A higher framerate will add more frames/pictures and a bigger GIF file. Then click on the Convert to GIF button (fig. 7).

11. The output GIF will be displayed on the same page below with its toolbar. Click on the Save button to save it to your computer (fig. 8).

12. Now run GIMP and load a copy of your animated GIF. In the layer window, you'll see all the frames of your animation displayed as layers from bottom to top. You may play the animation with Filters - Animation - Replay Animation menu. You may shorten the sequence by deleting a consecutive series of layers from the top and/or bottom but not randomly if you wish to keep a smooth animation.

13. In order to adjust colours, we need to increase their number with Image - RVB Mode menu.

14. Activate top layer. Then in another tab, load your desired image to embed the animation in. You may either copy-paste it as a new layer to the frame sequence or a quicker way is to click on its tab and drop it on the animation tab and the animation itself and it will automatically be pasted as a new layer.

15. If you have correctly adjusted the dimensions of your video on EzGif, your insert image should normally be larger and as a new layer will appear truncated. To fix that, use Image - Adjust Canvas to Layers menu. Afterwards, you may use the Scale tool or Layer - Scale and Resize Layer menu.

16. Use magic wand to select the transparent area of new layer then invert selection. Activate the layer below your insert image and press Delete key. Repeat operation for every layer. Unselect with Selection - None menu.

17. Move top layer (insert) just above Background layer. Right click and Merge Down (or use Layer - Merge Down menu).

18. Now you may export your picture. Use File - Export to... menu. Select desired location on your hard disk and filename. At the bottom of dialog box, click on Select File Type (By Extension) and choose GIF Image then click on the Export button. A new dialog box will open. Check both As Animation and Loop Forever options then click again on the Export button.

NOTE: I have performed additional manipulations which I haven't mentioned in order to keep this tutorial simple. As my insert frame also had some transparencies around, I added a new layer of the same colour as the pages of my blog and moved it to the bottom below the Background layer, merged down and renamed merged layer the same as original background layer for the animation to work. To match tones of the animation frames with insert picture, before merging down the latter on step 17, I used the Colours - Colour Balance menu and saved my settings before applying to active layer. Then I repeated the operation for EVERY layer EXCEPT insert picture layer using the CTRL+F  keys (Repeat Last Filter).

Tada! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. There are some additional tools for GIMP to manipulate videos, but I find they a bit too complicated for the moment and if I ever change my mind and find time to experiment, who knows I might write another tutorial.

© La Pensine Mutine. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.

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Macro Cuts

Destroying puppet strings
To our souls,
Micro waves me insane,
A blade cuts in your brain,
Sounds like forks on a plate,
Blackboard scratched with hate.

"Micro Cuts", Muse (2001)

The few « thoughts » below are not really since they merely occurred to me out of the blue while commuting on a train delayed by works in progress this summer and felt urged to write them down. This is what some may call channelling, but I don't quite like this term which I find a bit pompous. Besides, I don't see myself as a channeller at all — and hope I never become one, having enough trouble dealing with living people in the 3D!

The Almighty

In terms of “inverted light”, those called the “almighty” of this world are actually “powerless” in terms of vibration. Completely disconnected from Source, they are stuck inside a downward spiral. The more they feed on other people's energy, the more their frequency decreases because doing so consumes a lot of energy for they need to lower the vibrations of their power supplies first since you cannot receive more than you can emit. A bit like a low voltage electric appliance needs a voltage transformer otherwise it would get fried by the 220v power.

Furthermore, proxy energy is short-lived compared with direct energy from Source. A bit like when you use extension cords and/or multiple sockets, it creates electric losses for each resistance you add to the circuit.

Consequently, on the inverted scale, the more they violate natural laws by hurting others, the lower their frequencies, the more they disconnect from Source — a bit like when those who are of service to others and raise vibrations with their joy, compassion, and love but on the opposite polarity. Which causes their feeling of division/separation to increase as well as their fear.

In short, the more they steal from us — not just our money which is only energy, but our time, our free will, our health, our freedom, all of which ultimately aim at the same and one thing: our life force —, the more they are afraid that we take this energy back. Or worse: that we wake up and figure out how to reconnect to unlimited Source and raise our vibrations, which would in turn impact the morphic field in a snowball effect. This would not only make energies unbearable for them, but would also lead to their demise.

The energy of disconnection

They are so disconnected from Source that they no longer know how to reconnect. If you ever felt terrorised, or that you were living in a jungle and had to kill in order not to get killed, well, that's a bit how they feel and what motivates their behaviour.

Yes, but they are so awful, they commit such horrors, they are monsters and deserve what's coming to them! They do not deserve love.

Actually, they DON'T want love because it's high energy. They prefer feeding of hatred. The angrier at them we get, the more we hate them and seek revenge, the stronger they get while we get weaker. If we're not careful, we might get dragged into the same downward spiral.

And this is precisely what they're attempting to do out of despair — because they know too well that they have lost the game even though they seem to be gaining new ground. They want to take us down with them. To destroy us. Out of pure hatred. Because, just like you want to share your happiness with everyone, spite wants to destroy the whole world.

To draw a parallel, you need to be honest with yourself and remember that or those times when you felt so unhappy and hurt that you envied other people's happiness and not necessarily wishing them ill, but rejoiced of their misfortune or simply tried to spoil their joy with an offensive attitude. This may be tough to acknowledge, all the more since our anger is legitimate, but if we are to stop all this madness and incapacitate them, we need to send them love. NOT hatred.

It doesn't mean we condone all the evil they've done and keep doing, but to reconnect to Source we must absolutely stop playing the separation game they're promoting. This is actually what enabled them to abuse us with impunity. Somehow, we have all become their unconscious accomplices and willing victims. At least, until now. Because things are changing and the split of humanity is pending if not already happening.

Radio Harmony vs Radio Discord

These apostles of inverted light, and all those who fall into the trap of responding from their ego rather than from their heart, will all become spectres in the new reality of those who make the opposite choice, and the density of the first will no longer be able to disrupt the fluidity of the latter when their energies meet. Just like two radio stations that used to interfere with one another, creating background noise for being too close and overlapping, the fine-tuning won't allow this anymore whether you've chosen to tune in to Radiio Harmony or Radio Discord, you won't get both.

This will come about gradually, though quite quickly, until they are no longer able to come our way anymore. In the long run, our six senses will no longer pick low frequencies. But we shall need to do the fine-tuning work first.

Now, now, now is the time,
Time to be aware.

"Let There Be More Light", Pink Floyd (1968)

So which of the Ego or Heart button will you dial?

© La Pensine Mutine. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.

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Let It Be

Along with "Imagine"penned by John Lennon a year after they disbanded, "Let It Be" is probably one of the most beautiful songs of hope ever written by Paul McCartney with the Beatles. Upon its release in 1970 (and still to this day), many people saw biblical references while it was mostly a spiritual message inviting you to dig into your heart to find strength, wisdom and light. According to McCartney, the song would have been inspired by a dream he had of his mother Mary McCartney, (Mother Mary) who died of cancer when he was fourteen. She came to him in the midst of all the tensions preluding the split and would have told him not to worry and let go of things.

That this track came to me right when we're heading to troubled times is no coincidence at all. These lyrics are exactly the words of wisdom we need to hear while the vibration of the planet has reached such a high level those who aren't aligned with it are losing control, getting overwhelmed by their dark shadow with a risk of dragging along the less grounded of us. So, indeed, as a good friend of mine (you know who you are) keeps saying, you have to let go of it all and do not respond in order not to fuel this madness with our energies. Remember that we need to vibrate on their frequency range for them to get a chance to affect us.

Ey@el

When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.

And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.

Let it be... let it be... let it be... let it be...
Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be.

And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer,
Let it be.

For though they may be parted, there is
Still a chance that they will see,
There will be an answer,
Let it be.

Let it be... let it be... let it be... let it be...
Yeah, there will be an answer,
Let it be.

Let it be... let it be... let it be... let it be...
Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine until tomorrow,
Let it be.

I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.

Let it be... let it be... let it be... let it be...
Yeah, there will be an answer,
Let it be.

Let it be... let it be... let it be... let it be...
Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be.

Original text by PAUL MCCARTNEY

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Enjoy Red

A variety of gooseberry, redcurrant has got many names in French according to which region of France or which French-speaking country you're from. Actually, what you call it is much irrelevant as redcurrant is meant to be eaten — not named! Besides, this low-calory berry with high vitamin, mineral, antioxydant, and peptin content is excellent for your health. However, the acidic taste provided by its high vitamin C content makes it quite unpleasant to eat raw. So after experimenting with my vanilla creams and muesli (oatmeal and almonds), I wanted to try an egg-free, gluten-free and sugar-free pudding or clafoutis. It turned out so delicious I couldn't resist to share this recipe with you. Its high almond content will also bring you a lot of monoinsaturated fats, phytosterols, vitamin E (antioxidant), fibers, magnesium, and proteins.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 :

- 500 g redcurrant
- 60 g almond butter
- 400 ml almond (or hazelnut) milk
- 2 teaspoons almond extract (or Almaretto liquor)
- 100 g ground almonds
- 60 g arrow root
- 20 g lupin flour
- 60 g rice flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions

Arrange redcurrant in a greased baking dish.

Dilute almond butter in almond milk.

Whisk in remaining ingredients for a smooth, lump-free consistency. Pour this batter over redcurrant.

Bake for 30 minutes at 200°C.

NOTE: If using frozen redcurrant, no need to defrost. Don't panic: the green bits you may see result from a chemical reaction between arrow root and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

This lavish pudding will be most appreciated for breakfast or tea.

Enjoy!

© La Pensine Mutine. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.

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