🔨 Phase 2: Image Preparation and Optimization
The immediate next step was the Image Preparation and Optimization phase, which was critical to ensuring the highest-quality final video. This intense process took two and a half days to complete.
This involved meticulously preparing every selected photo to be "video-ready," including:
- Selection & Sequencing: Making the final, curated selection of photos from the hundreds reviewed and organizing them into a chronological or thematic narrative structure.
- Quality Enhancement: Performing necessary edits, such as adjusting contrast ratios and refining shadows/highlights. This included softening or sharpening certain aspects of a photo and utilizing techniques to make other sections of a photo "pop."
- Video Prep: Cropping and resizing each image to fit the video's aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9), ensuring optimal framing and image clarity for seamless integration into the final video compilation software.
