“Hey, Xiao Wang, your video editing is pretty good! How did you achieve those effects?” I glanced at Xiao Wang’s computer screen and couldn’t help but ask.
Xiao Wang scratched his head and chuckled, “Brother Qian, I’m not really sure, I just followed the tutorial step by step.”
“Oh? What kind of tutorial is that impressive?” I became interested.
“It’s about using 剪映 (Jianying) with Arduino to control video effects,” Xiao Wang said while pointing at a small circuit board on the table, “This thing is called Arduino, and it can control effects in Jianying using sensors. It’s super cool!”
I was intrigued: “So advanced? Come on, let me get one too!”
Adventure with Arduino!
“Sure, Brother Qian, let’s start with Arduino,” Xiao Wang said enthusiastically, “This thing is like a small computer that can connect to various sensors, like temperature, light, sound, and so on.”
I looked at the palm-sized board and thought: Isn’t this just a glorified circuit board?
Xiao Wang continued, “Let’s start with the simplest one, a light-dependent resistor. It can detect light intensity, and then…”
“Wait a minute,” I interrupted, “What’s a light-dependent resistor?”
Xiao Wang slapped his forehead: “Oh, I’m jumping ahead. A light-dependent resistor is a small component that can sense light; the stronger the light, the lower the resistance.”
I suddenly understood: “Oh, just like how the human eye reacts to light?”
“Exactly!” Xiao Wang nodded repeatedly, “We’ll use it to control the brightness of the video. Cool, right?”
Transforming Jianying!
“So how do we set it up in Jianying?” I asked.
Xiao Wang smiled mysteriously: “This is the main event. We need to set parameters in Jianying so it can receive data from Arduino.”
“What parameters?” I was a bit confused.
“Things like brightness and contrast,” Xiao Wang explained, “We’ll set them as variables, and then…”
I interrupted, “Wait, what’s a variable?”
Xiao Wang paused for a moment and then laughed, “Oh, I’m jumping ahead again. A variable is like a small box where the value can change. For example, if we set brightness as a variable, it can fluctuate based on the data from the light-dependent resistor.”
“Oh, I get it,” I nodded, “Just like adjusting a volume knob?”
“Exactly, that’s the idea!” Xiao Wang said excitedly.
Code Challenge!
“So how do we write the code?” I asked, feeling a bit anxious.
Xiao Wang patted my shoulder: “Don’t worry, Brother Qian, it’s actually very simple. We’ll first write a small program on Arduino to read the data from the light-dependent resistor.”
“What? We have to program?” I panicked a little.
“Don’t rush,” Xiao Wang reassured me, “Just a few lines of code. Repeat after me: ‘analogRead’ to read data, ‘Serial.println’ to send data.”
I repeated it twice and suddenly had a lightbulb moment: “Hey, isn’t this like asking a waiter if the dish is ready and then having him bring it over?”
Xiao Wang was taken aback for a moment and then burst out laughing: “Brother Qian, that analogy is brilliant! Exactly, that’s how it works.”
Effects Integration!
“So how does Jianying receive the data?” I pressed on.
Xiao Wang scratched his head: “Well, it’s a bit complicated. We need to use a protocol called ‘OSC’…”
Seeing my confused face, Xiao Wang quickly clarified: “It’s just a way to let Arduino and Jianying understand each other. Think of it like chatting with a foreigner; you need a translator in between.”
“Oh, I understand,” I suddenly realized, “Just like when I chat with Grandma Li next door, I need to use Baidu Translate.”
Xiao Wang laughed so hard he couldn’t stand up straight: “Brother Qian, your analogy is so down-to-earth! Exactly, that’s the principle.”
“So what happens at the end?” I asked eagerly.
Xiao Wang smiled mysteriously: “In the end, it’s the moment of witnessing a miracle. When you cover the light-dependent resistor, the video dims; when you uncover it, the video brightens. It’s like magic!”
I was amazed: “So magical? Doesn’t that mean it can automatically adjust the video brightness based on the room light?”
“Smart!” Xiao Wang gave me a thumbs up, “Brother Qian, you’re really perceptive! That’s our ultimate goal.”
I rubbed my hands excitedly: “So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!”
Xiao Wang laughed, “Alright, Brother Qian, let’s embark on this magical journey of Jianying + Arduino!”
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