Low Quality on Imported AVI

Question

This is not a premiere elements issue, but I am using the software to create a project.  My problem deals with the quality of the video I took on vacation.  I inadvertently place the camera in a low resolution mode.  Although the video can be seen using Realplayer or Windows media player, the quality is only accepatble for a very small screen.  When I transport the video to my project, the quality is unacceptable.  Is there anyway I can improved the quality of the original video?
The AVI was transfered from a file on my PC, which was downloaded from a SD flash card on a Canon A650 camera in the compact mode (this was the mistake).  I was hoping to make a DVD of our trip combining video, JPEGs, and music.  Out of the twenty some video clips I took on the Canon, only the first two are usable.  Somehow I change the quality of video clip and the lower qulality was not noted until I returned home and started looking at the video on my PC.

Answer 1

Hunt, I really am having a hard time trying to understand your 
instructions.  I downloaded the premiere editor to see if that would help  with the
terminology, but it didn't, at least not to the extend I need.  I  guess I just
will not use the video.  I still have 300 JPEGs to use so that  should give
me enough to work with for my project.  Thanks for your  help.  You need to
spend your time and expertise on people that have a  better understanding
than me.  Thanks again and have a Merry  Christmas.
Russ
In a message dated 12/22/2009 12:50:03 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, 
[email protected] writes:
Russ,
Sorry for getting ahead of you.
What I  am suggesting is that you set up your PrE editing screen (the GUI -
Graphic  User Interface) with one of these "bad" Clips on the Timeline.
Place the CTI  (Current Time Indicator w/ the Edit Line) over that Clip, so
that it will show  in the Program Monitor. You might want to click-drag on the
various Panels,  and also zoom in on your Timeline a bit, so that the
important parts are large  enough to see. Once you have this set up, then do a
screen-cap of that  GUI.
This can differ a bit, depending on one's computer, their  image editing
programs, and even their keyboard, but here are the general  instructions:
1.) when all is set up in PrE, showing things  clearly, one would Copy that
image from the computer's monitor to the  Clipboard. On my laptop, this is
done by pressing Ctrl+PrtSC (Print Screen)  key. On other keyboards, the
CTRL modifier key is not necessary. Also, the  exact name of the key for "Print
Screen" might be slightly different. Mine is  "PrtSc," but yours could be
something like "PrntScr." This takes a snapshot of  what is displayed on your
computer's monitor.
2.) I use Photoshop  (PS) as my image editing software, but PSElements is
about the same. If one  has another image editing program, they might need to
read up on how to do  this next step. MS Paint, plus others, should be able
to do similar, though  more steps, or fewer steps, might be required.
In PS, I do  File>New Image (Ctrl+N) and PS will offer to create this New
Image sized to  the image in the system's Clipboard, which I accept. This New
Image opens, and  all I have to do is hit Ctrl+V (Paste) to get my
screen-cap from the Clipboard  and into my New Image as a New Layer. Then, I will
Crop, if necessary,  annotate the image to point out aspects that I want
people to look at, then  will do a Save, choosing .PSD to maintain any Layers.
Then, I choose Flatten  to collapse the Layers, and do a Save_As, choosing
JPEG @ a quality setting of  8-9.
3.) back in the forum editing screen, I look to the Toolbar  at the top of
the page. In the lower-middle, there is a little "camera" icon.  That allows
me to attach the JPEG image into the body of my  Reply.
Here's an example of my NLE setup, pretty much as I am  suggesting:
http://forums.adobe.com/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/17348/Screen-cap_01.jp
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Hope  that this  helps,
Hunt