• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The DIY Video Editor

All things video for the enthusiastic amateur...

  • Blog
  • Software Reviews
  • Choosing Editing Software
  • Choosing a Video Camera
  • Editing Tips
  • Shooting Tips
  • Sharing & Distribution Tips
  • General Tips
  • Video Courses
  • Audio Tips
  • Optical Discs
  • Quick Video Tips and Articles
You are here: Home / DIY Video Editor Blog / The Friday Roundup – Animated GIFs, Organizing Your Assets and Effects Tips

The Friday Roundup – Animated GIFs, Organizing Your Assets and Effects Tips

editing-stress-YOP

Hold the Bus!

This is a vital yet incredibly boring factor of editing you must get under control if you want to edit smoothly and not go nuts in the process.

There many things a professional video editor is going to be doing in his or her editing process that simply do not translate to the world of amatuer or simple video editing.

On the other hand there are things that they do, and steps they follow that have evolved over time which are applicable to all editing situations.

Probably the one that fits this description the best is that of getting organized.

It only takes a few attempts at your first editing project to soon descend into the madness of trying to locate the assets you are going to use in that project.

In no time at all you find yourself loading and viewing little clips and opening and closing images and generally going around and around in circles trying to find the stuff you want or worse, finding stuff you meant to include after you have almost finished!

Imagine how it is for a pro editor trying to edit together your average Hollywood blockbuster!

You would think for them it is a nightmare but it’s not, because they are organized BEFORE they even start.

There is a link below that gives a pretty good outline as to how you can get all your assets sorted but prior to this you need to complete a few steps that have nothing to do with actual editing.

First, you need to learn inside and out how the library section of whatever software you are using works.

How to create folders how to show all folders or files of a particular type and how to create a folder hierarchy.

The second thing you need to do after that is not just import your video, audio and image files into the correctly marked folders but to re-name them as well.

Most files regardless of video, audio or image will have absolutely meaningless names when you first pull them on to your computer.

By renaming them in a meaningful way you will be able to quickly identify the file you need by their names showing in the library.

Remember that the thumbnail for any video is going to be generated based on the first few frames of any video file.

This may or in most cases, may not actually give you any idea as to the contents of that video file.

Images are a little easier but audio definitely will not have any visual reference other than the file name that you can go by.

Once you have all of that under control you can then start creating the right folders for the project and import those files.

  • You’re Setting Up Your Video Project Wrong: The 7 Subfolders You Need

How to Create Animated Gifs for your YouTube Videos

Great video I wanted to include this week from Derral Eves who is one of the people I follow for all the skinny on YouTube.

This week he is possibly stepping a little outside the “strictly for YouTube” genre and covers how to create a GIF.

Although Derral approaches the subject from the point of view of creating Gifs for the promotion of YouTube videos as is his speciality, the video can be applied elsewhere.

 A few of the major video editing software brands now include the ability to export to gif but you are looking for a super quick way to create one then some of the online services really can’t be beaten.

This especially applies if there is a property on YouTube you want to use.

Instead of trying to download the video off YouTube the online services simple get you to enter the URL of the video and they automatically pull it in.

From there it is just a matter of selecting the segment you want to use for the GIF and you are pretty well done.

Anyway, take a look at the video and see how simple it really is plus he offer three alternative sites you can go to.

PowerDirector Effect Room Tutorial

On the plus side, the better video editing programs at the consumer or amateur level these days are amazingly powerful and feature packed.

On the downside, you have to provide access to all those features somewhere on the user interface.

This is a downside because if you actually showed everything on the interface it would just be a mess of buttons and icons to click with no space left for the library or the video!

So the way most of the designers of video editing software approach this is to provide access to separate modules or to separate groups of effects or features.

Once you hit those buttons an entirely new set of possibilities opens up.

This of course has to be the trade off if the public are going to be demanding more and more features to consider the software to be attractive.

I can remember quite some time ago working on a project and for no reason at all decided to click on an icon I hadn’t clicked on before.

I was shocked to find that what appeared to be a completely new program opened up with knobs and dials and switches and heaven knows what else sitting in front of me!

I had no idea what it was for and obviously no idea how to use it!

So one of the things that would encourage everyone to do is to open and use your editor (whatever it is) regularly to create projects or to just have a play with the basics of importing, editing and the setups for rendering.

Once you have done that go to whatever the site is that you bought it from and check some tutorials (they all have them now).

Find something that catches your eye, check it out then at home open that feature up and give it a spin, you never know what you may find!

The video below is a little intro into the word of the Effects Room in PowerDirector but all software has something like this tucked away somewhere!

Audio Tips

In the past few weeks I have received a number of audio related questions and the general line they have taken is that of “how to fix my audio.”

In just about every case the person asking the question was trying to correct something in post production that should never have occurred in the first place.

Now of course just saying “you should have done it right in the first place” doesn’t really help much but the reality is that at the consumer level there always only going to be so much you can do in software to correct these mistakes.

The real handling for this situation is to learn what you can fix in post production for sure but in the meantime it is vital that anyone wanting to create video projects has to get up to pace on audio.

There are not really that many things you need to learn if you compare it to video or photography and the application of just a few simple things can ensure you don’t get into hot water to begin with.

  • Improve Your Audio: How to Reduce Echo in Your Video

YouTube for Vlogging Tips

I received an email this week from a site called Vloggingpro.com.

They were pointing out they have an updated list of tips for vlogging on YouTube.

Now it’s not unusual for me to get a lot of emails like this because factually they are usually thinly veiled attempts to get me to refer (with a link) to a site that basically has crap content or no content at all and is in fact generally worthless.

Much to my surprise the not only was the email polite in tone but also was actually directing my attention to an excellent article with heaps of information.

The world of vlogging on YouTube or even just getting videos online on YouTube requires constant attention to details.

Things like profile optimization, channel optimization and video optimization provide what seems to be an endless list of “things to do” in order to garner any attention on that service.

On top of the sheer number of things you have to do you then have to factor in that these points are in a constant state of flux.

Something vital to do last week is this week just “nice to have.”

Or something not really necessary this week is next week’s vital point that you simply must do.

Anyhoo the link below goes to their article which is a pretty current list of 71 points to consider when you are using YouTube and want to have more people than your family and friends to see your videos.

The site itself is aimed at the subject of vlogging but the tips they provide apply across the board.

  • 71 Ways to Get more Views and Subscribers on Youtube

Free Image Resources

I don’t know about anyone else but I am constantly on the lookout for free images to use in my projects.

Although you can just do a Google search for images, the problem is that if those images haven’t specifically been cleared for use then you may run into copyright problems.

Obviously you can filter any images found by “Usage Rights” to be sure but generally doing this tends to eliminate almost all of the good images.

This isn’t because you can’t use them, it because the images have not been given any usage attribution at all.

The way around this is to go to dedicated image sites where you know clearly what you can and cannot do with the images there and of course you want the free ones right!

There are many, many of these sites around but unfortunately many of them are not really based on any kind of sustainable business model.

This results in them popping up and then disappearing quite quickly or being hosted on servers so slow you just give up anyway.

This week I came across an excellent blog post over on Buffer that lists out about 50 image sites where you can get assets to safely use in your projects.

Most require a sign up of some description but really that’s a small price to pay for the knowledge that the images you are using are perfectly OK to use.

  • 53+ Free Image Sources For Your Blog and Social Media Posts
  • How to Cut Smoother Dialogue Using Room Tone & Ambience
  • The Friday Roundup – Ambient Audio, YouTube Mistakes and GIFs
  • The Friday Roundup – Creating and Optimizing GIFs Plus D.I.Y. Reflectors
  • Magix Movie Edit Pro Review Part Two
  • 5 Tips to Help You Establish a Lighting Fast Editing Workflow
Previous Post: « The Friday Roundup – Corel VideoStudio Updates, Pinnacle News and More
Next Post: The Friday Roundup – Having a Plan, Histograms and Pro Editing Tips »

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Ridwanul Islam says

    15/10/2020 at 7:00 am

    Beneficial article for beginners. I am a beginner too, so these all tips help me a lot thanks for sharing. It’s helpful for this blog. Also, great with all of the valuable information you have. Keep up the excellent work you are doing well.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Main Categories

  • Home Page
  • DIY Video Editor Blog
  • Choosing a Video Camera
  • Shooting Tips
  • How to Choose an Editor
  • Video Editing Tips
  • Getting Your Videos Online
  • Video Editing Software Reviews
  • Audio Tips
  • Video Courses
  • General Tips
  • CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc Repair and Data Recovery
  • Quick Video Tips and Articles

Software Reviews

  • The Best Video Editing Software
  • Easy to Use Editing Software
  • CyberLink PowerDirector 21 | 365
  • CyberLink Director Suite 365
  • Filmora 12 by Wondershare
  • Corel VideoStudio 2022
  • Movavi Video Editor
  • Pinnacle Studio 26
  • Magix Movie Edit Pro
  • Vegas Movie Studio 17
  • Adobe Premiere Elements
  • muvee Reveal Encore
  • Magix Video Pro X
  • ScreenFlow for Mac
  • Multimedia Software

Footer

  • Contact
  • Disclosure
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • About
Copyright © 2023 The DIY Video Editor
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT