Brandon Li Transitions and Editing Tutorial
This is absolutely my favorite type of video editing tutorial.
It has a guy that understands the process who is fully aware of the fact that his audience does not and it is his job to help them do so.
In this video John goes through step by step each of the processes being shown with good examples of what is being done, why it is being done and what the final effect is.
Yay Free Stuff!
This week I came across an article pointing to a video and audio resource I had no idea existed.
It is a sound and video library of free to use footage operated by the U.S. National Park Service and consists of assets captured at Yellowstone National Park.
So if you have been looking everywhere for that elusive sound of a bear growling in the night you are totally covered!
One very obvious use of the library aside from still images is the recordings of ambient forrest and natural sounds that can be very handy in any kind of outdoors project.
Links are below so go and have a wander about and see what you can find.
- Sound Library – Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- Video Library – Bison in Winter – Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
How to Make LUTs Look Good on ANY Footage
One feature that has been making its way into quite a few video editing suites is the ability to use LUTs.
For those of you who don’t know what LUTs are here’s a quick explanation.
LUT stands for LookUp Table.
A Lookup Table is a set of color and correction adjustments that can be applied as a whole to a video clip or series of clips.
Their main use is to give an overall continuity to the color grade of a series of clips in a project.
Without LUTs an editor would have to take the first clip and color grade it to the “look” they wanted.
They would then have to go to the next clip and color grade it manually to match the first then go to the third and match that to numbers one and two and so on.
By the time you get to ten or more clips in a project you can imagine the amount of time it would take to get a color grade done!
The answer to this is LUTs.
Now on the surface it may seem that all you have to do is add a bunch of clips, apply a LUT and you now have a color graded project.
That would be awesome but unfortunately it just isn’t as simple as that!
If the underlying clips have been shot under different lighting conditions or camera settings or even on different cameras you are still going to get wild variations on exactly what the results of applying the LUT are going to be.
One way to deal with that type of variation is to increase or reduce the intensity of the LUT as it is applied to each clip.
In many cases if the clips themselves start off looking quite similar then you may be good to go.
However not all video editing software at the consumer level offers control over the application of the LUT and it is more than likely that you will be starting off with mismatched footage anyway.
So, in the video below there is an excellent demonstration of how to very simply tweak your video clips so as to make the overall application of a LUT result in a good color grade.
The demo is done in Final Cut Pro but that is irrelevant.
The concepts are exactly the same in any video editing software that allows for color correction and the use of LUTs.
Matching Size and Proportion in Transitions
One of the downsides to editing your own footage is the temptation to just slap in any of the preset transitions available in your video editor of choice.
In a pinch they may look “OK” but in reality it often only takes a tiny adjustment or two to tailor that transition and lift the whole feel of your project.
In the video below they cover the idea of using just a plain cross fade transition but instead of just leaving it at that they take it to a higher level with just a simple adjustment anyone can do.
In fact the whole process has very little to do with the transition itself but with a more basic editing concept of creating a visual continuity that draws the viewer along with what he or she is watching.
Words, Words, Words
When you are stumbling about the internet looking for information or tutorials on the subject of video editing you will invariably come across sites that are aimed at the pro or at least semi-pro.
These can be a great source of information for any budding video editor but their main drawback is that they are very often laden with technical jargon and nomenclature.
The link below goes to an excellent resource on definitions of technical term associated with video editing.
While we are on that subject here’s your first one:
Post Production! That means everything that comes after the shooting of the video has finished and includes the editing.
More on Lighting from Viewer Questions
A few weeks ago the Basic Filmmaker covered the subject of his basic setup of shooting his YouTube videos.
This week he is revising the subject with a little more detail on his basic lighting set up.
Worth taking a look at because he uses his backup camera to take you on a virtual tour so you can actually see what’s going on.
PowerDirector – Using Keyframe Controls in ColorDirector – part 1
The increasing demands of the enthusiastic amateur to semi-pro video editor presented CyberLink with the problem that the basic color correction tools in their video editor were not quite making the grade.
However the addition of those types of controls would inevitably complicate the interface of their software alienating those users who did not really want those features.
Their solution was to create a separate yet integrated color correction and grading software named ColorDirector.
This is a stand alone software that can be purchased separately or as part of a bundle with PowerDirector.
If you are looking for something that gives pro quality control over the coloring and video correction process then you may be interested in this program.
The video below and the one linked beneath that provides a good illustration of the kind of control it offers.
How To Make A Freeze Frame In Cyberlink Powerdirector 17
If you want to add a freeze frame to any video project all you really have to do is take a snapshot of the frame then insert it on the timeline.
However in PowerDirector this can be done using the Action Camera Center and from within that module there are a few other options available to you when doing it.
How to Make a YouTube Banner (YouTube Channel Art Tutorial)
This is a continuation from the series on basic steps you need to get in order when it comes to starting or growing a YouTube Channel.
Although your channel art would not seem to have much impact on your success, one important point of that success (or failure!) is branding.
Branding is vitally important on any of these video platforms because it is one key factor in viewers remembering who you are and what you channel is about.
The average person browsing around the internet or even a site like YouTube has less attention span than most of the vegetables currently in my refrigerator.
Anything you can do to hold them or get them to remember you has to be utilized.
FilmoraPro Tutorial: How To Edit, Merge, & Stretch Videos
This is a slightly more in-depth look at the new Filmora Pro interface and some of the tools you can use.
The details on this latest release for Filmora a still a little sketchy but one of the things I particularly like is that they are incorporating keyboard shortcuts into their demos right from the start.
The way most editing software tends to present itself is by heavily demonstrating the point, click and drag functionality of their respective programs.
This is great for getting people over the hurdle of video editing software looking rather daunting but realistically it it locks people into what is a quite inefficient editing strategy.
The best way to edit and not have it become tedious is to bite the bullet and learn those keyboard shortcuts and doing it at the start is way better!
Easy Video Editing Software Reviews
Your Filmora9 and FilmoraPro FAQs
With the release recently of Filmora9 and Filmora Pro there have been a few questions thrown at the Filmora guys regarding the difference between the two products.
In the video below they cover some of the most frequently asked questions.
Original Image Credit: Meerkat Standing: By duangnapa_b/Shutterstock
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