DIY Video Editor Blog

The Friday Roundup – Getting in the Groove for Video and More!

Finding Your Groove with YouTube and Video Creation

This is a livestream recorded last week with a pretty successful YouTuber called Sean Cannell.

In it he outlines briefly his own journey towards becoming successful on YouTube.

More importantly he goes into great detail as to the mistakes he made and how you can avoid making those same ones.


Pin Your Comment Before Your Video Goes Public

This is a cool little trick to help maximize your chances of ranking in the YouTube algorithm.

Just bear in mind I said “maximize” and not guarantee!

Remember, you can’t just post an awful video on a subject that no-one is interested in then ignore all the other steps you need to take to rank and expect this tip to work some kind of miracle!


Quirky Filming Style Like Wes Anderson

OK I am not going to be too critical and get stuck into the guys at Filmora for perhaps overreaching a bit here!

I hardly think that they are going to cover the genius of Wes Anderson in a 5 minute video on YouTube!

Having said that there are some good tips in here on some of the techniques Wes Anderson uses regularly and why they work.


Making a YouTube Thumbnail with Filmora X

Probably something a lot of people don’t realize is that any video editing software that allows you to add effects or adjustments to anything on the timeline then take a snapshot of it is actually… a photo editor!

This one is in Filmora but most editors can do it these days.


Filmora X Vignette Look Effect

Vignettes are a simple way of controlling audience attention and getting them to focus on what you want on the screen.

Most video editors will have some kind of preset vignette filter but the important point to keep in mind is that you need to do two things with them every time.

First you need to control the shape and position so that the effect does what it is supposed to do.

Secondly you should only use them if there is a purpose to it.

Just slapping on a random vignette effect for no reason other than “you can” is not a good reason!


PowerDirector – Working with Color Board Design Tools Part 1

The latest version of PowerDirector 20/365 added a feature to the Color Boards Design Tool that I haven’t seen covered anywhere else.

Now you can create or adjust gradient color boards inside the software itself as you can see in the video below.


Create a Cinematic Title Reveal – CyberLink PowerDirector 20/365

This is a slightly more complex titling tutorial done in PowerDirector using keyframes and masking.

If you are not using PowerDirector you should be able to follow along anyway as long as the editor you are using offers keyframing and basic masking.

It’s worth watching because I think it shows quite well the difference between designing your own titles as opposed to just using prese stuff that came with your editing software.



Lance Carr

Lance is a fully qualified video editing tragic and renowned techno-struggler. He has put in the hard yards working out all manner of things technical... so you don't have to!

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