One of These Mics is Perfect for YouTube, But Which One?
One of the most common pieces of misleading information I see especially on YouTube is in an effort by some to solve audio problems.
I think for most people the experience is pretty much the same.
They start off by using some kind of modern device like a smart phone to shoot their video, load it up on to a computer to edit and woohoo, it looks great!
Phones these days can be pretty good at compensating for poor shooting conditions and still produce a good image.
Up until that point the newbie is feeling pretty good about the world until suddenly they notice the audio is really, really bad!
Maybe that’s not exactly how it worked for everyone but it certainly was they way it went for me.
Then the search for solutions to the audio problem begins and usually that results in endless videos offering one kind of advice.
That advice is that you need a better (read expensive) microphone so just click the handy link below my video to order now!
The more balanced view on this situation is not as simple as needing a ridiculously overpriced microphone.
You can actually get pretty good audio these days from a $20 to $30 mic provided you take care of two other things.
The first of these is that you choose the type of mic correctly based on your shooting scenario and that you pay attention to the acoustics of the space in which you are recording.
Once you have optimized that aspect then the final step is to process that audio appropriately to clean it up and present it in the best possible way.
All of which is covered in the two videos below.
Audio Processing
Video Editing Tip – J Cut and L Cut Technique Plus Other Tricks
This is a nice explanation and demonstration by Kevin of what J Cuts and L Cuts are, why and where you would use them and exactly how to do it.
5 Tips to stop Corel VideoStudio from Freezing
This is a pretty good run through of some of the most common reasons just about any video editing software will crash or freeze so it is not confined to VideoStudio.
As a side note the first item on the list is to update your codecs using the K-Lite Codec Pack.
Personally I am not a big fan of installing a whole bunch of codecs from an outside source rather than using the ones in the program itself.
If you are working with exotic or very uncommon file types then perhaps it makes sense but if I want to tackle codecs as a potential cause of crashing then I would address it last.
I would first go the the software website and check for update there and only then install a third party codec or codec pack.
3 Ways to Appear On Camera that Everyone Should Know – Wondershare Filmora Tutorial
These are a few pretty cool, yet very simple ways for you to appear in a video rather than just already being there or walking form off camera… which is kind of boring.
How to Change Keyboard Shortcuts in Filmora 11 – 5 Most often Used
If you have followed this blog for any amount of time one tip I always come back to is the use of keyboard shortcuts.
When we all start editing for the first time one of the best features of editing software is that you can point’n’click and drag’n’drop your way to pretty good results.
Unfortunately that leads to the user becoming more and more dependent on that style of editing.
The problem is that after a while you begin to see it is a very inefficient way to get the job done.
The answer to that is of course keyboard shortcuts BUT!
By the time you realize that you have already “grooved in” your actions predominantly using the mouse.
Switching to shortcuts means everything slows down again until you can unlearn the old system and get up to speed on the new.
Whilst there is no getting around that fact I can safely say that making the switch to shortcuts will ultimately make your editing experience way better in the future.
Cinematic Title Flip Animation – PowerDirector
One thing that PowerDirector stands out for is its Titling module.
I work with a lot of video editing programs and for me the best balance between features on offer and ease of use has to be PowerDirector.
In the video below you can get a sense of just how much control you can exercise over your titles, their design and the ways in which you can animate them.
PowerDirector – Masking a FX Style by Selecting the Most Prominent Object
This is a demonstration of one of the new features in PowerDirector 365 which is located under the Style Effects folder in the Effects Room.
These effects have always existed but the new feature involves how the style is implemented in conjunction with masking.
This is one of the newer A.I. driven features that can analyze the images in a clip and identify the most prominent object in it.
Once that is done a mask is automatically created which you can then use to selectively apply the effect to that prominent object.
If you like you can choose to invert the mask and apply the effect to everything except that object.
As you will see in the demo certain types of video are more suitable for the effect than others and like a lot of the current batch of A.I. features will get better over time.
5 Simple Title Effects In 2 Minutes – Add and Animate Text in Movavi Video Editor
This is a titling tutorial put together using Movavi Video Editor but because Movavi is a simple editing program the concepts and tools shown will apply to just about any video editing software.
It is a good introduction to using basic title styles and tools as well as adding keyframes to polish it all up.
Which Action Camera Should You Buy? Insta360 X3 vs GoPro Hero 11
So the whole Action Cam market is kind of hot these days with two main contenders vying for top spot.
I don’t have the time, resources or knowhow to put together any sort of review on the matter but I know someone who does… and that’s just as good!
In the video below you can get a pretty good feel for both of these top of the line Action Cams to see which one may suit you better.
How To Write A Script For A YouTube Video (5-Step Template)
The bottom line for YouTube is that you need to be producing content consistently and the only way anyone maintains that consistency is by having a process.
Keeping it all in your head and recreating that process over and over will lead to steps being missed and an overall sense that it is way harder than you thought it would be.
The key to it is having checklists to mechanically follow and a video template to fill in every time you make new content.
The less you keep in your head the easier the process gets.
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