DIY Video Editor Blog

The Friday Roundup – Shooting HDR and lighting Tips

Everything You Need to Know About HDR Video, Part 1: The Basics

As a newcomer to creating your own videos or even as an intermediate user, you will often come across terminology is unfamiliar.

More often than not subjects like these are presented in a way that may make you think that you should be doing this thing or not doing that thing or whatever!

Shooting in RAW format is a typical one I come across all the time and it is often presented as a format that you absolutely have to be using.

I personally went down that entire rabbit hole only to end up back where I started shooting in the same way I had originally!

So, the topic being discussed in this video is HDR which stands for High Dynamic Range.

So rather than have me bang on about it, check this out to see if it is a mode that would apply to your video creation workflow and style.


More Lighting Advice I Wish I Knew Sooner

It is very easy to get caught up in the equipment arms race when it comes to extracting better quality in your videos.

Whenever you do a search on improving any part of the video shooting process it is almost inevitable that it leads to a camera gear discussion.

Believe me when I say I have trawled that path very, very often!

However, what I eventually learned was that the real key to quality, regardless of what camera or smartphone solution you have, is the ability to understand light.

Get that down pat and you are 90% of the way there.


How to Import PowerPoint Slides and Change Resolutions

For quite a while now PowerDirector has allowed the import of PowerPoint Slide presentations so that you can edit then and subsequently export.

Recent changes in PowerDirector have meant that the way you do that has changed slightly in that the import process now has to begin inside PowerPoint as an export first.

Not really a big deal unless you are unaware of the change!

Additionally, PowerDirector now has the ability to improve the quality of those slides as shown in the video below.


How to Create an On-point 2026 Intro – Movavi Ideas

This is a quick “How to” video from Movavi covering the simple creation of an intro sequence that looks modern and appealing.

There days one of the easiest ways to keep up with what is visually trending and being considered “attractive” by audiences is to follow what assets are being added to your video editing software.

Of course you could spend hours researching it all yourself but why work so hard!


Filmora Mask Effects: Transform Your Edits!

Last week I featured a video from the folks at Filmora highlighting a few of the new features and updates in Filmora 15.7.12.

One of those features was an enhancement to the masking tools making masking easier and more controllable.

You can see those improvements in this video as well as refreshing your knowledge of that entire module.


CapCut Desktop Tutorial for Beginners (PC & Mac, Step-by-Step)

Like most video editing apps at this level, CapCut has been developing its software at a fairly fast pace.

On one hand that’s of course good news but on the other hand you may find yourself a little at sea with all the changes.

In this video the guys from Primal Video have hit the reset button and uploaded a full beginners guide to the software from scratch.

If you are considering CapCut as your primary video editing software or if you have already been using the app, this is a great lesson on the current state of the software and what it can do.


Text Depth in CapCut – Custom Fonts & Watermarks Explained

From the outset CapCut looks to be simple a well-equipped beginner editing solution to get started with.

But don’t be fooled by that because it, like a few others at this level of software, is hiding a whole world of functionality as long as you know where to look!

In fact just about all video editing software is like this.

The basics are always presented up front because that’s what you need to get going.

Dig a little deeper and all sorts of control becomes possible.

Here’s a look at some of the more advanced tools you can utilize for fonts, text and watermarks.


This Scripting Mistake Makes Your Shorts Easy to Scroll Past

If you have been stuck creating videos whether short form or long form and are just not getting the results you expected then this is a video for you.

In fact if you are just setting out on a video creation journey, this is a lesson that will save you heaps of time.

So instead of chasing what “everyone says” about consistency, regularity and just plowing on regardless, take a look at this for a different perspective.



Key Takeaways

  • An introduction to HDR video, explaining its significance in video production.
  • Understanding light as a key factor in achieving video quality over solely focusing on gear.
  • Tips for using PowerDirector, Movavi, Filmora, and CapCut, highlighting their features and updates.
  • Gaining a better grasp of editing software leads to enhanced creativity and control in video creation.
  • Common mistakes when scripting videos, providing insights for better engagement.

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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