Search results (title) for: "getting started in video"

Getting Started in Video: Editing and Publishing

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:23:00 -0000

The easiest way to edit video is to shoot it in one take. Here on the Etsy Video Awesomeness Team, we call those videos "One-Take-Wonders."

But you can't always get it in one take, or maybe your take is too long. That's when you need to learn how to edit.

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In this video you'll learn five things.

Cut — Get rid of that awkward moment when you spaced out on camera.
Titles — Add text to your videos.
Music — Add Creative Commons music to your video.
Exporting — The setting you should use before uploading to the internet.

I'm showing you how to edit in iMovie. It's an editing platform that I love. They changed iMovie a lot in version 8 and they made it a lot less awesome. Luckily, if you've got iMovie8, you can actually download iMovie HD for free. I recommend doing this if you're on a Mac.

If you're on a PC, Windows Media Maker is already on your computer and it's a completely functional platform. Combine that with Quicktime Pro for compressing the avi formatted videos that it outputs and you've got a decent system for editing videos. All the stuff I show in iMovie will work in a similar fashion in Windows Media Maker too.

When adding music to your videos, don't use music without permission. It's copyrighted, and having copyrighted music in your video means that you won't be able to screen it at a film festival (and in a worst case scenario, the music industry could sue you).

A strategy for adding music to your videos is to have musician friends hook you up. We use music from our friends Barry London, Jukeboxer, Alice Cohen, and Lineland with their permission and we also have Matt and Eric, as in-house musicians. No matter what music you use, make sure to credit it in your video credits and link to them in your blog posts.

Another way to get music for your videos is make it yourself. I've made a lot of music with Garageband and it's fun! I put out my own album of music that you are welcome to use in your videos. I released it under a Creative Commons license so all you have to do is credit me in your video and you're good to go.

You can also add music to your videos with Creative Commons music. I've used music from this album that Wired put out, and if you search for Creative Commons music, there is a lot out there. Even if it's Creative Commons, it's always a good idea to ask permission for music, if for no other reason than to let your favorite musicians know how awesome they are.

I've also had good luck with the internet archive's open source audio collection. I particularly like old 78 recordings.

Once your video is all done, you're going to want to compress it so that the file is small enough to upload to video sharing sites. Here are the settings I use in Quicktime Pro for export.

I'm always experimenting and trying new settings, so if you've got a different way of doing this, take a screenshot of your settings and post them to the handmade video flickr pool.

If you're making videos and you make things, join the handmade video google group (which we wrote about here) where creative media-makers chit chat about how we do things. You can always shoot me an email with a question, but the handmade video google group is a great place to tap into a community of video folks to ask questions if you get stuck or need help.

Looking for more video tips? Check out the rest of the Getting Started in Video series! And let us know if you're making videos!

Getting Started in Video: 3 Ways to Showcase Your Artwork Using Video

Thu, 29 May 2008 20:59:00 -0000

I was searching Youtube for "Etsy" and I came upon Tascha's shop and Youtube channel today. I noticed that she's using video a lot to showcase her work. I picked out some of her videos that inspire me to find new ways to use video.

1. Show your process. Tascha starts this video with an introduction and then sped up the video to show you the process she goes through to create an original painting. I like the way she mixed it up and included different camera angles to keep it interesting. Speeding it up also helps with...keeping it short! Remember, attention spans are mini on the web.

2. Animate your creations. Tascha has cool cats and one of them stars in this video. Animations can be as easy to make as just turning on the video camera, moving things around, and then taking out all the video that has your hands in it. You can also use a digital camera and animate the still photos.

3. Make a how-to. In this video Tascha shows how she made a journal and an accordion book about adopting her cat Opie. Creating how-to videos and sharing your skills with others makes you an expert on the subject.

Have you seen other types of videos that showcase artwork or other handmade process? Drop a note in the comments!

Getting Started in Video: Lighting

Fri, 23 May 2008 22:40:00 -0000

You've got a camera, you've got some shooting know-how, and your audio is sounding sweet. Now, what about lighting? This video shows you three options for lighting your video. The "free" option is to shoot in front of a window. The cheap option is to use clip lights and the pro option is to get a lowel light kit.

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The most important thing about lighting for video is that you've got light. Without enough light, your camera's autofocus will be grumpy and the picture, while it may look ok in the camera viewer as you shoot, will look all grainy when you transfer the video. Also, in the video I mention diffusion filters.

There is a lot to learn about lighting for video. If you get into it, you can spend years learning about lighting. I took a 16 hour intro class once that really gave me some ideas to play around with. The goal with this video is to get you started and get the lighting in your next video better than the lighting in your last video.

I went looking for resources to learn more about lighting on the internet, but didn't find much, so if you've got a resource for more information about lighting or if you have your own tips and tricks, leave a note in the comments!

For more videos about making videos, keep reading our Getting Started in Video series!

Getting Started in Video: Audio Options

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:08:00 -0000

So you've got your camera and you're shooting some special footage. How can you make it sound good?

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If you keep your subject within arm's length, you can use the onboard (built in) mic to get passable audio. If you're recording to tape, you'll get some tape sound, but it's likely that it will be usable audio. Photograpy cameras in movie mode sometimes have decent audio. Test what you've got and see how it sounds! If your camera has audio monitoring levels, you'll want to watch those as you record, too.

Improving your audio is as easy as getting a microphone. Even a $10 computer condenser microphone will improve your audio. A small mic gets closer to the subject and that's always good.

As far as sources for audio options, I shop at B & H. If you've got another spot you like to shop, leave a note in the comments.

Here's the breakdown of some of the microphones we use for the Storque.

Lavaliers: Here on the Etsy Media Awesome Team, we use a wired Audio Technica Pro 70 and a wireless Sony mic and they both work well. They are XLR, so if your camera doesn't have an XLR input you're going to have to get a converter cord or a Beachtek adapter. XLR is a way of hooking up mics that gives better quality sound than 1/8 inch jacks.

Shotgun: We use two Sennheissers. One is tiny and one is big. They both work great. (The price I quoted for the big Sennheiser in the video is wrong. It's more like $450. If you need a cheaper shotgun, I've shot with the Azden, and it's fine, too.) To learn more about shotgun mics, check out this article.

Although it's not in this video, if you're looking for a basic old-skool handheld mic, I've had a good experience with this Shure.

If you've got a mic you're happy with, make sure to leave a note in the comments! For more videos about making videos, keep reading our Getting Started in Video series!

Getting Started in Video: Pushing the Red Button

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:19:00 -0000

You've got a video camera...what next?

The basic idea is to put something in front of the camera and push the red button, but there's a lot more. This video is just a few tips and tricks to get you on your way. The main thing is to just start making videos and then each one will get better and better.

If you're going to go handheld, you can improve your stability by holding your elbows in. A tripod will keep the camera steady. If possible have the camera at eyeline or above because people just look more beautiful from above. You don't need to see up my nose.

Jump cuts are when you see lots of cuts without a change in camera position. I use these a lot. It also helps to plan some things out. I make a bullet list of things that I want to make sure I say. When working with other people, I find it's easier to ask them to talk about a list of topics rather than memorize things.

Don't be afraid to shoot it again and again and again. A few people called in today and I'm going to respond to their questions in future videos. If you've got tips for shooting video, leave a note in the comments or leave me a voicemail at 917-720-4197 and I might post your message in a future post!

I also made a video about videos with the Bill and Justin over at Blip.tv headquarters. They have a great video show about the people and shows on blip.tv called "Blip on Blip." Check it out!

Getting Started in Video: Camera Choices

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:02:00 -0000

There is something special about video that you can't get from writing or photographs. Seeing someone on video is more personal. I really want to see more links to videos on the Etsy site, so I'm starting up this tutorial series to get you started making your own videos. Making videos gives the world a chance to see the personality and process behind the things you make.

Let's start with some super cheap cameras. If you're wanting to make video on a budget, you have a few options. The simplest option is to use what you've got. You may already have a video camera. Did you know that most digital photography cameras have a movie mode that takes great video? If you've got one of these, you're done looking, start shooting! A lot of time you can even set these to 640x480 resolution which is good enough to make great web videos. If you're buying something, the cheapest option is to use a flip camera. These are pretty inexpensive and they are easy to use. The resolution isn't fantastic, but they are small and light and easy to carry around and shoot things with.

If you're looking to step it up, the next level of video camera is a DV camera. You can find these for around 200-300 dollars. When you're looking for a camera, check to make sure that it's got a microphone jack and a headphone jack so that you can hook up an external mic and listen to the level of the sound as it's recording. Make sure your computer has a firewire port before getting one of these or you won't be able to transfer the video over.

If you're feeling fancy, you can get an HD camera. You can get a camera like the Sony HC1 which records HD video to DV tape (little mini digital video cassette tapes). But my recommendation is that you skip recording to tape. I'm in favor of using cameras that record straight to an SD Card, which is similar to the little card your digital still camera uses. If you've got somewhere between $600 and $1000 to spend, I'd recommend, the Sanyo Xacti HD2 which is a great little 720P camera or the Canon Vixia HF10. I've also played around with this Panasonic HSC1UP camera which is a bit more expensive, but has 3 chips in it which means the colors are a little snazzier. All of these record to SD cards. If you are going to be using iMovie (the video editing software that comes free with Macs), you'll want to get the Sanyo Xacti which records to an easily convertable MP4 format. The Panasonic and Canon SD cams both record to AVCHD which is a wonderful format allowing a lot of hi-res info to fit on a card, but it's not compatible with iMovie 7 at this time.

If you've got a serious budget and you're thinking about shooting broadcast HD, you can get the Panasonic HVX200. We shoot our Handmade Video Portraits on this. This is a professional level camera and it's awesome. There's a bit of a learning curve to dealing with P2 cards though, so be prepared to spend a day or two reading the manual.

A great place to go and learn more about cameras is creativecow.net. The forums there are really helpful and the community is great.

No matter what camera you get, I recommend getting an extra battery and separate battery charger. There is nothing worse than running out of batteries when you are shooting something special.

If a wide-angle lens is available for your camera, get it! I love wide-angle shots to be able to show lots of a room in your frame.

Again, the best thing to get started with is what you've got.

In the forums I asked for camera recommendations and got this message.

My next video is about tips for shooting video. If you've got an idea you can leave a comment, or leave a note in the forums or leave a message at 917-720-4197 and maybe I'll post it with the next video.