When Heather Hartman first hired me, she wanted me to edit her Facebook live videos into IG TV videos.
If you ever been to a Facebook live, you know that there’s a lot of distractions when you’re live. The reason most businesses go on Facebook live is to give information to their audience. BUT, because it’s live, you also want to talk and interact with your audience.
The combination of giving the information and engaging with your audience makes the video longer than it needs to be. I was tasked with editing out all the small talk and repetitive information so that it’ll fit into the IG TV standard of 10 minutes.
Besides the usual editing of sound, lighting, and bloopers, I also had to change the video dimensions since IG TV is usually viewed on the phone.
Here’s one of the videos I edited for Heather Hartman Coaching.
Do you make a lot of mistakes on camera or want to create a more polished feel to your videos? Fix these mistakes with video editing. Here are 5 things you can fix with video editing.
If it wasn’t for video editing, my videos would probably suck. I’m awkward on video and make a lot of mistakes, I have a quiet voice, and I’m not too keen on my background situation.
Fix these mistakes with video editing
If you’re having trouble being confident on camera, video editing can be a big help. I’m not going to lie and say video editing is the key to solving all your problems because, to be honest, it can’t fix everything. BUT, if you’re looking to create a more polished, professional video, then video editing is a solution. Here are 5 things you can fix with video editing.
01 Color Correction
First, let’s start with color correction. One of the first things you should do when you’re editing your videos is to fix the color. To make it simple, we’re just going to focus on white balance.
You’re going to make sure that the whites in your video are white and the blacks are black. Sometimes when we’re filming, depending on our lighting and environment, the color looks different.
For example, sometimes when you’re filming there might be like a yellowish hue or the video might be too oversaturated. Those are the most common problems when it comes to filming.
Luckily, most editing software makes it easy to color correct footage. Here, I’m using Adobe Premiere Pro, and if you go to the Lumetri Scopes, you’ll see the white balance eyedropper. You just use that dropper on the white area of your footage and it’ll correct the footage color automatically.
Here’s a tip, when you first start filming you can hold up something white (like white poster board) and then you can use the eyedropper on that when you edit your videos.
02 Color grading
People sometimes confuse color correction and color grading. You should always color correct your footage, but color grading is an option.
Color grading basically sets the mood for your videos. For example, horror movies always have a darker setting to make it look spooky and creepy.
So what can color grading do for your business? It adds to your branding. You almost forgot that I’m also a brand designer, huh?
It can help add a cheery mood, a chic mood, a bohemian mood and so on. One of my favorite YouTubers to watch is Carly Cristman. If you watch her YouTube videos, browse through her thumbnails, and check out her Instagram, you see that everything is desaturated. I think she even made a joke that she hates color. This desaturated look is a part of her brand and definitely makes her stand out against her competitors.
YouTube has evolved tremendously. I remember when anyone would just whip out their phone and start recording without thinking about anything. Now, it’s become a big production. No one wants to watch a video that is bad in quality. Even if you’re message is awesome, if it doesn’t look high quality or professional, then no one’s going to watch it. Besides editing, branding will take your videos up to the next level. Here are the 5 ways to brand your YouTube Channel.
5 ways to brand your YouTube channel
Some people start filming a video and upload it without even thinking about branding their channel. If your viewers want to know more about you, then they’re going to click over to your main channel page. I know that’s the first thing I do before I subscribe to any video.
When they get to your channel, they want to get a feel for you and check out your other videos. Just like a website, if the channel looks horrible, then I pass. Here are some simple things to do to make your YouTube channel stand out.
01. Get on the cover
The first thing you need to do is set your channel art. This is one of the first things your viewer sees on your page. You can have a picture of you if it’s all about you or you can just use your logo or YouTube channel name.
Just so you know, you only have a limited space for your channel art. Make sure you only put relevant things on there or it will look cluttered and messy. I would just have my channel name and if you publish on certain days, the days that you post on YouTube.
If you want to create your own channel art (*shameless plug* I include this in my Multimedia Headquarters package), you can use Canva. Make sure you keep the dimensions in mind. The channel art is responsive to desktops and laptops, mobile, and TV. Just keep in mind when you’re designing. You’ll want to keep a lot of negative space (whitespace or make sure you see a lot of the background)because the desktop dimensions are very limited.
Depending on the design package, my clients get 1-2 revisions for each item. Most designers have revisions so that we can accommodate the client’s input before the final design is selected. This is how design revisions work.Read More “How Design Revisions Work”
As a video editor, it’s my job to make you look good. That makes sense right? I mean, your success equals my success too. Because I get the raw footage of your videos, I see your best and your worst (don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me). I know how nerve-wracking it can be to be in front of a camera, so I think being prepared and knowing what to do on camera will definitely help make your videos look better and the editing process easier. If you want to learn how to record better YouTube videos, here are the 5 mistakes you’re making when recording a video.
How to record better YouTube videos
01 Slow it down
Talking too fast. This is a nervous habit. I’m guilty of this too! When you talk too fast, you tend to run your words together. It’s also not flattering to your audience. If you edit your own videos, you’ll also see that it’s hard to edit out mistakes because words will get cut off or force you to keep parts that should have been edited out.
If you’re nervous, stop and take a breath. Those pauses will be edited out anyway. If you’re still nervous, just stop recording and do a dry run. Usually, if I’m nervous, it’s because I’m not prepared so I like to practice and be aware of myself. When I say practice, don’t just read through what you want to say. You have to practice like it’s real. If you practice at 50%, then the real performance will be 50%. Always practice at 100% so you’ll do it naturally at 100%.
02 And cut
Just like talking too fast, you need to take a break between thoughts. I have a client who goes from one thought to another without pausing. When you keep plowing through your thoughts, you’re bound to make mistakes and get flustered. You might think that you’re doing a good job because you know your subject and you’re finishing your video quickly, but it doesn’t look good on camera.
It’s kind of like singing. Professional singers don’t just randomly take breaths during a song. If they did, they would destroy the rhythm of the song. Same thing for acting. You don’t see them taking random breaths during a scene. It would be distracting. Well, that’s exactly what happens when you plow through your words.
When you keep talking without pausing, you start randomly taking breaths, or worse, swallow because your mouth is dry, and keep going. When it comes to editing, it’s hard to edit out these random breaths and swallows if you keep talking without a break. Instead of being like the energizer bunny (do you remember him, he just keeps going and going), take a breath, regroup, and then finish your thoughts. It’s all about looking natural on camera.
03 Being too perfect
No one likes making mistakes. We all want to put our best face forward. No one wants to show their worst side, but in this case, do it. I’m here to edit them out. Even celebrities make mistakes. Do you think they can act out their character perfectly on screen? No, they get to have do-overs. That’s how we get to watch awesome bloopers.
Your main focus should be knowing your subject and being natural. Even though your audience will likely fall in love with you because they want to emulate you or you’re helping them with your content, they still want you to be human just like them.Read More “How to record better YouTube videos”
If you’re on YouTube, you’re trying to stand out with your content and attract your target audience and get them to subscribe to your channel. You know what’s not going to get subscribers? Boring how-to videos. I’m not saying to stop doing those videos. In fact, I think they’ll attract your audience. People go to YouTube to learn how to do things. BUT, if you want them to hit subscribe, then you have to think like a lifestyle vlogger. That’s why I created 7 video content ideas for businesses on YouTube to help grow their following.
Why think like a lifestyle vlogger? If you’ve ever been on YouTube, you’ll notice that these people are like celebrities. Viewers watch their videos mainly because they can relate to them or want to become them. It’s rare that people will subscribe just to learn something. In fact, a lot of people love to binge watch videos when they go on YouTube. Who wants to binge-watch educational videos?
Basically, you have to build a connection with your audience. Your viewers have to form an attachment to you, and the best way is to think like a lifestyle vlogger. Below are 7 video content ideas to add personality to your channel.
7 video content ideas for businesses on YouTube
01. Behind the Scenes or Inside look
You can do a behind the scenes look at your office or a process of your business. This is the number one reason why we stalk celebrities. We want to know their daily routine, how to be as successful as them, and just everything about their life.
Business video ideas:
Inside look at your morning routine
An inside look at how you stay productive
Behind the scenes of your work process
Inside look at how you plan your work day
02. Monthly favorites
If you’ve watched lifestyle videos, you’ll notice that there are quite a few ‘Monthly Favorites’ videos. These videos consist of products that vloggers loved that month. You can take this same concept and use it for your business. Also, if you’re an affiliate, this is an extra way to promote to your audience without being too salesy.
Video ideas:
Book reviews
Favorite tools that you’re using
Favorite product that you’re using in your business or that helps your business
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