From the category archives:

Tip

Tip: Get Fast Video Converter PRO Free For Thanksgiving

by JohnOfJordan on November 22, 2009

Thanksgiving is one of those American traditions that I (as an Australian) don’t really understand. However if you were looking for something to be thankful for it would be hard to go past a free copy of Fast Video Converter PRO.

Fast Video Converter PRO

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iJustine’s Tips For Making A Music Video

by JohnOfJordan on November 13, 2009

iJustine made a music video for the Nikon Festival and in this video she takes us through her creative process – from idea generation to finding a backing track to recording vocals, setting up shots and finally editing.
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Tip: Use Celtx To Script, Storyboard And Schedule

by JohnOfJordan on November 8, 2009

Scripting in Celtx

You don’t need to usually plan or script very much if you’re recording a quick vlog, but for more adventurous video undertakings a little planning can go a long way. Sure you could type a script quickly in a word processor, but if you want something a little more sophisticated check out the free Celtx software.

Celtx combines screenplay writing, storyboarding, general text editor and scheduling modules to help keep your next movie project on vision, on script and on time!

The software is available for Windows, OSX (10.4+) and Linux platforms, and includes some great sample files (including the Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, as pictured above in screenplay mode) to help get you started.

While we’re mostly interested in video making here, it is perhaps worth noting that Celtx could also be a great way of organising your NaNoWriMo notes too. (Good luck to anyone taking part in National Novel Writing Month!)

This tip comes via Stacie Ponder. For more great budget movie making tips with a horror genre focus – including a recipe for fake blood! – check out her article at AMC. [Horror/slasher fans will also enjoy her Final Girl blog.]

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Tip: Tweak Video Playback With Tags

by JohnOfJordan on September 8, 2009

Simply add a code or two to the tags section of your YouTube video to change how it plays.

You can adjust the dimensions of your video by either cropping or stretching…

yt:crop=16:9 (zooms in on the 16:9 area, removes windowboxing)

yt:stretch=16:9 (fixes anamorphic content by scaling to 16:9)

yt:stretch=4:3 (fixes 720×480 content that is the wrong aspect ratio by scaling to 4:3)

Or ensure that your video defaults to high quality (where available).

yt:quality=high (default to a high quality stream, depending on availability)

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Tip: Crop to Widescreen in Sony Vegas

April 24, 2009

Bill Myers (guerrillabill on YouTube) takes us through a few different techniques for converting the aspect ratio of your source footage to 16:9 widescreen in Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

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Tip: Don't Panic!

April 16, 2009

YouTube is changing. Apparently the homepage will be overhauled to encourage strategic partnership with content producers like Disney. There is a feeling among many YouTube users that the ‘golden age’ is over and that YouTube itself is turning its back on them in an attempt to make money and/or break even. My tip? Don’t panic.

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Tip: Pull A Stupid Facial Expression

March 17, 2009

It is often quoted sagely advice: think about your video thumbnail. Make it appealing, employ sexually suggestive imagery (though that can be misleading and sometimes run risk of breaking YouTube Terms Of Service). Be your own eye candy, or find yourself some kind of ‘eye candy’ stunt double.

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Tip: Learn Polish

January 9, 2009

Want more attentive viewers? Learn Polish. I’m only half joking.

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Tip: Remove Plastic

December 26, 2008

Today’s tip comes courtesy of Lynn Terry, and via Twitter no less!

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Tip: YouTube Greeting Cards

December 18, 2008

Its that time of year and you want to let people know that you’re thinking of them. But paper Christmas cards lead to clutter and aren’t environmentally friendly, and yet eCards are traditionally very boring – dreadfully designed extravagances with shrill MIDI soundtracks. What is a person to do?

Why not send a YouTube Greeting Card? Simply select the video of your choice, pick a theme and add a message – it’s really that easy.

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