Hey crafty people!!
This week I want to chat with you a bit about making tutorials. Let me start by saying that I am not a professional tutorial maker by any means. I have only recorded a few, but I do think I have learned a few tips and tricks lately that could help others. I wish I had these tips before I even tried recording a tutorial for the first time. If you are like me, then you do your crafting on a budget. No shame in that, but this can make it seem like it is impossible to get quality videos. Well I'm here to tell you that is not the case. Through a lot of trial and error on my part, I found a few things that may help you. I do not have a computer capable of editing videos. Since I'm on a budget this leaves me with my phone as an editing tool. First, there is an app called VideoShop. If you have a device that does not record in HD then this app is great. The free version does just about everything you need to make a video but there are a few paid features that you may or may not find beneficial to you. In the free version you can pre record your video onto your device and then add the clips together to edit them, or you can record the clips directly from the app itself and edit them. You can trim, cut, or split clips; add text, muisic, and sound effects; increase and decrease the speed; add transitions between clips for a smoother look; resize, rotate, and copy clips; and edit the brightness, contrast, saturation, and more!! Some of the paid features include things like voice overs and reversing clips. It takes some practice to get the hang of all the features but once you get it you can create some really great videos. Second is an app called PowerDirector. If you have a device that does record in HD then this app is amazing. Again, the free version does just about everything you need to make a video, with a few paid features you may find beneficial. What I find extra awesome about this app is that there are a few paid features that you can access for free just by watching a 30 second ad (which is optional). This option allowed me to access the paid feature of being able to save my videos in Ultra HD and 4K HD for free. That alone I think makes this app better than any others I have tried. But thats not all this app does. Alot of the features are the same as the VideoShop app, although I feel like this app has a better flow and makes things a little easier to learn. Some of the features that are different are things like, the transitions on this app are more professional and you have a lot more choices. Also you can add voice overs and layer things to make them easier to edit. Both of these apps have worked great for me but I would have to say that PowerDirect if my favorite. So now that we have talked about different editing apps and the features you may want to look for in other apps, lets start talking about the set up. When your working on a budget, it could be a challenge to set up a good area to record in. Time, comfort, lighting, a crafty mind, and quiet are the 5 most important things to me when preparing to record a tutorial. First is time and comfort. Most tutorials take a while to record so having somewhere you can sit comfortably for an extended period of time is important. Next is to make sure that the spot you chose has good lighting. Yes, just like with taking pictures, while recording videos you should have good, natural lighting. I am someone that works 3rd shift so this is especially challenging for me sometimes. Ok so you found your comfy spot with good lighting, now you need that crafty mind to set up your device. My tip is to use what you have laying around. I happened to have a small tripod that was not big enough to get a good angle of my work for a video. I hooked my phone up to it and then, I kid you not, I wrapped the end of it around a spare crutch I had from when I hurt my foot. Then i propped up the crutch against a chair and pillows to keep it from tipping over. Then I centered it to where I was recording and I used spare yarn to mark the outside of the frame so I knew where to keep my hands. How you set yours up could effect whether or not you record your tutorial in clips or all the way through too so keep that in mind if that is important to you. So, now that you have a naturally lite, comfy spot and your device set up for recording, you just need to make sure it is quiet. Turn off all Tvs, fans, air conditioners, shut windows, etc. If you have kids or pets, try your best to keep them away or quiet. Background noise can really reduce the quality of a video. But don't think your video is bad just because some noise is in there. As long as your information is all in there and clear, people will listen past the background noise. Bam! Now all you need is to gather up all of your supplies and go for it! There are 2 ways you can go about the actual recording process. You can either record each step in individual clips or record the entire thing from start to finish. If you record each step individually, keep in mind that while editing this could make the process more times consuming due to having to edit and/or delete multiple items. But you can stop and record a new clip if you mess up. Personally, this is how i have been doing it and it hasn't been hard. If you record the entire thing from start to finish this could also be time consuming to edit due to having to clip out multiple takes that don't make the cut. But I think it could make the transitions easier and give you the opportunity to get more information in your video. Editing is something that could take 1 hour or 1 week, sometimes longer. It all depends on the length of your video, the way you recorded it, and the type of person you are. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my own work. I have watched tutorials with poor lighting and background noise and I really didn't think much of it. When I see or hear that in my own videos, it hits me harder. This usually makes the editing process longer for me. I will watch, edit, re watch, edit some more, wait a day, watch again, edit again, and that keeps going on and on until I cant watch it any more. That's the point I rely on my crafty friends to give my work its last look over through fresh eyes. That's my final tip. Have at least 1 crafty friends that you trust to will be open and honest with you about the quality of your work. I dont think anyone starts making tutorials and is perfect from day 1. I think, that with everything in life, you try and fail and try again until you get it right. Luckily, these days we have social media to connect us so we can share information like this for others to see and learn from. As i said in the beginning of this post, I am not a professional at all. I still have a lot of learning to do and I'm sure if my budget allowed for better editing software so i could edit from my computer instead of my phone my videos would be even better. well maybe that could be a future blog post. But we are crafty people working on a budget so this is the advice I have for now. I hope this post has been helpful to some of you! Feel free to comment and share your own tips and tricks if you have some. I know I would appreciate it. Also feel free to contact me with any questions or if you notice any errors. We are all human and don't always catch our own errors so I appreciate any opportunity to be a better designer and blogger. Thank you!! Tag me of social media!! I would love to see your videos if you end up making any! Until next time, Kay - A Cup Of Crochet
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