Make Better Video for YouTube

Welcome to Videomaker! Below are our favorite tips and techniques selected from the past 20 years of the magazine. Use these articles and resources to help transform your creative idea into a professional looking, polished video that will get you noticed on YouTube.

Special Effects

Special effects including green screens, fake blood, fire and gun effects can look realistic with the proper tools and techniques.

Gun Muzzle Flashes &Blast Sounds

Adding gun muzzle flashes and blast sounds to your shootout scenes is easy to do in post production. Learn how to build intensity using post-production editing …

• Tutorials - Simple Special FX
  February, 2010
  We show you how to pull off three simple special effects using just the camera and the subject's reaction to sell the illusion. Learn how to make realistic…
• Tutorials - Outdoor Green Screen
  December, 2009
  How to use a green screen outdoors for chromakey. Learn about the lighting, obstacles and proper usage of the elements outdoors to add to the effect.
• Tutorials - How to Build a Green Screen
  December, 2009
  In this DIY tutorial, we show you how to make your own green screen with frame. Learn how to build the frame, attach the cloth and prep the materials for your…
• Tutorials - Website Spokesperson Effect
  December, 2009
  The steps that you need to follow to be able to create a website video spokesperson walk-on effect.
• Tutorials - Advanced Green Screen Tricks
  December, 2009
  Learn how to use a green screen to show your subject launch off the ground and fly through the air.
• Tutorials - How to Light a Green Screen
  November, 2009
  In this tutorial we show you how to light a green screen, look for common errors and fix them along the way. This will make it easier to pull a key when…

Video Production Techniques

Tricks of the trade-Lighting/Audio

Lighting Basics - Three Point Lighting

Learn the foundation for all good video lighting techniques.

• Tutorials - 3 Point Lighting Tutorial
  September, 2009
  Step by step tutorial on how to use the 3-point lighting technique to light your videos like the pros.
• Tutorials - Outdoor and Day for Night Lighting
  September, 2009
  Solutions to outdoor lighting for video problems encountered on a sunny day. Also the secret to shooting in the middle of the day and making it appear to be…
• Tutorials - Lighting Setups
  September, 2009
  A step by step tutorial on how to apply four styles of lighting. Learn how to use Rembrandt beauty, cameo and filling in from the key to add to your videos…

• What is Lux?
  April, 2010
  by Terry O'Rourke
  Manufacturers seem to have different way of defining the word lux. But what is it, and how can you compare your camcorder's "lux level" to that of others?
• Video and Photography Light Reflectors
  February, 2010
  by Terry O'Rourke
  An overview of video and photography light reflectors and their uses in both indoor and outdoor video production.
• Video Lighting Buyer's Guide 2009
  February, 2010
  by Terry O'Rourke
  Here are some tips on choosing lights because that's where all the action is and that's where you spend lots of money.

Camcorder Techniques

The Fundamentals of Cinematography

• Tutorials - Lighting for Video
  October, 2009
  How to use indoor lights, natural light, and camera controls to create the best lighting for video production.
• Tutorials - Hand Held Video Camera Shooting Tips
  October, 2009
  This video shows you how to create better, more professional looking video by taking a closer look at hand held video camera shooting. Learn how to get…
• Tutorials - The 5 Deadly Sins of Amateur Video
  October, 2009
  A look at how to create better, more professional looking video by eliminating the 5 most common amateur mistakes.

• Basic Training: A Checklist To Find The Best Digital Video Camcorder For You
  September, 2009
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Thinking about getting a new camcorder? Here are 10 points to consider while searching for the best digital video camcorder to suit your needs and budget.
• Making Music Videos
  April, 2010
  by H. Wolfgang Porter
  When most new filmmakers think of making a Music Video, images of beautiful dancers, exotic locations and slick musicians come to mind.
• When to Move the Camera
  April, 2010
  by Kyle Cassidy
  You know the camera moves and names, but that's just half the battle. Here are some answers to WHEN and how to use those moves effectively.

• 35mm Adapter Buyer's Guide
  December, 2009
  by Nathan Beaman
  In 35mm adapters, the ground glass often moves in order to simulate a film grain look, and to minimize the presence of the ground glass texture in your image.
• Basic Training: Camera Movement Techniques - Tilt, Pan, Zoom, Pedestal, Dolly and Truck
  August, 2009
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Learn to develop a variety of basic camera movement techniques to move your audience when the scene calls for a tilt, pan, zoom, pedestal ,dolly, or truck.
• Tutorial - Perfecting the Pan and Scan Effect
  February, 2009
  by Paul Del Vecchio
  Known as 'The Ken Burns Effect', the Pan and Scan technique has become the norm when combining still photos with your moving images. Step-by-Step tutorial.

Making Better Video for YouTube

Uploading, formats, compression and downloads

How to Shoot Online Video

Learn how to shoot for a small video sharing screen, to create better online videos.

• Basic Training: YouTube - Step by Step
  April, 2008
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Everybody's jumping on the YouTube bandwagon, from cats and kids to vacation travelers and pros. It's fun and it's easy. Here are some quick tips to getting…
• Distribution: Distributing the Goods
  April, 2008
  by Andrew Burke
  From YouTube to those that pay, video-sharing sites have risen from the obscure to dominate internet users' online experience. Which one is best for your…
• Free Video Sharing Sites
  August, 2007
  by Tony Bruno
  Here's a list of top free video sharing sites with descriptions of the services offered. How to uploaded your video and get the word out to the world.

Video Editing

Putting it all Together

How To Get The Perfect Greenscreen Key

Learn how to get the perfect greenscreen key in Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas.

• Tutorials - Basic Movie SFX
  January, 2010
  We show you how to pull off two basic special effects using cross dissolves, overlays, cropping and layers. Both the Star Trek effect and the Multiplicity…
• Tutorials - Natural Transitions Tutorial
  July, 2009
  In the annals of cinema history, Thomas Edison is considered the father of the first motion picture cameras and his assistant Edwin S. Porter made the first…
• Tutorials - Perfecting the Pan and Scan Effect Tutorial
  July, 2009
  Known as "The Ken Burns Effect", the Pan and Scan technique has become the norm when combining still photos with your moving images. This tutorial takes you…

• Time Lapse Video
  February, 2010
  by Mark Montgomery
  Last issue we talked about the powers of the slo-mo effect. This month we'll talk about using the wonders of manipulating time, with time lapse video.
• How To Make a Slow Motion Video Clip
  January, 2010
  by Mark Montgomery
  Slow motion is when the playback of a video clip appears to be slower than the natural speed of the events. This illusion can be done in several ways.
• 2009 Video Editing Software Programs Buyer's Guide
  November, 2009
  by Nathan Beaman
  We've seen lots of great updates in editing software this year on both the consumer and professional levels, giving the editor even more options to choose from.

Pre-Production

Planning tools to save time, money and aggravation

How to Select a tripod, microphone and camera for web video production.

Yes, you can use a web cam to produce a choppy online video with horrible sound, but you're likely to lose credibility in the first few seconds. You can get a b …

• Video Production Scheduling
  March, 2010
  by Laura Martone
  You might know what you want to shoot, but how long will it take to do it? Here is how to create a simple shooting schedule so you'll have the answer.
• Using an Audio Monitor for Video
  July, 2009
  by Christopher R. Ducas
  An Audio monitor will help take you from amateur to professional videographer. Audio quality is often a difference between amateur and professional videos.
• What's Legal: When Are Background Sounds With A Copyright In Video Clips OK?
  January, 2010
  by Mark Levy and Mike Szydlo
  The scenario is simple: background music, either live or recorded, is playing while you are videotaping a scene. Now you have sounds protected by copyright in…