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 …

• Tips and Tricks - Hit By A Car
  November, 2008
  This shows 2 methods for faking a person being hit by a car. One uses Adobe Photoshop and editing software, requiring time & effort to add realistic detail…
• Tips and Tricks - Earthquake FX
  October, 2008
  Some simple tips on re-creating an earthquake.
• Tips and Tricks - Sped-Up Background Effect
  February, 2008
  John demonstrates how to evoke "calm in a chaotic world" with this easy effect.
• Tips and Tricks - Ghostly Special Effects
  January, 2008
  Today John demonstrates an easy way of creating an out-of-body special effect.
• Tips and Tricks - Special Effects for Visual Dynamics
  January, 2008
  This week Brandon demonstrates how to perform a few special effects that can improve the visual dynamics of your videos.
• Tips and Tricks - Realistic Ways to Fake a Fall
  January, 2007
  Jennifer and John showing you realistic ways to fake a fall.. and some of the props and skills you'll need to pull them off.

Video Production Techniques

Tricks of the trade-Lighting/Audio

Lighting Basics - Three Point Lighting

Learn the foundation for all good video lighting techniques.

• 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…
• Tutorials - Lighting Tricks and Solutions
  September, 2009
  How to prevent indoor lighting problems and utilize various specialty lighting setups for your videos.

• Video Lighting Equipment Buyer's Guide 2009
  July, 2009
  by Julie Babcock
  With the growing number of videographers, it can be difficult to set yourself apart. One way to stand out is by using of professional video lighting equipment.
• Lighting: The Eye Light
  March, 2009
  by Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D.
  With a twinkle in his eye, your actor can win the damsel and convince the audience of his good intentions. Creating that twinkle is all in the art of lighting.…
• Tutorial Night Light
  December, 2008
  by Brian Peterson
  How to turn the light of day into the dark of night... The technique of shooting outdoor night scenes in broad daylight has been around since the early days of…

Camcorder Techniques

The Fundamentals of Cinematography

• Tutorials - Dynamic Chase Scenes Tutorial
  July, 2009
  These are the media files for the January 2008 Tutorial: Car Chase. The .zip archive contains 60 files and is 312MB in size. Read the full article Dynamic…
• Tips and Tricks - How to Make Your Video Look Like Film
  June, 2009
  How to give video a film look using 24p.
• Tips and Tricks - How to Shoot a Fight Scene
  June, 2009
  How to use editing, continuity, and camera techniques to create a realistic and dramatic fight scene in your action video.

• 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.
• Mini Camcorders Vs Professional Size Camcorders
  December, 2009
  by Matthew York
  Camcorders have always been getting smaller. The first consumer-level equipment that was used to record video was too big. The first video cameras did not have…
• 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.

• 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 - 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…
• Tips and Tricks - How to Cut Video Transitions for Action Scenes
  June, 2009
  How to cut video for edit various types of action scenes.
• Tips and Tricks - Pans &Titles
  October, 2007
  How to create pans & titles when using stills in Adobe Premiere.

• 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.
• Basic Video Editing
  October, 2009
  by Kyle Cassidy
  So you've got a camera and you've gone out and shot some video with it. Sooner or later you're going to want to understand how to do Basic Video Editing.

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 …

• Director's Chair: Planning Your Shoot
  December, 2007
  by Hal Robertson
  There is an old saying in the business world that goes, "Poor prior planning leads to particularly poor programs." This is especially true in the video…
• 8 On-the-fly Guerrilla Production Tips
  December, 2007
  by James Williams
  Now more than ever, it's possible for one person to venture into the world and capture great video. By following a few simple guidelines, you too can be an on-t…
• Basic Training: 7 Ways to Involve the Kids
  July, 2006
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Children love to make videos, all they need is the impetus and opportunity. So take the camera out of the closet on a lazy Sunday and say