#PR & #Marketing Learn A Quick Lesson in Video Editing
When it comes to recording and editing videos, I’m lucky to have a Macbook Pro. I use iMovie to capture and edit my videos before I upload them to YouTube. However, many PR and marketing professionals don’t have a Mac and they’re using PCs. With the increasing demand for interactive video content and many of us starting to do our own vlogs, the need for a quick and easy video solution grows.
I was really excited to see that YouTube recently launched a quick solution for PR and marketing professionals that want to dabble in editing by fine tuning the videos they upload to their own channels or to their brands’ channels. Here’s how it works. Once you upload your video to YouTube, you have a choice of whether or not you want to edit. There’s good news for those who want to experiment. You can change the audio, saturation, contrast, lighting, etc., and if you’re unhappy with your changes, you can revert back to the original version of the video you first uploaded.
I decided to play around with some of the settings to see if it made a difference in the quality of the video. The first new feature I tried was the “Stabilize” feature, which is great if you use a hand held device to take your video footage. It removes any shaky camera motions. You’re also able to change your video to capture different effects. For example, you can change your video to Black & White, Sepia, Lomo-ish and Cartoon, to name a few of the effect options. I liked the Lomo-ish effect (high contrast) for a crisp and more colorful image.
Other editing features include Fill Light, Saturation, Contrast and Color Temperature. This was a trial and error process where you can move the selection bar on each editing function to a +1 or -1 to achieve the look that you like. There’s also a handy little button that says, “I’m Feeling Lucky,” which is a quick and easy way to fix the lighting and color. For me, this was the best bet that led to a more finished looking product.
Here is a screenshot of one of my videos. You can tell the original version on the left is a bit lackluster, and not as colorful as the edited video on the right. For this video I used the “I’m Feeling Lucky,” feature.
Now, there are no excuses for PR and marketing professionals. It’s getting easier to capture the videos and you can edit them for better quality. Have you checked out the YouTube editing features yet and if so, what did you think?
September 26, 2011 @ 10:40 am
This is a great resource– thanks for sharing it! I just upgraded to the MacBook Pro and have yet to play around with iMovie, but I’m glad to hear it’s a good option for basic video editing.
September 26, 2011 @ 11:08 am
Thanks Krista! I love my MacBook Pro and iMovie is fun to play around with. Have fun with it 🙂
September 27, 2011 @ 8:38 am
I love my MacBook Pro and iMovie too, just iMovie alone is worth investing in a Mac if you’re going to be doing any video editing. Although I haven’t tried YouTube’s editing features I think it’s great that it’s an option and will be helpful to them as well.
Thanks for the info Deirdre, I just might check it out!
September 27, 2011 @ 2:10 pm
Hi Rachael, I feel the same way. I was a PC user for years and only recently switched. What a big difference!! Of course, YouTube’s editing doesn’t compare to a Mac, but it does have some great tools to make a more professional looking video. I had a lot of fun just playing around. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂
October 3, 2011 @ 5:45 pm
It used to be a lot more difficult setting up and maintaining a video blog. Now I recommend it to many of my clients. I used to refer them to a video production company but over the past ten or so years it’s become so easy to film and edit your own video anyone can do. You don’t even need a camcorder anymore! Many webcams are decent enough for the quality of video that you need for a simple blog. With built in software provided with many computers (like iMovie) there’s no need to spend hours editing or outsourcing that job either.
October 27, 2011 @ 5:56 pm
I’m preaching to the choir here, but I LOOOOOVE my MacBook Pro! I didn’t realize how easy it is to edit videos until I started using it. I did see the new YouTube options, but since I’ve started to get comfortable in iMovie, I haven’t really played around with it, so this is a great primer, Deirdre. Thank you!