5 Easy Ways to Make Your Videos Look More Professional
A lot of entrepreneurs and marketers think that a full-blown production is required to create high-quality video content. That is not always the case.
You don’t need sophisticated equipment to produce professional-looking videos. It’s all about working with what you have and knowing what to pay attention to in order to make your videos look great.
Sometimes, it all boils down to your technique. Even if you don’t have an arsenal of video recording equipment, you can get away with a polished-looking video if you know how what to work with.
Want to learn some tricks to make your videos look more professional? Let’s go through five tips that will help you pull it off.
Lighting makes all the difference
What have you noticed in professional videos? The lighting is always balanced and flattering. Make this a top priority when you shoot your videos.
Shooting your video with natural sunlight really helps. The best time to do it is in the morning or evening, when the light is softer.
If you’re recording indoors, you have to take extra steps to ensure that the lighting is properly placed. If you have lighting equipment, you can position one or two lamps on either side of the camera to balance everything out.
You want to avoid hard light that creates shadows, as this will make your video look amateurish. Instead, try to create some soft light that will brighten up your face in the camera.
Be sure to capture clear audio
No one wants to hear fuzzy audio in a video. Will you risk losing your audience over poor audio quality?
More than the quality of your video, the quality of your audio is actually more important. A lot of audiences don’t mind not watching in HD, but it’s important for them to hear crisp audio.
Your best option is to get a good microphone. If you need to invest in something for your video production equipment, this should be it. Lav mics are a great budget option that does the job well.
To ensure that you get clear audio, put your mic as close to the subject as it can get. Take note of any background noise or blips that it might pick up as well.
Don’t shoot shaky footage
Would you care for a video that makes you dizzy? Your audience definitely wouldn’t, so make sure you don’t settle for shaky footage.
Holding a camera completely steady is challenging. However, you can always use a tripod, or set your camera up on a stable surface, like a table or shelf.
Make sure you don’t move the camera around unnecessarily. Don’t feel compelled to pan around unless you really have to. If you need to shoot a different perspective, it’s best to just cut from one shot to another when you edit your video.
If you still get shaky footage, check if your camera has a stabilization feature, and make sure you use it.
Make sure your editing is clean
Are you tempted to make your videos look more fun with effects and other features? It’s best to avoid them and just keep things simple.
Clean editing will make your videos appear more professional. Clean up what needs to be cleaned up at this point to make your videos appear seamless.
Check if you need to adjust the lighting in your footage. Look out for any background noise that you need to cancel out. Cut out those awkward stops as well.
Don’t forget to add smooth transitions as well as some background music. Lastly, always ensure that your footage flows smoothly.
Plan before production
The technical aspects of your video are not the only things you should take care of. You also need to put everything else in order before you start shooting.
A well-planned video will be executed well. Make it a point to organize things before production. Define your purpose for creating the video and what you want to achieve with it.
Your content should be of the same high quality as your footage, so lay everything down and come up with something valuable. Write a script, revise it, and come up with the best one you can have.
If you plan your videos well, you can come up with a tight video that won’t take longer than a few minutes. This way, you will be able to hold your audience’s attention and get them to act on your video.
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