If you’re anything like me, the answer would probably be scrolling through your phone. Checking messages, and emails and going through the Instagram feed and whatnot!

Our devices have almost taken over our days, we consume more content in a day than our ancestors did the whole of their life! This content can be anything from images on Instagram, a blog article on the blockchain, a funny GIF, or even educational videos.

Amongst these videos is one of the widely used forms of content. Be it an ad on youtube, your favorite show on Netflix, or the product management course you’ve been following on Lynda. 

Video for sales works wonders in engaging with your audience, building a relationship, and even teaching or learning something new. They are one of the simplest ways to get your message across. 

In recent times, we’ve seen a proliferation in the choice of video platforms. Almost every niche has several video platforms dedicated to it. But content creators still strive to enter this market and generate some hard-earned revenue.

But the question remains, can selling videos online still be your source of income?

Yes, it can be. Let’s walk through how!

Sell your video online!

Why is Youtube not a good platform for generating revenue through video? 

As an aspiring content creator, you might think that YouTube is the best platform for your needs. But, this might not be the case if you want to generate revenue from your videos. 

The answer to this question lies in the subscription model of youtube. YouTube operates on AVOD, ad-based video-on-demand mode. 

Youtube is not a good platform to sell videos online, especially if you are planning on a subscription-based model? Being one of the most used and common video streaming platforms, youtube provides videos for free. This increases its user base, and creators, therefore, prefer youtube for covering major audiences.  

• AVOD model

Due to the AVOD model, YouTubers or video creators on youtube get less share of video subscriptions. The youtube itself monetizes the ad-placement, thereby restricting YouTubers from choosing high paying ad-clients. This, as a result, lowers YouTubers’ incomes. 

Even after getting various sales through or on their videos on youtube, creators get less share. Recently, even after millions of video views, most of the YouTuber’s pay remains bordered.

• Low advertising pay

Youtube provides low advertising rates. This implies that even after getting ad-placements on videos and hundreds, thousands of views, their pay doesn’t elevate much. However, this is done by finding high-paid sponsors for their videos and promoting several brands.

• Low CPM

Recently, in the COVID era, this was brought to notice by various video creators of youtube. Content creators reported that they were getting low CPM (cost per 1000 impressions). It was due to reduced ad-costing even though the video views jumped.

How can a premium video hosting platform help sell videos?

Just as in the real world, a shop’s physical appearance matters for the sales. Having a compatible video hosting solution can decide video for sales. Video monetization over different platforms can make a huge difference. Such a trend is best if you sell drawings of pictures or provide other creative services. One might get a prospect and convert an audience over one platform and not even get reasonable reach over another. 

A premium video hosting platform can help you with:

• Encrypted video streaming to secure videos from piracy
• Improved privacy controls  offering a better video sharing experience
• Real-time tracking and analysis of the user base of your audience
• Offer pre-determined bandwidth plans
• Reduces the video hosting expenses
• Allows you to publish and broadcast HD videos
• Increased conversion rate with improved audience engagement

Always keep in mind, the only monetization on the right video hosting platform can help you generate some revenue!  

7 Steps To Sell Videos Online 

To start, let’s quickly understand the steps to follow for video selling online-

1. Finding your Niche
2. Choosing the Right Video Platform
3. Build your Content Flow Strategy
4. Create Quality Videos
5. Selecting a Subscription Model
6. Promote your videos: Increasing traffic
7. Audience engagement

Let’s get started:

1. Finding your niche

Finalizing your niche can decide the outcomes. Carefully list down the topics or video categories that interest you and come under your video creativity umbrella. 

Your selected niche can and cannot have an audience on the platform. So, before making a firm decision on video niche, consider the following points-

• The customer base for that niche on various platforms. 
• Audience engagement and behavior
• Fellow video creator’s content style and ideas
• Profit margins on a selected niche

Do intense market research about your niche and track audience engagement for the same niche’s fellow video creators. Study their content posting patterns, understand their videos, and explore. This way, you can serve users a feast of unique and innovative content that people feel worth paying for.  

A comprehensive market understanding can forecast your audience retention rate as well. And if the market behaves as per the expectations, this can even give you an idea of content flow.  

2. Choosing the right video hosting platform

Selling an ice-cream at a fashion store! 

Sounds absurd, isn’t it!

Choosing the right type of business video hosting platform can bring catastrophic turns to your video-creating journey. There are immense options out there, waiting for video creators and offering attractive profit margins. But you need to curb your excitement and act pragmatically.

Always go through the user base of the platform thoroughly to understand and predict your target audience volume. This would save you tons of time and can also increase the probability of your success.

If your video ideas need certain functionality and features, consider them before actually starting delivering content. A test run of the short video might sometimes help to anticipate stats and market behavior. 

Money! Money! 

Selling videos online is for money (we all know this, honestly). Go through the paying members of video platforms. It would give you an idea about how many prospects paying customers your content can get. Also, how much you can earn in real figures. 

Another important thing you need to consider is protection from video piracy. A lot of businesses lose revenue due to this. The best way to safeguard yourself from this is to opt for a secure video hosting service with a multi DRM set up along with other important security features such as screen recording protection, domain whitelisting, etc. 

3. Build your content flow strategy

As soon as you finalize a niche and are ready with rough notes on market behavior, plan a content calendar. 

Yes, don’t follow an impromptu approach. As you plan to get paid for your videos, a keen and efficient content strategy is needed. Plan your content around a selected platform and niche. 

Study audience content-consuming patterns, shortlist your most engaging hours and try to strategize accordingly. Consistently deliver value in your content. 

No doubt that your content can be of any type. It can be one long video. A series of videos can be a web course or a video followed by an e-book purchase. Deliver something your competitor has missed.

Deliver what your target audience would most connect with.Whether you’re showcasing captivating visuals, informative content, or a combination of both, consider the appeal of personalized photo books to enhance engagement. And if necessary, plan discounts, coupons, and special gifts for your audience for increasing retention and participation. Make sure to check out platforms such as Karma to keep up with pricing drops and coupons.

If you want to know more about this topic, you can refer to our article in elearning video production

They have paid for your video content, and they should get real benefits. 

4. Create Quality Videos

No matter how well you investigate your target audience, platform, and niche, the final deciding factor for your video’s success will be your “content.”

Always test and check videos for three factors; uniqueness, quality, and value. 

Take these three factors parallel and equally important. For a beginner, there might be a case that you lag on these factors but learn from observing. Observe other creators, watch content and implement and improvise your content strategy. And if you want to sell your eCommerce product, prioritize design as well, and use Shopify Themes to give your brand a great image. 

One might not feel confident in editing videos. Hence, collaborate with some professional video editors to deliver interesting and engaging videos in the starting for user retention. 

The uniqueness and value also depend on the type of content and niche. For instance, If you provide educational content, adding an animation can attract eyeballs.  Delivering culinary or recipe videos, live streaming, and real videos would also help.  Here is a few eLearning video software to help you create quality videos.

Always remember, observe, learn and implement.

5. Selecting a subscription model

You finalized a niche, selected a video hosting platform, prepared content, and uploaded it. Now what?

How would your customers access your content? Will it be on a pre-payment basis? Or would you like to provide the first few videos for free and then introduce a subscription model?

There are models available on video platforms to handle payment modes:

• SVOD- Subscription video on demand. 

SVOD model works on a subscription basis, and users can watch videos until their subscription is valid and active. However, once the subscription ends, the content becomes unavailable.

This presents a challenge for content creators to keep the audience’s interest continuous before their subscription ends. It would make users renew their plan, and boom, you get a continuous audience for your content.   

This model is ideal for businesses with a dedicated audience who are willing to pay for excellent content.

The market potential for Subscription video on demand model is global in scale. It is a highly competitive landscape where one should be able to adapt with new technologies and content.

SVoD businesses can leverage OTT platforms like Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV eliminating the need for a set-top payment box providing more flexibility to the users. It provides a way for consumers to pay for the content they would love to see.

Popular Platforms of the SVOD model are Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.

• TVOD- Transactional video on demand

TVOD mode presents users with a one-time payment for continuous access to the content. This generally also includes DTR, download to rent mode granting access for the specific time for specified fees. 

Subcategories of TVoD are: 

• Electronic Sell-Through (EST) – One time payment for permanent access to a content
• Download to Rent (DTR) – Access to a content for a limited period time with a smaller fee

The TVOD model is perfect for businesses looking to sell specific niche videos. Example: An Educational company selling online courses . 

Popular Platforms of the TVOD model are Google Play, Udemy and iTunes.

• AVOD- Ad-based video on demand

The popular video streaming platform; youtube runs on the AVOD model.  It gives platforms control over video monetization and pays creators based on ad-placement, whereas the content stays free for users. 

This model yields less revenue for creators and is often not preferred by video creators. 

Publishers will be paid based on the 1000 ad impressions. It is necessary to attract a lot of people to this platform to make revenue. This model suits the platforms like YouTube, Vimeo where they generate revenue through advertising.

This model is applicable on mobile devices, websites, apps.There are two types of AVOD model to choose from: Programmatic and direct-sold advertising.

This model can go wrong if too many ads are served to the audience causing the user experience. This model yields less revenue for creators and is often not preferred by video creators.

Popular Platforms of the AVOD model are YouTube and DailyMotion. Read out detailed blog on SVOD vs TVOD vs AVOD

Read more: What’s the difference between SVOD and AVOD.

6. Promote your videos: Increasing traffic

Make your content reach the right audience. 

Marketing your content is important and a deciding feature for your videos’ success. An overnight reach and engagement of 100,000 is a myth. One needs constant promotion, marketing with the content. 

Your marketing strategy can design around the residence of your target market. In that matter, it’s a great idea to start working with a digital agency that can help you successfully promote your videos on social media channels.

One can also promote content with other video creators and social media influencers for creating a starting demand. So, if you are not sure how to do it, you can always reach out to a social media influencer agency to get some aid. If you are looking for an official and more professional audience, use e-mail marketing and plan email content cautiously. Because the user’s spam box should not be your destination. In this process, a good SPF checker can help authenticate your emails and send message in a more secure way.

We are talking about video content marketing. Private video hosting platforms can surely help. One can also collaborate with famous YouTubers with a hefty number of subscribers to get enough word of mouth word.

But there is no thumb rule of marketing here. Use diverse channels to market and promote your content actively.

7. Audience engagement

Establish a real relationship with your audience instead of just interacting on-screen. Word-of-mouth can be your best branding. 

Interact and engage with your customers regularly. Host virtual events, virtual meet-ups with a bunch of users, take feedback. Feel them attended and entertained. Provide customized plans if possible. 

Despite only having a screen and virtual connection with an audience, engage with them. One can also create polls for their channels. This can also be used to create buzz for upcoming content videos.  

A real user always trusts fellow users. Publish testimonials and customer reviews; some negative reviews would also not harm anyone. Just show your real side to the users. 

Be a part of your clan, create a community.

How To Sell Videos Online and Not Lose Any Revenue To Piracy

Media publishers trying to sell videos online have often heard “ Once you have put your videos online, it is free . There can be no DRM on the internet”.  How practical is this argument and are there ways to prevent video download on the web?

The first infographic is an excellent illustration of the means through which paid content reaches the end viewers. It includes both legal methods as well as the path adopted by pirates.

It is shocking to see how premium content is able to reach all over the world for free. The circle of warez , torrent and linkers is the primary culprit for this online piracy.

As we move away from the center, the number of branches distributing the content for free increases exponentially. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) has been proposed as a solution to the problem . Instead of trying to prevent stealing of premium content from initial release points, SOPA tries to disarm the websites which have the ability to redistribute this release. 

It targets subsequent circles of seeders, uploaders and downloaders which comprise the general internet users. This circle is the nerve of the internet. Trying to restrict it would mean to undo the openness, which the worldwide web has brought into the world.

Another infographic discusses the numbers relating to the online video market and piracy. Let’s reflect upon how much a video DRM can affect this scenario. There are encryption & authentication technologies adopted by the video hosting companies that are evolving over time.

The videos hosted through these technologies can’t be downloaded on the web. Their idea is to make downloading so difficult that users would find the effort of downloading to be much exhausting, and ultimately pay for the video.

Leakages that can be prevented by technologies and not legislation to Sell Videos Online

As seen in the first picture, the loss of video content from the release groups and paying users has to be targeted. Let’s consider the movie and e-learning industries which are looking to sell videos online. 

The paid users are the starting point of piracy. One subscriber pays for the video. He downloads it using one of the freely available downloaders. Then, he shares it among his circles or puts it online. 

This allows everyone to enjoy premium quality content at no costs. Most of the CDNs and online video hosting companies with DRM  try to plug these holes.

How effective can DRM technology be in Selling Videos Online?

Looking at the second picture, one can see that in the USA 70% of the pirates are of age 18-29. The number of copy-right infringement notices given to colleges is a clear indication of how students are able to access and enjoy free content.

Most premium content is available at affordable costs, but it is so easy to get it free that no one even pays the actual amount. This has led to a great loss to online TVs , tutorial teachers and movie sellers.   

The security-based on encrypted video streaming and authentication is an effective solution to this problem. These DRM technologies prevent download from any such downloader on the web. This restricts online and offline sharing of content. 

Another means to prevent video piracy is dynamic watermarking. Watermarking the videos with information of the subscribed user is an effective means to restrict uncontrolled distribution of videos. To know more about video piracy and how to stop it, you can refer to the blog linked.

What are the costs of the solutions in terms of technology, usability, and money to Sell Videos Online?

There are no overhead costs of these technologies in terms of bandwidth or other network resources. The underlying innovation itself is the prized commodity. 

The quality of streaming can be easily maintained at par with any regular streaming. End-users can access the content without installing any software on their desktops. Apps are available to ensure mobile compatibility along with security. 

With more and more companies coming up with innovative DRM systems customized for markets like media and e-learning, there is a hope that premium video content creators would be able to monetize their potential.

Wrapping Up

The best way to sell videos online is to strategize every aspect of video creation to promotion. You need to make sure that there are no bottlenecks that stop you from selling videos online. 

Make sure to study your competitors and learn from both their strengths and weaknesses. Understand your audiences and how they interact with the content. Also, you need to identify your USP, that is what separates you from your competitors and why exactly should someone pay for your content. Generally, content marketing is taking over new heights and well-formed content marketing service for SaaS companies, e-commerce, tech, and others now has high significance.

Another important point to be noted down is the protection from video piracy. You don’t want to put so much effort into video creation and promotion only the video to end up on piracy channels. Investing in secure video hosting would be the right thing to do. Just pick any with a multi DRM system and you should be good. 

That’s all from my end, feel free to give a shoutout to this blog on your favorite social media platform! 

Rahul Rana

Head of Digital Marketing at Vdocipher. I love the art of connecting the right product to their users. When i’m not doing that i love getting lost in books.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post Sell Videos Online: All You Need To Know appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Offline Encoder & Converters For Compressing Video Size & Formats

1.  WinFF for Windows

   Please visit this link to donwload the software
   http://winff.org/html_new/

   1-  Add the videos using the tool button.
   2- Choose MPEG-4 in the Convert-to.
   3- Select MPEG-4 1080p as the preset.
   4- Click on options to show more tabs.
   5- Go to video tab.
   6- Enter 4500 as the video bitrate (units is 2500kbps).  This is the bitrate we have experienced high enough to be HD, Users can also try with 2500 or 3500 kbps. It shall also work fine for most of the cases , specially if the movement in the video is quite less.
   7- Tick the checkbox 2 pass below it.
   8- Click on convert tool button.
   9- Wait for the video to complete.
   10- This process might consume high CPU.

2. VLC Media Player for MAC & Windows compression of video

   It is quite unknown fact that even open source VLC media player can be used as an offline encoder to convert and change videos. Here are the steps –

   • Go to Media > Convert/Save >  In file tab add your raw video or audio file.
   • Click on the  “down arrow” mark on the Convert/Save button and Select “Convert”.
   • Now, provide the format in the “Profile” drop down, also provide the destination source.
   • Click on “Start”,  the conversion will start and after the completion, the converted file will be available in the destination source.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

3. Prism Video Converter for Windows & Mac

http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/

It is quite easy to use software to convert and resize videos. There is both a free and commercial version available. The UI is quite clean and it is almost drag and drop.

For online encoding, VdoCipher has also a customized detailed UI + API trans-coding setup for enterprises. All popular video formats (more then 15 ) are supported , video size, bitrates , type of encoding all can be specified. By default VdoCipher converts videos to its own proprietary encrypted format but for large enterprise cases it does custom video transcoding as well. If you want to know more about, what is transcoding, you can visit the blog linked.

VdoCipher Transcoding

Register for a full version 5 GB Free trial at www.vdocipher.com

Siddhant Jain

CEO, VdoCipher. Writes about video tech, ed tech and media tech.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post 3 Offline Encoder to Compress Video: MAC & Windows appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

What is Video Aspect Ratio?

The video aspect ratio is the relation between the width of the video and its height. Therefore, we write the video aspect ratio as follows: width: height. When the width is larger, we are dealing with a horizontal video. Whereas if the height is larger, we would be dealing with a vertical video.

The device used to shot the Charlie Chapline movie supported a display aspect ratio of 4:3. So that, when played on my friend’s new television set, having an aspect ratio of 16:9, would have distorted the video unless the device itself introduced the black borders on each side.

This brings us to a significant point: The term video aspect ratio is relevant to the screen that displays the video and the device used to shoot the video. Therefore, the aspect ratio used while shooting the video and while displaying it on the screen should be the same so that the video encompasses the whole display screen and does not distort the video.

What is the relation between Aspect Ratio and Resolution?

The video quality not only depends on the aspect ratio but also on the resolution. To make it easier to understand, we can separate the resolution into two categories.

One is your video resolution which depends on the device from which you shot the video. For example, we see mobile and camera devices with specifications of their camera sensor’s total number of recorded pixels or megapixels like 16MP, 48 MP, etc. The total number of recorded pixels is adjusted with an aspect ratio to achieve a convention of writing a video resolution in the form of width x height. A video shot with a high megapixel camera sensor will result in a high-resolution video. Also, we can use software applications to alter the video resolutions.

The other is one of your screen resolution or display resolution. When you go to buy a monitor or television set, you see the following terms in their specifications: SD (Standard Definition), HD (High Definition), HD Ready, Full HD, 2K, UHD ( Ultra HD)- sometimes referred to as 4K & 8K UHD.

Screen resolution is a measurement of the total number of pixels and a pixel is the smallest unit of a digital graphic. We combine large amounts of pixels to form a digital video frame. When you buy a monitor or television set, you will see that there are three important specifications – display aspect ratio, display resolution, and video signal support.

In today’s times, most of the content you see on television and online is in the aspect ratio of 16:9.

Depicted above is a difference between watching a video on a screen having an aspect ratio of 4:3 with a display resolution of 800px X 600px and a screen having the same aspect ratio but a different resolution of 500px X 375px. The file size of the first one is larger than the second one. Also, we can see that by only changing the screen’s resolution, we could see the complete image, albeit with a little less clear image.

Example: A screen with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and having a resolution of 1920px X 1080px supports multiple video signals. If you divide 1920 by 1080, you arrive at 16/9. So if you have a video signal of 1080p, then the video will completely occupy the screen and will show it clearly.

This also means that a video shot with a high-resolution camera also requires a higher or similar resolution screen to give you the best output quality.

Popular display resolutions with associated Video Aspect Ratio charts

This means a single aspect ratio supports many resolutions.

The above set of video resolution shows that the more the number of pixels, the clearer and sharper the video. For the best quality, you need good resolution matching with your aspect ratio and also a higher video bitrate.

What is Video Bitrate?

In video streaming, video bitrate is the number of bits of data transmitted over a network (like the internet) over a certain unit of time. A high video bitrate is one of the most vital factors in the quality of a video. A good quality video consists of a high video bitrate along with a high resolution and framerate.

Relation between Bitrate and Resolution?

There is no direct correlation between bitrate and resolution but usually for movie content, the video producers and developers associate higher resolution with a higher bitrate, and a lower resolution with comparatively a lower bitrate. Both bitrate and display resolution are important for ensuring good quality video streaming as pixels define the resolution of the video, while bitrate is the average data size for a video file expressed per second of video.

Though they are different, they form two characteristics of a video file. The video is never transferred from the source to the device for playback as a raw analog file. A video codec compresses a raw video file so that we can easily stream it online.

At Vdocipher , we transcode the video for optimization at multiple bitrates so that viewers on any device and networks of any quality can conveniently view videos.

So even in places like Africa, where the internet speed is slow, users can see videos at good resolutions without buffering issues or lagging.

So video aspect ratio helps us determine the shooting equipment and the screen area for exposing the video. In addition, a better display resolution and encoding at multiple bitrates further enhance the quality of the video during online streaming.

What are the most common Video Aspect Ratios

4:3

This 4:3 aspect ratio was popular in the 1940s and 1950s with the older monitors and television sets. The width of the screen is 30% larger than the height. This is the oldest aspect ratio and even the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences adopted it. Though it has been completely phased out now, certain cinematographers use this aspect ratio to create a nostalgic effect for a certain audience.

21:9

This 21:9 aspect ratio is the newer motion picture aspect ratio. If you use your television set to watch movies and want a cinematic experience, you need a screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio. Also, in case you are a gaming buff, you would use a computer with this aspect ratio. Cinematic widescreen projectors also have an aspect ratio of 21:9. Computer programmers/ designers/ other power users of computers usually use multiple 21:9 aspect ratio screens to enhance their productivity. In addition, we can use the aspect ratio of 21:9 for custom screens content creation like that of planetarium and theme park screens, giving viewers a 360-degree optical illusion.

16:9

This 16:9 aspect ratio is the most popular video aspect ratio associated with widescreen viewing – the latest movies and online video platforms. Here the width of the screen is 77% larger than its height. The majority of HD TVs have this aspect ratio. Hence, videography equipment with an aspect ratio set to 16:9 is used to shot most of the video content.

9:16

This aspect ratio of 9:16 clearly states that the video content or image is vertical. This aspect ratio is prevalent in mobile phones where the viewing area is vertical. For example, Instagram and Facebook stories have a viewing area with an aspect ratio of 9:16.

1:1

We mostly view the 1:1 aspect ratio on social media where the viewing area is square-shaped. Popular social media platforms that show video/image content in this 1:1 aspect ratio are Facebook and Instagram.

How To Change Aspect Ratio Of Video?

We have shown Image X on a screen having an aspect ratio with a larger width (16:9). Image Y is the same image displayed on a screen with an aspect ratio of height the same as that of width (1:1). Here we can see that the image is distorted as the screen tries to fit in the entire image in that screen. So now we have to crop the image to suit the aspect ratio of the new screen as per Image Z (1:1).

We can do such cropping using video editing software either online or offline. Also, most platforms/ screens do the cropping automatically. The downside is that they may crop your relevant content, and the video might not be helpful to your viewers.

If you developed your content for a narrower screen and the display is in a broader screen, then the wider display adds black bands on the sides. But this nullifies the effect that a widescreen would bring to your content.

What is the best aspect ratio for video streaming?

Most E-learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera and OTT platforms like Amazon Prime, Hotstar, Netflix, Youtube use the 16:9 aspect ratio.

The popularity of the 16:9 aspect ratio is based purely on the fact that this ratio allows the video recording in the highest possible resolution. However, opting for another aspect ratio will affect your stream with black bars around it.

The 16:9 aspect ratio creates a frame width that is 78% more than the length. This aspect ratio fits modern displays like TV’s, tablets, phones, and computer screens. Using 16:9, we can display the entire video without cropping.

It is a preferred ratio, but this may vary with the platform you are using as it may have its own set of compatible aspect ratio and recommended resolutions for uploading the content. For example, the recommended set of ratios for popular social media & video streaming platforms have been listed below.

Instagram Video Aspect Ratio

There was a time when the most common aspect ratio on Instagram was the classic 1:1. By uploading videos and posts with such ratio, companies could even embed Instagram feed into email and share their social media profile aesthetic via email too. With more and more consumption of Instagram on mobile phone, the popular video aspect ratio for mobiles are:

• square video: 1:1
• portrait video: 4:5
• vertical video: 9:16
• Instagram Feed Videos; 1:1 or 4:5
• Instagram Stories: 9:16
• IGTV: 9:16
• Instagram Live: 9:16

YouTube Video Aspect Ratio and Resolution

YouTube’s standard video aspect ratio is 16:9. Irrespective of what aspect ratio you record your video in, the YouTube video player will automatically play it in a 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s recommended to record YouTube video in 16:9 aspect ratio, that means in one of the below resolutions or dimensions:

• 3840 x 2160 px
• 2560 x 1440 px
• 1920 x 1080 px
• 1280 x 720 px
• 854 x 480 px
• 640 x 360 px
• 426 x 240 px

Twitter Video Aspect Ratio & Recommended Resolution

• Recommended Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (landscape or portrait), 1:1 (square). You can select an aspect ratio between 1:3 and 3:1
• Recommended Video Resolution: 1280×720 (landscape), 720×1280 (portrait), 720×720 (square)

In the below table, each row represents upload recommendation by Twitter,

Facebook Video Aspect Ratio

Facebook recommends uploading videos that should be of at least 1280 x 720 pixels.

• Facebook Feed Videos: 1:1 or 4:5
• Facebook Stories: 9:16
• Facebook Live: 16:9

Pinterest Video Aspect Ratio

Currently, video upload on Pinterest is only available for Business accounts. Video Pins appear in your home feed, following tab, and search results. Advertisers on Pinterest can also create video ads.

• Required for standard Video: Taller than 1.91:1 and shorter than 1:2
• Recommended for standard video: 1:1 (square) or 2:3, 4:5 or 9:16 (vertical)
• Required for max-width video: 1:1 (square) or 16.9 (widescreen)

LinkedIn Video Aspect Ratio

LinkedIn Native Video

• Aspect Ratio: 1:2.4 to 2.4:1
• Resolution: 256×144 to 4096×2304 px

LinkedIn Video Ads

• Aspect ratio: between 1.778 and 0.5652
• Width: Between 640 and 1920 pixels
• Height: Between 360 and 1920 pixels.

Aspect Ratio While Video Content Creation

We have covered the importance of the Video Aspect Ratio and the need to change it for different platforms, but what we do while recording the video content in the first place? This will save you a lot of trouble editing/cropping the video file. Also, we can repeat the same settings any number of times.

Setting up the aspect ratio for an image is easy as most mobile devices with a camera allow you to set that by going into your frame/camera settings, but for Video Aspect Ratio, they have a standard default of 9:16 or 16:9 (as per tilt). Even some advanced mobile camera devices in 2021 allow you to adjust the video frame rate and resolution for the video, but there are no options to adjust your video aspect ratio in the default camera app. The solution to this problem is to use an advanced camera app from your native app store, with which you can preset the aspect ratio for videos.

However, if you use a DSLR or similar camera device, you can browse through camera settings to find ‘Aspect Ratio’ and adjust it accordingly. This will ensure a pre-cropped or adjusted video setting as per your need. We must note that the availability of these settings also depends on the brand, make, and model of the device.

FAQs:

Best Video Aspect Ratio for multi-purpose use?

For multi-platform support it is recommended to use 16:9 video aspect ratio. Most popular platforms like YouTube supports this aspect ratio. Also, the popularity of the 16:9 aspect ratio is based on the fact that opting for another aspect ratio will affect your stream with black bars around it.

What is meant by an anamorphic aspect ratio?

Anamorphic (2.40:1) is similar to the 16:9 aspect ratio with the top and bottom cropped. It’s a wide widescreen often used in movies, giving a cinematic feel.

What is video letterboxing and pillarboxing?

Video clips shot in one aspect ratio need reconciliation when projected on another frame aspect ratio. For example, when a movie shot at 16:9 displays on a 4:3 standard television, the video is padded with black bands at the top and bottom. This is known as ‘letterboxing’. Less common and similar padding that happens to the left and right of the video is known as ‘pillarboxing’.

What is the difference between Full HD (FHD) and Ultra HD (UHD)?

A Full HD resolution has a width of 1920 pixels and height of 1080 pixels (2.07 megapixels resolution). On the other hand, Ultra HD content has an 3840×2160 pixels resolution (8.3 megapixels). Video shown in Ultra HD have 4 times as many pixels as Full HD. The images in UHD appear sharper.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

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The Elearning industry thrives on videos. It’s a known fact that creative visuals along with impeccable teaching give a boost to the overall learning experience. Now that online learning is becoming the new normal, Elearning videos have to be more perfect than ever. In this case, content can only be the king if the video production is flawless.

In this post, we are going to cover Elearning video production in detail and what to do once you are done with your video. Let’s dig in.

Pre-requisites for a Video Production

Shooting an Elearning video is not a child’s play. There are things you need to keep in mind even before you have started the shoot. Building on that, let’s take a look at some prerequisites that will get you in the video production mode and make you ready for a killer shoot.

1.Have a Discussion With Your Videographer

Since your videographer is going to be the one operating the primary camera while shooting, you two need to be on the same page. Have a conversation before the shoot and discuss things like subject positioning, lighting, location, and any query you might have. It’s a good practice to visit the location suggested by reputable video production agencies with your videographer. This will help in creating a structure and determine how the events will unfold on the shoot day.

2. Exercise Location Courtesy

If you’re planning to shoot in a location you don’t own, make sure you ask for the owner’s permission well in advance. Even though you will be paying for it, always be kind and apologetic if your shoot is interfering with someone’s convenience. Be mindful of tripping hazards and blocking walkways with your videography gear. When your shoot day is over, clean up like your team was never there!

3. Have Your Makeup, Wardrobe and Props Ready

Although it goes without saying, high definition videos are the life of Elearning video production. This means that the video is going to highlight even the most minute imperfections. Therefore, keep all your beauty, grooming, and makeup items ready at an arm’s length. The same goes for wardrobe. Keep some alternative wrinkle-free and clean clothes ready in case a mishap occurs on what you are wearing. Along with that, keep the props you are planning to use ready to avoid wasting time on the shoot day.

Things to Keep In Mind For ELearning Video Production

Writing educational content is usually all about pouring and structuring your knowledge in words. But Elearning video production is all about using that written content as a script and bringing it to life. Whether you choose to incorporate photographs, music, animations, voiceovers, or raw videos depends on your educating strategy. 

But the one thing common for all approaches is that Elearning videos have to be high quality and flawless. On that note here are some things to keep in mind to create mind-blowing Elearning videos like a pro. Let’s dive into the details.

1. Information Structuring

If the learners can’t absorb the information from your videos, does it even make sense to produce them? Elearning Video production is all about imparting knowledge in a way learners can easily grasp. Structuring information into chunks can help reduce cognitive overload and enhance the learner’s understanding.

If the videos are long, consider breaking them down in the form of questions and quizzes. Learners can easily retain information if your video is segmented. Quizzes in between improve engagement and viewers can assess their knowledge.

2. Voice Over Script

A video filled with interactive features such as animations is an ideal type of educational multimedia. But it’s incomplete without a crystal clear voice-over narration that complements the graphics. The best way to add a voice-over is after you have completed recording the video. There are so many on-the-spot changes from your original script while shooting, it’s better to leave audio for the last. If multiple people are involved in the recording, ensure that everyone involved has a recent copy of the script.

3. Interactivity

Have you ever fallen asleep while watching a relentless and monotonous lecturing video? I most certainly have! And if your learners have the attention span of a goldfish, non-interactive videos will put them to sleep within seconds. I am sure you want to fill your audience with motivation to absorb all the knowledge you are important in your video. Making it interactive will achieve that goal to a great extent.

Just like little kids need play hours between study sessions, your learners need some refreshing breaks during learning. You can provide it to them in the form of quizzes and questionnaires. Adding some links to interesting facts related to the content goes a long way. Your audience can use them to fascinate themselves. It serves as a form of relevant entertainment that doesn’t take their focus off learning, yet stimulates their brain. Brain teasers are another way to exercise their cognitive abilities.

4. Before You Pack up, Back up!

“The file you have requested doesn’t exist.” This statement on its own is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. Never ever risk your hard work mysteriously vanishing away. A little human error or a technology fail can sabotage hours of efforts in less than a fraction of a second. Therefore, back up all your files to multiple locations before having a sound sleep. That’s the only way to avoid a gut-wrenching and heartbreaking nightmare.

5. Creating a Storyboard

Education is the primary intention behind every Elearning video. But it’s crucial that your intent is visible throughout your video. That’s where creating a storyboard comes into the picture. This practice will help you to check out how various portions of your video look. Start by determining the objective of a video, and focus on it. Let your creative juices flow while you brainstorm and note down the ideas. At the same time, you need to filter out ideas that don’t seem relevant.

Describe the crucial elements of a video and follow it up by evaluating every scene. Roughly illustrate them and prepare to bring them to life. Keep revising your storyboard and alter it whenever required. In the end, review the storyboard for the last time and begin the production.

6. Maintaining High Audio Quality

Nothing is more annoying for a listener than a bunch of unwanted sounds. Therefore, while recording audio, a professional should consistently check the audio quality with the help of decent headphones. A great video is a combination of good audio and visuals.

If the environment you’re shooting and is a bit noisy, I would recommend a lavalier microphone. You can clip it to the speaker’s clothes. However, it picks sounds when clothes move. So, be mindful of that. A great option is to use a shotgun mic by plugging it directly into the camera.

Also, be mindful of the level of your audio. If it’s too low, editing after production might make it sound fuzzy. On the other hand, if the sound is too loud, there are more chances of distortions. A good way to monitor audio levels is to watch the placement of the microphone. For instance, if you’re using a shotgun mic, always point it to the mouth of the speaker.

7. Creating Ideal Lighting

The on-camera appearance of a subject plays a major role in determining the success of an Elearning video. For that, ensure your ideal lighting for each scene. The edges of the shadows should be soft and the lighting on the subject shouldn’t be way too bright.

A common professional lighting technique includes a backlight, fill light, and a key light. The placement of the key light is at the left of the subject and it’s generally the brightest one. The purpose of the fill light is to balance out the key light. The backlight separates the speaker from your backdrop and highlights the hair.

8. Compressing Videos According to Device

With the sharp rise in the number of mobile users, video makers have to ensure better accessibility. If the file size is large, viewers with a compromised internet connection can face a lot of problems. While there are plenty of tools out there for video compression, a good video hosting service usually takes care of video compression. Remember, it’s possible for a low size video to have a high quality.

9. Essential Tools 

While there are plenty of tools to carry out every process of Elearning video production, here are some essentials that will ease out the above-mentioned tasks for you.

• Camtasia

If you’re looking forward to creating long-form video content and adding overlays, Camtasia has to be your one-stop destination. Filled with interactive features, this platform allows you to directly upload videos on YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and Screencast. The wide array of animation options and special effects available at the user’s disposal makes Camtasia an ideal option for video creators. 

• Filmora

There’s a reason behind the hype surrounding Filmora as a video editing tool. Well, there are plenty. But get the gist, you name it and Filmora has got it! Thanks to its split-screen effects, easy adding of voice-overs recording, sound mixing, subtitles, beautiful filters, and more, video creators have got a real winner here.

• QuizBean

QuizBean is a tool more specific to Elearning video production. You can easily embed videos into quizzes. Besides that, you can send them to your learners and track their progress. The sophisticated analytics system shows real-time metrics.

• VdoCipher

Elearning video production isn’t really complete without an impeccable video hosting platform. VdoCipher helps course businesses smoothly stream content on their own platform. Some other primary features include API & Plugin integration, Offline app playback, Custom Player, transcoding, Amazon AWS server + CDN integration. Thanks to DRM encryption and sophisticated watermarking technologies, businesses don’t have to worry about the piracy of videos.

We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of over 101 tools for online course creators, feel free to check out the list to find out tools you’d require in your Elearning video production journey.

Additional Tip: Don’t Forget to Record!

Even the most trained professionals are humans and they can make the silliest mistakes. Imagine having to repeat every bit of your hard work just because the expert forgot to turn the red light on. When you are about to start the production, the videographer should always verify whether the recording is on.

When the camera is recording, we can see a small red circle on the monitor. Another indication is the time code counting up. Even in between the production, the videographer should keep making sure that the recording is being carried out without any hassles.

Now that you’re done with your video, what next?

Now that you’re done with your video, it’s time to engulf it in a protective layer and save your content from piracy. Did you know that the movie industry incurs a $97.1 billion loss because of video piracy alone? 

The bottom line, you have spent a substantial amount of effort and time creating flawless content. You don’t deserve someone downloading it all for free! Secure video hosting with video DRM technology can help you prevent loss of revenue through piracy. Since the hosting also takes care of transcoding and encoding, you don’t have to fret over various video formats and compression.

Summing It Up!

In the era of multimedia, educators can easily become producers if they do it right. Audiovisual aids have transformed the way online learning works. Elearning video production has brought the necessary reformation in the role of teachers and educators. It enriches the way they impart knowledge and simplifies understanding for learners.

Now that you have a complete framework of steps, there is no reason why you should put off Elearning video production. So what are you waiting for? Create Elearning videos like a pro and protect your content with secure video hosting. The revenue will automatically come pouring in!

Rahul Rana

Head of Digital Marketing at Vdocipher. I love the art of connecting the right product to their users. When i’m not doing that i love getting lost in books.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post eLearning Video Production: How To Create A Course Effectively appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

A professional video recording done in a studio looks great compared to a simple recorded video. By following some simple tips on lighting for video recording, one can create a professional video at home or office. The right lighting makes the video more engaging by pulling the viewer’s attention towards the subject. A proper lighting for video recording also helps the person make eye contact with the camera. It shows your professionalism and credibility while giving a great viewer experience.

The main light source

The subject of the video should be properly illuminated and discernible from the surroundings. Diffused light is the best. Use two light sources on either side of the camera to illuminate the subject. Keep the light sources at slightly away from the camera. The brighter the light, the better until it glows off or shines from the subject. The light should not dazzle the subject. The subject should be able to look directly into the camera lens without straining his eyes. A bright light by the side of camera will dilate the subject’s pupil and result in red eyes.

A soft light behind the subject

No visible light source should be directly behind the subject. A soft light behind the subject helps in giving more depth look to the camera. Keep this light source diffused and put it just outside the view field of the camera. This light should not be visible from the camera. The exact location of this light depends on the depth you want to project.

Fill light

Optional:  You can also use another soft light in front of the camera on the floor projected directly on the subject. This light provides fill in the video color and make the subject stand out from the background.

The backdrop

The background of the video should be plain or something relevant to the video.  If you are still searching for the right place where the background looks good, I suggest using a backdrop to create a background. A colored or white background requires extra lighting because the background must be uniformly illuminated. Ensure the backdrop is smooth and without wrinkles. If you are thinking of customizing your video background, get a green backdrop.

Remove reflection from glasses

Glasses are very annoying when they reflect light and hide the subject’s eyes. Non-reflective glasses help only to an extent. If the reflection on glasses is a problem, then pull both the side lights away from the camera. Try to get a broader(more area) light source. Put a thin white sheet of paper on the light source to make it diffused. It will also reduce glow and reflection from the subject.

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