All posts in Design

I can only do minor colour corrections and things like that (which youtube can do anyway). My video ‘editing’ is done with with after effects templates. Meaning I have paid others to do that for me. So I am not what is called a motion graphics designer, but rather a graphic designer/illustrator who specialises in 2d/static images.

In any case, I don’t recommend physically distorting your raw videos using post-processing. If you’re thinking of doing that, don’t. Because your face will also distort… and you will lose resolution & quality. I’m not saying necessarily to redo the ones you already recorded, because that is a PITA. I know.

But I do think it is better to record all *new* raw videos with better lighting and a dedicated mic (eg a lapel mic). That’s the only way. Not everything can be fixed up in post-processing. Better to get it right to start with.

The easiest thing to do is probably just do a screen grab. And possibly embed a webcam of yourself if you want to appear on the video (which lends more credibility, as you are showing your face to the world).

I will try to be a bit more clear here (ugh, design is hard, always lots of communication). What I am saying is, if you are going to do it that way, by standing in front of a camera, IMHO, I think it is better to zoom way back out and do a proper presentation (meaning on a type of stage in a nice environment) OR else set up the map info/source so you don’t need to do any cropping at all, so that what we see is at 100% already.

It’s always going to be difficult to get the correct exposure for both your face and the video (which is black) if you record both simultaneously. I.e. If you put the room light on, the video will look washed out, lose saturation. Vice versa.

Your focus of the video here is that dynamic map. Which is great. So that should be recorded from the original device, not through another camera. Using the video card on your computer for example. You can get software that does this for free. Even when meterologists/weather presenters do their thing, it’s usually composited separately. Meaning they are standing in front of a green screen and the video input of the map comes directly from a computer. And then they blend both together.

If you want to do it the proper Greenscreen way, I would actually consider signing up to Lynda.com for a month or two, which is only like $30 or something, get pro advice from people that know what they are talking about (not me). And you can usually find or get the 1st month for free (a trial). Like I had to learn a bit of After Effects with this guy called rich Harrington. For instance this video Video Gear: Technical Tips, chapters 8-12 may help you a lot. Watch that first then decide if you want to invest in that kind of setup.

I do think standing up in front of an audience adds more credence to what you are saying (see the two vids below as well). So if you don’t go the greenscreen approach, perhaps you could still consider recording a webcam of yourself standing up in front of your computer (which is at the right height). Then the software will or can automatically embed a little video of yourself in the corner, like picture-in-picture. That’s definitely the easy way! Still get the mic though. Sound is just as important is vision.

Instant demo of poor audio vs video quality:

Fantastic demo of different mics + positions.

Make sure the background setting is nice too, people look at that. Look at my background on a few of my 1st webcam videos for instance. It’s shot from my freakin’ bedroom. And it looks horrible/amateurish. The other videos from my own point of view look better (I think).

Another free design tip I can give you is to keep a consistent width on the embedded videos/images in your blog. Right now your images are not a consistent aspect ratio and they are about 496-502 pixels wide whereas your videos are only ever 400. I would make them all 500, 16:9 ratio.

Yes it is extra work, but worth it. I can guarantee you that people –unfortunately– will judge based not just on logic alone, but also appearances. The presentation is everything. I think most scientists don’t fully appreciate that. I never did [before].