Flickr Increase Video Length and Storage

A few months ago I wrote about the limited access for free users to upload standard definition videos to Flickr. It was possible but not really worth the effort.

That has changed. Flickr has open the gate with functional goodies to get people to re-engage with the service.

Free (Ad supported) users get a terabyte of space for their photos and videos. Yes, you will see advertisements on your Flickr page. This is because free is not always truly free but in this case it might be tolerable.

With that terabyte of space you can upload a combination of photos and videos. The videos now can be standard def or high definition of up to three minutes in length.

No grumbling now. The old limit was 90 seconds. If folks can be creative with a six second Vine video then you can make it work with 180 seconds worth of HD video.

Keep in mind that this is a family-ish community type site.  Explorations of the anatomic canals of passion are not going to be welcomed and will be yanked down or more to the point your account gets deleted.

Same goes for copyrighted material that you did not create. I don't think a Batman tribute is gonna work on this site.

You should review the Flickr Video FAQ to understand about self moderation filters and your content responsibility.

The Ad Free and Dublr will cost you cash money but you will be able to ditch the ads or have more storage.

Is It Enough?

Flickr was one of those web sites purchase years ago by Yahoo. It was the go to place for professionals and weekend clickers. It was purchased and then almost abandoned.

Let me rephrase that statement. It was abandoned by professional users who had other needs that were not being addressed. They were ignored.

Many people left in frustration to other services that were more responsive, kept up the code and were not made to feel like orphans asking for more gruel.

Flickr still has a strong community of users that until recently were self-supporting.

As far as video is concerned Flickr seems to be making an effort to include occasional video creators.

If you have a Flickr account why not give it go to see if it is worth your time to upload video to the service? Give it a full shake out to see if you can embed video on your blog or other social sites.


If you are a Tumblr user I don't know if this is going to make your life simple or more complicated. If they can integrate and stabilize the two services, and make it easy for Tumblr users to upload video then this is a good thing.

However there are certain sections of Tumblr that should never intersect with Flickr.  Anatomic canals and then some.



Other Posts of Interest

• The Weekly Flickr Video Series
• Working with Video Posts In Tumblr
• Audio Tips for Smartphone and Mobile Users
• Home Page for Mobile and Tablet Users

Video Bandwidth Definition and Considerations

Understanding bandwidth is a part of the process of creating web video. Now granted, with Smartphones, direct mobile upload services and Apps like Vine thinking about bandwidth may not be relevant.

Then again, you could find yourself in a hotel room or cousin’s Mickey bedroom with a slow connection and you have a video that you have to transmit using a less than speedy connection.

So to kick this off proper I think a definition post is in order.  I am going for simplicity. Clarity. Conceptual understanding.

What Is This Bandwidth That You Speak Of?

Bandwidth is the amount of data that can move between connection points on a network in a certain amount of time. Depending on your Internet connection speed you might be restricted to a specific amount of data that you can send and received.

On a computer/Internet network that speed is measured as bits per second.

For example, on a 56k modem it takes much longer to move data from one connection point to another. On a T3 line it happens in a blink of an eye. Video has more data than a text file or a web page.

The more bandwidth you have the faster the video can make the connection to the desired location. I now hereby invoke the Tubes comparison

The imaginary tubes of the Internet

If the data that makes up the video is small it can pass through a 56k connection in a reasonable amount of time. If it is a 50MB that is being transmitted via a 56k modem the data has to be broken up into small packets, pushed down the line and then re-assembled at the data location.

In a perfect world this would take a lot time. Things are not perfect. You have your anti-virus/malware program checking in, your email alerts wanting attention, and iTunes trying to update itself again. Or you have a bad phone line/Internet connection.

And it isn't just one pathway; it is a network of other users sending and receiving data. Billings of data files zipping from one point to another.

It Not Just About You

The person or service receiving your video is going to have issues as well. Sending a large file to a user that has limited connections speeds or data access plan is not helpful. They can’t even download it to see it.

Some e-mail programs and services have restrictions on the size of the e-mail or data file that can be sent to a user. You could send it to a cloud service but the user could still struggle with waiting for the video to buffer enough to play.

The Balance Act

After you finish creating your video you are going to compress it to a particular video size and format. That could alter how the video looks. Can't make it too small, too big or compress so much that the video is hard on the eyes to watch.
 
I think an awareness of how bandwidth can affect potential viewers of your video is a good thing. I think we as creators can make design or compositional choices that would not only improve the video but could shave a megabit or two off the video.

Does it really need to be in stereo?
How many transitions/effects do you need?
Can I find the sweet spot that balances all of the various users and delivery method?

This was more of an issue in the early days of web video but people have gotten sloppy and complacent. With the growth of mobile media and inexpensive tablets we might want to revisit how best to compose a video for multiple viewers.

Other Posts of Interest

• When You Just Need A Video Trimmed
• In Search of A Look for A Title Card
• Glossary - Camera Shots
• Home Page for Mobile Users

Low Bandwidth Video Project - Introduction

A few weeks ago there was an electrical storm in my area. Next thing I knew my Internet connection is out. Kaput. Don't know if it is my Ethernet card, modem or phone line. I'm in problem solving mode but life goes on.

Now yes, I could be off line for weeks at a time. I choose not to be. I was able to get a Mobile Hot Spot connection. Which presents connection challenges all its own. Sometimes I have 4G speeds. Sometimes 3G level Internet connections.

I bring this up because I was internally fussing about not being able to upload videos. Not that I have created any lately. It is kinda hard when you have upload speeds of .11Mbps or if I'm real lucky .5Mbps. It fluctuates like the breeze on a tree.

By the way, I highly recommend Speedtest.net to check out your connection speeds. It can be a humbling experience. I just ran it again, .25Mbps. Speedtest.net tells me that I have an national F+ level connection and a global D- level connection.

Yeah, I'm in a bad way.

Anyway, while I was grumbling I remembered that I use to upload videos on a 53k Dial-up connection. For those that have always known broadband, this is what it sounded like to connect via YouTube user Masoola:







It is not that I can't. It is that I haven't done so in quite a while.

So for the next couple of posts I want to explore the process of making a video that tells a short story or memory piece/poem thing (still pinning it down) and then uploading the video using a minimal connection speed.

Starting at the planning process, resources, gathering materials and ideas that can and can't work withing a restrictive bandwidth environment.

 The rough parameters are:

I still need to upload a standard size video; I'm not going that far back to the days of 320x240 videos. I want to find out how much or how little I can pack into a 720p environment.

I do know that I have to keep it short; probably under 2 minutes but that might be too much. Or just right.

There has to be some video movement but I want to be in service to the story, not the constraints of the project. It might be a photo story or a narrative with pictures and limited animation. I have options to explore which can focused on in the planning stage.

As some of you know I can go long and deep but I think it can help those that want a more linear path to creating a structured video or those that want to peep in a particular process.

I do know I have to get my real broadband back; seriously I have a need for speed. 


Other Posts of Interest

• If I Had Just Five Minutes
• Text Storyboarding or Editing on Paper
• To Make A Video Balance Need vs Want
• Home Page for Mobile Users

More Disruptions 4LTE Broadcaster Mobile

YouTube is king of the walk for now because people access content via their computer or mobile device. Traditional broadcasters either use the service, create their own distribution service, i.e.Hulu or try to do it themsleves via their websites.

If you have been to any of the network sites that have video it is a pain in the tukas to view.

That might be changing.

According to a post at Technology Review called Broadcast Video Will Soon Be Packed into Smartphone Signals

So you really want to view The Chew? (I only know about it because it was on when I was waiting for a plane.) Someday you will do a search on your phone, maybe go to the ABC web site and this time you will view the entire program.

I don't see this as a good or bad thing. 4 LTE Broadcast might lead to more competition from non-broadcast and nontraditional providers.

But it also might snuff out creativity and innovation.

Then again, where is that national hi-speed internet like other countries have? They first have to do it and then be able to handle the traffic and the demand. In some communities they only have 3G or 4G WiMax. Or no access at all.

And the way that mobile companies charge for data usage? Ouch!

That is gonna take time.


Other Posts of Interest

• Right to Record Police Officer Revisited
• Quick Look at Muvee Video Stabilizer
• Think about In-Camera Editing for Mobile Devices
• Home Link for Mobile Users

It is Official - Paid Subscriber Channels on YouTube

It has been officially announced that viewers can now directly support their favorite programs and content producers via paid subscriptions. According to the YouTube Creator Blog, viewers can pay a monthly subscription fee starting at 99 cents a month.

http://www.youtube.com/channels/paid_channels

I can tell you right now I wouldn't watch a golf video if you paid me. However, there are people that would love to access golf training, tutorials and conversations with those on the inside of the green.

I've paid for wisdom in book form, in magazines and podcasts. It would not be a stretch if I thought that the content was good enough to support it?

I can see folks finally making the connection with the multiplication tables. If you have 5,000 people paying 99 cents a month for 12 months how much money is that?

That is going to be the real test; there are thousands of channels that provide wisdom, food recipes and skill development. What will be the expectations of the audience? How do solo creators not burn out or sell out?

It is one thing to participate in a Kickstarter campaign to have a movie or video created. This would be an on-going commitment from viewers like you. Like PBS and NPR aren't going to bum rush to the front of the line? Or the local non-profit station in a tiny town looking for funding?

Or that noxious rap or country artist that will insist on their own paid channel?

Questions, questions and more questions.

What I am concerned about the the potential pushing out of non-commercial user generated content. Nothing will stop the cat videos (dang it.) Sadly, I am observing commercial networks, newspapers,and advertising outlets are about to rush in and set up camp.

I never wanted to see the crap from American network television to come into web video space. Good content is going to wind up behind a firewall and I can't get happy about that.

I can get happy that creative people will, for the time being be able to generate cash flow without the need for middle people/handlers.

But the carpet baggers are moving in as well.

There is still time. Make that move.

Other Posts of Interest

• Video Advocacy Resources You Can Use Now
• Quick Review of dSLR Movie Shooting Guide
• Researching Free Video Editors - Viable Options Part 3
• Home Page for Mobile and Tablet Users

Trying to Find the Truth About YouTube Paid Subcriptions

I have got all kinds of places saying is it and it isn't or it is gonna be but not right now. So much for reporters making things clear. Here is the deal; YouTube (and others with a vested interest) are looking for ways to increase the cash extraction process from viewers.

When you have a billion viewers a month and climbing you want to be open to all possibilities.

The Pre-rolls ads are one way to do it. Traditional media companies are creating content specific for YouTube audiences. Outside players are buying and financially supporting some of the upper level content providers.

I like HipHughes History and education video bloggers in general. I would seriously think about supporting the content that I like. There would be no cat videos but plenty of what I consider to be good stuff. If the bulk of the subscription money goes to the content providers and a chunk to YouTube for administrative and service costs I'm okay with that.

Except I can't get it confirmed. What has got some folks itchy is that (without confirmation from Google is a rumor that content creators will be able to have paid subscribers view there content.

Mashable says that the Financial Times says that it there are Beta subscription trails. I can't view the Financial Times site because they have a pay wall and you have to subscribe to have access to limited content.

Erf.

The Huffington Post story is actually from Reuters the video subscriptions but cites no sources; just

Slashdot say yeah, there gonna do it starting citing a post from IT World who cites the Financial Times.

Which is behind a pay way.

There is not, as of this date and time of this post, an official statement from Google or YouTube blogs. It is doesn't mean that it isn't true or there is a valid reason to question having subcriptions.

But where is the beef in the news stores about the topic?

Cuz I have questions? Like it it gonna be like cable? Of which I do not have or want? Can I pay one time per espisode or is it a monthly subscription? Do I have to buy a set number of channels not to have advertising. How about a better job of allowing me to discover videos that I want to know about.?

Is is going to be reconstituted crap from broadcast channels? What about the corporate content providers? Will they get to set their own price?

Questions without answers at this time.

Other Posts of Interest

• Placing A Copyright Notice In Your Video - Part 1 
• Quick Look at Lumify Filmmaking App
• Creation Tools for Video Watermarks
• Home Link for Mobile and Tablet Users

Cheap, Easy or The Best Video Editor

If I read it once I've read it a thousand times. People, generally young people but that would be an ageist statement, are on the look out for a free, top quality video editing program.

I get peevy at this; no mention of what they are using, what software platform they are on or their experience level.

The cyber cup clangers don't tell you what type of recording devices they have or how they plan to display their works.

Catching my drift? True, I'm a little cranky but I'm tired of that critical thinking thing not kicking in to play.

That was harsh.  I don't mean to be. So let me try to embed some critical thinking concepts as I work my way though this challenge.

Cheap and Device Independent

If you are a YouTube member you do have access to the Editing function. You can upload a video in Private mode and then edit your video, add transitions or add a sound track. 

Once finished you can post the video to your channel.

The downside:

• Video can take a long time to upload; if you are doing this on a mobile device you might tap out your data allowance.
• Using the YouTube Editor audio content or other assets might result in an commercial being shown before your video. And no, you do not get to profit from it.

Easy and Operating System Dependent

If on the Windows operating system you have Windows Movie Maker. If on the Macintosh operating system you have iMovie. Both are designed for novice users. If you can type in a word processing program you can use this software.

The downside:

• Windows users - depending on what version of your operating system you might have it installed. If you are using Windows 7 or later you have to go get it from Microsoft's web site.
• Mac users - I believe you folks have to purchase the iLife version of iMovie but at $15 why kick about it?

The Best

The best video editing software is the one that you take the time to evaluate based upon the resources you have, your recording device and your skill level.

I will not stop you from paying $800 for Adobe Premier. But it might not be the right choice for your situation. At $999 Avid Media Composer might send a shiver up you spine but if you are just crafting basic web videos I think it would be overkill.

Before you download anythings you have to do an assement of:

What are you using to record video and what is the file format:
What it is that you want to do with your video
Where will the video be viewed?
Do you like to tinker? Or do you want it wham, bam thank you mam?
How much time do you have to work on a video?
How much or how little money do you have?
The condition of your tablet/computer system; can it handle video editing?
What products are available to me that will help me get the job done?

These are the questions you should ask yourself long before you ask about the best free video editing software.

Other Posts of Interest:

• Researching Free Video Editors - Viable Solutions
• The Departed - Dead Free Video Editing Software
• Trimming Video with MPEG Streamclip
• Main Page