Showing posts with label Resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Resources. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Quick Look at The Noun Project

How do you express a universal concept? The Noun Project is trying to create pictograms that can express a concept without the use of written or spoken language.

So, back to the question and inspiration for my project; explaining how to take medicine when the other person can't read or doesn't understand your language?

This is a video about the project:



Now, here is where it gets interesting. Researching my project I found out that many countries use pictograms in addition to written language to communicate medical concepts. If you are thinking of a rural African village, think again.

The pictorgrams concept is used in Ireland, India and in the Americas. Hopefully it will pick up steam in the U.S. but it is a process. So, how do you get your hands on them?

There are a number of ways. If you have Adobe Voice you are good to go, this is the service that provides the art work.

If you are on Android or another operating system then you can register at the site for a limited free account. On the free account you are limited to Public Domain images. You will have to hunt them down; they are not easy to find.

I was only able to download three a day but I wasn't trying to load the whole image bank. There are low lifers that would download and sell the images so I completely understand the restrictions.



If you need more you can purchase individual images or access the creative common images that require attribution. The pricing plan that starts at $10 a month. If you only are need an pictogram occasionally this could be a keeper.

Images seem to scale well in my video editing programs. You have to see if your software or app is accommodating to it.

Other Posts of Interest

Sunday, August 3, 2014

A Quick Look at Explee for Animated Explainer Videos

It seems that everybody and her cousin is coming out with an explainer video web app or software.

A few days ago, a friend shared with me an explainer video on a political topic. It was a combination of live action and pseudo animation software. It presented the point of view seamlessly. But I didn't agree with all the ideas presented. This is where critical thinking skills kick in but that is a topic for another blog.

Explee is a web app for creating animated explainer videos. Similar to Adobe Voice, you can upload your own .jpeg or .png images or use the images provided to create a video about a subject, idea or concept.

The video below is a good example of what you can do with the software:



There is a free version that you can obtain via an e-mail address and password. The video will have a watermark and other limitations. Paid versions allow users to download .mp4 videos to upload them to Vimeo and YouTube.

I tried out the free version on an idea project that I'm thinking about. Because I signed up for a free account, I can't embed the video but this is a link to the video page.  It is really rough but I was able to knock out a concept video in about 15 minutes.

For the most part it went well. I had some problems when I was typing text and I couldn't get back to editing out a mistake. It was easier to delete it and add it again. Really minor things like that.  The music was provided by the service; it was a easy as drag and drop it into the staging area.

I need to do more testing using it but it is a viable option for teachers, explainers and folks that don't have a video friendly concept.  I have to stress that it is easy to put a video together. It takes time to make a good video.

So if you don't want to spend cash money on an iPad and apps that may or may not work or you need a way of prototyping an idea or concept this might be the way to go.


Other Posts of Interest

Friday, May 16, 2014

Auphonic Web App for Audio Clean Up

A few weeks ago, I recorded a video of a gentleman who recited a section of the Quran at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. I play back the video I hear this wicked hiss when he reads a passage.

There was some kind of interference from near by or maybe my camera is heading south. I couldn't upload the video with bad sound. I was heart sick.



Today, I learned about a new (to me) service called Auphonic. Not only is it a web app but there is a version for iOS and Android folks. I'm testing out the web app version.

I would describe Auphonic as a voice and music cleaner for non-audio engineering people. Folks that think Audacity is too complex. 

It is really simple. This is a video demonstration from the company:



I would say that even with droopy connection speeds the audio uploaded and was processed quickly. My problem hum was gone but I discovered another sound that no amount of sound editing is going to get rid of; there was a person opening a plastic bag.

I can't get rid of it and it wouldn't be worth the time to chip away at it in Audacity.

Anyway, for basic audio cleaning this is a good option. There is an Android app and one for iOS that has a recoding function. They do have a desktop app for sale but you might not need it.

Many times free apps can be more trouble than they are worth. This is a quality app that once you get the hang of it you might drop the fellas a donation in appreciation.

Other Posts of Interest 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Internet Archive Public Domain Music for Web Video Part 2

Finding musicians that intentionally place their work in the public domain is a challenge. Finding those musicians while avoiding scammers and other assorted folks is the problem.

One place to search is the Internet Archive. It is a slog but you can find musicians who have release their copyright to their music.
I specifically look for music that was composed by the performer and has a clear declaration that the work has been released from U.S. copyright protection.

The quality will range from poor to "damn, that is kinda, good."

Be exceedingly careful about using the Internet Archive to locate public domain music. I have found works by Ella Fitzgerald that someone uploaded and tagged as being in the public domain. No. Sister Rosetta Tharpe?  Nope. Selections from Your Hit Parade? Oh, hell no.

You don't have to use the whole song. Maybe you need just a bit of the song for an introduction or closing theme. You decide.

You should print out the music page and place in your resource binder. You might have to prove where you got your music and the conditions of use.  This will not help you if you are silly enough to use a Betty Boop song in your video. The current copyright holder is Viacom.

I still would give attribution to the musician. It is the right thing to do.


Other Posts of Interest 

Public Domain Music for Web Video - Definitions

People see the word free in a sentence and get all twitchy.  Not everything is free and even if it is there is always a cost. Once again, I'm not a copyright lawyer but I am a nerd with a library tech certificate and I know how to use it.




Public Domain Music

Music that was under U.S. copyright protection that has expired is in the public domain. Users are free to use, re-mix, re-sell and re-interpret the work without further compensation to the creators or previous license owners.

For a multiplicity of reasons, commercial and popular sound recorded music will not enter the public domain until 2067. This includes very old works that should have entered the public domain but didn't due to "shenanigans" of a corporate legal nature; in my opinion.

Sheet music is different; you can find printed sheet music that is the public domain. If you or your computer can read music you can create your own version of the song. You cannot use another musician's sound recording of a public domain sheet music tune without permission. 

For example; There are hundreds of recordings of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. You can find pre-1922 sheet music for his work. However a sound recording is a unique expression of the music. That expression can be copyrighted.

Each recording of the symphony is under copyright protection unless the musician has intentionally placed it in the public domain.

Royalty Free Music

Royalty Free music is music that is still under copyright. You purchase a license to use the music under the conditions of the license. Some royalty free music can only be used in non-performance settings like elevators or a convention kiosk. Some license music can be used in web video but not in broadcast video.

There are royalty free licenses that only ask for attribution; meaning you agree to provided a link back to the original web site so that others can find the resource. There are always conditions with royalty free music It is your responsibility to clearly understand the terms of use.

Jewel Beat is a royalty free music service. They sell licenses to use their tunes. They also have a section of their web site where they have free attribution license music that you can download and use provided you provide a link back to the web site.

Music Revolution is another royalty free service that has an attribution free music page. When you click on the standard license link (and you should) you are given the terms of use.

Other Posts of Interest 

Learning From the Creative Live Blog

Like a hound dog on the prowl, I do like to peep over the fence to see how other folks do their thing. One of the new places I am scoping out is the blog at Creative Live. It is a photography blog however there is a lot of content that web video folks can appreciate.

The blog talks with people that are deep in their craft or are pushing for new forms of expression. You will want to look at the Photo and Video and the Video and Film sections of the blog.

I think the Documenting Devastation article was extremely helpful and reminds me of what can be done. I'm not saying you should deliberately romp around unsafe or putting others in jeopardy. But taking photos and videos can be helpful to demonstrate the story behind the news.

The short SEO for Photographers post reminds me to remember to update my Google + and other social media sites.  Finally, the article on Ben Von Wong got my mind blown with what he does and how he does it. I think I should camp out on his YouTube channel.

Other Posts of Interest 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Going to KDMC and Exploring Resources

Life got very busy. I couldn't even pick up a pen to write down what has happened. It has settled down a bit so I want to share some goodness that will be happening in a couple of days.

I have been struggling to move forward. What I want to do and what I can do has hit an impasse. There is a shift from the technology that a person needs to create web videos to the quality of the videos themselves. I'm not talking about broadcast/cable company transmission standards.

We can screencast, webcast, record in digital media with cameras, phones and tablets. There are stories that still need to be told. So the tech makes it easier to tell the story but are we being in service of the story?

I need inspiration, mentoring and a tune up.

In a few days I will be taking a three day workshop in visual storytelling at the Knight Digital Media Center. I will be busy to the 3rd power and I hope to smooth out the burs of fear and tech loathing.

I've got some hurdles. The course will be taught using Macs. I'm a PC girl but I am open to the possible. The editing software will be Adobe CS6 which I'd never thought I'd lay hands on let alone use.

As I have always said, it is not the tools but what you do with them. The learning curve isn't that steep. A mouse is a mouse and a split, splice and edit point can mean the same thing.

I watched a video or two from the Graduate School of Journalism and this one from CNS News, which is produced by students in the graduate program. There are multiple stories that are covered.






KDMC Resources

You don't have to get on an airplane to explore what KDMC has to offer. There are a number of freebies tutorials on their website.

I'm not spending a bunch of money without doing some advanced snooping of what to expect. There is a tutorial on Digital Taxonomy and Visual Story Packages.  In plain English, what is the story, what is the format that best service telling the story. Is it narrative? Is it interactive? What about a photo/linear approach? What if the story you want to tell is data based?

I need to be honest here. Many of the tutorials were created in 2010 and haven't been updated. Others tutorials have updates but maybe not the one you need. The instruction and methods they suggest are sound but there has been a four year shift to mobile recording, web apps and photo storytelling services.

In addition, the focus is on journalism. What ever that means to you. For some of you it is a pejorative.  There is the practice of journalism with good people working hard to tell be reporters, writers and recorders.

And then there is the craptastical transmission that can and has occurred on network and cable news stations. Not the same thing.

So dive into the KDMC Tutorials if you have a hankering for some knowledge but can't afford bus fare out of town.

Other Posts of Interest


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Vimeo Membership Options for Videobloggers

Time is ticking for those of you that need to download your non-episode/series videos from Blip.tv. Cutoff is November 7, 2013. One of the video web hosting options you do have for video is Vimeo




Vimeo is known for having a civil and creative community. At this time, they are still allowing basic users. I don't know how long that will last. Companies have bills to pa and they do that by advertising, charging users for advanced services or other forms of moolah farming.

If you are a casual once a week videoblogger Vimeo Basic might be all that you need. You can upload one high definition video a week or multiple SD videos. There are some restrictions but it is a free account. So long as you upload video or are active in watching or liking videos you are good to go.

Be aware there will be no tribute content, no copyright infringement and no intentional icky videos. I don't think they would support unintentional icky videos either. Let me be blunt; if you ex-girlfriend/boyfriend is in the video without clothing or their prior written consent then it isn't going to be shown on Vimeo.

Vimeo does want you to be aware that there are perks for paid memberships options.  If you are closer to the ProAm side of the fence you might want to give paid membership a look see.

Now, truth be told, many of my friends and acquaintances subscribe to the "roll you own" philosophy of web video. In this case, they suggest that you run your own server and manually embed your content on your blog or website.

That takes skill, money, time, commitment and resources. It can be done.

Is it easy to do? No.

So, give Vimeo some serious thought. I would also encourage you to check out some of the content on the site. You will get inspiration up the ying-yang.

Or an inferiority complex.


Other Posts of Interest


Thursday, October 17, 2013

A Resource for Storyboard Templates

I have a (sometimes) good habit of following the bread crumbs. I'm careful about where I venture but I like to check out what happening at other places of interests. I was snooping around the Journalism education sites and found myself at Printable Paper.


http://www.printablepaper.net/category/storyboard


At the site is a collection of storyboard templates for various types of video and movie projects. These are free PDFs that you can download and use as you see fit.

You might take a look at the template and say "Yeah, but I need something with lines so I can write as well as sketch."  Not a problem. This is where my wandering pays off:




I actually look for notebooks like this. I use to find them in the back to school section but with more instruction moving away from basic handwriting skills this is going to be harder to find. I'm glad to know that this is available for those of us that want to combine text and sketching.

What Is It Good For?

Well, if you are doing any kind of structured video like a demonstration, tutorial, creative storytelling that has a lot of elements this is your money saving launch pad.

Working out on paper forces you to take it from your head and make it real. It also reminds you of what you have, what you need and is it really doable.

Other Posts of Interest

Monday, October 14, 2013

Midterms, Downloading and Other Rambles

I'm just coming into the home stretch of my mid-term paper. It is a game of beat the clock and I'm about fifteen minutes behind scheduled. Still downloading my old videos from Blip.tv and I'm half way through 2006.

(Psst, you have until November 7, 2013 to download before it is going, going, gone.)

I am facing the fact that some of these videos cannot uploaded. Not only are they 320x240 but because of the various ways I compressed the videos they will not look good when I re-size them.




It is a puzzlement. I bought a Pinnacle Systems Avid Dazzle DVD Recorder device for transferring old content. Got it on sale and it comes with Pinnacle Studio HD 14. I have bad memories of old school Pinnacle so I have trepidations about installing the software.

I know it is not the same product from long ago. Still, I'm not sure it can run on a 64 bit OS.
 
I'll need to dig out my old Hi-8 camcorder and my SD JVC hard drive camcorder to re-edit old footage.

When I find the time. Which seems to be elusive.Anyway, I'm in the thick of it and when this round of writing papers is through I can dive into more important issues like did I just waste $40 on old tech or can my old laptop find a new reason for earning its keep?

Stay tuned...


Other Posts of Interest


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Audio Library - YouTube Music for Web Videos

The search for legal and accessible music just got a little easier. Maybe. YouTube is now providing free downloadable music tracks.

You can use the music in your video editing program or your app that will combine photos, videos and music. The tunes can be searched in a variety of ways including the type of music, duration of the tune or by mood.





Once you log onto your account select the Audio Library link. Currently there are about 150 tracks that you can search, preview and download.

You shouldn't have a problem importing .mp3 audio into whatever application you are using; the only problem I can foresee if the program or app requires a certain bit rate. But for the most part you should be good to go.

So What Is the Catch?

There appears very few actually. The music is intended for videos that are uploaded to the web hosting service. You promise not to sell or post the tunes elsewhere and you agree to the standard YouTube terms of service.

What About...?

Yes, I have additional questions that I couldn't find the answers to such as:

Can you re-mix tracks in the collection? I would think so but I couldn't find an answer at this time.
Some of the classical tracks are of well known pieces of music like Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. When multiple people start using this track will this generate a copyright notice? How would the copyright bots distinguish this recording from a copyrighted version from the London Symphony Orchestra?
Yes, the music is free but if I use this music on a video that is uploaded to the site will that require ads on my video? You know, the type where you or your user can't turn them off?

Well, if I find the answers I'll let you know. More music will be added to the service and it seems that they are looking for musicians.

Other Posts of Interest:


Sunday, September 1, 2013

Media Digital Library - Home Movies and Home Talkies Magazine

Once upon a time their was a print magazine devoted to people who wanted to make their own movies. These would be movies recorded on film. Home Movies and Home Talkies Magazine was a 1932-1934 publication devoted to helping folks master filmmaker for home users.

The Media History Digital Library contains scanned copies of the various hobby, commercial and fan magazines. This would included radio, film and later television.  It is a hoot to review some of the old publication and find similar content about quality, how-to's and showing your stuff.




The magazine referred to the practice as amateur cinematography. I've read a few of the pages, this seems to be a British magazine. There are items for sale that go for a certain amount of shillings and pounds.

Everything Old Is New Again

There is an article about making your own home movie titles, what size projector to buy and ads for second-hand cine cameras.




As for advice for the new filmmaker it seems that you can't go wrong if you:

  • Don't forget the close up
  • Record moments that matter
  • Get the exposure right
  • Use a tripod or find a way to steady the camera.

You can read the magazines or journals on-line or download the PDF version.  If you are a fan of all kinds of film history you have to check this out.


Other Posts of Interest

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Look At the iPhoneReporting Blog

I am still sad about the firing of the Chicago Sun-Times photographers. News photography is a profession. It requires training, skills, equipment and a story. It also requires people to be paid for their services.

The Sun-Times decided that all that is necessary to perform a professional level of photojournalism is to have beat reporters use smartphone cameras. I entreat you to visit the might fine Tumblr blog SunTime/DarkTimes.






This is a great example of what not to do.

You know how when you upload a video and somehow the wrong image is selected as the cover photo? And how until very recently you couldn't upload a different image?

That is, if you use YouTube to host your video. You might use another service that will not allow you change the cover photo.

Public school budget cuts are a serious matter. A distracting cover photo wrecks the credibility of the publication. Unless this was an intentional bait and switch to get people to read the story. Maybe readers watched the video  to find out what this grandparent had to say about the on-going problems with the Chicago public schools?

No. This is bad. Really, really bad.

Let me be clear; in certain situations professional reporters can use consumer recording devices and software for breaking news and general reporting. It is possible with training and guidance that reporters will get better about recording and lightly edit video before hitting the upload button.




I ain't holding my breath on it.

But it is possible. In the meantime, if you have a recording device on your smartphone you might want to slide on over to iPhonereporting.com

Yes, even you Android and Windows folks ought to take a peep at it.

There are app recommendations, web service shout outs like using SoundCloud to record audio and, in light of the above Sun-Time image, a few pro tips on how to shoot video.

You can read most of the blog contents in about two hours. It would be worth it to make sure that you name is not listed in the mobile video journalism walk of shame.


Other Posts Of Interest:

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Subbable - Audience Supported Production

Advertising isn't evil. But the way advertisers implemented awareness of their goods and services can be a form of evil. Money has a way of dampening creativity. Creators can't be so wild and crazy if you have to keep your advertisers happy. 

Advertising can also be a distraction. I don't know about you but that dog breath commercial really gets annoying. I can't hit Skip Ad fast enough. I don't have a pet and I don't know why I'm being targeted with seeing that dang ad when I am trying to watch a Crash Course video on The Great Gatsby.

Subbable is a viewer op-in financial support for a specific video program or producer. This is John and Hank Green explaining what Subbable is and why it is necessary.






I know that advertising helps to pay for content production, servers, video transmission and the ability to upload and share videos.  It takes serious money to run YouTube, Vimeo and Blip.tv.

Kickstarter and Indigogo is another way to finance and support media production but that income stream might be turning away from small Pro/Am creators to professionals like Spike Lee and the production of the reincarnation of Veronica Mars.

If we are really serious about supporting good content then we have to be willing (if it is financially possible for you) to step up and pay or partially support creators. What I like about Subbable is that it is op-in and at any time op-out participation.

There are limits on how much viewers can donate and how much creators can receive in a year. I like this aspect of it. This helps to limit shady people and advertisers gaming the system.

It can be a one time only support or you can drop a fiver on it every month. This is not a new idea. Independent podcasters like Decoder Ring Theater have asked for on-going monthly support of their podcasts.

This type of support can be effective.

As a person who has donated to a few Kickstarter campaigns that were successful, I understand that we as supporters take chances on supporting creators. Some of the video project campaigns did not produce what was promised or is taking a long time to implement.

You know what you are getting into with a Subbable support. You have an opportunity to view their work before supporting their production.

Check it out. It is a new project. At the time of this post, there are three shows that are available to support. Hopefully there will be others that reflect a diversity of content.

Other Posts of Interests

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Make Time to Read Activist's Guide to Archiving Video

The Activist’s Guide to Archiving Video is written for people who are using video to document the shady goings on around the planet. Trouble is not just found across the globe; you might see mischief in your own back yard, social event or at a public gathering.

If you have recorded an event or experience that needs to stand up in a court of law you will need to do certain things to maintain the integrity of the video.

I implore you to make it easy on yourself. You never know if you have to pull a video out of a hard drive five years from now.





Which is a dang good reading to start reading the guide. There is another reason.

A lot of video and pictorial content being created. There are millions of uploaded hours of videos. I submit that there are not too many people are thinking about archiving, storage and future retrieval.

What will happen to your stuff when your web host changes their business focus? Or loses money and funding? Or wants to cash out and the new owners want a 24 hour game video channel with no cats allowed?

Are you really just banking on cloud storage services to keep you from singing the “I lost my stuff” blues?

Tsk, Tsk.

You really need a good storage and retrieval workflow. So check out the guide even if video advocacy videos is not what you want to do. The information on the Witness.org site can help you to keep you and your videos a bit more secure than trusting a web host.


Other Posts of Interest





Friday, May 24, 2013

Bandwidth Experiement Using iCalc Bandwith Calculator

There is a saying. You want to make God laugh? Tell her your plans. I have been having trouble maintaining a stable Internet connection so my intended experiment on making upload a good quality video on a slow bandwidth connection has to be kicked to the curb.

Not to say that I haven't been in research mode. There are dozens of video bandwidth calculators. Most seem to be for corporate or live stream video upload calculations. For example, there is an event with x amount of participants viewer this much video content.

These type of calculators figure out the bandwidth and then figure out the cost of said bandwidth. 

Not what I was looking. And then I found iCalc. For the record, I am not a broadcast engineer, nor can I construct the formula to figure out how to do this in my head. 



http://www.ibeast.com/content/tools/band-calc.asp

The problem I was curious about is that I have a standard 720p video. How little bandwidth do I need in order to upload it?

On the temporary mobile WiFi service I have I'm lucky if I can get .5Mbps on the upload side of the fence. Limitations can be good for creativity but not if you can't run the test. 

Except in a way I can.





I created a one minute 37MB sample video that contains full audio and video. In the calculator I enter the size of my video and select MB. What you see in the image is the upload times for the video at different connection speeds.

Now 40 minutes isn't that bad for a home user on 128k ISDN upload. It isn't great either. With my current connection it is dicey if the connection holds for 40 solid minutes.

Drop below ISDN speed levels and it could take days to upload anything over 15MB. 

If you at an Internet cafe or some kind of metered experience this is not a financially or functional solution.  

Well, I can stand no more of this. I need speed. I'm waiting on the mail carrier to deliver me from this state of Internet interrupt-is. There is much to do and this is no time the sluggish connections.

Other Posts of Interest

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Quick Review of dSLR Movie Shooting Guide

I haven't written about book resources for a while. There aren't many new consumer level books about creating videos anymore. Last week I went to an actual bookstore and I made a trip over to where I thought they would be; jammed into the digital photography section.

There are outdated books on how to do web video; I saw plenty from 2006.  There are Pro-Am and professional books but they are more in-depth "read this and you will know everything" guides.

They are expensive.

There is a shift by publishers to focus on the digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras that can record video. David Busch's dSLR Movie Shooting Compact Field Guide is the kind of book you want with you to help you along the way.




It helps if you have some form of actual photography or video experience; it is designed for photographers who need to make the transition into shooting video.  In that sense, it is not an entry level book.

However it is a beginner book on what to be aware of when you record video. It is a transitional skills guide. A good, inexpensive no B/S book that gets you the info you need to get it done.

It is a good primer on what you need to know to get started. The writing is tight and there is no fluffery. If you need to know about video resolution you will have a good understanding in about a page's worth of reading.

There are sections of the book that are dSLR specific but that doesn't mean that camcorder folks can't learn a thing or two. The section on stabilizing the camera applies to all users: "move your camera deliberately" is dang good advice.

This isn't just about the gear. There is also topics about how to construct a video story, the types of stories your can record, composition advice and shooting tips.

This is a slim book at 124 pages but it is full of solid info. I got a paper version for $14 retail but the book it is on  iTunes and Amazon.

This is a definite keeper for me. If you see it in a retail bookstore snag it. Those of you on-line read a sample chapter (you know where) before downloading to be sure it is a good fit for your needs.


Other Posts of Interest:


Sunday, March 17, 2013

Wrapping Up Creating Simple Channel Art Banners

I was motivated to do create this mini-series of tutorials because a few years ago the video web hosting service that I belonged to wanted its members to set up what was called a poster page. The site did give the dimensions and basics instructions on what they wanted.

The service did not explain how to go about doing it. Not really their responsibility.

I just knew the bare basics of Photoshop and even having Corel Paint Shop Pro I couldn’t figure out how to do it. So I never did.

YouTube kinda did this the same thing on the Channel Art detail page; they gave much better information about why this is necessary and how to upload and add the new channel banners. But not how to do it.

To recap:


Before You Start Creating Simple Channel Art Banners gives the general information of what YouTube requires in a banner that can accommodate all types of viewing devices. It also talks about the possible places you can obtain images.

Backgrounds for Creating Simple Channel Art Banners is about the safe places where you can obtain a background image or wallpaper. Many of the so-called free sites have un-authorized copyrighted images or they are a shady front for ad infested or malware content. Be careful where you get your stuff.

One of the options you have is using presentation software to create a background or wallpaper and export it as a jpg or png file. There are on-line free services like Google Presentation or you could use open source software like Apache Open Office or Libre Office Impress.

For easy photo editing for novice users there is an online service called PhotoCat, In my post, I show you an example of how easy it is to place a frame around an image. This service also have a collage feature that allows you to combine photos.

For intermediate and advanced users Pixlr has a bunch of features that allow for more creativity options. In the collage feature there a lot of frames that could be adapted for banner use. Not as much hand holding but plenty to work with.

If you haven’t read the YouTube Creator’s Playbook you should.  Even if you have no intention of creating a YouTube channel.

The Channel Art posts seem like a lot of information. What I hope to do is provide you with functional options should you decide to make a simple YouTube Channel Art page that conforms to the guidelines and best showcase the kind of videos that are on your channel.

Other Posts of Interest

Friday, March 15, 2013

PhotoCat for Creating Simple Channel Art - Part 3b

You have an image for your YouTube Channel Art but it just needs a little tweaking, a bit of spice or a touch of bling. You don't have a desktop photo editing software and you wouldn't know how to use it if you had one.

Not to worry. There are dozens of online photo editing applications where you can upload a photo or image file, spice it up and download a finished channel banner or poster.

For total newbies, I would recommend PhotoCat which you can access via the web or with an iPhone device.


You can upload an image and then customize it like add a border:




You can re-size an image:




If you can use a mouse and can upload and download an image file that is about as much as skill as you need to known to use this service.

Hmm, too simple? You need to combine photos?

Don't touch that dial.

Other Posts of Interest







Thursday, March 14, 2013

Backgrounds for Creating Simple Channel Art Part 3a

Another option that you have for making your Youtube Channel banner or poster is to do it yourself.

If you have access to any kind of presentation software you can create a slide with the background you want and then export it out as a jpg or png image file.

Let me show you what I am talking about; I have a version of Corel Show to use as a demonstration but really, any modern slide software can be used to create a computer image from a presentation slide.

I'm changing the background color of the slide but there is no shame in drawing a large square and formatting the object.

This is really simple but if you have never used presentation software then this can take longer than you anticipated.

Clicking on the images in this post will make them larger for those that want to see details.

This is a solid background.

Background selected as solid color

 This is a photo inserted into a slide.


Inserting a photo into a slide






You can also select a pattern with your own color choices...


Applying a pattern to the background



or as a gradient fill...


A two color gradient fill




or a repeating texture.


Repeating textures from the application but you can add your own.



The next step is to export the slide as a jpg or png file. Depending on your software this command might be in the Save As area or in another command called Export.







You may or may not have the option to set the final image size; it depends on the program.




If you can select the image size and you are going to upload to your channel with no further tinkering then set the image size for 2120 x 1192 (I made a boo-boo in the example) and then save the image.

Again, this is a generic example of how to do this. Your software might be different. If you have a very old version of PowerPoint you will only be able to export to a wmf image file. You would need to convert the image to jpg or png. 

Concerns to Be Aware Of


Older versions of presentation software were set up for square or the 4:3 aspect ratio. You might have to crop the image later. If you have the option to select widescreen as an option or you find a widescreen image that can be a work around.

Text is problematic. It can look great in the program but crappy when exported. You'll have to test that out for yourself.

You can add photos but depending on the version of software you have editing them might be a challenged or not possible inside of the program.

You can do export slides to photos with most current versions of presentation software.

This includes:

Mac Os
Windows
Open Source – Yes, it is intentionally free software.
Web Presentation Software
and I'm sure a there are a few tablet office apps that can do the same thing.

But I hear a small wee voice saying "I have photos I want to combine and I don't want to use or install presentation software. What else you got?"


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