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Free Screen Capture Software

Looking for free screen capture software downloads that can help you create great video? Add CamStudio (http://camstudio.org/) to your list. CamStudio lets you do screen caputures and record audio activity on your computer, create industry-standard .AVI video files, and then use CamStudio’s built-in SWF Producer to turn your .AVIs into bandwidth-friendly streaming Flash videos. 
 
CamStudio is not only free, it’s easy to use; anybody with any amount of computer experience can master its features in minutes, and CamStudio provides a Help answer section to consult if you get lost. This free screen capture software download gives you total control over your video output, like custom cursors and choice of recording quality to define file size. You can choose to record your whole screen, or just a piece of it. You can add high-quality screen captions to your video recordings, and CamStudio has a Video Annotation feature that lets you add a webcam “picture-in-picture”-style video over the screen capture of your desktop.
Here are some of the applications CamStudio can serve:
  • Software demonstration videos
  • Videos to answer software FAQs
  • Video tutorials for school or college classes
  • Record technical support for recurring computer problems
  • Demonstrate video-based information products
  • Record new tricks and techniques for using software programs

Use your imagination, and you’ll probably think up a lot more ways you can use the free screen capture software, CamStudio.

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Easy Video Uploading

Video Uploading has never been easier.

Want to upload your video to a bunch of sharing sites simultaneously? Check out http://www.pixelpipe.com. This site provides a gateway for video uploading your content across more than 100 video sites, social networks, and blogs with a single click. Subscribing services include: Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, hi5, imeem, Vox, Bebo, Hyves, Photobucket, Kodak, vimeo, blip.tv, Twitter, FriendFeed, TwitPic, Blogger, TypePad, WordPress, among many others.

 
Pixelpipe, which has its headquarters in San Francisco, gives its members a vehicle for video uploading, as well as uploading text, photos, and audio files online. Once through Pixelpipe, these files are distributed simultaneously to multiple online sharing, networking, and storage sites across the web. Pixelpipe membership also means access to a number of mobile and desktop applications to help liberate and share the member’s multimedia content.
 
Pixelpipe is run by CEO Brett Butterfield (Bay Area imaging expert since 1992) and their technology department is headed up by Tracy Scott (an authority in scalable systems, formerly with Google and Kodak). In addition, Pixelpipe employs full-time developers around the world. The Pixelpipe Blog provides constant news about the site’s features, and the built-to-scale system is updated frequently to keep pace with the dynamic media sharing world.
 
Basic Pixelpipe membership is free, and you also can obtain a Premium Account through Amazon that gives you more storage capability. Software is available to let you use Pixelpipe for video uploading through mobile, instant message, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux platforms. Pixelpipe has a presence on all the social networks and video sharing sites so you can become a fan and find out more about this video uploading service.
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Web Video Sites – Cheerandboo

Fun Video Sites

Here’s a fun video sharing site for you to check out: http://cheerandboo.com. Subscribe for free, and get feeds streamed through your web portal or news reader, follow them on twitter, or even get updates via email. Cheerandboo is a video blog where you can view recent videos and give them an online “thumbs up” or “thumbs down”—that is, cheer or boo. It’s truly the place for “the best and worst video on the web.”
 
Videos shared on cheerandboo originated on other sites, including YouTube, Vimeo, Revver, TubeMogul, as well as news and entertainment sites. Subscribers post video links and then ask others to rate them with cheers or boos. Kinds of video on the blog include news stories, movie trailers, 3D animation shorts, political activism statements, public service announcements, travel video, and comedy. Cheerandboo also has links to other video sites and cool stuff.
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Web Video Sites – Metacafe

Born in 2003, the popular Metacafé website differs a bit from sites like YouTube and Blip.tv. Rather than a video sharing and hosting site that allows personal and webcam videos, Metacafé touts itself as an entertainment location with an emphasis on short-form, original video made specifically for the interactive internet medium. The idea behind the site is to provide audiences with a short, entertaining break from their busy day. Thus Metacafé doesn’t air full-length TV episodes or movie trailers; their videos average just over 90 seconds in length and only those that “amaze, inspire, and make viewers laugh” are considered worthy of becoming a Metacafé feature. Metacafé is also the first site to provide a 3D showcase.

While thousands of videos are submitted to the site daily, only the most popular are selected. Metacafé videos are generated, selected, reviewed, and rewarded by the site’s user community. Original videos receive initial screening by a community panel of more than 80,000 volunteers. Once a video is selected and posted, it receives ongoing popularity ranking using Metacafé’s trademarked VideoRank™ system. Then the viewers also decide how video creators will be paid for their best original work through the Producer Rewards™ program.

Metacafé claims it attracts more than 40 million unique viewers a month. To help back up that claim and shape future video content, the site sponsors an annual study to measure trends in online video consumption. Results of their most current study were released June 29, 2010. The study revealed that consumers across-the-board are increasingly looking online for their entertainment, and this trend is increasing especially among the 18- to 24-year-old demographic. According to the Metacafé research, 85% of males and 68% of females aged 18 to 24 now watch online video weekly.

Regardless of your demographic, Metacafé is worth checking out. The videos are high-quality and chances are you can find an entertaining clip to suit any interest.

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Web Video Sites – BlipTV

YouTube may be all the rage, but some online sources rank Blip.tv as the best video sharing site on the web (for example, check out this article in PC Worldhttp://www.pcworld.com/article/136089/top_10_video_sharing_sites.html). Blip.tv seeks to pioneer the “next generation” of video programming by incorporating a stringent set of standards with which its users must comply, by adopting a tradition of breaking down barriers between the media and their consumers, and by taking steps to ensure the site’s sustainability over time.
 
That means they’ve instilled rigorous, zero-tolerance principles surrounding piracy and pornography, policing their site “just like retailers police their stores” (www.blip.tv/). They encourage their members to adopt Creative Commons licenses, and refuse to allow pornography traffic on their site.
 
Blip.tv’s stated mission and principles are pretty impressive, especially their attempt to democratize the production and distribution of video content. Their statement that the ease of video production today which “allows anyone to create the next great sitcom, to share the reality of daily life across cultural boundaries, to share political thoughts and educational materials,” is a “beautiful thing,” leaves users feeling both righteous and empowered. 
 
Some (including the above-referenced PC World article) say Blip.tv’s video/audio quality and ease of upload are superior to YouTube’s. They’ve had a revenue sharing program longer than YouTube, and treat their online communities of content creators and consumers as stakeholders in the venture. Blip uses ongoing direct interaction with its videoblogging community to design new features and improve existing ones.
 
I’m not saying definitively that Blip.tv is better than YouTube, but it’s certainly worth a look.
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Pocket Video Camera Review – Kodak Z18 HD

Looking for a compact, highly portable, good-quality High-Def-capable camcorder? I like the Kodak Zi8 HD 1080p. This little beauty is pocket size, stands about 8 inches tall and weighs less than a pound and a half, and has a built-in USB port and software that allows you to edit and upload video to YouTube and other video sharing sites with ease. The 2.5-inch viewfinder is great, and the included cables let you watch HDTV footage at will. The Zi8 records High-Def video at 30 frames per second with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The SD/SDHC card slot is expandable up to 32 gigabytes, and the rechargeable batteries and charger are included in the purchase package.
 
The Kodak Zi8 also has built-in image stabilization, to minimize blurring and provide a nice sharp picture; has a still photography feature to give you 5 MP widescreen high-def still pictures; can be synched with Apple TV, iPhone, or iPod; and a remote control that allows recording or playback from a distance.
 
While all those features are cool, my favorite thing about this camera is that it has a microphone input—fairly rare on a small camcorder.  Nothing turns your online video viewers off faster than lousy audio.  Your visuals can look fantastic and your special effects may be stunning, but if your audience can’t hear your sound, you’ve lost them. It really pays to choose equipment that offers flexibility and capability to add quality upgrades for sound recording. This little camera gives you that, plus the mic input allows you to record in stereo.
 
All camcorders pick up audio, but the in-camera sound recording quality differs widely from one camera to the next. Microphones are relatively inexpensive and will make a huge difference in your audio. You can filter out ambient noise with a windscreen and plug in the best kind of microphone for your purposes—whether that’s a shotgun, a hand mike, or a lavaliere. 
 
Check out the Kodak Zi8 under the Recommended Gear menu at the top of the page—it’s available in several colors for about $130 from Amazon.
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How To Make A Video in Slow Motion

Using your post-production editing phase to make a video in slow motion can make your footage effective and interesting, but you should beware of over-using the slow motion device. Slow motion clips add drama, convey emotion, and allow the audience to absorb details they would miss at regular speed, but too much slow-mo will just irritate your viewers and make your work look silly.
 
Here are some editing tips for using slow motion:
  • Keep the slow motion clips short, maybe ten seconds.
  • Don’t stack the slow motion clips up together—keep them at least several minutes apart.
  • Don’t combine slow motion with other unconventional edits; keep the clips and the spatial relations clear.
  • Don’t slow the motion down too much, or they’ll take up too much time and demand too much from your audience. There’s no real standard, but start at 70% and see how it works.
  • Remove the sound from your slow motion clips, because it won’t sync correctly, and the slow motion effect should maintain interest without the sound. You can keep the sound for a comic effect (but that’s been so over-done!).
Those are some ideas for how to make a video in slow motion that holds your audience’s attention without bugging or boring them.
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How to Make a Video Game

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make a video game? Lots of avid gamers have the skills and talent needed to build their own games, but don’t know where to start. Surfing around on the web doesn’t help much—a basic search will probably yield so many books and software tutorials that your brain might explode.

It used to be that you’d have to hack around yourself or try to piece together the learning you needed from the Computer Science or Graphic Design program at a university. Now there’re a lot more possibilities for learning how to make video games by completing online learning courses. Many accredited colleges offer online classes, some are exclusively online, and a lot offer game programming studies. Here’s a short list:
  •  Westwood College Online offers a Game Art and Design Bachelor of Science degree
  • The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division provides studies in the art (illustration) of games.
  • DeVry University has a Game and Simulation Programming Online Bachelors degree program.
  • FullSail Online has a BS in Entertainment Business program.
  • American Sentinel University’s fully online Computer Science program offers specialization in Game Programming.
  • University of Advancing Technology has both Associate and Bachelors programs in Game Art & Animation, Game Design, and Game Programming. UAT also offers a Masters in Game Production.
  • 3D Training Institute is not an accredited university, but provides 12-week project-based courses including 3D animation and artwork.
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Website Video

Video advertising has greatly increased in popularity over the past few years, to the point where websites that don’t sport video are going to be left in their competitors’ dust. Web video is the hook that holds an Internet surfer’s attention long enough to turn an idle click into a sale. Recent statistics indicate that web video can increase retail conversion rates in the neighborhood of 10%-15%, and those numbers are only going to go up as website video becomes more widespread. Adding strategically-placed video to your site can set you apart, give you an edge, and increase your bottom line in site revenues.
 
YouTube ads also can direct traffic to your website to increase your conversion of site visits into sales. Google recently added Video Ads and AdSense services to their online PPC advertising options, and MSN and Yahoo are due to follow suit shortly afterward.
 
Website video ads are the trend of the future; streaming content is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years. You should learn how to make good web video to optimize your site’s legitimacy, visual appeal, and profitability.
 
For some good examples of how video can add excitement, glamour, and visibility to a website, check out these sites that stream frequently-updated video spots:
 
 
 
 
 

Learn how to add videos to your site now, or consult a professional videographer who can produce them for you—but don’t get left behind!

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How To Make A Video HD


Are you wondering how to make a video HD to upload to YouTube?  You can’t increase the quality of your video from how it was recorded; you can only decrease it—which means you can’t take a regular video and make it HD.  When you compress a video file, the video’s picture quality is also compressed.  Any time you resize a picture, it loses quality.  Since YouTube compresses video files to reduce their size for fast streaming, you need to choose an optimum resolution for your videos to look good on the site.  Here are some pointers for making video that appears high-quality on You Tube:

YouTube recommends that regular videos be uploaded in MPEG4 at 480×360, with sound recorded in MP3 audio, all at a rate more than 24 frames per second. Other files accepted by YouTube include AVI, MPG, MOV and WMV (Windows Movie Maker).  If you want your YouTube video in high-quality, widescreen format at the 16:9 aspect ratio, you need to consider pixels and resolution.  For example, almost all DVRs use 720×480 (rectangular) pixels, while computers use square pixels.  Because Flash encoders rarely have capability to adjust for varying pixel types, they’ll render your uploads using square pixels; the resulting video looks fuzzy. 

DVRs are not widescreen format, and in fact the term widescreen doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the video.  Widescreen just refers to the shape of the screen, in this case a more rectangular shape, which has become the common look on YouTube.

YouTube allows you to upload files up to 1,024 MB in size, and everything that appears on YouTube is high-quality.  That means if your video resolution is high-quality enough, your video will look high-quality on YouTube.  Videos can be uploaded at 480×270, 640×360, 864×486, or 1280×720.  The optimum size is probably 640×360, because the file will be relatively small but you still get the 16:9 aspect ratio and the video will be encoded as high-quality. 

I hope this helps illustrate that if you want to know how to make a video HD, you need to record it on an HD camcorder, but you can still make videos that look great on YouTube even without converting to HD. 

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Copyright 2010 Daniela Testolini