Site Notes
- Wednesday, April 03, 2013
- Some new GoPro videos created by our Users
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We are getting very excited about some of the new features that will be included in the next update of trakAxPC. We are currently working on this update and it will be available soon and will include features such as chroma-key/green screen and new cropping tools. In the meantime, we thought we would share some of the excellent GoPro videos created by some of our users. If you have questions or queries about using your GoPro, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Check out these videos and remember to click on the “HD Settings” icon on the videos for the best quality image.
Maart 2013 SFL by Florian de Krom”
Reverse Motion - Parkour and Freerunning by Kenny Lam”
And finally for all our fishing friends - 2013 Beauty & The Beast Lake Trout by Matt Pelletier
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Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks Site Notes |
3 comments
- Wednesday, March 20, 2013
- Why is there letterboxing in my YouTube or GoPro videos?
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Why is there letterboxing or pillar boxes in my videos? This is a question we have seen and heard many times and is one users can find quite confusing. It basically comes down to two things: the aspect ratio your original footage was taken in i.e. the resolution setting chosen on your camera, and the aspect ratio you choose when exporting and uploading your video file. For example, I often see videos taken with a GoPro camcorder which contains video images, as well as still images. As the video is playing, you will notice the video images uses the full width of screen and when a picture enters, there will be pillar boxes on the sides of the image. This is because the GoPro camera only shoots still images in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio, while the video was shot at a popular widescreen resolution such as 1080p or 720p (16:9 aspect ratio) (see example video below).
YouTube now uses only 16:9 aspect ratio for its media player. If you are uploading a non-16:9 file, it will be processed and displayed correctly as well, with pillar boxes (black bars on the left and right) or letter boxes (black bars at the top and bottom) provided by the player. If you are using trakAxPC to export a video and you want it to fit the player perfectly, export your videos at the following resolutions:
1080p: 1920x1080
720p: 1280x720
480p: 854x480
360p: 640x360
240p: 426x240The YouTube player automatically adds black bars so that videos are displayed correctly without cropping or stretching, no matter the size of the video or the player. For example, the player will automatically add pillarboxing to 4:3 videos in the new 16:9 widescreen player size. If the player is re-sized (i.e. when embedded on another website), the same process takes place so that 16:9 videos are letterboxed when the player is sized to 4:3. Similarly, anamorphic videos will be automatically letterboxed when shown in either 16:9 or 4:3 sized players. The player can only do this if the native aspect ratio of the video is maintained.
If letterboxing is added to a video before it is uploaded (i.e. in the case of creating a 4:3 video from a 16:9 master), the widescreen player will add pillarbox bars too, resulting in black bars all around the video (windowboxing) and a bad viewing experience (see the diagram below).
In trakAxPC, before you create your video you can choose your target frame size and aspect ratio for your video using the “Target Frame Size” drop down menu in the Mixing screen. Target Frame Size can be changed at any time before the mix is exported. To learn more about selecting Target Frame Sizes, please click HERE
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Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks Site Notes |
2 comments
- Thursday, January 24, 2013
- Creating a Photo Light box for your Product Shots
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In this short video, I show you how quick and easy it can be to create a simply, yet effective photo light box for your product shots. This photo light box will help present your products in their best light and is perfect for anybody wishing to take simply shots that will be displayed on your website, in your shop or on promotional material such as brochures, newsletters, flyers, etc. The video demonstrates step by step how to create this light box and displays some example product shots at the end.
Make sure you use a tripod when recording your footage and capturing your shots. If, perhaps, you are not overly happy with your photos or your lighting, you can always retouch them using a free photo editing application such as Google’s Picasa and administer any edits that maybe required.
For the video itself, I simply used our Nikon CoolPix P7700 camera and a tripod. I kept moving the tripod around to try and keep the video interesting with different angles and shots. For the text, I simply downloaded this free ”YummyCakes” font from dafont.com to give the text that handwritten feel. Finally, I used our transparent PNG title bar which is available to download free here.
So why not give it a go and see how this simply contraption can really improve your product shots!
Here is a list of what you will need for creating your own light box -
Cardboard box
2-4 sheets of white tissue paper
1 piece of matte white poster board
1 piece of matte black poster board
Scotch tape
Packing tape
12” (30cm) ruler
Pencil or pen
Scissors & Box cutter
2 Lamps -
Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks Tips for Small Business Site Notes |
25 comments
- Wednesday, December 19, 2012
- Excellent Fitness Promo Video (help increase post Christmas Sales).
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With the Christmas fast approaching, people will soon be filling up on Christmas dinners, chocolates and pudding. Now is a great time to create a quick promotional video of your gym and facilities to help entice those post Christmas clients. It can also be a great way to seduce active members into renewing their memberships.
To read the full article and view the video, please Click Here.
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Posted by Colm in Site Notes Tips for Small Business |
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- Wednesday, December 05, 2012
- How Fill Shots & J and L Cuts can improve your Video Production.
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An important part of the video production process is what we call recording “Fill Shots”. “Fill Shots” are the shots which lead from one scene into another or can be faded in over a narration. Basically, every piece of footage you shoot (other than a direct interview) is a fill shot. You can never really have enough “fill shots” and probably most of the footage you record will end up on the editing floor. However as a rule, it is always best to take more footage than you think you need. For example, you may have recorded some of footage which you think was fine on the day but during the editing process, you noticed that the camera or tripod wobbled or the light suddenly changed ruining your shot. This is why it is important to have extra back-up footage which can help when editing the final video. Below, I’ve attached a video which gives an example how fill shots can be used to connect an interview and link the video together as a whole.
If you watch the video from the start, you will see the first four video clips are our “Fill Shots”. These are shots recorded from different angles, cut together with no fades and followed by a J Cut (this where you hear the narrators voice before the corresponding video enters the frame). We then see Dan talking and been interviewed while working at his desk. For this shot, the camera has stayed in the same position throughout the entire interview process. The video is centralised on this main shot and interview, with all fill shots being edited around it. After this segment, we have an L Cut (where a new video clip enters yet we still hear Dan talking over the videos).
The video continues to be edited in this way, with fill shots being implemented between shots of Dan working and talking at his desk (basic J and L Cuts). This is a simple process which all aspiring videographers can implement and will instantly improve your video production and give it that professional look. To learn more about J and L Cuts and other tips and tricks, please Click Here.
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Posted by Colm in Tips & Tricks Tips for Small Business Site Notes |
2 comments
- Friday, September 21, 2012
- 5 Inspirational Videos for your Jewellery Shop
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I was recently talking to a man who owned a jewellery shop in the same complex as our office. He described how their main focus was usually on designing jewellery, however with the downturn in the economy a lot of their business was now in jewellery repair and cleaning. He was saying how he was completely new to social media and only recently was getting involved with online promotion. I asked him had he ever thought of using video to promote his company and he replied that they had just recently completed a video highlighting how they clean and repair rings. This gave me the idea to provide some more inspirational videos displaying how you can use different types of online videos to promote your company, products and services.
To read the full article and to view the video, please Click Here.
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Posted by Colm in Site Notes Tips for Small Business |
30 comments
- Tuesday, September 11, 2012
- 5 Ways Tradesmen Can Use Online Videos
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Hey Everyone,
We have just posted a new Inspiration article ”5 Ways Tradesmen Can Use Online Videos” on our business site, trakAxBusiness.com. The article concentrates on trademans working mainly in the fields of carpentry, joinery, steel work and electricity.
This blog highlights the different types of videos people can produce to help promote and market their company, products, services and skills. The types of video covered in this article include the company promotional video, customer testimonies, showcasing an interview, a 1 minute short video and a longer documentary style video. We also provide useful tips and highlight certain techniques in the creation process which should be implemented into your videos. We hope these post provide you with the inspiration and help you need to begin producing your promotional and marketing videos.
To read the article in full, please click here.
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Posted by Colm in Site Notes Tips for Small Business |
1 comment