I was searching around last night on how to make better quality videos on YouTube and stumbled upon this insanely awesome video site called Stage6 which is basically DivX’s version of YouTube. A word of warning… once you start watching videos on Stage6 it will make your videos on YouTube look like complete garbage! The quality is amazing! I suppose you could call it DVD quality?
The down side is that you do have to install their DivX web video viewer, but I think it is well worth it. I downloaded Dr. DivX and encoded a some videos and the quality is excellent. I uploaded some samples to both Stage6 and YouTube and found the quality on YouTube to be excellent. So maybe uploading videos in DivX format is the key on YouTube?
I think in order for Stage6 to take on YouTube they will definitely need to make it as easy as possible for people to watch the videos (i.e. super easy installation) and they need to make video embedding easier. Here is a solution I found for embedding videos, but it is kind of clunky.
Overall, I love Stage6, but wish it had the popularity of YouTube. Maybe one day we will think back to the days of low quality video on YouTube in the way some people look back and laugh about the days of dial-up internet. If you’re on dial-up right now… me so sorry!
This is sample video footage from a Sony HDR-HC5 High Definition Handycam Camcorder which has a list price of $1,099.99. This video was encoded with Sony Vegas 7 with best video rendering quality, 30 fps, 2mbps bit rate. I wonder… for sites like YouTube does it really matter if you use an HD camcorder? From this example the quality doesn’t seem to look that much better than this lower priced Panasonic PV-GS300.
This footage is courtesy of ListVideo.com digital video camera community.
Phillip Torrone of Make Magazine demonstrates the Logitech QuickCam Orbit MP which retails for $129.99. This web cam has some nifty special effects features which allow you to put props on your head or, if you like… change yourself into a gorilla, shark or many of the other avatars that you can download. The cam also has motorized pan/tilt, a microphone and many other features.
I searched around and found other samples from this web cam and have to say the quality looks pretty good. If you’re on a small budget and don’t plan on filming away from your computer, this is an excellent web cam to consider.
Therapix gives a nice tutorial on how you can build a green screen from poster board at wal-mart or your office supply store for as little as $5. After building this economical green screen, he shows you how to create outstanding backgrounds using Adobe After Effects. If you use Sony Vegas, watch this video tutorial. If you use Apple iMovie, here is a tutorial on blue & green screen.
Have I left any other video editing programs out? Leave a comment below and I’ll search around and find a tutorial for you. Also, I recommend that you subscribe to Therapix’s videos as he adds new tutorials on a regular basis.
Are you tired of your camera shaking around and making you and others sick with your video footage? Gohepcat will show you a homemade steadicam that will only cost you $20 to build. If you’re too lazy to find all of the parts you can buy a steadicam kit for $39.95.
Complete instructions and sample videos are located at that link as well. This sample video was very impressive - filmed while running with homemade steadicam and camera 3-6 inches off the ground. Very cool… I have a feeling I’ll be building one of these pretty soon!
If you would like to add depth of field effects to your videos on a low budget, take a look at this sample video footage taken with a homebrew depth of field adapter on a Panasonic DVX 100. This was made for about $80 from parts bought from eBay and the hardware store.
Here are the instructions for building this adapter. A video tutorial is supposed to be coming soon. If you have a less expensive camera such as the Panasonic PV-GS300, check this site out for info on building one for that model.
Cory a.k.a. “Mr. Safety” of SMP Films gives an excellent tutorial on how you can upload sharper videos to YouTube (and all of the other video sites) using Sony Vegas 5. I highly recommend Sony Vegas if you need a good video editing program.
If you don’t have Sony Vegas, try to use these settings on whatever video editor you currently use. Some of the keys are using 30 frames per second, speed of 1mbps or higher, 128 kbps audio and the sharpest possible settings. I use slightly different settings with Vegas 7: Render as MP4, Best video rendering quality, 30 fps, 2 mbps constant bit rate and 128 kbps audio. Experimentation is the key.
This is sample footage from the Panasonic PV-GS300, one of the lowest priced/highest quality camcorders on the market. The Panasonic PV-GS300 has a 3CCD sensor which greatly improves your video quality. I just ordered a Panasonic PV-GS320 which is very similar for a little over $400 from BuyDig.com. As soon as I get it, I’ll put more footage up.
Phillip Torrone of 
This is sample footage from the Panasonic PV-GS300, one of the lowest priced/highest quality camcorders on the market. The Panasonic PV-GS300 has a 3CCD sensor which greatly improves your video quality. I just ordered a Panasonic PV-GS320 which is very similar for a little over $400 from BuyDig.com. As soon as I get it, I’ll put more footage up.
