This video describes 4 different methods of recording the highest possible quality video depending on your circumstances.
Please follow this link to learn about recording using your webcam, while also using Skype or Zoom for communication.
Visual
-Phone cameras and webcams work much better with lots of light.
Try to record in a location with as much light as possible and avoid harsh light and shadows.
Consider recording outside in daylight if it is not too noisy.
-It is best to have the light come from behind your webcam, phone or camera.
-Do not stand in front of a window or white wall as this makes you look too dark.
-On your recording device please choose the highest possible resolution sometimes called 720 or 1080. (don’t use 4K)
-Place your recording device or laptop on a tripod table or something else to hold it steady.
-Make sure your camera is stationary on a surface that you won’t be touching/jiggling throughout your lesson.
-Keep your phone in landscape position, horizontal.
-Please do not let another person hand hold your recording device.
A person can introduce unwanted sounds like breathing heavily or sniffling or accidently hold their finger in front of the lens.
-Try to have a neutral background with no movement.
-If recording with Zoom> We can not use virtual backgrounds as they are too low in quality for TV.
-With Skype make sure “Blur my background” is turned off.
-Watch this 2min. video about lighting
Audio
-To avoid echo/feedback, please use headphones, earbuds, headset or microphone connected to your device.
-Make sure to record in a quiet space with no other people around.
Any noise from other people that are not on camera distracts.
-Make sure audio settings do not use noise reduction or background noise reduction as this greatly reduces the sound quality. (see below)
-If you think there is too much background noise from fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, wind etc; Move to a quieter location!
-If you are recording with a phone or tablet turn on Airplane mode to suppress alerts.
The recording
-Start your device, make sure it’s recording.
-Please clap your hands once, then silently count to 5 before starting.
This will give the editors some time to add in transitions.
-At the end please don’t rush to turn off the device, count to 5 (silent) then turn off.
-No fades at beginning or end.
The video that you are sending does not stand alone, it’s edited into a bigger piece and needs the 5 sec handles on both sides.
-Save the file at the highest possible resolution. 720 or 1080 preferred.
-If you do any editing please check that the audio & video are still in sync after export.
Some software doesn’t keep the audio in time with the video. (also called sync)
-please check your edited video for audio video sync issues after export.
If you are having problems:
-submit the source video un-edited
-use different software.
In iMovie
Watch above video, to learn to correct sync.
-The ‘circle of joy’ (speed editor) can be accessed by simply clicking on the clip and typing Cmd-R.
-If clips look in sync when editing but out after sharing> share as Best
Check if that file is in sync.
-Then bring the clip back in and share for web.
-For best quality share the video for editing on Dropbox, Wetransfer or Google drive.
Share just one iMovie project from your library
-Select the project > file menu >choose consolidate project media. This will ensure that all the media used in the project is in the project.
-File > Open Library, click New to create a new library>name it “export”
-Go back to your project window in iMovie > Click on the circle under the project> Copy to Library>export
-open the folder (usually the “movies” folder)
-and upload> export.imovielibrary
-Use “sharable link” option.
–Before emailing the link: copy & paste into another browser that you are not logged into and check if file is complete!
-Email the link. (Smash is free)
Note: Uploading the file YouTube or Vimeo with the goal of having someone edit the video is not a good idea, because streaming platforms like YouTube degrade the audio and video quality.
Follow this link for instructions about team Presentations/Lessons.
Zoom skills : >To Pin a Video
- At the top of your screen, hover over the video of the participant you want to pin and click …
- From the menu, choose Pin Video.
- O
Assigning recording privileges to a participant
- In a Zoom Meeting click on Manage Participants.
- In the Participants menu navigate to the user who will be granted recording privileges.
Click More next to their name. - Select the option to Allow Record.
The participant will receive the following notification: - When a participant is recording, the participant menu will display a recording icon next to the user’s name.
Zoom settings for better quality
-Settings>video
-Check enable HD
-Uncheck mirror my video
-Uncheck Touch up my appearance
-Click the advanced button
-Uncheck enable de-noise
Settings> Audio
-Check join audio by computer when joining a meeting.
-Uncheck Mute microphone
-Press Advanced
-Check Show in-meeting option to “Enable Original Sound” from microphone (this attempts to let the audio continue when there is crosstalk)
-Disable Persistent Background Noise suppression
-Disable Intermittent Background Noise suppression
-Echo cancellation>Auto
Recording settings
-Choose a location to save the recording to after the meeting ends
-Record a seperate audio file for each participant
-Optimize for 3rd party video editor.
-Record video during screen sharing.
Your Recording
After a recording is completed, you can go to “Meetings” and then “Recorded” to open the location of the recording on your computer.
If the meeting was recorded without any breaks or the recording being stopped, the full length recording will be stored as seen here
However, if you select “Stop Recording” then “Start Recording” again, the recording will be saved in various segments.
In this folder ‘zoom_0’ would be the recording until the first stop, and ‘zoom_1’ would be the recording after the first stop.
Computer
Before you start to record video, make sure to have 20% free on the hard drive . Delete or offload old pictures and other files to an external hard drive.
Sometimes when an old computer is running slowly, it’s because of unnecessary apps or other old cruft that has built up over years of use. You could use a free app like Malwarebytes to make sure that adware and viruses aren’t the reasons your laptop is running slow.
An even better option is to save the documents and files you want to an external drive and then reinstall Windows or Mac OSX from scratch. This doesn’t cost anything, and it can make your computer run more like it did when it was new.
There are also some inexpensive hardware upgrades you could consider. If your computer uses a hard disk, a solid-state drive (or SSD) can dramatically boost your speed.
Unlike a hard disk, an SSD has no moving parts, making it faster to load files and apps. It will also be quieter and less likely to fail. Expect to pay around $60 for an SSD with 500 gigabytes, which should be more than large enough for Windows or Mac OSX as well as your files, apps and games.
Upgrade your computer’s memory (RAM), especially if you have 4 gigabytes or less. More RAM is especially helpful if your computer is slow to switch between multiple apps or browser tabs, or if it slows down noticeably as you open more apps at once.
Some computers’ storage or memory can’t be upgraded; the memory and SSD manufacturer Crucial has a comprehensive upgrade adviser page that can tell you whether your computer can be upgraded and what kind of parts it will need.
Don’t spend more than $100 or $150 on new parts, especially if your computer is more than four or five years old. Consider saving that money toward a new system instead.
Internet connection
There is a direct link between video quality and bandwidth. You want to get the best possible connection to the internet. The internet connection speed also affects audio sync.
The best choice is wired internet; a computer or laptop connected to the internet using an ethernet cable. Like this one:
YouTube, Zoom and Skype recommend at least 20 Mbps (up/down) for high quality video.
Please check your Internet bandwidth using an online speed test, such as nperf, Speedtest, or Comparitech
-Try to connect directly via Wired (if your internet router has wired ports)
For an Imac or Mac laptop you’ll need one of these adapters:
Thunderbolt 2, Imacs & laptops 2015 and earlier:
Thunderbolt 3 Imacs & laptops 2016-today
For most PC’s if they don’t already have an Ethernet port this adapter works well.
After you’ve connected a cable make sure you turn WIFI off!
If it’s not possible to connect wired:
-Try bringing your computer or mobile device closer to the WiFi router or access point in your home or office.
-Upgrade your WiFI router firmware. Check your WiFi router vendor support site for firmware upgrade availability.
-Use a WiFi extender such as Amped Wireless or Linksys to increase the distance and strength of your WiFi signal
-Use a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem (if you have cable modem) to improve internet performance.