How to Edit Video on YouTube

Wave goodbye to the days of inaccessible, high-priced video editing tools — they’re long gone. Anyone with a smartphone and a free YouTube account can create a video that could reach millions.

For context, there are now more than 1 billion smartphones in the world, and YouTube video views surpassed 1 trillion in 2011. Basically, the world has video fever.

And anyone with a camera phone can film. What you may not know is that YouTube has some basic editing tools built into its website.

The YouTube editor is rudimentary, even when compared with simple video editing programs like Movie Maker and iMovie. Let’s not even talk about how it stacks up to Final Cut Pro — it doesn’t.

Even though it’s basic, YouTube editor can still be useful. But while it is relatively simple to figure out, particularly for anyone with previous editing experience, there are some potential pitfalls. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the available tools.




Locate the Editor and Timeline

Many people don’t even realize YouTube has built-in editing capabilities — after all, the editor is not easily found on the site.

One way to access it is by going directly to the URL, which is YouTube.com/editor. Or click on “Video Manager,” which will make the “Video Editor” tab appear directly under the search bar at the top of the page.

Once you get to the editor, you will need to figure out the timeline. Linear video editors like YouTube’s are based around an intuitive and easy-to-use timeline. If you want to add a clip from your pool of videos into the project, simply drag it onto the timeline. You can also include any YouTube videos that were uploaded with a “Creative Commons” license. To do this, click on the tab marked with an encircled “CC,” find a video and drag it in. You can reorder clips once they are on the timeline.

=> See also 'How to Make Money From YouTube'

Efficiently Trim Your Clips

The only way to edit the length of your videos is by trimming from the beginning or end. Unlike most video editing programs, YouTube does not let you split and cut parts out from the middle of the video.

If you want to remove anything from the middle of the video, you’ll have to drag the same video into the timeline twice, then trim each down. You end up having two different clips from the same original source on the timeline. Obviously, you can do this more than twice, depending how much you want to chop up the footage.

The photo below shows a single video dragged onto the timeline twice around a text title. The videos are trimmed appropriately, so roughly half the video will play, then the text title will appear for two seconds, followed by the rest of the video:




Also, be aware that the trimming process isn’t always smooth. While you’re adjusting the slider on the timeline to trim a video, the video constantly reloads on the display. The best way to trim a video is to pre-decide the exact startpoint and endpoint, rather than trying to eyeball it while dragging the trim bar.

Go Easy With the Stabilization

Usually we don’t use tripods when shooting smartphone video, which means filming can get pretty shaky. The YouTube editor provides a tool to help stabilize shakiness, to a degree.

If you mouse over a clip on the timeline, three icons will appear. Click on the center one, which resembles a magic wand. That particular clip will pop open in a new window with several editing options.

Before anything else, check the box in the bottom-right corner of the window that reads “Preview effects side-by-side with original video.” Then adjust the “Stabilize video” bar to remove some of the shake. Unfortunately, there is a significant clarity tradeoff involved. The more you stabilize the video, the blurrier it becomes.


Before using the stabilization bar, or any other, it is usually a good idea to try the “I’m feeling lucky” option. Sometimes that makes the slight adjustments your video needs to shine.



Avoid the Temptation to Transition

The YouTube editor allows you to combine multiple video clips, a very useful tool. Simply drag multiple clips onto the timeline and arrange them in whichever order you fancy.

The editor also includes several options to segue between the clips. You can find these beneath the “Video Manager” tab, by clicking on the icon that resembles a bow tie. There are 15 segue options; add them to your project by dragging them onto the timeline. My advice, however, is to avoid nearly all of them. Other than the first two (Crossfade and Crossblur), which are relatively subtle, each of the other transitions will make your video look amateur.


Or select some of the sillier ones, such as Heart and Star, for ironic or comedic purposes — if that’s your goal.

If you really want to break up the clips, use a blank black screen. To do this, click on the text tab, marked with a lowercase “a” and located next to the transition tab. Drag the “Centered Tile” to the proper space in the timeline. When you place it, a popup box will appear. Simply delete the “ABC” from the text box and you’ll have a two-second black screen transition.

Thinking About Adding a Soundtrack? Proceed With Caution

You have the option to add music to your video. To do this, click the tab marked with a music note. A list of songs will appear. These are the only songs you can use; you can’t drag in outside audio files. Even with the option to sort by genre or artist, the list of songs can be tricky and frustrating to navigate.

If you do find an appropriate track, you may choose to either completely replace the audio from your video or engineer a mix between the song and the video’s audio. First, drag the song into the timeline below the video clips. Once that is done, an easy-to-navigate yet often buggy slider will appear on the right side of the screen.

Some of my videos just don’t seem to like mixing with the soundtracks. Usually, I fix the bugs by refreshing the page or taking the video or song out of the timeline, then replacing it. You may have to play around with it for a while to get it right.

“Please Note: After you change your video’s soundtrack to one from the YouTube library, the video won’t be eligible for revenue sharing. Additionally, advertisements may be displayed on videos that contain soundtracks from the library.” 
—YouTube


Another shortcoming is that you can’t trim the audio clips at all. If a song is longer than your video, the song will simply end awkwardly at the point where the video ends. Also, you can’t strategically line up the song and the video.

Finally, should you choose to use audio, YouTube will automatically add advertisements to the associated video. And using a song from YouTube’s library negates your ability to monetize a video if it goes viral.


The Secret to YouTubular Video Editing

The YouTube editor is great for compiling footage and making minor improvements to the aesthetics of a video. The secret to great YouTube videos, if there is one, is to start out with solid footage. As with anything, post-production techniques generally won’t yield any miracles.

Keep a steady hand when shooting for stable videos. Go for compelling camera angles. Learn how far from your subject you should stand for optimal volume. And always keep in mind that you have millions of YouTube fans waiting for you to entertain them; so keep practicing and try to produce something amazing.

If you’ve got great tips about how to get the most out of the YouTube editor, let us know in the comments section.

=See also 'How to make money from YouTube'

author:Fran Berkman
http://mashable.com/2012/10/19/youtube-video-editing/

How content creators make money on YouTube

A handful of internet stars turn video views into pay cheques.
Gayathri Vantillu (44) is a homemaker who likes to cook. But unlike others she put her passion for cooking to use. She began uploading home videos of her cooking – shot on a handycam – on video streaming site YouTube. Later, her neighbour’s son also helped her sign up as a partner on YouTube. Three years, 290 videos, 2,000 subscribers and over five million views later, today, Vantillu earns about Rs 40,000 a month from her online cookery channel.

Vantillu could earn money from her videos because she chose to sign up for Google YouTube’s partner programme, which allows content owners to monetise the content via online ads. The now famous Kolaveri video, which got more than four million hits in just about 10 days, did not earn any advertising revenues as the content owner (Sony Music) was not a YouTube Partner.

To sign up for partner programme, content owner needs to contact YouTube and once approved, they can start a small enterprise right on their computers.

QUICK BUCKS FROM ORIGINAL VIDEOS

* YouTube can be used as a publishing platform for original videos that provide entertainment across age groups

* There are two ways of making videos on YouTube. One is by using a real video camera and recording things around you. If you do not want to or if you do not own a camera to record videos, then you could focus on doing things on your computer. This could be anything from how-to videos teaching people how to use programs like Photoshop and so on. These videos are always popular since people find it easy to search for help videos on YouTube if they are stuck with a problem.

* Once the content is ready, you have to drive traffic to your video and that can be done by sharing the video on social networks or asking viewers to share their reviews.

* The site has its own advertising programme, which can be used to monetise videos but content owners need to first become partners. Once accepted as a partner, you will be able to earn money through Google’s AdSense. The minimum payout with AdSense is $100. You will get to use overlay ads at the bottom of the video while it’s running, banner ads next to the video and ads that run before your video does. If you constantly upload videos and get more subscribers, you will create a residual income from all of your videos.

YouTube has been the starting ground for many internet stars, but only a few have been able to turn the video views into pay cheques. With 23 million unique users landing on YouTube, as per comscore data, it’s a huge market place to sell original content.
Another cooking enthusiast, Veena Nair started her channel on YouTube to help bachelors, professionals craving for homemade food or newly-married women across globe. She recently won the “Next Chef” contest on YouTube, bagged $15,000 as prize money, along with professional film-making and editing equipment and a 12-week course that to enhance her cooking and style her video clips.
Online content sharing has been the buzz for quite some time now. Pop artistes and celebrities have been using the medium to interact with fans, and monetise their content through advertisements that appear on the same page. The trend, however, is just emerging in India.

Nair points that from being able to make only instant noodles as a new bride to now teaching people the finer aspects of cooking Italian, continental, Chinese, Thai and Indian cuisine, she has come a long way in the last 18 months. “I wanted to feel confident in the kitchen. Once I picked up tips from friends and family, I thought of helping others in a similar predicament. YouTube provided me with the perfect platform,” notes Nair.
YouTube has broadened its partnership opportunities to include individual video owners along with professional content producers like YashRaj films, UTV, Shemaroo and many more. As a partner, YouTube allows creators to monetise the video and share revenue earned from it. What’s the catch? YouTube partners must create original videos suitable for online streaming, regularly upload content, and give permission to use and monetise all audio and video content uploaded.
The knowledge sharing could be about anything. While cooking and fitness top the list, make-up and style tips, music and video blogging about films and current events are also popular. Basic research, good presentation skills, and regular uploading of content ensures not only subscribers, channel views and strong advertising revenues, but also, sometimes, rewards and recognition.
Raghav Pande, fitness trainer, nutrition specialist and winner of YouTube’s “Next Trainer” contest says, “YouTube as a medium allows me to attract and interact with a wider audience, which was my aim in taking to the internet.” He now has clients from all over the world who visit his website and keep in touch with him for their fitness and nutrition requirements.” His channel on YouTube has garnered more than 2,40,000 views and over 1,200 subscribers in the last couple of years.
It doesn’t take much effort on Pande’s part to maintain the channel. A non-professional cameraman helps him shoot the video over a day or two, which then takes three to four hours to edit. The final clip, running up to 3.5 minutes is then given to YouTube to upload.
If one does not wish to be burdened with the task of production or managing a channel online, there are companies like YoBoHo, which has collaborated with musicians, fitness experts, video bloggers, amateur cooks, among many others to produce content with them and then monetise it. The payment for a single clip can range from anywhere between Rs 300-Rs 1,000 or even more, depending on the channel’s subscriber base, the potential to attract channel views, thereby increasing the advertising revenues.
Hitendra Merchant, CEO of YoBoHo, says understanding the target audience for the video clip is essential. “Building a dedicated subscriber base, providing them with a steady stream of creative, original and communicative content, and keeping them updated about new videos is the key to make it successful here.”
Singer and songwriter, Neha Bhasin who has over 1.2 million views since her channel’s inception in September 2010, ensures that her channel’s home page is an extension of her personality and the brand of music she produces. “Internet audience is very different from TV audience.” On her channel, subscribers know expect more than the regular Bollywood fare, she adds.
Regular uploads of new content is also important in keeping subscribers happy.
Yoga teacher Devidatta Sukhatankar uploads anywhere between one video a day to at least three videos a week on his channel. Maintaining the frequency of uploads has ensured his channel 1.6 million views in the last one year, building his real world clientele as well.
Anuradha Anand Lunavat, a freelance media professional, also attributes the success of her channel to making a lot of videos and keeping the quality of content and production high. “The clip should be short to keep the attention of the viewer from wavering,” she says. “People new to this must have patience and diligently continue to post videos. It takes time to build a fan base, but if your content is good, it will pay off.”

Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/how-content-creators-make-moneyyoutube/456848/