Your friends have been sending you links by E-mail or Twittering to you YouTube videos. You're psyched by what you have seen. You can do that. But, where do you begin?
Well, the proper tools are necessary. You can create videos from your camcorder and upload them to an editing Web site. There's also the glorious Web cam. You can record your video right into the computer. Installation of Web cam software is quite simple, and instructions will come with your Web cam on how to install and record videos.
If you're going to use a Web cam, you may want to upgrade your microphone. Microphones that come with the computer aren't adept at picking up your voice well. Lavalier has a whole range of microphones that can fit any budget.
If you decide to tape videos with your digital camcorder, try using a tripod. It will help steady your images so you won't have jerky shots. Also, try not to zoom in and out too often. Physically moving closer is a much more effective way to get your close ups.
Once your videos are recorded and downloaded to your computer, you have many choices for video editing software, including PowerDirector and VideoStudio. These you have to buy. If you're interested in some free programs, check out Microsoft Movie Maker and Apple iMovie.
Now, you can splice together your favorite shots, add dialogue and music. This is your place to get creative and make the video that you want.
Your video is together. You've added your dialogue and music and just made the video as attractive as you want it to be. Then, what? Well, you need to choose how you want to upload your video. Different sites offer different methods of exchanges.
Most sites nowadays offer streaming video, in which the file is streamed as it is downloaded. Basically, you can watch the video as it is being downloaded. This is probably the preferable method. If you find a site where people have to capture streaming video before they can watch it (straight downloading), it can take a long time to download your video. In fact, most people would probably give up before obtaining the whole video.
YouTube is a very popular choice for uploading your videos. You can send a link to your friends that will take them directly to the video. The problem with YouTube is that they can commercially exploit your videos and don't have the share the profits. If you're looking for something a bit more professional, you may do better with VideoWebWizard 2.0. If you have a Web site, clients will be directed back to your site when they're done watching the video, and there won't be any buttons that lead to your competitors' Web sites like on YouTube.
Well, now you've got the tools that you need to become the newest star or most viral video on the Internet.