Video editing for youtube questions

Jenny Mehlenbeck

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artmakersworlds.com
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Hope I'm in the right place with this, I didn't see a video section anywhere.
So here goes.

I'm on a mac first off... older OS.. (still on snow leopard... apples OS after this one blows wind.) So any suggestions here need to work on 10.8.5

All I want to do is take video sections I got some off my iphone and some off my gopro and put them together. Simple huh? NOT!

Imovie is a ROYAL pain. Just doing the most simple tasks means I kill HOURS sifting through youtube videos on how to do it. I HATE imovie. Nothing about it is intuitive. I remember I killed about 5 hours just trying to figure out how to put text on a video somewhere.
(hope I never have to again, don't do this often and forgot it long ago.)
My daughter pointed out that quicktime (and all I have is player not pro) can do what I need done.
And sure enough, it can clip out bits, and tack on bits. All I need really, SO... today I took a total of 5 clips (since the gopro doesn't just do one big video, it makes smaller ones.)
Stuck them all together, hit export, took HOURS!!!!! (Total of 42 min video) to do only to find out after all this only the first clip had sound. Then silence.
I tried to find out why but again, I'd need a PHD to understand it let alone figure out how to fix it.

Looked at possibly downloading something else.... can't find anything that doesn't have some flaw... Trading in one flaw for some other flaw seems silly. Imovie does work, need to hire a rocket scientist to use it. But I do have that, if that's what I have to deal with I'll be on here a lot.

So back to quicktime. Right now... as I am typing this, I found out if I only stick TWO clips together, export them, it saves as one. THEN take the next clip and attach it, save again.
Yea this is taking ALL day!!!!!!


Is there a better way? I see so many really dandy videos on youtube all the time. What in blazes are people using?

Last question, this one should be easy at least.
Anyone know the best format for youtube? MOV? MP4? doubtful but AVI?




Well... I JUST posted this when my last attempt at my video finished saving. I MIGHT have figured this out.
The very first clip I want to add came off my iphone5. All the rest are off the gopro.
Seems as soon as I put the iphone clip (which is the first, my "intro") that's when the rest lose sound.
how do I fix this?
 
In iMovie I always pull the sound off each clip and put it on its own (not moving it from it's position under the video part that it goes with). I'll then add some fade-in and fade-outs on each of the sound clips that were recorded by each particular camera.

I'll add another sound layer, dropping it in below the sounds taken from the video clips, this is usually music and I split it up so the sound levels can be dropped when the camera sound should be heard and then raise the music layer when it should be heard over the sound layer picked up by the camera.

The text option is to just pick "Titles" and then drag and drop one of the predefined layouts above the video layer at the point you want it to appear and then just stretch it out to cover however many seconds you want it displayed.

I think iMovie works fairly well for putting clips together from different sources and then playing with the sounds. It certainly seems easier and faster than Ulead (now Coral VideoStudio) I used for a while about 15 years ago. I would suggest giving iMovie another try as I don't think there is anything with a shorter learning curve as far as video editing.
 
Here is YouTube specs on uploading video: Video and audio formatting specifications - YouTube Help

Rendering export time varies depending on your computer's processing power, effects added, color grading, etc. In export, you are taking your original files and exporting them into a new file. Time depends on what format, bit rate, etc.

I don't have a YouTube account anymore, but the specs are similar to Vimeo's. For Vimeo I use h.264 files and tweak to their specifications. There is a lot to video with frame rates, export options and on.
 
Ok, let me go over my wasted DAY here. All I have are five clips. ALL have already been edited. Just need them together into one movie.
That's all. NO fade ins, no audio adjusting... (It's only the sound of the motor on my bike except for a short clip in the beginning when I talk.)

So ok, I HAVE actually used imovie in the past but I avoid it like chewing glass. It's been awhile. Forgot what little I knew.
I do remember you have to import clips to "events." From there you start a new PROJECT. (See right there, why don't they call it clips and movie? EASY.) Anyway next.... I have no clue why but my first movie clip seems to have imported twice.
TRYING to just play that back, and all I need to see is the beginning and end so I know it didn't somehow get chopped.
But in imovie it seems there is no way to START preview where you want. It's beginning or not at all. (Killed at least an hour and a dozen youtube useless tutorials on that alone.)
OR even play it at high speed. Youtube lets you do that. Speed up the playback? Why can't I do that in imovie? (Killed at least an hour and a dozen youtube useless tutorials on that alone.) Tutorials that never once mention if you are speeding up or slowing down the OUTPUT movie? Like a permanent change? Or just so I can see the preview without sitting here at normal speed.

THEN I could not remember once I get my clips into my project how to JOIN them all. NO HELP TO BE FOUND! "Join clips" in imovies own help comes with NO RESULTS. Seriously? No one asks how to join clips?
Well after killing at least another HOUR sifting through videos, finally.... I don't have to do anything. Once they are in a "project" even though there appears to be a gap between each clip, they will in fact be saved as one.
It would be so nice if that were mentioned ANYWHERE in this frustrating program.

So ok..... I THINK I got it. And now? Save? Nope. EXPORT? NOT to be found
Youtube again.... and again and again..... "Click this button here..." MINE DOES NOT HAVE THAT BUTTON ANYWHERE!
Youtube people RARELY mention what version they have. Even searching for 11 doesn't mean that's what will show up.
I've looked for menus, windows, show tools.... anything that might show what damn lousy little icon button people keep pointing to.
Nothing.

I found EXPORT.... under SHARE. Not file, edit, or anything logical. Share. I learned this the hard way long ago NEVER directly share to youtube or to anything. Save it to the computer first. So I didn't look under share right away.
One tutorial video goes on and on about file settings in EXPORT.
Again mine does not have those. All I get are file sizes. I picked large (middle one already highlighted.) That's all I have to pick from.

Lastly.... do you "optomize video" "Finalize project"? Or just export what I have. (I seem to remember BOTH of those taking FOREVER.)
I'm trying to just simply export the large file. And NO WHERE does it even give me the option to set file type. MP4? MOV? What?
It still says 60 min and that was about 30 min ago.

After all this, uploading a 42 min movie to youtube may well take all night. Only to find out it's too large, or something went wrong, or my internet bleeped out for a sec (which happens ALL THE TIME here.)

I have tons of videos I have been putting off for all the above reasons. Dang it, I mastered photoshop, but sure can't get a handle on this blasted thing.


Apple was once so good at making things user friendly. Even itunes turned into more of a mess with each and every upgrade.
 
Here is YouTube specs on uploading video: Video and audio formatting specifications - YouTube Help

Rendering export time varies depending on your computer's processing power, effects added, color grading, etc. In export, you are taking your original files and exporting them into a new file. Time depends on what format, bit rate, etc.

I don't have a YouTube account anymore, but the specs are similar to Vimeo's. For Vimeo I use h.264 files and tweak to their specifications. There is a lot to video with frame rates, export options and on.


I DO have a youtube account. My handle there is ArtmakersWorlds Here... this was the last time I had to suffer through imovie.
JUST to add the text in this video. And it's not at all where I wanted it but it will do. (Again this silly thing took all day. Took less time to actually shoot the movie.)
Enjoy



I must be getting tired. I didn't even see your link to youtube specks till I posted. Thank you for that.
Now if only I knew what 90% of it meant.
File types.... so wav OR mp4 it seems will work.
All the rest is martian to me.

My cameras are nothing fancy. Iphone5 and gopro bottom of the line hero. That's it. Hoping they are not taking such huge files that this won't work. Then again the iphone DOES seem to take ginormous stills. I can't send any of those as attachments unless I pop it in photoshop and resize it.

I have no idea how to tell what frames per sec my clips are. Let alone aspect ratios. (or what exactly that means. Height and width???)
copy; videos must be greater than 200 lines to yield effective references. HUH? What is 200 lines?

Bitrate and codec.... ?????????????
 
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I can't speak for i-products. I just use PowerDirector 15. 16 is the current version.
 
I can't speak for i-products. I just use PowerDirector 15. 16 is the current version.
Looks like that won't work on my mac running oh, the last cat. Snow leopard I think. Been debating upgrading to sierra but SO putting that off. Every "UPgrade" apple comes out with fixes have my stuff to suddenly not work. Right now everything works so no upgrading for me. Plus this also seems to be a pay for thing. Imovie is free. (So is suicide which it's driving me to the brink of right now.)
 
Youtube has a 15 minute time limit unless you verify: Upload videos longer than 15 minutes - Computer - YouTube Help
The file size is limited too.

It is frustrating to find good free tuts on Youtube without wading through the ones you don't need. Google search with your version of iMovie and a specific question for best results. I've never used iMovie and can't help specifically. Usually the free programs or consumer editing programs have the 'easy Share' option with no controls except quality size.

I would suggest to run a few short tests to see what works best for you. Put a 2 minute section on the timeline and export to play with the setting options. See what file size you get and check the quality.
 
For just merging multiple videos into one I have used "Free WMV AVI Converter" on my Mac. I usually use this program to change video formats or pull sound off a video, however it has the option box you can check for Merge into one file.

Just open program, click Add File, select all the files you want to merge, then put in order by clicking on the up and down arrows next to the file, select the type of output file, select destination directory for merged video and then click on Convert.
 
"Free WMV AVI Converter" OOOHHHH I'll have to look that up.

So… did some reading on youtube, I AM already set to upload longer videos. Hopefully this works. It's about 34% done right now.
(Two hours left which translates to 4, 5, or ah hell we don't know. lol.) So we'll see.

I-movie is suppose to be a really powerful program IF you have the time to learn it. All I'm doing is fun stuff, not really a cinematographer here, just like to play with my toys. But every one of these I do, it will get easier. That's the theory right?
 
Well I got er done. I know already some stuff I need to do better next time.
(Like hold the blasted cell phone sideways so you don't get that dumb skinny image with borders on each side. DOH!) Next one. And only a few min in the beginning is like that.

So here it is. My bike ride on a gopro... first time video. Only took ALL DAY to do. Imovie is a pain (Like photoshop on steroids.) but I have to admit, it's a powerful tool.
 

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