Do i need to edit my videos?

Hi, I'm a newbie here. Need help. Do i need to edit my videos? At least movie maker perhaps?

Guthrie

Hi Guthrie,
Short answer is yes, if you want to sell consistently.

Personally, even when I started I would edit content, color correct etc.
Never thought to do anything less, as with any business you only get out what you put in.

Also I would give you this advice as well. Pick your subjects to shoot carefully. Research what you want to shoot and see if there is already a ton of that subject online.
If there are, then ask yourself: what can I do to make mine better that it will sell over the other guys videos?


I've never used movie maker so can't answer that. I started with Premier but now edit all my videos using Adobe After Effects.


All the best,
Jake

Guthrie here is the video upload requirements:
http://pond5.zendesk.com/entries/23165562-Video-Upload-Specifications-

For more information go to HELP & FAQs at the bottom of the page.

To start, get streamclip at square5.com. It is free. Use the best segment of your clip. Save and upload in mov/h.264 (at 100% quality) or mov/photojpeg (at 87%-90% quality). Good luck, keep learning and work hard. There are streamclip tutorials at youtube. Do not expect decent or any revenues on your 1st year. Be patient. Very patient.

Yes, they need to be edited like Jake said. A good steady tripod is a must. As in any business ... and yes this is a business ... it takes some money to make money. Many here wonder why their clips don't sell. Invest in far more than a cell phone or point and shoot camera. If you wan to make a small amount spend a small amount. Movie Maker is at the low end of software but can work. We all had to start. Those who are successful now have continued to invest in new cameras, new lenses and new high quality software and computers. Good luck.

If you really want to get on a fast track... get this: http://www.stockmediaartist.com/ :)

I used to edit my videos but I don't edit them anymore.

I try to get it exactly right as I am filming, and this works 90% of the time.

It saves a ton of work, and it saves a lot of disk space. Also, the originals are often of higher quality, and smaller file size.

The one drawback is that the originals always have audio, which can be a distraction.

Since my start/stop button is on the camera (like most), even if the camera is locked down well on a tripod, I need to remove the first and last half-second or more do to slight motion from pressing the button.

Guthrie, Movie Maker might not be the best option. I was told by Pond 5 a couple of years ago when I first started that they didn't advise using Movie Maker because it doesn't render the videos properly. I use Vegas Movie Studio HD 11.0 and it has everything I need without the high price tag. You can download a free trial for a couple of weeks and I think it costs only about $50 anyway. Then take that .mp4 file from Vegas and run it through MPEG Streamclip (free) to get your final .mov file. Good luck!

Guthrie, take time to keyword your videos properly too or else all your hard work will suffer.