What you wish you knew when you started?

[CVentures]

Hey guys, I’m fairly new to the site and I’m just curious if there are a lot of you that have been able to youtube full time along with other social media streams of income as well. If yes, could you share any tips for a brand new vlogger starting out? What would you have wish you knew when you start?

 

[scooterwuf]

Man, where to start?

The importance of shooting at 60fps

The importance of good stabilization in a camera.

Good sound is 50-70% of your motovlog/video

The importance of having your camera aimed correctly, with a leveled horizon and a good field of view.

The importance of rendering out your video with great quality without a large file size that YouTube will compress into mud.

- Wolf

 

[CVentures]

Yeah I’ve been experimenting with setting and what not. Not only am I a rookie rider but also very much a rookie editor as well. It’s been fun so far.

 

[HippoDrone]

The members on here are mostly hobbyists, and with that in mind, my biggest tip would be have fun and don't worry about the numbers. Just getting to the point where you can monetise is going to be a slow process, and even then once you reach that point, you will not be making enough to even keep the tank full all month.

 

[CVentures]

No pressure here and ZERO expectations. Just trying to have fun and fit it all into my schedule a bit. Very much a hobby here.

 

[Ponkster]

I wished I'd realised how much better a gopro is than a cheapo copy - seems obvious but I could have got two gopros for what I spent on cheapo cameras before I stumped up an went for a gopro !
I wished Id have decided to learn how to use Adobe Premiere Pro years ago anstead of using free editing software that doesnt quite do what you want it to .

 

[LandyVlad]

Do NOT buy a Gitup G3 action cam.

DaVinci Resolve is at least as good as Premiere Pro AND Free.

Do NOT buy a Gitup G3 action cam. ​

The importance of rendering out your video with great quality without a large file size that YouTube will compress into mud.

So what settings do you use as I've been trying to find that right balance.



P.S.

Do NOT buy a Gitup G3 action cam. ​

 

[scooterwuf]

I’ve been rendering out of Premiere Pro as a .MP4 at 1080p 60fps with a High Quality1080p HD codec. It gives me a fairly high bitrate that’s close to a High Bitrate preset.

Render time and file size are acceptable too.

- Wolf

 

[lupin]

The big thing for me is I wish I never actually started. Its not that I haven't enjoyed what I've done its just that now its so much of a chore that I actually can't be bothered.

I now just enjoy the ride and the building and wonder how much I missed out on because I was too busy trying to record stuff.

So I guess the take away from that is no matter what don't make it your "job" to make a video.

 

[WEB]

How to use my editing software as well as I can now heh, still a long way to go but have come a long way too.

That's about it. It's all about learning what works for you.

Don't take other peoples experiences as gospel, experiment and find what works for you. My videos are all 23.98fps for instance.

It's all just learning, there is no shortcuts, learn learn learn learn learn.

 

[Drakhen99]

Haha, I'm just starting out... but here are my takeaways from probably 100+ hours of research and experimentation:

1. Don't use a half helmet - it makes getting good audio a CHORE AND A HALF (I'm still trying to figure out a mic setup that'll work - riding my Street Glide gives me crappy audio, but I daily ride it; my Vulcan bobber gets great audio, but I don't ride it much, so what good does that do me for vlogging?)

2. Experiment, experiment, test. Do lots of audio and video tests. Play around with camera and mic placement.

3. Realize that at the end of the day, there are sunk costs. You're gonna buy a camera, get a good one. You want mounts? They cost $$$. Mics? Same thing. If you go into planning to be up and running and making money on Day 3, you'll be sorely disappointed. Plan on making the tests part of the fun, or you'll quickly grow bored/frustrated with it. Maybe have a backup use for the expensive bits - for instance, I use my GoPro to record my kids playing or on zoo trips and the like, then practice in the editor to create videos for my friends and family to see.

4. Plan your rides and what you want to talk about, and stick to that.

5. The editing software you choose makes a HUGE difference. I started with HitFilm Express, tried VDSC, now I'm on Davinci Resolve ... of the 3, Resolve seems to be the best for me, but it's still a slow slog (I'm learning).

6. Have fun! If you're not having fun, why do it?

Good luck!

-John

PS: I still haven't set up my YouTube channel, nor have I produced a usable video.

 

[motosera]

I knew it when I started, but I guess the most important thing is to make what you want and enjoy doing. Hopefully other people will like it and your channel will grow, but don't ever expect to make any real money out of vlogging, it just doesn't happen to 99.999% of people.

Other than that, do some research, buy good gear from the start and make sure you have a decent PC if you are working with 4K footage!

Most importantly, have fun!

 

[Moto Mengy]

One thing I wish I'd known when I started: use DaVinci Resolve to edit instead of Shotcut. I've made over 30 motovlogs with Shotcut but only recently started messing with DaVinci Resolve and MANNNN I wish I'd just used this from the start!

Don't underestimate how important good editing software is, it can make a big difference, not just in video quality but how much you enjoy editing too.

 

[Drakhen99]

One thing I wish I'd known when I started: use DaVinci Resolve to edit instead of Shotcut. I've made over 30 motovlogs with Shotcut but only recently started messing with DaVinci Resolve and MANNNN I wish I'd just used this from the start!

Don't underestimate how important good editing software is, it can make a big difference, not just in video quality but how much you enjoy editing too.

There is so much truth in this! Like I said, I'm just getting started, so as soon as I hear of another (hopefully free) product to try, I give it a whirl. For me, having a smooth editor experience is important, and Resolve on my computer is so much better performance-wise than HitFilm Express.

Right now I'm struggling with the render aspect. I did a "quick export" earlier and the file size was over 8GB, for <7m of video... so I found a YT video that explains the render settings, and hopefully it comes out smaller.

That's one reason I kept using HFE instead of VSDC - the rendered files from VSDC were about 10x the size as HFE's, but I just couldn't tell any quality difference. Now I'm hoping I can get the file size down on Resolve, because I like the editor so much.

-John

 

[LandyVlad]

Resolve seems to be the best for me, but it's still a slow slog (I'm learning).

If you aren't aware already the best tutorials about Resolve editing etc I have seen are by YouTubers
Mr Alex Tech
Casey Farris
Billy Rybka

 

[Drakhen99]

If you aren't aware already the best tutorials about Resolve editing etc I have seen are by YouTubers
Mr Alex Tech
Casey Farris
Billy Rybka

Thanks, I wasn't aware! I think I watched some of Casey's videos... or at least it was someone.

It's amazing what you can find with a little googling these days. Any time I *want* to do something in Resolve but don't know how, I just google it and viola - there's my answer.

-John

 

[Teh Purp]

shortcut keys and there usage makes your editing flow easyer and goes alot quicker, in davinci, a simple one, in the editing tab, a is the selection tool, B is the cutting tool, saves clicking moving the mouse..... just couple of key pressed and your quick cuts can be made. that one was a bit of a revelation to me anyway

 

[CVentures]

Well i learned tonight, need to use the proper SD card in your camera thats specific to your camera or it can fail and fail badly!

 

[LandyVlad]

Usually itys an issue of card speed - too slow and it cant keep up with data stream from camera.

 

[motosera]

Usually itys an issue of card speed - too slow and it cant keep up with data stream from camera.

Absolutely, especially if recording in 4k which can be 75Mbps or more

SD cards are rated by their speed - Class 10, UHS Class 3 or V30 is what you should be looking for.

Personally I use Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB cards - nothing is fail proof though!