7. Adobe Premium - A well known and full featured video editor. Very reliable if you can afford it.
Adobe Premiere costs $99 for the entry-level version (Adobe Premiere Elements) and $799 for the pro version (Adobe Premiere Pro CS5). (~Sir Toby and Qsdd)
One thing I just noticed: The correct name of the application is Adobe Premiere, not Adobe Premium.
Great thread, was thinking of starting a LP, most of you're thread was things that I didn't think of and I'd end up making a really crappy LP. I'll be sure to add a link to this post in the discription if I make it.
I think it would be wise to caution those who want to do machinimas or LP's with plots. Plot building, character building, structure building, recruiting, etc. are all very time consuming. I've seen numerous threads about people wanting to start one of these but the project never begins because setup takes too long. I can appreciate a good story-based LP or machinima. It's sad that people don't realize the complexities involved in making a good story or world. I'm sure most are inspired by Yogscast's Shadow of Israphel series. What they don't see is that Simon and Lewis have several other friends who are working behind the scenes, perhaps never getting airtime, building these structures and plots.
A way they can circumvent the time-consuming structure building task is by using a map that comes with stuff on it. They could generate a plot by taking it from something they like and adapting it, although preferably putting a different spin on it as not to make a carbon copy of the source.
Has anyone mentioned swearing/perverted jokes? I may be old fashioned or just overly conservative but I find excessive cussing or dirty jokes to be unappealing. When people litter their sentences with unnecessary "d*mn"'s and "sh*t"'s it makes me lose interest. I suppose I prefer a bit more professionalism from people. I've been terribly spoiled by Yogscast. There's swearing in that (Simon being the main culprit) but they don't use it as part of their common language. Granted most people on the Internet probably don't complain about such vulgarity. For some it may be part of their everyday language although to get to a wider audience maybe one should try to be moderate about it? When I hear swearing or dirty jokes it makes me think, "Oh great, another subpar LP." If you are angry or freaked out then it's OK I suppose. The only other exception I can think of is when the theme of the LP is the sort that would naturally include vulgarity, for instance a griefing series. (Yet if you can pull off a griefing series without vulgarity, all the more power to you.)
me too. I grow tired of incessant swearing in videos very quickly. It's laziness, in my opinion. Try new words! Write down a list of exclamations from old shows/movies and use em instead; "ZOINKS! CRIKEY! HOO-CHEE-MOMMA!" Anything is better than f-bombs being used for every "exclaim". Boooooring! :smile.gif:
Besides, YouTube needs more kid-friendly channels. Go for it!
I downloaded SnagIt (seems like a perfect choice for my low-power laptop), and it seems like it records just fine, but the images come out fuzzy. If anyone could help me out, I would appreciate it.
I think it would be wise to caution those who want to do machinimas or LP's with plots. Plot building, character building, structure building, recruiting, etc. are all very time consuming. I've seen numerous threads about people wanting to start one of these but the project never begins because setup takes too long. I can appreciate a good story-based LP or machinima. It's sad that people don't realize the complexities involved in making a good story or world. I'm sure most are inspired by Yogscast's Shadow of Israphel series. What they don't see is that Simon and Lewis have several other friends who are working behind the scenes, perhaps never getting airtime, building these structures and plots.
A way they can circumvent the time-consuming structure building task is by using a map that comes with stuff on it. They could generate a plot by taking it from something they like and adapting it, although preferably putting a different spin on it as not to make a carbon copy of the source.
You're absolutely right. I attempted to do something similar to the Yogscast on my server, and it flopped because only 2-4 were involved in the acting side of the series. We were good on building though. Bummer. Oh well! :0
While a Fraps Clone, it does have some interesting features:
-You can set a record stopping time, and has the function of immediately starting a new recording once the previous recording's limit is up. So therefore, you can make effective use of it without the need of, saying, combining or splitting files.
-It doesn't have that stupid 4 GB limit
-It uses MPEG and Xvid as encoders. Therefore, leading to better quality and compression sizes.
-It uses a lot less resources than Fraps does.
Down side? It costs $39 just to purchase, but the trial is just as good... except for the watermark that gets added in. And, If you're gonna be recording voice and gameplay audio, make sure your mic isn't USB... Or else you're out of luck, since while it does have a secondary audio record slot, it won't be added if it gets uploaded somewhere or re-compressed with another encoder (You'd have to edit the file in, say Sony Vegas just to combine it)
But for Stereo Mix users, and Line-in Jack Mics, you're good to go.
You're absolutely right. I attempted to do something similar to the Yogscast on my server, and it flopped because only 2-4 were involved in the acting side of the series. We were good on building though. Bummer. Oh well! :0
I just started a Lets Play does any one have any tips for me?
Make it unique. We've seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of introductory videos that involve punching wood and making the first house. Give your LP a goal that you make progress toward. Maybe it's making a castle, or something like that.
This could possibly be off-topic, but I'd like to make another comment. Not everyone who wants to get publicity for playing Minecraft is cut out for videos. Or maybe they can't afford it or lack the hardware/software. I'm one of those people. Instead of doing a video LP you can use a blog as the place you record events. While I don't update it on a consistent basis I have posted quite a bit on it. A thought to consider.
Hello, I can record with fraps easily, but how would I record my voice while recording with fraps?
Well first you need a mike :tongue.gif:
You can record audio with fraps, there is a little box in the "movies" tab. Another (and probably better) way you can do it is to use Audacity which is a free program to record and edit audio, then use a video editing software to add it to the video.
Hey, thanks for the guide.
if i can get my computer to suck it up and run minecraft( and setup my own minecraft account insted of mooching my friend's) I'm gonna start an LP.
much appreciated
BITRATE:
All too often I see people putting up videos, especially HD ones, where the bitrate is too low to provide an enjoyable viewing experience. I don't have the most experience with some of the newer, fancier codecs like H.264 (none of my programs can really use it for rendering edited videos that I've found), so I'm not going to talk too much on them.
I'll start at the general upper bound: 1080p.
Personally, I've found 15MB/s video, 256kb/s audio to be very successful in 1080p videos. Even after youtube's re-compression, it generally looks clear and pleasing to the eyes. (Only tested with WMV9 Advanced Profile video & WMA 10 Pro audio codecs. Others may operate similarly.)
For 720p:
12 MB/s video, 192 kb/s audio. While, as stated before, youtube's re-compression can screw over even 720p videos, this produces a very watchable quality in my experience. (Tested with WMV9 Advanced Profile video & WMA 10 Pro audio codecs.) This is the one I have the most issue with because I see so many people throwing videos out there in HD to ride the "HD = more views because SD is old and terrible!!!111" bandwagon, while their bitrate would barely be acceptable for 480p. If your internet can't handle higher bitrates, I'd suggest sacrificing HD. A decent bitrate 480p is better than a poor bitrate 720p.
That got a little bit into the rant territory, but you want to provide good content for your viewers. Charisma can make up for it, but only to a certain extent. (People watching on phones or ipods or whatever probably won't care because their devices can't handle high res anyways, or at least not well enough for it to be worth it.)
However, if you use H.264 video codec, you can probably get away with more like 3 MB/s bitrate. hpaw.net uses this for their downloadable HD videos, and the quality is very nice. (Then again, it doesn't have to go through youtube's re-encoding there, so it'd probably be best to run a higher bitrate.)
480p:
4 MB/s video, 160 kb/s audio. (Tested with WMV9 Advanced Profile video & WMA 10 Pro audio codecs and MPEG Layer 2 audio/video codecs.)
While youtube hits any non-HD res real hard on the re-encoding, providing the best possible quality is never a bad idea.
Experimenting with other codecs and bitrates is worth the time, but these ones I've found to be tried and true. (~Xeros612)
For pretty much this whole section do you mean MB or Mb (aka bytes or bits). Specifically I was trying up a new bit rate for my H.264 encoder and I tried 3 Mb assuming it was a typo and the video came out looking...not quality. I then checked what the conversion to kb 3 MB would be and I can promise that that is very much over kill. However for future reference for people using H.264 6Mb is plenty, you can probably trim it down to like 5Mb and the video will still be HD but I have yet to actually test it at that bit rate.
*If you can, use the x264 codec. It's a little hard to track down a Windows version, but it works really well. Also, you'll need to use the x86 version even if your OS is 64-bit, CamStudio is a 32-bit app and won't detect x64 codec programs. CamStudio Lossless Codec is okay, but it's not really suitable for video with lots of motion (Minecraft, for example). And for the love of Bat-Creeper, do not use the default Microsoft Video 1 codec.
*Having audio desync issues? A capture/playback rate of 30fps is the problem. The way CamStudio is coded, the "Capture frames every X ms" and playback rate have to multiply to *exactly* 1000, and only works with integers. Capturing at 33ms and playback at 30fps equals 990, not 1000. Capture 25ms/playback 40fps is good if your system can handle it, but 40ms/25fps also looks fairly decent on YouTube.
*If your system can't handle fullscreen recording (like you're on a laptop and you can't get data out to a USB drive fast enough), the default Minecraft resolution of 854x480 (a correction to the OP, the width is 854 not 856) was seen by PowerDirector as a very suitable 16:9 aspect ratio, and YouTube did see the result as 480p.
*Speaking of PowerDirector, whatever editing program you use, the output video is probably going to be creepin' huge. That's because all the editing stuff it has to do, it can't write and compress the result, so you end up with the .avi equivalent of a bitmap (one format you should never use on the internet because it's also uncompressed). So you should re-encode the video using a program like MediaCoder. Just keep the same output settings as the detected input, and it will losslessly rewrite the video compressed. (Assuming you transcode from and to the same format, the output will have "_transcoded" appended to the filename.)
----
New topic: I know it's an odd request, but got any suggestions for how I can do an LP without a voiceover? (Impossible-to-explain legal reasons, but the tl;dr is that I can't have my voice heard on the internet.) Text-to-speech is a horrible option, so my initial idea was to use PowerDirector's picture-in-picture and text-overlay tools to do something in the style of "Paper Mario"'s dialogue balloons...
Edit: I should clarify... It's not a regular "talking-to-the-viewers" type LP... it's more of a Freeman's Mind (or Lorhk's Journal) thing that I'm planning.
One thing I just noticed: The correct name of the application is Adobe Premiere, not Adobe Premium.
Sir Toby Plays Minecraft - Minecraft Forums Topic
I have "record win7 sounds" & "record mic" checked. However, when I play back my video, I get a buzzy noise.
I think I've narrowed it down to my microphone... does anyone have any recommendations for a good microphone?
A way they can circumvent the time-consuming structure building task is by using a map that comes with stuff on it. They could generate a plot by taking it from something they like and adapting it, although preferably putting a different spin on it as not to make a carbon copy of the source.
me too. I grow tired of incessant swearing in videos very quickly. It's laziness, in my opinion. Try new words! Write down a list of exclamations from old shows/movies and use em instead; "ZOINKS! CRIKEY! HOO-CHEE-MOMMA!" Anything is better than f-bombs being used for every "exclaim". Boooooring! :smile.gif:
Besides, YouTube needs more kid-friendly channels. Go for it!
I love my Audio-Technica AT2020. I use it for some of my tutorials and it absolutely blows the doors off my Plantronics USB headset.
You're absolutely right. I attempted to do something similar to the Yogscast on my server, and it flopped because only 2-4 were involved in the acting side of the series. We were good on building though. Bummer. Oh well! :0
Bandicam (http://www.bandicam.com/)
While a Fraps Clone, it does have some interesting features:
-You can set a record stopping time, and has the function of immediately starting a new recording once the previous recording's limit is up. So therefore, you can make effective use of it without the need of, saying, combining or splitting files.
-It doesn't have that stupid 4 GB limit
-It uses MPEG and Xvid as encoders. Therefore, leading to better quality and compression sizes.
-It uses a lot less resources than Fraps does.
Down side? It costs $39 just to purchase, but the trial is just as good... except for the watermark that gets added in. And, If you're gonna be recording voice and gameplay audio, make sure your mic isn't USB... Or else you're out of luck, since while it does have a secondary audio record slot, it won't be added if it gets uploaded somewhere or re-compressed with another encoder (You'd have to edit the file in, say Sony Vegas just to combine it)
But for Stereo Mix users, and Line-in Jack Mics, you're good to go.
And I was one of your subscribers! D:
Make it unique. We've seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of introductory videos that involve punching wood and making the first house. Give your LP a goal that you make progress toward. Maybe it's making a castle, or something like that.
This could possibly be off-topic, but I'd like to make another comment. Not everyone who wants to get publicity for playing Minecraft is cut out for videos. Or maybe they can't afford it or lack the hardware/software. I'm one of those people. Instead of doing a video LP you can use a blog as the place you record events. While I don't update it on a consistent basis I have posted quite a bit on it. A thought to consider.
Well first you need a mike :tongue.gif:
You can record audio with fraps, there is a little box in the "movies" tab. Another (and probably better) way you can do it is to use Audacity which is a free program to record and edit audio, then use a video editing software to add it to the video.
if i can get my computer to suck it up and run minecraft( and setup my own minecraft account insted of mooching my friend's) I'm gonna start an LP.
much appreciated
For pretty much this whole section do you mean MB or Mb (aka bytes or bits). Specifically I was trying up a new bit rate for my H.264 encoder and I tried 3 Mb assuming it was a typo and the video came out looking...not quality. I then checked what the conversion to kb 3 MB would be and I can promise that that is very much over kill. However for future reference for people using H.264 6Mb is plenty, you can probably trim it down to like 5Mb and the video will still be HD but I have yet to actually test it at that bit rate.
LPing for the future.
*If you can, use the x264 codec. It's a little hard to track down a Windows version, but it works really well. Also, you'll need to use the x86 version even if your OS is 64-bit, CamStudio is a 32-bit app and won't detect x64 codec programs. CamStudio Lossless Codec is okay, but it's not really suitable for video with lots of motion (Minecraft, for example). And for the love of Bat-Creeper, do not use the default Microsoft Video 1 codec.
*Having audio desync issues? A capture/playback rate of 30fps is the problem. The way CamStudio is coded, the "Capture frames every X ms" and playback rate have to multiply to *exactly* 1000, and only works with integers. Capturing at 33ms and playback at 30fps equals 990, not 1000. Capture 25ms/playback 40fps is good if your system can handle it, but 40ms/25fps also looks fairly decent on YouTube.
*If your system can't handle fullscreen recording (like you're on a laptop and you can't get data out to a USB drive fast enough), the default Minecraft resolution of 854x480 (a correction to the OP, the width is 854 not 856) was seen by PowerDirector as a very suitable 16:9 aspect ratio, and YouTube did see the result as 480p.
*Speaking of PowerDirector, whatever editing program you use, the output video is probably going to be creepin' huge. That's because all the editing stuff it has to do, it can't write and compress the result, so you end up with the .avi equivalent of a bitmap (one format you should never use on the internet because it's also uncompressed). So you should re-encode the video using a program like MediaCoder. Just keep the same output settings as the detected input, and it will losslessly rewrite the video compressed. (Assuming you transcode from and to the same format, the output will have "_transcoded" appended to the filename.)
----
New topic: I know it's an odd request, but got any suggestions for how I can do an LP without a voiceover? (Impossible-to-explain legal reasons, but the tl;dr is that I can't have my voice heard on the internet.) Text-to-speech is a horrible option, so my initial idea was to use PowerDirector's picture-in-picture and text-overlay tools to do something in the style of "Paper Mario"'s dialogue balloons...
Edit: I should clarify... It's not a regular "talking-to-the-viewers" type LP... it's more of a Freeman's Mind (or Lorhk's Journal) thing that I'm planning.
"Urist McWackoMcGoose cancels Mod Minecraft: Discovered Dwarf Fortress"
Ancient sig archive:
Paper Minecraft: Legend of the Music Discs... is on hiatus until I get a new high-end gaming laptop! Episode 2-4: watch?v=Lk4TjTnUJYU
