Experimenting With YouTube Part 2
I spent most of this morning and afternoon editing video content I captured while playing Sniper Elite Resistance. I assembled 26 minutes of highlights and then recorded a narration. After adding appropriate branding for Contains Moderate Peril, I then uploaded the finished video to YouTube. Sadly, the picture quality was problematic, often becoming pixelated and blocky when there was rapid movement. The volume of my narration was also too low, so I decided to delete the video from my channel. I was somewhat disappointed by this outcome and initially thought that the day had been a waste of time. However, as I write this post, it becomes very clear that this is just part of the learning curve. I have given some thought to the problem and I believe I have determined why this video was not up to the standard of the previous one. Ultimately, this is an invaluable lesson.
I spent most of this morning and afternoon editing video content I captured while playing Sniper Elite Resistance. I assembled 26 minutes of highlights and then recorded a narration. After adding appropriate branding for Contains Moderate Peril, I then uploaded the finished video to YouTube. Sadly, the picture quality was problematic, often becoming pixelated and blocky when there was rapid movement. The volume of my narration was also too low, so I decided to delete the video from my channel. I was somewhat disappointed by this outcome and initially thought that the day had been a waste of time. However, as I write this post, it becomes very clear that this is just part of the learning curve. I have given some thought to the problem and I believe I have determined why this video was not up to the standard of the previous one. Ultimately, this is an invaluable lesson.
In my last post on this subject, I mentioned how I was having problems with audio desync when editing video captured by OBS Studio. This was due to the video material having a variable frame rate. Hence I moved over to XSplit Broadcaster because users on Reddit stated it produced video with a continuous bit rate. Sadly, this change appears to have cured one problem and caused another. The raw video footage captured by XSplit Broadcaster plays fine when editing and there are no audio issues. However, when I encoded the final edit, the results were poor quality. I used exactly the same encoding settings as I did last time, which produced a viable video that I successfully uploaded to YouTube. That was not the case this time. The only element of my production process that changed was the video capture software. I shall therefore switch back to OBS Studio.
There is no guarantee that this is the correct solution to the problem. There are many variables involved in this process and the problem may lie elsewhere. However, swapping back to OBS Studio is a logical step. The software has been updated since I last used it and if the issue with variable frame rates returns, I can always use third party software to resolve the issue and re-encode any video to a constant frame rate of 60 FPS. In the meantime, this project remains a work in progress, so I have come to terms with the possibility that further technical issues may occur along the way. I shall do some further research online, to see if anyone has had a similar problem. Then I’ll record some more game highlights, repeat my production process and see if the video quality improves. I’ll share my results in the next post in this series, as that’s what it now appears to be.
Experimenting With YouTube Part 1
I recently wrote a post about how I wanted to have a go at producing some gaming videos for YouTube. “How hard can it be?” I asked rhetorically, knowing that there would probably be a lot more to the process than meets the eye. Two weeks on and I can report back that there is indeed a learning curve but it is not insurmountable. I managed to figure out how to record a video game, edit it and then add a narration as well as a simple animated logo. Furthermore, I succeeded in doing this without spending a lot of money. I bought some video editing software and a year’s subscription to XSplit Broadcaster but got a really good deal on both. In total I paid £41, which is very reasonable. Hence yesterday, I posted my first video on the officially relaunched Contains Moderate Peril YouTube channel.
I recently wrote a post about how I wanted to have a go at producing some gaming videos for YouTube. “How hard can it be?” I asked rhetorically, knowing that there would probably be a lot more to the process than meets the eye. Two weeks on and I can report back that there is indeed a learning curve but it is not insurmountable. I managed to figure out how to record a video game, edit it and then add a narration as well as a simple animated logo. Furthermore, I succeeded in doing this without spending a lot of money. I bought some video editing software and a year’s subscription to XSplit Broadcaster but got a really good deal on both. In total I paid £41, which is very reasonable. Hence yesterday, I posted my first video on the officially relaunched Contains Moderate Peril YouTube channel.
Like a lot of people, I captured my video game material using OBS Studio. This was easy to configure as there are plenty of YouTube videos on this subject. Deciding what software to use for editing was a little trickier. I didn’t want to use a beast such as DaVinci Resolve as it smacks of using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. Eventually I read a comparison review over at TechRadar and Corel VideoStudio 2023 seemed to fit the scope of my project. It has proved easy to learn and is well supported. All went well to begin with. I edited an 18 minute video down to 8. However, when I started adding more material, I noticed that the sound started getting out of sync, leading to a crash course in the iniquities of video content recorded with a variable frame rate. Remuxing offered a solution but added an extra layer of work. So I switched from OBS Studio, to Bandicam (which stuttered) to XSplit Broadcaster.
The thing about making videos for YouTube, is that it’s only half of the work. Uploading the finished MP4 file and having to input all the metadata required for posting, is a complex task. There is an element of “voodoo” associated with choosing a title and a thumbnail image, along with selecting the right keywords and writing a description that will potentially intrigue viewers. If you’re looking to monetise your YouTube channel (which mercifully, I am not) then there is a lot of pressure to get this process right. Like writing online, I can see how easy it is to start obsessing about numbers and traffic. However, YouTube is already an oversubscribed space so it is best to put thoughts of “global domination” out of your mind. I have and I am just pleased that I managed to produce something.
I guess the question remains, am I going to post YouTube videos regularly? Not exactly. I am going to try to do a few more and see if I can learn how to refine my presentation and make the production process more efficient. If that can be done I don’t see why I can’t publish something once a month? But in true blogger style, I reserve the right to get bored and lose interest, or to have unforeseen complexities in my life which prevent me from doing anything online. It has been fun learning something new. I like to challenge myself and think it important to keep the brain ticking over, especially as you get older. This project has also been a timely reminder of how hard some YouTube content creators work. Especially those who clearly do it as a means of income. It is far more labour intensive than blogging.