Having your photos & video’s in a good quality regarding – what do you shot, how and where is super important for the user.
Video shooting and screen recordings
In the age of selfies and video calls on any device, you might think that taking a video would be a simple thing both technically and in terms of the way content is transmitted.
It’s true, today there is good equipment at a much more affordable price than a decade ago say, but that still does not make the matter of photography simple.
There are several options that each has its advantages and disadvantages for self-portrait and screen recordings of presentations.
Film yourself
If you want to shoot good quality videos, it means you need a normal camera, good lighting conditions and a suitable location so that the videos do not look like they were taken in dim investigations.
In terms of cameras there are three options: cellular camera, webcam or professional camera.
When building the course debate about this topic and examined the pros and cons of each method, let me summarize the topic for you:
Cellular camera
With the newer and better devices, it is possible to achieve a fairly good photo quality if you maintain good lighting conditions. If you have such a phone then in fact you already have an accessible camera.
On the other hand in older or cheaper devices the photo quality will not be good enough. Another challenge is that you will have to use the main (rear) camera, which means it is more complicated to position the camera without seeing yourself.
If you choose this option, make sure to buy a tripod or at least a catch that will allow you to place the camera in a permanent and stable place and you can make sure that you are in the center of the frame. also – make your video while your phone is in vertical position & use tripod / make sur the camera is stable.
By the way there is photo management software for connecting mobile devices to a computer, but it’s quite a complex matter and while browsing the net I got the impression that it does not always work well.
Webcam (WebCam)
A webcam is a camera that is directly connected to a computer.
The great advantage of these cameras is that the file is saved while shooting on your computer without having to transfer it from the camera to the computer. It is also easy to connect a microphone to a computer and record a sound while filming.
The downside is that most webcams provide low to medium photo quality. There are a few individual models that allow for better quality photography in Full HD resolution and cost several hundred shekels.
It should also be taken into account that because it is a webcam, the camera needs to be connected to a computer and this means that in any photo location you will need the computer to be close to you.
Professional stills camera
Professional or semi-professional still cameras know how to shoot video in excellent quality thanks to the large lenses they have and the quality of the sensors.
The disadvantages of this option are that it requires more knowledge and a larger learning curve. In addition the files are not saved directly on the computer so you will have to move them at each end of the photo.
It is also the most expensive option of the three.
So what to choose?
In my opinion for most people a quality webcam will have a good balance between price, ease of use and good enough quality. Alternatively a good smartphone camera will be a better solution if you need more mobility in photography.
In a professional camera I would choose if you already have one and you know how to deal with it or at least curious to learn
Screen recording
To take a picture of your computer screen, you will need software designed for screen recording.
I have tested a lot of software on the market to find software at an affordable price that will give the things I am looking for.
I came across a software called Filmora SCRN which is a fairly inexpensive software that is designed for screenshots as well as editing and was supposed to answer exactly what I was looking for. But after some experimentation I found that it exports a file (i.e. the finished file) of insufficient quality.
I ended up going for a more professional option for this Camtasia use, it is an expensive option (over $ 200) but for the more complex needs some of which I discovered later it gave a very good answer.
But do not always need a complex and expensive solution, there are cheaper options like the relatively new Loom and the old Screencast-O-Matic that stands out in its long name
The recording and especially editing options are more basic but on the other hand they are also simple to operate and can suffice in many cases.
Voice recording
Part of the video viewing experience has to do with listening in general. Sometimes the difference between a video that we enjoy listening to and a lesser one, does not depend on the quality of the video but on the quality of the audio in general.
The sound recording quality starts first of all with a good microphone. You can use microphones for tens of shekels and up to hundreds of shekels and more.
The type of equipment depends on the way you shoot, if you shoot the videos through the computer for example you can use a microphone with a simple audio input that resembles a headphone (TRS) or alternatively with microphones with a USB input.
You can start with a small lapel microphone that you put on the garment (Lapel microphone) that around $ 20 can do a good job or invest a few tens of dollars and north in a microphone that connects to the USB port on the computer for improved quality.