Creating Quality Streaming Video

Creating Quality Streaming Video
by Nathan Segal
June 21, 2001

Creating streaming video is one of the fastest growing graphics fields. With the new technology available, virtually any user can create desktop productions. However, there are several things to consider which will ensure quality results.
Following these steps will save you the expense of lost production time and the frustration that goes along with it.

Step 1: Plan your video shots in advance. A valuable technique for doing this is to use a storyboard. The storyboard is your road map, a device that shows you where you are going. Here, you plot out all the steps you will take in order to give your story flow and consistency. It has been said that when your storyboard is complete, so is the movie. All that remains is the execution.

Step 2: Keep all camera movements down to a minimum. Constant panning or zooming will not translate well to the web. It is better to tell your story using a series of set shots, instead of multiple zooming and panning. If you are panning, keep the motion slow. Panning too fast can induce nausea in the viewers.

Step 3: Be careful with your background, avoiding areas of high contrast or intensely bright backgrounds. Extremely bright images can cause the digital image format to tear or smear.

Step 4: Keep the backgrounds simple. If you use a solid, simple background, your subject will stand out, but if the background is too busy, the subject will tend to blend in. Worse, complex backgrounds increase the odds of artifacts (where portions of the image clump together) and jaggies (lack of a smooth edge) appearing on the edges of your subject.

Step 5: Video needs proper lighting. Although many of the newer video cameras allow you to record low light images, these images will degrade considerably by the time your production has been assembled and broadcast. Visit web sites where lighting has been properly addressed for reference before shooting.

Step 6: Keep the camera focused. Crisp, well-focused images are critical to the success of your project. Each stage of video production can introduce problems, but if your original footage is sharp and well-lit, your final result should work well. Poor lighting and blurry images will degrade considerably as the video is processed in production.
Step 7: Use a tripod or some other instrument whenever possible to stabilize your camera. A solid tripod will greatly improve picture quality overall. Make sure the tripod will allow for smooth, easy camera movement and be rigid enough to easily keep your camera steady.

Step 8: For handheld shooting, it's important to keep yourself stable. Bouncing motions, in addition to fast pans, (as mentioned above) distract the audience and induce nausea.

Step 9: Be careful when using MPEG compression when in production. Like the JPEG format, using high settings can introduce artifacts into your video.

Step 10: As a rule, use vector based animation software such as Macromedia Flash or Adobe LiveMotion to create your animations. If you use bit map animations, be careful, as they can really bloat your file sizes. This is especially important when you consider the issue of bandwidth, an ongoing data transmission problem. Be aware that many users still use 56.6Kbps modems, so keep the files sizes as small as possible. Another option is to create several files that users can access as they want to view your story, rather than one large file.

Following these tips when creating video for streaming media for the web will help save you time, effort, and ensure quality results. Then you can concentrate on what's fun. Shooting.
Once you have finished shooting, it's time assemble those video clips into a finished production. Here, a key issue affecting your final result is what kind of video editing software you use. Some of these products are VideoWave IV by MGI Software, priced at: $99.95. Alternatively, you can contact them at: 1-888-644-7638.

Other options include Adobe Premiere 6 and After Effects 5. For the serious streaming media professional, Adobe also offers The Digital Video Collection, which features Premiere 6, After Effect 5, Photoshop 6 and Illustrator 9. For more information, visit the Adobe web site or to speak to someone in person, call: 1-888-724-4508.