Recording and Editing Videos
A Quick Rundown
So you’ve got an assignment instructing you to make a video and you have no idea how to do it. In this chapter, you’ll see our recommendations for free screen recorders and quick tutorials that’ll get you doing that assignment in no time.
Screencast
Microsoft PowerPoint (Beginner)
If all you need to do is record a presentation, then Microsoft PowerPoint has a native screen recording feature that enables you to record sections of the screen if not all of it. After the recording is completed, it will appear inside the PowerPoint presentation and can be downloaded and edited. Using PowerPoint to create a screencast and How to Record Screen using Microsoft PowerPoint are good guides to follow if you are interested.
Apowersoft Screen Recorder (Beginner)
Apowersoft Online Screen Recorder is very simple and user-friendly. It allows you to select what parts of the screen you want and provides you with the ability to annotate as you are recording. Refer to How to Use Apowersoft Free Screen Capture, if you are interested in it.
Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) (Intermediate)
If you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of user ease for an open-source solution, then OBS is your best option. It might take a bit of time to set up but this is the most popular screen recorder on this list for a reason, here’s a quick tutorial on how to use it.
Video Editors
Before we get into video editors, it’s important to note that we’re assuming in 99% of cases that an average student wouldn’t require more than simple cuts and an exporting feature, anything more advanced than that doesn’t cover the scope of this ebook. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT IN MOST ASSIGNMENTS VIDEO EDITING SHOULD BE 5% OF THE FOCUS IF THAT.
Video Editor
Video editor is a pre-installed video editing app that comes with Windows 10 and is very simple to use (relative to other video editors), here’s a quick tutorial on how to use it.
iMovie
iMovie is an application created by Apple for Macintosh systems. It is simple, user-friendly, and is fully stocked with shortcuts. This application comes with themes, templates, and audio resources that expedite the editing process. Due to being made for newer editors, it lacks many features that are standard in other editors.
Music and Sound Effects
Sounds such as music and sound effects elicit emotional responses from viewers and add depth to the entire video. These openly licensed resources can be found in Dig ccMixter, Freesound, and Musopen. If you are unsure the resources are openly licensed, refer to its description. For more music resources refer to OER Repository Links.
Images
Using images alongside your video can secure the attention of the viewer by making certain segments of videos more appealing. Sources of these open resources can be found in Flickr (add source), Noun Project, and Pexels. If are going to use the image to create a new graphic, ensure the image license allows it. For more information on graphics refer to Images. For more image resources refer to OER Repository Links.
