The important thing to remember when creating video content is that excellent audio quality is critical. HD video is also preferred, but high-quality audio is required.
Here are some standards to help with video content creation:
Recommended Tools:
Here are some standards to help with video content creation:
Recommended Tools:
- Blue Yeti - Cost: ~$100. Good quality external USB microphone that should work with any OS (you just may need a usb->usb-c connector).
- Camtasia - Cost: $150-$200 one-time fee (education pricing). Relatively easy learning curve, all in one video / audio / screen share recording and editing.
- OBS - Cost: FREE and Open Source. Steep learning curve but very powerful, allowing multiple cameras, audio inputs, screens, overlays etc. Only video recording and livestreaming
- iMovie - Cost: Free with MacOS. Video editing tool.
- Loom - Cost: subscription. Helpful for quick tutorial videos and has some built-in simple editing.
- Descript - Cost: subscription. Magic AI tool that makes video editing much less painful. It can automatically remove pauses, uhms and ahs and allow you to edit the video by editing the text script. Note that we have used the AI to modify an existing video with stock images and stock video, and the AI did not really deliver great/usable video quality. The quick editing tools are super handy though. We'll keep you posted.
Video Standards
- It may contain an introductory portion with video of the instructor speaking to the camera but does not need to include video of the instructor throughout
- Should not contain dates (e.g. September 2024) or references to current events, upcoming content releases or new sections of the course (since the content will likely be used for several years)
- Should not include branding and should keep presentation styles simple to extend the video longevity
- Should not contain hyperlinks since they will not be clickable in the video, related websites can be linked as separate items in the course itself
- The ideal video length is 30 minutes, can be longer or shorter but definitely no longer than 60 minutes. Attention starts to drop off after about 15 minutes, so several shorter videos are better than one long one
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 – you may need to reset your computer screen resolution to match a 16:9 ratio before recording the screen
Video Quality
- The export file should be an MP4 file with 1080px resolution or better
- Details on ideal export settings (most likely this is the default in Camtasia, just select the highest quality settings possible):
- File Type: MP4
- Codec: h.264/AVC
- Resolution: 1080px
- Bitrate: 5,000–8,000 kbps
- Framerate: constant, 30 frames per second
Audio Quality
- It should sound like the viewer is in a quiet room listening to the instructor
- Should not have background noise (e.g. dog barking, whirring fan, static, other voices, rustling of clothing, traffic sounds, phone or desktop notifications)
- The instructor should mute any phone or desktop notifications before recording
- Should be recorded using a professional USB-connected microphone
Other Assignments
- A file from your computer (like an Excel spreadsheet or a PDF) that students will download and read or use
- Link a URL (i.e. link to a website)
Example Video
- This is a great example of a promotional video for Math for Robotics. There is a lot of editing time baked into this video as you might imagine, so Val is not able to create all his course material like this but its a good example of top notch content.