- Hey, it's Justin Brown from Primal Video.
With so many different DSLRs and
mirrorless point and shoot cameras available today,
a lot of them will give you pretty good results for video
if you just leave them set to auto,
but it's not until you kick your camera into manual mode
where you can get full control of your videos
and really take them to the next level.
Now, I'm sure there's a few of you that are just
mentally switching off right now,
thinking about the extra hassle and
how're you're going to manage this
creating videos by yourself and
adding to your video production process already.
I assure you that it's not hard
and it's definitely worth it.
In fact, there's just eight simple settings
you need to know to get awesome results with your videos,
whether you're shooting on a DSLR, mirrorless,
or a point and shoot camera,
or pretty much any camera on the market today.
In this video, we're going to
run through them all and how they work.
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So we'll start off with the first one,
which is video resolution, or the quality of your videos.
In my opinion, you should be maxing this out
and recording it the best quality that you can
for the camera that you are using.
So, for most cameras these days,
they should be at the baseline recording at 1080p;
the resolution that you're recording at.
Some of them will do 2k and 4k as well.
I'm currently using a Panasonic Gh4 and I'm recording in 4k.
Now, there is some merit in recording in 4k,
Youtube does actually recognize 4k videos
and it even puts a little 4k tag on it.
And we don't know exactly how much this affects
the ranking of the videos, or if they're featured
more because they are done in 4k, but for us
in having the ability to record in 4k, it's a no-brainer
on the chance that it's going to help our videos rank
a little bit better as well.
So, if the camera that you're using doesn't support 4k,
I'm definitely not saying run out and buy a 4k camera.
I'm saying make sure that the camera setting-
The record quality settings are the maximum
for the camera that you're using because you can always
lower the quality if you needed to,
for whatever reason in your editing software.
So while I really recommend recording
in the best quality that you can on
the camera that you've got, if you are
using some insanely awesome camera and it just means
that your workload is going to be so much more,
so much more rendering time, exporting time
in order to get the content out,
then lower the quality on your camera if you need to.
It'll take the load off your editing,
off your PC or MAC that you're using to edit on,
it will make the whole process easier.
So, max it out while you can, but if you've got
some crazy camera, then probably lower it to 4k
or maybe 1080 if your workflow needs it.
So the next one is number two,
which is bitrate, and it really goes hand in hand
with the first one which is video resolution
and in most cameras, the settings are actually done
in the exact same spot.
So, what you'll find in most cameras is
you'll pick the video resolution and it will
normally have a bitrate assigned with that resolution,
so your bitrate is the amount of data
that's captured per frame, per second of your video.
So, the higher the bitrate, the higher the quality,
but also the larger the file size.
So, again, this is another one that
I would suggest maxing out wherever you can.
If you've picked the highest resolution capable
on your camera and you've picked the highest bitrate
available on your camera, then you're gonna get
the highest quality video through
into your editing software, which means you can upload
then the highest quality video to Youtube
or wherever you're running your videos out.
So, as I said before, we're recording this video in 4k
which is the resolution, but we're recording it at
100 megabits per second, so it's
the maximum quality for this camera.
Now, the number, the megabits per second,
between different makes and models of cameras
will definitely differ and it's always a case of
the higher the number, the higher the megabits per second,
the higher the quality of the video image.
So, while you're camera may not do 100,
or it may do 200 megabits per second,
just try to pick the highest that you can in your camera.
It's also really important not to
compare apples for apples with cameras
and say this camera is better because it does
30 megabits per second and this one
only does 18 megabits per second.
It'll come down to the kodak
and the compression that's applied
to that bitrate, to that resolution
that will determine the quality of the video.
General rule: just make sure that they're maxed out.
The third setting we're going to look at
is the shutter speed.
Now, this one will vary a little bit.
So, based on the frames per second that our video
is recorded at, whether it's 25 frames per second
in Australia or the UK or whether it's around
30 frames per second if you're in the U.S.,
you'll want to set your shutter speed accordingly.
So, if you're in the U.S., your shutter speed
you should set at a lower point, will be 1/60th of a second.
In Australia, that's 1/50th of a second,
based on the frame rates 25 frames per second
or 30 frames per second.
So, the reason for this is if you go less than that number
for the region that you're filming in,
then you'll get motion blur or a blurry image
if there's any movement in your shot.
Going above this, you can also introduce flickering
in your video as well.
So, in Australia, our power cycles at 50 hertz,
which means our lights are gonna flicker at 50 hertz.
So, if we match that 50 to the
50 shutter speed in our camera,
then there is zero chance of any flickering
or strobing coming through in our videos.
Likewise, in the states, you're running at 60 hertz.
So that means the lights are gonna flicker at 60 hertz,
which means you need to set your shutter speed
to 60 or to 1/60th of a second to match that.
Now, you can also set your
shutter speed to a multiple of that number.
So, in the U.S., you could also run at 1/120th of a second
because it's double 60, or in Australia,
around 100 frames per second because it's double 50.
So, that way they're still in sync.
They're still flickering or running
at the same frequency so that you won't get any
flickering through in your recorded videos.
So it's really important that you set
the right shutter speed for your area.
So 50 or 60.
Number four is the aperture, or it's also known
as the f-stop and it's the amount of light
that's let in through your camera lens
to your camera's sensor for recording the video.
So, the lower the number, the more light's coming in,
which will also give you a blurrier background.
That's the thing on Youtube these days,
everyone wants the blurry background.
So, in order to get that, you need to have a lower number,
which means that your camera lens is letting in more light.
So, for example, the camera lens that I'm using here
is a sigma 18 to 35, which is an F1.8 aperture lens.
I'm actually running it on a speed booster.
I don't want to over-complicate things, but it means
that I'm able to get this down to an F1.2,
Which means that the background is pretty blurry,
especially for the camera and
the sensor in the camera that I'm using.
So, without over-complicating it all, the lower the number,
the shallower the depth-of-field,
which means that you can get a blurry background.
Now, what you don't want to do here
is leave this to auto, because if it's on auto,
the moment a cloud comes over outside
or the moment the lighting changes in your scene,
or even yourself moving around in the shot,
your camera will automatically adjust for that.
So it's really important, to get optimal results
with your videos, that you lock this setting down
so that you're in control o fit, instead of your camera
making the judgement call whether to
brighten or darken the shot for you.
Now if you're not after that blurry background look
or if you want to darken off your shot,
then just increase your aperture to a higher number.
So what I'm actually using on this
camera here is called a variable ND filter,
or a neutral density filter.
Essentially, it's like having a pair of sunglasses
over the front of the camera lens.
I have the ability, then, to just turn it around
and make the shot brighter or darker
without having to adjust the aperture in the lens.
So I'll still get that blurry background look,
but I can lean forward and I can adjust the picture
brighter or darker just by turning the front of the lens.
Now, these won't work on every camera,
but they're great to have with you if
your camera supports it.
Number five is the ISO, now you can really
think of this as your digital brightness.
So, the lower the number, the darker the image.
The higher the number, the brighter the image.
So, in typical outdoor or really bright
scenes or scenarios, you want to be using a lower number
to make the shot darker so that it looks normal.
Using a higher number outdoors
will give you a really bright shot.
So, right now my camera is set to an ISO of 400.
If I was gonna be taking it outside, I'd probably be
setting it to 200 or 100, and this is
something that differs, once again, between
different cameras and different makes and different models.
Some cameras will allow you
to go to a much lower ISO, or a darker image.
And others will go to a much higher,
so it's a good idea to work out the best
settings for you based on what your image looks like.
In most cases, you wouldn't need to go over an ISO of 800,
unless you're in really, really
dark scenarios or dark scenes.
Some cameras will go way up, 5600, 3200,
and they'll still get a pretty good image.
Others, the cheaper ones with the smaller lenses,
if you're pushing your camera up above 1600 ISO to 3200 ISO,
you're gonna get a terrible looking image,
it's gonna be really rainy, really noisy.
So, it's all about just knowing that
the lower numbers are the darker,
higher numbers are the brighter,
and work out in and around where your shot needs to be.
So when you're locking down your ISO setting,
it's really important that you look through
your camera's viewfinder or through your camera's display
to actually see the image.
Most cameras will have a built-in exposure meter
showing you if the overall shot is too dark or too bright.
But really, at the end of the day,
it's going to come down to how you like the shot to look.
So then it's just a matter of increasing or decreasing
the ISO to get the brightness
around about where you'd like it.
Now, you can fine-tune your brightness of your shot,
going back to your aperture, or
as I said, using a neutral density filter
on the front of your lens.
But really the key thing with your ISOs to keep in mind
is that you don't want to be going unnecessarily
to a higher number or a higher ISO setting because
you will get a graner, noisier image.
So, keep it as low as you can in order
to get the shot that you're after.
Number six is audio levels and it's really
important to set this one to manual wherever possible.
The biggest issue with leaving it on automatic
is the moment that you pause between a sentence
or a paragraph, then your camera will boost the volume
because it's not detecting any audio through
your microphones so it'll boost it up
in order to pick up any background noise
in the scene that you're recording in.
The issue then is, when you start talking again,
the first word that you say is going to
be way too loud, so it would distort,
and it really doesn't sound great
and it's pretty hard to fix in your editing afterwards.
So by manually setting your audio input levels,
there's no chance of your audio distorting.
So plug in your microphones and,
if your camera supports it, bring up the audio bars
so that you can actually see,
visually, how loud the audio is.
You don't want it to go into the red section,
you always want it in the green or the orange if possible.
It's actually better to have your volume
slightly quieter because it's easier to boost it
up in your editing than to have it
too loud and distorting, which is hard to recover
and sounds terrible.
Now, if your camera doesn't have the audio bars
or the audio meters so you can't visually see how loud
your audio is going into the camera,
I would suggest recording a quick clip and either
playing it back and listening to it with headphones
to make sure it's not distorting or, even better,
take it into your editing software, turn on
the audio wave forms, and you will visually see
the audio wave forms for that clip
you've just recorded and make sure that
they're not clipping or not flat on the top.
If they're maxing out or their flat-lining
across the top, it means that
your audio is too loud and it's distorting.
So, then you can go back and adjust it accordingly.
Number seven is focus, you'll want to set your camera
to manual focus wherever possible.
Now, there are some examples of cameras
that have really good auto focus, the 70d and the 80d,
but even if I was using those, I personally
would still use them on manual focus wherever possible.
And the reason is I just like to know that
everything is exactly how I want it.
I don't want to find out later in my editing
that my camera was searching and couldn't find me
or it kept adjusting the focus in and out,
which just looks terrible in your videos.
So, with any of these settings,
you want to fix everything in the camera
so that you don't have to fix it later in your editing.
So, for me, manual focus is a big one.
But then the obvious question is
if you're filming your videos yourself,
how can you set the focus to manual
to make sure that you are in focus?
Well, there's a couple of answers.
The first one is if you're in a room like this,
you could get someone to stand in wherever possible
and you could focus on them, maybe mark out
some markers on the floor, maybe even note down
the settings on your camera for
the focus point for that set up.
If there's no one around, then use a prop that will be
in the location that you'll be standing or sitting.
Bring in a light stand or a pillow or whatever it is,
and focus on that and then move it
out of the way and then get into your videos.
Another option, and it's probably a better option,
is that a lot of cameras these days have wifi built in
and allow you to control your camera wirelessly
using a phone or a tablet, and that's exactly
how I'm recording right now.
So, I said I'm using a Panasonic Gh4
which has wifi built in.
I'm controlling everything in this recording
using my Samsung tablet, I can just tap
to adjust the focus, I can see that it's recording.
I can control everything that I need to from this
and just move it out of shot while I'm recording
and I know that I'm in focus for the entire shoot.
So, if your camera supports wireless remote controlling,
then that's a great way to run everything,
control everything, monitor everything yourself.
Now, really, that would be a key point if I was
picking a new camera to go and buy right now,
I would make sure that it had that feature
because, for me, that's a game changer.
And number eight is the white balance,
which is the color temperature of your shot.
You can really change the look and feel of your shot
by adjusting the white balance, which is why
it's really important to lock it down.
Last thing you want to do is have your camera
automatically adjusting as a cloud goes over
or something it senses changes in your scene
and the color temperature changes.
So it's really important to set this one to manual
so that you've got a consistent color
or a consistent look across your entire video.
It would make it very difficult to color-correct later
when you're editing if it was changing throughout your shot.
You'd color correct one part and then
a bit further down, it could look totally different.
So, even if your white balance is set wrong,
even if all your footage comes out with a blue tinge,
at least you'll be able to fix it all once
in your editing by applying one color correction effect.
Now, most cameras will give you built in presets
for white balance, you'll have things like a sunny day,
you'll have incandescent lights,
you'll have fluorescent lights.
You'll have different presets built in for your cameras,
so find the one that suits your filming location
or some cameras will give you
full control over white balance
and will allow you to enter the color temperature,
which is measured in Kelvin, into your camera.
Now, if you've got no idea where to start
with white balance, as I said, start with the presets,
cycle through those, and see which
one you like the look of best.
Some cameras will also give you an automatic reading,
so it's whatever the camera suggests, but lock that down
so that it is not gonna change
throughout your entire filming.
Alright, so there's the eight settings you need to know
in order to get awesome results with your videos.
Now that's done, check out the link
on screen now for more on DSLR lenses.
I'll see you next time.
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