In this video, I’m going to show you exactly how I shoot and edit my YouTube videos, including
all the equipment and software I use to bring you this exact content that you’re watching
now!
Hey friends, I’m Tasia.
Welcome back to my YouTube Channel where I share tech tips and app reviews.
Today, we’re doing a deep dive not only into how I shoot and edit my YouTube videos,
but we’ll go over my YouTube setup and equipment, plus, I’m going to show you exactly how
I plan and organize my YouTube videos!
We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s go!
Alright, let’s start from the beginning planning stage so you know my exact process.
I use Google Drive to plan and organize my YouTube videos.
Bet you didn’t see that one coming (she says sarcastically)
Why do I love Google Drive?
Let me count thy ways.
It’s free, and it’s easily searchable across their suite of apps, and helps me stay
organized.
I’ve got a million and one videos on Google Drive, and I’ve linked to them below, so
I’m not going to get into everything you can do with Drive here.
Specifically for organizing my YouTube content, I use Google Docs, Sheets, and Google Calendar.
So first comes the planning.
What do I want to shoot?
What are my content ideas?
When do I want to release specific content, and so on and so on.
So to organize all the jumbled mess of ideas from my mind, I use Google Sheets.
Here’s my legit organization method with Sheets.
Oh we going behind the scenes now!
So here’s my content schedule so far for 2021.
I’ve used a Google Sheet to organize my topic ideas in one column, then any research
notes or links that are helpful, then I’ve got color-coded published status, then finally
the date it went live.
So, once I’ve locked in a video idea, it’s time for scripting.
Yes, I script all my videos and there’s a couple reasons for that, but I obviously
use Google Docs for all my scripts.
This way, everything is organized in one place for me so I can easily search anything, or
easily make copies of scripts and edit from there.
My scripting also includes all of my tags, video title, description, everything.
And I will touch on how I figure out my YouTube titles and tags in a minute.
But first, let’s talk about Google Calendar.
I use Gcal to keep my schedule organized with color blocking.
Because YouTube isn’t my full-time job yet, I’ve got a lot going on and I need to know
at a quick glance what’s coming up.
So, I have clients and tasks organized per color in my Gcal. and this includes thing
like my videos - when i’m scripting, when i’m shooting and when they’re going live.
So rounding out pre-production are a couple of tools I use before I even start the scripting
process.
If you listen to anything in this video let it be this - I do not move forward with ANY
script unless I have the exact title locked in.
There are two tools I use to check for trending topics and good keywords for video titles
and tags.
First, I use Google trends and I literally Google the popularity of a search term or
word.
Second, I use TubeBuddy.
TubeBuddy is really great for both the pre-production and the post-production ends of your videos.
On the pre-production side, you can search within youtube for specific keywords and titles
that you’re thinking of and Tubebuddy will give you a keyword score to let you know if
that’s a topic people are searching for.
I will talk more about TubeBuddy later on when we get into post-production, and I also
have a direct link to TubeBuddy in the description below.
So now let’s talk about shooting the video!
There’s a whole bunch of equipment I use, all linked below, so here we go!
This is my complete YouTube setup and equipment list.
*There are three different cameras I use to shoot my YouTube videos, depending on what
it is I’m shooting.
The camera I use the most is this Sony ZV-1.
This is actually a vlogging camera, but it’s a great little camera for my tiny office setup
here.
I actually purchased the camera with an accessory kit that came with a wireless Bluetooth tripod,
and an SD card.
There are two things I love most about the Sony ZV-1.
First, it’s got a really solid autofocus that doesn’t jump and refocus a lot, so
it’s not distracting, and second, with the push of a button you can blur your background.
This helps give the illusion of a greater depth of field, even when you’re in a small
space like I am.
*The camera I am shooting this particular angle with right now, which I use mostly for
my business and all my YouTube b-roll, is the Panasonic Lumix GH5.
This is a more professional camera that’s got slick 4K capabilities, just keep in mind
you’ll need to buy a lens with this one too.
Lastly, when it comes to cameras, I use my iPhone 11 Pro when I need yet another angle
or if I’m grabbing a mobile screen recording.
By the way, if you want to know what tripods I use for mobile devices, you can click right
here or check out the best tech 2021 video I’ve linked below.
So keep in mind, you don’t have to buy the most expensive cameras - start with what you
have and make it work for you.
Another really important thing when it comes to your cameras is the SD cards that you’ll
be recording onto.
Ensure you’re buying the right card for your camera.
And if you’re finding this video valuable, remember to give it a like and subscribe to
my YouTube Channel for more content like this.
Moving on to audio - Audio is super important too, and for that, I use the Rode VideoMic
Pro+.
This is a great compact directional shotgun mic, that works both with a battery or plug-in
power, which is really helpful if you’re on the go and can’t worry about charging
a battery.
Tripods and stands are also important because clearly, you need to set your camera up on
something.
I use the Vanguard Alta Pro and it is the best tripod for the money.
I actually have two of these exact models and I love the versatility.
You can shoot from multiple angles with this guy, and it’s not really heavy, so it’s
one you could travel with, yet it’s sturdy and well built.
I also use this desk mount stand for when I need to attach my ring light or microphone
to my desk for certain video angles.
It’s a whopping $32.00 and lordy is it ever handy.
And speaking of lights, there are three different ones I use.
First, is this Neewer 18-inch ring light - this is typically my main light source as I don’t
have great natural light in here and I’m often shooting with a window behind me.
Then I also have this Neewer table top USB light.
This is really handy not only for any video calls I have, but I use it to fill in some
shadows when I shoot my YouTube videos.
Then, I also have a Neewer dimmable camera video light.
I use this guy to soften the harshness of the ring lights, and it’s also nice and
compact for shooting on the go, if necessary.
You may have also noticed these colored lights behind me in my videos, and these guys are
just battery powered wireless lights you can adhere to a surface or move around like I
do.
They even come with a little remote so you don’t have to get up to change the light
colors or turn them on and off.
All of this equipment is linked for you below.
So now let’s talk about editing!
Just to touch briefly on the equipment I use for editing, I’ve got a MacBook Pro, I use
an Asus monitor as a second screen, and I’ve also got this Anker Docking Station.
This station is clutch in order for me to plug in the million things I have connected
to my MacBook Pro.
And speaking of the things I have plugged into my Mac, I use a lot of external hard
drives to store content, to backup content, and to work off of for my YouTube projects.
Get yourself a great backup drive.
And remember I’ve linked to all the ones I use down below.
So I’ve been asked a lot what I use to capture my screen when I create my video tutorials.
99% of the time I use Camtasia for all my screen recordings.
And no, despite sharing a name with the company, I’m not sponsored by them yet.
99% of the time I use Camtasia for all of my screen recordings.
But remember, use what you have.
Both Windows and Mac have built-in screen recording capabilities, so use them to your
benefit.
So for all of my editing, I use Final Cut Pro X.
It’s the perfect pro-sumer editing suite, and is so intuitive and easy to use.
Obviously, there are a ton of built in effects and transitions and features, but I like to
step it up a notch by adding in third party plugins and themes.
So I use FX Factory, Pixel Film Studios and Leno FX in order to achieve cool effects,
text animations, reveals, and transitions.
I even use these plugins to edit my audio if there's too much background noise or echo.
I will only say this once, so pay attention: plugins in Final Cut Pro X are THE way to
step things up a notch for your videos.
Trust me, ya’ll know I’m cheap so I don’t buy stuff for the sake of buying stuff.
It has to be worth it.
So now let’s get into the posting process and what happens when I post a YouTube video.
So, first let’s talk thumbnails and the importance of creating a YouTube thumbnail,
so you’re not just using a random frame from your video.
After I shoot my video, I record a little clip of me posing for what will be a still
for my thumbnail.
Sounds weird, I know.
But, I use a software called Wondershare filmora to grab a high resolution snapshot from that
clip.
This snapshot will become my thumbnail with the help of Canva.
I create all my thumbnails in canva.
I have the paid version which allows me to remove the background from any image, but
if you don’t care about that, you can get by just fine with the free version.
I even create some of my social media promotional graphics in Canva as well.
So if you remember from the way, way, back long ago time that was the beginning of this
video, I mentioned I use TubeBuddy when I’m first creating a YouTube script idea.
I also use TubeBuddy on the backend when I’m actually posting the video.
With TubeBuddy, you can see suggested tags and how they’re ranking which is really
helpful to adjust or add last minute tags too.
Plus, I’ll go back in after the video has been posted and check on how my tags are ranking
and see if TubeBuddy suggests anything else.
And if you want even more in-depth information on all the tools I use to shoot and edit my
YouTube videos, I’ve created a free digital toolkit for you, and of course, I’ve linked
to that below as well.
Listen, if you’ve made it to this point in the video, wow I love you, and I hope you
found this helpful!
Remember to check the links below and happy video creating to you!
So that’s my complete YouTube setup and equipment list.
What do you think about the tools I use to shoot and edit my YouTube videos?
Let everyone know in the comments below.
As always, thank you so much for watching, if you liked this video, I want to know so
give it a like, a share, or leave that comment below.
You can click right about here to subscribe to my channel and right here and here for
even more of my favorite tech accessories.
Thanks for watching and see ya next time.