 |
|
Experiment |
 |
|
Every camera has a different flash and focus range. Your owner's manual will give you details on your particular camera, but only practice will give you a real feel for the limits of your camera's range. Don't have your manual? Check here for links to online information on most brands of digital cameras and camcorders. |
|
 |
|
Lighting |
|
|
Limit your
light sources. Different kinds of lighting, such as
fluorescent, tungsten, and natural daylight each have
their own color cast and it makes it more difficult to
correct if you have multiple sources.
Avoid backlighting. Bright sun can
create dark shadows, especially around faces. Position
yourself to get the angle of sunlight in any position
other than directly behind your subject. Use your
flash when shooting outdoors to eliminate the shadows
and make your subject stand out properly against a
sunny, well-lit background.
If your subject is backlit, add more
light so the front of your subject is lit, or move to
another location. Using a white reflective
surface to bounce light onto your subject reduces
shadows. Use a bounce card to reflect light on your
subject instead of shining it directly on them.
Foamcore makes an affordable bounce card and can be
found at any office supply store.
Don’t use flash if your item is
reflective, like a mirror or the glass on a framed
picture. Increase your lighting instead. If there
is glass or a reflective surface behind your item,
shoot at a slight angle when using a flash. |
|
|
|
| Example: |
 |
|
 |
|
Subject is lost in shadows |
|
Using flash outdoors gives proper lighting |
|
|
 |
|
Keep the background simple |
|
|
Don't let a busy background overwhelm your subject. Distracting objects or people in the background detract from your video or photo. The background should provide a contrast to your item, i.e. dark background for light colored items and light background for dark items. |
|
|
|
| Example: |
 |
|
 |
|
Clutter makes it hard to see item |
|
Your item can be clearly seen |
|
|
 |
|
Closer is better |
|
|
Make sure to show your item closely enough for people to see it in detail. The item should pretty well fill the frame. With online video, closer shots will seem sharper, as more pixels will be devoted to them. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Show details |
|
|
Film your items from different angles and show all
appropriate details. Change locations and take shots
from different perspectives. Be sure to show
scale, where necessary, and include shots of any
damage or wear. It's better to give potential buyers a
complete picture of your item up front and avoid
having the sale fall through when they discover
undisclosed defects.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Use a
Tripod |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Sound |
|
|
Eliminate as much background noise as possible. Don't rely on your video camera's internal microphone. Whenever possible, use an external microphone to capture audio. The built-in mic is of less quality and can also pick up unwanted noise from the camcorder's drive mechanism and even from your movement and breathing. Use headphones to monitor the sound quality. Want background music? We can add a background track from our library to your video for you. |
|
 |
|
Take plenty of pictures or footage |
|
|
One of the
advantages of digital cameras is that you can take
almost unlimited photos or footage for use in editing
without spending a fortune on developing and printing.
It's always better to have more video than you need
than to find you're missing an important shot or
angle. Review your footage to be you have all the
shots you need. It is very difficult to go back
later and recreate the lighting conditions to match
previously shot footage. |
|
 |
|
Editing |
|
|
Instead of
using the digital effects on your camera, save them
for the editing process. That way, you can undo the
effects if you're not happy with the result. If
you are using complex transitions (for example, masks
or wipes going from one image or scene to another),
remember that they greatly increase your file size and
so make your video take longer to load. Used in
moderation, this won't be a problem but if you have a
large video with many such transitions, it can
decrease the viewability. |
|
 |
|
Filming
hints |
|
|
Begin recording a few seconds before the action begins and for a few seconds after it ends. Editing is much easier if you have some extra footage from before and after the scene.
Limit the movement of your camera. Most of the action should be on the part of the subject, not the camera. When you need to pan or move with the action, do so as slowly as possible, preferably with the camera mounted on a tripod. |
|
|
|
Digital zoom causes pixelation |
|
Try not to use your camera's digital zoom. If the optical zoom won't get you close enough to your subject, move closer. Digital zoom will not improve your shot. Digital zoom increases the size of each pixel that makes up the image. As the digital zoom is increased, the image quality dramatically decreases.
Only use your zoom to quickly switch between close-up and wide shots. Then remove the zoom during editing. Panning and zooming don't work well online because they cause the video to pixelate badly. |
|
|
|
|
