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What's the difference between a video that looks professional and one that screams "amateur"? You might think that filming technique and editing style are the main considerations. But the easiest way to instantly raise the quality of your home video lies in your camcorder settings and how you choose to employ them.
Tally Light
Try an experiment: press the record button on your camcorder. Then turn the camcorder around so it's facing you. See that little red light? This is called the tally light. Something about this tiny red light makes most people incredibly self-conscious when they're being filmed!
Fortunately, nearly every camcorder includes the option of turning the tally light off. Your subjects will be far more comfortable and relaxed without that red light glaring. Remember, the less obtrusive you are as a videographer, the more natural your footage will be. Eliminating the tally light is an important step in this direction.
Date and Time Stamp
The date and time stamp is a setting that records the current date and time at the bottom of the video picture. On analog video cameras, such as those using VHS-C and 8mm video tape formats, the date and time stamp is permanently burned into the picture. (By comparison, a digital camcorder records date and time information on a separate, removable video track.)
Many people like to use the date and time stamp because it makes it easier to keep track of when a video was shot. But a permanent stamp looks horrible, whether you are watching raw footage or a carefully edited movie. Turn the stamp off, and mark the tape label with the date instead.
Digital Zoom
All camcorders have an optical zoom, which is a physical function of the lens. However, many camera manufacturers also advertise a "digital zoom," which seemingly offers zoom lengths far beyond the capabilities of the optical zoom.
Digital zoom is simply a software program in the camcorder that interpolates existing pixels in order to enlarge the image. As such, digital zoom is nothing more than marketing hype, since the image it creates is fake. And moreover, a digitally-zoomed image looks terribly pixilated.
Thus, always ensure that the digital zoom setting in your camcorder is turned off. "Off" is usually the default setting, but it doesn't hurt to check. If you need to zoom closer than the optical lens allows, move your feet instead.
The Built-In Microphone
While most camcorders have top-notch lenses, most only possess a tiny, low-power microphone. Fortunately, most video cameras also include an audio input, which enables you to attach an external microphone and gain better sound.
A shotgun microphone, which mounts on a camcorder's accessory shoe, is the best option for consumer camcorders. This type of microphone can make a world of difference in your audio. Just keep in mind that shotgun mikes are extremely directional. They're great for boosting a single, stable audio source, such as bands playing on a stage or a speaker giving a presentation. But they are not as useful for capturing well-rounded audio in a roomful of people.
Special Effects
In the 1990s, manufacturers began releasing camcorders that could shoot in negative, sepia tones, psychedelic colors, and many other unusual effects. Today's video cameras have these same special effects and many more. Unfortunately, if you use these settings while you are filming, your video is stuck that way...forever.
Conversely, if you shoot video normally, you can easily add special effects in any video editing program. Your software will also have more effects options than your camcorder offers. So shoot without the special effects--you'll be glad you did!
Recording Quality
Every video camera has the option of recording video in a high-quality mode (SP or XP) and lower-quality modes (usually called LP or EP). SP and XP always provide the best picture quality. However, many amateur videographers often switch to a lower-quality recording mode in order to fit more footage on a tape or Flash memory card.
This is a mistake. LP, EP, and similar modes record video at significantly poorer quality. If you use them, you will regret your choice when you watch your video in the future. In addition, video recorded on tape at LP or EP speeds is tougher to convert to DVD because it is harder to track and requires more complex compression.
Buy a few extra video tapes or more Flash memory, and use the highest-quality setting on your video camera. A few extra bucks spent on an additional tape or card is far better than an entire blurry or pixilated video.
Setting up a camcorder and operating it correctly is half the battle to creating watchable video. Take the above tips into account, and you'll be well ahead of most amateur videographers!
Jennica Musselman is the owner of Timeless DVD, a studio offering high-quality DVD transfer, DVD duplication, and assorted video transfer services. We can convert video from all camcorder tape formats, including VHS, VHS-C, Betamax, Mini DV, DVCAM, Digital 8, Hi8, and 8mm video, as well as from tapeless video cameras.
Timeless DVD specializes in providing the highest-quality video transfer possible. Our studio features broadcast-grade decks and professional video processing hardware that can extract every drop of quality from each video tape. Unlike large media transfer companies, we carefully monitor every tape transfer for quality control. DVD projects are archived free for our customers' convenience, and all work is done on-site in our studio--never outsourced. Timeless DVD can also transfer tapes to AVI or MOV files, a service that enables customers to easily edit their camcorder videos at home. And we provide video conversion to DVD for Mini DVD, Flash memory, and hard drive camcorders. Our DVD design is second to none. We offer a variety of beautiful DVD covers, all created and developed by our in-house graphic designer. Our studio exclusively uses the highest-rated DVD media for every project, with on-disc color printing always included. Finally, we offer a range of DVD cases in a rainbow of colors.
Timeless DVD simply provides the most professional video transfer available. View this article and more on the Timeless DVD Blog at http://timelessdvd.com/blog/2010/07/camcorder-video-tips-settings/
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