Archive for the ‘youtube’ tag
Technology Can Be a Friend or Foe When Making Videos at Home
Making videos at home is a great hobby that’s allowed me to express my creative side and work on my computer skills at the same time. There’s a learning curve because video files come in so many different formats. There’s AVI, which is what many cheap video cameras like the Flip use. MP4 is a very common file format preferred by desktop and laptop computers, along with gaming devices like the Xbox and Playstation, not to mention a long list of Apple products like the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. And finally there’s a huge range of mobile formats like H.264 and 3GP, which are used by devices like the Blackberry.
I’m a bit technically challenged, so I only worry about video file formats if something goes wrong. I show off most of my home video creations online, so for me, if Facebook and YouTube accept my stuff, it’s all good. Occasionally, I might need to convert MOV to AVI so I can do some editing on my computer, and if I need to convert YouTube to MP4, I use a third party software program that will do the job with a few mouse clicks. Use technology to help you do what you want, but don’t let it be a distraction. And remember, if it isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it.