"2024 Approved  A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Channels' Earnings Through Trailers"

"2024 Approved A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Channels' Earnings Through Trailers"

Steven Lv12

A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Channels’ Earnings Through Trailers

How to Create a YouTube Channel Trailer to Increase Revenue

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many YouTube content creators assume that no one checks out their channel trailer . Some may not even know about the concept of a trailer, while others are not sure how to create one. We will explain the concept of a YouTube channel trailer, how to make a great trailer, and how to get more subscribers and views through a quality trailer on your YouTube channel.

Part 1: What is a YouTube Channel Trailer?

Think of a channel trailer as an introduction to a movie or television show. You can choose to show the trailer to anyone who is not subscribe to your channel, when they land on your channel page.

The objective of a trailer is to hook the audience, promote your personality and content, and convince them it will be worth their time to check out some of your videos. And you must do all these things within 30 to 45 seconds !

Most content creators can benefit from creating a channel trailer. Unless you are a famous personality through a sports/acting/television/singing career, people who land on your channel may have no idea who you are. A proper trailer gives them an introduction to your personality and content.

Part 2: How to Add YouTube Trailer to Channel

After you know how to create a YouTube trail, why not add your new created trailer to YouTube channel right now. Here is the right steps.

Step 1: Go to channel

Log in your YouTube account. Then click your users icon to find My channel. At the top right corner, click CUSTOMIZE CHANNEL and then choose For new visitors.

youtube channel trailer

Step 2: Add trailer to YouTube

After clicking plus icon in the middle to add your amazing trailer, a playlist window will appear. Now select the trailer you want to use. Click Save. Then you will see a trailer is added. You can also change trailer or remove trailer.

choose youtube trailer

Part 3: Best Channel YouTube Trailer Maker

1. Wondershare Filmora

Searching for a free and powerful video editing tool that you can use on both Windows and Mac computers? Wondershare Filmora may be the ideal program for you. It is very easy to use, even for beginners who do not have that much editing experience.

Features:

  • It is free and very easy to add captions to the trailer video.
  • There are many interesting options for adding video effects within the program.
  • It features a modern interface that is intuitive and easy to operate. All the important controls and settings are easily accessible through the menus and submenus.
  • The program operates smoothly, even on older machines.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

2. WeVideo

Hoping to edit content while you are on the go? By using a less powerful laptop, library computer or a friend’s device, you could edit your trailer within a couple hours. WeVideo is an online video editor that makes it so easy to edit videos in up to 4K resolution.

Features:

  • The program is fast and very easy to use. It does not even require any downloads.
  • As it is an online program, there are no compatibility issues with Windows, Mac or even Chromebook devices.
  • It is possible to mix and match up to 600 different formats for graphics, audio, video and other effects.

Wevideo

3. Virtual Dub

If you are seeking something that is open source and free, you may be interested in Virtual Dub. It is a completely free and open source program that you can use for quick capturing, encoding and editing video.

While it is not going to give you the same power and options as some of the other editors, it is a very simple tool that can be effective for specific use cases. If you are just hoping to record, encode and quickly put together a 30 second YouTube trailer, it is the ideal program.

Features:

  • Offers the ability to capture videos on Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
  • Works best with AVI files, but it is possible to use other video formats such as MKV and MP4 as well.
  • It is possible to create video using a series of image files - or merge image files into existing video content.

virtualdub

Part 4: 5 Tips for Creating a Great Trailer

1. Let Viewers Know What is Coming

People appreciate routine. You can mention how many times a week you create content and the days when you publish. You can also have a brief overview of the type of videos you make, which will tell a new viewer what to expect if they subscribe to your channel!

2. Keep It Short

YouTube trailers that are more than a minute long will not succeed. People have a very short attention span. They want to be hooked immediately. 30 to 45 seconds is the sweet spot, with 30 seconds preferable! It may sound overwhelming to condense everything about your channel into 30 seconds, but that is where a great video script can help! However, sometimes both short videos and long videos work.

3. Use Some Fun Annotations

YouTube is great for having unique and helpful graphics on the screen while your video is playing. Having some fun and useful annotations, such as the days you make videos or a subscribe icon, during the intro video can be very helpful to new viewers. They also help to boost viewer engagement with your content!

annotations channel trailer

4. Assume You Have New Viewers

Do not create a YouTube channel trailer with inside jokes or comments. This trailer is for people who know nothing about you or your channel. You are trying to hook them into your content, not provide a few laughs to existing subscribers.

5. Update Your Trailer Regularly

As a content creator, you may find that your brand changes every six months to a year. Maybe you change up your look, type of content, frequency of uploads or other parts of the channel. Ensure you are updating your trailer each time you make significant changes to your channel!

Conclusion

Creating a channel trailer for your YouTube page is a wonderful way to introduce a new audience to your content. They learn about you and the topics that you are passionate about. It convinces them to watch one of your videos and subscribe to your channel. And by using one of the YouTube Trailer Maker software options above, you will be creating quality trailers for your channel in no time!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many YouTube content creators assume that no one checks out their channel trailer . Some may not even know about the concept of a trailer, while others are not sure how to create one. We will explain the concept of a YouTube channel trailer, how to make a great trailer, and how to get more subscribers and views through a quality trailer on your YouTube channel.

Part 1: What is a YouTube Channel Trailer?

Think of a channel trailer as an introduction to a movie or television show. You can choose to show the trailer to anyone who is not subscribe to your channel, when they land on your channel page.

The objective of a trailer is to hook the audience, promote your personality and content, and convince them it will be worth their time to check out some of your videos. And you must do all these things within 30 to 45 seconds !

Most content creators can benefit from creating a channel trailer. Unless you are a famous personality through a sports/acting/television/singing career, people who land on your channel may have no idea who you are. A proper trailer gives them an introduction to your personality and content.

Part 2: How to Add YouTube Trailer to Channel

After you know how to create a YouTube trail, why not add your new created trailer to YouTube channel right now. Here is the right steps.

Step 1: Go to channel

Log in your YouTube account. Then click your users icon to find My channel. At the top right corner, click CUSTOMIZE CHANNEL and then choose For new visitors.

youtube channel trailer

Step 2: Add trailer to YouTube

After clicking plus icon in the middle to add your amazing trailer, a playlist window will appear. Now select the trailer you want to use. Click Save. Then you will see a trailer is added. You can also change trailer or remove trailer.

choose youtube trailer

Part 3: Best Channel YouTube Trailer Maker

1. Wondershare Filmora

Searching for a free and powerful video editing tool that you can use on both Windows and Mac computers? Wondershare Filmora may be the ideal program for you. It is very easy to use, even for beginners who do not have that much editing experience.

Features:

  • It is free and very easy to add captions to the trailer video.
  • There are many interesting options for adding video effects within the program.
  • It features a modern interface that is intuitive and easy to operate. All the important controls and settings are easily accessible through the menus and submenus.
  • The program operates smoothly, even on older machines.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

2. WeVideo

Hoping to edit content while you are on the go? By using a less powerful laptop, library computer or a friend’s device, you could edit your trailer within a couple hours. WeVideo is an online video editor that makes it so easy to edit videos in up to 4K resolution.

Features:

  • The program is fast and very easy to use. It does not even require any downloads.
  • As it is an online program, there are no compatibility issues with Windows, Mac or even Chromebook devices.
  • It is possible to mix and match up to 600 different formats for graphics, audio, video and other effects.

Wevideo

3. Virtual Dub

If you are seeking something that is open source and free, you may be interested in Virtual Dub. It is a completely free and open source program that you can use for quick capturing, encoding and editing video.

While it is not going to give you the same power and options as some of the other editors, it is a very simple tool that can be effective for specific use cases. If you are just hoping to record, encode and quickly put together a 30 second YouTube trailer, it is the ideal program.

Features:

  • Offers the ability to capture videos on Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
  • Works best with AVI files, but it is possible to use other video formats such as MKV and MP4 as well.
  • It is possible to create video using a series of image files - or merge image files into existing video content.

virtualdub

Part 4: 5 Tips for Creating a Great Trailer

1. Let Viewers Know What is Coming

People appreciate routine. You can mention how many times a week you create content and the days when you publish. You can also have a brief overview of the type of videos you make, which will tell a new viewer what to expect if they subscribe to your channel!

2. Keep It Short

YouTube trailers that are more than a minute long will not succeed. People have a very short attention span. They want to be hooked immediately. 30 to 45 seconds is the sweet spot, with 30 seconds preferable! It may sound overwhelming to condense everything about your channel into 30 seconds, but that is where a great video script can help! However, sometimes both short videos and long videos work.

3. Use Some Fun Annotations

YouTube is great for having unique and helpful graphics on the screen while your video is playing. Having some fun and useful annotations, such as the days you make videos or a subscribe icon, during the intro video can be very helpful to new viewers. They also help to boost viewer engagement with your content!

annotations channel trailer

4. Assume You Have New Viewers

Do not create a YouTube channel trailer with inside jokes or comments. This trailer is for people who know nothing about you or your channel. You are trying to hook them into your content, not provide a few laughs to existing subscribers.

5. Update Your Trailer Regularly

As a content creator, you may find that your brand changes every six months to a year. Maybe you change up your look, type of content, frequency of uploads or other parts of the channel. Ensure you are updating your trailer each time you make significant changes to your channel!

Conclusion

Creating a channel trailer for your YouTube page is a wonderful way to introduce a new audience to your content. They learn about you and the topics that you are passionate about. It convinces them to watch one of your videos and subscribe to your channel. And by using one of the YouTube Trailer Maker software options above, you will be creating quality trailers for your channel in no time!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many YouTube content creators assume that no one checks out their channel trailer . Some may not even know about the concept of a trailer, while others are not sure how to create one. We will explain the concept of a YouTube channel trailer, how to make a great trailer, and how to get more subscribers and views through a quality trailer on your YouTube channel.

Part 1: What is a YouTube Channel Trailer?

Think of a channel trailer as an introduction to a movie or television show. You can choose to show the trailer to anyone who is not subscribe to your channel, when they land on your channel page.

The objective of a trailer is to hook the audience, promote your personality and content, and convince them it will be worth their time to check out some of your videos. And you must do all these things within 30 to 45 seconds !

Most content creators can benefit from creating a channel trailer. Unless you are a famous personality through a sports/acting/television/singing career, people who land on your channel may have no idea who you are. A proper trailer gives them an introduction to your personality and content.

Part 2: How to Add YouTube Trailer to Channel

After you know how to create a YouTube trail, why not add your new created trailer to YouTube channel right now. Here is the right steps.

Step 1: Go to channel

Log in your YouTube account. Then click your users icon to find My channel. At the top right corner, click CUSTOMIZE CHANNEL and then choose For new visitors.

youtube channel trailer

Step 2: Add trailer to YouTube

After clicking plus icon in the middle to add your amazing trailer, a playlist window will appear. Now select the trailer you want to use. Click Save. Then you will see a trailer is added. You can also change trailer or remove trailer.

choose youtube trailer

Part 3: Best Channel YouTube Trailer Maker

1. Wondershare Filmora

Searching for a free and powerful video editing tool that you can use on both Windows and Mac computers? Wondershare Filmora may be the ideal program for you. It is very easy to use, even for beginners who do not have that much editing experience.

Features:

  • It is free and very easy to add captions to the trailer video.
  • There are many interesting options for adding video effects within the program.
  • It features a modern interface that is intuitive and easy to operate. All the important controls and settings are easily accessible through the menus and submenus.
  • The program operates smoothly, even on older machines.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

2. WeVideo

Hoping to edit content while you are on the go? By using a less powerful laptop, library computer or a friend’s device, you could edit your trailer within a couple hours. WeVideo is an online video editor that makes it so easy to edit videos in up to 4K resolution.

Features:

  • The program is fast and very easy to use. It does not even require any downloads.
  • As it is an online program, there are no compatibility issues with Windows, Mac or even Chromebook devices.
  • It is possible to mix and match up to 600 different formats for graphics, audio, video and other effects.

Wevideo

3. Virtual Dub

If you are seeking something that is open source and free, you may be interested in Virtual Dub. It is a completely free and open source program that you can use for quick capturing, encoding and editing video.

While it is not going to give you the same power and options as some of the other editors, it is a very simple tool that can be effective for specific use cases. If you are just hoping to record, encode and quickly put together a 30 second YouTube trailer, it is the ideal program.

Features:

  • Offers the ability to capture videos on Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
  • Works best with AVI files, but it is possible to use other video formats such as MKV and MP4 as well.
  • It is possible to create video using a series of image files - or merge image files into existing video content.

virtualdub

Part 4: 5 Tips for Creating a Great Trailer

1. Let Viewers Know What is Coming

People appreciate routine. You can mention how many times a week you create content and the days when you publish. You can also have a brief overview of the type of videos you make, which will tell a new viewer what to expect if they subscribe to your channel!

2. Keep It Short

YouTube trailers that are more than a minute long will not succeed. People have a very short attention span. They want to be hooked immediately. 30 to 45 seconds is the sweet spot, with 30 seconds preferable! It may sound overwhelming to condense everything about your channel into 30 seconds, but that is where a great video script can help! However, sometimes both short videos and long videos work.

3. Use Some Fun Annotations

YouTube is great for having unique and helpful graphics on the screen while your video is playing. Having some fun and useful annotations, such as the days you make videos or a subscribe icon, during the intro video can be very helpful to new viewers. They also help to boost viewer engagement with your content!

annotations channel trailer

4. Assume You Have New Viewers

Do not create a YouTube channel trailer with inside jokes or comments. This trailer is for people who know nothing about you or your channel. You are trying to hook them into your content, not provide a few laughs to existing subscribers.

5. Update Your Trailer Regularly

As a content creator, you may find that your brand changes every six months to a year. Maybe you change up your look, type of content, frequency of uploads or other parts of the channel. Ensure you are updating your trailer each time you make significant changes to your channel!

Conclusion

Creating a channel trailer for your YouTube page is a wonderful way to introduce a new audience to your content. They learn about you and the topics that you are passionate about. It convinces them to watch one of your videos and subscribe to your channel. And by using one of the YouTube Trailer Maker software options above, you will be creating quality trailers for your channel in no time!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many YouTube content creators assume that no one checks out their channel trailer . Some may not even know about the concept of a trailer, while others are not sure how to create one. We will explain the concept of a YouTube channel trailer, how to make a great trailer, and how to get more subscribers and views through a quality trailer on your YouTube channel.

Part 1: What is a YouTube Channel Trailer?

Think of a channel trailer as an introduction to a movie or television show. You can choose to show the trailer to anyone who is not subscribe to your channel, when they land on your channel page.

The objective of a trailer is to hook the audience, promote your personality and content, and convince them it will be worth their time to check out some of your videos. And you must do all these things within 30 to 45 seconds !

Most content creators can benefit from creating a channel trailer. Unless you are a famous personality through a sports/acting/television/singing career, people who land on your channel may have no idea who you are. A proper trailer gives them an introduction to your personality and content.

Part 2: How to Add YouTube Trailer to Channel

After you know how to create a YouTube trail, why not add your new created trailer to YouTube channel right now. Here is the right steps.

Step 1: Go to channel

Log in your YouTube account. Then click your users icon to find My channel. At the top right corner, click CUSTOMIZE CHANNEL and then choose For new visitors.

youtube channel trailer

Step 2: Add trailer to YouTube

After clicking plus icon in the middle to add your amazing trailer, a playlist window will appear. Now select the trailer you want to use. Click Save. Then you will see a trailer is added. You can also change trailer or remove trailer.

choose youtube trailer

Part 3: Best Channel YouTube Trailer Maker

1. Wondershare Filmora

Searching for a free and powerful video editing tool that you can use on both Windows and Mac computers? Wondershare Filmora may be the ideal program for you. It is very easy to use, even for beginners who do not have that much editing experience.

Features:

  • It is free and very easy to add captions to the trailer video.
  • There are many interesting options for adding video effects within the program.
  • It features a modern interface that is intuitive and easy to operate. All the important controls and settings are easily accessible through the menus and submenus.
  • The program operates smoothly, even on older machines.

Download Win VersionDownload Mac Version

2. WeVideo

Hoping to edit content while you are on the go? By using a less powerful laptop, library computer or a friend’s device, you could edit your trailer within a couple hours. WeVideo is an online video editor that makes it so easy to edit videos in up to 4K resolution.

Features:

  • The program is fast and very easy to use. It does not even require any downloads.
  • As it is an online program, there are no compatibility issues with Windows, Mac or even Chromebook devices.
  • It is possible to mix and match up to 600 different formats for graphics, audio, video and other effects.

Wevideo

3. Virtual Dub

If you are seeking something that is open source and free, you may be interested in Virtual Dub. It is a completely free and open source program that you can use for quick capturing, encoding and editing video.

While it is not going to give you the same power and options as some of the other editors, it is a very simple tool that can be effective for specific use cases. If you are just hoping to record, encode and quickly put together a 30 second YouTube trailer, it is the ideal program.

Features:

  • Offers the ability to capture videos on Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
  • Works best with AVI files, but it is possible to use other video formats such as MKV and MP4 as well.
  • It is possible to create video using a series of image files - or merge image files into existing video content.

virtualdub

Part 4: 5 Tips for Creating a Great Trailer

1. Let Viewers Know What is Coming

People appreciate routine. You can mention how many times a week you create content and the days when you publish. You can also have a brief overview of the type of videos you make, which will tell a new viewer what to expect if they subscribe to your channel!

2. Keep It Short

YouTube trailers that are more than a minute long will not succeed. People have a very short attention span. They want to be hooked immediately. 30 to 45 seconds is the sweet spot, with 30 seconds preferable! It may sound overwhelming to condense everything about your channel into 30 seconds, but that is where a great video script can help! However, sometimes both short videos and long videos work.

3. Use Some Fun Annotations

YouTube is great for having unique and helpful graphics on the screen while your video is playing. Having some fun and useful annotations, such as the days you make videos or a subscribe icon, during the intro video can be very helpful to new viewers. They also help to boost viewer engagement with your content!

annotations channel trailer

4. Assume You Have New Viewers

Do not create a YouTube channel trailer with inside jokes or comments. This trailer is for people who know nothing about you or your channel. You are trying to hook them into your content, not provide a few laughs to existing subscribers.

5. Update Your Trailer Regularly

As a content creator, you may find that your brand changes every six months to a year. Maybe you change up your look, type of content, frequency of uploads or other parts of the channel. Ensure you are updating your trailer each time you make significant changes to your channel!

Conclusion

Creating a channel trailer for your YouTube page is a wonderful way to introduce a new audience to your content. They learn about you and the topics that you are passionate about. It convinces them to watch one of your videos and subscribe to your channel. And by using one of the YouTube Trailer Maker software options above, you will be creating quality trailers for your channel in no time!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Video Blogging Essentials: Choosing the Best Cameras and Lenses

A Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

Crop Factor

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor Full Frame APS-C Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 16mm 10mm 8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 18mm 11mm 9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 24mm 15mm 12mm
Wide 35mm 22mm 18mm
Standard 50mm 31mm 25mm
Telephoto 70mm 44mm 35mm
Telephoto 100mm 63mm 50mm
Telephoto 200mm 125mm 100mm

Aperture

Camera lenses Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Camera lenses Aperture Range

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • Better low-light performance
  • Better autofocus performance
  • Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • More expensive
  • Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
  • Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

Crop Factor

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor Full Frame APS-C Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 16mm 10mm 8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 18mm 11mm 9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 24mm 15mm 12mm
Wide 35mm 22mm 18mm
Standard 50mm 31mm 25mm
Telephoto 70mm 44mm 35mm
Telephoto 100mm 63mm 50mm
Telephoto 200mm 125mm 100mm

Aperture

Camera lenses Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Camera lenses Aperture Range

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • Better low-light performance
  • Better autofocus performance
  • Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • More expensive
  • Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
  • Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

Crop Factor

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor Full Frame APS-C Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 16mm 10mm 8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 18mm 11mm 9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 24mm 15mm 12mm
Wide 35mm 22mm 18mm
Standard 50mm 31mm 25mm
Telephoto 70mm 44mm 35mm
Telephoto 100mm 63mm 50mm
Telephoto 200mm 125mm 100mm

Aperture

Camera lenses Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Camera lenses Aperture Range

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • Better low-light performance
  • Better autofocus performance
  • Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • More expensive
  • Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
  • Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

Crop Factor

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor Full Frame APS-C Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 16mm 10mm 8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 18mm 11mm 9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe) 24mm 15mm 12mm
Wide 35mm 22mm 18mm
Standard 50mm 31mm 25mm
Telephoto 70mm 44mm 35mm
Telephoto 100mm 63mm 50mm
Telephoto 200mm 125mm 100mm

Aperture

Camera lenses Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Camera lenses Aperture Range

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • Better low-light performance
  • Better autofocus performance
  • Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

  • More expensive
  • Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
  • Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Also read:

  • Title: "2024 Approved A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Channels' Earnings Through Trailers"
  • Author: Steven
  • Created at : 2024-05-25 18:23:13
  • Updated at : 2024-05-26 18:23:13
  • Link: https://youtube-clips.techidaily.com/2024-approved-a-comprehensive-guide-to-maximizing-channels-earnings-through-trailers/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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"2024 Approved A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Channels' Earnings Through Trailers"