Social media is a great way to get your work seen and build an online presence, but with so much content, on so many platforms, it's vital to find ways to make your videos stand out. But what can you do differently? The answer isn't as difficult as you might think – turns out there are some simple ideas you can try to help take your video quality to a whole new level.
Presenting at this year's Adobe Max 2020 conference, filmmaker and content creator Amber Torrealba shared some top ideas for creating really engaging social media videos. And they're all things you can act on today using the best video editing software and best video editing apps.
For more social media advice, take a look at our guide to how to make social media work for you, our ultimate guide to social media for creatives and our essential social media tips.
"Starting a project from scratch can be really overwhelming but the best thing to do is just get started,” says Torrealba. Here is her expert advice for doing just that in Adobe Premiere Rush...
01. Make the first 5 seconds count
"When it comes to grabbing people's attention, the first five seconds are key," Torrealba advises. Choosing the right clips to tell your story is imperative to keeping an audience engaged, and there's a very short space of time to get that right. "Keep viewers on their toes with content they are not expecting," she adds.
In order to get the right clips, be sure to have the right equipment for you to find the angles you want to tell your story. And be sure to choose the correct aspect ratio for the platform you are planning to share your video on.
02. Work with what you have
Creating a new video from scratch can be a big task, but often we have a lot of assets sitting on a camera roll that can be re/used. Not only do these existing assets save time, they can also provide your video with the creative boost you've been looking for. Being creative with transitions and new camera movements can make a huge difference to the overall look and feel of a video. "Use footage that you already have to stand out in a different way and tell stories through your work," Torrealba says.
03. Create a mood
"Proper lighting makes a difference, and colour corrections can enhance and/or fix your shots," says Torrealba. Creating a style or mood will help your content stand out, and this can be done by experimenting with both colour and lighting. In Adobe Rush you can save presets that suit your style, and apply them to footage as and when you want to.
04. Use music to choose your vibe
A good soundtrack can make or break a video, so making sure your audio fits your style is vital. "Use music to generate the right feelings," Torrealba says. "Sound effects in between clips can also be used to grab attention." Adobe Stock has hundreds of tracks that can be licensed and downloaded into Adobe Rush and Premiere Pro.
05. Make use of titles and graphics
"Titles and graphics in video can work wonders for keeping an audience engaged," Torrealba says. Captions are also a brilliant way to keep people invested in content when there is no sound. But take time to get it right, working on positioning and adding effects/motion will go a long way to making text more dynamic and enjoyable for viewers.
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