I have been publishing videos for a few years now and have a number of tutorials and play-through videos on my YouTube channel. At this point it is a hobby for me, and a way to play around with different editing tools and software.
Thinking about creating your own videos? There’s lots of options out there, and some really great videos comparing the features and costs of the various tools. After having watch a ton of these, I have settled on the following equipment / software for my videos, and as you’ll see I am a big fan of the open source software project that are in this space. Especially for new or small-scale creators just starting out, while these might require a little time to learn they are pretty decent and best of all free.
Recording Software: OBS Studio
Both Microsoft Windows and Nvidia have recording software that comes with their products (Windows and PC Graphic cards, respectively), but neither is a full features as the Open Broadcaster Software (or OBS Studio) project.
It can be a little complicated but there are many excellent videos by YouTubers who use it themselves.
Editing Software: Shotcut
Shotcut is a free and open-source cross-platform video editing application for FreeBSD, Linux, macOS and Windows. Started in 2011 by Dan Dennedy, Shotcut is developed on the MLT Multimedia Framework, in development since 2004 by the same author.
Shot is pretty easy to use, yet full of advance features, and best of all it is free. There are also plenty of YouTube videos to help you make the most of Shotcut
Thumbnails: Canva
Lately, I have been creating all my thumbnails (and other graphics like logos, and social posts) on Canva which has tons of free social media templates. When you use my link and create a design you get a free Canva Credit for a free premium element.
Check it out here: https://www.canva.com/join/vjz-pyd-lxj
Music and Sound Effects: YouTube Studio
YouTube has a great library of free music and sound effects, with no need to cite the music or worry about copyright. Just go to the Creator Studio -> Audio Library to listen to the various tracks. I favorite the ones I use for easy access, then download them to import into my editing software.
Mic
If I were to do one thing different on my channel, it would have been to get a good mic right away. I went with the Blue Yeti mic for it’s versatility and ease of use, but the whole line of Blue mics seem to get good reviews from YouTubers. If you aren’t ready to shell out for the Yeti, consider the Snowball and Snowflake.
Have a different set up? Let me know what and why you like it below.