What features do you like to see in Youtube videos.

Putting a video on Youtube is like a toss of the coin, what to include, what to describe, whether to appear in shot or keep quite and let the video do the job of demonstrating the procedure.

In most that I have put up I have taken the latter approach but using pop-up text in some parts with description of speeds,feed rate and materials.

In others that relate to the operation of early Emco cnc machines I have used audio input to provide instruction on procedure.

In some I have edited the running speed to reduce the operation time for each sequence, I believe this helps to retain interest.

What does the average member want to see and hear in a video ?

Emgee

Clear concise introduction, be that speech or text.

No music!

I'm rather deaf so I hope the poster enabled subtitles if they are talking, the option to add subtitles is just a click of a button and nothing has to be added by the poster.

It works the same way as live TV and converts sounds to words as it goes along. Sometimes there are comical errors as it doesn't always catch what the person is saying

Only Youtube viewers who enable the option will see them.

Really depends on what the video is of and why it's being posted

1. I often show a finished engine running and don't feel that needs any comments, just the title will do

2. I may put an introduction onto a video of an engine running to show where the design originated, my own design process, some clips of how it was built and the running engine these will have captions, still images etc.

3. Quite a few I post to illustrate a point in a forum post so on them the text of the post has any additional detail be that part of a build thread or to answer a query on a forum so no need to add anything like voice or captions.

I will edit some particularly the CNC ones as I'm sure very few want to sit through a couple of hours watching a 3D finishing pass with tiny stepovers. I'll either put cutting speeds, feeds etc in the detail below the video or pop up text at the start of an operation.

Edited By JasonB on 17/08/2021 13:15:19

I like Joe Pieczynski‘s YouTube video’s if that’s any help. Also This Old Tony, but that’s much to do with his sense of humour and that he sounds like Alan Alda!

No waffle, get through the material without hanging about, or irrelevant jokes/anecdotes/ references to previous videos I may not have seen.

Clear speech.

Adequate volume - far too many youtube videos are inaudible.

Good view of the work in hand, not the presenter's face, or hands/arms blocking the way.

Vic

Just added sub titles to 1 of my videos and found you are absolutely correct about the comical errors, really need to edit the sub-titles for the complete video. I didn't realize sub titles could be added, thanks for the info.

I also like Jo Pi's videos, easy to watch and have good content IMO.

Emgee

I watch a few German posters and when the machines start the subtitles just say "Music"

Guilty as charged, M'Lord, but not always possible, I find. My wife says I mumble anyway, but as I wear hearing aids in both ears, I can hear me perfectly well! I use a superseded mobile telephone for all my YouTube videos as I don't possess a camcorder. Sound volume is a problem when speaking to the "camera", but OK when giving a commentary from the viewer's perspective. For that reason, I try to keep intros and epilogues short. I'd rather spend money on materials and tooling than swish cameras and radio microphones.

John

.

A genuine recent example, from a product demonstration :

”the hollow cantilever”

was shown in the subtitles as

”the Hello Kitty lever”

.

MichaelG.

Edited By vic newey on 17/08/2021 16:41:21

Edited By vic newey on 17/08/2021 16:42:15

Easier to list what I don't like:

• Errors of fact
• Bias, prejudice and opinion pieces
• Bad Practice
• Persons making videos before they've mastered the subject they're demonstrating.
• Um, er, ah, like, erm, hmm, you know, unscripted incoherent blather
• Failing to edit out trivia, delays, mistakes and inconsequential material, whilst failing to provide key information.
• Pushing ill-advised 'improvements' to machines or methods.
• Health and Safety infringements
• Leaving dud material online and turning out more rubbish despite negative reviews
• Ill-judged Product placement
• Anything with me in it

Dave

An on-screen volume control like there used to be would be nice...

And don't put any begging messages up at the end to become a Patreon.

Peter

Don't ramble on; have a script. Or at least a plan. To get away with umming and errrring every few words your actual content needs to be exceptional.

Don't stand there in front of the camera waffling about what you're 'going to go ahead and....'. Do it, and talk over the images.

Unless the the video is a tutorial for absolute beginners, showing the whole process of turning a 100mm long, 18mm diameter boss on a 50mm bar is a waste of everyone's time.

No music!

If the job you're doing is noisy, turn down the volume.

Don't pass yourself off as an expert if the video is the first time you've tried something. How you fixed the damage caused is far more useful and entertaining.

Having the same lovingly created 1minute intro/outro on every video is self-indulgent crap.

Define any complicated technical(or slang) term the first time you use it. This is standard procedure for any publication, and enforcing it is an editor's job. Editing your own material is just like inspecting your own design for flaws - a recipe for poor work.

If your part/machine/whatever isn't in focus and well lit you're wasting your time including the shot.

Speak clearly!

Listing all your fans/supporters. Only two people might care, you and the other individual. Constant and continual begging for contributions is about as appealing as evangelists knocking on your door halfway through dinner.

Including photos of blurry sketches that look like a spider walked through an ink spillage

Put the camera on a tripod. Or any other properly fixed mount.

Edited By Nicholas Wheeler 1 on 17/08/2021 22:56:12

Edited By Nicholas Wheeler 1 on 17/08/2021 22:57:41

Edited By Nicholas Wheeler 1 on 17/08/2021 23:14:50

To add to SOD's comments remember that if you are male and over 25 the ONLY person who wants to see a picture of you is your mother and she doesn't watch machining videos.
Don't make a video every week and post a link on every machining forum, or any forum. If it is really worth watching someone else will recommend it.
I know how to drill a hole so don't need to see that, let alone ten in real time. Ditto facing off and 99% of what you were going to show so probably your videos should be 10 seconds or less.

If you do feel your video needs a human talking to camera write a proper script then find a nice local wannabe actress and have her present it to add to her CV. It's ok to post that video on here.

Some of the best videos don't have words OR music!....take a look at 'myfordboy' to see how it should be done,...just the birds singing and the traffic passing with well edited clips of actual making....job done!,...many times!

A good strategy might well be to sort out some vids that work well for you and do a bit of basic analysis.

Above all, don't let your thwarted character traits surface in the vids!.....Colin Furze is a skillful and ingenious worker but has to try to persuade the viewers that he is a lunatic headbanger!......quickly gets boring and irritating especially when it's obvious that there is a very thoughtful man inside.

....And while we are on thwarted traits, your vid is not your chance to FORCE your feel for heavy metal music on to a captive audience while showing your way to sharpen a chisel!

David Jupp , if you had a relative who flew with 49Sqd in 1943 , please leave me a contact in my private message board of this forum.

I do like a little talking on videos to explain what is going on, if people put written descriptions up then they need to be there long enough for people to read and not have to stop rewind and pause to read what has been written.

I know one member who makes terrible videos namely me, well to be honest slide shows rather than videos

Edited By Derek Lane on 18/08/2021 09:59:59

Clear in-focus steady video

Clear concise speech (preferably without lots of umms and errrs). I like to hear some description on what is being done, or why it is being done in a particular way.

Preferably no music

It text used in the video, then ideally without heavy use of red or green text (as 8% of males are red/green colour blind to some extent) me included.

Colin