BlackMagic.so

blackmagicso

Author:
(1) Vibhoothi,Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: vibhoothi@tcd.ie);
(2) Angeliki Katsenou, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland & Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, United Kingdom (Email: angeliki.katsenou@bristol.ac.uk);
(3) John Squires, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: john.squires@tcd.ie);
(4) Franc¸ois Pitie, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: pitief@tcd.ie);
(5) Anil Kokaram, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: anil.kokaram@tcd.ie). Table of Links Abstract and Introduction
HDR Standards
HDR Subjective Testing Workflow
Conclusion and References IV. CONCLUSION In this work, we proposed and verified various aspects of an HDR subjective testing workflow. This includes the evaluation of various factors such as brightness, colour, display, signal, viewing conditions, and HDR intermediate file conversions for encoding. We conducted experiments to investigate the behaviour of different display technologies in terms of sustained brightness and its variability across window sizes. We observed substantial differences in HDR performance among consumer-level TV models that can affect the presentation and perception of HDR content. However, accounting for all these factors in an experimental environment is accompanied by high costs and is a non-trivial process. REFERENCES [1] N. Nandhakumar, “Recent activities of the ultra hd forum,” SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, vol. 131, no. 8, 2022. [2] T. Kunkel and P. Griffis, “2021 High-Dynamic Range (HDR) Progress Report,” SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, vol. 130, no. 8, pp. 101–107, 2021. [3] International Telecommunication Union (ITU), “ITU-R BT.2390-10: High dynamic range television for production and international programme exchange,” BT Series Broadcasting service (television), 2021. [4] European Broadcasters Union (EBU), “Tech 3320: User Requirements for Video Monitors in Television Production,” TC, 2019. [5] European Broadcasters Union (EBU) , “TR 047: Testing HDR Picture Monitors,” TC, 2019. [6] European Broadcasters Union (EBU), , “Tech 3325 v2.0: Performance Measurement of Studio Monitors,” TC, 2022. [7] P. Hanhart, M. Reˇ ˇrabek, and T. Ebrahimi, “Subjective and objective eval- ´ uation of HDR video coding technologies,” in 2016 Eighth International Conference on Quality of Multimedia Experience (QoMEX). [8] S. Athar, T. Costa, K. Zeng, and Z. Wang, “Perceptual Quality Assessment of UHD-HDR-WCG Videos,” in 2019 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP). [9] Z. Shang, J. P. Ebenezer, A. C. Bovik, Y. Wu, H. Wei, and S. Sethuraman, “Subjective assessment of high dynamic range videos under different ambient conditions,” in 2022 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP). [10] Z. Shang, Y. Chen, Y. Wu, H. Wei, and S. Sethuraman, “Subjective and objective video quality assessment of high dynamic range sports content,” in 2023 Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision (WACV) Workshops, January. [11] Recommendation ITU-R, “BT2100-2: image parameter values for high dynamic range television for use in production and international programme exchange,” 2018. [12] Recommendation of ITU-R, “BT.500-14: Methodologies for the subjective assessment of the quality of television images,” BT Series Broadcasting service (television), 2019. [13] Recommendation, of ITU-R, “Subjective video quality assessment methods for multimedia applications,” ITU-T P.910, 2022. [14] Blackmagic Design, https://blackmagicdesign.com/products/decklink/ techspecs/W-DLK-34, Online, April 2023. [15] FFmpeg Developers, https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-devices.html#decklink, Online, April 2023. [16] Blackmagic Design, https://blackmagicdesign.com/products/ davinciresolve, Online, April 2023. [17] HDFury website, https://hdfury.com/, Online, April 2023. [18] Vibhoothi, Angeliki Katsenou, John Squires, Franc¸ois Pitie, Anil ´ Kokaram, https://gitlab.com/mindfreeze/qomex2023, Project Page, Online, May 2023. [19] 3GPP Technical Specification Group TSG SA, “5G Video Codec Characteristics,” TR 26.955, Release 17, 2022. [20] Netflix, “Netflix Open Content,” https://opencontent.netflix.com/, Online April 2023. [21] ITU-T and ISO/IEC, “HDRTools pacakge [Online],” 2015, available: https://gitlab.com/standards/HDRTools. [22] C. Clark, D. Reisner, J. Holben, W. Aylsworth, G. Ciaccio, T. Kang, J. Korosi, P. Renner, D. Hall, M. Goi et al., “American society of cinematographers motion imaging technology council progress report 2022,” SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, vol. 131, no. 8, pp. 34–49, 2022. [23] Sveriges Television AB, “SVT OpenContent Video Test Suite 2022 – Natural Complexity,” https://www.svt.se/open/en/content/. [24] A. G. Rempel, W. Heidrich, H. Li, and R. Mantiuk, “Video viewing preferences for hdr displays under varying ambient illumination,” in Proceedings of the 6th Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization, 2009, pp. 45–52. This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. Author: (1) Vibhoothi,Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: vibhoothi@tcd.ie); (2) Angeliki Katsenou, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland & Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, United Kingdom (Email: angeliki.katsenou@bristol.ac.uk); (3) John Squires, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: john.squires@tcd.ie); (4) Franc¸ois Pitie, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: pitief@tcd.ie); (5) Anil Kokaram, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: anil.kokaram@tcd.ie). Author: Author: (1) Vibhoothi,Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: vibhoothi@tcd.ie); (2) Angeliki Katsenou, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland & Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Bristol, United Kingdom (Email: angeliki.katsenou@bristol.ac.uk); (3) John Squires, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: john.squires@tcd.ie); (4) Franc¸ois Pitie, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: pitief@tcd.ie); (5) Anil Kokaram, Sigmedia Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Email: anil.kokaram@tcd.ie). Table of Links Abstract and Introduction HDR Standards HDR Subjective Testing Workflow Conclusion and References Abstract and Introduction Abstract and Introduction HDR Standards HDR Standards HDR Subjective Testing Workflow HDR Subjective Testing Workflow Conclusion and References Conclusion and References IV. CONCLUSION In this work, we proposed and verified various aspects of an HDR subjective testing workflow. This includes the evaluation of various factors such as brightness, colour, display, signal, viewing conditions, and HDR intermediate file conversions for encoding. We conducted experiments to investigate the behaviour of different display technologies in terms of sustained brightness and its variability across window sizes. We observed substantial differences in HDR performance among consumer-level TV models that can affect the presentation and perception of HDR content. However, accounting for all these factors in an experimental environment is accompanied by high costs and is a non-trivial process. REFERENCES [1] N. Nandhakumar, “Recent activities of the ultra hd forum,” SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, vol. 131, no. 8, 2022. [2] T. Kunkel and P. Griffis, “2021 High-Dynamic Range (HDR) Progress Report,” SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, vol. 130, no. 8, pp. 101–107, 2021. [3] International Telecommunication Union (ITU), “ITU-R BT.2390-10: High dynamic range television for production and international programme exchange,” BT Series Broadcasting service (television), 2021. [4] European Broadcasters Union (EBU), “Tech 3320: User Requirements for Video Monitors in Television Production,” TC, 2019. [5] European Broadcasters Union (EBU) , “TR 047: Testing HDR Picture Monitors,” TC, 2019. [6] European Broadcasters Union (EBU), , “Tech 3325 v2.0: Performance Measurement of Studio Monitors,” TC, 2022. [7] P. Hanhart, M. Reˇ ˇrabek, and T. Ebrahimi, “Subjective and objective eval- ´ uation of HDR video coding technologies,” in 2016 Eighth International Conference on Quality of Multimedia Experience (QoMEX). [8] S. Athar, T. Costa, K. Zeng, and Z. Wang, “Perceptual Quality Assessment of UHD-HDR-WCG Videos,” in 2019 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP). [9] Z. Shang, J. P. Ebenezer, A. C. Bovik, Y. Wu, H. Wei, and S. Sethuraman, “Subjective assessment of high dynamic range videos under different ambient conditions,” in 2022 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP). [10] Z. Shang, Y. Chen, Y. Wu, H. Wei, and S. Sethuraman, “Subjective and objective video quality assessment of high dynamic range sports content,” in 2023 Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision (WACV) Workshops, January. [11] Recommendation ITU-R, “BT2100-2: image parameter values for high dynamic range television for use in production and international programme exchange,” 2018. [12] Recommendation of ITU-R, “BT.500-14: Methodologies for the subjective assessment of the quality of television images,” BT Series Broadcasting service (television), 2019. [13] Recommendation, of ITU-R, “Subjective video quality assessment methods for multimedia applications,” ITU-T P.910, 2022. [14] Blackmagic Design, https://blackmagicdesign.com/products/decklink/ techspecs/W-DLK-34, Online, April 2023. [15] FFmpeg Developers, https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-devices.html#decklink, Online, April 2023. [16] Blackmagic Design, https://blackmagicdesign.com/products/ davinciresolve, Online, April 2023. [17] HDFury website, https://hdfury.com/, Online, April 2023. [18] Vibhoothi, Angeliki Katsenou, John Squires, Franc¸ois Pitie, Anil ´ Kokaram, https://gitlab.com/mindfreeze/qomex2023, Project Page, Online, May 2023. [19] 3GPP Technical Specification Group TSG SA, “5G Video Codec Characteristics,” TR 26.955, Release 17, 2022. [20] Netflix, “Netflix Open Content,” https://opencontent.netflix.com/, Online April 2023. [21] ITU-T and ISO/IEC, “HDRTools pacakge [Online],” 2015, available: https://gitlab.com/standards/HDRTools. [22] C. Clark, D. Reisner, J. Holben, W. Aylsworth, G. Ciaccio, T. Kang, J. Korosi, P. Renner, D. Hall, M. Goi et al., “American society of cinematographers motion imaging technology council progress report 2022,” SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, vol. 131, no. 8, pp. 34–49, 2022. [23] Sveriges Television AB, “SVT OpenContent Video Test Suite 2022 – Natural Complexity,” https://www.svt.se/open/en/content/. [24] A. G. Rempel, W. Heidrich, H. Li, and R. Mantiuk, “Video viewing preferences for hdr displays under varying ambient illumination,” in Proceedings of the 6th Symposium on Applied Perception in Graphics and Visualization, 2009, pp. 45–52. This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. This paper is available on arxiv under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED license. available on arxiv

Recommendations for Verifying HDR Subjective Testing Workflows: Conclusion

Recommendations for Verifying HDR Subjective Testing Workflows: HDR Subjective Testing Workflow

This thread was Originally published as a Tweet by Jon Brosio Writing is the most powerful tool to make money online. Sadly, most people have no idea how or where to start. Here's my simple 12-step process I use to make $5,000 every month (you can have it for free) : What you'll learn in this thread • How to build an online audience
• How to write content that spreads
• How to convert readers into subscribers
• How to leverage your content into income
• How to syndicate your content across platforms Let's go! Identify your niche As a creator, you need to create for an audience. Think about: • What you like
• What is profitable
• What is already popular The intersection can be your niche. 2. Monopolize your niche Position yourself as a "creator of one" To do that, fill out the "Creator Statement" And use it for your profile. Make sure you still address: Distill the Creator Statement • WHO this profile is for
• WHAT this profile is about
• WHY the reader should care Test new content Use Twitter to test niche content. Post: • 2-3 posts a day
• For 30 days
• Track data Create an archive of content that "hits" Use other people's audiences to attract a following: "Borrow" your initial audience. • Help their audience with questions
• Publish value-added comments
• Be the first to add a comment The "Waffle House Marketing Strategy" will help you out here:
Unroll available on Thread Reader https://twitter.com/jonbrosio/status/1510285951561572353 6. Repurpose content into threads Take your winning: • Comments
• Tweets And repurpose into threads. Use: • Twemex
• Blackmagic
• Tweethunter To help you write & schedule Convert threads → articles Take your threads and repurpose them into Medium articles. • Add more body content
• Turn on monetization
• Pitch to publications Make slight changes on the new platform: Your first taste of income... Turn on monetization. Once you get 100 followers on Medium – turn on monetization. Repurpose every thread into an article and start earning: Add opt-in "plugs" Every piece of content should invite a subscription. Use: • Promos
• Auto-plugs
• Newsletters
• Article Footers To convert readers into subscribers Survey list for products Now that you have a list, use your newsletter to: • Pitch how you can offer value
• Ask about their problems
• Survey their interests Listen for signals and track responses. Create a welcome sequence This is where you make the "real" money. Use: • Psychology
• Storytelling
• Urgency To create a sales sequence that coverts subscribers → customers: https://twitter.com/jonbrosio/status/1567875436624986114 12. Now that you have momentum, get larger accounts advocating for you. Message large accounts for 10X leverage. • Make them feel good
• Showcase your leverage
• Provide a quick, actionable ask If they don't get back to you – don't take it personally. Now you can try all of this on your own and struggle to attract an audience. Or you can spend 4 weeks learning to leverage psychology and 3X your way to your first 10,000 followers. And that's it! TL;DR (Part I) A simple 12-step process to make $5,000 a month writing online: • Message large accounts for 10X leverage
• Repurpose content into threads
• "Borrow" your initial audience
• Distill the Creator Statement
• Create a welcome sequence TL;DR (Part II) • Convert threads → articles
• Survey list for products
• Monopolize your niche
• Turn on monetization
• Add opt-in "plugs"
• Identify your niche
• Test new content

12-step Process I Use to Make $5,000 Monthly From Writing

Proceso de 12 pasos que utilizo para ganar $ 5,000 mensuales escribiendo

Photo by Thomas Fatin on Unsplash. The use of drones for shooting photos and videos has become very popular. Drones allow you to take photos and videos that in the past could only be captured while flying in a really huge helicopter or airplane. More and more photographers and videographers are using drones for aerialgraphy. has always been a technically difficult and expensive type of work, which was used mainly for film production and high-budget advertising. Aerialgraphy But technical progress over the past few years has significantly expanded the possibilities and, most importantly, reduced the cost of this kind of shooting to the generally available level. If you are planning to start doing this type of filming, do your research on how to become a professional drone pilot first. Such information can provide you with all of the necessary knowledge and will advise on which quadcopter to choose. Articles containing such information can help you understand piloting issues, avoid incidents, and inform you about both the system and advanced functions of your flying device. Benefits of Drone Filming If you are in doubt whether it's worth spending money on equipment and related products at all, then pay attention to the following: This type of videography is cheaper than renting a camera crane or helicopter. By the way, for the latter, you will need to obtain a flight permit, find a place for take-off and landing, and stock up on fuel. Affordability. strong wind, heat, and frost below -10 °C. Specific points are indicated in the descriptions of certain models. The ability to shoot in almost any weather, although, restrictions include: . A quadcopter camera is stable thanks to special systems. They prevent shaking and vibrating. High quality of the resulting files Drones allow you to get a wide-angle of view and shoot the desired object from any point. You can easily and quickly change the distance to the object from 1 to 200 meters, thanks to which you get nice footage. Variety of angles. What are Some Video Drone Editors out There? (Windows and Mac) Movavi Video Editor Movavi Video Editor has a powerful set of video tools for creating presentations and clips. The program has a user-friendly interface that even inexperienced users can quickly understand and create their first media content in a matter of hours. This drone video editing software available with no watermark has a fairly impressive set of tools for a wide variety of purposes. You can easily crop and cut videos, add filters, effects, audio, subtitles and titles, and much more. You can save the finished video in one of many formats, make a version specifically for a particular device, or upload the resulting file directly to YouTube. The program is distinguished from other competing applications by the presence of training material on the official website. Any user, who has never worked with media content before, can easily learn how to work with the service, as well as all its subtleties and options. (Windows, Linux, Mac) Lightworks If you're looking for drone video editing software to be used for serious work projects, check out the Lightworks video editor. The application is very popular among professionals. It works perfectly with all popular operating systems. With this video editing software for drone footage, you can crop videos, cut audio from them, add effects, transitions, and music, convert files to any resolutions and formats. All these are easy to complete, and you don't need separate programs to perform these tasks. There is a huge variety of animations, special effects, and filters. To expand the functionality of Lightworks, you can use special plug-ins. Moreover, the developers have provided the ability to work simultaneously with several projects, editing and improving them. (Windows) VSDC This software is a good choice for people who want a semi-professional option. The basic VSDC interface is easier to understand than that of Lightworks. It's a multifunctional video editing program for creating clips of any complexity. It supports many video and audio formats, including files with a resolution of 4K, 2K, 1080p, etc. This non-linear editor includes advanced editing features. The software also supports a very wide range of video and audio effects such as color correction, blur reduction, and volume correction. By using this drone video editing software, you can change the frame rate, resolution, video size, and other parameters, record audio and video. There is also a function to export files for social media (Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, Facebook) and direct upload to YouTube. (Windows, Mac, and Linux) DaVinci Resolve This is a truly powerful multifunctional tool with many settings and a cutting-edge Blackmagic RAW codec. All editing processes are performed at a professional level. This drone video editing software supports hotkeys for ease of operation and has about 250 tools that can provide excellent results. The cross-platform plug-ins are available to expand the functionality. It's also worth noting that the system requirements of DaVinci Resolve for a PC are quite high. Therefore, you need a really powerful computer to install this video editing software for drone footage. (Windows and Mac) Adobe Premiere Pro Although Adobe Premiere Pro is considered a professional editor, it can be used by a novice user. This editing software provides full-fledged video creation with a large number of effects and filters. Users can edit videos using tools for multiple video tracks. The non-linear program allows you to create high-quality content and edit videos using various effects. You can create unique transitions between clips, add specific video filters, as well as overlay video tracks, and add voiceovers in a multichannel recording. If necessary, you can contact the developer's official website to get support or advice on using the program. Adobe Software Support will answer any questions related to this drone video editing software. (Windows, Mac, and Linux) Avidemux This video editor is designed for primitive tasks (cutting, filtering, and encoding). It supports many types of files using various codecs. This service was included in our list of the best video editing software for drone footage because it's quite easy to use and performs all of the necessary video editing functions. The main drawback of the program is that you can't add captions. However, the service is free and comes with a user-friendly interface, and has many other useful features and effects. For newbies looking for their best drone video editing software, this is a great option. The use of drones for filming videos has become popular because it provides extraordinary footage for a relatively low price. However, simply shooting content . Postproduction also plays an important role in creating high-quality content. isn't enough We hope the above list helps with your journey. All the best and good luck!

Top Drone Video Editing Software in 2021: Put Your eye in the sky

Now that we all spend so much time in video conferencing either for work or life, it is critical to make yourself look and sound the best to your colleagues, family and friends. It is not only about self image, but also about having the “real” you projecting the maximum presence remotely. In this article, I would like to introduce a few simple steps to improve your look and sound in video conferencing tools. Why should you trust me? I’m the co-founder of a small but global company, and over the last two years I have spent more than 1,000 hours on Zoom video conferences, webinars, video AMA (Ask Me Anything), YouTube interviews, and more. What I have learned can potentially save you money, time, and headaches. Main Areas for improvement Before we jump into the practical details of improving your look and sound, let’s first examine the main areas for improvement. Light Regardless what kind of webcam you have, they all crave for better lighting so each pixel can show its best. The general recommendation here is more light and softer light. And avoid strong backlight! Sound According to a study on youtube, viewers will be more likely to stop watching a video clip because of poor sound than poor video quality. To improve your sound, the key is to get the microphone as close to your mouth as possible. In addition, find ways to reduce the ambient noise. Software, Gear, and other considerations Today’s video conferencing tools are quite powerful and often have advanced settings that can improve your video and sound quality. And the key is to find them and configure them properly. A few clicks can make a world of difference, and for free. Gears do matter, but not as much as you might think. There are webcams, video lights and microphones at different budget levels that can boost your video conference quality to the next level. $100 microphone will sound dramatically better than a $5 headset, but beyond that there will be diminishing returns. In addition, think about how to improve your surroundings to make it less cluttered and more inviting. After all, better work and living space will make us happier and more productive, with and without the video conferencing. Simplest solution that cost next to nothing To achieve a much better look and sound, it does not have to cost a fortune and a computer engineer to set up. Here are the recommended simple solutions that do not require buying new equipment. Solution for light: Natural light: During the day, try to find a north facing window or a large window without direct sunlight. Try to avoid strong light in your back, which will result in “witness protection” type of image with a very dark face. Artificial light: use a desk lamp or an accent light to add more light to your face. A dimmable light will be ideal, but you can also move the light to and away from you to adjust the amount of light. Use diffusion: use household white fabric to soften the main light you have. Some examples are: semi-transparent window curtain, shower curtain, a large white shirt, parchment paper, white bed sheets. But always be careful about safety and don’t catch fire by draping paper on hot bulbs! Bonus: add some fill light on the other side of your main light, to brighten up the shadows of your face. The fill light should be less bright than the main light. Solution for sound: Use any headset that has a microphone boom that is as close to your mouth as possible. Options are: A wired or wireless headphone with a boom microphone are the best choiceEarbuds with microphone are second best, for example, your inexpensive iPhone earpods with remote and mic.Airpod and wireless earbuds, although very convenient, offers lesser audio qualityYour microphone on your laptop is probably the worst, and should be used as the last resort. Solution for software, gear and other considerations Software: Enable HD and image enhancements in your video conference settings. For example, below is where you find the settings for Zoom. Position your camera: in general, a higher camera angle compliments your look. When you work on your laptop, your camera often looks “up” which might present a double-chin effect. This can be easily rectified by: Adding a stack of books under your laptopUse one of the laptop stands like the Rain Design mStand or cheaper foldable alternatives Gear: Your webcam on your laptop might be quite good already, for example the HD camera on most Macbook Pros. But a dedicated webcam, e.g. Logitech C920/C920S can certainly improve video quality further. You can also convert your existing dSLR, mirrorless camera, or even your older smartphone into a webcam. Intermediate solution: $500 budget If you do a lot of video conferencing and your professional appearance is critical for your business, investing $500 is really a sweet spot in terms of how much quality improvement you can get in proportion to your investment. Solution for light $100 Add a bright light: 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mountOptional: use a reflector or a second smaller light for fill light or hair light Solution for sound $100 Add a USB microphone: Audio Technica AT2005USB; Samson Q2U, which will dramatically improve your sound quality especially if your house is quite noisy (e.g. kids running and screaming anyone?) or quite echoish.If you prefer a bit more mobility and your room is reasonably quiet, a USB speakerphone such as a Jabra 410 can make your bedroom sound like a boardroom. Solution for software, gear and others: $200 Better webcam: you might want to invest in a good HD webcam such as the hugely popular Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives.Connect your dSLR or mirrorless camera (assume you already own one): via USB and software, or via HDMI capture card (Elgato Cam Link 4K) Advanced solution To get a YouTube studio quality setup, you might need to invest a bit more but the return on investment will be diminishing. Since there are so many options out there, I only list a few equipment I have used while adding a few recommended YouTube channels if you want to learn more. Solution for light: Kit 1: $300 LED panel light: Aputure Amaran HR726Reflective or white shine through umbrella like this: White umbrella Kit 2: $1000 Hard main light: Aputure LS120D IILight dome and grid: Aputure Light Dome II In addition, you can experiment with colorful flood lights as well as interesting accent lights (screensavers, Philips Hue lights, lava lamps, NEON signs, home-made light fixtures, holiday lights, and more). Solution for sound: A better microphone ($100-400): Rode Pod Mic, Rode VideoMic NTG, Shure SM7BA USB audio interface and/or recorder ($100-600): Motu M2, Tascam DR-60D MkII,  Rode Rodecaster ProBetter mic stand or scissor arm ($100): Rode PSA-1, Tripod Mic Stand Solution for software, gear and others Invest in a new mirrorless camera that works well for streaming ($350-2000), like Canon M50 or Nikon Z6. They are versatile for digital photos, on-location video, as well as video conferencing. You might also want to invest in a brighter lens, which will create that sharp face with dreamy blurry background effects.HDMI capture card like Elgato cam link 4K, or a video switcher like Blackmagic Atem Mini if you have multiple video cameras for different angles.A sturdy tripod or desktop mounting systemLearn to use software like OBS that can enhance your video feeds Summary By the end of this pandemic, we might all grow a bit more facial hair and sound a bit tired. By following some of the simple steps in this article, you might project a better presence for yourself, your friends, family and colleagues. Stay safe! For more information To learn more, I recommend the following YouTube videos: Best CAMERAS for LIVE Streaming on Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch Sound for YouTube - Getting StartedHow To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! As well follow some of these channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV Now that we all spend so much time in video conferencing either for work or life, it is critical to make yourself look and sound the best to your colleagues, family and friends. It is not only about self image, but also about having the “real” you projecting the maximum presence remotely. In this article, I would like to introduce a few simple steps to improve your look and sound in video conferencing tools. Why should you trust me? I’m the co-founder of a small but global company, and over the last two years I have spent more than 1,000 hours on Zoom video conferences, webinars, video AMA (Ask Me Anything), YouTube interviews, and more. What I have learned can potentially save you money, time, and headaches. Main Areas for improvement Before we jump into the practical details of improving your look and sound, let’s first examine the main areas for improvement. Light Regardless what kind of webcam you have, they all crave for better lighting so each pixel can show its best. The general recommendation here is more light and softer light. And avoid strong backlight! Sound According to a study on youtube, viewers will be more likely to stop watching a video clip because of poor sound than poor video quality. To improve your sound, the key is to get the microphone as close to your mouth as possible. In addition, find ways to reduce the ambient noise. Software, Gear, and other considerations Today’s video conferencing tools are quite powerful and often have advanced settings that can improve your video and sound quality. And the key is to find them and configure them properly. A few clicks can make a world of difference, and for free. Gears do matter, but not as much as you might think. There are webcams, video lights and microphones at different budget levels that can boost your video conference quality to the next level. $100 microphone will sound dramatically better than a $5 headset, but beyond that there will be diminishing returns. In addition, think about how to improve your surroundings to make it less cluttered and more inviting. After all, better work and living space will make us happier and more productive, with and without the video conferencing. Simplest solution that cost next to nothing To achieve a much better look and sound, it does not have to cost a fortune and a computer engineer to set up. Here are the recommended simple solutions that do not require buying new equipment. Solution for light: Natural light : During the day, try to find a north facing window or a large window without direct sunlight. Try to avoid strong light in your back, which will result in “witness protection” type of image with a very dark face. Natural light Artificial light : use a desk lamp or an accent light to add more light to your face. A dimmable light will be ideal, but you can also move the light to and away from you to adjust the amount of light. Artificial light Use diffusion : use household white fabric to soften the main light you have. Some examples are: semi-transparent window curtain, shower curtain, a large white shirt, parchment paper, white bed sheets. But always be careful about safety and don’t catch fire by draping paper on hot bulbs! Use diffusion Bonus : add some fill light on the other side of your main light, to brighten up the shadows of your face. The fill light should be less bright than the main light. Bonus Solution for sound: Use any headset that has a microphone boom that is as close to your mouth as possible. Options are: A wired or wireless headphone with a boom microphone are the best choice Earbuds with microphone are second best, for example, your inexpensive iPhone earpods with remote and mic. Airpod and wireless earbuds, although very convenient, offers lesser audio quality Your microphone on your laptop is probably the worst, and should be used as the last resort. A wired or wireless headphone with a boom microphone are the best choice wired wireless Earbuds with microphone are second best, for example, your inexpensive iPhone earpods with remote and mic . iPhone earpods with remote and mic Airpod and wireless earbuds, although very convenient, offers lesser audio quality Your microphone on your laptop is probably the worst, and should be used as the last resort. Solution for software, gear and other considerations Software : Enable HD and image enhancements in your video conference settings. For example, below is where you find the settings for Zoom. Software Position your camera : in general, a higher camera angle compliments your look. When you work on your laptop, your camera often looks “up” which might present a double-chin effect. This can be easily rectified by: Position your camera Adding a stack of books under your laptop Use one of the laptop stands like the Rain Design mStand or cheaper foldable alternatives Adding a stack of books under your laptop Use one of the laptop stands like the Rain Design mStand or cheaper foldable alternatives Rain Design mStand cheaper foldable alternatives Gear : Your webcam on your laptop might be quite good already, for example the HD camera on most Macbook Pros. But a dedicated webcam, e.g. Logitech C920/C920S can certainly improve video quality further. You can also convert your existing dSLR, mirrorless camera , or even your older smartphone into a webcam. Gear Logitech C920/C920S existing dSLR, mirrorless camera smartphone Intermediate solution: $500 budget If you do a lot of video conferencing and your professional appearance is critical for your business, investing $500 is really a sweet spot in terms of how much quality improvement you can get in proportion to your investment. Solution for light $100 Add a bright light: 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mount Optional: use a reflector or a second smaller light for fill light or hair light Add a bright light: 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mount 18-19” LED ring light with diffuser, light stand and camera mount Optional: use a reflector or a second smaller light for fill light or hair light Solution for sound $100 Add a USB microphone: Audio Technica AT2005USB; Samson Q2U, which will dramatically improve your sound quality especially if your house is quite noisy (e.g. kids running and screaming anyone?) or quite echoish. If you prefer a bit more mobility and your room is reasonably quiet, a USB speakerphone such as a Jabra 410 can make your bedroom sound like a boardroom. Add a USB microphone: Audio Technica AT2005USB ; Samson Q2U , which will dramatically improve your sound quality especially if your house is quite noisy (e.g. kids running and screaming anyone?) or quite echoish. Audio Technica AT2005USB Samson Q2U If you prefer a bit more mobility and your room is reasonably quiet, a USB speakerphone such as a Jabra 410 can make your bedroom sound like a boardroom. Jabra 410 Solution for software, gear and others: $200 Better webcam: you might want to invest in a good HD webcam such as the hugely popular Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives. Connect your dSLR or mirrorless camera (assume you already own one): via USB and software, or via HDMI capture card (Elgato Cam Link 4K) Better webcam: you might want to invest in a good HD webcam such as the hugely popular Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives . Logitech C920S, as well as other alternatives Connect your dSLR or mirrorless camera (assume you already own one): via USB and software, or via HDMI capture card ( Elgato Cam Link 4K ) dSLR or mirrorless camera Elgato Cam Link 4K Advanced solution To get a YouTube studio quality setup, you might need to invest a bit more but the return on investment will be diminishing. Since there are so many options out there, I only list a few equipment I have used while adding a few recommended YouTube channels if you want to learn more. Solution for light: Kit 1: $300 LED panel light: Aputure Amaran HR726 Reflective or white shine through umbrella like this: White umbrella LED panel light: Aputure Amaran HR726 Aputure Amaran HR726 Reflective or white shine through umbrella like this: White umbrella White umbrella Kit 2: $1000 Hard main light: Aputure LS120D II Light dome and grid: Aputure Light Dome II Hard main light: Aputure LS120D II Aputure LS120D II Light dome and grid: Aputure Light Dome II Aputure Light Dome II In addition, you can experiment with colorful flood lights as well as interesting accent lights (screensavers, Philips Hue lights, lava lamps, NEON signs, home-made light fixtures, holiday lights, and more). Solution for sound: A better microphone ($100-400): Rode Pod Mic, Rode VideoMic NTG, Shure SM7B A USB audio interface and/or recorder ($100-600): Motu M2, Tascam DR-60D MkII,  Rode Rodecaster Pro Better mic stand or scissor arm ($100): Rode PSA-1, Tripod Mic Stand A better microphone ($100-400): Rode Pod Mic , Rode VideoMic NTG , Shure SM7B Rode Pod Mic Rode VideoMic NTG Shure SM7B A USB audio interface and/or recorder ($100-600): Motu M2 , Tascam DR-60D MkII , Rode Rodecaster Pro Motu M2 Tascam DR-60D MkII Rode Rodecaster Pro Better mic stand or scissor arm ($100): Rode PSA-1 , Tripod Mic Stand Rode PSA-1 Tripod Mic Stand Solution for software, gear and others Invest in a new mirrorless camera that works well for streaming ($350-2000), like Canon M50 or Nikon Z6. They are versatile for digital photos, on-location video, as well as video conferencing. You might also want to invest in a brighter lens, which will create that sharp face with dreamy blurry background effects. HDMI capture card like Elgato cam link 4K, or a video switcher like Blackmagic Atem Mini if you have multiple video cameras for different angles. A sturdy tripod or desktop mounting system Learn to use software like OBS that can enhance your video feeds Invest in a new mirrorless camera that works well for streaming ($350-2000), like Canon M50 or Nikon Z6 . They are versatile for digital photos, on-location video, as well as video conferencing. You might also want to invest in a brighter lens, which will create that sharp face with dreamy blurry background effects. Canon M50 Nikon Z6 HDMI capture card like Elgato cam link 4K , or a video switcher like Blackmagic Atem Mini if you have multiple video cameras for different angles. Elgato cam link 4K Blackmagic Atem Mini A sturdy tripod or desktop mounting system A sturdy tripod desktop mounting system Learn to use software like OBS that can enhance your video feeds OBS Summary By the end of this pandemic, we might all grow a bit more facial hair and sound a bit tired. By following some of the simple steps in this article, you might project a better presence for yourself, your friends, family and colleagues. Stay safe! For more information To learn more, I recommend the following YouTube videos: Best CAMERAS for LIVE Streaming on Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch Best CAMERAS for LIVE Streaming on Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch Sound for YouTube - Getting Started How To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! Sound for YouTube - Getting Started Sound for YouTube - Getting Started How To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! How To Make A $300 Camera Look Pro! As well follow some of these channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisjudd https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV https://www.youtube.com/user/THiNKmediaTV

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