How to Create Square Videos for Facebook: 4 Best Free Ways
Looking to create square videos for Facebook?
Square videos outperform landscape videos on Facebook in terms of views and engagement.
In this article, we show you top free ways to create square videos for Facebook on your desktop and smartphone:
Make Square videos for Facebook Online using Animaker
Make Square Videos for Facebook on iOS and Android using InShot
Make Square Videos on iOS using Square Fit Photo Video Editor
Make Square Videos on Android using Video Editor: Square Video
How to Create Square Videos for Facebook Online using Animaker
If you’re looking to create square videos using an online tool on your laptop or PC, Animaker should be your go-to tool.
Animaker’s square video maker lets you quickly create and export videos in square dimensions.
You don’t need any video making experience to create square videos using Animaker.
Easily resize a landscape or vertical video to square dimensions in a matter of clicks.
Add and animate text, shapes, stickers, and more to create a beautiful square video!
Add gradient backgrounds, use high-quality stock videos and photos, upload your own font, the possibilities are endless!
Follow these steps to create a square video from scratch using Animaker:
- First, sign up and log into the tool. Then, pick the “Square” option from the Create a video section in the dashboard.
- If you want to create a square video from scratch, click on the button that says “Blank” to open a blank square video project.
If you want to use a template as a starting place to create your square video, pick one of the square video templates from our huge collection. - To upload the video, navigate to the upload tab in the main navigation bar, then click on the upload button at the bottom to select the video you’d like to convert to the square size.
Once the video has been uploaded, click on it to use it in your square video project. If you have a vertical or landscape video that you’d like to fit properly to the square dimensions, you can use Animaker’s video cropper. - Click on the Crop icon in the top right corner of the canvas, then hold and drag the edges to expand the video. Once you’re done, click on the green button that says “Apply” to save the changes.
You can, however, let the blank space remain at the bottom and top — or at the right and left if it’s a vertical video—to add text to your square video.
- To change the white background color, click on the background area, this will bring up the color palette at the bottom of the app screen. Now you can use the color picker or one of the colors listed to set the color.
You can upload your own logos, images, and videos the same way you’d uploaded in the 3rd stepOr you can use readymade visuals and animations from Animaker’s huge built-in library.
- To add “Text” to the video, go to the text tab and click on one of the text sizes to add it to to your video.
Once you’re done making the changes, preview the video to see if everything’s fine. Click on the play button beside the publish button in the top right corner to preview the entire video.
- If everything looks good, go ahead and hit the “Publish” button in the top right corner, select Download Video from the resulting dropdown, then pick the video’s resolution and hit Download.
Create Square Videos on Both Android and iOS with InShot
If you’re an Android or iOS user, you can use a video editing app called InShot to create a square video for Instagram. here’s how you create square videos using InShot:
Open InShot, then tap “Video” to upload and edit your video.
Once the video’s been uploaded, go to the “Canvas” tab in the main menu bar.
As you can see, the square (1:1) option is selected by default. Optionally, you can adjust the size of your video—how it should fit the square dimensions— using the slider.
To save the video to square dimensions, click on the Tick icon beside the text that says CANVAS.
Once you’re happy with how your square video looks, click on the SAVE button in the top right corner of the app screen to save the video.
Make Square Videos for Facebook on iOS with Square Fit Photo Video Editor
If you’re looking for a free iOS app to create square videos for Facebook, you can use Square Fit Photo Video Editor.
The app has tons of modern background patterns, filters, frames, stickers, etc.
You’re going to need iOS 9.1 or higher to use this app.
Make Square Videos for Facebook on Android with Video Editor: Square Video
Video Editor: Square Video is a free Android app that lets you create beautiful square videos for Facebook.
Apart from providing users with the ability to set a blurred background, it’s incredibly easy to use and lets you capture videos in square dimensions.
Also, it gives you the ability to add and trim your music files.
You’ll need Android OS 4.1 or higher to use it.
And that would be all the tools you’d need to create square videos for Facebook!
If you’re looking to create branded, beautiful square videos for Facebook, feel free to check out Animaker’s square video maker.
And if you have any questions on creating square videos for Facebook, let us know about them in the comment section below.
5 Birthday video ideas for a dazzling birthday
Birthdays are all about blessings, surprises, happiness, and of course, presents!
Particularly presents from the closest bunch.
Usually, we end up getting our friends and family gifts that they already have or the ones that may ultimately wear out.
We think of presents that are materialistic and forget to add a personal touch to them.
What if you can DIY your gift?
No, we’re not talking about pen stands from disposable Pepsi cans.
What if you could create a video that has all the memories put together or a video that reveals secrets about the one celebrating the birthday, or perhaps a compilation of all video wishes from friends and family nicely put together?
Yes, the videos that you can create for your loved ones’ birthday can be creative, heartwarming, and of all a memory that can last forever.
So in this article, we’ll be seeing:
How to make a Birthday video in 4 simple steps
Before we jump on to different happy birthday video ideas, let’s first understand how to create a birthday video in a few simple steps.
How to make a birthday video?
You can make a cool birthday video in just 4 simple steps with the free birthday video maker.
1. Pick a template or start from scratch
Choose from hundreds of birthday video templates and pick the one that you like the best or if you have different plans, go ahead and start from scratch.
To do this, head over to the Animaker app and log in if you already have an account. If not, sign up for the Animaker account and log in. Once you are inside the app, move over to the moments page from the dashboard.
Search for “birthday” and find loads of birthday templates that you can choose from. If you want to create your own, click on the blank template.
2. Customize the way you want
Replace any element on the template with your choice of animated texts, images, characters, backgrounds, properties, colors, and more, or upload your own assets. The library on the left side has all the stock and animated assets, properties, and music that you can choose and replace.
3. Add music tracks
3. Pick a music track that best suits your video from the collection of royalty-free music tracks on the Animaker library
4. Download the video
4. Download the videoOnce you are happy with what you have created you can download it to your PC or even directly post it on social media and tag your birthday buddy.
Now that we know how to create a birthday video on Animaker, let’s see the various birthday video ideas you can come up with!
5 Happy Birthday video Ideas
A trip down the memory lane birthday video
From one birthday to the next is a whole circle of 365 days of memories, milestones, important events, and more. Making a special year in review birthday video can help the person celebrating the birthday feel special and look at all the happy moments they’ve come past.
It will help them gain a lot of positivity and feel all the good vibes on their special day.
To create a year-in-review birthday video, all you need to do is collect the details about all the significant happenings in the past year from friends and family and the things that you already know.
If there are photos and clips from the special moments, you can add them to the video, insert texts, properties, music, and more!
But, if there are not many video clips or photos, you can still work with characters, animations, and stock assets available within the tool that tell the story effectively!
Wishes and greetings from friends and family
One of the best birthday wishes video ideas is making a compilation of all the wishes from friends and family in a video is the sweetest gesture you can do for someone on their birthday.
The birthday video wishes ideas need not be just people yelling “Happy Birthday”. The video can be made interesting, quirky, and fun with a host making the video in an interview format where a lot of questions can be asked about the person celebrating the birthday that will make it a creative birthday video message idea.
Some birthday video message ideas include – spill out some secrets, share their favorite memory together, or talk about the person. All the video clips can be arranged together and to top it up, you can add screen effects, transitions, music, properties, stickers, and more!
Birthday stories for Instagram, Facebook & Snapchat
Birthdays are not all about just personal video wishes. You can create videos and post them on social media as well.
Instead of just writing “Happy Birthday” on the Facebook wall, or hunting down a photo and overlaying it with a birthday wish, you can get creative and make a special birthday video wish in minutes.
You don’t even have to spend a lot of time in making these videos as templates that suit the vertical trend are readily available on Animaker itself.
You can get creative with your stories by making a video with the vertical video maker and post them on your Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook stories!
Birthday Quotes
A simple yet exciting way to make the person celebrating the birthday feel special is through birthday quotes.
Birthday quotes are short, sweet, and gives you scope to get creative with the images and videos. You can upload the clips and images of the one celebrating the birthday and make it creative by matching it to the quote.
You can personalize the video by collecting quotes from friends and family and put it together in the video along with their photos or even the people saying the quotes out loud!
Compilation of all birthdays celebrated
Whether it is a sweet sixteen or a spicy sixty, it would be a great idea to make a video album that is a collection of all the birthdays celebrated ever!
Whether these memories are on old photo albums or digitally stored, or someone narrating about it – it can all be put together in a single video by making a beautiful trip down memory lane.
It can bring back a lot of sweet memories and make the one celebrating the birthday feel special and pampered.
Wrapping Up
Cakes, presents, and parties.
This is what you could possibly think of when I say “Birthdays”.
Birthdays are fun when celebrated the right way!
But, I am sure now you’d realize how videos can make birthdays more special in so many different ways ranging from invites to thank you notes!
So, whether you are throwing a party for a friend, we hope these happy birthday video ideas have got you thinking about all the awesome things that you can plan.
If you have other cool and funny birthday video ideas that you think we must know, feel free to drop a comment and we’d love to hear from you!
How to Make a Square Video for Instagram: The Best Free Way 2023
Want to learn how to make a square video for Instagram?
Looking to quickly convert your landscape or vertical video to square dimensions?
Wondering how to post a square video on Instagram?
In this article, we show you how.
Things to Keep in Mind When Creating Square Videos
If you plan to expand or zoom your video to full square; that is, your footage completely fills the entire video without any blank space, then:
- Don’t shoot the video too close to make sure that the important parts of the video, say your face or your body, don’t get cut off.
- Make sure to record your video in HD quality. A low-quality video may turn out blurry when you expand it.
Create Square Videos for Instagram on Your Desktop
If you’re on your computer, you can use Animaker to convert your videos to square dimensions.
Animaker’s square video maker lets you create beautiful square videos online.
You don’t need any video making experience to use the tool.
And if you want to post a vertical video to Instagram, you need to know that Instagram automatically crops the vertical video to a 4:3 ratio.
This cuts off the top and bottom parts of your vertical video.
So if you want to fit your whole video into your Instagram post, you’re going to have to convert it to square dimensions before posting it.
You can use Animaker to easily turn your videos to the square format. Here’s how:
- From the dashboard, pick “Square” from the Create a video section.
- Now click on the button with the plus icon and text that says “Blank”. This will open a blank square video project.
- To upload your video, head to the “Upload” tab in the main navigation bar, then click on the Upload button at the bottom of the tab window. Once the video has been uploaded, simply click on it to use it in your project.
As you can see, there’s some empty space that appears on either side of the video—if it’s vertical (9:16)— or top and bottom—if it’s a landscape video (16:9).
You can make use of the empty space and add some text or your logo.
- To add text to the video, click on the “Text” tab in the main navigation bar, then click on one of the text sizes to add it to to your video.
Or you can adjust or expand the video to make it fit the square dimensions the way you want it to. - Click on the Crop icon in the top right corner of the video, then drag the edges of the video to expand it and adjust its position. once you’re done, click on the green button that says “Apply”.
- If you want to change the white background color, simply click on the background area, this will bring up the color palette at the bottom of the screen. You can use the color picker or one of the colors listed to set the background color.
Also, you can use readymade stickers, shapes, emojis, gifs (from GIPHY), HD stock videos, and photos from Animaker’s huge built-in library.
- Once you’re done creating your square video, you can download it to your local computer. Hit the “Publish” button in the top right corner of the app screen, then select Download Video from the dropdown menu. Finally, pick a resolution for your square video and hit Download.
And that’s how simple it is to create a beautiful square video from scratch using Animaker!
If you already haven’t started creating square videos for your Instagram channel using Animaker, we’d encourage you to check out square video maker.
It’d save you a ton of time and help you be more consistent in whipping up those beautiful square videos
And if you have any questions on creating square videos for Instagram, please let us know about them in the comment section below.
How to Create a Square Video in iMovie (With Pictures)
Wanna know how to create a square video in iMovie?
In this article, we give you step-by-step instructions on how to create a square video in iMovie.
And as a bonus, we also show you a free, far easier way to create square videos on Mac.
How to Create a Square Video in iMovie
It’s not possible to create square videos using iMovie!
There’s no functionality to convert your video to square dimensions.
We’ll use iMovie to edit the video and then use Keynote to change the dimensions.
We’ll only be using Keynote to crop the video to square dimensions.
Keynote is a presentation software that comes preinstalled on Mac OS.
Edit and Export Your Video using iMovie
First, edit your video as you normally would using iMovie.
Make all the audio and video adjustments.
Use the editing functionalities that are unique to iMovie.
Once you’re done editing the video, export the video from iMovie
Use Keynote to Change the Dimensions to Square
Now that you have edited and polished your video using iMovie, let’s change its dimensions to square using Keynote.
- Open Keynote and under the Basic section, select the “Basic White” theme.
- Click and drag (or hit “cmd + A”) to select the text boxes, and hit “delete” to delete them.
- Now drag and drop the video onto the blank slide. Click on the tab that says Document in the top right corner of the screen, then click on the Slide Size dropdown menu and select “Custom Slide Size…”.
- To create a square video, make sure to input the same value for both the width and height of the video. For instance, if you’re going to set the width of the video to 500, set the height too to 500. Once you’re done setting the width and height, click “OK” to save the slide in these dimensions.
- Now make your video fit the square dimensions properly by dragging out one of its corners.
- To add text to your square video, click on the Text button in the top center of the screen. If you want to add your logo or any images, simply drag and drop them onto the video.
- To change the background color, click on the white background area, then click on the tab in the top right corner that says Format, and go to the Background section to pick a color.
- Finally, export the video by clicking on “File”, “Export To”, and “Movie…”. A popup window will appear. Pick a resolution for your video and click Next.
- Now choose where you want to save your square video and click Export.
How to Create a Square Video Online using Animaker on Mac
As you can see, it can be confusing and daunting to create square videos using multiple complex software tools that just don’t fit this use case well.
It’s really not worth it unless you are used to editing your videos in iMovie and don’t want to go beyond anything basic.
There’s a much easier way to make square videos for social media. Animaker’s square video maker makes it a breeze for anyone to create square videos in a snap!
You don’t need any video making experience to create square videos using Animaker.
Simply pick a size you want to convert your video to, in our case to square dimensions, upload your video, add text, shapes, stickers, and more to create a beautiful square video!
Let’s walk you through the exact steps you’d need to take to create a square video using Animaker
- First, sign up and log into the app. Now pick “Square” from the Create a video section in the dashboard.
- If you want to create your square video from scratch, click on the button with the plus icon and text that says “Blank”. If you’d rather use a template as a starting point to create your square video, pick one of the square video templates from our huge collection.
- To upload your video, go to the upload tab in the main navigation bar, then click on the upload button at the bottom to select the video you’d like to convert to the square size.
Once the video has been uploaded, simply click on it to drop it onto the canvas.Animaker automatically sets the video in a way that it occupies the entire space; that is, your video fills the entire width and height of your square video.
If you want to adjust the position and size of the video so you have some space at the bottom and top — or on the right and left if it’s a vertical video — you can use our video cropping tool. - Click on the crop icon in the top right corner of the video, then hold and drag the edges of the video to shrink or expand it. Once you’re done resizing and positioning the video, click on the green button that says “Apply”.
You can upload your own logos, images, and videos the same way you uploaded a video in the 3rd step. - To change the background color, click on the background area, this will bring up the color palette. You can now set your desired background color.
Also, you can use readymade stickers, shapes, emojis, gifs (from GIPHY), high-resolution stock videos and photos from Animaker’s huge built-in library.
- To add text to the video, simply navigate to the text tab in the main navigation bar, then click on one of the text sizes to add it to to your video.
Once you’re done making the changes, preview the video to see if everything’s fine. Click on the play button beside the Publish button in the top right corner to preview the entire video.
- If everything seems fine, go ahead and hit the Publish button in the top right corner, select Download Video from the resulting dropdown, then pick the video’s resolution and hit Download.
And that’s how easy it is to create square videos on your Mac using Animaker’s square video maker!
If you have any questions on creating square videos online or on your Mac computer, please let us know about them in the comment section below.
How to Make a Video? [Five Simple Steps to Awesome Videos]
Let us consider two different situations. Personal and Professional.
Personal: Your anniversary is soon approaching. You have booked a table at your favorite restaurant. You have chosen the perfect gift. You have even transformed yourself from your usual sleep-deprived, lazy self to a presentable person.
But you feel that something is missing and that a personal touch is required to woo your partner…
Professional: A critical client meeting is around the corner. It is a huge client. You want to floor them with your pitch and close the deal. You have a great idea in hand, but you do not want to bore them with the same old, lifeless PPT or Doc.
You are in dire need of an attractive, engaging method to impress the clients and your team. You want your pitch to be etched on people’s minds, convincing them to buy it. You want to impress them with your A-game…
As much as these scenarios have nothing in common, there is one solution that would deem fit. Good for you, cuz you have correctly sought the right and easiest way out.
Yes, Videos! If you want to convey something in an appealing, likable manner, videos are the way to go! If you feel that visuals and sound can improve the overall experience… videos, it is!
So, to help you make that perfect video of yours here is a step-by-step guide. And you can refer to points based on the scenario you are looking for.
***
Step 3: Choose your Video-making Path
Step 5: Edit, Publish and Promote
Let’s see the steps one by one.
Step 1: Understand the Goal
A good start equals 50% of the job completed. And the first step in making a video is to understand the goal. Only if you know what you need to achieve will you work towards it clinically.
Imagine working towards the wrong goal from the very first place? It would end up being a waste of time, waste of effort, and so on.
You have to consider your audience’s minds. Certain things are a MUST, while others are a BIG NO-NO! Figure out these two and differentiate them.
For Personal, you might want to make your wife’s birthday special. It might even be a cute gesture from you of givingto give her a creative gift. For Professional, the goals may be to get your startup idea funded, getting your team motivated, etc.
So, find the purpose, understand the goal, and get going.
Step 2: Write the Script
You are going to make a video. And you SHOULD be writing a script. As much as the blueprint is essential for construction, a script is vital for a video. And for the script, order and flow are quite important. Your video would make sense only if it has a proper flow. It is 1 2 3 4 and not 3 2 1 4. With the proper flow, load your video with wow factors and carve that fantastic script! Carve it in a way where the audience asks for more instead of awaiting the end! Here’s an article that can be of huge help to your script-writing!
In short, become the audience and think like them. Make a proper plan and carve the script accordingly. Only then can you come up with an excellent video confidently like this…
Step 3: Choose your Video-making Path
Your script is ready. The next obvious step is to look for ways to create that awesome video of yours. You can use one of the following methods to make your video:
1. Appoint a new team
Appointing a new team would involve a huge budget. It would require scriptwriters, video makers, editors, and other technicians. So, if you are ready to shell in those bucks, you can very well appoint a new team to create your video!
2. Choose Video-making agencies
If hiring a team did not pan out well, you can seek the help of the right animation studio. Such agencies would house professionals who have been creating such videos for years. So, it would go without saying that you can give them the job and expect a top-notch outcome. But quality comes with a price. So for this, you would have to make a huge investment.
3. DIY (Do-it-yourself) Tools
The easiest way to get your job done, under the supervision of the most trustworthy person (You, of course!), is to make use of DIY tools! DIY video-making tools like Animaker are a boon for both simpletons and the sophisticated. Since these tools are filled with everything you need to make a video, right from properties to background music, all you need to do is drag and drop the elements and compile them into a beautiful video. Even if you know nothing about video-making, these easy-to-use tools will help you on the go!
The best part is, it is suitable for both personal and professional videos. The first two methods would involve the investment of money. This method, however, would involve only the investment of your effort.
Chop chop! It is time to make the video.
Step 4: Make the Video
Now that your script is ready, it is time to buckle down and set the stage for the actual process: MAKING THE VIDEO!
If you are wondering how to make that video of yours, there are two different ways.
1. How to make a video with an in-house team/Video-making Agency
When you are making the video with the help of an in-house team or an external agency, you should ensure that the team and you are on the same page. Only if you convey the idea and the requirements entirely will they create a video of good quality. So, here are some pointers for hiring a team/agency:
- Do a background check on the individuals/team. You do not want to be hung up with a bunch of make-believe video makers, do you?
- Make a comparison before zeroing in on an individual/team. You need the best at the end of the day.
- Once you are done selecting the team/agency, allow them to understand your company and its brand appeal to consider these factors while creating the video.
- Always convey the idea in an understandable, workable manner. If the creators do not understand what you are saying, poof! It is a waste of time for both ends.
- Do not wait for the final draft to land on your table. Ask the creators to provide WIP (Work in progress) so that you can point out changes then and there.
- Follow up. Be involved always. Sometimes, people can get a little lazy. That should not affect your work. So, keep an eye out for progress and check up on the creators so that they do not end up getting irritated!
- Be consistent throughout. Your idea/vision should be the same on the first and last day. Only then will the creator be able to meet your needs.
- Do not compromise on quality, trying to save money. Throwing in extra bucks for a top-grade video can be helpful in the long run.
- If you are thinking about saving some bucks, you can choose a team/agency associated with you for a long time. Choosing them for a one-time task can cost you more.
2. How to make a video using a DIY tool
Be it for personal or professional videos, the steps involved in creating a video is the same. But you can choose between two options as shown below:
Edit a photo video template:
This is the easiest and quickest way to create your video. You will simply have to replace the text and images (if necessary) in the template, replace the background music, and download the video. Voila! You are done!
If you are not convinced yet, here are some videos from our Moments section that will help you.
Personal:
Professional:
You can select any video from above and start working on it. Or, you can very well visit our Moments page to check out the other templates too. Now that we have selected our Moment, the next step is to customize it according to our needs. Here are the steps:
1. If you are going to choose a video from above, all you need to do is select the “Use” button. This will open a new project.
But this will happen only if you are registered with Animaker already and are logged in. If not, click here to sign up. Once you are done signing up, click on the “Use” button above to open a new project.
If you are already a user of Animaker, click here to log in.
2. After you sign in, a new project will get opened. You will see that the template has everything needed for a video. All you need to do is, swap the pictures in it with yours. Let us start by uploading your images one by one to switch the existing photos. Choose the file that you want to upload from your local storage. Click the Upload button, navigate to the file, select it, and click on Open. You can also drag and drop the file from your local storage.
3. Likewise, upload all the pictures. After uploading, select the photo in the template. This will open the Item Menu. Select the Swap option from the Item Menu.
4. This will open the Images section from the library. Using the Swap option allows you to swap the existing image with an image or video, either from the Library or from the My Uploads section. Since we will use the uploaded photo, choose the My Uploads icon in the images section.
5. Select the image you want to swap the existing image with, and click on Apply.
After swapping, you can resize the image by selecting it and then dragging its corners.
6. If you feel that the text in the template does not go with your image, you can change it by clicking on it. Clicking on it would open the Text Settings window, from which you can modify your text’s font style, size, alignment, letter spacing, transparency, entry/exit effect, and arrangement. Also, you can use Smart Move on your text to give it complex animations. Check out this video to know how to use Smart Move.
7. Alternatively, you can also delete the existing text box and replace it with one from the Text Pre-builts section. The Library also has a massive list of Text Pre-builts, which are formatted with unique entry and exit effects. Apart from these pre-builts, you can also select a heading, subheading, or body text, format it, and provide it with your own entry/exit effects.
8. If you are confident enough, you can very well go ahead and create a scene from scratch. To do this, select the scene after which you want the new scene, and select the Add Scene option. If you want to add a new scene that does not have many changes from a particular scene, the easiest and smartest thing to do is duplicate a scene. Select the Duplicate Scene option and make your changes in the newly added scene right away. To delete a particular scene, select it from the Scenes section and select the Delete Scene option.
You can also add any asset from the Library to any scene and enhance your video. Refer to the screenshot below to know where each asset type can be found.
As and when you add an element to the scene, you will notice it getting added to the timeline below. For instance, when you add a photo that you had uploaded, this is how it gets added to the Workspace and the timeline.
To adjust the duration of the asset’s visibility on a particular scene, drag the black bars at the ends of the scene in the timeline or by clicking the + and – options at the bottom right.
Once you are done editing the text and replacing the assets the way you want, we will move on to the next step; one of the most critical steps for creating a cool video…
9. The final step is to add music to your video. For this, select the video timeline.
To change the existing BGM in this template, click on the music track in the timeline. You will notice a pop-up with some options appear. Remove the track by selecting the Delete option.
To choose a new music track/sound effect, select the Music option in the library. This will list several royalty-free music tracks. Similarly, to add sound effects, select the option next to Music.
Hover over any track to preview it. Add a track to the video by simply clicking on it. From the timeline, you can preview the track, adjust its volume, duplicate it, and delete it. You can also move the black edges of the track to extend or contract it and match the track length with your video’s duration.
And if that is still not enough, you can upload your own music the same way you uploaded your pictures and add it to the video.
We will see how to preview and publish/download the video in the fifth step.
Create a Video from scratch:
You do not want to make use of a template and start from scratch, huh? Well, we have options for that too! Here are the steps:
1. After logging into your account, Click on Create -> Create a video on the dashboard.
2. This will take you to the Moments page. This page lists three blank options at the top, along with the other predefined templates. Select one among the three blank templates (vertical, square, and horizontal), depending on the dimension you want.
3. Selecting a blank template will start a new project as shown below.
4. After the project is launched, start by uploading the pictures following the steps mentioned earlier.
5. Once the pictures are uploaded, our next step will be to add a good background to the video. Using Animaker, you can add four different types of backgrounds to your video. Check out this video to know more.
6. For this video, I would prefer to go with an image background. As it is an anniversary video, I will search for the keyword “love” in the search bar and choose one from the filtered list. To add a background you like to the workspace, simply click on it.
7. Now that our background is selected, the next step will be to add the uploaded photos to the workspace. Go to the Uploads section in the library and select the photo that you want to add to the workspace.
Resize the image by dragging its corners and place it properly.
8. Here’s a subtle trick for you. Though adding the image would do, adding a frame to the picture can emphasize it. Wondering how? Look down.
a. Click on Properties in the Library.
b. Since the image is in landscape format, we can choose the rectangle shape. To choose the rectangle shape, click on the plus symbol next to Shapes (With Text) under Properties.
c. This will expand the Shapes section. Select the rectangle to add it to the workspace.
d. Besides using the corners of the shape to resize it, you can also change its width by using the rhombus icon in the shape. This will help you to scale the frame like this…
e. Once you have made the frame fit the picture perfectly, you can change the color of the shape and give it entry/exit effects from the settings.
f. Now that your frame is set, right-click on it and select Move to Back. This will help you in performing the next step without any hassles.
9. You can add text to a video by selecting the Text option from the library. Select a heading/subheading/body text or choose a style from the vast list of Text-Prebuilts.
For this video, I select the body text and enter the text to add to the video.
Similar to the other assets, you can format the text the way you want it to be and also give it entry/exit effects from the Text Settings window.
10. Let us move on to the next scene. Now that our first scene is perfectly set, the easiest and smartest thing to do would be to duplicate it and simply change the picture and text for the other scenes. This would help you complete your video faster. To duplicate the scene, click on the Duplicate Scene option on the first scene under the Scenes tab.
11. Now, our task is to replace the image and the text, and we are done with the second scene. To replace the image, select it, and choose the Swap option from the Item Menu.
This will open the Images section from the library. Using the Swap option allows you to swap the existing image with an image or video, either from the Library or from the My Uploads section. Since we are going to use the photo that was uploaded, choose the My Uploads icon in the images section.
Select the image you want to replace the current image with and click on Apply.
You can resize the image by dragging its corners and fitting it into the frame.
12. Next, change the text accordingly.
Similarly, you can duplicate the first scene and change the picture and text in forthcoming scenes.
13. The final step is to add music to your video. To choose a new music track/sound effect, select the Music option in the library. This will list several royalty-free music tracks. Similarly, to add sound effects, select the option next to Music.
14. Hover over any track/effect to preview it. Add a track to the video by simply clicking on it. From the timeline, you can preview the track, adjust its volume, duplicate it, and delete it. You can also extend the black marks at the ends of the track to extend or contract it.
And if that’s still not enough, you can upload your music the same way you uploaded your pictures and add it to the video.
Check out the next step to know how to preview and publish/download the video.
Step 5: Edit, Publish, and Promote
To err is human. So, we are bound to make mistakes. But, a silly mistake should not end up ruining the time and effort involved. So, always edit, proofread, and present the best!
Let’s go ahead and carry out the final step to obtain the video!
The steps involved in previewing and downloading/publishing the created video is the same for both options (Creating from a template and creating from scratch). Let us see the steps with the second option as an example.
1. After adding all the elements, preview the video to ensure that they have been added correctly. Select the Scene Preview option to preview a particular scene and use the Video Preview option to preview the entire video.
2. Once you are done, click on Publish -> Download video. You can rename it, select the preferred video quality, and then click on Download.
Your video is ready! Once the rendering is done, you can download it. Additionally, you will also receive the video link via mail.
Wasn’t that very easy? You will be able to create and download a completed, awesome video in a matter of minutes! All the best!
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Hope this article was helpful! Should you have any questions/doubts, shoot ‘em in the comments section. We will be happy to help you out!
Video Resume in 2021: The Definitive Guide
Are you looking to create a video resume?
Or are you deciding whether you need one?
Nowadays, the competition is tough. You’re usually competing with hundreds of other applicants.
And while it’s become easy to find job openings online, it’s also become difficult to get those jobs.
Most job seekers are finding it hard to make themselves stand out and get a shot at that coveted interview.
If you’ve been looking to gain an edge over your competition and land more interviews, a video resume can help.
In this article, we’ll look at:
Why you should (or shouldn’t) create a video resume?
How to create a video resume yourself?
7 top tips for creating an effective video resume
How to use your video resume to get interviews?
What is a Video Resume?
It’s a short video created by job seekers to give potential employers a strong reason as to why they should hire them for the role.
It’s used to supplement a traditional resume and is typically submitted in addition to it.
Video Resume — Do You Need One?
Are video resumes a good idea?
Well, video resumes are not for everyone. Most job seekers don’t need one.
Yup, video resumes aren’t required for a majority of roles out there.
Whether you need one depends on the industry, role, and the company you’re applying for.
You’d want to create a video resume if:
- You’re in a visual field or creative role like design, photography, motion graphics, video editing, directing, acting, teaching, and cooking.
- You’re in a role that requires you to show off your personality and communication skills. For instance, a client-facing role that involves charming prospective customers.
- You’ve been asked to create one by your recruiter.
- You’re applying for a job at a small company that doesn’t use ATS and hasn’t automated the hiring process.
- You have extensive experience and would like to highlight only what’s relevant to the role you’re applying for.
5 Best Video Resume Examples
To give you some ideas on how you could go about creating your own video resume, we’re going to take a look at the 5 best video resume examples below.
Mark Leruste
In this video resume, Mark uses humor to showcase his skills, experience, and education in a fresh and engaging way.
Mark did end up getting his dream job with this video resume!
Kelly
Kelly manages to creatively tell an engaging story about herself and her journey mostly using b-roll footage, photos, and voiceover.
Mary Patterson
Mary’s video resume is a simple animation that introduces the problem her future employer is facing and explains why she’s the best person to solve it.
Lauren Goodman
Lauren’s video resume is simple and makes use of icons and typography to portray her creative skills and personality.
Maria Rodriguez
This beautifully-made animated video resume talks about Maria’s creative background and presents her to potential employers in a dynamic way.
How to Create a Video Resume: 7 Simple Steps to Creating a Video Resume
Creating a video resume doesn’t have to be daunting; you just need some decent video gear and know-how to get started. Here are the steps to preparing a video resume:
Write a Script
Don’t let the word “script” scare you.
Simply write down what you want to say to the recruiter.
Write like you talk. Make sure it has a conversational tone to it.
Keep your sentences short. Use action verbs and power words.
And while filming, avoid directly reading from the script to avoid sounding unnatural.
Rather, memorize the script to sound more conversational and polished.
Or better yet, create an outline of the main points and expand on them later while shooting.
That way, you’d sound less rehearsed and more conversational but perhaps a little less polished.
Choose the Right Background and Lighting
Looking to include footage of you talking directly to the camera?
Pick a space with the right background and lighting.
Choose a background that’s distraction-free and tidy.
As for the lighting, you can use a softbox to light your face.
Don’t have one? Simply sit facing a brightly-lit window on a sunny day.
Does your video resume have animated scenes in it?
Or do you want to tell a story using an animation?
You can find background illustrations on sites like Freepik, Vecteezy, etc.
Or you can use Animaker to get free access to high-quality background illustrations.
Set Up a Video and Audio Recording Device
Get a camera or smartphone that can record videos in HD quality.
Use a microphone that captures high-quality audio.
Make sure your voice is clear—whether you’re speaking directly to the camera or recording a voiceover using your microphone.
Also, use a tripod or gimbal to record footage that’s clear and stable.
Add a Call-to-action
Let’s say by the end of the video a recruiter is impressed by your skills and experience.
He or she is interested in learning more about you.
What then?
What’s the next step you’d want them to take?
End the video with an action you want them to take.
Perhaps you can ask them to visit your personal site or LinkedIn profile.
Say something that would motivate the viewers to take that action.
Collect Additional Visuals
Before you start editing, collect all the visuals you’d need to get your message across clearly.
The right visuals will help clearly illustrate what you’re saying in the script.
In addition to the footage, you’d need photos, infographics, clippings, etc.
Or if it’s an animation, you’d need props, shapes, and other animation assets.
You can use Animaker to gain access to tons of readymade visuals and animations for various use cases and industries.
Edit the Video
Now that you have all the footage and visuals, time to put it all together.
First, review the footage you’ve captured so far.
And pick the ones that you think are the best takes.
Then, you’d need a video editing tool to edit and fine-tune the footage.
A simple tool that lets you trim and merge video clips into a video that flows smoothly.
You can use Animaker’s online video editor to quickly do that on your own.
No need to hire a freelance video editor or learn a complex video editing software.
No video editing experience or know-how is necessary to use our tool.
Animaker’s video editor lets you:
- Precisely cut or trim your videos to your desired length.
- Add beautiful, readymade transitions between scenes.
- Quickly merge several video clips.
- Animate text with the touch of a button.
- Add beautiful filters to enhance the video.
Get Feedback
Once you’re done editing your video resume, review it a few times.
Make sure everything is clear and organized.
After you’ve reviewed it for flaws, ask a friend or colleague to critique it.
They can provide you valuable feedback on how you can improve it.
7 Top Tips for Creating an Effective Video Resume
Here are the top tips for making video resumes that’ll help you land more interviews:
Personalize Your Video Resume
Personalize your video resume for each job you apply.
A personalized video resume lets the employer know how much the role means to you.
What experience or skills do you think they’re looking for in their ideal candidate?
Talk about specific skills, experiences, qualifications, and key achievements that make you a great fit for the position.
Also, answer why you want to join the company.
Keep It Short
Avoid talking about every skill and experience you’ve gathered so far.
No point in creating a video resume if that’s the case.
Talk only about what’s relevant to the job role you’re applying for.
Besides, recruiters are busy people and typically scan resumes to save time.
The average recruiter spends about 6 seconds scanning a resume.
They’d rather scan 50 or 100 more resumes than watch your lengthy video.
To ensure it gets watched till the end, keep it between 30 and 90 seconds.
But make sure it’s no longer than 2 minutes.
Be Patient and Record Multiple Shots
Record each segment of your video several times.
Keep shooting; you rarely get it right the first or second time.
The more footage you have, the higher your chances of finding something worth keeping.
While talking, you can look at the lens of the camera to make eye-contact with the viewer.
Finding it hard to capture a fluently flowing sequence?
Make pauses between sentences and cut them out later when editing.
Be Professional
You must look professional, so dress as you would for an interview.
Maintain a professional demeanor throughout the video.
And it ain’t enough to just dress or behave like a professional.
The quality of your video resume needs to be professional too.
This means the quality of the video, audio, lighting, editing, etc., should be professional.
Be Yourself
You must look and sound professional but be yourself.
Let your natural self come through.
Don’t try to be someone you’re not.
Remember that after you land the interview, your recruiter will get to see your true nature.
Tell a Story
We all love a good story.
You can answer why you’re a great fit for the role in the form of a story.
A story is much more engaging than a pitch.
So rather than making a pitch, tell a compelling and engaging story.
Add What’s Not in Your Resume
Have you missed adding a specific skill or experience to your application?
Something that you think would help move the needle in bagging the role?
You can talk about it in your video resume.
Again, make sure it’s relevant to the job role.
How to Use Your Video Resume to Get Interviews
Before you can get it in front of the recruiter, you’ll need to publish it.
You can publish it on Youtube or Vimeo or Wistia.
Vimeo is your best bet.
It lets you upload your video for free and lets you customize the video’s appearance.
Also, you can consider adding your video resume to your Linkedin profile.
That’s it! If you’ve been looking for a simple video making tool to create your video resume, give Animaker’s video resume maker a shot.
It lets you create engaging live-action and animated video resumes from scratch. No video making skills required to use our software.
Also, check out the free video resume templates that the tool offers.
And if you have any questions on creating a video resume, feel free to ask them in the comment section below.