AOL Video uploads blog

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:18:09 GMT

We've talked about them before... in fact we had a Sweepstakes where we gave one away every day for the entire month of June... but the bottom line is we just can't get enough of the Flip Camera by Pure Digital. The Flip Video™ Ultra Series, is a highly compact digital camcorder which makes it easier than ever for you to shoot and share high-quality video on-the-go.

This stylish, pocket-size camcorder is the first with built-in software for direct uploading to AOL (and other video sharing sites)!

It's the world’s first camcorder with on-board software to enable editing, organizing, and seamless video uploading. Flip Video delivers surpisingly good video and sound quality, even when played on large-screen TVs, but most importantly, it puts the power to instantly capture, edit and share video in your pocket.

Check out the features list or visit Flip Video.

Product Features:

The Flip Video Ultra Series incorporates a wide range of advanced new features, including a 1.5 inch transflective, no-glare display screen for clear viewing in even the brightest sunlight, next-generation video processing, and increased on-board memory (2 GB of for the 60-minute model and 1 GB for the 30-minute model). Features include:

    * One-touch recording with 2x digital zoom
    * Instant on-camera playback and delete
    * High-speed video sharing from any PC or Mac
    * One-click emailing of videos and video greeting cards
    * One-click emailing of videos and video greeting cards
    * Custom editing of movie mixes, with the option to set them to your own music
    * Capture of still photos from video
    * Built-in tripod mount
    * Convenient DVD processing option at over 9,400 one hour labs nationwide

Buy your own Flip Video Camcorder just in time for the holidays!

Knowing is Half the Battle – Part I

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:10:00 GMT

Have you ever looked at the “most popular” or “most comments”? Was your video there? NO? Well, here are some simple tips on how to get the most mileage out of your viral video:

1) Keep it short! Unless you’re Ingmar Bergman or Orson Welles (may they rest in peace) and you need the full 10 minute time-limit to tell your epic Viral Tale… keep it under 30 seconds. Don’t you know that the VideoSurfer’s time is precious? If they’re not getting any payoff within the first few seconds, they’re gonna bail.

2) Don't Suck! - I’m not going to tell you what to shoot, but try and film something cool, cute, funny, or strange. Be original! But if you can’t pull that off, at least be a good copycat. Ask yourself one question: “Is my video interesting?” Chances are... it is... but is it great?

3) Choose Your Thumbnail Wisely – it’s the single most important part of your video. No matter how good your video is, no one will know if you have a lame thumbnail. Think of it as your movie poster or trailer. With a crappy thumbnail, your masterpiece may go unnoticed!

As of now on AOL Video, there is no thumbnail selection tool, but what we should tell you is that the thumbnail is automatically generated at the 4th second. So whatever frame is present at the 4th second of your video, will be your thumbnail image.

Although you can’t select the exact thumbnail on the site, there is still something you can do about it. Either edit your video ahead of time, so the frame at the 4th second is preselected, or you can use the “trim tool”.

Where is this “trim tool”, you ask? It’s actually hard to miss, so pay attention! On the second step of the upload process, after you’ve selected your file (but before you upload), look at the timeline & you’ll find it. There’s a trim tool handle at the start of the time line, & at the end. Look at the screen shot below.

What you’ll need to do, is drag the "in point" (starting point) to where you want it. Click the play button, wait 4 seconds & see what you get. If you like the image, you’re golden. Otherwise, try again.

Now you know! And knowing is half the battle.

- The AOL Video Team

Read our second installment.

Part Deux >>

Knowing is Half the Battle - Part Deux

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:40:35 GMT

Back by popular (or at least Betty’s) demand…

“Knowing is Half the Battle: Part Deux”

In the first installment we covered some important user tips. In Part Deux, we’re gonna cover shooting and editing.

Shooting Tips:

Ø Pre-Plan… before you start filming ask yourself, how does my shot look? Is it framed well? How’s the lighting? Oh wait, this is a viral video and none of that junk really matters.

Or maybe it does? Point being, your video doesn’t have to look perfect as long as it’s interesting and can hold people’s attention. If you want it to look nice, great! Users may start to like you even more, but the bottom line is, if you want it to be popular, it’s all about the content.

Ø Things to Avoid:

o Limit Camera Effects – some cameras have in-camera effects. Be sure to avoid the following: image stabilization, digital zoom, digital effects, etc.

Again, you don’t have to, but after you upload the video, it will playback in “flash”, and sometimes those effects can look pretty ugly in flash.

o Zooming In and Out – same as above. It’ll look ugly in flash, but more importantly, the 70s are over! Unless of course, you’re trying to capture that Hawaii 5-0 look.

o Quick/Jumpy Camera Movements - avoid quick camera movements, pans or tilts.. WARNING: Jumpy camera work will cause nausea (like when I got sick watching the Blair Witch Project).

Editing Tips:

Ø “Star wipe and we’re out!” - Did you ever see the episode of the Simpson’s where Homer thinks he’s a filmmaker? He’s having Lisa edit his masterpiece and keeps asking for the star wipe transition. In other words, if you are an advance user, playing around with video editing software (iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, etc.), don’t over do it with transitions or effects. Keep it simple & stick to the basics.

Ø Thumbnail… it’s the image at the 4th second! See Part I for more details on how to “select” your thumbnail.

Ø The Bigger the Better - Our standard uploader doesn’t have a file size limitation, only a time limit restriction of 10 minutes. So, the bigger the file, the better the playback experience. Again, this only is relevant to our more advance users who are using editing software. When you’re about to “output” your file, be sure to do so with as little compression as possible. The less compression, the better the playback after the file has been uploaded.

Ø Supported File Format’s – For a list of supported file formats. Or you can read our full FAQ.

In our next installment, you can look forward to more uploading tips, as well as some promotional tips on how to get the most mileage out of your videos.

-The AOL Video Team

Read our previous entry for other helpful tips.

<< Part I

UnCut Videos Web Cam Comments - say it in video!

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:02:52 GMT

Got something to say? Do your talking with video comments!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how about a video? Find out instantly with AOL Video’s web cam comments.

Plug in a web camera and instantly upload your video comments on any AOL Video upload. No waiting. There are thousands of videos to comment on, and hundreds are added every day. With a simple web camera and a computer, you can say “hi” to that cutie, join in a debate, get something off your chest, or just post a shout out.

We’ve also redesigned our pages slightly so you can comment and tag while watching videos. We like to call it “snacking,” but you can call it whatever you like. In fact, put up a web comment if you come up with a better name. We’ve designed our web comments to be easy and most important … fast. First-time web cam users will probably need to install web cam software and drivers, so make sure to follow the instructions your camera provides. After that, it’s easy.

A quick note for Mac users. If you have a MacBook , MacBook Pro & iMac (or any Mac with built in iSight) and receive the following message: "Error: Camera not found"

Here are the steps to fix the problem:

1) Click on “Add Video Comment”

2) You will be prompted to allow "Camera and Microphone Access." Click "Allow"

3) You will get an Error Message: "Camera not found"

4) Control-click in Video Comment Window

5) Choose “Setting” (you may have to do this twice)

6) You will see 4 icons across the bottom of the pop-up window. Select the Webcam Icon

7) You will see a drop down menu, select "USB Video Class Video" option

8) At this point you may have to close (cancel) the “Record Video Comment” window and reopen (by clicking 'Add a Video Comment' link).

Enjoy!

Tags: web cam, comments, video

Something's Different...

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:33:31 GMT

Can't put your finger on it? As you can see from the logos and text on the site, the name UnCut Video has been changed. The functionality will continue to be the same fast and easy upload experience you know and love, and the service will still be free. The name change is just the first step towards becoming fully integrated into AOL Video. If you haven't checked it out, it's the best place to find, watch and share video from all over the web. We hope you stay on board and enjoy the ride!

Tags: online video, aol video, upload video

Camera-A-Day Giveaway

Tue, 29 May 2007 14:54:52 GMT

(Editor's note: We have another blog post above concerning the sweepstakes, mainly to tell you that we will contact you with the e-mail uncutvideoteam@aim.com if you are a winner.)

The UnCut video team is stoked to tell you that we’re giving away one Pure Digital Point & Shoot Video Camcorder every day for the entire month of June. It's not a popularity contest, so you don't have to do anything special. No singing, no dancing, & no jumping through hoops. All you have to do is upload a video.

It doesn't matter what you upload, you're automatically entered (assuming your video doesn't violate our License & Release Agreement or the Official Rules). The more videos you upload per day, the better your chances are of winning.

We might even highlight the daily winners, so try and upload something interesting. We'd hate to see your 15 minutes of fame tainted by a lame video.

How to Enter:
1) Make sure it ‘s June - 12:00 AM GMT June 1st, 2007 through 11:59:59 PM GMT, June 30th, 2007
2) Make sure you upload a public video (if it’s private, we won’t know it’s there… so it’s not eligible)
3) Make sure the video uploaded successfully
4) Check your e-mail regularly (the one used to upload your video) to see if you won * **
5) Repeat step 1… the more you upload, the better your chances

* If you created a SN to upload a video, it’s also an AOL email address, so your e-mail address would be, YourScreenName@AOL.com.
** Potential winners will be contacted by the UnCut Video Team at uncutvideoteam@aim.com
More Information:

Pure Digital Point & Shoot Camcorder
Watch the Pure Digital Promo Video

And remember, the only waywe have of getting in touch with you is through the e-mail address you used to upload the video, so make sure you check that e-mail address often. If you win, we will drop you a line, but you’ll only have 5 business days to get back in touch with us, otherwise… ya get nothin’.

Good Luck!
- The UnCut Video Team

Tags: sweepstakes

"My Invites"

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:01:54 GMT

Are you a registered UnCut Video user? Have you ever been sent an invitation to view a private video?

It’s a pretty cool feature. The problem is that if you ever lose the original email invitation or accidentally delete it, you have no way of finding that private video… until now.

“My Invites” is a list of all the private videos that have been sent to you by other users. Now you have one convenient location to view all the private videos you’ve been invited to watch.

The “My Invites” button can be found in the header toolbar, at the top of every page. It’s right next to the “My Videos” and “My Favorites” buttons.

Enjoy!

- The UnCut Video Team

Learn more about Private Videos
Go back to UnCut Video

Collections & Categories

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:11:29 GMT

Hey all,

Lately we've been using handy tools to find out some more about what you guys do and don't like to do here on our site (since most of you aren't commenting on our blog yet). One thing I was surprised to find is that you're not clicking on "By Collection". While we figure out why that is, I wanted to tell you why I think the page is so cool.

The Collections page gives you one-click access to tons of packages of videos that are more specific than the ever-popular Categories (Pets, Travel, and the rest). With one click, you can get to a bunch of car crashes, or bad dancing, or cute kids, or all Hillary Clinton's videos, or Mitt Romney's...it's a treasure trove, I tell you.

Let us know what else you'd like to see...we're listening.

Tags: Collections, tips, listening, feedback

It's true... "UnCut Video Rules"

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:53:55 GMT

UnCut Wants Your Input

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:29:51 GMT

For the past few months we as programmers have been highlighting your uploaded videos on UnCut Video.
Rubberneck TV and Dude - That's Extreme! are 2 packages that were made popular by YOU! Have any ideas for packages and/or videos that you would like to see highlighted on UnCut Video's Main Page? Leave us a comment with your ideas and videos.

Tags: uncut video, programming