>and make my videos interesting and where can I find royalty free music and clips.
reply to commenter akulbe: >Do you think using AI for text-to-speech lessens the value of the content?
You really don't need any music soundtracks or B-roll stock-footage clips to make compelling tech content. Another problem with music is that most content creators mix it too loud which is distracting and often drowns out the voiceover and makes words unintelligible.
E.g. this (relatively new) channel about computer hardware and programming uses no music and no B-roll cuts with a AI generated voice ("Dylan" voice from ElevenLabs) and yet the quality of content allowed it to amass ~275k subscribers in less than 18 months : https://www.youtube.com/@CoreDumpped/videos
AI gen voice will be accepted by audiences if the native accent makes the English pronunciation too difficult for viewers to understand -- and the insights from the content itself are high quality. The content creator in the above example is from Equador and said his native English voice is not good.
There are some good advice here, particularly the "Shaquille" video. But one thing I want to add is that no amount of advice can help you when all you have is a blank piece of paper. I don't mean this in a negative way.
Tips and tricks are great when you have a working machine you want to improve. But when you are getting started, do it a hundred times, or until you figure it out. For videos, you have to get all your bad videos out of the way so you can start making good ones.
akulbe 4 hours ago [-]
Do you think using AI for text-to-speech lessens the value of the content?
I can't speak in a normal voice anymore, after being on a ventilator.
I'm just wondering... if the content is useful, but oh no it's AI talking... detracts from it?
I thought about putting an intro in my normal "speaking" voice, so people would understand why.
lawik 3 hours ago [-]
AI voice will detract because voice is very important in video. Especially in essays. And AI voices are very common for low effort slop video so it would not be novel.
But it is not necessarily a dealbreaker. Good research, good writing, funny timing, great editing. All of these can elevate the whole. Or being exceptional at one or two can compensate for missing one.
CGP Gray does well without a face and started with terrible animation.
brudgers 2 hours ago [-]
Approximately nobody likes the sound of their own voice.
And approximately nobody sounds like a voice actor.
And most importantly, your audience won’t care because it will be your audience.
I mean people listened to Stephen Hawking’s voice.
Catagris 3 hours ago [-]
Sorry to say but if I hear an AI voice I close the video. Too much spam/slop does the same thing.
Maybe hire or partner with a voice actor or friend?
ednite 6 hours ago [-]
This hits home. Before I published my first blog and video, I was doing everything except creating. I was procrastinating, researching, overthinking.
YouTube is full of tutorials that can help you get started, but the real shift for me happened when I stopped planning and just hit publish. My first video is rough and super amateur, but putting it out there felt empowering. It made me want to keep going.
I’m no expert, but one thing’s clear is that you only get better by doing. Tutorials help, but nothing beats hands-on learning.
In my case, I’ve always liked Casey Neistat’s raw, authentic style. I’m still working up the nerve to get in front of the camera more, but I know I’ll get there.
I know my comment might sound a bit off-topic since you’re asking about the technical “how-to”,
but that’s kind of my point. Don’t get too bogged down too much in the setup. It can keep you from ever starting. Once you begin, the tools and improvements tend to come naturally.
Good luck, and honestly, just start.
Looking forward to seeing your videos.
hardwaregeek 7 hours ago [-]
Check out this video: [1]. It's one of my favorite videos on YouTube. It covers instructional design from a YouTube perspective in a thorough, thoughtful manner.
There are entire subreddits dedicated to producing content.
Beyond that: to make good food, eat good food. Spend time watching N hours of tech YouTube and take notes on which you liked and which you didn’t. For the ones you liked make notes of why and try to replicate that (tone, storytelling technique etc.) and for the ones you liked less, find things to avoid or do less of.
rickcarlino 7 hours ago [-]
What are your favorite subreddits in this area? I feel foolish saying this, but I had not even considered that there would be a sub devoted to this.
brudgers 15 hours ago [-]
Making videos is the only way to get started.
You need a phone and a Youtube account.
And to give yourself permission to make crap videos because beginners make crap videos and the only way to not make crap is to learn by doing. [1]
And maybe after years of making videos, you might have a popular Youtube channel. But probably not. So you need to decide what success means on your own terms.
how do I set up for good content material and make my videos interesting and where can I find royalty free music and clips
1. Audio matters much more than video, and so microphones are better upgrades than cameras.
2. Make videos that are interesting to you. Youtube reaches a worldwide audience and whatever interests you also interests thousands of other people. But they cannot find your videos if you don't make them.
3. Google.
Thinking about making is a waste of time. Making is what matters. Good luck.
[1] Alternatively, pay professionals professional rates to make videos for you.
ChrisMarshallNY 8 hours ago [-]
> And to give yourself permission to make crap videos because beginners make crap videos and the only way to not make crap is to learn by doing.
One of the best essays ever, on that very subject:
I had a very strong suspicion what this video was going to be -- and I guessed correctly.
This is a terrific mental model. It can be very helpful to assist perfectionists in pushing past their initial attempts, because getting the flywheel going is hard.
Thanks for sharing!
high_byte 3 hours ago [-]
capcut will fulfill all your video editing needs for the near future, music, ai dub, etc.
now you only need inspiration I'd go for fireship-style videos and just start pushing content
reply to commenter akulbe: >Do you think using AI for text-to-speech lessens the value of the content?
You really don't need any music soundtracks or B-roll stock-footage clips to make compelling tech content. Another problem with music is that most content creators mix it too loud which is distracting and often drowns out the voiceover and makes words unintelligible.
E.g. this (relatively new) channel about computer hardware and programming uses no music and no B-roll cuts with a AI generated voice ("Dylan" voice from ElevenLabs) and yet the quality of content allowed it to amass ~275k subscribers in less than 18 months : https://www.youtube.com/@CoreDumpped/videos
AI gen voice will be accepted by audiences if the native accent makes the English pronunciation too difficult for viewers to understand -- and the insights from the content itself are high quality. The content creator in the above example is from Equador and said his native English voice is not good.
Ben Krasnow's "Applied Science" is another successful channel without music and no stock footage clips: https://www.youtube.com/c/AppliedScience/videos
Tips and tricks are great when you have a working machine you want to improve. But when you are getting started, do it a hundred times, or until you figure it out. For videos, you have to get all your bad videos out of the way so you can start making good ones.
I can't speak in a normal voice anymore, after being on a ventilator.
I'm just wondering... if the content is useful, but oh no it's AI talking... detracts from it?
I thought about putting an intro in my normal "speaking" voice, so people would understand why.
But it is not necessarily a dealbreaker. Good research, good writing, funny timing, great editing. All of these can elevate the whole. Or being exceptional at one or two can compensate for missing one.
CGP Gray does well without a face and started with terrible animation.
And approximately nobody sounds like a voice actor.
And most importantly, your audience won’t care because it will be your audience.
I mean people listened to Stephen Hawking’s voice.
Maybe hire or partner with a voice actor or friend?
YouTube is full of tutorials that can help you get started, but the real shift for me happened when I stopped planning and just hit publish. My first video is rough and super amateur, but putting it out there felt empowering. It made me want to keep going.
I’m no expert, but one thing’s clear is that you only get better by doing. Tutorials help, but nothing beats hands-on learning.
In my case, I’ve always liked Casey Neistat’s raw, authentic style. I’m still working up the nerve to get in front of the camera more, but I know I’ll get there.
I know my comment might sound a bit off-topic since you’re asking about the technical “how-to”, but that’s kind of my point. Don’t get too bogged down too much in the setup. It can keep you from ever starting. Once you begin, the tools and improvements tend to come naturally.
Good luck, and honestly, just start.
Looking forward to seeing your videos.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBUy0z5HNlY
Beyond that: to make good food, eat good food. Spend time watching N hours of tech YouTube and take notes on which you liked and which you didn’t. For the ones you liked make notes of why and try to replicate that (tone, storytelling technique etc.) and for the ones you liked less, find things to avoid or do less of.
You need a phone and a Youtube account.
And to give yourself permission to make crap videos because beginners make crap videos and the only way to not make crap is to learn by doing. [1]
And maybe after years of making videos, you might have a popular Youtube channel. But probably not. So you need to decide what success means on your own terms.
how do I set up for good content material and make my videos interesting and where can I find royalty free music and clips
1. Audio matters much more than video, and so microphones are better upgrades than cameras.
2. Make videos that are interesting to you. Youtube reaches a worldwide audience and whatever interests you also interests thousands of other people. But they cannot find your videos if you don't make them.
3. Google.
Thinking about making is a waste of time. Making is what matters. Good luck.
[1] Alternatively, pay professionals professional rates to make videos for you.
One of the best essays ever, on that very subject:
https://vimeo.com/85040589
This is a terrific mental model. It can be very helpful to assist perfectionists in pushing past their initial attempts, because getting the flywheel going is hard.
Thanks for sharing!
now you only need inspiration I'd go for fireship-style videos and just start pushing content