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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Improve YouTube Video Quality
I wrote about improving YouTube video quality with an easy hack over two months ago. I can't believe this easy trick still works, but it does!
Want a better video experience at YouTube?
Here's what you can do, in one easy step:
Type
That's it! That's all there is to it!
You can visit the above link to see all the particulars and videos...it's been a popular post!
I wrote about improving YouTube video quality with an easy hack over two months ago. I can't believe this easy trick still works, but it does!
Want a better video experience at YouTube?
Here's what you can do, in one easy step:
Type
&fmt=18 after the video's URL.That's it! That's all there is to it!
You can visit the above link to see all the particulars and videos...it's been a popular post!
Labels: video
¶ 5/14/2008 09:54:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Camtasia Studio 3 is Free!
Right now, Techsmith is giving away their popular screencasting software, Camtasia 3.
This is not a 30-day trial. It's the full version.
For free.
At the moment, the most up-to-date version of the software is Studio 5. When you use Camtasia 3, TechSmith believes you will love it so much, you will want to upgrade to get the latest version.
Camtasia 3 has a ton of great features, though. Certainly enough for you to create training and sales videos. Or record PowerPoint presentations. And maybe even to upload your newly created videos to YouTube. (For example, I used Camtasia 3 to create this YouTube Video about PowerPoint in August 2007.)
Here are instructions for getting your free, fully-functional copy of Camtasia 3:
Step 1: Download & install the Studio 3 software:
http://download.techsmith.com/camtasiastudio/enu/312/camtasiaf.exe
Step 2: Register for a password:
http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/pcpls.asp Step 3: Enter the password into the software.
Step 4: Use Camtasia 3 to create a viral video.
Step 5: Upload the video to YouTube tonight, become world-famous over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
Ok, Ok, steps 4 & 5 are totally optional! (But not completely out of the realm of the possible!)
Who knows how long this deal will last? Take advantage of the offer and the long weekend to create something wonderful.
And thanks for giving, TechSmith!
¶ 11/21/2007 02:45:00 PM 5 Comments Links to this post
Right now, Techsmith is giving away their popular screencasting software, Camtasia 3.This is not a 30-day trial. It's the full version.
For free.
At the moment, the most up-to-date version of the software is Studio 5. When you use Camtasia 3, TechSmith believes you will love it so much, you will want to upgrade to get the latest version.
Camtasia 3 has a ton of great features, though. Certainly enough for you to create training and sales videos. Or record PowerPoint presentations. And maybe even to upload your newly created videos to YouTube. (For example, I used Camtasia 3 to create this YouTube Video about PowerPoint in August 2007.)
Here are instructions for getting your free, fully-functional copy of Camtasia 3:
Step 1: Download & install the Studio 3 software:
http://download.techsmith.com/camtasiastudio/enu/312/camtasiaf.exe
Step 2: Register for a password:
http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/pcpls.asp Step 3: Enter the password into the software.
Step 4: Use Camtasia 3 to create a viral video.
Step 5: Upload the video to YouTube tonight, become world-famous over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
Ok, Ok, steps 4 & 5 are totally optional! (But not completely out of the realm of the possible!)
Who knows how long this deal will last? Take advantage of the offer and the long weekend to create something wonderful.
And thanks for giving, TechSmith!
¶ 11/21/2007 02:45:00 PM 5 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Free PowerPoint Add-In: YouTube Video Wizard
Back in August, these four online videos showed us how to embed YouTube videos into PowerPoint presentations.
That was August. And while these "summer of 2007" instructions still work, today, there's an even easier way...
Enter the autumn of 2007. Microsoft MVP Shyam Pillai offers a PowerPoint Add-In called YouTube Video Wizard, or YTV. It took only minutes for me to download, install, and test this new and extremely useful PowerPoint add-in.
After installing the YTV add-in, you will see a new tab under "Insert" titled "YouTube Video". Click it, and a wizard will walk you though everything you need to do to insert a YouTube Video into your PowerPoint presentation. Easy!
One small caveat. You must have a live internet connection for this add-in to work properly during show time. If you do not, you still must download and convert the YouTube Video before inserting it into your presentation.
Back in August, these four online videos showed us how to embed YouTube videos into PowerPoint presentations.
That was August. And while these "summer of 2007" instructions still work, today, there's an even easier way...
Enter the autumn of 2007. Microsoft MVP Shyam Pillai offers a PowerPoint Add-In called YouTube Video Wizard, or YTV. It took only minutes for me to download, install, and test this new and extremely useful PowerPoint add-in.
After installing the YTV add-in, you will see a new tab under "Insert" titled "YouTube Video". Click it, and a wizard will walk you though everything you need to do to insert a YouTube Video into your PowerPoint presentation. Easy!One small caveat. You must have a live internet connection for this add-in to work properly during show time. If you do not, you still must download and convert the YouTube Video before inserting it into your presentation.
Labels: PowerPoint Add-In, video
¶ 10/18/2007 12:03:00 PM 2 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Fun New PowerPoint Add-In Is Named "Opazity"
Today, Steve Hards of SteveHardSoft Skyped to tell me the news: his fun new PowerPoint add-in that applies a Gaussian blur to images finally has a name!
It's… (drum roll please!) Opazity!
Of the three name choices, both Steve and I were in favor of "Fuzzy Touch". But we were overruled by public preference, so...
Thanks for voting! “I’m extremely grateful to the people who voted,” said Steve. “Colleagues thought I was mad to put up the options for people to vote on, but the result shows that without testing these things, you never really know what is going to be best.”
Beta testing is going well. Steve also gave me the opportunity to Beta test Opazity. The fun little add-in installed in minutes. And it took me less time than that to actually learn how to use Opazity to "blur and reveal" different images in PowerPoint.
So for Beta test fun, I quickly created a 5 slide PowerPoint presentation called "Stupid Questions" -- and used Opazity to reveal the "Stupid Answers". (You can see the lighting-fast video results at YouTube...)
Worked like a snap...easy and fun. Steve said that he will be launching this new PowerPoint add-in product in a few weeks. If you didn't get a chance to view the demo before, go ahead and visit opazity.com. The voting is over, but you can register for a launch alert at this new site.
Today, Steve Hards of SteveHardSoft Skyped to tell me the news: his fun new PowerPoint add-in that applies a Gaussian blur to images finally has a name!
It's… (drum roll please!) Opazity!Of the three name choices, both Steve and I were in favor of "Fuzzy Touch". But we were overruled by public preference, so...
Opazity it is.
Thanks for voting! “I’m extremely grateful to the people who voted,” said Steve. “Colleagues thought I was mad to put up the options for people to vote on, but the result shows that without testing these things, you never really know what is going to be best.”
Beta testing is going well. Steve also gave me the opportunity to Beta test Opazity. The fun little add-in installed in minutes. And it took me less time than that to actually learn how to use Opazity to "blur and reveal" different images in PowerPoint.
So for Beta test fun, I quickly created a 5 slide PowerPoint presentation called "Stupid Questions" -- and used Opazity to reveal the "Stupid Answers". (You can see the lighting-fast video results at YouTube...)
Worked like a snap...easy and fun. Steve said that he will be launching this new PowerPoint add-in product in a few weeks. If you didn't get a chance to view the demo before, go ahead and visit opazity.com. The voting is over, but you can register for a launch alert at this new site.
Labels: content ideas, fun, PowerPoint Presentation, Presentation Applications, video
¶ 10/04/2007 02:02:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Downloading and Converting YouTube Videos
Here is yet another free service for downloading videos from YouTube and other video sites. Beyond mere video downloading, Vconvert also automatically converts the video into a variety of popular formats.
Try Vconvert. You just enter the video URL at Vconvert, select which format you want -- and click "Convert and Download". After a few minutes, you'll be asked to click on the "Download" button. That's all there is to it. (See screenshot below.)
No muss, no fuss -- but some formats work better than others. For example, Vconvert had no problem converting my online video files to Quicktime (.mov) -- but all my .wmv files got "lost in translation" -- i.e., they became damaged or corrupt, and therefore unusable. Bummer.
Now, when do you suppose YouTube will embed a service like this within its own site? And how popular will this feature become?
Related post: How to Embed YouTube videos into PowerPoint
Here is yet another free service for downloading videos from YouTube and other video sites. Beyond mere video downloading, Vconvert also automatically converts the video into a variety of popular formats.
Try Vconvert. You just enter the video URL at Vconvert, select which format you want -- and click "Convert and Download". After a few minutes, you'll be asked to click on the "Download" button. That's all there is to it. (See screenshot below.)
No muss, no fuss -- but some formats work better than others. For example, Vconvert had no problem converting my online video files to Quicktime (.mov) -- but all my .wmv files got "lost in translation" -- i.e., they became damaged or corrupt, and therefore unusable. Bummer.
Now, when do you suppose YouTube will embed a service like this within its own site? And how popular will this feature become?
Related post: How to Embed YouTube videos into PowerPoint
Labels: video
¶ 9/04/2007 03:28:00 PM 1 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Naming your website or company: 2 Great Tools
The whole idea of "naming" has come up a lot for me lately. I am frequently asked about that old devil - "what should I name my new website / company / product / blog: especially since all the good names are already taken?"
Great question. But I'm not so sure that all the good names ARE taken!
A better question: "What's a good name for my new company, product, or website?"
I think if you are a small business, you'll want to start with that question instead!
(Notice: I didn't say the "ideal" or "perfect" name. Just a good name. There is no such thing as the perfect name, so get over any perfectionist tendencies you might have right away!)
When I consult with companies on the whole "naming" issue, I tell them that there are a few things they should know about the theory of picking a new name, as well as a few online tools they can use to make sure their name is a) unique and b) available.
This is valuable stuff-- it's information that ad agencies and marketing firms don't want you to know!
The truth is: you can do this. You can name your own company and land your dotcom URL. And you don't have to pay some marketing gurus tens of thousands to do this basic task.
If you know your customers, niche, products, offerings, services, etc. -- then you ARE the best person to name your company or website! But a word of caution: if you spend over a week on this most basic task, you are PROCRASTINATING! This is not the toughest task when it comes to running your business.
So I'm going to cut through myths and get to reality -- and I'll give you the tools to DIY quickly - so Do It Yourself Today!
Tool #1 - The Naming Podcast -- This podcast is about 20 minutes long. I usually give this presentation as a chalk talk -- but because you might be driving or running, I'm just talking my way through the visuals. Listen to this podcast first -- then go to Tool #2:
Tool #2 - The Nitty Gritty Naming Tools - In previous posts, I alluded to the idea that there are some free and cheap online tools that can let you brainstorm and snap up great names for your new website or company. This is a 6.5 minute video presentation that shows you exactly how to pick a "hip and now" name for your company.
And if you think that all the "hip and now" dotcom names are taken by December 7, 2005 -- think again.
The video shows you unequivocally -- it's not true! There are several hip and now names that are available for you to snap up online right now! ¶ 12/07/2005 09:33:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
The whole idea of "naming" has come up a lot for me lately. I am frequently asked about that old devil - "what should I name my new website / company / product / blog: especially since all the good names are already taken?"
Great question. But I'm not so sure that all the good names ARE taken!
A better question: "What's a good name for my new company, product, or website?"
I think if you are a small business, you'll want to start with that question instead!
(Notice: I didn't say the "ideal" or "perfect" name. Just a good name. There is no such thing as the perfect name, so get over any perfectionist tendencies you might have right away!)
When I consult with companies on the whole "naming" issue, I tell them that there are a few things they should know about the theory of picking a new name, as well as a few online tools they can use to make sure their name is a) unique and b) available.
This is valuable stuff-- it's information that ad agencies and marketing firms don't want you to know!
The truth is: you can do this. You can name your own company and land your dotcom URL. And you don't have to pay some marketing gurus tens of thousands to do this basic task.
If you know your customers, niche, products, offerings, services, etc. -- then you ARE the best person to name your company or website! But a word of caution: if you spend over a week on this most basic task, you are PROCRASTINATING! This is not the toughest task when it comes to running your business.
So I'm going to cut through myths and get to reality -- and I'll give you the tools to DIY quickly - so Do It Yourself Today!
Tool #1 - The Naming Podcast -- This podcast is about 20 minutes long. I usually give this presentation as a chalk talk -- but because you might be driving or running, I'm just talking my way through the visuals. Listen to this podcast first -- then go to Tool #2:
Tool #2 - The Nitty Gritty Naming Tools - In previous posts, I alluded to the idea that there are some free and cheap online tools that can let you brainstorm and snap up great names for your new website or company. This is a 6.5 minute video presentation that shows you exactly how to pick a "hip and now" name for your company.
And if you think that all the "hip and now" dotcom names are taken by December 7, 2005 -- think again.
The video shows you unequivocally -- it's not true! There are several hip and now names that are available for you to snap up online right now! ¶ 12/07/2005 09:33:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
