With everything shifting online due to the pandemic, it is hardly surprising that the gaming community witnessed an exponential rise during the lockdown. Many people who had never dabbled in gaming before took the plunge, while quite a few became involved full time, going all in and making a career for themselves. If you too are a part of a first-time gamers’ group who want to stream but don’t know how to edit, read on:
5 steps for successful game video editing:
1. Planning gameplay production.
2. Determine your objective and genre.
3. Choose soundtrack/voice comments.
4. Film and final edits.
5. Add Titles and Export.
Editing can seem like a daunting task for beginners. However, recent technological innovations have made video game editing not only possible but also extremely easy for everyone, from amateurs to professionals, so there is no need to worry. Let us now have a look at how you can make the recording and editing process seamless for yourself.
To begin with, decide the device you want to record your gameplay on, be it a PC or console depending on the kind of game/s you want to play. Now that you have decided on a PC, the good news is you don’t need any additional gear to record! You can simply record by using any screen recording software or, better yet, a reputable games video editor.
Step1: Gameplay preparation is the key
To successfully edit and upload engrossing gameplay videos on your channel/stream, you need to come up with a game plan that outlines your basic structure. Think of it as a blueprint that contains the genre based on your objective, soundtrack(s), or voiceovers/comments. Gameplay production planning is quintessential for top-level editing. More about voiceovers later.
Step 2: Determine Genre
Ask yourself what is it that you want to achieve with your current stream/upload? Do you want to expand your audience, or are you doing it as a fun activity? Keep this in mind while choosing your genre. For instance, you need to research your target group if you want to increase your viewer base. There are many genres that gamers can explore, including Real-time strategy (RTS), Shooters (FPS and TPS), Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), Role-playing (RPG, ARPG), and more.
Step 3: Choosing your background music
Align your audiotrack/soundtrack with the genre you have chosen. The importance of choosing the right background music for your gameplay cannot be emphasized enough. Not only does it increase audience engagement, but it also adds to the overall experience of viewers streaming experience which is directly linked to your viewer base.
A very important thing to consider is the copyright policies of the games you intend to stream. Many companies restrict and limit gamers from using their audiotrack. Coming to voice comments now, one should check their microphone quality and limit any feedback coming from their surroundings. Make sure your comments can be heard clearly, and don’t breathe on your mouthpiece while recording. Additionally, you can record an audio track/voiceover separately and include it later on.
Step 4: Recording and editing
Now that you have everything set up, it is time to enjoy and play the game of your choosing while recording it. Research and choose a reputable video game editor of your choice to make the final edits. Remove any unnecessary bits of the game. You don’t need to include all the clips, only use the most interesting, fun bits of them, and don’t forget to incorporate your audio soundtrack.
Step 5: Tweak and upload
You can go a step further and make your videos stand out from the crowd by adding titles, themes, and transitions. Make sure the background score isn’t overpowering the voice commentary and is not harsh on the ears. A cohesive and engaging video is appreciated and increases user engagement, hence the need to prioritize quality over quantity. Gamers like Pewdipie, Jacksepticeye are LIVE examples of this. This last step will keep you one step ahead of the competition as many gamers skip polishing in lieu of uploading as often as possible. Contrary to popular belief, viewers are drawn by quality uploads and not bulk uploads. Now your video is ready to be uploaded and enjoyed by your viewers!
To Conclude
A few things you should keep in mind while editing includes researching and investing time for quality uploads. Moreover, keeping all the videos in one folder makes it better organized and accessible while editing. Make sure you are up to date with the copyright policies of all the games you want to stream to avoid copyright strikes and issues restricting your videos. Lastly, the background score should not overpower or muffle the actual voice comments while editing. Now that you are up to speed with editing it is time to plan, play, record and upload!
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