The Visual Lounge

What sets apart the hobbyists from the pros on YouTube?  It’s all about consistency. Salma Jafri, a Video Marketing Coach, Consultant and Speaker, is a big believer in brand consistency on YouTube, and how it can help build a loyal following. She joins The Visual Lounge to explain her process behind visual branding consistency and shares some top tips that she gives to fellow video creators. Salma also digs into how consistency looks different for everyone and why it’s not just about posting as much content as possible. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Intro 2:10 – How Salma first got involved with video 3:28 – How Salma defines success 6:23 – One tip Salma has for improving images or videos 8:06 – Salma’s playbook for consistency 14:10 – How to find the right consistency 15:17 – The importance of video structure in consistency 18:08 – The metrics Salma looks at most 21:58 – How to achieve consistency with visual branding 25:07 – Speed round  29:47 - Outro Important links and mentions: YouTube Playbook 2023: https://salmajafri.com/playbook   Connect with Salma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salmajafri/ Salma’s website: https://salmajafri.com Salma’s YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/salmajafri Follow Salma on Twitter: https://twitter.com/salmajafri  

What makes a successful video? The answer to that question is different for everyone. However there are some things that all creators more or less agree on.   For example, as this week’s guest says, if your video is packed with information, engaging to watch and super-enjoyable, you’ve done your job (no pressure!). If you need some extra tips to help you reach these goals, this episode has them all.  Kelly Rush, TechSmith’s very own Technical Product Manager, joins this episode of The Visual Lounge. Kelly explains what we set out to improve, the latest features and one key reason why you should download the 2023 Camtasia update.  Plus, he shares his early career memories and a ton of tips for listeners.  Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 1:27 – Backstory on Kelly & Matt at TechSmith 2:06 – How Kelly first used video 3:38 – What makes a successful video? 5:27 – One tip for the audience 7:06 – What’s new on Camtasia? 9:12 – Camtasia’s home window 10:42 – Use of free and premium assets in Camtasia 14:07 – More highlights from the new Camtasia release 15:35 – Releasing dynamic backgrounds 17:24 – What is a Lottie file? 19:03 – Dynamic backgrounds (continued) 23:05 – Where/when to use dynamic backgrounds 25:52 – Other brand-new features 29:34 – Why should you download the update? 31:06 – Kelly’s Speed Round 37:21 – Kelly’s final take 37:47 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Follow Kelly on LinkedIn Subscribe to Kelly on YouTube 

Have you found yourself putting enormous time and effort into creating a video, only to end up dragging it straight to ‘trash’?  Feeling like your work’s not good enough is tough, which is why it’s so great to hear that you’re not alone. On this episode of The Visual Lounge, we’re delighted to welcome creative powerhouse, Eddie Grey. Eddie is a Los Angeles-based musician, composer and video creator who has also collaborated with TechSmith. In this episode, he shares his journey – the good, the bad and the ugly. Eddie talks about the art of starting badly and lessons he’s learned from mistakes made over the years. Plus, he shares actionable tips for using sound and music in videos, finding your own success and allowing time to level up. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 0:59 – Introducing Eddie 2:24 – How Eddie started with video 3:27 – Achieving video success 6:23 – A tip for video creators 8:10 – The videos Eddie is creating 9:31 – The art of starting badly 12:02 – Can your work be too bad to share? 13:50 – How Eddie made and still makes progress 18:58 – Finding the time to progress 21:01 – Using music and sound in videos 22:40 – Sourcing the right music for videos 24:23 – Common mistakes using music in videos 26:23 – Eddie’s Speed Round 30:11 – Final take 30:43 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Eddie’s TechSmith project Subscribe to Eddie on YouTube Follow Eddie on LinkedIn Follow Eddie on Instagram More places to find Eddie’s work 

Get ready to level up your content game as this week’s guest provides actionable tips to enhance your strategy with video. Andrew DeBell, Senior Learning Content Strategist at Atlassian University, returns to The Visual Lounge for this episode. He shares how he got started making video, explains why AI is not to be feared by content teams and shares advice on creating systems to prioritize and manage video production in your content strategy. Plus, Andrew shares his one top tip for all video creators. Don’t miss it! Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction  1:25 – Let’s introduce Andrew DeBell! 2:13 – How Andrew began in video 5:23 – How to define success in video 7:20 – Andrew’s key tip for video production 9:33 – AI: Should we be fearful? 10:57 – What is Atlassian University? 12:03 – What content strategy means for Andrew 14:51 – Andrew’s content challenges 16:51 – Content decision-making 18:43 – Organizing and systemizing content 20:58 – Deciding what types of content to make 26:12 – Achieving content consistency 28:34 – Keeping up with changes and staying adaptable 37:58 – Andrew’s Speed Round 44:54 – Final take 45:49 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Andrew’s website: https://andrewdebell.com/ Andrew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdebell/ Jam Campus: https://www.youtube.com/@JamCampus/featured  

Would your business benefit from creating learning simulation videos?  These step-by-step videos can help learners master their craft and reach their A-game.  But we know how it is…they seem too complicated or costly, or maybe they’re just low down your to-do list. However, this guest breaks it down perfectly so you can get started right away. On this episode of The Visual Lounge, we are joined by Debbie Richards, Chief Technology Officer at Creative Interactive Ideas.  Debbie provides a masterclass in creating learning simulation videos, explains why storyboards are so crucial and reveals the top mistakes people make when getting started. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 1:13 – Introducing Debbie 2:44 – How Debbie got started in video 4:34 – Defining success in video 5:51 – Top tip for image and video in L&D 8:52 – Let’s define learning simulations 12:35 – Can creating simulations be expensive? 14:31 – Where to start 16:24 – Debbie’s storyboard process 18:08 – Next steps after planning 24:30 – Last steps before it’s finished 26:38 – Deciding what components to use 32:35 – Extra tips and advice 33:38 – Debbie’s speed round 37:24 – Final take and outro Important links and mentions: Creative Interactive Ideas website Follow Debbie on LinkedIn Follow Debbie on Twitter Follow Debbie on Instagram 

Ready to create videos that stop the scroll and wow your audience?  On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt Pierce, TechSmith Learning & Video Ambassador, delivers a masterclass on how to level up your video content. Matt provides tips to make your videos pop, such as maximizing the impact of text, bringing images to life and using music wisely. Plus, he provides step-by-step techniques to polish your work and make it stand out from the crowd. Head to YouTube to watch the video version and see Matt’s demonstrations. Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Intro 1:28 – Shoutout – send us reviews! 2:27 – Skip the jump cut 6:31 – Cut the boring stuff! 10:08 – Make text pop 14:28 – Bring still images to life 19:25 – Using music to enhance and emphasize 25:17 – Mastering color correction 31:56 – Keep things consistent! 38:26 – Recap time 39:19 – Final take and outro Important links and mentions: Follow Matt on LinkedIn Follow Matt on Twitter 

We’re covering something a little different this week on The Visual Lounge… In this episode, we are joined by YouTube creator Nico Edward. Nico creates reaction videos on the channel WhatchaGot2Say where he has almost 300,000 subscribers. Nico takes us through his YouTube journey, how he uses Camtasia to streamline his production and editing processes and explains how to create impactful reaction videos. Tune in for this, plus plenty of chat about K-pop superstars BTS! Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 2:57 – Nico’s first steps in video 5:28 – What makes a successful video 8:02 – One tip for video creators 10:31 – Defining reaction videos 11:59 – What makes people love reaction videos? 15:54 – Nico’s production process 18:54 – How much editing does Nico do? 22:54 – Making decisions for YouTube 25:45 – What surprised Nico about video  28:36 – Coping with workload 30:56 – Nico’s speed round 34:27 – Why Nico loves BTS! 39:15 – Final take (big up Camtasia!) 40:30 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Follow Nico on LinkedIn Subscribe to Nico on YouTube Follow Nico on Twitter Follow Nico on Instagram 

Video lets your personality shine through…and having an Australian accent no doubt helps too! On this episode of The Visual Lounge, we are joined by Troy Hunt, Pluralsight Information Security Author & Instructor. Troy reveals all about how he got into creating videos, his scripting processes and why video is the perfect medium for him. Plus, he shares how he became a tech pro, where he turns for inspiration and his experiences with Snagit. Troy is also the founder of data breach aggregation service, Have I Been Pwned? Don’t miss this! Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 1:01 – Introducing Troy 2:25 – Troy’s first use of video 3:28 – Defining success with video usage 6:07 – One tip for video creators 7:44 – Choosing what content to create 9:50 – Video creation – innate or practice? 12:20 – How Troy gets going when creating a course 14:03 – To script or not to script? 15:48 – How much Troy edits his content 19:16 – Troy’s video production process 21:34 – Secondary uses of video in Troy’s work 23:48 – Making technical videos understandable 25:46 – Troy’s advice for technical video creators 26:56 – How Troy uses Camtasia and Snagit – a story 29:18 – Troy’s speed round 35:03 – Troy’s final takes 35:21 – Outro  Important links and mentions: Troy’s website Have I Been Pwned? Report URI Follow Troy on LinkedIn Follow Troy on Twitter 

Want to build an academy for your educational video content?  This episode of The Visual Lounge features Jaclyn Anku, Director of Community and Education at Gusto, and Elliott Morin, Creative Director at 3Motion Creative and Creative Founder of Jettison Creative. Jaclyn and Elliott explore their work together on Gusto Academy, how the project came about and why building an academy was the right move for them. Plus, they share tips on asking your superiors to back academy projects, deciding what content to feature and why, even on a small budget, academies can be super effective. A true masterclass in academy creation! Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 1:28 – Introducing the guests 2:51 – Let’s introduce Gusto 3:34 – Customer education at Gusto 4:55 – What Jaclyn has done at Gusto 7:52 – Why they started an academy 10:13 – Deciding on what content to create for an academy 15:38 – How to get investment on an academy 19:36 – Structuring your content 22:09 – How Elliott meets Jaclyn’s requirements 24:37 – Presenting skills 31:37 – Impact of bringing a community together for video production 34:52 – Updating and adding to your academy content 37:20 – Gusto’s docuseries partnership 39:10 – Jaclyn and Elliott’s speed round 45:06 – Elliott’s final take 45:40 – Jaclyn’s final take 45:58 – Outro Important links and mentions: Follow Jaclyn on LinkedIn Follow Elliott on LinkedIn Gusto website 3Motion Creative website Intellum documentary about the building of the Gusto Academy

When done right, video learning can be so effective. But what does the research tell us we can improve? In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Patti Shank, President of Learning Peaks, explains how instructional video creators can make their work easier to process.  Patti discusses how she got started in the industry, her articles on research around eLearning and tells us the one thing hindering instructional video creators in 2023. Patti is a renowned researcher, speaker, author and workplace learning expert so you can rest assured, these opinions are backed by research! Learning points from the episode include: 0:00 – Introduction 1:00 – Introducing Patti Shank 2:03 – How Patti got involved in video 4:45 – Success for instructional video 6:12 – One tip for working with video 10:48 - Patti’s eLearning Industry articles 12:59 - How the brain processes video vs other media 21:19 - Surprising research around video 27:02 - Using video effectively in learning 34:17 - The biggest mistakes instructional video makers make 37:18 – Speed round questions 42:49 – How to follow Patti 43:33 – Final take from Patti 44:18 - Outro Important links and mentions: Follow Patti on LinkedIn Follow Patti on Twitter Patti’s website Patti’s piece on eLearning Industry