Category: ONLINE FREELANCE TIPS

Tips to success in Online Freelancing

Freelancing Or Business? Which Of The Two Should You Invest Most of Your Time And Money In

Freelancing and business share a lot in common. That’s why many people are capable of tackling both of them at a go. But which of the two should one invest more of their time in?

On this blogpost, I will try to demystify the strengths and weaknesses of each one of them so that you see where you need to invest most of your energy in online.

All the information I am going to share with you here is based on my experience freelancing on different freelancing platforms and running a video production business based in Nairobi Kenya.

First, I will start with the common things that freelancing and business share in common.

Common Things That Freelancers And Business People/Entrepreneurs Share

low section of man against sky — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Freedom To Make Choices – Freelancers and business people have freedom to make their choices. They choose when to work, what to work on, where to work, when to go for vacation e.t.c.
Can Propose or Set Their Rates – When a client or prospect shares details of what they want done, freelancers or entrepreneurs can propose how much they will charge for their services. If the client agrees to it, they can set up a contract based on what has been agreed upon. This is the beauty of being either a freelancer or an entrepreneur.
Unlimited Earnings – Freelancers and business people are capable of making a lot of money based on the amount of contracts they win. More contracts means more money.
Can Work Anywhere – While a business person needs a permanent business establishment/location/offices for for them to operate, individuals who own online businesses offering services can work anywhere. This is the same case with freelancers, they can work anywhere.
Can Partner In Projects– Freelancers and business people can collaborate together very well in business dealings. In many scenarios, the business owner is usually the employer while the freelancer is the contractor.

With this said, it exists important things that differentiates freelancing and business.

Difference Between Freelancing And Business

Freelancer	NO	Business Person/Entrepreneur
You are limited on the who to contact for business. Most freelancers rely on invitations for interview and bidding on job posts on a freelancing platform.	1	Depends on your aggressiveness to look for business. You are free to identify and contact as many prospects as you can.
A freelancers is governed by a freelancing platform terms of service. Their profiles are at risk if they break certain rules.	2	Businesses are governed by the rules they set by the founders. Clients have the choice of either accepting or rejecting work offered to them.
Most of the project rates are set by the client. There is little freedom to make choices.	3	Business people send quotes based on the clients brief. They are free to quote the amount they want.
Growth is dependent on your past clients reviews. You have no control of any negative review you receive.	4	You have control on the reviews. You can grow depending how knowledgeable you are in a given assignment and not on what other people say about your services.
The clients you meet or have are yours as long as you remain on a given freelancing platform. You are not allowed to contact them outside the platform.	5	The clients who hires you are fully yours. You can communicate freely with them and ask for business.
If you are hired by many clients on a freelancing platforms, you are not allowed to sub-contract the same work to other freelancers unless you have a freelance agency on the same site.	6	You are the boss. You can contract and sub-contract with your set terms and conditions. This is the beauty of owning a business.
You are exempted from PAYE tax and only required to declare income tax on all your earnings annually. In some countries, income earned from a foreign country is not taxed.	7	Your business is governed by the tax laws of your country and you must be compliant to them. Failure to comply may result in your business being closed down.
The future of your success is at the mercies of the freelancing site you are in. If the site finds any small discrepancies in your account or a client reports your account for no reason, your account will be closed or suspended.	8	You hold the future of your business as you will grow from the repeat work from same clients. When you do good job, clients will recommend your services.

Comparison Between freelancing and Business

As you can see business wins when it comes to a long term investment with high returns. However, its important to point out the roles that freelancing plays when starting up.

Why Freelancing Is Important When Starting Up An Online Business

Freelancing plays a major role when starting up an online business. Here is why it might be a good idea to invest your time in freelancing first before launching your online business.

woman inside booth — Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels.com

Raise Capital – At the early stages of starting an online business, one needs to invest money into building a system in form of a website. You can raise capital to build your online business offering freelance service online. The rule to this is; Don’t be carried away by the freelancing jobs to a point you forget about establishing your online business.
Identify a niche Within Your Skills– Freelancing platforms is the home for different skillsets. If you succeed freelancing in a given niche, it’s a pointer that there is demand for that service and others that are trending on a given freelancing platform in the same niche. This way, you can position your services in the online market place with a lot of confidence.
Income To Sustain Yourself – Before you start earning from your business, you need money for upkeep. This is the money that you can easily earn offering freelancing services.

And that is it from me. I hope this article was helpful to you.

Should people invest more of their time offering freelance services or doing business?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you are looking for professional video production services, you can request a quote for free on Techtube Video Studio website. You will get a response within 12 hours.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.

May 31, 2022

Is The Freelancing Site You Are Working in Holding You From Your Dream Business?
Freelancing sites are perfect avenues to work in when you have clients who give you recurrent tasks and pays you well for the services you offer to them.

Photo by Oudney Patsika on Pexels.com

But have you ever asked yourself where you will be if the freelancing platform you are in collapses today?

Freelancing website platforms have a way of holding unto freelancers and keeping them in their comfort zone. I mean thats what they have to do in order to remain afloat in business.

Many great entrepreneurs lose the vision they had of setting and running a successful online business the moment they start getting freelancing clients.

One slowly starts allocating more of their time to freelancing and before they know, their drive to own an online business dies.

So how do you know that your dream of owning a business is dying as a freelancer?

Keep reading as that is what I will be discussing on this blogpost.

Tell Tell Signs You Taken Away By The Freelancing Platforms

#1 All Your Current Clients Are On A Freelance Platform

Unlike any other job, freelancing is the quickest path to owning a business. This is because you have the freedom to plan your time.

This is unlike 9-5 job where you depend on someone else to make decision for you. So if you only have clients you met on a freelancing platform, then you are loosing it.

#2 You Always Talk About The Freelancing Platform

An entrepreneur should always market his business whenever he or she gets a chance. A freelacing platform is business like yours and has a mechanism of marketing itself. You too should spend more time marketing and telling people about your business instead.

If you are currently doing the opposite, the

#3 You Are Signing Up On More Freelancing Platforms

Thats what will motivate one to take such action by signing up on more platforms in order to tap on more clients. What they forget is, the clients they find there is not their own clients, its the freelancing platforms clients.

The freelancing platform can decide to suspend their accounts anytime on the platform. If you are currently working on more than 2 freelancing platforms and you are an entrepreneur, stop and think, because you are loosing a lot.

#4 You Are Doing Everything Yourself

Photo by Eva Elijas on Pexels.com

Freelancing limits you to doing the job yourself. If you try to have someone do the work, you make losses because the pay is not enough.

Dont let freelancing take everything from you. If the earnings from freelancing is the one that fuels your business, then dont accept many jobs.

Be always open to invest in a team even if it means training them on the skills you have. Write ‘

#5 You Are Always Complaining of Low Paying Clients

Lets face it, in every 3 job postings on a freelancing platform, 2 are paying very poorly. Complaining on different online forums wont change this, as its mostly up to freelancers to apply on not to.

Always ask yourself instead is, where can I find well paying clients? Once you find an answer, go out and look for them. Don’t limit yourself to one place.

#6 Successful Freelancers Hype

Whoever said there is no free lunch was right. Take the motivation and and if you want, buy the course but never let it blind you from going for your dream business. While in all this hulabaloo, remind yourself that you have a business to market.

Dangers of Putting All Your Efforts/Mind/
Focus On a Freelancing Platform
- Competion becomes fiecer everyday as more freelancers join a platform.
- The freelancing site can suspend your account anytime they want and you have nothing to say.
- The clients you meet on a freelancing platform are not your clients. You are not allowed to share contacts and communicate with them directly on e-mail or you will be violating the terms of the platform.
- Freelancing platforms algorithms can eliminate you without your knowledge. I have been a client there and have seen many applications being hidden. Application being hidden is like an e-mail being marked as spam. So put yourself in that shoe and think.
- Being in many freelancing sites doesen’t necessarily mean you will be successful. Some clients post same job in 3-4 freelancing sites in order to find the lowest bidding freelancer. And you can know this if you are a freelancer on all those sites. That means they might hire someone in the site you are not in.
- You might end up leading a lonely life. The jobs you get does not pay enough for you to outsource and build a business. If you work from home, you will find yourself so tied up on the jobs you have and detatched from the outside world. Lonely life is the worst thing one would want live especially in the African setting in the name of wanting to become rich Freelancing.
- With the growing number of freelancers joining the freelancing platforms and number of clients hiring through the platforms shrinking, its becoming hard to succeed freelancing and becoming rich than it was before.
Conclusion

All freelancers have high potential of becoming sucessful in businesss. If your original dream was to become a sucessful entrepreneur, stick to it.

Dont be carried away by freelancing platforms which offer you quick connection to clients by just setting up a profile. Aim for sky. The sky is the limit. Within no time, you will have found those high paying clients.

And thats it from me here.

What’s making you hold unto a freelancing platform and forget about your business? Let me know in the comments section below.

If are looking for professional video production services, let me know here. You can request for a quote on www.techtubestudio.com.

Until next time, bye bye and take care. Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
May 19, 2022
6 Step Guide To Setting Up Your Terms As An Online Business Owner or A Freelancer
‘Having Clear Terms‘ is the means to success online as a business owner or a freelancer. Experience has thought me that if you don’t have well defined terms, the probability of you succeeding online is very slim.

So where do you start? The answer to this is reliant on your level of experience serving online clients as a business owner or a freelancer. Do you understand how online marketplace work?

For example, have you used Escrow payment before or do you know how it works? Working out your ‘own terms‘ is not something that you can do in one day. It comes in as they are needed.

Let’s say it’s a paragraph or point that you add to your existing list of terms in a document as the need arises.

When defining your terms, its good to know where to start. That is what I will focusing on this blogpost.

1. Scope of Work

It starts with the clients scope of work. What does the client want you to do and can you do it?. This is very important. Many online business owners and freelancers I know in the video production industry are good at video creation and editing. However, when it comes to animations and motion graphics, they outsource.

Make sure you are very clear with your client in what you can provide, outsource and what you cannot. Don’t lie that you can do it or find someone who can do it and end up not doing it. You will have failed the client and yourself.

Making your stand very clearly understood by the client is in itself a term. e.g Telling the client “I will require you to provide a given list of items” makes it clear to the client on what you will provide.

2. Cost of The Project

Once you have agreed with the client on the scope of work and both of you are happy, move on to the cost of the project. How much will the project cost? Based on the defined scope of work, come up with a quotation listing each item and it’s cost. Most clients are ok if you do this directly on the e-mail body.

Professionally, I recommend doing your quotation on Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets and sharing it as a link or attaching it to the e-mail as a PDF file. This way, collaboration will be easy and the client can print the document and put it on a file for records.

Costing is usually easy if you have your own standard production rates.

3. Payment Terms

Now that the client has agreed to your proposed quote and the deal is closed, go ahead and discuss with him/her, how you would like the client to pay you. Mostly, it’s good to break down this into two parts.
- Payment Breakdown – Since you have not met the client in person and probably the client is on another continent, have them make a down payment of 50% as a show of commitment. Alternatively, if you are using Escrow service, have the payment broken down to 2 parts of 50/50. 50% when you deliver the first draft of the video and the remaining 50% once you are done.
- Payment Methods – Share with your client the payment methods you prefer. e.g. PayPal, Credit card e.t.c.
Most clients love it when you are clear on how you would like to receive your payments. They know that by honoring your terms, their work will be completed on time.

4. Revisions And Modifications

Once you deliver the project and the client needs revisions or modifications, what are your terms on this? For example you can say, you offer 3 rounds of revisions for free. Anything after that is billable.

If you are new to online business and freelance marketplace, you will not know it until a client requests for several revisions to a point you are tired of making them.

When revisions and modification term is in place, everyone will be careful not to make any mistake from their end because of the cost implications.

5. Mode of Collaboration

As an online freelancer or business owner, expect to receive large files from your clients. This means you must be subscribed to a paid cloud service like Dropbox, OneDrive or GoogleDrive. This way, you can have your file sync automatically on the background.

Agree on a mode of collaboration for their project. E.g If you are a content creator, you can decide to use google docs for scripting and Dropbox for videos. Either way, it will be easy for each of you to quickly locate a shared file and share their feedback.

If you are dealing directly with the client, communication through e-mail is ok. However if you are dealing with a team, then using free collaboration apps like slack will be great.

6. Refund Policy

Lastly, it’s good to have a refund policy in place as part of your terms. What happens if the client requests for a refund after you have started work with them? That’s why this is important. This way, when the client is getting into work agreement with you and making partial payments, they understand clearly the policy.

A good refund policy is the one that is considerate. A win win. i.e. ‘If the client cancels the contract after delivery of the first draft of the video with no clear reason, 50% paid as the down payment will not be refunded.’

Conclusion

Ensure the client signs and sends you back the contract terms you share with them before starting work.
We all know, people hate signing documents with long form terms. Insist that you have an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) in place anyway before starting any work. Clients with high value contracts are the ones who requests you to sign an NDA because they know the risks and consequences of what may arise later.

For example, if you offer video production services like me, and in your contract with the client, you had a clause on commercial license fee of 10% of the contract sum. You can sue the client if they use the content commercially without consulting you. Contracts are there to protect each party from abuse.

And that is it from me here.

What are your guiding pointers when defining your terms to a client as a video producer?

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you need professional video tutorial services for websites and apps, you can request a free quote on www.techtubestudio.com . You will get a response within 12 hours.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
May 12, 2022
5 Video Production Skills That Will Make You Money Online in Kenya Today
The demand for video services online today is huge. More and more companies are looking for competent video producers to work on their video projects.

Watch video – 5 Skills to Make You Money Online Today

Anyone who is committed can succeed making money online producing videos for individuals and businesses.

In this day and era, you can learn any skill related to video production online for free on YouTube.

Arts and Design category leads with 77% in representation by freelancers compared to other categories. This is according to Freelance Forward Economist Report 2021. This means there is a huge demand for Arts and Design skills compared to others.
Upwork

Getting Started

So how does the video producer decide which skills to employ in a given project?

Its mainly based on the script provided to them by the client. Largely, video producers, editors, animators and motion graphics designers are paid to work on projects that are meant for use commercially.

The end determines the means. How best will the message be communicated? This question will be answered based on the assets the client has and proposes to be used in producing the video. From here the skills needed will come out automatically.

On this blogpost, I will be sharing with you Top 5 video production skills that can make you money online in Kenya and are self thought.

List of top 5 Categories in Video production that will make you money online.
1. Screencast Video Production
2. Motion graphics and infographics animations
3. Production of 2D Animation And Whiteboard Explainer videos
4. 3D animation
5. Video Editing
1. Screencast Video Production

Screencast video production is a little hyped category in video production but has a lot of demand in the tech space. The potential of growth with this category of video production is high. Screencast video production is basically recording computer/tablet/phone screens of a software or SaaS application in action showing users how to use the product or service.

Application of screencast video production knowledge can be used in many areas in video production.

Screencast videos are the ones you find posted on most of the giant website help pages showing users how to do certain tasks on the platform.

While this can be done by anyone, most of the product owners prefer to have the work done by someone else professionally.

This is where they employ the skills of a screencast video producer, freelancer or a production agency. Screencast video production is more than recording the computer or software screens.

There is a learning phase where you study how the software or application works before doing the actual work.

To do screencast videos, you need to have access to a professional screen recording and editing software like Camtasia studio.

Potential Earnings Per Month

This skill has potential of earning you a minimum of $1000 to $5000 a month as a freelancer. It requires a lot of patience and commitment at the beginning before you break through.

2. Motion Graphics and Infographics Animation

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Motion graphics has many different definitions. I will define it using my own words. Its basically animation of text, graphic designs, videos and images to communicate a message in the most entertaining way.

Kinetic typography is a good example of a motion graphic videos.

Infographics animation on the other hand is more less the same. The difference is that with infographics, your are adding motion to existing informational graphics or data. e.g case studies.

Depending on your experience, you can use basically any professional software. To be on the safe side, I recommend learning how to use Adobe after effects. With the software, you are not limited in what you can create.

Motion graphics skill has demand all over. Once you have built a name around it, your earning potential will be huge.

Potential Earnings Per Month: One video of 2 Mins can make you $300-1000. If you do let’s say 5 videos a month, you are good.

3. Production of 2D Animation and Whiteboard Explainer Videos

2D animations and whiteboard explainer videos are two different things but share a common ground. Vector graphics and illustrations are used to produce them. For 2D, its more of custom designs and animations. e.g Tom and Jerry or the The Pink Panter.

On the other hand, whiteboard explainer videos are produced using pre-designed templates that comes with the video production software you purchase. You just only drag and drop the elements you need in the video based on the script you have.

2D animation projects pays well if the assignment at hand entails working on a TV show or a movie.

Potential Earnings on 2D Animation

One can earn up to $100k to work on a long form movie animation that may take almost a year to produce.

On the other hand, whiteboard explainer videos created using premade illustrations and templates don’t pay much but is highly on demand.

Earning Potential Doing Whiteboard Explainers

On average one gets paid a minimum of $100 to create a 1 minute whiteboard explainer video. You only need to produce 10 Minutes of animation to make $1000.

Software’s like Animaker, Vyond and Powtoon are popular for use in creating whiteboard explainer videos.

4. 3D Animations

Photo by ThisIsEngineering on Pexels.com

3D animation is one of the most demanding skill compared to other categories in video production. That’s why many video producers don’t like it much. In order to model a very smooth and good quality 3D animation video, you need a computer with high specs, time and a lot of RAM to render your animations.

That’s why it may cost up to $3000 to develop a 1 Minute high end 3D Animation.

If you have the right equipment’s and software to work on 3D animations, the potential to earn good money as an independent professional is high online.

Earning potential

$500-3000 per minute of a 3D animation.

5. Video Editing

With many individuals and businesses embracing Youtube as a way of marketing their businesses, there is a constant and growing demand for video editing services. Business minded individuals are looking for video editors to work on their YouTube content.

This means if you are a good video editor, you have the potential to earn good money editing videos.
The secret behind succeeding as a video editor is looking for many long term clients.

Earning Potential

If you charge $20/hour to edit a video and a client hires you to work for 10 hours a week, you make $200/week. In a month, you make $800 from one client.

If you are able to get clients who collectively pays you for 40 hours a week and offers to assign you work for a long term, you make good money. In a week you will be making $800 and $2400 a month.

Conclusion

Earning potential of any creative in the video production industry depends majorly on their aggressiveness, how well they communicate, their creativity and negotiation skills. If one is able to negotiate for a good pay, they will earn good money at the end.

And that is it from me here.

What other category of skill in video production can a creative make money with online?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you are looking for professional video production services, Techtube Video Studio is ready to sort you out. You can request a quote for Free on their site here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony
April 19, 2022
8 Common Forms Of Debit And Credit Card Fraud in Kenya
Owing rampart cases of card fraud where individuals are billed for purchases they did not authorize, many Kenyans are afraid of using their debit or credit cards online when shopping.

Watch Video Forms of Card Fraud Cases In Kenya

One of the popular online card fraud case in the past years worldwide is carding. It originated from the dark web. Most of the activities that takes place in the dark web are not traceable. That’s how dark web infrastructure is structured.

What is Carding?

According to Wikipedia, carding is the trafficking and unauthorized use of credit cards. The stolen credit cards or credit card numbers are then used to buy prepaid gift cards to cover up the tracks. The process encompasses exploitation of personal data, and money laundering techniques.

In other words, the scammer makes sure the stolen card is working. He then uses it to purchase a prepaid card on his name. From there, further purchases with the prepaid card will be hard to trace.

Though cases of carding has not been reported in Kenya yet, scammers popularly known as wash wash are doing it.

On this blogpost, I will focus on 8 common card fraud cases in Kenya. I will cover them from the most common to the least common.
1. Card Cracking
2. Chargeback fraud or friendly fraud
3. Account takeover on e-commerce website
4. Interception fraud
5. Point of Sales(POS) Fraud
6. Phishing and Vishing
7. Keystroke logging
8. Application Fraud
1. Card Cracking

Card cracking is the use card stolen numbers.

A good case of card cracking is the one that was reported by Nation Media last year here.

Two Bulgarians, Ivan Petkov and Milko Kostadinov, were arrested and charged in a Kilifi court when they were found with 44 ATM cards and over Sh2 million.

A Screenshot of Card Cracking case reported by nation Media

The money is believed to have been stolen from various bank accounts using the cards.

When enquiries was made on the affected banks, they were unable to trace or explain how the money was getting lost. This left them with no option but to refund the affected customers.

2. Chargeback or Friendly Fraud

This is a case where a customer makes purchases using their own credit or debit card and then disowns that transaction saying that it was not them. This kind of fraud is usually easy to trace.

Evidence can found in form of – cvv/avs match, IP address match, location data, copies of e-mailed invoices, the terms and conditions the customer agreed at the time of purchase e.t.c

3. Account Takeover On a E-commerce Website

Ever heard of people complain that their account has been hacked on a merchant site like Jumia, Amazon e.t.c? If the user had their credit card registered as a payment method on the hacked account, the fraudster will make purchases from the site until the debit account runs dry.

If this is not reported early, the fraudster can get away with it. On the other hand if the case is reported early enough, the hacker can be easily traced using the delivery address he/she has entered for the ordered items or the billing address he used in purchasing a given digital product e.tc.

4. Interception Fraud

Lets say you are browsing online and you found a product you like on a given website. Let’s call the site A. You do your own due diligence and you find out that site A is safe and secure. You use your card to purchase the product. A week later, you receive an e-mail notification that your have made another purchase (that you did not authorize) on a different site (lets call it site B) using the same card you used to make a purchase a week earlier.

This is what is called card interception fraud. The site owner or admin of site A took your card details and card information you supplied and used it to make the purchase on site B.

I recently saw a tweet of a foreigner warning travelers coming to Kenya to watch out for fraudulent e-visa scam sites especially kenyan-travels.com. They site appears legit but they will scam users ID and credit card.

5. Point of Sales (POS) Fraud

Point of sales fraud happens when a skimming device is attached to the POS devices to scan and store card information while the customer completes a swipe transaction. Several cases of scammers attaching a skimming devices on an ATM machine has been reported in US in the past years.

POS machine with skimming devise attached.

6. Phishing and Vishing

Phishing is very common in Kenya especially with Mpesa users and KCB bank account holders. This is where fraudsters impersonates official communication from the bank or service provider with the aim of duping unsuspecting users into revealing their credit card details. If they succeed, they will withdraw everything from the account of the victim.

7. Keystroke Logging

In order for the fraudster to succeed with Keystroke logging, they will first need install a malicious software or hardware on the target device. The malicious software will be used to capture credit card details through recording every key pressed on their system.

Keystroke logging happens mostly to users who purchase cheap used gadgets online.

8. Application Fraud

This is a type of identity theft where fraudulent actors impersonates a genuine customer to obtain a credit card. The fraudsters uses customers stolen or counterfeit documents to make their application.

How are the banks are working to curb card Fraud

Most banks are now upgrading from 3D secure version 1 to 3D secure version 2. With 3D card authentication, the system identifies you as the actual card holder before any transaction can take place by sending a One time password(OTP) on users registered mobile number. This will prove that the actual card holder is the one undertaking an online transaction and therefore it is a genuine transaction.

Global card payment industry mandate requires all the banks to move to the newest version of 3D secure by October 2022.

Ways to Safeguard Yourself Against Debit/Credit Card Fraud
- Report stolen cards to your bank.
- Be careful when using your card online. Do not give out your credit card number online unless the site is secure and reputable.
- Memorize your CVV number then scratch it off the card to avoid misuse when you lose or its stolen.
- Setup alerts of all your transactions. This way you will be notified of any fraudulent transactions on your card.
- Be careful when responding to special investment offers especially from unsolicited e-mail addresses.
- Keep track of your documents and ensure you destroy redundant copies before disposal. This way, none of your private information will be exposed.
- Be extra careful when dealing with foreign businesses or companies outside your country.
And that is it from me.

What’s your card fraud story? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you are in need of video production services, let me know here. Alternatively, you can you can request a quote for free here.

Until next time, bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
April 7, 2022
Commonly Overlooked Elements That Make Videos Look Professional And Pleasing To Watch
There are many elements that makes up a video. While each one of them is important, there are those that are basic. Basic elements are the ones that makes a video presentation look professional and pleasing to watch.

In todays fast paced world, one must be able to match the industry production standards in order to compete. If you learn to include the elements I am going to discuss on this blogpost on your videos, they are going to stand out.

Before I begin sharing with you what these elements are, I will like point out why people create videos today.

When you scroll through different content on Youtube you will notice that many people create videos for different reasons e.g as a hobby, selling, marketing, teaching, entertainment, e.t.c.

If you are a beginner, it is important to know the kind of video elements to use for different type of videos.

With this said, let’s now get right into the elements that will make your videos pleasing to watch. I will put them in two categories namely;
- Reusable Elements
- Non-reusable Elements
Watch Video- 8 Things To Add To Your Video And Make It Pleasing To Watch

Reusable Elements

Reusable elements are designs that you create once and can later be modified and reused again and again.

Animated Intro/Outro

This is your brand identity or that of your business. For companies, animated intro video is usually a logo and a tagline. The impact of it depends on the way animation is done. Simple animation still works well today.

When working on animated intros and outros, consider including your address and contact information in it. For example, in my vlogs intro, I have a logo with my domain. This is because I want people to visit my blog. The intro is only 3 seconds.

Lower Thirds Templates

If you are a seasoned video editor, you know what lower thirds is. The latest versions of video editing software’s come with ready made collection of lower thirds.

Lower thirds is the title design that appears below the video and has the name and tittle of the person appearing. You can include social media handles of that person.

Quotes And Long Form Text Templates

If you are a vlogger like me and produces videos on a regular basis, you will need to have a reusable template for quotes and long form text. For instance, if you are quoting something or someone in your videos, you can use this tittle template. You only change the text and maybe the color if necessary.

Also, if there is something that you are emphasizing on your videos, you can use this template.

Animated List Template

Animated list template comes in handy when you are sharing a number of things in form of a list. It’s good when the items appear one by one.

When you have a template for it, things will be easy for you. You will be only changing text and adjusting time.

Title Templates

Premade tittle templates work in many areas of a video. Mostly, title template are used when talking about a subtopic in a video. Create one that reflects the theme of your brand.

When you have a collection of tittle templates, your editing will easy and seamless as you will only be changing the text each time you use it.

Non-Reusable Elements

Video Subtitles .

Video subtitles are very relevant today. For example, if you are posting your content on YouTube, that video will be watched by different people including the deaf. Having subtitles will help them follow and understand what you are saying.

Also, some people who find it hard to grasp what you are saying because of the accent, can follow your videos using subtitles. Having subtitles is a professional way of presenting your content today.

Video Thumbnail

For a video to attract attention of online users and make them click, video thumbnail is necessary.

While you can have a thumbnail template that can be re-used, a new thumbnail design for every new video is good.

Video Credits

Professionally, its necessary to have credits on your videos. Credits are the list of names of people and brands who played different major roles in your entire production. It can appear anywhere in the video.

Many vloggers don’t have this on their videos-me included😃- because they think that no one will notice or care to go through the list of credits. But credits are very important.

It make your content rich and professional.

If someone considers hiring you, they can do that confidently knowing that you have a team behind.

And that is it from me here.

I know there are many more.

Which ones did I miss to mention? Let me know by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below.

And if you need professional video production services, do not hesitate to contact us.

You can request a free quote here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
March 10, 2022
3 Common Video Editing Mistakes That Most Beginners Make

Video editing is a skill that one gets better with time. When one is on their early stages, they make simple mistakes that only professionals in the video production industry can spot.

If you are a beginner video editor, you will relate with some the video editing mistakes that I am going to share with you here. How you edit a video will determine the viewers perception. People rate the quality of content by how it is edited.

Does it communicate clearly?

Is the sequence pleasant to watch?

These questions can only be addressed by a video editor who knows how to well arrange different video components on the video editing timeline.

On this blogpost, I will be sharing 3 common mistakes that beginner video editors make so that you can watch out.

Balancing the Background Music and Voice over

This is a mistake commonly made by beginners. You find out that the volume of the background music is higher than the presenters voice. This makes audibility very difficult to the personal watching the video.

In order to contain this, its important for the video editor to learn how to control audio on the timeline. Learning how to do this manually as opposed to using automatic premade audio templates is the only way out. When you approach it this way, you will be able to control the volume as you listen to changes in real time. You can do this until its on the right levels that you are satisfied with.

Adding Several Transitions and Sound Effects

Video transitions and sound effects are cool as it spices up a video. But too much of it becomes distractive and draws away the viewer. Most beginners love to use several video transitions and sound effects as a way to wow their viewers. It’s fine if creatively put together.

Video: 3 Common Video Editing Mistakes People Make

But as they say, too much of something is poisonous. As an editor, try to minimize the use many of those effects.

My rule of thumb when it comes to video transitions is narrowing down to a minimum of two per video. This way, if it appears in multiple sections of a video, the viewer will be already familiar with it as it’s registered in the subconscious part of the brain. Also, it makes my work have a professional ‘corporate feel.’

Serious action takers appreciate videos with little or no ‘koso koso‘ in it. They are interested with the information you are sharing with them. So, prioritize your message.

Poorly Designed and Placed Text Or Graphics

This is a very popular mistake many video editors make thinking it’s creativity. You watch a video and text suddenly appears and disappears fast before you can even read them. On some occasions, the video editor uses very bright background color with text formatted in different colors and font. They have no transition or animation at the beginning and the end of the title.

Such kind of text and graphics presentation on a video is unprofessional in my view especially in this day and age. As a video editor, you should first do your research, see how other people design their tittles and then learn how to do it directly from your video editing software.

Basic knowledge on design requires that you use a minimum of 3 colors on a tittle for it to look professional. Secondly, choose a font that is visible and easy to read. And lastly, add a transition at the beginning and the end of the tittle. ‘Fade in‘ transition works well on most corporate type of videos.

And that is it from me here.

I know there are more. What are those mistakes that you see video editors make every day?

Share them with me on the comments section below.

And if you need help to produce any of type of video, do not hesitate to let me know here. Remember you can request a free quote on www.techtubestudio.com.

And until next time, bye bye and take.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.

February 23, 2022
5 Step Process To Producing A Professional Online Video

When planning to produce a professional video to be published online, its important to plan.

If you have little time on your side to plan, engage a freelance video producer to help you out. Processes vary depending on the kind of video you will be producing.

Watch Video- 5 Step Process To Producing A Professional Online Video

In this blogpost, I will share with you five common steps that creatives follow in all their video productions.

Ideation & Script

Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com

A video always starts with an idea. By the time you decide to produce a video, you have an idea of what you want to communicate or share. The best way to solidify your idea is to write it down in form of a script.

By writing a script, you will be able to solidify your idea and make necessary adjustments before the actual recording. This is in reference to the final video output.

The script will also shape how you will do the presentation.

Collecting Video Assets

What assets will you need to make your video presentation worthwhile? Will you need to record yourself talking in case its a vlog? Will you need to record computer screen to demonstrate a software or website service to your audience?

If you don’t have video recording equipment’s, again consider hiring a freelance videographer to help you out on this.

All this are called video assets in video production. Its also worth mentioning the use of free photos and videos available online if you have little budget for your production.

Getting The Right Sound And Video Quality

Sound and video quality matters and it will determine how your message will be received by those who will watch the video. Do you have good equipment to capture them well? If you can’t achieve the best video quality, make sure the sound quality is right.

Photo by Kyle Loftus on Pexels.com

This way, whoever is watching can get your message very clearly. Plan this well by choosing a good location to record your video. Outdoors will be ideal if you don’t have good lighting equipment. Also, if you are you are using inbuilt microphone for camera or phone, ensure that the environment you are in have minimal background noise.

If your video presentation requires a voice over, record a very clear voice using a professional mic. Its worth noting that phones nowadays have the capability of recording very good quality voice over.

Video Editing

This is the another important and final step. Make your editing seamless by ensuring that your video sequence arrangement on the timeline delivers your message clearly to your target audiences.

If you are hiring a professional video editor, instruct them to minimize flashy animations unless its necessary.

People today are looking for straight forward videos that shares the message in the shortest time possible. Try to cut down all unnecessary information and share what you want your audience to know.

Limit yourself on edits that will take a lot of time to complete. This is unless you will be re-using them in your future videos.

All these can be done by a video editor when instructed.

Getting Better With Time

You will not get everything right on the first day. Every time you produce your videos, you will spot some minor mistakes in it. Note them done and implement the fixes in your next video.

With time, the quality of your productions will be the best. Be creative and try out new ideas by implementing them in your videos.

Conclusion

Perfection should be your ultimate goal. Every little change that you make to improve your videos will compound with time. Those who notice the improvements you make will appreciate and support your work.

And that is it from me.

If you find this article helpful, share and leave a comment below.

What are those important steps you follow when creating or producing a video?

Share your feedback in the comments section below.

And if you need someone to review your digital products or services, let me know here. Alternatively, you can request a quote here.

And until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.

January 20, 2022
4 Professional Video Editing Software’s With Fair Terms For Beginners
In this blogpost, I share 4 of the many video editing software’s I have tried and tested since I started offering professional video editing services in 2009. Since that time, I have found these 4 to have good terms for beginners.

Before I begin highlighting my picks; I assume you have the following;
1. A computer with the right specs for video editing.
2. And video editing/creation skills.
With this said, here are some softwire’s you can download and use for free and pay for it later when you have work that pays.

4 PRO Video Editing Software’s With Fair Terms For Beginners

Camtasia Studio

Camtasia logo

Camtasia studio is an easy to use software that I use all the time for my vlogs. As a beginner, you get 30 days trial when you sign up to download it. Within this period, you will be in a position to do many things with the software among them screencast video recording and editing.

You can even produce paid work using the software!

This way, when you get paid for the video editing job, you can upgrade to a paid version of the software.

DaVinci Resolve 17

Davinci resolve logo

DaVinci resolve 17 is a free video editing software recommended for creators who are into filmmaking. You can do many things using the software on a professional level for FREE.

It’s important to note that the computer specs needed in order to use this software is a bit higher. Be prepared to purchase Blackmagic products as you progress.

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro

Final cut pro is another great video editing tool if you are a Mac user. When you download the software, you get a 90 day free trial.

This the longest window period that no other video editing software company has attempted to offer.

Their competitor Adobe premiere pro gives users only 7 days to try.

I believe they did this considering the video production industry terrain. There is no guarantee for work when beginning or at all time. Its a good offer for a starter who is hard working as they can learn to use the software and do a lot with it during this period.

Avid Media Composer

Media Composer Video Editor Software

This is another professional software that one can consider when starting up. It was widely used between 2000-2010 before final cut Pro came in for Mac. The company offers four different versions of the software.

As a beginner, you can start with the free version –Media composer first– then progress to the professional version of it once you start making money from video editing.

These are few of the many professional video editing software’s that I have tried and used for free in the past.

What About Adobe Premiere and Adobe After effects?

I know you are wondering; what about Adobe Premiere and Adobe After effects? I don’t think they are good for a starter who have no money to spend on software. 7 Days is not enough to explore a software and get comfortable with.

Secondly, I understand that many people have access and use patched/cracked version of all Adobe Software’s and uses it to do their work, am totally against piracy. I say from a businessman perspective.

If you want to organically grow your freelancing profession editing videos, I recommend purchasing software license or use the ones I have recommended above when starting up until you make money.

And that is it from me. Which professional video editing software do you recommend for beginners to use? Share your suggestion in the comments section below.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony.
January 17, 2022
3 Ways To Compress GIF Videos or Animations

The recommended file size for GIF video animations on various website platforms vary. As a video editor, its good to know how to compress GIF videos or animations.

Video: 3 Ways To Compress GIF Videos or Animations

In some websites, any GIF video file size will play, while in others, GIF’ whose file size is more than 5 Mbs will not play.

If the final file size of the animated GIF you have produced is larger than what the site recommends; how will you compress it without losing the video details? In this blogpost, I will share with you 3 ways of compressing GIF videos.

Reduce Video Pixels

This is the first option you have to consider. What’s your video editing dimensions?

For instance, if you want HD video and your editing dimensions are 1920×1080, you may have to consider reducing the dimensions to that of a smaller version of HD. In this case, the size will be 1280×720. This will dramatically reduce the final GIF video size by Half.
If you are using Camtasia studio, go to project settings and select 720p HD. Most sites recommend a GIF video of 1200 Pixels. So this means you will reduce the dimensions from 1280×720 to 1200×676 pixels.

Reducing the Video editing dimensions on Camtasia

Reduce Rendering Frame Rate

Popular rendering frame rate for GIF videos is 15 Frames per second. The highest frame rate recommended is 30 Frames per second and minimum is 1 Frame per second. The higher the frame rate, the higher the size, the lower the frame rate the lower the file size.

In the past, I have found out that 5 frames per second is very effective in dramatically reducing the video file size without the final GIF file lagging when you play.

To do this; in your rendering settings menu, click on the frame rate drop down menu and select 5.

GIF Video Animation Rendering Frame Rate on Camtasia studio

Using Free GIF Compressors Available Online

There are many GIF compressors available online today. If you have tried the options above and your GIF video size is still larger than the recommended size, you may have to consider this 3rd option of using a GIF compressor. I have tried and used a free GIF video compressor found here. The results was very good. I was able to reduce my GIF video size by 68% without losing the image quality.

Bonus Options

If all the above options of compressing your GIF video file fails, you may want to consider reducing your GIF Video duration. If your GIF Video is say 60 seconds, you can try reducing it by 5 seconds and see the difference.

Add clip speed to the GIF video

Another way of doing this is to speed up the video on the timeline. This will help reduce the file size by a slightly small percentage.

Conclusion

Learning how to compress GIF video files directly from your video editing suite is the best way I recommend. I know there are many other ways that one can do this.

Do you know of any other way of compressing GIF videos that I have missed to mention here on this blogpost? Please share and let me know in the comments section below and you will another freelancer out there wanting to compress GIF’s.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony

January 13, 2022