Lights, Camera, AI! A First Foray into Video Editing
In my last post, I talked about the growing importance of video content, both for marketing The Book Whisperer and for potentially creating a standalone income stream on YouTube. It's a daunting prospect for someone who has only used basic editing tools a couple of times before. But, as with everything else in this 60-day challenge, it's about taking action, learning by doing, and embracing the "imperfect first pancake" philosophy.
So, where to begin? There are several key elements to creating video content:
The Content Itself: What will I actually be saying? (More on that in future posts – I've got some exciting ideas brewing!).
Recording Equipment: How do I capture decent video and audio without breaking the bank? (Spoiler alert: I'm starting very basic).
Video Production Tools: How do I edit the footage, add effects, and turn it into something watchable?
Publishing & Optimisation: How do I get my videos onto YouTube and (hopefully) in front of the right audience?
Two books have been my guiding lights in navigating this new world:
"YouTube Secrets" by Sean Cannell and Benji Travis: This is a comprehensive guide to building a successful YouTube channel, covering everything from content strategy and audience engagement to monetisation and optimisation. They emphasise the importance of niche focus, consistent posting, and mastering the "click-through rate" with compelling thumbnails and titles.
"The YouTube Formula" by Derral Eves: Eves focuses on the data-driven side of YouTube, explaining how to understand the algorithm, analyse your analytics, and create content that resonates with viewers. He emphasises the importance of "hooking" viewers early and keeping them engaged. (And, at the time of writing, it's available for free on Audible – definitely worth a listen!).
I'd highly recommend both of these books to anyone considering video content creation.
This post, however, is about tackling one specific piece of the puzzle: video editing software.
Choosing PowerDirector 365
After some research, I decided to go with CyberLink's PowerDirector 365. I opted for a yearly subscription (around £75), although there is a free version with more limited features.
Why PowerDirector? A few key reasons:
Intuitive Interface: It seemed relatively user-friendly, even for a complete beginner and there are a lot of “How to…” videos available to answer specific questions.
Comprehensive Features: It offered a wide range of editing tools, including transitions, effects, audio editing, and even some AI-powered features, including an AI co-pilot (like a super-charged help function).
Stock Library: It includes access to a library of stock footage, images, and music, which is helpful for someone starting from scratch.
Affordable: The subscription price felt reasonable for the features offered.
Regular Updates: Subscription includes software updates.
Key Features of PowerDirector 365 (that I've found useful so far):
Timeline Editing: A visual timeline for arranging and editing video clips.
Transitions & Effects: A wide range of transitions and effects to add the veneer of competence to your videos.
Audio Editing: Tools for adjusting audio levels, adding music, and removing background noise.
Text & Titles: Options for adding text overlays, titles, and captions.
AI-Powered Features: Including (but not limited to):
Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech: Automatically generate subtitles.or audio narration respectively.
Object Detection: Automatically identifies and tracks objects in your footage.
Style Effects: Applies artistic styles to your videos.
Green Screen/Background Removal which is necessary not only for makng Marvel movies, but to allow you to overlay one video track on top of another.
My First Foray: AI-Generated "Me"
I decided to use the Curated Collections section of the website as a testing ground. I wanted to create short promo videos for the landing page and for each collection, but I was concerned about using actual footage of me. Not because I’m camera shy especially, but because of the quality of sound I can achieve with my current, very basic, recording setup.
So, I got a little creative with AI functions. Here's what I did:
Drafted Scripts: I used Gemini to help me write concise and hopefully engaging scripts for the videos.
Used a Headshot: I used a reasonably high-quality still photo of myself.
Used PowerDirector's AI Text-to-Speech: I used PowerDirector's built-in text-to-speech feature to generate audio from my script, using one of the stock voices.
Put an AI 'me' on screen: Combined the image of me, and the text to speech track and generated a video of “me” narrating the script with a green screen background so that I could superimpose this over other backdrops.
Added Visuals and Soundtrack: I used stock footage and music from the PowerDirector library to create the rest of the video.
Experimented with Effects: I played around with transitions, fades, and background removal to create a final product.
Why Not Film Myself Yet?
My plan is to eventually film "real" videos of myself, using my own voice. But for now, I'm focusing on learning the editing software and getting something out there. My current recording equipment (or lack thereof) produces pretty poor quality audio and video, and I want to make sure my content is at least reasonably presentable. So creating content this way is cheaper than investing in decent kit at this stage, although AI generation comes at a cost which you cover by paying for credits.
The result? Well, it's… interesting and I’ve learnt a lot about the capabilities of PowerDirector. On the positive side, the two published videos feel like complete products and seem (to me at least) competent first efforts. They were produced quite quickly which is encouraging as my intention is to publsh regular curated collections, each of which will have a promo video.
On the downside, the overall effect is a bit unsettling. There’s no getting away from the fact that the AI “me” is not someone you’d want to have a coffee with. What I gain in professional gloss I lose in relatability, I sought feedback from a few people who have shown an interest in the project and this is the strong consensus. I will not be using this technique again (at least not for this purpose) and will almost certainly remix the videos using the real me in the near future. I’m leaving them untouched for now as I want to show the missteps I’ve made. The stakes are currently low. You can see the fruits of the work in this link.
The Verdict So Far
PowerDirector 365 has been a great choice for me. It's powerful enough to do what I need, but intuitive enough that I haven't felt completely overwhelmed. There's definitely a learning curve, but I've been able to grasp the fundamentals quickly.
There are undoubtedly more powerful and specialised video editing tools out there, but for my current skill level and budget, PowerDirector 365 is a solid option. It's allowing me to experiment, learn, and create content without getting bogged down in technical complexities.
What video editing software do you use? Any tips for a beginner? Let me know in the comments.
