The effective use of Chicago video production thumbnails
The Chicago video production market is highly competitive and you need expert advice to get your target audience’s attention on your video. Having the “right” video thumbnails for your uploaded online videos is one way to get the much needed attention that will result in those clicks.
Video sharing sites provide a sneak peek at a video in the form of a thumbnail, or a single frame taken from somewhere in your video. Because thumbnails reflect a shot in the clip, they are an opportunity for you to pay attention to the purpose of your videos. Video production company experts will agree that the thumbnail must represent the essence of your video.
Online video production is, after all, motion picture photography, so the quality level of a thumbnail can really reflect its quality and intensify the interest level in a promotional video clip on YouTube or other video sharing sites. When your videos appear on a page of search results or on your YouTube channel, visitors will get a revealing snapshot of your company. This gives you a chance to use the unique perspective to categorize, differentiate and otherwise assess your video content and how you’re presenting it.
If you see your video thumbnails looking more or less identical due to your frame grabs employing the same types of shots, framing and background, you are making your videos look boring. Fix them by doing the following:
• Look for different shots/frame grabs of the same person or inside the same room or locale.
• Look for extreme camera angles for visual interest.
• Would a humorous or self parodying thumbnail be appropriate?
• How about injecting some personality into the photo?
• How about your company logo?
• Consider not using a frame grab, but another photo as your thumbnail. Purchasing and downloading a photo or illustration and using it as your thumbnail might be more compelling or even more descriptive of your video or what you are trying to say.
Something about your YouTube videos
YouTube makes you use actual frames from your video for your thumbnails so remember that you have a choice of frames to pick from at upload time at YouTube. Try to cue your videos so that there is variety toward the middle if at no other point – because those frames are taken mainly from the middle of the running time of the clip.
One technique that will always make your videos look more exciting happens to be against the terms of service at YouTube, so don’t do it. You can insert a misleading image or clip of video into the middle of your video before you upload it. This is a no-no and risks you losing your uploaded work if and when YouTube removes it.
While it is misleading to insert a shot into your video purely to mislead and manipulate the thumbnail, remember that the thumbnail is a “tell” of the interest level found inside the clip to a prospective viewer. Therefore, you should be thinking of your online video production techniques as being responsible for maintaining visual interest throughout the clip.
To find out how we can help you on your next video production company project, email irwin@video1pro.com or call 773 252-3352!
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