7 Tips to Record a Video Lesson with High Quality

The preparations for recording a video lesson can be a little different from classroom lessons. It involves decisions about which equipment to use, which environment to choose to record, how the items will be arranged in the scenario, and even whether it will be necessary to edit the course videos at the end.

A very useful feature is to record the computer screen. I will leave a list of some free tools in the article. But, don’t forget that the most important thing is planning as a whole when recording a video lesson.

I have separated here the main tips that will make your video lessons attractive to your students. Let’s see them one by one to record a video lesson with high quality then!

How long should a video lesson be?

Let’s look at a set of research, which is done by Philip Guo, an assistant head of faculty of Computer Science at the University of Rochester, supported by edX.

As per this study that analyzed student engagement with a few edX math and science courses, the optimal video length is 6-12 minutes, and after that, there is a sharp drop in student engagement.

However, the Brazilian EAD association states that a video lesson must be 30 minutes long. Postgraduate courses, on the other hand, offer classes of 60 min. Free courses tend to publish 20 min classes.

I see many production companies have recorded good 5-minute classes and very good 50-minute classes.

My opinion: Do not follow any time rules. Since you are not in front of the student, you do not have to repeat the same thing. The student will return the video as many times as necessary.

Structure the video lesson script

A great video lesson requires a well-structured script. The script does not only cover the content of the course. It must have a strategy of recording the famous, beginning, middle and end.

Your script should also include the elements that will appear on the screen at the time of the explanation. You need to know what visual items will be displayed to not lose the guideline while speaking or while editing.

Another option to help the structuring of a script is to have a slide show ready and organized to transmit the screen during the video lesson recording. The superiority of this option is that you don’t need a lot of editing at the end of recording or broadcasting the lesson.

What equipment is needed to record a video lesson?

The right equipment is crucial when recording lessons. Currently, there are options and models of recording equipment for all budgets. You will need the following equipment:

Microphone

Capturing sound with quality is the most important item at the time of recording. Nobody can stand watching a video for a long time with bad sound even though the content is incredible.

You can use lapel, handheld or directional microphones that, in addition to being practical, still have a good directional sound pickup.

Camera

A camera with multiple functions and high image quality needs to be purchased at affordable prices. A great tip is to do an analysis of what type of equipment you have, what your class needs and how much you are willing to invest if you need to buy a camera.

If you are going to use your smartphone to record lessons, it is essential to have a tripod as a support for your phone, an item that can also be obtained at affordable prices.

Quiet environment

In addition to a good camera, you need to choose a quiet, well-lit place. External noises will disturb the attention of those who are attending the class. If you have to choose between a bright and a quiet environment, choose the quiet one.

It is not necessary to be a studio with sound insulation or professional lighting. However, the environment must be adequate. It is very significant that you are comfortable and prevent yourself from being interrupted by people or other external factors.

The light is easy to fix with lighting equipment. There are several lighting equipments for recording videos.

The scenario

The scenario can take a lot of students’ attention. Therefore, it is essential that you choose scenarios with few visual items and that have adequate lighting.

A tip to avoid this kind of inattention by students is to have a writing board in the background or some bookcase with few items arranged.

Set minimalist scenarios that will not cause inattention to those who are watching.

Editing of video lessons

With all of the above items organized, video editing will be the easiest part. It will only take up spaces and cut errors.

Your video lesson will be a success if you manage to gather all the elements above, an organized script, a good sound capture, a quiet and well-lit environment with the whole scenario organized.

I repeat it is crucial to have good planning in the script part. Even if you broadcast a lesson live, you may need to edit it.

Light, camera, action!!!!

It may seem difficult to adapt and structure so many items in addition to the preparation of the lesson itself, but by following these tips, you will be able to record in the best possible way. It may be hard work at first, but once done, you will already have the basis for the next classes that you are going to record.

Programs to capture the screen:

Last I’d love to recommend you some free screen recorders to record a video lesson easily.

1. Xbox Game Bar – Windows 10

It is one of the simplest methods, yes, but it has some limitations. For example, with Xbox Game Bar, we will only record the tab that we have open. Everything that is around is not recorded. That is, if we are recording a process, we must know that everything we do outside of the initial tab will not be recorded.

This is because the Xbox Game Bar is designed to record games of video games, not to record online tutorials with different tabs, dialog boxes and so on.

2.  QuickTime Player – Mac OS

For those whose Mac isn’t compatible with Mac OS Mojave, using QuickTime Player, the standard video player from Apple, since always, is an excellent choice. It has simple settings for recording the entire screen, or just a selected portion, and allows the use of the microphone to make narrations and comments.

3. RecordCast Screen Recorder – Windows and Mac OS

RecordCast Screen Recorder is a web-based tool with a series of video editing features, completely free of charge, and can record the desktop screen, an application window, or a browser tab. With an intuitive interface, it has a smooth learning curve.

Since it is an online recording tool, you can record your computer screen whatever you use Windows or Mac. And there is no need to worry about any add-on or program downloads, even the browser plugin.

4. CamStudio – Windows

For all I know, CamStudio is one of the simplest programs on this list and one of the most popular open-source tools available for Windows.

It has several encoders to choose from to generate the video, and if you select the default options, its use is really simple. In addition, when you download it, the last installation screen gives you the possibility to see a video demonstration of its use (audio in English and subtitles also in English).

Hope those tips for recording a video lesson with high-quality help! Good luck with your high-quality videos!