Highlight Videos - How and Why?
Do you know what a highlight video is? Learn about why I love them and how I even started making my own!
Do you know what a highlight video is? Learn about why I love them and how I even started making my own!
Ok, so everyone knows how there’s 3 different types of “learners” ... you’re either a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner, right? Well for me, I feel I’m all 3, at least in some way.
I’d say I’m usually a visual learner - I like to see how things are done or how things work in order for me to fully grasp the idea or concept. When it comes to travel, I am the same way. My initial searches begin with Google - lots of reading. But when I really decide on a place, I need to watch videos to see what the place is really like.
I can read about destinations or certain resorts all day long, but I want to know exactly what to expect when I am going somewhere. This is where I found myself on YouTube, watching different travel vloggers both show and tell me about the destination. For me, this is the best way that I can get a true feel for what a place has to offer.
This really hit home when I was preparing to go to Japan. It was my first time traveling outside of North America, which was quite scary! On top of that… it’s a country that doesn’t even speak English. How could I prepare?! I found myself endlessly watching YouTube videos about the places I was going, places to explore, and how to speak some basic Japanese! However, I don't have unlimited time to sit and watch hours of videos (in fact, I don't even like movies because they are "too long"). I found myself navigating to what people were calling "Highlight Videos".
These videos are anywhere from 30 seconds to maybe 7-ish minutes. They give a nice overview and recap of the topic/place/destination. It's exactly what I was looking for! I only needed to know the "super important" details, which were all jam packed into these highlight videos. A truly great way to get information & visuals.
So what happened next? Well, I made my own highlight videos of course! I had never worked with videos or any kind of editing tool before. I simply just use iMovie which came with my Mac. I think it is super user-friendly, and pretty much anyone could figure how to use it just by playing around with it.
I now try to make these highlight videos on every big trip I take. I think they are not only useful to others, but an amazing memory recap for me as well! Instead of looking through hundreds of photos, the video highlights all the big stuff. I'm also a very creative person, so making them is actually a good hobby. I love figuring out the best transitions, music, and videos to use.
The absolute hardest part of making any type of video for me is remembering to actually take the footage. When I'm on vacation, I'm usually very enthralled in whatever it is I'm doing, so it took some practice to remember to record every now & then. I've got my whole family on board the highlight video train now, so they are a big help with reminding me to take footage, or even taking some themselves if they are with me!
You can check out my YouTube channel here!