If You Want to Record Video Streams on Windows or Mac Using FFmpeg, Read Our Guide and Learn How to Do This with Easy Step-by-Step Instructions

FFmpeg is an open-source video processing tool with many powerful features. Many of these features are exposed through FFmpeg’s command line interface but can also be accessed from the program’s Python bindings and its Qt GUI frontend, called QFFMpeg.

This article will explain using FFmpeg command line tools to record video streams on Windows and Mac computers with step-by-step examples and screenshots.

Part 1. What is FFmpeg?

FFmpeg stands for “FF Multi-Platform Executable” and was originally developed by Fabrice Bellard in the year 2000 as an extension of the MPlayer project. The sole purpose of the software command-line design is to provide a complete solution for users to record live streams (audio and/or video) from any type of device that supports either the RTSP or HTTP streaming protocols.

FFmpeg is a complete, cross-platform solution to record, convert, mix, and edit audio and video files. The software has over 250 input formats, which allows users to record video streams in any media format. The FFmpeg commands stream the video back after recording, convert it into MP4 or MKV file, and process incoming data on the fly, such as rtmpdump.

Part 2. How to Record a Video Stream With FFmpeg on Windows?

The free FFmpeg command line tool is a great way to record a live internet stream and listen back to it later. If you have a Windows PC and want to record a video stream or screen using FFmpeg, our following step-by-step method will help you go through this process without facing many difficulties.

Step1 First, launch a browser of your choice on your Windows PC and head to the FFmpeg website. Hover over the Windows icon in the middle pane and select either the gyan.dev or BTbn build.

On the next screen, select the latest Windows 64-bit file from the list. Why? You need to use a computer compatible with the Windows 64-bit version. Next, download the ZIP file on your PC and use ZIP file extraction software to open the file contents.

Step2 Locate the ffmpeg.exe file on the extracted file and copy it to a new folder on your computer hard drive (e.g., C:\VideoRecorder).

Step3 In the next step, click the Start icon on your Windows dashboard and type cmd in the search box. Right-click on Command Prompt, select “Run as Administrator,” and launch the program.

Now, write the command to select the FFmpeg directory. For example, cd C:\VideoRecorder, and hit the “Enter” key.

Step4 To start recording the video stream, simply call FFmpeg and use the following command line. In this case, we are taking the example of capturing a YouTube video of “Running up that hill” from the top-rated TV show Stranger Things.

ffmpeg.exe -y -i https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV0RAcuG2Ao runningup.mp4

Hit the “Enter” key, and the output of this command will be displayed on the Command Prompt interface.

The command options have the following meanings:

-y allows automatic rewriting of existing files.

-i https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV0RAcuG2Ao is the stream URL that FFmpeg will record. You can change it with any video stream URL.

runningup.mp4 is the name of the output file.

Tips: Automatically Recording Video Streams on Windows PC

If you want your computer to record a specific video stream time automatically, use the Windows Task Scheduler to create a Timer to stop the recording after a particular time is passed.

Part 3. How to Record a Video Stream With FFmpeg on Mac?

You can use the Mac Terminal to record video streams via FFmpeg in the following way.

Step1 First, launch a browser on your Mac computer and head to the FFmpeg website. Hover over the Apple icon in the middle pane and select the macOS 64-bit static build option.

Download the ZIP file on your Mac and use ZIP file extraction software to open the file contents.

Step2 Launch the terminal on your Mac from the Apple menu, type the “ffmpeg -f avfoundation -list_devices true -i” command to let the system know which device to record from, and hit the Enter key.

Step3 Next, designate the path where you want to save your video, e.g., cd Path/to/my/videostream and press Enter.

Step4 Type in the “ffmpeg -f avfoundation -i “1:1”-c:v libx264 -qp 0-preset ultrafast out.mp4” command and hit Enter to start recording the video stream.

Stop recording the video stream by pressing “q.”

Part 4. How to Record Video Stream More Easily?

Sometimes, using FFmpeg to record a video stream on your Windows or Mac computer is too complicated. So, we recommend using Filmora Screen Recorder to make things a little easier for you.

A few benefits of using the Filmora Screen Recording software are as follows:

• Capture the computer screen and webcam at the same time.
• Select whether to record an entire screen or a part of it.
• Record your Windows or Mac computer audio and microphone voice at the same time.

Step1 Launch a browser on your Windows or Mac computer, install the Filmora Screen Recorder software, launch it, and select a New Project from the dashboard. Next, click the File option and select Record PC.

Step2 On the new Scrn pop-up window, customize the recording size by entering your desired dimensions. Also, choose if you want to record audio and which device to record it from.

Step3 Click Record to start recording the video stream. Once you are done capturing the video stream on the computer screen, click the F9 button to stop the recording.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have discussed FFmpeg and explored how you can use it to record video streams on your Windows and Mac computer.

We have also discussed Filmora Screen Recorder as an easy alternative to FFmpeg. You can get started immediately with recordings or dive deeper into advanced options as you gain more experience with this software. To help you out, we’ve also shared easy step-by-step instructions to use Filmora Screen Recorder on your computer.

Hopefully, you can now record your video streams and save them in high quality to view or share later.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Detailed Tutorial to Crop a Video Using Openshot?

OPENSHOT is a free and open source video editing software that can be used to create or edit videos for various purposes. It provides the users with some special features like easy trimming, splitting and merging of clips, etc. By using Openshot, you can easily crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it.

OpenShot is freely available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. You can download the software from Openshot official web page given below.

To install the program follow the steps mentioned below:

1. OpenShot can be downloaded from the website <www.openshot.org>. After opening your browser, you have to select your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux).

2. Now you have to choose the correct download link for your computer. You can find 32 bit and 64-bit Openshot software there.

3. Once you have downloaded this software, then open it using a double click on its icon.

4. then a dialog box will open up on your screen, asking you to choose the language. You can select any of them based on your requirements.

5. Now another dialog box will appear on your screen asking you to give the location where you want to install this software. To install it in the default location, simply click on the “Next” button.

6. Now Openshot is successfully installed on your computer.

Openshot provides some special features like easy trimming, splitting and merging of clips, etc. You can easily cut or crop a part of your video by using its editing tools such as Crop (To remove unwanted black borders), Trim (To remove the unwanted front and end parts of your video clip).

Step-by-step on how to crop videos using Openshot?

To crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open OpenShot Video Editor. Go to Applications> Education> OpenShot Video Editor.

Step 2: Import your video in Openshot. Under the “Project files” tab, you can either right click on your mouse and an Import Files command will show up, click it and choose the video that you want to import.

Step 3: Then, go to the “Effects” tab.

Step 4: From the list of options, you have to choose “Crop” option and drag it to the clip that you want to crop.

Step 5: After dragging it, you will see a letter ‘C’ on the clip which means crop. Right click on it and you will see few selections. Select ‘Properties’.

Step 6: Under ‘Properties’, you will see a ‘Selection’ drop down. Choose ‘Crop’. You can utilize it to adjust to your preferred video size, a video preview will show on the right side of the screen.

Step 7: You can also use the crop frame that will appear on your screen with some handles around it. You can drag these handles from four corners to resize the frame according to the content you want to crop.

Step 8: Once you have cropped your video, then go to the “File” tab in the uppermost part of the editor and select the “Save as” option and save your file.

In conclusion, follow the steps given above to crop your video, resize it and save your work.

There is a better way to do it which using Filmora. It is an online video editing software that allows its users to create videos for various purposes. It provides the users with some special features like easy trimming, splitting and merging of clips, etc. By using Filmora, you can easily crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it.

An easier way to crop video using Filmora

Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is a software created for use on Windows, designed to edit videos. It has many of the features of Adobe Premiere, but it is free.

It supports the following formats: AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, MOV, FLV and 3GP.

Wondershare Filmora is different than most video editors in that it does not use timelines. Instead, the user edits clips in a storyboard and adds effects and titles to them. It also has an Audio Visualization feature that plays back music in your collection and shows what you’re listening to in real time. There is no voice-over tool and it is not possible to add an audio track.

Wondershare Filmora has a very large number of effects, all editable via keyframes. These include simple motion graphics such as fades and dissolves, but it also includes advanced options like motion blur and chroma-key. There are free downloadable effects, which are created by users.

Wondershare Filmora supports text editing and there is a large library of free fonts available for download on its website. It does not support green-screening/chroma-keying. This can be done in post production via Adobe Premiere or other software.

It also has the ability to add a number of different titles, which can be stacked and moved around in 3D space.

Wondershare Filmora allows you to import photos for use in slideshows and effects. Every clip or image can have its own effect applied to it if desired.

After editing, the project is rendered in real time with no waiting. You can also choose to render only part of the video by selecting the time range.

One final bonus is Wondershare Filmora’s media library, which allows users to add files from their computer and sort them by category. This makes finding your desired video a much easier task.

This software has a very simple interface that is easy to navigate, even for beginners. The design of the program makes it intuitive enough that you can start editing videos right away without having to go through tutorials. It is easy to create the desired effects and titles that you need for your video with just a few clicks. Its editing tools are powerful enough for professional use while still being easy to learn.

The one downside is that Wondershare Filmora does not support 4K resolution—the maximum output size is 1080p.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-step on how to crop videos using Filmora?

To crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open Filmora video editor. Go to the ‘Home’ menu and click on ‘Open Project’ or go to File > Open Project. Now, select your *.AVI or *.MP4 file.

Step 2: Click Alt + C in your keyboard. A small pop-out will show, it is for the command Crop and Zoom.

Step 3: Drag the corners of the frame to resize the size of your video or adjust position by dragging the handles. You can crop off anything outside this frame and hit “OK”.

Step 4: Adjust the crop and zoom as you like and finally, click on ‘Save Project As’ to export your video.

You can download Filmora free video editor from the official website easily. Just visit the behind-the-link and click on ‘Download’ to get the installer file. Once you have downloaded it, you need to install Filmora software on your computer to start using it.

Step 3: Then, go to the “Effects” tab.

Step 4: From the list of options, you have to choose “Crop” option and drag it to the clip that you want to crop.

Step 5: After dragging it, you will see a letter ‘C’ on the clip which means crop. Right click on it and you will see few selections. Select ‘Properties’.

Step 6: Under ‘Properties’, you will see a ‘Selection’ drop down. Choose ‘Crop’. You can utilize it to adjust to your preferred video size, a video preview will show on the right side of the screen.

Step 7: You can also use the crop frame that will appear on your screen with some handles around it. You can drag these handles from four corners to resize the frame according to the content you want to crop.

Step 8: Once you have cropped your video, then go to the “File” tab in the uppermost part of the editor and select the “Save as” option and save your file.

In conclusion, follow the steps given above to crop your video, resize it and save your work.

There is a better way to do it which using Filmora. It is an online video editing software that allows its users to create videos for various purposes. It provides the users with some special features like easy trimming, splitting and merging of clips, etc. By using Filmora, you can easily crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it.

An easier way to crop video using Filmora

Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is a software created for use on Windows, designed to edit videos. It has many of the features of Adobe Premiere, but it is free.

It supports the following formats: AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, MOV, FLV and 3GP.

Wondershare Filmora is different than most video editors in that it does not use timelines. Instead, the user edits clips in a storyboard and adds effects and titles to them. It also has an Audio Visualization feature that plays back music in your collection and shows what you’re listening to in real time. There is no voice-over tool and it is not possible to add an audio track.

Wondershare Filmora has a very large number of effects, all editable via keyframes. These include simple motion graphics such as fades and dissolves, but it also includes advanced options like motion blur and chroma-key. There are free downloadable effects, which are created by users.

Wondershare Filmora supports text editing and there is a large library of free fonts available for download on its website. It does not support green-screening/chroma-keying. This can be done in post production via Adobe Premiere or other software.

It also has the ability to add a number of different titles, which can be stacked and moved around in 3D space.

Wondershare Filmora allows you to import photos for use in slideshows and effects. Every clip or image can have its own effect applied to it if desired.

After editing, the project is rendered in real time with no waiting. You can also choose to render only part of the video by selecting the time range.

One final bonus is Wondershare Filmora’s media library, which allows users to add files from their computer and sort them by category. This makes finding your desired video a much easier task.

This software has a very simple interface that is easy to navigate, even for beginners. The design of the program makes it intuitive enough that you can start editing videos right away without having to go through tutorials. It is easy to create the desired effects and titles that you need for your video with just a few clicks. Its editing tools are powerful enough for professional use while still being easy to learn.

The one downside is that Wondershare Filmora does not support 4K resolution—the maximum output size is 1080p.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-step on how to crop videos using Filmora?

To crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open Filmora video editor. Go to the ‘Home’ menu and click on ‘Open Project’ or go to File > Open Project. Now, select your *.AVI or *.MP4 file.

Step 2: Click Alt + C in your keyboard. A small pop-out will show, it is for the command Crop and Zoom.

Step 3: Drag the corners of the frame to resize the size of your video or adjust position by dragging the handles. You can crop off anything outside this frame and hit “OK”.

Step 4: Adjust the crop and zoom as you like and finally, click on ‘Save Project As’ to export your video.

You can download Filmora free video editor from the official website easily. Just visit the behind-the-link and click on ‘Download’ to get the installer file. Once you have downloaded it, you need to install Filmora software on your computer to start using it.

Step 3: Then, go to the “Effects” tab.

Step 4: From the list of options, you have to choose “Crop” option and drag it to the clip that you want to crop.

Step 5: After dragging it, you will see a letter ‘C’ on the clip which means crop. Right click on it and you will see few selections. Select ‘Properties’.

Step 6: Under ‘Properties’, you will see a ‘Selection’ drop down. Choose ‘Crop’. You can utilize it to adjust to your preferred video size, a video preview will show on the right side of the screen.

Step 7: You can also use the crop frame that will appear on your screen with some handles around it. You can drag these handles from four corners to resize the frame according to the content you want to crop.

Step 8: Once you have cropped your video, then go to the “File” tab in the uppermost part of the editor and select the “Save as” option and save your file.

In conclusion, follow the steps given above to crop your video, resize it and save your work.

There is a better way to do it which using Filmora. It is an online video editing software that allows its users to create videos for various purposes. It provides the users with some special features like easy trimming, splitting and merging of clips, etc. By using Filmora, you can easily crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it.

An easier way to crop video using Filmora

Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is a software created for use on Windows, designed to edit videos. It has many of the features of Adobe Premiere, but it is free.

It supports the following formats: AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, MOV, FLV and 3GP.

Wondershare Filmora is different than most video editors in that it does not use timelines. Instead, the user edits clips in a storyboard and adds effects and titles to them. It also has an Audio Visualization feature that plays back music in your collection and shows what you’re listening to in real time. There is no voice-over tool and it is not possible to add an audio track.

Wondershare Filmora has a very large number of effects, all editable via keyframes. These include simple motion graphics such as fades and dissolves, but it also includes advanced options like motion blur and chroma-key. There are free downloadable effects, which are created by users.

Wondershare Filmora supports text editing and there is a large library of free fonts available for download on its website. It does not support green-screening/chroma-keying. This can be done in post production via Adobe Premiere or other software.

It also has the ability to add a number of different titles, which can be stacked and moved around in 3D space.

Wondershare Filmora allows you to import photos for use in slideshows and effects. Every clip or image can have its own effect applied to it if desired.

After editing, the project is rendered in real time with no waiting. You can also choose to render only part of the video by selecting the time range.

One final bonus is Wondershare Filmora’s media library, which allows users to add files from their computer and sort them by category. This makes finding your desired video a much easier task.

This software has a very simple interface that is easy to navigate, even for beginners. The design of the program makes it intuitive enough that you can start editing videos right away without having to go through tutorials. It is easy to create the desired effects and titles that you need for your video with just a few clicks. Its editing tools are powerful enough for professional use while still being easy to learn.

The one downside is that Wondershare Filmora does not support 4K resolution—the maximum output size is 1080p.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-step on how to crop videos using Filmora?

To crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open Filmora video editor. Go to the ‘Home’ menu and click on ‘Open Project’ or go to File > Open Project. Now, select your *.AVI or *.MP4 file.

Step 2: Click Alt + C in your keyboard. A small pop-out will show, it is for the command Crop and Zoom.

Step 3: Drag the corners of the frame to resize the size of your video or adjust position by dragging the handles. You can crop off anything outside this frame and hit “OK”.

Step 4: Adjust the crop and zoom as you like and finally, click on ‘Save Project As’ to export your video.

You can download Filmora free video editor from the official website easily. Just visit the behind-the-link and click on ‘Download’ to get the installer file. Once you have downloaded it, you need to install Filmora software on your computer to start using it.

Step 3: Then, go to the “Effects” tab.

Step 4: From the list of options, you have to choose “Crop” option and drag it to the clip that you want to crop.

Step 5: After dragging it, you will see a letter ‘C’ on the clip which means crop. Right click on it and you will see few selections. Select ‘Properties’.

Step 6: Under ‘Properties’, you will see a ‘Selection’ drop down. Choose ‘Crop’. You can utilize it to adjust to your preferred video size, a video preview will show on the right side of the screen.

Step 7: You can also use the crop frame that will appear on your screen with some handles around it. You can drag these handles from four corners to resize the frame according to the content you want to crop.

Step 8: Once you have cropped your video, then go to the “File” tab in the uppermost part of the editor and select the “Save as” option and save your file.

In conclusion, follow the steps given above to crop your video, resize it and save your work.

There is a better way to do it which using Filmora. It is an online video editing software that allows its users to create videos for various purposes. It provides the users with some special features like easy trimming, splitting and merging of clips, etc. By using Filmora, you can easily crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it.

An easier way to crop video using Filmora

Wondershare Filmora Video Editor is a software created for use on Windows, designed to edit videos. It has many of the features of Adobe Premiere, but it is free.

It supports the following formats: AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, MOV, FLV and 3GP.

Wondershare Filmora is different than most video editors in that it does not use timelines. Instead, the user edits clips in a storyboard and adds effects and titles to them. It also has an Audio Visualization feature that plays back music in your collection and shows what you’re listening to in real time. There is no voice-over tool and it is not possible to add an audio track.

Wondershare Filmora has a very large number of effects, all editable via keyframes. These include simple motion graphics such as fades and dissolves, but it also includes advanced options like motion blur and chroma-key. There are free downloadable effects, which are created by users.

Wondershare Filmora supports text editing and there is a large library of free fonts available for download on its website. It does not support green-screening/chroma-keying. This can be done in post production via Adobe Premiere or other software.

It also has the ability to add a number of different titles, which can be stacked and moved around in 3D space.

Wondershare Filmora allows you to import photos for use in slideshows and effects. Every clip or image can have its own effect applied to it if desired.

After editing, the project is rendered in real time with no waiting. You can also choose to render only part of the video by selecting the time range.

One final bonus is Wondershare Filmora’s media library, which allows users to add files from their computer and sort them by category. This makes finding your desired video a much easier task.

This software has a very simple interface that is easy to navigate, even for beginners. The design of the program makes it intuitive enough that you can start editing videos right away without having to go through tutorials. It is easy to create the desired effects and titles that you need for your video with just a few clicks. Its editing tools are powerful enough for professional use while still being easy to learn.

The one downside is that Wondershare Filmora does not support 4K resolution—the maximum output size is 1080p.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-step on how to crop videos using Filmora?

To crop your short video (a clip) and also resize it, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open Filmora video editor. Go to the ‘Home’ menu and click on ‘Open Project’ or go to File > Open Project. Now, select your *.AVI or *.MP4 file.

Step 2: Click Alt + C in your keyboard. A small pop-out will show, it is for the command Crop and Zoom.

Step 3: Drag the corners of the frame to resize the size of your video or adjust position by dragging the handles. You can crop off anything outside this frame and hit “OK”.

Step 4: Adjust the crop and zoom as you like and finally, click on ‘Save Project As’ to export your video.

You can download Filmora free video editor from the official website easily. Just visit the behind-the-link and click on ‘Download’ to get the installer file. Once you have downloaded it, you need to install Filmora software on your computer to start using it.

Tips for Choosing Location & Scheduling Music Video

Making viral music videos is everyone’s dream; what if you get exact tips to follow before shooting your music video to make it high-ranked? Obviously, it’ll be a treat for you!

Planning and preparing before the shoot is the key to making a music video successful. You can only achieve this after location scouting and emerging with the best one. And scheduling for big projects before the day is more important. Let’s directly move towards the things to consider before shooting!

Location scouting

The pleasant and eye-catchy location always makes your music video trending or flopping. You should first go with your budget and then come up with location ideas. In the upcoming tip, we will use 3lau’s song “Tokyo” as an example.

If you are going with large projects, you need to consider the following requirements!

1. Availability of electricity

You need rig lights and a large lighting setup to make your video more glow and give them aesthetic vibes. For this, make sure you choose a location where light is readily available.

2. Separate room

During shooting for big projects, you need room to store all gear and sensitive equipment in one place for many days.

3. Check the size

The foremost thing in choosing the location is to check the Height and Width of the studio. They should be enough to rig the lights in the studio easily and place every required thing in a decided space.

For Example, while shooting a 3lau song, there is a need for a bus to come into the studio easily, but there is an issue in entering the bus due to height issues of the door. Due to this, the director changed the location at the spot to sort out this issue.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

Alternate Ways of Location Scouting

If you don’t have enough budget to get a studio space, then you can easily shoot by selecting spaces that are in your use or available. These are the following locations you should regard!

Location 1. Your Home

You should go with the space available at your home to shoot, such as: on couches or in the bedroom, to give a good impression to your music video.

Location 2. Office Space

You can also make scenes of your music video in office space to better describe the work in the video.

Location 3. Outdoor Locations

For better daylight and illustrations in the music video, you can go with the outdoor location, which is free of cost.

Location 4. Public Places

Public places are easily available and have many options, such as public parks, playgrounds, bridges, and public parking.

Note: During public shooting, ensure that the space is empty, and there should be no interruption of the public in filming the shots.

The weather is also a major factor when shooting a video, which you must check before the shoot days. After selecting and scouting the location, now it’s time to make a schedule which you’ll get in hand in the below lines!

Scheduling for the Music Video

If you have a big project and more scenes to shoot, it’s better to make a whole plan about each and everything. You have to make a schedule of using even a single light at a specific time and space. The following are the main considerations you should take care of!

1. Pre-Rig Day

You need to come to the setup before the filming day to check the main things like electricity, measure exact spaces, check the lightning setup, loaded everything such as the bus, crew, and gears.

2. A Call Sheet

A call sheet is a daily shot list given to the cast and crew to follow the timelines, and it contains the phone number of everyone, their location, and the time to arrive on set. It also includes the nearest hospital, sunset, and sun-rising timing.

It consists of one to two pages according to shoot days and has a plan of everything that happens after the Pre-Rig day.

Note: When you wrap up for day 1, you have another call sheet for day 2, day 3, and so on!

3. Do Planning

You need to work efficiently and smartly to maintain everything according to the plan. You can cut the filming into halves to have a better lighting setup and character availability. On the shot day, you must change the lighting and rigging setup as little as possible.

Examples

On day 1 of the Tokyo song, the filming is done in two halves; the first half day goes towards filming everything in the bus, and the other half day, there is a shoot of everything outside the bus.

While in day 2, there is a filming of every memory. For this, there are setups of rooms and homes for making perfect shots according to the requirements of a music video.

4. Take No Stress

You should not blow up and take stress during shoot day because it’ll obviously cause chaos in every little scene and give a bad impression to the music video. You just should work hard and get all done.

Conclusion

After checking and following the above tips for location scouting and scheduling, you’ll obviously come up with an amazing filming setup and music video. There is no need to worry, just get the whole planning and then do all scenes one after the other patiently.

Filming with people is not always bulky and flopping, but if you have a cooperative team and follow all the timelines of shooting. Then you’ll rock the music video!

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators!

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

Alternate Ways of Location Scouting

If you don’t have enough budget to get a studio space, then you can easily shoot by selecting spaces that are in your use or available. These are the following locations you should regard!

Location 1. Your Home

You should go with the space available at your home to shoot, such as: on couches or in the bedroom, to give a good impression to your music video.

Location 2. Office Space

You can also make scenes of your music video in office space to better describe the work in the video.

Location 3. Outdoor Locations

For better daylight and illustrations in the music video, you can go with the outdoor location, which is free of cost.

Location 4. Public Places

Public places are easily available and have many options, such as public parks, playgrounds, bridges, and public parking.

Note: During public shooting, ensure that the space is empty, and there should be no interruption of the public in filming the shots.

The weather is also a major factor when shooting a video, which you must check before the shoot days. After selecting and scouting the location, now it’s time to make a schedule which you’ll get in hand in the below lines!

Scheduling for the Music Video

If you have a big project and more scenes to shoot, it’s better to make a whole plan about each and everything. You have to make a schedule of using even a single light at a specific time and space. The following are the main considerations you should take care of!

1. Pre-Rig Day

You need to come to the setup before the filming day to check the main things like electricity, measure exact spaces, check the lightning setup, loaded everything such as the bus, crew, and gears.

2. A Call Sheet

A call sheet is a daily shot list given to the cast and crew to follow the timelines, and it contains the phone number of everyone, their location, and the time to arrive on set. It also includes the nearest hospital, sunset, and sun-rising timing.

It consists of one to two pages according to shoot days and has a plan of everything that happens after the Pre-Rig day.

Note: When you wrap up for day 1, you have another call sheet for day 2, day 3, and so on!

3. Do Planning

You need to work efficiently and smartly to maintain everything according to the plan. You can cut the filming into halves to have a better lighting setup and character availability. On the shot day, you must change the lighting and rigging setup as little as possible.

Examples

On day 1 of the Tokyo song, the filming is done in two halves; the first half day goes towards filming everything in the bus, and the other half day, there is a shoot of everything outside the bus.

While in day 2, there is a filming of every memory. For this, there are setups of rooms and homes for making perfect shots according to the requirements of a music video.

4. Take No Stress

You should not blow up and take stress during shoot day because it’ll obviously cause chaos in every little scene and give a bad impression to the music video. You just should work hard and get all done.

Conclusion

After checking and following the above tips for location scouting and scheduling, you’ll obviously come up with an amazing filming setup and music video. There is no need to worry, just get the whole planning and then do all scenes one after the other patiently.

Filming with people is not always bulky and flopping, but if you have a cooperative team and follow all the timelines of shooting. Then you’ll rock the music video!

How to Add Expression in After Effects

Although After Effects (AE) is a fantastic tool for creating UI animation prototypes, we’re constantly searching for methods to make our process go more quickly. Expressions are supported by AE and allow the designer to animate layers without manually specifying each keyframe by establishing connections between layer parameters or keyframes. We’ll go through the fundamentals of using and defining expressions as well as how to adapt them to your own need.

1. thisComp
2. loopOut
3. random
4. Wiggle
5. Time

• How to Add Expressions in After Effects
• How to Edit Expressions in After Effects

Part 1. What is After Effects Expression

Expressions are sections of code created in the JavaScript programming languages with the sole objective of changing the layer attributes in After Effects. They can create adaptable rigs and automate repetitive processes. Because of this, developing and modifying the code should be a breeze. There are many phrases that already exist and have for many years, but finding them might be challenging if you aren’t sure what you’re searching for. They may be as small as a single word or integer, or very complicated, including chapters and paragraphs of code.

You may begin forming connections between a property and other layers when you write an expression on that property. By connecting the expressions to the numerical parameters, the expression controllers in the Effects & Presets panel may assist you in better controlling the expressions. Although they are by no means necessary, expressions come in quite handy when attempting to replicate effects like inertia or bouncing without having to specify a ton of extra keyframes. They not only provide many creative possibilities, but they may also streamline your motion design process.

Part 2. Common Expressions in After Effects

An expression is a brief piece of JavaScript code that can be plugged into animated properties in After Effects applications. Expressions evaluate to a single value for a single layer property at a particular instant in time. Below are a few popular expressions.

1. ‘thisComp’

Expressions in After Effects revolve entirely on manipulating values inside an object hierarchy. Objects in this context include the composition, specific layers, and even effects. Values or other things may be contained by an object.

Use thisComp together with some fundamental arithmetic to precisely place things on the screen. This comes in quite helpful when exporting several versions for social media sites and reusing content. To have the logo scale in accordance with the size of the comp, you could even add a similar statement to the Scale option.

2. ‘loopOut’

You can always simply copy and paste keyframes throughout the timeline if you want an animation to repeat. But if you wanted to make adjustments, you’d have to go back and deal with all of those keyframes again. Again, you’d never see Batman using After Effects accomplishing this. You should use the loopOut expression in these circumstances. Even four options may be used to modify how the animation loops.

Again, cycle is the default setting; however, you may also choose from continue, offset, and ping pong. It just requires animating an Ellipse’s Scale and Opacity properties, then adding loopOut to each of them. The two keyframes are immediately cycled; it is plug and play. There are really just four keyframes in total, however the animation lasts the full length of the timeline. Use two keyframes per parameter to keep things simple, or specify which keyframes you want to loop to make things more complicated.

3. ‘random’

As implied by the name, each frame’s value is generated randomly by this expression based on the argument you provide. It will automatically randomize between 0 and 1 if you leave it empty. The parameter will generate a value at random between 0 and the value you provide between the parentheses. It will generate random numbers between the two values you enter.

Another excellent expression for rapidly producing an animation is this one. We often use it to make opacity transitions that flicker. It just takes a few clicks to do this by adding the phrase below to Opacity and keyframing it in and out from 100% Opacity.

4. ‘Wiggle’

One of the few expressions that may be used without keyframes is the Wiggle expression. Watch your shape begin to wiggle by simply adding the phrase to any Transform attribute. It will jiggle between keyframes if you decide to add them.

You will simultaneously move in two dimensions while using this phrase. You may sometimes just need to jiggle one dimension. The After Effects Wiggle expression (also known as AE Wiggle) is an excellent tool for creating erratic item movement, idle character movement, unpredictable camera motion, shaky lettering, and flashing lights.

5. ‘Time’

The greater the value next to “time” below, the quicker your animation will be. Time expression is useful for continuous animation. Utilizing time is one of the fastest and simplest methods to create an animation. Time just creates each second’s numerical value in the timeline. Remember that regardless of the timecode settings, this number begins at zero at the beginning of the comp.

Again, combine this with some simple arithmetic for excellent outcomes. To find a multiplier value that works for the parameter you are animating, play around and explore. Use it to gradually modify a layer’s position or rotation. Time is also very useful for driving animated textures like the Fractal or Turbulent Noise effects. The evolution parameter is increased by a factor of 100 throughout time.

Part 3. How to Add Expressions in After Effects

In Adobe AE, expressions may be added to any kind of layer and any form of layer attribute. Don’t give up; one of the best things about expressions is that you don’t have to be an expert programmer or coder to use them. A variety of transform effects may have expressions applied to them to generate fascinating animation, which might take hours to create from scratch.

While some idioms are brief, simple, and easy to use and comprehend, others are wordy and complex. Even though they can appear difficult, sticking them in their designated spot should work. The process of adding expressions is always the same; the code varies based on your goals. Learning how to apply an Expression effect to your layer is the first step.

Step1 Include your form or image in the timeline. When viewing the layer’s properties, click on the stopwatch of the property you wish to apply the phrase to while holding “Alt” (PC) or “Option” (Mac).

Step2 Make two keyframes for the transformation you’ve selected; in our case, we’ve point it Beginning and the End frames as shown below:

Step3 Go to the Animation menu and choose the Transform option you keyframed in the timeline. We are choosing Scale since it is what we keyframed. Multiple Transform settings may have expressions added to them, but you should do it sequentially.

Step4 A box will show up on the timeline after choosing Add Expression from the menu. In the box, paste your expression. The numerical parameters will become red and a text box will show up in the timeline below the layer. The Expressions will be typed or copied here. By adjusting the values in the code, you may fine-tune the expression; experiment with each to find what works for you.

Part 4. How to Edit Expressions in After Effects

To edit the Expressions in AE, you do need some programming skills to make the most of expressions since they employ JavaScript. However, there are many of excellent starter and expert expression examples, so you can still get a lot done with Premiere Pro without them. When you click the keyframe symbol on the property you wish to apply an expression to, hold down the Alt key to utilize expressions. There will appear an expression box where you may type and amend expressions.

Step1Select the property in the Timeline panel, then choose Animation > Add Expression to add and reveal an expression. To search Expressions and other parts of a property, use the search box in the Timeline panel.

Step2In the Timeline panel or the Effect Controls panel, click the stopwatch button next to the property name using the keyboard shortcut Alt + click for the Windows or Option + click for the MacOS. Four icons are shown under the property while the expression is active, and the value becomes red.

Step3To open the Expression Editor, click within the text box on the Timeline panel. Wherever you wish to alter the phrase, position the cursor. The pick whip may be moved to the name or cost of a property. The resultant expression shows all the values as one if you drag to the name of a property.

Step4Press Enter on the numeric keyboard to end text editing and start the expression.

Conclusion

One of the most popular pieces of software for the post-production of movies is called After Effects. The tools and expressions in AE are used by many video editors and motion graphics creators to produce stunning works of art, animated films, video advertising, distinctive video effects, and many other useful things. Expressions are JavaScript lines of code that let you manipulate data in Adobe After Effects. Even though they don’t have the same flashy name as a kryptonite spear, they may be just as powerful in the proper hands. The fact that they’ll save you a ton of time applies to all of them, regardless of size.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Expressions are sections of code created in the JavaScript programming languages with the sole objective of changing the layer attributes in After Effects. They can create adaptable rigs and automate repetitive processes. Because of this, developing and modifying the code should be a breeze. There are many phrases that already exist and have for many years, but finding them might be challenging if you aren’t sure what you’re searching for. They may be as small as a single word or integer, or very complicated, including chapters and paragraphs of code.

You may begin forming connections between a property and other layers when you write an expression on that property. By connecting the expressions to the numerical parameters, the expression controllers in the Effects & Presets panel may assist you in better controlling the expressions. Although they are by no means necessary, expressions come in quite handy when attempting to replicate effects like inertia or bouncing without having to specify a ton of extra keyframes. They not only provide many creative possibilities, but they may also streamline your motion design process.

Part 2. Common Expressions in After Effects

An expression is a brief piece of JavaScript code that can be plugged into animated properties in After Effects applications. Expressions evaluate to a single value for a single layer property at a particular instant in time. Below are a few popular expressions.

1. ‘thisComp’

Expressions in After Effects revolve entirely on manipulating values inside an object hierarchy. Objects in this context include the composition, specific layers, and even effects. Values or other things may be contained by an object.

Use thisComp together with some fundamental arithmetic to precisely place things on the screen. This comes in quite helpful when exporting several versions for social media sites and reusing content. To have the logo scale in accordance with the size of the comp, you could even add a similar statement to the Scale option.

2. ‘loopOut’

You can always simply copy and paste keyframes throughout the timeline if you want an animation to repeat. But if you wanted to make adjustments, you’d have to go back and deal with all of those keyframes again. Again, you’d never see Batman using After Effects accomplishing this. You should use the loopOut expression in these circumstances. Even four options may be used to modify how the animation loops.

Again, cycle is the default setting; however, you may also choose from continue, offset, and ping pong. It just requires animating an Ellipse’s Scale and Opacity properties, then adding loopOut to each of them. The two keyframes are immediately cycled; it is plug and play. There are really just four keyframes in total, however the animation lasts the full length of the timeline. Use two keyframes per parameter to keep things simple, or specify which keyframes you want to loop to make things more complicated.

3. ‘random’

As implied by the name, each frame’s value is generated randomly by this expression based on the argument you provide. It will automatically randomize between 0 and 1 if you leave it empty. The parameter will generate a value at random between 0 and the value you provide between the parentheses. It will generate random numbers between the two values you enter.

Another excellent expression for rapidly producing an animation is this one. We often use it to make opacity transitions that flicker. It just takes a few clicks to do this by adding the phrase below to Opacity and keyframing it in and out from 100% Opacity.

4. ‘Wiggle’

One of the few expressions that may be used without keyframes is the Wiggle expression. Watch your shape begin to wiggle by simply adding the phrase to any Transform attribute. It will jiggle between keyframes if you decide to add them.

You will simultaneously move in two dimensions while using this phrase. You may sometimes just need to jiggle one dimension. The After Effects Wiggle expression (also known as AE Wiggle) is an excellent tool for creating erratic item movement, idle character movement, unpredictable camera motion, shaky lettering, and flashing lights.

5. ‘Time’

The greater the value next to “time” below, the quicker your animation will be. Time expression is useful for continuous animation. Utilizing time is one of the fastest and simplest methods to create an animation. Time just creates each second’s numerical value in the timeline. Remember that regardless of the timecode settings, this number begins at zero at the beginning of the comp.

Again, combine this with some simple arithmetic for excellent outcomes. To find a multiplier value that works for the parameter you are animating, play around and explore. Use it to gradually modify a layer’s position or rotation. Time is also very useful for driving animated textures like the Fractal or Turbulent Noise effects. The evolution parameter is increased by a factor of 100 throughout time.

Part 3. How to Add Expressions in After Effects

In Adobe AE, expressions may be added to any kind of layer and any form of layer attribute. Don’t give up; one of the best things about expressions is that you don’t have to be an expert programmer or coder to use them. A variety of transform effects may have expressions applied to them to generate fascinating animation, which might take hours to create from scratch.

While some idioms are brief, simple, and easy to use and comprehend, others are wordy and complex. Even though they can appear difficult, sticking them in their designated spot should work. The process of adding expressions is always the same; the code varies based on your goals. Learning how to apply an Expression effect to your layer is the first step.

Step1 Include your form or image in the timeline. When viewing the layer’s properties, click on the stopwatch of the property you wish to apply the phrase to while holding “Alt” (PC) or “Option” (Mac).

Step2 Make two keyframes for the transformation you’ve selected; in our case, we’ve point it Beginning and the End frames as shown below:

Step3 Go to the Animation menu and choose the Transform option you keyframed in the timeline. We are choosing Scale since it is what we keyframed. Multiple Transform settings may have expressions added to them, but you should do it sequentially.

Step4 A box will show up on the timeline after choosing Add Expression from the menu. In the box, paste your expression. The numerical parameters will become red and a text box will show up in the timeline below the layer. The Expressions will be typed or copied here. By adjusting the values in the code, you may fine-tune the expression; experiment with each to find what works for you.

Part 4. How to Edit Expressions in After Effects

To edit the Expressions in AE, you do need some programming skills to make the most of expressions since they employ JavaScript. However, there are many of excellent starter and expert expression examples, so you can still get a lot done with Premiere Pro without them. When you click the keyframe symbol on the property you wish to apply an expression to, hold down the Alt key to utilize expressions. There will appear an expression box where you may type and amend expressions.

Step1Select the property in the Timeline panel, then choose Animation > Add Expression to add and reveal an expression. To search Expressions and other parts of a property, use the search box in the Timeline panel.

Step2In the Timeline panel or the Effect Controls panel, click the stopwatch button next to the property name using the keyboard shortcut Alt + click for the Windows or Option + click for the MacOS. Four icons are shown under the property while the expression is active, and the value becomes red.

Step3To open the Expression Editor, click within the text box on the Timeline panel. Wherever you wish to alter the phrase, position the cursor. The pick whip may be moved to the name or cost of a property. The resultant expression shows all the values as one if you drag to the name of a property.

Step4Press Enter on the numeric keyboard to end text editing and start the expression.

Conclusion

One of the most popular pieces of software for the post-production of movies is called After Effects. The tools and expressions in AE are used by many video editors and motion graphics creators to produce stunning works of art, animated films, video advertising, distinctive video effects, and many other useful things. Expressions are JavaScript lines of code that let you manipulate data in Adobe After Effects. Even though they don’t have the same flashy name as a kryptonite spear, they may be just as powerful in the proper hands. The fact that they’ll save you a ton of time applies to all of them, regardless of size.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Also read: