Some of these must-have requirements are what any aspiring vlogger will need in order to thrive in this digital world of content full of vibrant personalities, cut up into slices of their lives, passions, and expertise. In the past, vlogging was not a full-time job for most; instead, it’s a full-time occupation for so many nowadays. What’s interesting about vlogging is that everybody can be a vlogger if only they have a camera and a story to tell. But, creativity alone is no longer enough when it’s all a messy melee of digitization in which everyone wants a piece of your attention. It takes the proper tools for the job, or the right mix of equipment, really, to make the bar higher-than-casual or amateur-to-something-much-more- sophisticated.
Whether you dream of being the next YouTube sensation in the making, traveling around the world with your camera recording life experiences, or being a person who shares a simple life hack with the world every day, this guide will help walk you through the basic tools that any aspiring vlogger should have on board to help his or her efforts succeed. These tools do not only make your contents of better quality but also simplify the process of producing, editing, and sharing these stories with the world.
1. A Good Camera – Important vlogging tools
A good camera is the base of a vlogger’s kit. Of course, you can initially do just fine with your smartphone camera, but when you get serious about vlogging, switch to a specific camera. Your camera is something that is going to help differentiate you from the hordes of lousy, poorly produced videos.
One of the best mirrorless cameras for beginners would be a Sony ZV-1 or a Canon EOS M50. They are an easy-to-use, portable camera that does some beautiful nice quality video. Included in them are features such as autofocus, stabilization, and the ability to capture all that wondrous video at 4K.
For advanced vloggers, the Panasonic GH5 will do the trick. This comes with a much larger sensor, and therefore will offer even better low-light capture with richer detail. Whatever you choose, ensure it has an external mic input for optimum audio.
2. External Microphone – vlogging tools
In a way, visuals equal half the vlogging equation, and sound takes the other half. So, even if your video is really grainy, viewers will let it go; but if the audio quality is terrible, they just run away. So, here comes the importance of a good quality microphone.
Built-in cameras are built to have built-in cameras and microphones, which tend to pick up background noise or an echo, thus not having a high-quality audio. External connected personal microphone for desktop vlogs is recommended, such as Rode VideoMic Pro or the Blue Yeti USB Mic. Those majorly improve your audio clarity, thus giving a professional sound to the video for the vlogger who wants a sharp professional sound in his videos. Lapel or lavalier microphones also capture clear audio while doing an interview or tutorial without getting handicapped by having to hold any one thing.
3. Tripod and Stabilizers – vlogging tools
Another giveaway is shakiness: whether recording a tutorial on how to do the makeup or some daily adventure amidst the busy city of daily life. Stability is important. A tripod should be regarded as one of the most important tools to give your footages a steady look and professional feel.
For the active vlogger on-the-go, something such as a lightweight, travel-friendly version of the Joby GorillaPod would just do the trick. Its flexibility lets you wrap its legs around anything-whether it be tree branches or street lamps-and shoot that way. For more traditional settings, the compact action tripod by Manfrotto is the best: it provides height adjustments and a smooth pan and tilt function.
Invest in a gimbal stabilizer, like the DJI Ronin-S or Zhiyun Crane if you really intend to do lots of action vlogging. These devices stabilize your camera, allowing you to record very nice, smooth footage even when moving on, which will be ideal for travel vloggers and others recording sports and adventure videos.
4. Lighting Equipment
Good lighting can make all the difference when it comes to video quality. A good camera won’t help if there’s not much light in the scene; besides, the use of natural light can be entirely unreliable since the context of the location and time when you shoot could well be on the wrong side of the bed, such as being indoors or at night.
Many vloggers, especially beauty and lifestyle niches, will enjoy a ring light, but the Neewer 18-Inch Ring Light can be an incredible one. Softbox lights mean even lighting that coaxes out the best in a face and puts shadows to rest. Other benefits of using LED panel lights include versatility, adjustable brightness, and color temperature for different filming environments.
For a vlogger who lives on the go, compact lighting solutions like Lume Cube are very attachable to your camera or smartphone and can provide powerful lighting wherever you are.
5. Editing Software
Now that you have shot your footage, the magic of vlogging really starts in post. This is where you tell your story, you remove everything the human eye does not have to see, and put in the creative elements that will make them stay glued to their seats.
To that end, iMovie and Adobe Premiere Rush for Mac users are really just dumbed down versions of an entry-friendly interface and simple editing capability. Industry standard is far more complex applications such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro with numerous applications within color grading and audio tracks, including motion graphics.
Remember even the most boring vlog can be made to look professional with refined editing. You are going to add several elements of music, overlays of text, among others for making the content rewarding and thus holding the audience glued to it.
6. Portable Hard Drive – vlogging tools
Storage grows with your video library. High definition video files are huge and you will probably need to be prepared with at least one portable hard drive for the archive of your work as well as footage you can expect to reference in the future.
Additional storage will take the best spot out in the external hard drive, such as Seagate Backup Plus or WD My Passport. Thus, it will allow you to free space up at fairly ease on your computer, but it also secures your footage and keeps it safe from loss of data and accidental deletions.
Read this Also:Vlogging for Beginners: How to Build and Engage Your Audience
7. Vlogging Apps – vlogging tools
The best post-production would be done with professional editing software, but what happens when you just need to do a quick edit on the go-especially when vlogging from your phone or posting immediately? You need a vlogging app, such as InShot, Kinemaster, and LumaFusion, which will help you edit videos on the mobile version of it. These apps allow you to trim clips, add music, insert text overlays, and much more from the comfort of your smartphone.
8. Strong Internet Connection
Uploading content on time is very important especially when it is crowd and trends change in a wink of an eye. A strong internet connection makes sure that your content is upload fast so you can reach to your audience in real-time.
If you often vlog and especially if your videos are in high definition or if you’re live streaming, then you may need a home internet plan that’s higher.
9. Creative Mindset
Everything and all the high-tech and equipment aside, it’s your mindset that is most importantly going to make you succeed in vlogging. Fancy gear does make the content look nice, but creativity makes it interesting. Be curious to find different ways to style and format, and-most importantly-be authentic. It will be your perspective that is going to draw in your audience and hang them there.
Final Words.
Vlogging can be one of those most rewarding passions a person could have-from self-expression, building a community, and even earning a living. Given the situation, it’s very much possible to bring your vlogging game to another level and create some worthwhile content in a very crowded space.
If you’re new to vlogging or just revamping your kit, these very basic tools will not only upgrade the quality but also make the vlogging process much smoother and enjoyable. And you could be well-equippe to ensure that professional and engaging vlogs attract attention from your audience once you have the right camera, microphone, lighting, and editing tools.