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I know you’ve probably been trying to find information online of how to make a great basketball highlight video. Back in the day before all of the internet video downloads it was a little bit more daunting to create basketball highlight dvds and get it out to teams cheap. Well, I’ve put together a quick checklist of how to create the best basketball clips at home.

Steps

1. Learn how to use your camcorder or video cam

It’s hard to create a create professional looking videos if you don’t know how to use your camera to its full capability. Start by learning the basic things that your camera can offer. Does it have zooming capabilities, audio recording, and auto focus? Is it possible to adjust its shutter speed, resolution, and auto timer? Know your camera from the inside out. Practice using it before the big event. Learn all of its features and all the other things it can do. Read the manual until you have mastered each and every one of its specifications. I hate using manuals but for the pro look it must be done.

2. Use a steady tripod

You want to minimize the shakes of your video. A shaky video isn’t fun to watch especially a basketball game. If you don’t have a tripod, make sure that you do other things to steady your hands. Ask whoever is recording your basketball game to lean their shoulders against something steady. Sit down and use their knees and if they can’t find anything steady. Some cameras have optical image stabilizers and digital image stabilization features. You can use them but you shouldn’t rely on them entirely. They could lower the resolution or crop the video frame. A tripod is still your best option.

3. Minimize the use of digital zoom.

Digital zoom may sound like a good feature, but it won’t be able to give you good resolution of your image. If you maximize the cameras zoom, then you’ll end up with low resolution and grainy images, which definitely isn’t the work of a professional. You can use optical zoom once in a while. But if you can, move closer to the object that you are filming.

4. Good lighting

I know in most gyms lighting is fairly dim but in orderfor digital cameras work well it needs sufficient lighting. So proper lighting is always key. No matter how good your camera is, if you use it in a relatively dark area, you’ll end up with dim video footage. Use lighting even if it’s broad daylight. You want your video to be perfect, right?

5. Smooth Audio

A digital video is only half created with nice, shake-free footage. Audio is the other half. Make sure that you have the right audio equipment installed. Some cameras have built-in audio. I see some video with music etc but make sure you get some not too loud and annoying. Remove all external voices.

6. Forget about your cameras special effects.

A lot of high quality camera boast about the special effects, slow motion, and letterboxing on your shots. If you really want effects on your video, do so using a good video editor. You will be able to do more with those than what your camera can give. Plus, it might make your pictures look blurry.

7. Film from different angles.

The fun of filming video would be capturing subjects at their best, and sometimes, their worst. Using a tripod may tempt you to set up your camera, sit back, and watch your movie as it progresses. But if you are creative, you won’t be satisfied with one simple view of the whole scene. You might want to go to the left, the other side, up, and down.

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