Quick Guide to Concisely Editing YouTube Videos

How to Trim YouTube Videos?

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The world’s largest video sharing platform currently has nearly two billion active monthly users who upload over 400 hours of video content to their channels each minute. It is to see from these statistics why every video aspiring YouTubers post on their channels has to be perfect in every way in order to reach a wide audience. Fortunately, trimming a video even after you’ve uploaded it to YouTube is a quick and easy process, and in this article, we are going to show you a few different methods you can use to trim the videos you upload to YouTube. So, let’s get started.

---

In this article

• How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?
• Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]
• Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

---

How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?

The YouTube Studio is no longer in beta phase, which means that the feature is here to stay. This is good news for all video creators who frequently update their YouTube videos after they upload them, as they no longer have to go through the endless uploads just because they wanted to trim a video.

Make sure that you’re signed into your YouTube channel, then click on your profile picture and select the YouTube Studio (Beta) option. On the left side of the screen, you’ll be able to see a menu that contains different subcategories like Analytics, Dashboard or Videos, so just click on the Videos option and proceed to select a video you’d like to trim. After the Videos submenu appears on the screen you should click on the Editor option and the video you selected will open in the YouTube’s video editor.

Click on the Trim button to start trimming the video and drag the blue bars located at the start and the end of the file to designate the portion of the video you’d like to remove. Preview the changes and confirm what you’ve made by clicking on the Save button located in the upper right corner of the screen and the new shortened version of the video will become available within a couple of hours.

In this way, you don’t need to take down the original video, edit it and re-upload. One of the benefits of trimming YouTube videos with the Trim feature in YouTube Editor is that this will keep your video URL and views and ranks etc.

Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]

Method 1: Trim on Timeline

YouTubers who don’t want to rely on YouTube’s video editing capabilities can trim their footage with Filmora (to be honest, the Editor in YouTube platform has limited features). Filmora video editing software for PC and Mac computers offers a few different tools for trimming videos. After you’ve created a new project in Filmora, you should import a video clip into the editor by clicking on the Import drop-down menu and select the Import Media Files option. Each file you add to a project will be displayed in the Media tab, and you can just drag and drop it to a video track on the timeline.

All you have to do in order to trim a video after you’ve placed it on the timeline is drag one of its ends to the left or to the right. As you drag one of the clip’s edges the editor will only display the remaining footage while rendering the rest invisible. If at any point you want to access a portion of the video you’ve trimmed you just have to extend the file by dragging it until you’re able to see the segment you’re searching for.

Method 2: Using Filmora Split Tool

Filmora’s Split tool can help you separate the portion of the clip you want to remove from the segment you’d like to keep. Simply place the playhead at the exact location in the video clip where you want to make a cut, and click on the Split icon that looks like a pair of scissors. After the video is split, you should click on the clip you no longer need in order to select it and then hit the Delete button on your keyboard to remove it from the timeline.

Method 3: Using Scene Detection

Wondershare’s video editor also offers an automatic way to split a video clip into a number of separate scenes. Right-click on the video file located in the Filmora’s Media tab, and select the Scene Detection option from the menu and proceed to click on the Detect button, after the Scene Detection window pops up on the screen. The software will then automatically analyze the footage and divide it into separate scenes. Simply click on the Add to Timeline button once the process is completed to continue editing the video clip you’ve just split.

Method 4: Using Instant Cutter Tool

The Instant Cutter Tool enables you to quickly trim or merge high-resolution files recorded on action cameras as soon as you import them into a project in Filmora. Select the Import with Instant Cutter Tool option from the Import drop-down menu and wait for the Filmora Instant Cutter window to appear on the screen. In the upper left corner of this window, you will be able to see Trim and Merge tabs. Make sure that the Trim tab is selected and then click on the Open File button to import a video clip you’d like to trim. You can then use the trimming sliders to designate the parts of the video you’d like to remove or the set the In and Out points by clicking on the Set In Point or Set Out Point icons. Click on the Export button to save the new version of the video clip and click OK to complete the process.

Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

In case you’re looking for a tool that lets you save extracts of scenes from YouTube to your computer free of charge YT Cutter may be one of your best options.

This online video editing platform is remarkably easy to use since you just have to copy the link to the YouTube video you’d like to trim into YT Cutter’s URL box and then select how long the new video should be. Click on the Start and End buttons to set the duration of the video and click on the Download button to choose if you want to create a video, GIF or an audio file. The trimmed YouTube video will be available for download as soon as the platform processes it, and you just need to specify a folder on your hard drive before clicking on the Save button.

There’re many online video trimmers available on the market, some of them are totally free to use, check our guide about How to Trim Videos for Free Online .

Read More to Get : How to Download YouTube Videos without Any Software Easily >>

Conclusion

Trimming a video online or with a video editing software like Filmora is an effortless task that can be completed in just a couple of minutes. However, it is better to complete the entire video editing process before you upload a video to your YouTube channel because YouTube Studio and other online video editing platforms still offer only a limited amount of video editing tools. Which method of trimming YouTube videos do you like using the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The world’s largest video sharing platform currently has nearly two billion active monthly users who upload over 400 hours of video content to their channels each minute. It is to see from these statistics why every video aspiring YouTubers post on their channels has to be perfect in every way in order to reach a wide audience. Fortunately, trimming a video even after you’ve uploaded it to YouTube is a quick and easy process, and in this article, we are going to show you a few different methods you can use to trim the videos you upload to YouTube. So, let’s get started.

---

In this article

• How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?
• Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]
• Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

---

How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?

The YouTube Studio is no longer in beta phase, which means that the feature is here to stay. This is good news for all video creators who frequently update their YouTube videos after they upload them, as they no longer have to go through the endless uploads just because they wanted to trim a video.

Make sure that you’re signed into your YouTube channel, then click on your profile picture and select the YouTube Studio (Beta) option. On the left side of the screen, you’ll be able to see a menu that contains different subcategories like Analytics, Dashboard or Videos, so just click on the Videos option and proceed to select a video you’d like to trim. After the Videos submenu appears on the screen you should click on the Editor option and the video you selected will open in the YouTube’s video editor.

Click on the Trim button to start trimming the video and drag the blue bars located at the start and the end of the file to designate the portion of the video you’d like to remove. Preview the changes and confirm what you’ve made by clicking on the Save button located in the upper right corner of the screen and the new shortened version of the video will become available within a couple of hours.

In this way, you don’t need to take down the original video, edit it and re-upload. One of the benefits of trimming YouTube videos with the Trim feature in YouTube Editor is that this will keep your video URL and views and ranks etc.

Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]

Method 1: Trim on Timeline

YouTubers who don’t want to rely on YouTube’s video editing capabilities can trim their footage with Filmora (to be honest, the Editor in YouTube platform has limited features). Filmora video editing software for PC and Mac computers offers a few different tools for trimming videos. After you’ve created a new project in Filmora, you should import a video clip into the editor by clicking on the Import drop-down menu and select the Import Media Files option. Each file you add to a project will be displayed in the Media tab, and you can just drag and drop it to a video track on the timeline.

All you have to do in order to trim a video after you’ve placed it on the timeline is drag one of its ends to the left or to the right. As you drag one of the clip’s edges the editor will only display the remaining footage while rendering the rest invisible. If at any point you want to access a portion of the video you’ve trimmed you just have to extend the file by dragging it until you’re able to see the segment you’re searching for.

Method 2: Using Filmora Split Tool

Filmora’s Split tool can help you separate the portion of the clip you want to remove from the segment you’d like to keep. Simply place the playhead at the exact location in the video clip where you want to make a cut, and click on the Split icon that looks like a pair of scissors. After the video is split, you should click on the clip you no longer need in order to select it and then hit the Delete button on your keyboard to remove it from the timeline.

Method 3: Using Scene Detection

Wondershare’s video editor also offers an automatic way to split a video clip into a number of separate scenes. Right-click on the video file located in the Filmora’s Media tab, and select the Scene Detection option from the menu and proceed to click on the Detect button, after the Scene Detection window pops up on the screen. The software will then automatically analyze the footage and divide it into separate scenes. Simply click on the Add to Timeline button once the process is completed to continue editing the video clip you’ve just split.

Method 4: Using Instant Cutter Tool

The Instant Cutter Tool enables you to quickly trim or merge high-resolution files recorded on action cameras as soon as you import them into a project in Filmora. Select the Import with Instant Cutter Tool option from the Import drop-down menu and wait for the Filmora Instant Cutter window to appear on the screen. In the upper left corner of this window, you will be able to see Trim and Merge tabs. Make sure that the Trim tab is selected and then click on the Open File button to import a video clip you’d like to trim. You can then use the trimming sliders to designate the parts of the video you’d like to remove or the set the In and Out points by clicking on the Set In Point or Set Out Point icons. Click on the Export button to save the new version of the video clip and click OK to complete the process.

Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

In case you’re looking for a tool that lets you save extracts of scenes from YouTube to your computer free of charge YT Cutter may be one of your best options.

This online video editing platform is remarkably easy to use since you just have to copy the link to the YouTube video you’d like to trim into YT Cutter’s URL box and then select how long the new video should be. Click on the Start and End buttons to set the duration of the video and click on the Download button to choose if you want to create a video, GIF or an audio file. The trimmed YouTube video will be available for download as soon as the platform processes it, and you just need to specify a folder on your hard drive before clicking on the Save button.

There’re many online video trimmers available on the market, some of them are totally free to use, check our guide about How to Trim Videos for Free Online .

Read More to Get : How to Download YouTube Videos without Any Software Easily >>

Conclusion

Trimming a video online or with a video editing software like Filmora is an effortless task that can be completed in just a couple of minutes. However, it is better to complete the entire video editing process before you upload a video to your YouTube channel because YouTube Studio and other online video editing platforms still offer only a limited amount of video editing tools. Which method of trimming YouTube videos do you like using the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The world’s largest video sharing platform currently has nearly two billion active monthly users who upload over 400 hours of video content to their channels each minute. It is to see from these statistics why every video aspiring YouTubers post on their channels has to be perfect in every way in order to reach a wide audience. Fortunately, trimming a video even after you’ve uploaded it to YouTube is a quick and easy process, and in this article, we are going to show you a few different methods you can use to trim the videos you upload to YouTube. So, let’s get started.

---

In this article

• How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?
• Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]
• Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

---

How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?

The YouTube Studio is no longer in beta phase, which means that the feature is here to stay. This is good news for all video creators who frequently update their YouTube videos after they upload them, as they no longer have to go through the endless uploads just because they wanted to trim a video.

Make sure that you’re signed into your YouTube channel, then click on your profile picture and select the YouTube Studio (Beta) option. On the left side of the screen, you’ll be able to see a menu that contains different subcategories like Analytics, Dashboard or Videos, so just click on the Videos option and proceed to select a video you’d like to trim. After the Videos submenu appears on the screen you should click on the Editor option and the video you selected will open in the YouTube’s video editor.

Click on the Trim button to start trimming the video and drag the blue bars located at the start and the end of the file to designate the portion of the video you’d like to remove. Preview the changes and confirm what you’ve made by clicking on the Save button located in the upper right corner of the screen and the new shortened version of the video will become available within a couple of hours.

In this way, you don’t need to take down the original video, edit it and re-upload. One of the benefits of trimming YouTube videos with the Trim feature in YouTube Editor is that this will keep your video URL and views and ranks etc.

Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]

Method 1: Trim on Timeline

YouTubers who don’t want to rely on YouTube’s video editing capabilities can trim their footage with Filmora (to be honest, the Editor in YouTube platform has limited features). Filmora video editing software for PC and Mac computers offers a few different tools for trimming videos. After you’ve created a new project in Filmora, you should import a video clip into the editor by clicking on the Import drop-down menu and select the Import Media Files option. Each file you add to a project will be displayed in the Media tab, and you can just drag and drop it to a video track on the timeline.

All you have to do in order to trim a video after you’ve placed it on the timeline is drag one of its ends to the left or to the right. As you drag one of the clip’s edges the editor will only display the remaining footage while rendering the rest invisible. If at any point you want to access a portion of the video you’ve trimmed you just have to extend the file by dragging it until you’re able to see the segment you’re searching for.

Method 2: Using Filmora Split Tool

Filmora’s Split tool can help you separate the portion of the clip you want to remove from the segment you’d like to keep. Simply place the playhead at the exact location in the video clip where you want to make a cut, and click on the Split icon that looks like a pair of scissors. After the video is split, you should click on the clip you no longer need in order to select it and then hit the Delete button on your keyboard to remove it from the timeline.

Method 3: Using Scene Detection

Wondershare’s video editor also offers an automatic way to split a video clip into a number of separate scenes. Right-click on the video file located in the Filmora’s Media tab, and select the Scene Detection option from the menu and proceed to click on the Detect button, after the Scene Detection window pops up on the screen. The software will then automatically analyze the footage and divide it into separate scenes. Simply click on the Add to Timeline button once the process is completed to continue editing the video clip you’ve just split.

Method 4: Using Instant Cutter Tool

The Instant Cutter Tool enables you to quickly trim or merge high-resolution files recorded on action cameras as soon as you import them into a project in Filmora. Select the Import with Instant Cutter Tool option from the Import drop-down menu and wait for the Filmora Instant Cutter window to appear on the screen. In the upper left corner of this window, you will be able to see Trim and Merge tabs. Make sure that the Trim tab is selected and then click on the Open File button to import a video clip you’d like to trim. You can then use the trimming sliders to designate the parts of the video you’d like to remove or the set the In and Out points by clicking on the Set In Point or Set Out Point icons. Click on the Export button to save the new version of the video clip and click OK to complete the process.

Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

In case you’re looking for a tool that lets you save extracts of scenes from YouTube to your computer free of charge YT Cutter may be one of your best options.

This online video editing platform is remarkably easy to use since you just have to copy the link to the YouTube video you’d like to trim into YT Cutter’s URL box and then select how long the new video should be. Click on the Start and End buttons to set the duration of the video and click on the Download button to choose if you want to create a video, GIF or an audio file. The trimmed YouTube video will be available for download as soon as the platform processes it, and you just need to specify a folder on your hard drive before clicking on the Save button.

There’re many online video trimmers available on the market, some of them are totally free to use, check our guide about How to Trim Videos for Free Online .

Read More to Get : How to Download YouTube Videos without Any Software Easily >>

Conclusion

Trimming a video online or with a video editing software like Filmora is an effortless task that can be completed in just a couple of minutes. However, it is better to complete the entire video editing process before you upload a video to your YouTube channel because YouTube Studio and other online video editing platforms still offer only a limited amount of video editing tools. Which method of trimming YouTube videos do you like using the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The world’s largest video sharing platform currently has nearly two billion active monthly users who upload over 400 hours of video content to their channels each minute. It is to see from these statistics why every video aspiring YouTubers post on their channels has to be perfect in every way in order to reach a wide audience. Fortunately, trimming a video even after you’ve uploaded it to YouTube is a quick and easy process, and in this article, we are going to show you a few different methods you can use to trim the videos you upload to YouTube. So, let’s get started.

---

In this article

• How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?
• Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]
• Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

---

How to Trim a Video After You Upload it to Your YouTube Channel?

The YouTube Studio is no longer in beta phase, which means that the feature is here to stay. This is good news for all video creators who frequently update their YouTube videos after they upload them, as they no longer have to go through the endless uploads just because they wanted to trim a video.

Make sure that you’re signed into your YouTube channel, then click on your profile picture and select the YouTube Studio (Beta) option. On the left side of the screen, you’ll be able to see a menu that contains different subcategories like Analytics, Dashboard or Videos, so just click on the Videos option and proceed to select a video you’d like to trim. After the Videos submenu appears on the screen you should click on the Editor option and the video you selected will open in the YouTube’s video editor.

Click on the Trim button to start trimming the video and drag the blue bars located at the start and the end of the file to designate the portion of the video you’d like to remove. Preview the changes and confirm what you’ve made by clicking on the Save button located in the upper right corner of the screen and the new shortened version of the video will become available within a couple of hours.

In this way, you don’t need to take down the original video, edit it and re-upload. One of the benefits of trimming YouTube videos with the Trim feature in YouTube Editor is that this will keep your video URL and views and ranks etc.

Trimming a Video Before Posting On YouTube with Filmora Video Editor [4 Ways]

Method 1: Trim on Timeline

YouTubers who don’t want to rely on YouTube’s video editing capabilities can trim their footage with Filmora (to be honest, the Editor in YouTube platform has limited features). Filmora video editing software for PC and Mac computers offers a few different tools for trimming videos. After you’ve created a new project in Filmora, you should import a video clip into the editor by clicking on the Import drop-down menu and select the Import Media Files option. Each file you add to a project will be displayed in the Media tab, and you can just drag and drop it to a video track on the timeline.

All you have to do in order to trim a video after you’ve placed it on the timeline is drag one of its ends to the left or to the right. As you drag one of the clip’s edges the editor will only display the remaining footage while rendering the rest invisible. If at any point you want to access a portion of the video you’ve trimmed you just have to extend the file by dragging it until you’re able to see the segment you’re searching for.

Method 2: Using Filmora Split Tool

Filmora’s Split tool can help you separate the portion of the clip you want to remove from the segment you’d like to keep. Simply place the playhead at the exact location in the video clip where you want to make a cut, and click on the Split icon that looks like a pair of scissors. After the video is split, you should click on the clip you no longer need in order to select it and then hit the Delete button on your keyboard to remove it from the timeline.

Method 3: Using Scene Detection

Wondershare’s video editor also offers an automatic way to split a video clip into a number of separate scenes. Right-click on the video file located in the Filmora’s Media tab, and select the Scene Detection option from the menu and proceed to click on the Detect button, after the Scene Detection window pops up on the screen. The software will then automatically analyze the footage and divide it into separate scenes. Simply click on the Add to Timeline button once the process is completed to continue editing the video clip you’ve just split.

Method 4: Using Instant Cutter Tool

The Instant Cutter Tool enables you to quickly trim or merge high-resolution files recorded on action cameras as soon as you import them into a project in Filmora. Select the Import with Instant Cutter Tool option from the Import drop-down menu and wait for the Filmora Instant Cutter window to appear on the screen. In the upper left corner of this window, you will be able to see Trim and Merge tabs. Make sure that the Trim tab is selected and then click on the Open File button to import a video clip you’d like to trim. You can then use the trimming sliders to designate the parts of the video you’d like to remove or the set the In and Out points by clicking on the Set In Point or Set Out Point icons. Click on the Export button to save the new version of the video clip and click OK to complete the process.

Using Online Video Editing Platforms to Trim YouTube Videos

In case you’re looking for a tool that lets you save extracts of scenes from YouTube to your computer free of charge YT Cutter may be one of your best options.

This online video editing platform is remarkably easy to use since you just have to copy the link to the YouTube video you’d like to trim into YT Cutter’s URL box and then select how long the new video should be. Click on the Start and End buttons to set the duration of the video and click on the Download button to choose if you want to create a video, GIF or an audio file. The trimmed YouTube video will be available for download as soon as the platform processes it, and you just need to specify a folder on your hard drive before clicking on the Save button.

There’re many online video trimmers available on the market, some of them are totally free to use, check our guide about How to Trim Videos for Free Online .

Read More to Get : How to Download YouTube Videos without Any Software Easily >>

Conclusion

Trimming a video online or with a video editing software like Filmora is an effortless task that can be completed in just a couple of minutes. However, it is better to complete the entire video editing process before you upload a video to your YouTube channel because YouTube Studio and other online video editing platforms still offer only a limited amount of video editing tools. Which method of trimming YouTube videos do you like using the most? Leave a comment and share your opinions with us.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Video Blogging Essentials: Choosing the Best Cameras and Lenses

A Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

The staple of any vlog is the talking headshot, a shot of the speaker talking directly to the audience. You can compose this shot with different kinds of lenses for your interchangeable lens camera.

But which kind of lens is the right lens for you as a vlogger?

In this article, I’m going to help you figure that out.

• Part 1: Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto
• Part 2: Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group
• Part 3: Crop Factor
• Part 4: Focal Length Equivalency Table
• Part 5: Aperture
• Part 6: Vlogging With a Fast Lens
• Part 7: Optical Image Stabilization

Three Focal Length Groups: Wide, Standard, Telephoto

There are three main ranges in focal lengths that camera lenses can be categorized into wide, standard, and telephoto.

Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses can “see more.” They allow more of your scene to fit inside your frame. Objects that are closer to the lens appear much bigger while objects that are further away appear even smaller. Perspectives are also enhanced, making close objects and people that just make it into the sides of the frame appear more stretched out. Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, wide-angle lenses will appear the least zoomed in.

Standard Lens

With standard lenses or normal lenses, you won’t get the stretched out objects or enhanced perspectives that you get from wide-angle lenses. Instead, standard lenses are meant to see scenes as the natural human eye is meant to see them. If you shoot a scene with both a wide-angle lens and a standard lens from the same position, you’ll notice that less of the scene fits into your frame. Standard lenses will appear more zoomed-in than wide-angle lenses, but less zoomed-in than telephoto lenses.

Telephoto Lens

Out of all the other ranges in focal lengths, telephoto lenses will appear the most zoomed in. This can be beneficial for the shooter who wants to get a closer shot of a scene without having to physically be in close proximity to the scene. Objects that are further away in the background also appear larger and closer than they would appear on wide-angle or standard lenses.

Vlogging With Each Focal Length Group

You can get your talking head footage using lenses from any of the three focal length groups. Depending on how you plan to vlog most of the time, though, one of the three focal lengths might be more suitable for you.

When to vlog with a wide-angle lens

Wide-angle lenses are the most commonly used lenses for vlogging. Wide-angle lenses are great when you need to be close to your camera. This might be the case for you if your recording space is small or if you want to film yourself as you hold your camera up with your own hand.

Being close to your camera not only gives you the option to use your camera’s built-in microphone, but it also gives you the option to make use of camera-mounted shotgun microphones.

When to vlog with a standard lens

Standard lenses are great when you have more space to be further away from your camera. The perspectives in your shot will look more natural through a standard lens, making your talking head footage feel more corporate or professional. You’ll also be able to get blurrier backgrounds using a standard lens versus a wide-angle lens.

Being further away from your camera, however, means that you’ll have to use a separate microphone positioned closer to you.

When to vlog with a telephoto lens

As telephoto lenses are even more zoomed in, you’ll need to be even further away from your camera to fit yourself inside your camera frame. Why would any vlogger ever need to be that far away from their camera? One word… teleprompter. If you want or need to stick to a script, you’ll have to be far away enough from your camera that it doesn’t appear like your eyes are scanning left to right. You then close in the distance with a telephoto lens.

In the above video, Marcos Rocha compares different focal lengths for talking head videos. Which focal length range do you like the look of?

Crop Factor

Focal lengths in camera lenses are measured in millimeters. You can vlog yourself handheld with a 24mm lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor (the sensor is the piece of hardware inside your camera that turns the light it receives into a digital image). But if you use a 24mm lens on a camera with a smaller sensor, like an APS-C sensor or even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor, more of you will get cropped out (see below).

In order to make up for the cropping that occurs, you will need to use a wider lens on cameras with smaller sensors to get the same shot you’d get with a full-frame camera.

Focal Length Equivalency Table

This table shows you the focal lengths needed to achieve the same shot between cameras with different sensor sizes. In order to take a shot as wide as the shot I took of myself with the 24mm lens on my full-frame camera, I would need a 15mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera or a 12mm lens on a micro 4/3 camera.

Focal Length / Sensor	Full Frame	APS-C	Micro 4/3
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	16mm	10mm	8mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	18mm	11mm	9mm
Wide (Handheld Selfie-Safe)	24mm	15mm	12mm
Wide	35mm	22mm	18mm
Standard	50mm	31mm	25mm
Telephoto	70mm	44mm	35mm
Telephoto	100mm	63mm	50mm
Telephoto	200mm	125mm	100mm

Aperture

The next thing to consider when you’re looking for a lens is the aperture, the hole (often adjustable) within the lens that lets light in. Aperture for camera lenses is measured in f-stops (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0) - the smaller the f-stop number, the larger the aperture (bigger hole letting even more light in).

Because larger aperture lenses let more light in, they need a shorter time for cameras to compose an image. This is why larger aperture lenses are also called “fast” lenses.

Fast lenses are more expensive because they cost more to produce. There’s a lot more that goes into them, including larger and higher quality glass elements.

But do you even need a fast lens?

Vlogging With a Fast Lens

Pros of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• Better low-light performance
• Better autofocus performance
• Better “bokeh” (out-of-focus areas, like your background, having that nice blurry look that you see in a lot of movies)

Cons of Vlogging With a Fast Lens

• More expensive
• Moving subjects more likely to get out of focus when shooting with a large aperture
• Better continuous autofocus performance needed when shooting moving subjects with a large aperture

Optical Image Stabilization

Finally, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want your lens to have built-in optical image stabilization (OIS).

OIS is very beneficial to have on a lens if you’re a vlogger who films mostly handheld footage. Although this technology adds to the price of your lens as well, it can greatly help you to capture smoother footage that may otherwise be shaky. Nikon calls this technology “Vibration Reduction” (VR) for their lenses.

In the above video, you can see how much OIS can help to stabilize your footage. MicBergsma simultaneously compares the footage between two GoPro Hero5 Blacks, one with OIS on and one with OIS off.

If, however, you are shooting most of your vlogs on a tripod, you won’t need a lens with OIS.

Looking for ways to set up your talking-head shot for YouTube with any of these lenses? Check out our post on 4 Ways To Set Up Your Talking-Head Shots For YouTube .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett