Here’s a new motion graphic that will play at the front end of most of my YouTube videos. I’ve been wanting to update the intro to my videos for a long time and I finally got around to it. The key is that it is short and branded.
Brevity is good when it comes to online media. This new motion graphic accomplishes my main goals by being short (less than 5 seconds), identifying who I am by name while also displaying my website. It also looks good (IMO).
One really cool thing I’ve noticed about my YouTube videos over the years, has been the use of my name in comments. I’m always amazed how many people start off their comments with “Hi Ray” or “thanks Ray.” #amazing
Almost since I began this channel on YouTube in 2009, my motion graphic has been one of the first things you see and it has always had my name in it. Whether that’s where someone remembers it from or not I don’t know but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have it included in the open. To me it’s a nice, personal touch and a stronger connection to the person on the other side of the computer.
I always try to use someone’s name when I respond in the comments. Again, it’s that one extra step that I feel goes a long way to building community. When you publish content online, at some level, your name becomes your brand. So this simple opening accomplishes many things I hold important while not being a burden to the viewer.
This was created by editing a template that I purchased (cheap) at envato.com. But I’m warning you now, if you click that link, you’ll get lost for hours. I think shopping for motion graphic templates is my new favorite hobby. Like antiquing. Surprising, that’s also a lot of fun. Who knew!
I still had to do a decent amount of work especially since I’m not very comfortable inside After Effects. I created the text and the animation that fills the letter “O” with “.com.” I customized the colors, added the music (purchased at Audio Jungle), tweaked the timing, added a sound effect and that’s about it. Easier said than done.
The end of the video actually peels away to alpha channel. You’ll see how this looks in upcoming videos. I also changed the layer style inside Premiere Pro so that it blends nicely with the video coming in from underneath.
The motion graphic template was $12 and the music was $7. For less than $20 and some work, I have what I consider to be a professionally made motion graphic intro that I can customize.
An important, added bonus is that the music is pre-cleared through YouTube’s Content ID system so that I shouldn’t have any copyright challenges. It’s no fun getting a notice that someone is claiming rights to your content.
I think having a high quality opening title sequence for your videos adds a lot of credibility (deserved or not) and sets your video apart from the average YouTube video. Lots of value from a small investment.
