Post by Elvira on May 20, 2008 2:31:17 GMT -5
Welcome, getting started on the board, where to go first:
As our numbers grow (and the forums grow
) the time seems right for an overview of what we've got here, what you should read first, and what we are all about! 
First off, please read our Forum Guidelines. We are serious about abiding by Proboards' rules (no over-17 content, no open talk of software bootlegging or downloading torrents), and we have a few other guidelines and preferences.
In addition, please review the Signature Graphics, avatars, and a special request thread.
Feeling overwhelmed?
The tutorial section has a lot of technogeeky stuff in it (that's mostly my fault
) but don't feel like you must learn it all at once! In fact, don't feel obliged to learn any more than you feel like learning, if you are currently happy with your videos and are only here to talk about aesthetics and the vidding experience. This board will inevitably be many things to many people, and not all of you will be here for technical discussion.
However, if you are interested in learning more about some of the technical aspects of vidding, but don't know where to start, we encourage you to start with the Vidding 101: Getting Started, Common Terms, FAQs thread first. It'll answer a lot of your questions. Then, go through the tutorials one-by-one, starting with whatever strikes your fancy. However, with that said . . .
Reading comprehension is required for the tutorials.
I'm just saying. While it's natural to sometimes skim through a tutorial or miss some little detail, these tutorials will not work well for you if you jump around and miss huge chunks of what is said, but forge ahead anyway. Also, when a tutorial gives a link to another tutorial—perhaps this means you should read what the link says! If we linked to it, we probably had a good reason. Not every tutorial can stand on its own—it may refer to others which have important and necessary information.
Also, at times we assume that you are aware of the other tutorials in the tutorial section. Take a look around. See what else is there. Most importantly, read the Vidding 101: Getting Started, Common Terms, FAQs thread.
There may be gaps in the tutorials, and wording that needs refining in spots (and I'm always tweaking to make things clearer), so please do not hesitate to ask a question if you have read the tutorial thoroughly and are still confused.
Critiques, Reviews, Vidding discussions:
One of the most fun parts of the forums will be our lively discussions about things like music selection, clip theft, how to deal with weirdos on YouTube, and requesting a critique in the critique section. Don't hesitate to dive in and join in the conversation!
We don't care if you're advanced or a novice, everyone's welcome here. Please do not feel intimidated if you are rubbing elbows with some vidding "stars"! They all remember what it's like to be a newbie. And you'll find that most members are encouraging and enthusiastic, and are eager to see a "diamond in the rough" in even the newest of newbie efforts.
Also, we don't require that you even make videos at all! Aficionados of fan videos are equally welcome here. This is a great place to find out about when your favorite vidder is about to premiere a new video, to give your critique of a video in the critique section, or just browse around!
Learning and improving is a big priority around here . . .
Another "just sayin" moment. You may be here just to talk about the vidding experience, and we welcome that. No pressure on you if you want to keep your discussions strictly about more abstract vidding concepts, dealing with YouTube or imeem issues, that sort of thing. But when you post a new video or put one up for review, you may be unexpectedly sucked into a discussion about how you can improve some element of your videos. This is the natural way of things in a community such as this.
Learning new things and improving our skills does seem to be a big focus here. If you're not interested in that (and there are times when this is understandable) that is fine. But please don't be offended or surprised when the discussion veers in that direction. And, most importantly, when you put a video up for review, you are inviting criticism and discussion about improving quality. If you are not interested in following through with any valid suggestions for improvement, why on earth did you submit your video for a review in the first place?
As is said in the Video Critique Guidelines, "If you keep on posting videos with the same problems over and over again, realize that saying, "Yeah I know that's a problem" will eventually begin to become tiresome. Complete and immediate improvement might not always be possible, but you should be making some efforts. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you don't understand how to fix something."
Events and resources:
We've got some activities and features in the works, or already happening. Be on the lookout for the Foolish Passion Video Awards, and stay tuned for forthcoming video challenges and other events! Also, in case you weren't aware, there are some "hidden" features on this board that only become "visible" when you reach 25 posts. To find out what you're missing, participate more!
Tutorials and technical discussions:
Yep, we've got a tutorial section with Intro Tutorials (viewable to the public, aka non-members) and a Beginning and Advanced Tutorials section (viewable by members only).
In particular, we'd like you to take a glance at the Using XviD AVI, downloaded clips thread. It's not that we're trying to forbid you from editing in any codec or format that works for you (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? ) , but rather to clarify our feelings and what we are aiming for on the board. (Specifically, we don't want you recommending a method, simply because it works for you. If it's one of the dodgy techniques that sometimes works but sometimes doesn't, please don't waste everyone's time by promoting it here.)
In addition, please review the Important Info about the Tutorial Section, because it'll help you further understand where we're coming from. It'll also give you information about possibly submitting a tutorial of your own!
Since it comes up often:
If you're looking to learn better DVD ripping/converting techniques (or are just not sure if you're doing things the proper way), then we advise you to take a peek at the Rip high quality clips from your DVD (Mac/PC) thread. It's one way to convert your DVD to a good quality format that is well-regarded and works fine with both Mac and PC video software.
If you're not sure you're interested in learning a new way to rip clips, review the Sharper video quality: Tutorial intro (w/ clips) thread. The downloadable sample clips give you an idea of what a video's quality can look like, as a result of following the tutorials. If they look better than what you're currently getting, then maybe it's time to give the tutorials a go!
And lastly . . .
PLEASE READ A TUTORIAL THREAD IN ITS ENTIRETY before bringing up a problem you're having when you've tried to follow along to the tutorial. Very often, the difficulty you're experiencing was discussed in the tutorial. If the problem you're having is not covered, then we are most eager to hear about it, as this helps us improve our tutorials and will make them more complete.
Also, read the FAQs thread before asking advice. You never know, your question might be answered there!
As our numbers grow (and the forums grow
) the time seems right for an overview of what we've got here, what you should read first, and what we are all about! First off, please read our Forum Guidelines. We are serious about abiding by Proboards' rules (no over-17 content, no open talk of software bootlegging or downloading torrents), and we have a few other guidelines and preferences.
In addition, please review the Signature Graphics, avatars, and a special request thread.
Feeling overwhelmed?
The tutorial section has a lot of technogeeky stuff in it (that's mostly my fault
) but don't feel like you must learn it all at once! In fact, don't feel obliged to learn any more than you feel like learning, if you are currently happy with your videos and are only here to talk about aesthetics and the vidding experience. This board will inevitably be many things to many people, and not all of you will be here for technical discussion. However, if you are interested in learning more about some of the technical aspects of vidding, but don't know where to start, we encourage you to start with the Vidding 101: Getting Started, Common Terms, FAQs thread first. It'll answer a lot of your questions. Then, go through the tutorials one-by-one, starting with whatever strikes your fancy. However, with that said . . .
Reading comprehension is required for the tutorials.
I'm just saying.
While it's natural to sometimes skim through a tutorial or miss some little detail, these tutorials will not work well for you if you jump around and miss huge chunks of what is said, but forge ahead anyway. Also, when a tutorial gives a link to another tutorial—perhaps this means you should read what the link says! If we linked to it, we probably had a good reason. Not every tutorial can stand on its own—it may refer to others which have important and necessary information.Also, at times we assume that you are aware of the other tutorials in the tutorial section. Take a look around. See what else is there. Most importantly, read the Vidding 101: Getting Started, Common Terms, FAQs thread.
There may be gaps in the tutorials, and wording that needs refining in spots (and I'm always tweaking to make things clearer), so please do not hesitate to ask a question if you have read the tutorial thoroughly and are still confused.
Critiques, Reviews, Vidding discussions:
One of the most fun parts of the forums will be our lively discussions about things like music selection, clip theft, how to deal with weirdos on YouTube, and requesting a critique in the critique section. Don't hesitate to dive in and join in the conversation!
We don't care if you're advanced or a novice, everyone's welcome here. Please do not feel intimidated if you are rubbing elbows with some vidding "stars"! They all remember what it's like to be a newbie. And you'll find that most members are encouraging and enthusiastic, and are eager to see a "diamond in the rough" in even the newest of newbie efforts.
Also, we don't require that you even make videos at all! Aficionados of fan videos are equally welcome here. This is a great place to find out about when your favorite vidder is about to premiere a new video, to give your critique of a video in the critique section, or just browse around!
Learning and improving is a big priority around here . . .
Another "just sayin" moment.
You may be here just to talk about the vidding experience, and we welcome that. No pressure on you if you want to keep your discussions strictly about more abstract vidding concepts, dealing with YouTube or imeem issues, that sort of thing. But when you post a new video or put one up for review, you may be unexpectedly sucked into a discussion about how you can improve some element of your videos. This is the natural way of things in a community such as this. Learning new things and improving our skills does seem to be a big focus here. If you're not interested in that (and there are times when this is understandable) that is fine. But please don't be offended or surprised when the discussion veers in that direction. And, most importantly, when you put a video up for review, you are inviting criticism and discussion about improving quality. If you are not interested in following through with any valid suggestions for improvement, why on earth did you submit your video for a review in the first place?
As is said in the Video Critique Guidelines, "If you keep on posting videos with the same problems over and over again, realize that saying, "Yeah I know that's a problem" will eventually begin to become tiresome. Complete and immediate improvement might not always be possible, but you should be making some efforts. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you don't understand how to fix something."
Events and resources:
We've got some activities and features in the works, or already happening. Be on the lookout for the Foolish Passion Video Awards, and stay tuned for forthcoming video challenges and other events! Also, in case you weren't aware, there are some "hidden" features on this board that only become "visible" when you reach 25 posts. To find out what you're missing, participate more!
Tutorials and technical discussions:
Yep, we've got a tutorial section with Intro Tutorials (viewable to the public, aka non-members) and a Beginning and Advanced Tutorials section (viewable by members only).
In particular, we'd like you to take a glance at the Using XviD AVI, downloaded clips thread. It's not that we're trying to forbid you from editing in any codec or format that works for you (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
) , but rather to clarify our feelings and what we are aiming for on the board. (Specifically, we don't want you recommending a method, simply because it works for you. If it's one of the dodgy techniques that sometimes works but sometimes doesn't, please don't waste everyone's time by promoting it here.)In addition, please review the Important Info about the Tutorial Section, because it'll help you further understand where we're coming from. It'll also give you information about possibly submitting a tutorial of your own!
Since it comes up often:
If you're looking to learn better DVD ripping/converting techniques (or are just not sure if you're doing things the proper way), then we advise you to take a peek at the Rip high quality clips from your DVD (Mac/PC) thread. It's one way to convert your DVD to a good quality format that is well-regarded and works fine with both Mac and PC video software.
If you're not sure you're interested in learning a new way to rip clips, review the Sharper video quality: Tutorial intro (w/ clips) thread. The downloadable sample clips give you an idea of what a video's quality can look like, as a result of following the tutorials. If they look better than what you're currently getting, then maybe it's time to give the tutorials a go!
And lastly . . .
PLEASE READ A TUTORIAL THREAD IN ITS ENTIRETY before bringing up a problem you're having when you've tried to follow along to the tutorial. Very often, the difficulty you're experiencing was discussed in the tutorial. If the problem you're having is not covered, then we are most eager to hear about it, as this helps us improve our tutorials and will make them more complete.
Also, read the FAQs thread before asking advice. You never know, your question might be answered there!
Please Check them out! Let me know how I am Doing. ;D