Making effective learning or training videos requires a set of processes. When stacked together, you may get overwhelmed. However, if you look at the processes individually then you find the best way to eat an elephant is one piece at a time. This post focuses on the processes of finding (sourcing) photos, music, graphics, icons, and sounds for your training video. Let’s go!
In my video for learning program, Step 5 is Edit the Video. I call it the PEACHY method of video editing.
- Plan
- Edit
- Add
- Clean
- Hone
- Yes! It’s Good!
If you want to dive deeper into the peachy method, check out this post: Step 5: Edit the Video – Making Your Own Training Videos. For the remainder of this post, let’s dive into the “P” – Plan your video edit. A key part of any video edit is the elements you add to the main recording.
DO THIS FIRST
Setup a future-proof project folder.
In “How to set up and future proof your video editing project,” I laid out the four steps you should take every time you start an editing project. This means before you start finding photos, music, graphics, icons, and sounds you need a place to put them.
Now you are ready to go find your “things” to ADD to your video. As you develop a video maker mindset, you’ll start to see things that belong on screen as you write and read scripts. For now, you should go back to your script and look at what’s written in the visuals column. Keep the script open and start searching for the things you think will add to the instruction.
To keep it PEACHY, let’s look at where to find photos, music, and graphics in the order you should be ADDing things to your video.
Add b-roll – Stock Video, Photo & Image Sources
Once your rough cut is solidified, add b-roll or other video that does not feature the actor(s) talking. Use shots of the scene or actions to cover the cuts, doing this will help things flow and add visual interest. For example, it’s common to cut from someone talking to show a close-up of their hands. You may also use b-roll of a prop to highlight the story if the actor references that prop during their dialogue.
B-roll can be images, photos, animations, or videos. Here are some great places to find it:
| Tool | Description | Price |
| Envato | Templates (presentation-video-graphic-web-cms), sounds, music, graphics, photos, video. We use it every week. | Free and subscription |
| Unsplash | Stock photography site with a special license that lets you use the photos for free under a wide variety of circumstances | Free |
| Pexels | Stock photography and video site with a special license that lets you use the photos for free under a wide variety of circumstances | Free |
| Morguefile | A free photo archive “for creatives, by creatives.” | Free |
| Pixabay | Stock photography site with a special license that lets you use the photos for free under a wide variety of circumstances | Free |
| EveryPixel | It is a powerful search engine that indexes 51 paid and free stock image websites, and allows users to search through a massive database of stock photos. | Free images available, but also has paid option |
| Gratisography | Quirky high-resolution pictures you can use on your personal and commercial projects, free of copyright restrictions. | Free |
| Open-i Biomedical Image Search | Open-i service of the National Library of Medicine enables search and retrieval of abstracts and images (including charts, graphs, clinical images, etc.) from the open source literature, and biomedical image collections. | Price and license information depends on each individual image |
| Picjumbo | Picjumbo is free stock photo site created by designer & photographer Viktor Hanacek in 2013. | Free to start |
| Stocksnap | Stock photo library free from copyright restrictions | Free |
| Vecteezy | Vector art library | Some images are free with attribution, some require payment or subscription |
| Storyblocks | Library of over a million royalty-free footage, template, music, and photo assets | $30 mo., unlimited downloads |
| Motion Array | Stock videos for your projects, including backgrounds, nature, overlays, urban shots and they have templates too | $30 mo. or $249 yr. unlimited downloads |
Add Graphics – Graphic & Icon Sources
It’s time to add the sprinkles to your video sundae. Add the titles, graphics, and icons. Unlike my own use of sprinkles on my favorite ice cream, use each of these sparingly. These elements should support what is being said in the video. If the graphics do not aid in the instruction leave them out. Cool for cool’s sake has no place in learning videos.
| Tool | Description | Price |
| Envato | Templates (presentation-video-graphic-web-cms), sounds, music, graphics, photos, video. We use it every week. | Free and subscription |
| EveryPixel | It is a powerful search engine that indexes 51 paid and free stock image websites, and allows users to search through a massive database of stock photos. | Free images available, but also has paid option |
| Open-i Biomedical Image Search | Open-i service of the National Library of Medicine enables search and retrieval of abstracts and images (including charts, graphs, clinical images, etc.) from the open source literature, and biomedical image collections. | Free |
| The Noun Project | Vast library of visual icons | Free to start as long as you give credit, with half the price for educators for NounPro. |
| Vecteezy | Vector art library | Some images are free with attribution, some require payment or subscription |
| Freepik | high-quality photos, designs and mockups | Free but limited, $10 mo. or $119 yr. unlimited downloads, $14.99 mo. |
| Free Vector Art & Graphics | Thousands of high quality free vector graphics created by talented illustrators, and designers from all over the world. | Free |
Add Music – Music and Sound FX sources
When it comes to learning videos, reserve music for your intro/outro sections or when you are changing scenes. Avoid putting music under the teaching portions of the video. Nothing should take away from the message to the learner.
| YouTube Audio Library | Free music, by using this audio library, you agree with the YouTube Audio Library terms and conditions. | Free with YouTube account |
| Freesound | Freesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. Browse, download and share sounds. | Free |
| BenSound | Royalty-free music | Free with proper credit |
| Incompetech | Royalty-free music | Free with proper credit |
| vimeo | Portfolios of royalty-free music | Free |
Add Effects
Transitions are subtle animations that help visually weave separate video clips together. There are many different types built into your editing software, but I recommend keeping your transitions fairly basic: cut, dissolve, fade, or wipe. The most common is a cut, and just by trimming and placing clips in a sequence, you’ve already inserted those in your video at this point. Look for places where a dissolve or a wipe may help the viewer engage from one scene to the next.
I recommend you stick to your video editing software to use the transitions and effects that are located in your software.
Add Subtitles – Sources to Subtitle
People are more likely to watch an entire video if there are captions available. With the availability of in-program tools and free tools like Kapwing, adding captions has never been easier. “The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires private companies to caption their content. This includes public-facing videos, training videos, video tutorials, and video used for internal communications” (3PlayMedia). YouTube has the option to add auto-subtitles, but those aren’t always accurate.
| Rev | Create English Subtitles for Videos Easily and Quickly. Available 24/7 with 99% Accuracy. | $1.50 per audio minute |
| Zubtitle | Freesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. Browse, download and share sounds. | Free 2 videos mo, $9-$49 plans |
| Kapwing | Royalty-free music | Free with proper credit |
Summary
Making a learning or training video requires using a set of processes. This can seem enormous like an elephant. The best way to eat an elephant is one piece at a time. This post focuses on the process of finding (sourcing) photos, music, graphics, icons and sounds for your training video. Before you find anything, set up a future-proof project folder. Then, go and find the resources you need to make a great video like: b-roll (video and images), graphics, icons, music, and sound effects.
Helpful Links
If you want to take my live mentoring course, here’s where you can learn more:
What is the VFL course – Video for Learning?
Are you new to learning about video for learning? Consider reviewing our four-part series, Video for Learning Fundamentals.
Part 1: The Case for Video
Part 2: We Need Learning Video Production Skills
Part 3: 5 Phases of Video Production for Learning
Part 4: The Glossary of Learning Video Terms
