My equipment has changed so much over the years, with so many rabbit holes leading to dead-ends or tiny improvements in video, lighting, and audio (still a bugger!).
My journey to record quality videos started with QuickTime, free with Apple's Mac.
But, of course, not much is free from Apple. Still, QuickTime does an OK job of recording
video (FaceTime or iOS devices), various screens, and audio ... even stitching together
clips, i.e., a very simple editor.
Then I discovered OBS, which is also free and can do a lot of cool stuff.
I still use OBS sometimes, but then Ecamm Live appeared.
While I no longer upload so many videos to YouTube as in the past, when I do
have the urge to make a video Ecamm is amazing. Why? Even with my very slow upload
speed of 10Mbps, Ecamm will upload a 4K live stream. Yeah, I am not truly live streaming (with chat and all).
Still, I can get a video up on YouTube in only the time it takes to shoot it, i.e., there is no waiting around
for an upload to finish. Amazing! It seems instant now, at 4K, which is perfect for clearly
showing tarot/oracle decks, books, or screen captures. In February 2023, I had been
using it for over a year without a single issue, not a one ... it's not often I/you can say
that about any software(app).
The UI looks prehistoric but I use Audacity for high-quality audiobooks or podcasts, and with only a few clicks, the MP3 file will upload to ACX (Audible on Amazon), passing all of their strict requirements.
I share videos by uploading or live streaming to YouTube. Most of my videos have centered around displaying my tarot and oracle deck collections as clearly as possible. If others see the cards clearly, they can be informed about purchasing.
Recently, I have started sharing videos about books I am reading or have read, but not always as a review or recommendation.
For years I have struggled with having a presentable, adaptable, and nimble website.
Luckily before retiring from years of computer programming, I had never worked on
projects involving user interfaces (UI). I find it tedious to get the layout and colors
just right, so to speak, and deal with users (I'm kidding). So I spent years lugging
around and wrestling with jQuery and Bootstrap, which are great for UI, but for me,
it's so easy to forget those types of bedeviling details.
Recently, W3.css appeared, a tiny CSS file containing most of the stuff in Bootstrap but simpler to understand.
W3.css was released for free use in 2015 and has mostly stayed the same over the years.
This never appeared on my radar ... what was I doing?
With a bit of JavaScript code, I can now do everything possible with jQuery and Bootstrap, well, everything I did before.
Even a simple tarot app.
In fact, this website has been completely redone using W3.css, so if you have a website (like free on Github) and are allowed
to do your own CSS. I recommend W3.css as a "A Quality Alternative to Bootstrap ... W3.CSS is Smaller, Faster and Easier to Use."
You may have noticed that I only linked to my YouTube channel on this webpage because I do NOT have any
affiliation with the products or websites mentioned above. Plus, links to other websites change over time.
However, all can be revealed with a google search.