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Create online courses with your smartphone
Last updated on this page: 04/29/2024
Create Videos for Online Courses and Training Yourself
On this page, you will learn how to create online courses using high-quality video content yourself. This prepares you for creating a workshop that you want to sell online to your customers or make available to your team.
The didactic effect of self-created seminars and training heavily depends on how well you have transferred the learning content conveyed in it into your online course. Creating e-learning videos and using our blink.it software for the integration and distribution of the online training is a good way to quickly and easily convince your target audience of your content and give them the opportunity to learn based on your self-created learning materials. This enhances the learning effect and simultaneously strengthens the direct connection of your learners to your courses and yourself. This approach makes particularly sense for people who do not want off-the-shelf seminars and e-learnings, but rather want to create their training online themselves.
Have fun reading!
Video elements are simply a part of e-learnings. Whether for seminars, training, or workshops, whether pure e-learning or combined with in-person events as blended learning: Anyone who incorporates videos into their online courses has a clear advantage, and filming videos with a smartphone is not rocket science.
Since the smartphone generation from the iPhone 13 onwards, smartphones in terms of simplicity and quality are no longer inferior to using a professional camera. From now on, everyone has their high-performance camera in their pocket and can, provided they handle it appropriately, achieve excellent results.
The 3 Phases of Shooting Videos for Creating Online Courses: Planning – Shooting – Post-Production
Every training video starts with an initial idea: What is the goal, what do you want to achieve with your video? Phase 1 is therefore the planning of your video. Next comes the actual shooting, Phase 2: How should you hold your smartphone, what other technical equipment do you need? The last phase is the post-production of your training video: What software can you use, how do you edit your video, what should you pay attention to with the sound, etc.
Are you ready? Then let's dive straight into Phase 1: The planning of your video.
1. The planning of your video for training, workshops, and seminars
Recommended time budget for beginners: 30 minutes
Recommended time budget for advanced users: 10 minutes
At the beginning of every well-considered action lies a more or less rough plan. With the creation of a training video for online courses, you pursue a specific goal, which is why you must first ask yourself some questions in order to actually achieve that goal.
Step 1: Create a Video Concept (optional)
A TV show or movie is always based on a screenplay, which includes dialogues and descriptions of the setting. A screenplay is also a useful tool for creating short didactic videos for online seminars. You can orient yourself according to the following 5 W-questions:
What for? |
This question should always come first: What is the goal of your training video? What should the target audience do after the video? |
About what? |
This question is closely related to the question of "what for": What is the content of your self-created video seminar? What is your core message that you want to convey? |
Many instructional short videos are structured in such a way that the instructor is visible on screen the entire time and speaks directly to the learners. Of course, other scenarios are also conceivable, but for beginners, we recommend this selfie variant. |
How? |
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Where? |
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For your learning video concept, we have created a template that you can either fill out digitally or print out and write your notes in. In the template, you will find the W-questions listed above with examples and plenty of space for your entries.
Step 2: Create a cheat sheet for the shoot
During the video shoot, you might feel a bit nervous or forget what you wanted to say. A little cheat sheet can help here, which you can prepare in about 15 minutes for your shoot. During the recording itself, you shouldn't look at the cheat sheet, but it helps you in advance to orient yourself and plan your recording.
We have created sample cheat sheets for you and a few tips on how to best prepare your notes for the video shoot.
Step 3: Prepare the technology for the shoot
In addition to the content planning for your video shoot, you should also think ahead about the technical equipment. For quick, simple e-learning videos, a modern smartphone is sufficient – provided you pay attention to a few basic things like a stable surface.
You can upgrade your smartphone with some smaller technical devices and thus achieve professional video quality for little money, e.g., by using an external microphone, tripod, or extension cable. Our recommendations for a rather tight budget are summarized in our blink.it Kit for download.
2. The video shoot
Recommended time budget for beginners: 45 minutes
Recommended time budget for advanced users: 20 minutes
Are you ready for the shoot of your videos? Perfect! When shooting a video, there are fundamentally two essential elements: good sound and good image. You will learn how to achieve both in the following sections. In Phase 1, we have already provided you with a list of recommendations for your video equipment. In Phase 2, it's now about the specific shoot of your training video.
Tip: Especially for your first shoots, take enough time to try out different settings and configurations.
Step 1: Ensure Good Sound
The most important aspect of shooting videos for training, seminars, and workshops is clear audio. An external microphone makes all the difference: if your learning video has noise or your words are acoustically unclear, viewers quickly disengage. They might forgive shaky or dark visuals – but not poor audio!
Therefore, pay attention to the following two points when shooting your learning video:
A quiet room: e.g., your living room or a calm seminar room
An unobstructed microphone input: Ensure that the microphone opening on your smartphone is not covered.
If you don't have a quiet room available, a lavalier microphone can help: Attach it close to your head (e.g., to your collar) so that distracting background noises are barely audible. We recommend the Rode SmartLav for about € 65 (for iPhone and Android).
Tip: Short Test Recording
It's best to test the sound once before you start the actual recording. Record yourself for 10 seconds and say something at a normal volume. Then watch the recording directly on your smartphone.
Can you hear yourself well? Then the sound quality is sufficient – you can start!
Can't you hear yourself? Then check if your microphone is correctly connected.
Step 2: Ensure Good Lighting
When shooting selfie videos, make sure your face is well-lit and there are no or very few shadows visible. For your studio at home, you will need both a natural light source (window) and an artificial light source (e.g., an LED lamp) depending on the room. To evenly illuminate your face, both light sources should come from the front. It’s best to position yourself between the window and the lamp and place the smartphone camera a little distance in front of you.
Tip for Video Beginners:
Just experiment! You’ll quickly notice how different your image looks when you place your light source in front of, next to, or behind the camera. Take your time and test various positions.
Step 3: Create a Good Setting
In selfie videos, some image compositions appear more harmonious than others. Pay attention to the scenes in professional videos where a single person is speaking. Often, the camera is very focused on the speaker's head – this makes the speaker seem closer to the viewer.
You can achieve a good setting in videos of people with the following three tips:
Always film in landscape format! On one hand, this is the natural direction of our (side-by-side) eyes, and on the other, almost all our playback devices (PC, laptop, tablet) are designed for it.
Only film the essentials! The speaker should occupy at least 3/4 of the image, focusing on the face.
The neck must be visible, but the hairline doesn’t have to be: if you only look at the speaker’s face, there should be more space below than above. This corresponds to the natural gaze direction of our eyes.
Step 4: Roll the film! Start recording
Take one last look at your cheat sheet and start recording. Don’t be shy about making mistakes – it’s best to keep speaking and record the entire video. This way, you’ll get an immediate feel for whether your training video works overall. Then press stop and restart! You’ll notice that speaking becomes easier for you after a few recordings.
Once you’ve recorded a few versions of your video, make sure to check the result directly on your smartphone! Having to set the entire setup up again after you’ve taken it down is frustrating – even if setting up the blink.it Kit takes a maximum of 15 minutes for practiced hands.
Are you looking for software that allows you to create online courses yourself? With blink.it, you have a learning platform that allows you to do just that - and you can also sell your courses directly through it. Set up your own learning platform now and try it for free for 30 days! 👉 CLICK HERE EASILY!
3. The post-production of your explanatory video
Recommended time budget for beginners: 30 minutes
Recommended time budget for advanced users: 10 minutes
Option 1: Cut videos directly on your smartphone
If you want to trim your video as quickly as possible, Option 1 is the best choice for you. Here’s how to proceed most easily:
Open the video on your smartphone and watch it directly there.
Open the file with a video editor for smartphones. Our recommendation: CapCut Photo & Video Editor for iOS and Android (free with many features; Pro version for € 10 to € 20/month)
Trim the file at the beginning and end, remove noise from the audio, and adjust the aspect ratio.
Export the video as .MP4 (1080p) and then upload it to your playback medium.
Option 2: Video Editing on PC
Many people find the display of their smartphones simply too small to edit a video properly. If you belong to this group, then upload your video to your computer and perform these basic editing steps:
Open the video with the editing program of your choice and play it completely once. We recommend the free tool CapCut Photo & Video Editor (available for Windows and Mac).
Trim the beginning and the end of your video: "Trimming" means that you simply cut away everything that is unnecessary from the front and back. But don’t cut too short: Make sure to leave 1 to 2 seconds before your first word and after your last word.
Reduce background noise so that the background sounds are minimized and your voice is clearly heard in the foreground.
Adjust your video to the aspect ratio in which you want to play it (we recommend 16:9).
Watch your edited video several times until you are satisfied with it.
Export your final video as an .MP4 file and upload it to your playback medium.
Tip: You can do many more cool things with editing software, such as transitions, fades in and out, filters, subtitles, and much more. The above steps are just the basics that you should definitely do for every video.
Field of Application "Further Education, Workshops, and Seminars": Self-created Videos in Your Online Courses
Now you have learned step by step what is important when creating educational videos. In the end, we have a few general tips for creating your own videos for workshops, seminars, training, coaching, e-learning, and blended learning.
10 Tips for Good Videos in Online Courses
Keep your video short! 2 minutes is completely sufficient for a learning video, no more than 3 minutes should be used.
Good sound is crucial for the video quality of any video. If your viewer does not understand what you are saying or there are distracting background noises, they will quickly tune out.
Always film in landscape format! Our eyes are positioned next to each other, not on top of each other. And most digital playback devices are designed for landscape formats. We recommend using the 16:9 format for every video.
Pay attention to relevant content for the viewer: Make it clear in your video why your viewers or learners should watch it. They need to know if the video is interesting for them and what prior knowledge they may need to understand your content.
Without a call-to-action nothing works! Your viewer must know exactly what you expect from them at the end of your video - even if you only ask them to watch the next video in the online course.
Place your video in the context of the entire workshop, seminar, or e-learning: Does the content refer to something you mentioned in the seminar? Are there additional sources on the topic?
Videos as elements of blended learning: For preparation for the in-person meeting and motivation, personally shot selfie videos are particularly well-suited.
Externally commissioned videos are expensive. They are usually only worth it if you want to make a large image film or something similar.
Pay attention to your correct mindset when filming videos. Be confident, in a good mood, and do not fear mistakes: A single slip of the tongue appears more authentic to the viewer than a flawlessly read text. Most mistakes are not noticed at all or are quickly forgotten. Even professional news anchors on television occasionally stumble - that’s just part of it and makes the person in front of the camera likable.
Use your videos as advertising: Videos clearly show how a training, coaching, or online course can look with you. Therefore, use your video outside of your e-learning, for example as an example on your website.
