Want to create a polished, Professional video that impresses your audience? It’s easier than you might think.

Achieving a professional look is more about your technique than your tools, so you don’t need to drop a fortune on expensive equipment – chances are good that you can make great videos with whatever you’ve got right now, just by paying attention to a few key details.

1. Use Plenty of Light.

Lighting makes a huge difference in the quality of a finished professional video, so make it one of your top priorities during Filming. If you don’t use enough properly-placed light, your video will probably look amateurish, even if it’s great in every other way.

The sun is one of the best light sources for video. If you’re filming in natural light, do your best to get your footage in the morning or evening, when the light is softer. Midday light coming from straight overhead can cast harsh shadows on your subjects, while morning and evening light is more flattering. If you do have to film in the middle of the day, try to do so on a cloudy day, or find a shady area for softer light.

If you’re filming indoors, you will need to be more intentional about the types of lights you use and where you place them. One thing to avoid is overhead lighting – it can cast unflattering shadows on your subjects’ faces. Windows are a good natural light source. You can also use a large lamp or two to cast the type of light you want.

Before you set up your light sources, consider the effect you want to create in your finished video. Do you want your subject’s face entirely lit up (“soft” or “flat” light), or do you want some shadows (“hard” light)?

2. Use a Clean Background.

Be deliberate about the Background you use for filming. Nothing looks less professional than a messy or distracting background.

One easy way to get a professional look for your video is to use a solid-colored background. A wall, a bedsheet, or a large sheet of backdrop paper are all good options. Make sure your subject stands several feet away from the backdrop to avoid casting shadows on it.

It’s also a good idea to shoot a video in a “professional” environment: the place where you actually work or spend time. For instance, Amy Landino, makes her professional videos in her home office. Make sure to check out this video for both a great example of a filming set and some great tips on how to actually set up a home office.

3. Choose a Good Video Editing Program.

Good video editing software can help you turn your raw footage into something great. There are some simpler tools like Wave.video, Camtasia or iMovie. More professional options include Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Here are the key features to pay attention to when choosing a video editor:

• The ability to add text to video;
• The ability to trim and crop videos;
• Scene transitions;
• The ability to change the aspect ratio;
• Adding filters and overlays;
• A library of stock videos and sounds.

4. Keep Your Editing Simple.

Trying out different effects can be fun during the video editing process, but don’t go too crazy. A simple, clean editing style generally looks most professional.

A few things you should be sure to do during the editing stage include:

• Using noise cancelling to clean up any background noise.
• Adjusting the lighting a little if you need to.
• Cutting out awkward pauses and silences.
• Adding background music and transitions.

Another editing tip: If you cut from one scene to another in your professional video, make the jump when there’s motion in both segments. This is smoother and more natural than jumping from one scene where nothing is happening to another.

5. Prioritize Crisp, Clear Audio.

Your audio quality is actually more important than your professional video quality. Most people are willing to watch a video that’s not shot in HD or that’s even a little grainy, as long as everything else about it is good. But fuzzy, indistinct audio is usually enough to make anybody hit the “back” button within a few seconds of starting to play a video.

Because audio matters so much, a good microphone is the first piece of equipment you should invest in. Get the best one you can afford. For $100 to $200, you can get a microphone that performs well and will last a long time. There are also some decent options under $100 if you’re on a tight budget. Even a lav mic will do!

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