One of the best things about creating content is that there are so many ways to improve the material even after you finish recording. Even if you spot a few issues and only notice them after recording, you can still improve your video quality in post-production
Generally speaking, the “quality” of the video can refer to several things: its visual appeal, quality of the recording, clarity, pacing, sound, and the overall impact it might have on the audience. In this article, we will explore several different methods you can use to improve the quality of your video in post-production. Although not all of them are essential for every video, they will give you a general idea of what you can do to make your content shine!
1. Editing
Editing is one of the basic elements of video-post production, and you will need it regardless of the content you are making. If there are several scenes or even multiple takes of each scene, your first goal is to stitch them together and create a rough cut.
From here on, you will be able to see any potential problems. Whether they are related to the pacing of the video, length, or quality, you can fix them in post-production. Editing is among the most straightforward ways to improve the quality during the process.
It is worth mentioning that the term “editing” usually refers to the entire process of post-production, and it can include things like color correction, contrast, and other types of fixes and corrections.
But here, specifically, we mentioned editing as a way to arrange and rearrange scenes, trim extra parts, and remove any failed takes in the original recording.
2. Enhancing and Upscaling
Post-production allows you to change the video in so many different ways, and you can even improve the quality of each scene (or the entire video).
But how do you make low-quality videos look better in post-production? You can use video post-production software to enhance the quality, remove noise, and improve the video up to an extent. However, these programs aren’t omnipotent, but they are an excellent option for a few finishing touches.
The easiest way to make your video look better is with upscaling. This technique is similar to what studios do when remastering older versions of existing content. The studio will rarely go through the entire editing process again. Instead, they will use the video as is, but improve its visuals.
With upscaling, you can also adjust the format, resolution, margins, and so on. You will need to check out some premium software to do so, though.
As you can probably expect, each video editing tool comes with pros and cons, so the ideal option would be to try a few different programs and see which one best fits your level of expertise.
3. Experimenting With Noise
Video noise (not to be confused with audio noise) is something that can affect the quality of the video. There are different ways to deal with noise and film grain, and you can handle it during video post-production.
Ideally, you will experiment with different lighting and reduce noise during the recording, but you can also remove it using various tools and programs in post-production. Film grain was quite a common issue before, but you don’t see it often anymore with digital recordings.
Film grain and noise are not necessarily bad things, as they can be great atmospheric tools in certain types of videos. So you may occasionally want to skip using this technique.
4. Color Correction
The process of color correction and grading includes going through each scene and adjusting the color balance, saturation, and contrast. That can help you enhance the quality of each scene and create a more cohesive video.
Doing this will also help you set the tone and mood of the video by creating smooth transitions between scenes. Color correction might not be as necessary for video podcasts and documentaries, but you can still play around with it a bit if you want to achieve a certain effect.
For movies and TV shows, color correction is an essential part of post-production, and it’s always conducted before the final cut.
Contrast and Brightness
When filming multiple takes of a scene, you will often have to shoot at different times of the day. And that can completely mess up your video’s consistency. Also, you never want your scenes to be too bright or dark — the final product must be crystal-clear for your audience.
That’s where adjusting the brightness in post-production can help you achieve that perfect lighting in each scene while adding some contrast can make important details stand out. Fine-tuning these two elements can make all the difference in the final product.
5. Improving Audio
Audio plays an essential role in videos (except maybe silent films). You need your audience to hear all the dialogue, music, effects, and so much more. You will need to balance it all out in audio post-production.
This process includes several different steps, and you might even need to re-record some dialogues if there is an issue with the original recordings. The most common steps of an audio post-production workflow include:
- Audio editing
- ADR
- Sound effects (and foley)
- Music scoring
- Mixing & mastering
While audio post-production is not directly focused on improving video quality, audio plays such a crucial role in all motion pictures that it’s impossible not to mention it.
6. Compression
Raw video recordings can take up terabytes upon terabytes of disk space. And even after all the editing and getting to the final cut, you will still need to compress it to a more manageable file size. During this process, you’ll also be able to export it to one of many video file formats (depending on where you plan to distribute it).
Be wary that compression can also negatively affect video quality. So make sure the compressed version of your content is as good as it can be, and don’t overdo it. Play around with different video codecs and file formats, and try to preserve most of its original quality.
7. Blur and Sharpness
Adding effects like blur is an excellent way to change the focus of a particular scene. The viewers will have an easier time following what’s going on or focusing on a specific detail. Just be careful not to overdo it.
You should use blur and sharpness with subtlety to avoid creating a blurry mess. A well-placed blur can help the audience focus on the character in front, or, sometimes, even on something in the background. You can also experiment with depth of field to change the viewer’s perspective and direct attention.
One of the most frequent use cases for blur is to use it in the background if there’s text on the screen. That way, the audience won’t have any distractions while trying to read the lines.
8. VFX
Special effects in movies are almost an everyday occurrence nowadays. Even films based on true stories and some documentaries use them. Although people often associate VFX with sci-fi movies, these are useful in any genre. And you add them all in post-production.
Special effects can help you adjust the background, remove the microphone boom, but also add explosions, lasers, or even aliens. In most cases, the best option is to use subtle effects to enhance the scene and just polish it a bit further.
Need Help Improving Video Quality in Post-Production?
The larger your project, the more complex post-production will be. And if you’re inexperienced in the field, you can easily get overwhelmed with all the things you need to do.
But instead of worrying about how to handle your next video project’s post-production (and which steps to skip), why not hire professional help to handle it for you?
At Force Media, our team of experts has years of experience working on different elements of post-production, and we can assist you every step of the way. You don’t need to go through the process alone.
We can help you with everything from:
- Editing
- Color correction
- Visual enhancements
- Audio post-production
- Effects
- And more
If you are curious to learn more, contact us and let’s have a talk about your next project. We’d love to assist you!
