Computer specs for video editing

It was shortly before my daughter's birthday party that I scheduled my first paid video job.  I thought the birthday party would be the perfect time to get some more practice in.  Lucky for me.  After uploading the raw video I started the editing process.  I had uploaded new software to a computer I'd never used for video editing.  This is what I discovered:  My laptop is virtually useless for what I need.  The video lag in the playback was AWFUL.  The diagnosis?  Simply, I needed a new computer.  Great.  I did a lot of research and talked to a few IT guys. My computer wasn't meeting the minimum specs for what I needed to do video editing.  I looked around at a lot of different computers.  In the end I had a friend build me a custom computer. 

 Here are the basics of what you need to look for.  Keep in mind that these are definitely not the only options you have.  This is just what I would have gone with if I hadn't had mine built.

Processor- i5 or i7  you also want the speed to be at least 2.8 GHz
RAM- 16 GB
Graphics card-  I'm a little sketchy on this one.  It was difficult to find a good graphics card in a computer on a budget.  You definitely don't want a graphics card that's integrated into the computer.  You want one that can be removed.
Hard drive-  If you're doing video you want at least 1TB hardrive. 



Here's what I got at Newegg and the price I paid for each:

*FYI the Internal SSD is like a fast hard drive (at least that's how it was explained to me.)  It's supposed to make your computer go a little faster, but it's not necessary

1 x ($189.99) ASRock 990FX Extreme9 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 8 x S

Motherboard

1 x ($169.99) AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4

Processor

1 x ($119.99) SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100314-4L Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-B

Graphics Card

1 x ($87.99) Mushkin Enhanced STEALTH 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DD

RAM

1 x ($84.99) Kingston SSDNow V300 Series SV300S37A/240G 2.5" 24

Internal SSD*

1 x ($47.99) Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Ca 

Hard Drive

My introduction into videography

I don't know about you guys, but I feel like photography can be a hard business to be in.  People tend to look at prices of photographers and think, "they make that much for an hour of taking photos?!"
I think many don't realize how much time it takes after the photo shoot is over.  Not only that, but it seems like every third person (in Utah, at least) is a photographer, or has someone in their family that is, or has a decent DSLR and thinks that they are.  

I decided I wanted to try something new.  One of my friends that I was shadowing does birth stories.  She does photography and videography for those births, and I love them!  To me, it's easier to have an emotional connection to watching an event unfold than seeing snapshots of those same events.  To be fair, I have seen some amazing, emotional photos.  It can be done, but I think it takes a good photographer to capture a photo with the same feeling you can get through video. 
I also had a videographer at my wedding and was so glad I did.  I love watching that video. (Mostly on anniversaries or because my daughter wants to see Mommy and Daddy on TV.) 

I'm learning as a go here.  I've picked peoples brains and researched A LOT.  I want to share my experience: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I hope it can help those who are also getting started avoid any pitfalls I find along the way.  

I started trying things out about 4 months ago.  I currently have a Canon T2i.  I've read that it's actually a pretty decent camera for video.  I'm hoping to upgrade soon, but for now, this will do.  The first thing I learned is that it's important to have the right memory card.  I have a stash of memory cards that I've had for a while, but they were all class 4 cards.  A class 4 card will allow you to only record about 5 seconds of video at 1920 x 1080 pixels.  I get class 10 cards.  I use these 32 gb Sandisk cards.  They're only $15 at Amazon (at the time of this writing). 

Other than the memory cards I didn't purchase any other equipment for my first video.  Let me tell you, it wasn't pretty.  I did a video for my nephew when he got baptized.  It was a bit shaky and not the most crisp video.  Of course my brother an sister-in-law were still happy with it because it was their son and it didn't cost them anything.  I would post it to give examples of what not to do, but I couldn't purchase licensing for the song I put it to.  That's one thing that is VERY important.  I've heard horror stories of people posting unlicensed music and having to pay fines of $5000 or more.  DON'T POST ANY VIDEO WITH MUSIC YOU DON'T HAVE THE LICENSE FOR!!!  Just don't do it.
I'm getting a little ahead of myself.  I did the baptism video and I learned a lot from it.  That would be one of my first recommendations.  Practice on an event that isn't a professional job for money. 

After that I decided it was time to get some equipment.  Over the course of the next few months I'll go into what I've been using and what was a waste of money to purchase. 
Here's the list of what I got and how much I paid:

AmoVee Shotgun Mic $36  
Manfrotto 128LP Fluid Head $83  (you may need some 1/4" to 3/8" adaptors)
Konova 31" slider $250
Squidmic $52
Zoom H1 recorder $138
Magix Video Editing Software $49
Dolica Monopod $16
LCD Viewfinder (Loupe) $20

Shotgun mic:  I think this is important.  I think video is always better if you can hear at least a little of the background noise.  
Fluid head:  This is absolutely necessary.  You need a fluid head to get smooth shots.  Manfrotto is a good brand, and this is on the cheaper end, but still has good quality.  I think the next thing I'll get is a quick release.  It just takes too long to change the camera when you're in the middle of a wedding.
Slider:  The jury is still out on the slider.  I think it is important to get more creative shots, but if I had to do it over, I probably would have waited to buy the slider. 
Squidmic and Audio Recorder:  This is also an absolute must if you plan to do wedding ceremonies.  So far I like the Zoom H1 (you can get it without the accessory package for $100).  I like the squidmic too, but you could probably find a decent lav mic for $30 or so. 
Video Editing Software:  I haven't been able to try this software out yet.  I'll have a whole post on that later.  I'll be updating my opinions on this in a week or so.
Monopod:  I like the monopod I have, and I personally think this is must for filming weddings, but I think I may buy one with legs on the bottom to give it more support.  Maybe something like this.
Viewfinder (Loupe)-  Not necessary, but I think it's handy to have.  It magnifies the LCD screen so you can more clearly see if the subject is in focus.

I have a few other things that I had already as a photography (light stands, extra batteries, etc.) but I haven't used them much for video.

Next up, what you need to edit video.

Holy Ghost Sharing Time Lesson

I was recently called into the primary presidency.  I had my first sharing time lesson today.  I just thought I'd share what I did because it ended up being pretty easy, low maintenance and low prep.  I chose 6 stories, 3 of which were examples of the Holy Ghost guiding and 3 of which were examples of the Holy Ghost protecting us.  You can find the stories I used here.  I put 6 strips of paper, labeled "Story1-6, on the chalkboard.  I let them shoot a nerf gun at the strips of paper.  Whichever paper they hit (or were closest to) is the story I'd read.  After the story was read I asked them whether the Holy Ghost was guiding or protecting.  It worked pretty well.  The kids loved shooting the nerf gun.  It wasn't frilly or pretty by any means, but the kids had fun!

Summer Cake Smash

When I think of summer I think of watermelon, fireworks and red, white and blue.  With my baby born at the beginning of the summer I couldn't help but do a red, white and blue themed cake smash.  And I happen to love the nautical look right now.  So there you have it. 

The cake smash was super easy to set up.  Just tape balloons to a wall, cut an anchor out of cardboard and spraypaint it white.  Love it!!!!

Under the Sea Birthday Party

Things have been a little crazy lately, but I have some fun posts as of a result of the craziness of my life!!  One of my favorites is today's post.  I loved this Under the Sea Party. It was A LOT of work, but so worth it!  And it was fairly budget friendly too!

I tried to have a good combination of sweets/healthy food.  So here's what we have:

Seaweed grapes-  I found an awesome deal on grapes the Saturday before the party, so I put them on skewers and put them in the freezer until just before the party.  And who doesn't love frozen grapes?!
Ocean Jelly-  Blue raspberry Jello with whipped cream and swedish fish on a bed of graham cracker crust.
Goldfish Crackers
Shark Gummies- I found them in bulk at Winco.
Ocean Juice- Blue Koolaid packet with sugar and a 2 Liter bottle of Sprite.
Cake- Obviously!!
Starfish- Watermelon
Octopus Seaweed Dip- Yellow Bell Pepper cut to look like an octopus topped on a bowl of spinish dip.

 For decorations I wanted a backdrop that I could use to take pictures of each of the kids.  I've seen some really cute backdrops that used a lot of ribbon and lace.  They are super cute, but a little out of my budget.  So I just used streamers and some mesh netting I found at Joann's for a couple bucks.  The netting was originally about 12 inches wide, so I gut them into thirds.  I really liked how the shiny netting added to it. (plus, netting...fish...Just makes sense, right?!)  I did add a couple strands of ribbon, but I don't really feel like it added anything extra to the backdrop. 

 

The tablecloth was one of my favorite decorations!  It was really simple, and fairly cheap to make too.  I used fabric I found at Joann's.  The sequin-like material make it look like scales, though there was some material that looked even more like scales, but I wasn't about to spend $25 a yard on the fabric, even if I could  use a coupon on it! The fabric I got was $8 a yard and I used a 50% off coupon.  Doesn't get much better than that!  My table was 42" square, so I just got enough to cover the top.  I used strips of tulle for the "skirt" part of the table.  I needed about 3 1/3 yards for a 3 foot high table.  I only did three sides, though, so if you were going to do all 4 sides, you will need more. 

I also used a fishing net from the dollar store to hold up some balloons.  I attached some starfish that I purchased here onto the fishing net. 

I wanted the girls to be able to dress up for their picture, so I made a little mermaid skirt and a starfish headband.  I used the tutorial for the mermaid skirt found here.  For the headband I got sequin stretchy trim from Joann and used some shabby chic flowers, wedding veil netting, furry trim and a starfish.  I'm pleasantly surprised with the results!!

I also made an octopus out of a balloon and streamers, and jellyfish out of balloons, tulle, a plastic tablecloth, and ribbon.  I love the way they turned out too!! 

And what's an under the sea party without a few fish?!  Just a warning, though.  Without a filtering system, you'll need to find a way to continue to give them oxygen. I added some tap water (maybe not the best way) that seemed to help add some oxygen to the water.  Sadly, our fish didn't last too long...

For party favors I made some pearl necklaces with large pearl beads and some ribbon.  (I had to use a needle and pliers to get the ribbon through, because the pearl holes were so small.) 

As for the cake...I can't, by any means, claim that as my own!  I have an awesome friend who traded me a cake for a photo session.  Otherwise that cake probably would have cost me $75. 

Games:  For an under the sea party you have to have water games, right?!  We set up a couple kiddie pools for them to play in.  One had a board across it for a "walk the plank" game.  The favorite, by far, was the slip'n'slide.  We have a wonderful little hill in our backyard that is perfect for sledding in the winter and slip'n'slide in the summer.  The kids LOVED it. 

All in all, it was a super fun party.  I have to say, I'm glad it's over.  Now I can start stressing about my newest adventure, and coincidentally, my newest post series...Videography.  To stay posted on all my adventures, be sure to sign up for email notices!

My 6 Favorite ways to earn a little extra as a SAHM

Since becoming a stay at home mom I am constantly looking for ways to earn a little extra spending money. I've tried a couple of survey places before but never really found it worth while.  Here are a couple of my favorite ways to earn a little extra.

Shopkick-
This is an app that gives you points (kicks) for walking in certain stores, scanning items in stores, and/or making purchases in stores. 

How it Works-
Open the app when you're walking in certain stores, like Walmart, Macy's, American Eagle, JCPenney, Sportsman's Warehouse, Best Buy, TJMaxx, etc.  I was able to spend just a few minutes walking through a mall and neighboring stores and earned about 800 kicks one day.  That happened to be on a weekend when they were giving higher amounts of kicks for walk-ins.  When you earn a certain number of kicks you can redeem them for gift cards.

How much are you likely to get?
This depends entirely on how often you go shopping, as the kicks for going into stores reset every day.  The rewards aren't huge, but every little bit counts.  For 500 kicks you can get a $2 gift card.  1250 is $5, 2500 is $10 and so on.  Check it out!


Bing Rewards-
This is the site I use least often because it doesn't have the best payout.  But if you already use Bing as your search engine then why not earn a little with something you already do?

How it Works-
Bing will give you a point for every two searches you do up to 15 points a day.  You can also answer trivia questions that will give you a few points.  When you get between 500 and 525 points you can cash out for a $5 gift card.

How much are you likely to get?
If you capped out on your searches every day, you could get a $5 gift card in about a month.


Swagbucks-
Now this is a survey site, but it's the only one I use.  I've tried InboxDollars before, but I had trouble with a number of their surveys disqualifying me after I had already spent 20 minutes on them.  I've had that happen twice with Swagbucks and each time they've credited me with the full amount of points.  With InboxDollars you also have to wait until you have $30 before they'll let you access any of the money.  I like Swagbucks because they are fair and you don't have to earn a ton of points before you can cash out on something

How it works:  
You earn points (Swagbucks) for certain activities.  Each point it basically the equivalent of $.01.  It's not a lot, but it can add up.  I've seen surveys range from 40 Swagbucks to 2500 Swagbucks.  Most often it's between 50 and 100.  Again, it's not a lot, but it's something I can do any time of the day.

You can also earn a minimal number of points for playing games, watching videos and searching the internet.  I like that last one because I set them as my default search engine and then I get points for some of the searches I do.  It usually only comes out to around $.10 a day, but hey, it's $.10 for something that I already do.  It doesn't require any extra effort.

You can also earn by shopping online at stores you may already use.  For example, you can shop online at Walmart, Amazon or Target and earn anywhere between 1 and 4 Swagbucks per $1 spent.  They have a ton of retailers you can use.

They also have offers that come into your "inbox" that may give you a certain number of Swagbucks.  For example, I did needed to purchase ink for my printer recently and there was a deal that gave me 500 Swagbucks if I spent over $30.  The store I had to purchase from actually was a lot cheaper than Walmart (which is where I probably would have gotten it) and on top of it I got the 500 points.  That was basically the equivalent of a $5 gift card.

When you earn enough points you can cash it in for gift cards.  I personally usually get Amazon Gift cards, but they have a lot of retailers to choose from.  You can cash in for as few as 300 Swagbucks, which will get you a $3 gift card.

How much are you likely to get?
I've only been using this site for a month and I've earned about $60.  It will depend on how much time you spend and if you can find deals that will help you get points for merchandise you already planned on buying.

UserTesting
This company has you test websites for other companies to see how their websites function.

How it works-
If you sign up with them, you will have to first do a sample test.  This test won't pay anything, it just tests you to see if you're a good fit.  After that you'll have access to start testing websites.  They will post available tests on your dashboard and you'll answer a few questions to see if you'll be a good fit for that test.  When you do your first test you'll have to wait until the test is reviewed before you can do anymore.

From what I've seen since I started most tests pay about $10.   They take about 20-30 minutes each. They pay you via Paypal, so you must have a Paypal account that is in good standing.  You will get paid a week after you take the test.  You get rated on the tests you take and if your rating starts to drop you may not see as many tests show up on your dashboard.

How much are you likely to get?
You'll probably be looking to make around $40 a month or so. 


Ibotta
I actually just joined Ibotta, but I'm super excited about it!  I wish I had found it earlier.  You get money back from shopping!  What could be better than that?

How it Works-
I use it for grocery shopping.  It reminds me a little of couponing without the headache of couponing.  You can go shopping, buy all your normal stuff, and then come home and check your Ibotta app to see what rebates are available.  For example, I went shopping yesterday and came home and looked at the app.  There was $1 rebate for milk (any brand), $.30 for bread, $.30 for eggs, etc.  I spent about $70 on food and got $3.40 in rebates and you get paid within two days.  Not bad for not having to do any couponing and just shopping like I normally do.

How much are you likely to get?
Honestly, I haven't been doing it long enough to tell.  It would also depend on how much you buy and how often you shop.  I have a friend who's been doing it for about 3 months and she's gotten a little over $90 back.

They also have promotionals where you can also earn more money if you're part of a "team."
If you'd like to join, click on the link and sign up :)
https://ibotta.com/r/gravpxm


Selling Plasma-
This is by far my favorite, most monetarily rewarding way to earn money as a SAHM.  In Utah you can earn money by donating plasma.  I go to Biomat USA (Griffols).  The first five times you donate you end up getting paid about $275.  You can donate twice a week.  After the first five times, you start getting $65 a week.  It takes, on average, about 2 hours per donation. 
I, personally, hate needles.  But I do love being able to earn money while watching TV.  Granted, it's not for everyone, but for me, it's worth doing it to be able to be a SAHM!!

Tips on tiling backsplash with SimpleMat

I have to say, this task was a bit daunting to me, having never tiled before, but once we got the hang of things, it really wasn't so bad.  And we're so happy with the results!! 

We went to our local Home Depot and found some tile we like.  Looking back it would have saved us a ton of time to use the sheets of tile, instead of individual tile pieces, but it ultimately saved us money to do it this way, and we really liked the natural stone look. 

Here's out Materials list:

• Tile - We used 11 packages of 9 stones each (equal to 1 sq ft.).  Each pack was $4. - $44
• SimpleMat- We got the large roll 30 sq ft. - $50
• 3/16" spacers -$3
• rubber grout float- $4
• Sponge - $2
• Grout- 2 containers of 1qt alabaster premixed SimpleGrout- $11 each - $22

Total = $125

We borrowed a tile saw from a friend and he came over to help us get started.
Now, there are a ton of videos out there on how to tile, etc.  They're worth looking at.  This post is mainly a review of, and tips for using SimpleMat. 

We didn't want to have to deal with thinset since this was such as small project and using Simplemat seemed so easy.  Basically it's a super sticky glue-like backing to place your tile on.  It really does seem like it would be a great product in the right setting. 

Would I use it if I was to do this project over again?  No.  Here's why.  Because we did a diamond pattern instead of a square pattern, we had to make a lot of cuts.  When you cut with a tile saw the pieces get wet.  Water and SimpleMat don't mix well.  We found that if our pieces were even slightly damp they had a hard time sticking to the wall.  After the first few experiences we got out the blow dryer and we didn't have much trouble after that. 

If you're doing a project without a lot of cuts, it might be a good option for you.  I also think if we were to do another backsplash, say in our bathroom, and we were using the sheets of tile, I would probably give SimpleMat another shot.  I can see how it might be really easy and mess-free to use with the sheets.  

Quick Tips:

• Don't put tile on SimpleMat when tile is wet
• If you're set on using SimpleMat, choose a tile the is not too large or too heavy
• Sheets of tile, rather than individual pieces, are likely your best bet.
• Don't put it on your wall until you're sure it's where you want it.  If you try to peel it off you'll pull off paint too.