How I layer VideoScribe animations over live action videos

Posted by Naomi Linford on November 9, 2021
Naomi Linford

While whiteboard animation is what most of our community know and love us for, there are so many different types of video you can create with VideoScribe.

One option that's particularly effective is to layer VideoScribe images and animations over live action video. Not only so that you can make use of existing footage but because it's a really engaging and eye-catching way to present information.

With that in mind, we're particularly excited to be able to share our interview with Stefan Dimov where we discuss his process for creating this style of video. Stefan is the creator of YouTube channel, Project Caritas that reviews ethical and environmentally friendly brands.  

So, if you want to learn how to create a new style of video to incorporate live action footage like the example below then this is the blog for you. Thank you again to Stefan for sharing his insights with us!

Please can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Project Caritas?

I'm a Lancaster University, Marketing Management graduate, currently living in London and working as a Client Solutions Manager at Samsung Ads.

I created the YouTube channel, Project Caritas which is focused on reviewing products from environmentally and socially responsible brands that are trying to make a positive change to the world. Our mission is to use YouTube’s ads monetisation model for good by donating 100% of all our ad revenue. This means that whatever we earn from the channel, we're donating to charity (this is also why we chose the name 'Caritas'). 

As a team, we're all about collaboration and compassion by delivering engaging and educational content,  while having a humanitarian purpose at heart.

Why were you drawn to layering your YouTube videos?

Whether it's to pinpoint a particular feature of a product, or to add some visualisation during an interview style videos, using VideoScribe to layer my videos allows me to better visualise the points the interviewee or myself are trying to make. 

When there's a supportive illustration during a talking clip I've found people can better visualise the idea that's being communicated through the video. Therefore, when animations are popping up on the screen while the person is talking, it makes it a lot easier for the viewer to assimilate the information and build a picture of it in their head. 

Similarly, with the product review videos I do, it's great to be able to animate a certain feature you want to emphasize and draw the viewers’ attention to it. Likewise, some processes may be harder to understand, so a few animations can definitely turn hard-to-digest information into fun and engaging content. You can see an example of this below.

How do you create this layered effect?

Here’s how I create these effects in just a few simple steps.

Please note the tools used in this tutorial are VideoScribe and a choice between iMovie (iMovie is free to use on Apple devices) and Adobe Premier Pro which is a paid tool. If you're looking for a free tool that's available on Mac and Windows, VideoPad could be a good option as it has a free version. 

What are the benefits of using VideoScribe to layer your videos?

For me there are three key benefits of using VideoScribe for this...

1. Access to thousands of high-res, unique and professional-looking royalty-free images

Paying for images and icons online could sometimes be quite pricey, especially if you intend to use a lot of images in your videos, like I do. However, if you use VideoScribe to layer your videos, you get to use their entire library of images, which is already included in your monthly subscription price, at no further cost. So next time, before you purchase a vector image online, check if you can find an image on VideoScribe that resembles the one you want to buy and use VideoScribe instead. This will not only save you some money, but time as well, which brings me to my second point - efficiency.

2. Layering videos with VideoScribe is time-efficient and creates consistency 

As content creators, we all know that finding and sourcing the same style images online can be a very frustrating and time-consuming process. However, with VideoScribe, you have access to over 7,000 images and graphics, organized and categorized to make finding what you're looking for easy. This definitely saves me lots of time when sourcing the images for my videos and also allows me to stay consistent with the animations I use from one video to another.

3. Super easy and quick to use 

Finally, I love how using VideoScribe for layering allows me to quickly and easily make my videos a lot more visually stimulating. Now, I can create more content than ever, because I don’t have to spend time animating the images myself. Instead, I can focus on what I love to do - storytelling.

Big thank you again to Stefan for sharing his approach to video creation for YouTube. It's clear that this style of video is not only super effective but it's easy to achieve too. 

If you want to experiment with this layered effect yourself, start a free 7-day trial of VideoScribe today (no credit card needed)!

Topics: Case Studies & Examples

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