Important Udemy Video Production Tips for Successful Video Creation

Creating videos for educational platforms like Udemy require some very specific steps be taken. Not only does Udemy have minimum standards set for the total amount of video that a course must have but there are also requirements that specifically outline the quality of the video content that is required. Put short, you can’t just create some low quality video content and expect that Udemy will allow you to publish your online course. Follow these important Udemy video production tips for the successful creation of video content for your student audience.

Know Udemy’s Minimum Video Requirements

The first step to producing top quality videos for your Udemy course is to know what the minimum requirements are. Certainly knowing what you can, and cannot do, or what you should, or should not do, when creating videos for a Udemy course will help you to establish an effective plan for creating content for your course. 

Udemy requires that every course have at least 30 minutes of video content to accompany any other instructional material. Not just any video will do, though! The minimum requirements in regards to video quality when uploading videos to Udemy include:

• Video must be HD quality.
• Video must have a resolution of at least 720p.
• Audio must come from both channels and be synced to the video.

Additionally, Udemy provides a “Test video service” which allows course creators to test out their video content ahead of finalizing their course.  This is important to consider ahead of course setup because before a course is released to Udemy users it must pass a quality review process in which a special team of Udemy professionals will review the entire course, including any video content included within the course.

Create & Submit a Test Video 

Using Udemy’s test video service is key to ensuring that your Udemy video production is up to par for your course and is going to pass their quality checks. Since the test video service is free to use, it is in a course creator’s best interest to use the free service to check their content ahead of submitting their course for final quality review. 

Your test video doesn’t have to be complex. In fact, it can be a very simple video that includes a speaker talking on camera. The goal of the test video is to check the audio, video, and delivery of the video content that you produce for Udemy. If you’re wondering why you would want to create a separate test video, instead of just creating your course videos and submitting them as your test, consider the risk of producing all of your course videos and later finding out that they do not pass the quality test? 

It’s best to create a short, 1-3 minute video test project before you actually begin producing videos for your course. This way, you can test the video quality, including the lighting, audio, sound and camera steadiness in addition to the HD output. This will also test the audio from both channels to ensure it is synced properly with the video. Your video test is also testing the clarity of the audio to ensure there are no distracting noises on your video. 

Submit your test video ahead of creating any video content for your course. Make sure you use the same camera, lighting, microphones, and settings that you’ll use when filming your course content when you create your test video. A Udemy professional will review your test video within 48 hours for quality and they’ll approve, or disapprove, your test quickly for your convenience.

Use Professional Video Production Techniques

Once you’ve got your plan in place for course content, and you know that your video settings have passed the quality check or test, it’s time to start producing for your course. Udemy video production is just like producing professional quality video for any client or project. You want to be sure that you:

• Use top quality lighting and set your lighting up in a way that compliments your presenter and limits any shadow or unpleasant lighting on your “set.”
• Use a microphone or other professional quality audio settings to ensure you capture quality sound during the creation of your video to ensure your audience can hear clearly and that there are no distractions such as background noise to draw the attention of your audience away from your instruction.
• Use techniques like lower thirds, text overlays, and other on-screen graphics to highlight important concepts, reinforce specific topics, or improve student understanding of complex data and details.
• Speak directly to the student audience and use a conversational tone. Students are more likely to trust you if they can see and hear what you’re saying on camera.
• Consider the use of two or more cameras to provide different viewing angles for your students. This will improve student engagement keeping them interested in your content.

As you can see, Udemy video production requires some careful thought and professional technique that not just anyone can easily pull off. If this sounds like a lot of work, give Beverly Boy Productions a call! We’ll help you create top quality Udemy videos that pass the quality test and engage your students for the success of your online course!