Frequently Asked Questions
How long/large can my videos be?
All videos uploaded to YouTube have to be under the 100MB file size limit and less than 10-minute long , however, we recommend to keep the length of your videos to less than 4-5 minutes. If you video is larger or longer than stipulated above, you can compress your video using movie editors, like Windows MovieMaker or Apple iMovie. Programs like these allow you to edit your videos, add soundtracks, and compress file sizes.
What should my video show?
Your video should demonstrate the central idea of your abstract and it should be self-contained and self-explanatory. Editing the raw footage to make the video snappy and interesting is a good idea. The video should emphasize the most novel and unique aspect of your system.
How long would it take before my video appears on the Mechanisms and Robotics YouTube channel?
We expect the reviews to be completed within 8-10 days time from the time of submission. This time frame could vary depending on the submission rate from the community.
What kind of videos can I submit?
Animations or Dynamic Figures - A video that screen captures the computer model of a moving mechanism or robot, scientific visualizations, animation, demos of software system, or zoomed and panned screen capture of a three-dimensional figure, etc.
Video Demonstration - A video demonstration usually captured using a camcorder or a digital camera that shows a physical system or a research prototype usually accompanied by voice narration.
How long should I keep my videos live?
If your video has been accepted for posting on Mechanisms and Robotics YouTube channel, we recommend that you do not delete it since if you delete them, the videos would no longer be available for our community to see.
How will my video(s) be judged?
These are the criteria used for judging your videos:
• Relevance to Mechanisms and Robotics
• Does the video correspond to abstract and title of the video?
• Quality (Adequate lighting, Steady camera motion, system well-displayed)
• Free of commercialism and endorsement
• Does narration and sound, if present, add to viewer's appreciation of the system shown?
Do you recommend any particular file format?
YouTube's recommendation on file formats is that files converted from .wmv to one of the other formats YouTube.com accepts generally have a lower playback quality than other file formats. If you have your source video in a format other than a .wmv file, YouTube recommends encoding directly to MPEG4 (DivX, Xvid, SQV3) at 320x240, with 64k Mono MP3 Audio. If you have a source .wmv in high bit rate and larger resolution they recommend converting to MPEG4 at full resolution and then resizing to 320x240 using a high quality resizing algorithm -- this can help reduce the number of artifacts you end up with.
Can you provide tips on how to make good videos?
YouTube has an excellent web page on various issues (e.g., general information, lighting, shooting , directing, and postproduction) related to a video production at http://www.youtube.com/video_toolbox