--- title: "Tips and Tricks on Videos" canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/DOCSGUIDE/113290599/Tips%20and%20Tricks%20on%20Videos" format: markdown --- These tips and tricks are based on Anna Zhivaeva's training from Jan 2020. ## **Getting ready** --- Make sure Arnold is not visible. Make sure all plugins that are not used such as Ornatrix are not visible. Hide the MEL field. Hide Windows toolbar. Use two monitors - on the main monitor hide the windows toolbar and leave only Maya/Max app.  Move the Output Window and the Rendering Stats dialogue to the monitor that is not used for recording. ## **Chaos Websites** --- There are various ways to hide a name or email during post-processing, but you can also hide or alter them while recording the video by modifying the page's source code. This approach saves you the trouble of applying blur and mask effects in post-production. - Press **F12** on the keyboard to open the page's Source Code and then click the **Inspector **tool. This activates the Inspector tool and allows you to select and see the code of any item on the page. ![image](media://13d77f76-d212-47be-9258-b38295a00c07) - Click on the item you want to alter to select it. In this case, the email in the top right corner of the page is selected. ![image](media://00c82871-fee8-4932-a5f4-9246d305c8f6) - This automatically selects the item in the source code too. ![image](media://bcee8f7a-71e7-4d67-a9b2-74b0591ff768) - Now you just need to alter the text in white. ![image](media://2305476f-03f5-4b0d-8308-1c077f34b2da) > Macro (ui-text-box) > > Once you refresh the page or go to another page and then back, the changes will disappear and you will have to use the Inspector tool again. ## **For 3ds Max** --- ### Viewport It is better to have the viewport displayed without the grid. Keep only one viewport window open (at maximum 2) during the video.  V-Ray toolbar in Max is better situated on the left. Start the video with everything de-selected.  The render camera should be already set up.  It is better to have the frame set up in the viewport, too. Reduce the width of the Modify panel on the right as much as possible. ![image](media://2542497f-28d4-4ca6-a52b-a3332e0ed9cc) ### VFB Before starting the video, start the render once to show the VFB. Set the VFB to the right resolution and place it on the top right corner aligned to the viewport.  Do not use Fit Frame Resolution option of the VFB. Something like 900-920 px/ portrait is fine.  Try to avoid scroll appearance in the VFB. Try to avoid button scrolling in the VFB - everything should be exposed if possible.  ![image](media://50b6e666-2995-4a5a-94aa-99b9c8404bc8) If you are using the side panels, align the position of the VFB before you start, so that when they are exposed, it doesn't change its position mid-video.  When in IPR, use the VFB and not the IPR in the viewport.  ### Material Editor If possible, set the materials to show only the swatch. This depends on the tutorial you are making. If you are showing the parameters, the connections, etc. - leave it full size. It is on your discretion.  ![image](media://ed11a0f1-2be3-406c-af7f-853f99b9897d) Geometry and materials need to have proper names.  When working with the Color Picker, the Color Picker window should not overlap the Mtl Editor. You can set its position once before the video, so you know when it'll open.  Set the proper folder before the video, too! When you open, save, load assets, you should always open the correct directory! The path should be properly named. Restrain from long names, words such as "drafts", "final", etc. Names should be comprehensible.  All windows should be well aligned one to another.  VFB on the left, Settings on the right, Color Correction rollouts always collapsed!  Navigation panel hidden.  **Additional notes:** The VFB must always be on the left and the material editor must always be on the right side of the window. When showing rendering you have 2 choices: a. show the entire rendering process but speed it to about 3-4 seconds b. cut the rendering process and show one frame (showing how you click the render button) and one frame (showing the ready render). Use Cross Dissolve between them or Fade-in/Fade-out with a 1-second long black clip between the two frames. ## **Maya** Render settings docked on the right side.  Hypershade - as in Max; --- For all platforms: When in IPR, when making a change - put the mouse aside and leave the VFB to clear the image without moving the mouse around. This way, you can then speed it up in Premiere. For each change, leave the image to clear out! ## **Effects** --- For all platforms. For a smoother transition between the V-Ray intro cap and the rest of the video content, insert a short black clip (relatively 1 second long) and put cross dissolve effects before and after it: ![image](media://282ba034-dade-40f7-b95b-97000997e083) The same applies for the ending of the video. > ⚠️ The videos must be exported as 4K H.264 if you intend to upload them directly onto the page rather than on YouTube. Otherwise, they will not be displayed in Mozilla Firefox.