Guides on Creating Cost-Free YouTube Beginnings & Conclusions

How to Create YouTube Intros & End Cards - Free and Easy

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

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Part 1: Intros

Elements of an Intro

Top Intro Sites

Creating an Intro in Filmora

Part 2: End Cards

Elements of an End Card

How To Make an End Card

Part1: Intros

Elements of an Intro

Intros should only last about five seconds, and that can be cut down to two or three if you have a larger following.

When your intro video is longer than five seconds viewers are more likely to click away. The first 15 seconds of a video is when viewers are most likely to decide to click on one of the recommended videos, or go back to their search results and choose something else. The odds of them leaving within these first 15 seconds are greater if you do not get right to the main point of your video. That is why long intro sequences are bad for your watch time.

Whether it is better to put your intro at the very beginning of your video, or after you introduce your topic, will depend on your viewers. You may want to try it both ways and then look at your retention report (found in your YouTube Creator Studio under Analytics) to see which works best for you.

Top Intro Sites

There are a few different sites where you can download animated intros, customized to include your username or logo. Here are two of the best:

FlixPress.com

This is probably the most popular intro site. There are a lot of great animated intros available for under $5, or even for free.

IntroMaker.net

This is another site with really professional looking intros for $5. They only have two free options, though.

Creating an Intro in Filmora

You can create a simple intro card in Filmora.

1. Choose your background. You may want to use a short clip as your intro, or you may just want a colored background.
2. Drag your clip or background into the video track of your timeline and trim it down to five seconds.
3. If you have a logo, import it into Filmora and drag it into your picture-in-picture track.
4. With your logo selected, click on the Green Screen icon. In the pop-up, select the background of your logo to make it transparent. For this to work your logo cannot be the same color as its background.
5. Click on the editing icon with your logo selected and choose an animation.
6. Go to the Text/Titles menu and choose an animated title that suits your channel. Drag it into your text track and edit it to include your name.
7. The last piece of your intro is sound. You can choose a song from Filmora’s library and cut it down to five seconds, or import your sound effect.
8. Export your video and save it for use in all of your other videos.

Part 2: End Cards

When your video ends, YouTube will recommend a selection of videos users may want to watch next. Often, these recommendations will not include more of your videos.

To keep viewers on your channel, you can create your End Card which recommends other content you have created.

Elements of an End Card

An end card includes clips from two or three of your videos, muted, and shrunk down to thumbnail-size. Using spotlight annotations you can make these thumbnails click-able.

It is also important that your end card includes multiple calls to action. A call to action is meant to spur a viewer to some kind of action. Writing ‘Check out this video’ above one of your thumbnails is a call to action.

You should also have a subscribe link somewhere in your end card, ideally a very noticeable button with a proven call to action like ‘Subscribe Now!’.

Some creators will leave their end cards at that and play music overtop, but it can be even more effective to include a voiceover where you ask viewers to subscribe and watch your other videos.

How To Make an End Card

1. Choose a static background. You may want to download an end card template or create one in a drawing program. If you do, make sure to include calls to action like ‘Watch more!’ and ‘Subscribe’.
2. Drag your background into your timeline at the end of your video.
3. Import two or three of your previous videos and drag them into your picture in picture tracks. Each clip should be on its track.
4. Trim the clips in your picture in picture track down to the same length as your end card.
5. Shrink your clips down to thumbnail-size by dragging their corners in the preview window.
6. Position your clips so they are spaced evenly by dragging them in the preview screen.
7. Mute your clips.
8. If your background does not include any calls to action, choose a title from the Text/Titles menu in Filmora and create at least two – one asking viewers to subscribe, and one asking them to watch your suggested videos.
9. Export your video from Filmora and upload it to YouTube.
10. Go to your Video Manager and select Annotations in the drop-down menu next to your video.
11. Go to your end card in the previewer, as that is where you want to add your annotations.
12. Click Add Annotation and add a spotlight annotation to your video. Stretch it over one of your thumbnails and then check the Link box under your Annotation’s timing. Insert a link to the video you are previewing.
13. Repeat for any other thumbnails. For your subscribe button, change where it said ‘Video’ to ‘Subscribe’ and enter your channel URL.
14. Click Apply Changes.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Essential Tech for New Channel Launches

The Best YouTube Equipment: What You Need to Start Your Channel

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When you first started your vlog you likely looked for tips from well-established vloggers. Something that may have been surprising was the amount of equipment it takes to run a successful vlog. Besides your camera you need equipment for stabilizing it, for lighting your shots, and for recording better audio than your camera is capable of. If you still don’t know which camera to use, this article will tell you the best cameras for YouTube .

Do not be overwhelmed! There are loads of affordable options for YouTube equipment. There are even some tricks you can use to get by without some pieces of equipment until you are ready to make the investment.

Here are examples of some of the best YouTube equipment. Watch for the ‘Free Option!’ at the bottom of every section!

1. Stabilizers for YouTube

Selfie Stick: A lot of vloggers like to record from their phones, and selfie sticks make great stabilizers. You can put one end on the ground and use your selfie stick similarly to a monopod. Selfie sticks are also very affordable. The Cazbe Selfie Stick is only about $40. If you want to be a bit more sophisticated about your smartphone video then you might consider the KumbaCam 3 Axis Smart Phone Stabilizer, which is described as a ‘selfie stick on steroids’. It is a pricier option at $350.

Tripod: A tripod is what most people think of when they think of stabilizing their cameras. Tripods come in different weights and sizes, and there are even tripods specifically for smartphones. There is a wide range of pricing for tripods. Mid-range is about $50.

Free Option! Any Available Surface: Kitchen tables. Desks. Park benches. Trees. Your friend’s shoulder, if you ask nicely. Anything you can rest your camera on top of can be used to record a steady video.

2. Lighting for YouTube Videos

Softbox Lights: These are the kinds of lights that were probably used to take your school photos. They create soft, diffused, light and can be fairly affordable. The LimoStudio 700W Photography Softbox Lighting Kit is $167, and that is about the average.

LED Panel Light: LED panels produce high quality light. Prices vary. The Aputure Amaran AL-528S LED Video Light costs $358 (with stand). There are also LED panel lights which can be mounted onto your camera, like the Julius Studio NEW 160 LED 160 Dimmable Ultra High Power Panel Light which costs $111.

Free Option! The Sun: Natural light is always powerful enough to make your videos look great. Consider recording outside, or near a window in your house.

3. Audio Equipment for YouTube

Snoball: A Blue Snoball USB mic is an extremely affordable option at $60, although it does not have good range. You have to stay close to your computer if you use a Snoball.

Shotgun: You can get a shotgun mic to attach to your camera at a fairly decent price. The RØDE Video Shotgun Mic is only $140. You will not be able to stray far from your camera as it works best when you are close to it.

MP3 Recorder: A very high quality voice recorder is one way to record great audio and still be able to move freely. The Roland R-05 WAVE/MP3 Recorder is a great choice at $200.

LAV System: A lavalier, or lapel, mic system is a lot of vloggers’ favorite way to record dialogue because the mics are small and clip right on to your clothing. This is a more expensive option. The Sony LAV Wireless Mic System is $600.

Free Option! Audacity: Audacity is free audio recording/editing software that is popular with vloggers. If you do not have access to an external mic then you might be able to increase the quality of your sound recording using Audacity. You can download the latest version of Audacity for free from Audacityteam.org

4. Editing Your YouTube Videos

Filmora Video Editor: Filmora is a great program for beginners, but it is also powerful enough to satisfy more experienced vloggers. Filmora has both advanced tools like green screen or picture-in-picture, and a lot of fun features like filters, animated titles, and overlays.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Adobe Premiere Pro: Premiere is professional grade software that boasts an ‘industry-leading video production toolset’. You can get Premiere Pro as part of the single-app Creative Cloud plan for $19.99 a month.

Free Option Filmora’s mobile app, Filmora, is available for free for a limited time for both Android and iPhone. It has a ton of features, and a really intuitive interface designed specifically for the mobile format.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett