The "Then" To "Now" Thread

[Cyanna]

My REAL first vid was lost to a hard drive crash. It used very low quality hard-coded fansubs anyway so I'm not particularly upset about the loss.

First Video


Newest Video


Beeeeeeah...at the moment my newest video is also my lowest rated one and was the only one to fall off the Announcement board without anyone noticing. So as far as public perception goes, I seem to have taken a serious downturn.

I think really the only thing I could say was a source of improvement was just...time. I'm not eager to make anything that pops into my head anymore. I although I still do a lot of lyric sync, I'm no longer scared of doing instrumental bridges. I don't flounder around looking for anything that might work. If I can't lyric-sync, I can take the song in themed chunks and make a video that way. I've also gotten much better at ending my videos. Upgrades in software have allowed me to make some technical improvements like removing lipflap. It took seven years before I made an AMV that required After Effects. Even then I usually only use it for masking. My next video might not even need it.

[LoneSaiyan115]

Well this isn't my first video edited ever. I had edited Machinama in the past and first AMV was a DBZ AMV to "Sound Effects and Over Dramatics" by the Used and it used clips from Cartoon Network and really old and bad quality episodes haha.

This video is probably the third or fourth AMV I made:


Latest Videos:




So I think the biggest improvement is that I learned how to use Sony Vegas haha. Back then I didn't know about all the features yet, even Pan/Crop tool (If you couldn't tell by the Sasuke subs in "We Tried So Hard"). But the other improvements were to really understand how a video should flow and sync to the music. I think it went along with me actually becoming a musician in that time period as well. It helped me understand how music flows and how a scene should flow along side it. I was also paying close attention to editors like KingDav1d, tony8000 and Vegeta119 (Arashinome), and trying to figure out how they made such great action videos

My effect use has relatively stayed the same for my action videos. I just know how to use those effects right now. Drama videos like my AMV "Darkness" are an exception to that rule, but most of those videos I went in with a plan to make them look gritty or some other way. Very recently though I also leanred about compresion and working with my footage to make it look and sound better. I have the org to thanks for that

[Shin-AMV]

Snap. Its awesome to compare the old stuff with a lot of the new stuff and see all the different kind of improvements and style changes. I'm almost too embarrassed to post my old stuff I used a lot of fansubbed stuff and left the TV watermarks and occassionally subtitles in. I didn't really understand the importance of proper encoding and lost a lot of quality converting stuff alot....

First vids:



I've gotten a little more picky on my source quality since and try to rip my own DVD/Blurays when I can.

Latest:



I Think the biggest change from my starting days is I always wanted to add in a bunch of effects, sparkles, and crazy stuff, (with a few disastrous results lol) but now I'm kind of the philosophy of less is more, and try to just let the scenes I pick do the work and add in some effects if they seem approriate.

[TwilightChrono]

I;m glad that this is getting such a good response. I'm getting to see a bunch of different videos here and I'm getting to see the changes from video to video thanks to the org and other sources who helped these people imprve. Very nice guys, Keep the vids Coming, I am really enjoying this.

Can we has a sticky on this thread please?

[BasharOfTheAges]

Stickies are to make announcements or to highlight answers to FAQs - this isn't either of those things. If you want to make an argument for popularity demanding a sticky, you have about 20,000 posts worth of responses to get before you can even argue that angle.

[TwilightChrono]

Stickies are to make announcements or to highlight answers to FAQs - this isn't either of those things. If you want to make an argument for popularity demanding a sticky, you have about 20,000 posts worth of responses to get before you can even argue that angle.

Someone took that seriously? Wow, Haha. Sorry Bashar, that was a troll on my part

I would like to see people post some more of their oldies with comparisons though

Keep em coming guys. I"m quite enjoying these throwbacks. XD

[JaddziaDax]

First Video - this version has actually been "fixed" though, I cropped out the subtitles and adjusted some of orphan frames, at the time I "fixed" it I was still getting lots of feedback and I was rather sick of hearing "you have subs in your video" so I wanted to fix that. I also had a piss poor attempt to filter it. LAWL. I allowed Buma to show it at Kawaii-kon in its full bad quality version.



I think this one was a huge leap for me, I was getting more comfortable with Sony Vegas at the time.



and then another leap. This was both the first time I attempted more action/drama and the first video I'd ever submitted to a con.



First video I won at a con with.



I think this is a milestone for being the first video I ever made that was "popular" (and it was totally a backfired response, since I was expecting people to hate it)



It's not my newest video however it's the "best" in my opinion out of my newest videos. I think that there is a huge improvement between the two but you also have over 6 years of improving between this and the first one I made.

[TwilightChrono]

Wow. After watching all of those and reading each of the caps you had above em, I feel I should update my original post but since I can't edit the post I'll post where my improvements began.

I tell, you. Those were some major improvements Jaddzia. The org helps a lot of people. Or rather the members help us improve and we help ourselves improve. I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread. keep em coming guys.
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This was probably my very first popular video and also whee all my improvements started. Which is also the very first video I ever submitted to a Con and it's the first video that I made that won at the same con and my first video using after effects:



After this video I decided to make a sequel which was my second ever video to win at a con (Phoenix Comicon) and a drastic improvement over the above video:



I made a third one after the last one and after making it realized the last 2 made the first one look out of date. Even though this last one completed the 3 AMV Project I was going for, I decided to remake the first one and try my hardest at it. Which it won at the con I submitted it to and is still to this day probably what I consider my favorite and best video to date and showcases my most drastic improvements ever:



All thanks to the wonderful people and friends I have made on the org. All these improvements would not have happened were it not for all of you guys and your wonderful input.

[Magnus]

I doubt anyone is interested enough for this... but what the heck.
I became very ambitious about this thread for some reason.
So I give you not only "my first and newest", but I present to you.

1 of my first ever's (3rd) video. Made before I had registered on this site personally and knew how to upload and the alike (I was 11 and not fluent in English at the time).
Year: 2005



1 Year later. Still in the Naruto-loop. First video under an .Org-active studio.
Year: 2006



1 Year later. First real go at propper effect- and story-constructure. Heavily lyrically-synced but in a way, I even today, find succesful. My first video to get 1-2pgs attention in the announcement forum. Also, first time ever scripting my footage for quality-reasons
Year: 2007



Same year. First video made from emotional-out let. First time losing a close friend to death. First memorial video. Second time scripting footage - failing misserably.
Year: 2007



Same year. First MEP I ever participated in.
Year: 2007



Same year. First Collab with my stupid Swedish Trio-lovers
Year: 2007



And then... in 2008, there was "More Than Enough". My first video to ever win an (and multiple) award(s), go viral on the org and go to the finals of the VCA's - all in the same year.
Ironically, it was one of my videos I never was satisfied with, and rushed and made in 1 day only in a bunch of spread out hours. However, it is my most popular work, and a lot of people enjoy it.
So it's always something. Right?
Year: 2008



Not being statisfied by getting the viral attention by the previous release for what it was, I made my dream project, and it is still to date my own personal favorite.
By the end of 2008, I released "Our Farewell", making it to 3rd place in AkrossCon and final in the VCA's. The respons was not of the kind of "MTE", but it was enough to me, it was liked in Russia.
Year: 2008



After 2008, I became occupied and did not have much ambition to edit, I didn't make any propper projects until last year.

2010 I teamed up with my friend Susie, and together in 1 month, we took on AkrossCon once more. Making it to the finals, but not more than that.
However, the project is still one most up to par with my editing technique. Not my technical level, though. It's a project which was fun to make, and turned out enjoyable for us as creators to watch.
Year: 2010




I became ambitious by this thread for 1 reason. When going through my old videos one by one, I got even more motivated.
From now on I will be getting back into regular frequent AMV-editing, as a part of a re-hab of distraction.

If anyone actually went through all this, Thank you and hope you enjoyed!