10 must-have tools for aspiring content creators

Online video content creators constantly have to up their game. With technology becoming more available and affordable every day, it’s no longer enough to sit in front of your laptop camera, say a few words, and expect to make a viral smash. You now need to turn your garage, bedroom, or cell into a near-professional video production studio — but fortunately, it’s not that hard or even expensive. Here are 10 tools content creators can use to become international superstars, or at least cult heroes.

Next-level vlogging | Video Camera Camcorder Digital YouTube Vlogging Camera

You need more than a smartphone and a hot take to make a viral video these days. YouTube vlogs are becoming more complex and technically proficient, with special effects, alternate shooting angles, multiple screens, and graphics. This camcorder gives video content creators all the advanced technology they need to keep up at an affordable price. Shoot in light or dark environments, with slow-motion or time-lapse photography. Record clean sound with a deluxe microphone. It’s got everything a YouTuber needs, except for views, likes, and copyright-related takedown notices.

Hold steady | Torjim 60″ Camera Tripod with Carrying Bag

Still shots that aren’t still are the bane of the video content creator. To stage a perfect scene without the difficulty and occasional nausea of a moving shot, you’ll need a tripod to hold the camera in place. This unit from Torjim does exactly that and more. It provides ceaseless stability for video cameras of any kind. It’s got a phone holder and Bluetooth connectivity for remote control operation. It also comes with a carrying bag so that you can sling your tripod over your shoulder like a boss.

Light of the rings | 8″ Ring Light with Tripod Stand

If you’re shooting video content in a room that’s too dark and you’re not discussing vampires or death metal, you probably need some strategic lighting in your corner. That’s what ring lights provide. They give selfie video creators the same well-lit conditions that game show hosts and auto mechanics use every day. This ring light and tripod stand make it easy to create adjustable light for crisp, evocative images, with a brace to hold your smartphone recorder in place and a remote controller for hands-free operation.

Sound reasoning | USB Microphone, TONOR Computer Condenser

Are you still relying on your laptop’s built-in microphone for recording sound? That needs to stop. Frankly, it’s embarrassing. Especially when it’s possible to recreate high-quality audio recordings with microphones that cost a fraction of what they used to. TONOR makes some of the best audio products for digital creators, including this plug-and-play USB condenser microphone. With a tripod, a pop filter, quick set-up, and easy connectivity, this TONOR mic helps you make stunning content that doesn’t sound like it was made inside an aluminum soda can.

Let there be light | MOUNTDOG Softbox Lighting Kit

When your videos have gone viral, and it’s time to expand operations, you’ll need a lighting system that can illuminate with the big dogs — like the MOUNTDOG. This softbox kit is exactly the kind of system professional photographers use in their studios but at a very reasonable price. With two fully rotating lightboxes, pro-grade bulbs, a carrying case, and two adjustable tripods (we’re discovering every item for sale in the world includes a tripod), this kit contains everything you need to harness the awesome power of brightness and shadows for your cooking demo.

Go the distance | Apexel High Power 36x HD Telephoto Lens

When you’re trying to expose the terrible working conditions in a manufacturing plant that won’t let you on the premises — or something less risky, but still far away — it may be time to invest in a telephoto lens. The Apexel HD telephoto lens is the latest model on the market, and it’s able to deliver top-quality zoom-in shots up to 36 times the distance away from its position. It greatly magnifies your smartphone camera’s ability for that jungle safari, distant planet, or unsuspecting neighbor’s apartment window you’re trying to capture.

This party’s lit | Auxiwa Clip-on Selfie Ring Light

If you’re hooked on shooting well-lit selfies but aren’t fond of the many tripods in this article, this ring light is your saving grace. It clips right onto your smartphone, delivering professional quality illumination in a much smaller, more compact unit. Powered by a rechargeable lithium battery, the Auxiwa clip-on light offers three levels of brightness without ever requiring you to stop and change the battery. Stop depending on your phone’s built-in flashlight — it doesn’t understand your needs like this does.

Power of the pen | Bargains Depot Capacitive Stylus

One of the ironies about touch-screen devices is that they work better if you don’t actually touch the screen. Instead, manufacturers suggest that you use a stylus as an intermediary as much as you can. This set of four stylus pens comes with multiple rubber tips that interact with tablets and smartphones as surely and effectively as your grubby little fingers, without the smearing or smudging that makes your screen look like the window outside a donut shop.

Finish the job | Adobe After Effects

Post-production is the secret to making impactful video content. Adobe, the indisputable industry leader in editing and image processing tech, can turn all your content from boring raw footage into vibrant, effects-laden, professional eye candy. Subscribe to Adobe After Effects to add text, wild transitions, expert jump cuts, and jaw-dropping special effects to your TED talk or cat blog. There’s no limit to what you can do with Adobe After Effects, even if there should be.

It’s easy bein’ green | LYLYCTY Fabric Solid Color Green Screen

Have you ever wanted to make a video against the backdrop of a burning building, an avalanche, or a black hole in space but couldn’t afford the travel? Great news: You can simulate your appearance near a natural disaster — or, really, any background image you want — with a green screen. Shoot your video in front of this mass of fabric and add a different background to master the illusion. Why hold a Zoom conference in your living room when you can do it near an active volcano?

About Price.com

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The Company’s core team consists of industry-leading data scientists and data engineers. Price.com founder RJ Jain sold his previous company to Google where today it powers Google Test Labs. Previously, he held senior engineering roles at Sidecar (acquired by GM) and Zynga, and served as an in-house Entrepreneur in Residence at Foundation Capital.