# youtube annotation ideas



## Stefan (Mar 10, 2011)

Had an idea for youtube annotations: use them to list the times, red/green for slowest/fastest, make them links to the start of the solves. On its youtube page, I made them match the progress bar (embedded in the forum, the progress bar unfortunately doesn't span the whole width). Other ideas for using annotations? (I thought Lucas once made a thread, but I didn't find it).

[youtubewide]un7uha9PDqw[/youtubewide]


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## Dene (Mar 10, 2011)

Ah that is so useful. I doubt many people would bother though.


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## Stefan (Mar 10, 2011)

Well, my "matching" with the progress bar isn't exactly 100% accurate, and overall it's not that much work. Also, of course I'd do everything to please my viewers.


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## Kirjava (Mar 10, 2011)

I usually have annotations turned off because people use them obnoxiously. This is pretty cool.

Doesn't seem to work when embedded though, also lol cast shoutout.


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## Stefan (Mar 10, 2011)

Kirjava said:


> Doesn't seem to work when embedded though



How so? I can see them, and clicking them gets me to the intended points.



Kirjava said:


> lol cast shoutout.



Your sexy voices make me faster.


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## Kirjava (Mar 10, 2011)

The annotations disappear when I click on them. (Now I've rechecked it only seems to happen when I click on the red boxes within the annotations - they're working otherwise. Something to do with the 'x' behind it?)


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## Stefan (Mar 10, 2011)

Ah, right. That's for closing the annotations. Just click them anywhere else. I doubt it can be turned off.


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## maggot (Mar 10, 2011)

i would be more willing to make a video of cube stuff given i wouldnt really need to edit and i could just upload a session. it lets the viewer have the option of skipping scrambles and inspection times and go straight to the goods lol. i think it would be especially useful in some big bld solves too, for various reasons. also square1 sessions, in which watching scrambles are boring.


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## MrIndianTeen (Mar 10, 2011)

Kirjava said:


> The annotations disappear when I click on them. (Now I've rechecked it only seems to happen when I click on the red boxes within the annotations - they're working otherwise. Something to do with the 'x' behind it?)


 
The 'X' means close just like on a computer, unless you have a mac.


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## Kirjava (Mar 10, 2011)

Macs aren't computers?


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## Stefan (Mar 10, 2011)

Rather the contrary, read it as _"unless your computer is a mac"_.

Found Lucas' thread/video I meant (though it was mostly about his 10.00, only got a bit about annotations because he used nice ones there):
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/s...Garron-s-Official-10.00&highlight=annotations


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## Kirjava (Mar 10, 2011)

'X' isn't close on a Mac?


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## The Puzzler (Mar 10, 2011)

It's red and when you go over it it's "X".


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## timeless (Mar 10, 2011)

Stefan said:


> Rather the contrary, read it as _"unless your computer is a mac"_.
> 
> Found Lucas' thread/video I meant (though it was mostly about his 10.00, only got a bit about annotations because he used nice ones there):
> http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/s...Garron-s-Official-10.00&highlight=annotations


 
could u make a tutorial for this?


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Mar 11, 2011)

Definitely doing this!! Thanks for the idea!


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## Andreaillest (Mar 11, 2011)

Great idea Stefan, very helpful. Don't think many people will do this, especially for a avg. of 12, but I might do this on my next vid.


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## IamWEB (Mar 11, 2011)

I like good presentation in my videos, so I'll do this on my better averages I upload. This one of the newer features of YouTube annotations, and I like it. lol, I commented about it on the video's page before seeing this thread.

I remember Lucas' 10.00 video and the good stuff in it; nice .


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## Kirjava (Mar 11, 2011)

huh. TIL


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## Stefan (Mar 11, 2011)

timeless said:


> could u make a tutorial for this?



For mine or Lucas'? Anyway, it's really easy and intuitive, I doubt a tutorial is needed. After uploading your video, just go to its page and click _"Edit annotations"_ above it. Then play around with it.



Andreaillest said:


> Don't think many people will do this, especially for a avg. of 12



Bawww, that's where it might be most useful... both for jumping and for telling where you are in the average. I just added more annotations for the latter issue, marking the current solve (including scramble+inspect time):






The downside is that apparently this way blocks the solve-annotation, so I cannot start to the jump of the current solve.
Edit: problem somewhat solved, I just linked the surrounder marker as well (to the start of the solve).

The whole thing could also be very good for long tutorial videos, showing/linking the different segments and highlighting the current one.


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## freshcuber (Mar 11, 2011)

Yeah, I could see this being much more helpful in videos than averages. It will definitely make averages more exciting since you don't have to sit through 20+ seconds of scramble and inspection but for a very long vid like MM&P's V-6 mod tutorial this would be perfect.


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## Stefan (Mar 11, 2011)

freshcuber said:


> It will definitely make averages more exciting since you don't have to sit through 20+ seconds of scramble and inspection


 
It can do more than that. Imagine you've ignored a video or watched it already, and then someone says _"wow the 7th solve was awesome"_ and you want to go check it out. Just the one solve out of 12. You can roughly guess where it is, but it can be cumbersome to find (especially if someone interrupted the cuber and he left the break in, or if pops make some solves much longer, or if there are a few extra solves before or after the record average). I've had the idea for a while, and quite a few times I wished some navigation like this was provided.


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## freshcuber (Mar 11, 2011)

I see the potential in doing this. The advantages it would provide outways the few minutes it takes to add to the video. You can make the annotations smaller though right? In your Ao5 video in the OP the annotations cleanly filled the bottom where there was nothing of interest going on. In a longer video like an Ao12 would the annotations become cluttered though? If they were smaller it would keep it all clean looking as long as they weren't too small.


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## KYLOL (Mar 11, 2011)

Cool idea Stefan.


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## Tim Major (Mar 11, 2011)

Ryan Jew did this months ago!
One of the reasons I originally subscribed to him


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## Zane_C (Mar 11, 2011)

This is does seem quite useful, I find it more entertaining.


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## Stefan (Mar 11, 2011)

freshcuber said:


> You can make the annotations smaller though right?



Sure. The text (of the bottom boxes) is the smallest already, but the boxes can be made shorter or overlap. Longer times (1:23.45) could be shortened (1:23). Or you can try a different approach, watch the video again and check out the boxes I added to the left and right now. In any case, if it looks ugly or doesn't work, just don't use it, it's just a suggestion 



Tim Major said:


> Ryan Jew did this months ago!
> One of the reasons I originally subscribed to him



I'm not surprised. Though, judging by the responses here, his apparently went mostly unnoticed. I don't know his channel, can you link to such a video of him?


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## CubicNL (Mar 11, 2011)

It looks very cool and I think it's quite handy as well.
If I'd use it I'd take the annotations on the right and take those to the left, that seems to be the best imo.


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## hatter (Mar 11, 2011)

I like the bottom and I prefer the annotations on the right to the ones on the left. I'm not really sure why, though.


I hope this starts becoming somewhat standard -- I think it would be very useful.


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