Don't Forget the Ending
With video marketing becoming increasingly more popular, Instagram is the platform of choice for short-form content that can have a lot of impact. Captivating your audience on Instagram with video is easy since videos are auto-played, but they also auto loop, and if the end is jarring, they won’t be captivated anymore. Looping your videos with smooth transitions can significantly increase quality, while jarring transitions reveal low-quality production. Luckily, editing the video so the transition is seamless can increase your audience’s attention span and overall content value.
Not all transitions are created equally. There’s a difference between the ease of each different type of loop depending if the video is made with motion graphics, when you can piece the video together or without motion graphics, when the video is live action.
When adding a transition to the end of your video, it’s wise to consider your overall message and brand identity. If your video requires a logo at the end, a fade to black transition allows the whole video to fade to and from a black screen to ease the transition from one scene to another, giving the option for a logo or blank screen at the end, to sum up your video.
Another type of transition that is useful for Instagram is a wipe. Wipes are any transition where the shots shift from one to another by some form of movement across the screen. This can be in solid lines, shapes, or in pieces. Wipe transitions can vary in direction and can be modified to fit the overall tone of your video. How wipe transitions fit into your video may vary. The Instagram video below uses a light flare to help wipe back to the starting scene.
Unlike fade to black and wipe that can easily be used with any video, the return to start and reverse transitions require more planning to successfully create smooth movements within the Instagram video.
Looping has the ability to capture your audience and encourage them to watch the video multiple times. The return to start position is any kind of looping where there is no discernible end or beginning, meaning the beginning and the end are exactly the same. Return to start requires planning, especially for video, but motion graphics is easily adjustable if you keep the loop in mind.
A reverse transition is when the whole video plays in reverse until it reaches the beginning. Instagram’s app, Boomerang, is an example of reverse transitions that with good planning, can be a unique piece of content. While live video can looped with Boomerang, creating a reverse transition with motion graphics is easy to execute, but difficult to make look seamless.
Looping not only creates higher quality content but encourages users to view the video in its entirety. Although foregoing a loop in your video can be an impactful way to show before and after, it can be challenging for viewers to make it through the video. Transitions don’t have to be difficult—apps like iMovie and WeVideo can easily increase content value, even if it’s standard scene transitions. Perception of the video is important, so in order to have a successful Instagram loop every post, planning ahead is key. Regardless of the transition you choose, be intentional with your video’s ending as often as possible to increase quality, stay consistent and keep your audience engaged.